Chapter 249
The person who arrived was the manager who had just notified a group of people.
He looked tall and strong, and was holding a metal lunchbox, which he was handing to Song Chunhua.
"Next time, line up and get your own food. Also, remember to bring your own lunchbox. If there's not enough food, get some yourself. Try to eat quickly so that it's all gone by the end." The manager frowned, his expression not friendly.
Song Chunhua quickly waved her hand, "I'm just a temporary worker. I'm already so grateful that you're willing to hire me. It would be too shameless of me to accept this. You keep it for yourself, I don't need it!"
"You're just lucky to have run into the big boss here for an inspection. Next time, you won't get such good food. Take it if you want; if you don't eat it, you can take it home for your kids tonight. Whether you're a permanent employee or not, anyone I protect here gets a meal!"
When he spoke the second half of his sentence, his voice became much louder, as if he were warning everyone present.
The surrounding noise fell completely silent after he finished speaking.
After the manager finished speaking, Song Chunhua accepted the gift with trembling hands.
She glanced at the few workers not far away who looked rather unwell but dared not show the slightest resentment, and hurriedly thanked the foreman repeatedly:
"Thank you, thank you... If I have the chance, I, Song Chunhua, will definitely repay you!" She bowed after saying that.
When Song Chunhua lowered her head, her hair was completely white.
Seeing this, the steward sighed inwardly and helped her up, but he didn't take Song Chunhua's words to heart.
After all, what could a poor, skinny old woman possibly repay?
After watching the manager leave, Song Chunhua squatted down and carefully opened the lunchbox.
The rice was topped with a layer of glistening green vegetables, and on top of the vegetables were several large, thick pieces of meat.
In those days, people liked to eat fatty meat. Although the lunchbox was full of lean meat, Song Chunhua still cherished it very much.
She swallowed hard when the aroma wafted towards her.
Song Chunhua hadn't seen meat for many years.
Since her husband died, the family's land has been gradually taken away, leaving only a house with a small courtyard and a small plot of farmland where her husband and daughter are buried.
In addition, Guan Lingwu was young, so she lost all her sources of income.
Song Chunhua looked at the meat, and without thinking for too long, carefully covered it up and put it into the floral cloth bag.
When she picked up the half mooncake and brought it to her mouth, her eyes were even smiling.
"Now that brat can have a taste."
When Song Chunhua was pushed to the back of the line to collect her money after finishing all her work, she was not angry.
She also knew why this group of people were ostracizing her.
Before she arrived, this group of people could slack off, but after she came, this little old lady did more work than them, so she naturally incurred their resentment.
Song Chunhua clutched the floral cloth bag tightly until everyone else had left before it was her turn.
The manager glanced at her and handed her the money in his hand.
"Try it and see if it's right."
Song Chunhua took the money with both hands, counted the amount, and shook her head at the manager, "We agreed this morning that I would only take half the money. This is too much. I can't accept it."
As she spoke, she tried to stuff the extra money back into the manager's hand.
The foreman pushed her hand away. "This morning we said if you couldn't handle this heavy work, you'd only get half. But you did more than those young men, so this money is rightfully yours. Keep it."
Song Chunhua tried to refuse, but the manager stopped her, saying, "Don't dawdle with me. If you work under me, you'll get what you're entitled to. It's not just you who gets this treatment."
He glanced at Song Chunhua, then lowered his head to write down the accounts in his notebook, clearly not wanting to waste any more time with her.
Song Chunhua didn't understand, but she clutched the money tightly and asked him, "What's your name?"
He didn't even look up.
"Qian Wen".
——
Song Chunhua returned home as dusk fell.
Seeing that the door was locked from the inside, she breathed a sigh of relief and pounded on the door, shouting, "You brat, open the door!"
While waiting for Lingwu, she faintly smelled a bitter taste.
She couldn't help but wonder: What kind of trouble is this girl causing at home?
When the thin little girl opened the door, Song Chunhua glanced at Ling Wu's yellow hair due to malnutrition, but in the end, she couldn't bring herself to scold her.
They only asked, "What do you do at home?"
"Grandma, Teacher Li said that drinking this can nourish the body, so I went up the mountain to pick some medicinal herbs and made some soup for you."
Knowing that Song Chunhua trusted her teacher's words, Ling Wu offered this excuse.
Upon hearing this, Song Chunhua strode over to lift the pot lid and saw that there was only a bowl of brown medicinal liquid in the pot. She frowned deeply.
"Didn't I teach you not to boast?" She raised an eyebrow, looking quite stern.
Ling Wu wasn't flustered; she had already spoken to Teacher Li about it that afternoon.
However, she didn't say that she prescribed the medicine herself. She said that an old Chinese medicine doctor passed by and, seeing that she and her grandmother were having a hard time, prescribed the medicine.
After class, Teacher Li first took it to a pharmacy to check it out. Only after confirming that it was fine did she ask Lingwu to try to find some medicinal herbs.
"If Grandma doesn't believe me, she can come to school with me tomorrow."
"I'm taking you to school tomorrow anyway. If you dare to lie to me, I'll see what happens to you..."
“Spread my ass wide open,” Ling Wu replied.
Song Chunhua's words trailed off. Looking at the little girl's sweet smile, she was inexplicably unsure how to continue, and could only scold, "You brat!"
Lingwu held her face in her hands as she watched her drink the medicine, and when Song Chunhua insisted on giving her the other half, she refused.
"By the time Grandma got home, I had already drunk it."
Now, with proper care, Grandma's health will gradually improve.
Seeing that Song Chunhua had finished drinking, Ling Wu asked, "Grandma, what are you taking me to school for tomorrow?"
Song Chunhua put down the bowl and snorted coldly: "What do you want? Of course, I want to see if you're someone who talks big now!"
"I thought Grandma was going to take me to school." Lingwu cupped her face in her hands, but she didn't look down; she was still smiling.
But for no apparent reason, Song Chunhua felt somewhat sad.
The little girl is smart, it's a pity that having her around is such a waste of her intelligence.
Fortunately, tomorrow the little girl will be able to sit inside and listen to the lecture with dignity.
Seeing Song Chunhua's mood fluctuating, Lingwu changed the subject, "Grandma, guess what else I dug up on the mountain today?"
"You're keeping me in suspense now. I'd like to see what kind of secret you can come up with."
Ling Wu smiled, pursing her lips, and took out the small wild ginseng with one hand.
By the moonlight, Song Chunhua's cloudy eyes became clearer.
Fearing that Song Chunhua wouldn't believe her, Ling Wu explained, "I wrapped it with leaves, and the mud wasn't dry yet. I didn't steal it."
As soon as she finished speaking, Song Chunhua quickly wrapped the ginseng back up with leaves.
She looked around, afraid of being seen by others.
Seeing the old lady's sneaky look, Lingwu covered her mouth and chuckled.
"Giggle—"
Song Chunhua then realized what was happening, and her dark face flushed slightly. "What are you laughing at! You can't go there again next time. You're just a little girl. If someone steals this thing, so be it, but don't let it drag this old woman down with you!"
“I know, Grandma is worried about me.”
"You shameless girl, when did I say anything that I was worried about you? I was worried about myself!"
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