Chapter 46: Making Good Use of Resources
"Yes," Jiang Moli said. "Didn't I sleep in the same room with a colleague? She even asked a few questions. I went out with her, and it was Brother Shi Nan who was our tour guide. Actually, if I hadn't brought my colleague with me, maybe she wouldn't have asked me."
"Are you bringing your colleagues with you?" Zhou Yiran asked.
"People subconsciously seek benefits and avoid harm, choosing what's beneficial to them over what's disadvantageous," Jiang Moli said. "I didn't want to be misunderstood, and my colleagues wanted to go out together, so I decided to bring them along."
To put it bluntly, Jiang Moli had her own issues, and she couldn't avoid them. At the time, Jiang Moli didn't think too much about it, thinking it would be better to have someone else go with her, so as to avoid upsetting the Shi family. Later, Jiang Moli didn't think so anymore. No matter who Jiang Moli brought with her, if the Shi family knew, they would definitely think Jiang Moli asked Shi Nan to take her out.
Zhou Yiran knew about Shi Nan's affairs, and Jiang Moli did not hide it from her.
Zhou Yiran knew it earlier.
Why do so many people say that Jiang Moli and Sheng Jiahao are together? Because Shi Nan appeared before them.
Shi Nan and Jiang Moli are not together, and the Shi family is unhappy about it. They don't want Shi Nan to have much contact with Jiang Moli.
Society is cruel, especially to women. Women often need to be more outstanding than men to reach higher positions. Remember, long ago, opera was essentially performed by men, and only men could carry the lead. It's only in recent years that women have been able to perform well in opera.
"It's no wonder people ask." Jiang Moli said, "Everyone is curious. They think I'm just asking casually and there's no other meaning. If you want to say something, then say it. If you don't want to say it, then don't say it."
"Damn, that's really true." Zhou Yiran slapped her thigh. Isn't this the mentality of a melon-eater? Sometimes there's no malice, just pure melon-eating, and you don't notice you're asking something you shouldn't be asking.
"Right." Jiang Moli said, "I took the person out first."
"Next time, don't bring people like this." Zhou Yiran said, "What if people gossip and tell others, you won't be able to explain yourself. No, if you go out alone with Shi Nan, people will also talk about it. You'd better not go out alone with Shi Nan."
"How should I put it? We grew up together and have been friends for so many years. Someone kindly offered to be my tour guide, but I said no..." Jiang Moli paused and sighed, "Ya Ran, sometimes I feel like I'm really hypocritical, really bad, and really indecisive, you know? I hate this kind of behavior, but I still do it."
Jiang Moli felt they shouldn't be together, but she also felt they hadn't done anything else, so why should they follow other people's ideas? There was a rebellious mentality, a sense of avoidance. To others, this might be considered a very green tea behavior. But when people encounter such a situation, they sometimes do it subconsciously.
"Ah, I seem to have become a little bad guy." Jiang Moli stretched out her hands and slapped her cheeks twice, and then slapped them a few more times gently.
"Stop filming. You don't want a slimmer face," Zhou Yiran said. "What's the big deal? Do you think we're omnipotent? We can always stay sober and know the right thing to do? If that's the case, how can we still have a dark history?"
"When Jiahao went over, I went back to the hotel entrance with Brother Shi Nan and my colleagues. Then, Brother Shi Nan went back and never came back." Jiang Moli said, "That's good. My colleagues asked me if Brother Shi Nan liked me, and I didn't think so. I heard him tell his parents that I was just an ordinary friend of his, just like everyone else. We all live on the same street, and in other places, we are also considered fellow villagers and help each other. But you know me, I feel that the relationship between men and women is not that simple. Tell me, why do I worry so much?"
"I think you're worried your partner might misunderstand you," Zhou Yiran said. "Also, you're just unhappy with Shi Nan's parents' behavior."
"You're right, it's true." Jiang Moli said, "It feels like I'm secretly doing something bad, but only halfway through."
Jiang Moli didn't dare tell anyone else about these things, except to Zhou Yaran. Between the two little girls, they could tell each other their secrets. Only when Zhou Yaran's other family members were away did Jiang Moli dare to speak to her in the living room.
Zhou Yiran's brother and sister-in-law will be away for a few days, and her parents haven't returned from get off work yet.
"I feel like I'm a little bad, but not bad enough." Jiang Moli took the pillow next to her and said, "Sometimes, I think I'm very strong and decisive, but..."
"Don't say buts. You're also a delicate little girl, okay? You don't have an iron wall." Zhou Yiran said, "If it were me, I'd probably curse back at those people. But you won't. Your mother remarried, and you've had to pay attention to what your father thinks of your mother and what the people around you think of your mother since you were a child. You say you're decisive and say things, but in fact, you're still hesitant sometimes. That's because you don't want your mother to be ridiculed or embarrassed by others. You really have to pay attention to your neighbors and the ways of the world."
"Ya'ran." Jiang Moli leaned on Zhou Ya'ran's shoulder. She felt a little tired. When she was outside, she always wanted to do very well.
Jiang Moli was dating Sheng Jiahao, and she thought she was being carefree, but when they were really together, she still felt a little nervous and would try to be careful. Love makes people feel uneasy, and Jiang Moli thought this feeling was magical. On the one hand, she told herself that if she didn't have this partner, there would be another one, but on the other hand, she still had to be careful. The two of them were different individuals, so how could she not be careful?
"You're tired, mentally as well." Zhou Yiran said, "It's okay, it's okay, I'm here."
"I'm afraid that one day I'll lose you as a friend," Jiang Moli said. "We're in different units, and sometimes we get busy, so it might be hard for us to see each other."
"It's okay. I'll come find you. How can I be stumped by such a small difficulty? Even if I get married and have children, I will still come find you. There's no way I won't come find you." Zhou Yiran said, "You don't have to be so strong. I don't want to be strong. I just want to play it badly."
"..." Jiang Moli looked at Zhou Yiran. Zhou Yiran was already in a bad mood.
Jiang Moli said something to Zhou Yiran, and she felt much better. If you keep some things in your heart, it will be very uncomfortable. After telling it to one person, you want to tell another person, or continue to tell another person... Of course, Jiang Moli didn't tell many people. If you tell some things to too many people, it will become her fault.
Zhou Yiran's parents didn't come back so early, so Zhou Yiran planned to cook noodles. She asked Jiang Moli to stay and eat noodles, but Jiang Moli refused.
"I'll go back and eat, you can eat by yourself." Jiang Moli said, "I just came back, my mother will make delicious food, otherwise, you can come with me to eat?"
Jiang Moli thought that the noodles cooked by Zhou Yiran were really not tasty. She had eaten them before and didn’t want to eat them again.
"If you go back and eat, I won't go back with you." Zhou Yiran said, "It's getting dark soon. No matter how bad the noodles taste, I cooked them myself. Even if I cry, I have to finish them."
It's okay. If that doesn't work, just pour it back. If that doesn't work, let her mother eat it.
Zhou Yiran thought so in her heart and tried to be strong in front of her friends.
When Jiang Moli looked into Zhou Yiran's eyes, she knew what she was going to do.
"There's always someone who can eat them all. There's other food at home, so I won't starve." Zhou Yiran said, "If I go to your place, I'll have to come back and go to work tomorrow. It's so troublesome. If I don't have to go to work tomorrow, I'll go with you."
In the end, Jiang Moli decided to go back by herself, and she happened to meet Sheng Jiahao when she went back.
"Are we going back for dinner?" Jiang Moli thought she wouldn't meet Sheng Jiahao.
"I heard from my second sister that you were coming." Sheng Jiahao said, "I'm nearby, I'll take you back."
"Are you here specially to take me back?" Jiang Moli reached out and poked Sheng Jiahao's arm.
"I miss seeing you." Sheng Jiahao held Jiang Moli's hand tightly.
Sheng Jiahao did not go back to the Sheng family for dinner, but had dinner at Jiang Moli's house. Before Sheng Jiahao went to the Jiang family, Jiang's mother prepared more food. Jiang's mother thought that Jiang Moli went to the Sheng family to see Teacher Lu, and maybe Sheng Jiahao would send Jiang Moli back.
Look, Sheng Jiahao actually sent Jiang Moli back. As long as he has time, he will spend more time with Jiang Moli. Sheng Jiahao wants to give Jiang Moli more sense of security, let her know that he really likes her very much, he can't like anyone else, and he has no intention of being with anyone else. He is with Jiang Moli only because of Jiang Moli herself, not because of Teacher Lu.
Some people say that Sheng Jiahao is with Jiang Moli because of Teacher Lu, but that is not the case.
When Sheng Jiahao was in the capital, he met Shi Nan and heard a few words from Jiang Moli. Sheng Jiahao knew that Jiang Moli was not insecure, nor did she have a problem with anyone, but when he knew how the Shi family treated Jiang Moli, Sheng Jiahao wanted to treat her better, even better.
"Be careful on the road and drive slowly." Jiang Moli saw Sheng Jiahao out.
"Go to bed early at night." Sheng Jiahao said. He touched his wallet, which contained a photo of Jiang Moli.
After Sheng Jiahao went back, Jiang Moli had to deliver the local specialties she had bought to Zhao Guodong and his wife. Jiang Moli originally wanted to ask her mother to take them over, but her mother said it was better for her to take them herself. She said that they were bought by Jiang Moli, not by her mother, so that people would not say that she did not buy them. She was afraid that Zhao Guodong and his wife would be unhappy, so she went to buy some things herself.
Don't underestimate the mouths of your neighbors. Some of them just talk without caring about the truth of the matter.
When Jiang Moli brought some things to Zhao Guodong's house, Zhao Guodong's family was having dinner.
"Brother." Jiang Moli walked into the house and handed something to her brother. "These are some local specialties I brought back from the capital. They are all food. I was tired when I came back yesterday, so I went to rest. Today I went to grandma's house and the teacher's house, so I had time to come to you."
"Sit down first." Zhao Guodong said, "Have you eaten?"
"I've eaten." Jiang Moli said.
Niu Cuihua took the things that Jiang Moli bought. These things were still in boxes and looked very exquisite.
"The cakes inside are all different. I haven't tried them all, so I don't know what they taste like." Jiang Moli said, "If they don't taste good, brother, just make do with it."
"It's delicious, it must be delicious." Niu Cuihua said. This thing looks expensive. Expensive things taste different, so there must be a reason. Niu Cuihua originally thought that her relationship with Jiang Moli was not very good, and Jiang Moli would not be too nice to them.
As a result, Jiang Moli would send them local specialties, and when Zhao Guodong asked Jiang Moli to borrow money, Jiang Moli also lent him money.
Niu Cuihua thought about what her mother said on the phone. Her mother said that she was just arrogant, and she had become arrogant since she came to the city. She couldn't see other people's sincerity. Niu Cuihua thought about it now, and it was really possible that this was the case.
If Niu Cuihua had lived under the same roof with Jiang's mother and others, she might not have felt this way, simply thinking that Jiang's mother and her people should help them. But after Niu Cuihua and Zhao Guodong moved out and Niu Cuihua took charge of the household herself, she began to realize that city life was far different from what she had imagined.
City dwellers don't own land, so they have to buy everything they eat and wear, which costs a lot of money. Even if clothes last a long time, they don't need to buy clothes, but they still have to buy food. If a child has a headache or a fever, they still have to go to the hospital, or even a small clinic, and that also costs money.
"Jasmine, these things must have cost you a lot of money, right? And you have to give them to so many people." Niu Cuihua said, "We're a little embarrassed. You're the ones giving us these things."
Niu Cuihua no longer talks about the things she brought from her mother's home. She brought things, and others also gave her things in return. When Niu Cuihua first came to the city, she was holding back and wanted to support Zhao Guodong. This anger was released. After experiencing more things, Niu Cuihua's mentality also changed.
Jiang Moli looked at Niu Cuihua for a second longer. She thought she had misheard. Was this what her sister-in-law said?
"It's okay. My boyfriend paid for some of the money." Jiang Moli said, "I don't always bring back gifts when I perform in other cities. This is my first time in the capital, so I thought I'd bring some local specialties for everyone. Not a lot, so everyone can try it."
"This isn't just a taste, it must weigh two or three pounds." Niu Cuihua lifted the box and shook it. It wasn't light. "Little sister, do you want to eat some more?"
"No, I just had a full meal." Jiang Moli took a look at the dishes on the table: pickles, radishes, beans, and the best dish was a plate of scrambled eggs.
"We don't have many good dishes here." Niu Cuihua felt a little embarrassed. She had spent too much money before, so now she had to live frugally.
These radishes were brought over by Jiang's mother. She brought two large radishes. Those radishes were given by Aunt Jiang, who had a plot of land near her home where she grew radishes and other vegetables. These radishes were growing quite well, each one quite large. If they grew any longer, they would become hollow and bitter, so Aunt Jiang simply pulled them out and dried them in the sun.
When Jiang's mother and her husband went to Jiang's house with Jiang Moli, Aunt Jiang packed several radishes for them. Jiang's mother thought that Zhao Guodong and his family were short of money, so she didn't buy any other vegetables and only took two radishes to Niu Cuihua.
"I am full. If I am not, I will sit down and eat." Jiang Moli did not dislike these dishes. It was okay to be poor and live a tight life. Jiang Moli took off the small crossbody bag from her body. She bought this bag in the capital. When she saw it, she thought it was particularly suitable for a child like Da Niu.
The eldest girl's full name was Zhao Jiaojiao. Niu Cuihua knew very few characters, but she thought Jiaojiao sounded nice, graceful and charming. Zhao Guodong thought the name was also good, so he decided on it. On weekdays, Zhao Guodong and his wife and the others still called her Zhao Jiaojiao; they were used to it.
Jiang Moli also called Zhao Jiaojiao "Da Niu" at first, but later changed it to "Jiaojiao".
"Jiaojiao, this is for you," Jiang Moli said. It was an ancient-style cloth bag with some bamboo leaves and flowers on it, and two beads strung on it. Jiang Moli didn't dare buy too many beads, fearing that too many beads would easily break. This kind of bag has two larger beads and a thicker string in the middle, so it won't break easily. "It's for books and stationery. It's not too big, but it's enough for kindergarten."
"Oh my god, this bag is so nice." Niu Cuihua reached out and took the bag. This bag looked particularly nice. Niu Cuihua was reluctant to buy a school bag for her daughter, so she made one for her. She felt that a girl didn't need such a nice bag.
Niu Cuihua didn't consider letting her younger son use her older daughter's schoolbag. She subconsciously felt that when the younger son started school, he should have a new one. Niu Cuihua didn't spend much time on her older daughter, always thinking that a good enough one would be enough; a girl didn't need anything too fancy. Girls are generally obedient and don't make a fuss. They take whatever their parents give them.
"Is this for the big girl?" Niu Cuihua asked again.
"Yeah, it's for her schoolbag." Jiang Moli said. She didn't buy anything else for her nephew, but only for Zhao Jiaojiao. "Jiaojiao's."
The girl fluttered her eyelashes and opened her big eyes. She looked at her little aunt. Her little aunt would give her delicious food and buy her a schoolbag. Her little aunt was really nice. The girl liked her little aunt very much. She liked coming to the city because her little aunt was there.
"Such a nice bag as a school bag?" Niu Cuihua felt it was a pity, thinking that she could also carry a small bag. Of course, Niu Cuihua didn't dare to really take the bag for herself, as it was given to Zhao Jiaojiao by Jiang Moli.
"Yes." Jiang Moli nodded. "Less things for kindergarten is just right."
"Mom." Zhao Jiaojiao stared at the bag in Niu Cuihua's hand. It was hers.
"Here." Niu Cuihua handed the bag to Jiang Moli.
"How much did it cost?" Zhao Guodong asked, "I'll give it to you."
"No need." Seeing Zhao Guodong was about to take out money, Jiang Moli quickly refused, "Brother, this is a gift for Jiaojiao. You didn't ask me to buy it. If you asked me to buy it, you pay for it, then fine. I took the initiative to buy it for my little niece. It's a token of my love."
"Yes, it's a gift from my little sister." Niu Cuihua was afraid that the bag would cost a lot of money, so she didn't dare to really let Zhao Guodong give money to Jiang Moli.
Jiang Moli knew what Niu Cuihua was thinking. She had never thought of asking her brother to pay. Jiang Moli went back and she had already delivered the things.
After Jiang Moli left, Niu Cuihua took the bag from Zhao Jiaojiao's hand again. She looked at the bag carefully. The fabric was good, the pattern was beautiful, and it was a cute pink bag. Niu Cuihua looked at the bag for a long time, then looked at the big girl.
"Big girl, you don't have to think that the bags I made are ugly. Your aunt is really good to you." Niu Cuihua said, "Your brother doesn't have any, but you do."
"Her brother hasn't started school yet." Zhao Guodong said that if the younger son went to school, his sister would also send him there. Zhao Guodong didn't think his sister was unfair to the two children. His sister treated them very well. "This is for the eldest girl."
"This pink color isn't suitable for boys, and the flowers are suitable for girls." Niu Cuihua looked at Zhao Guodong, "I didn't think of putting the bag away, nor did I think of waiting for your son to use it. Your sister specifically asked to give it to the eldest girl, and if I don't let the eldest girl use it, how will your sister look at me?"
Zhao Jiaojiao looked at her mother, wondering why her mother hadn't given her the bag yet.
When Jiang Moli bought the bag, she specifically bought one suitable for girls because she didn't want Niu Cuihua to give the bag to her nephew.
"I'll put it here for you first." Niu Cuihua saw her daughter's anxious look, "You haven't finished eating yet, eat quickly. When you go to school, you can carry it with you. If you don't go to school, just put it there so you don't get it dirty. When you go to school, pay attention to hygiene. If you have a runny nose, don't wipe it casually. I won't buy you a new bag if you break it. Only your aunt will buy you one."
Niu Cuihua's mentality changed, and she no longer said bad things about Jiang Moli.
Recently, Niu Cuihua and Miao Guifeng have had less contact. When they meet, Niu Cuihua doesn't listen to Miao Guifeng's talk about the Jiang family. Miao Guifeng knows that Niu Cuihua doesn't like to hear about the Jiang family, so she doesn't say anything more.
Without Miao Guifeng talking nonsense, Niu Cuihua was not instigated by Miao Guifeng, and her mentality was much better.
"Put it in my room." Zhao Jiaojiao emphasized.
"Put it in your room, put it in your room." Niu Cuihua waved her hand, "Eat, eat quickly."
When Jiang Moli came home, her mother didn't see her bag and asked, "Where's the bag?"
"I gave it to Jiaojiao." Jiang Moli said, "I originally bought that bag for Jiaojiao."
"I think it's very suitable for you to carry it on your back." Jiang's mother thought that Jiang Moli bought it for her own use, but she didn't expect that Jiang Moli bought it for the big girl.
"I have another bag." Jiang Moli said, "Such a small bag can't hold a lot of things, it's just right for Jiaojiao."
"Cuihua made a schoolbag for Jiaojiao. It's a pretty big one and can be used when she goes to elementary school." Jiang's mother said.
"There aren't many elementary school textbooks, so that bag is still usable," Jiang Moli said. "I just tried putting some books in it, and it's thick enough to hold three. Elementary school books aren't thick, so Jiaojiao can still use this bag for two or three years. There's still time to get a new one when she's in higher grades."
"Buy her a new one." Jiang's mother didn't mean to stop Jiang Moli from buying things for Zhao Jiaojiao, but Niu Cuihua didn't care about Zhao Jiaojiao that much on weekdays. Jiang's mother was afraid that Niu Cuihua would let Zhao Jiaojiao buy things from Jiang Moli in the future. "Aren't you afraid that your sister-in-law will cheat you?"
"It's not a very valuable thing." Jiang Moli said, "Jiaojiao really needs a new schoolbag, can't we just buy one?"
"You're just easy to talk to," Jiang's mother said. "You've helped your brother a lot in getting married. You don't need to help any more."
"I just want Jiaojiao to have a better life." This is Jiang Moli's true thought. She is a woman herself, and she doesn't want others to treat girls badly. Jiang Moli can't control those who are not related to her by blood, but she can still control Zhao Jiaojiao.
Jiang Moli couldn't just keep telling Niu Cuihua to be nicer to Zhao Jiaojiao. She used her actions to show Niu Cuihua that she liked being nice to girls like Zhao Jiaojiao, and Jiang's mother didn't look down on her granddaughter.
It's a different era now, don't still have feudal ideas. Niu Cuihua is a woman herself, and women like them should treat girls better and pass on their kindness to girls, instead of being mean to them.
"I don't care how they treat Jiaojiao in the countryside. The countryside is the countryside, and here we are." Jiang Moli said, "Sister-in-law always says that her family treats her well, which shows that her family is not too biased towards boys. It's not easy for girls to come into this world. I'm just doing what I can."
Jiang's mother opened her mouth, but she didn't tell Jiang Moli not to be so nice to Zhao Jiaojiao. Zhao Jiaojiao's pitiful appearance flashed through Jiang's mother's mind. She wondered if Niu Cuihua had hidden something for her son to eat instead of Zhao Jiaojiao. Forget it, they couldn't control Niu Cuihua, so they just had to be nicer to Zhao Jiaojiao.
In the evening, Jiang's father was sitting in the room washing his feet. Jiang's mother looked at him and sighed again.
"Moli, this child...sigh." Jiang's mother sighed.
"What's wrong? Did something happen to Jasmine?" Father Jiang became nervous when he heard Mother Jiang's tone.
"Nothing happened to her," Jiang's mother said. "She bought Jiaojiao a bag just for her, saying that Jiaojiao would be ignored as a girl, so she should be treated better. As for Jasmine...you and I don't have a son, and people outside have been talking about it a lot. Earlier, your mother wanted you to adopt a child from your brother, but you refused. I guess Jasmine saw it all and took it to heart. She's usually carefree, but she's probably hiding some pain inside."
Jiang's mother is a woman, she is more sensitive and can feel her daughter's mood more easily.
"What did Jasmine say?" Jiang's father asked.
"How could she possibly say it?" Jiang's mother said, "She doesn't need to say it. I can feel it just by listening to her and watching her actions. Back then, you were thinking about your eldest daughter. When Grandma Jasmine gave Jasmine something, as soon as your eldest daughter asked you to, you also wanted Jasmine to learn to share."
"..." Jiang's father was silent. He felt that there was nothing wrong in letting his daughter learn to share with her brothers and sisters. The key point was that Jiang Yuqin was not his biological daughter.
"You have an older daughter, and I have an older son. Jasmine is our daughter. It seems like she should be the most favored, but she's not." Jiang's mother recalled the past. She was still not good enough to Jasmine. "Today, I thought she bought herself a beautiful little bag. When she went out, she didn't say the bag was for Jiaojiao. Cuihua always called Jiaojiao "Big Girl, Big Girl," and Jasmine liked to call her "Big Girl Jiaojiao."
"Be nice to her in the future and make more delicious food for her." Jiang's father said, "All these things at home are for her."
"She knows everything. If I don't give these things to her, who else can I give them to?" Jiang's mother said, "I just feel bad and sad. They say that those who have never suffered will not think about the suffering of others."
Jiang's mother's eyes were slightly red. Jasmine wondered if Zhao Jiaojiao being ignored reminded her of her own childhood. When Jasmine was young, Jiang's mother had to take care of her son and Jiang Yuqin at the same time. In order to avoid being accused of being vicious, Jiang's mother had to be polite to Jiang Yuqin on the surface, which inevitably made Jiang Moli feel wronged.
Even if Jiang's mother privately told Jiang Moli to resist, to stand up for herself, and to not worry about so many things, because the crying child gets the milk, what's the use? The child still suffered injustice. This means that Jiang's mother can't give her child enough protection, and she is letting Jiang Moli handle it on her own.
"We were all wrong," Jiang's mother said. "We weren't treating her well enough."
"It's not good enough." Father Jiang didn't dare to say that he was good enough to Jiang Moli. He felt guilty.
Early in the morning, Jiang Moli sat down to have breakfast. As soon as she sat down, Jiang's father put a roll of money in front of her.
"Dad." Jiang Moli was puzzled. "Is this for me?"
"Yes, this is for you," said Jiang's father. "It's not much, just twenty yuan. You spent a lot of money on this trip to the capital, so I'm giving you some allowance."
"Really give it to me? Then I'll take it." Jiang Moli didn't say anything polite to Jiang's father. She had never been polite to Jiang's father before. If she was polite, the thing would fall into Jiang Yuqin's hands. As long as Jiang's father was willing to give it, Jiang Moli would accept it.
"Here, your dad gave it to you." Jiang's mother handed Jiang Moli a glass of milk, which had just been heated up. "You're short on money. If you don't have any, just tell your dad and ask him to give it to you."
"It's okay. I have a salary, so I'm not short of money that easily." Jiang Moli said, "I don't spend money recklessly and don't buy many clothes, so I can still save some money."
Jiang Moli thought to herself that she was not Jiang Yuqin, and Jiang Yuqin really couldn't leave much money.
At this time, Jiang Yuqin was at home pasting matchboxes and asked her father to find odd jobs for her. Jiang Yuqin went directly to Uncle Jin's workplace and asked him to find odd jobs for her. Uncle Jin had no choice but to find odd jobs for Jiang Yuqin.
In the past, Uncle Jin would still feel sorry for Jiang Yuqin, but now, he just thinks Jiang Yuqin is a big trouble. Why did he get drunk and say that Jiang Yuqin is his biological daughter? Uncle Jin thought how good it would be if he hadn't said those words. Jiang Yuqin should go to find her father now.
Jiang Yuqin took on the odd job of pasting matchboxes, but she felt that the job was too difficult.
"It's not easy at all. My hands are sticky." Jiang Yuqin said.
Wang Chunfen sat next to Jiang Yuqin. She had no other work today, so her mother-in-law was helping her take care of the children, so she came to Jiang Yuqin's place. It just so happened that Jiang Yuqin had some odd jobs, so Wang Chunfen took some in.
"Making money isn't easy," Wang Chunfen said. "Several people in our company have stopped working and haven't found other jobs. There aren't any odd jobs left. There's a lot of people vying for these jobs. It's good enough if you can find work. Do it for now, and then switch to something else if there's something good to do."
"I used to be doing well in the factory, but now it's turned out like this..." Jiang Yuqin felt very upset. "Before, so many people envied us. When we stopped working and stayed at home, everyone laughed at us. They said we couldn't go back and that the factory didn't want us anymore."
Jiang Yuqin was worried about this. A temporary suspension of work was fine, but she was afraid it would be permanent. If that happened, Jiang Yuqin would have completely lost hope.
"At our age, we're still many years away from retirement," Jiang Yuqin said. "We'll have to work in the meantime. Ding Chao works so hard, always working overtime just for the overtime pay, so that we can have a better life."
Jiang Yuqin asked the Jin family for money, but she couldn't get much in a month, so it was better than nothing.
"I'm also waiting for work," Wang Chunfen said. She's willing to do housework, but she has children at home, so being a live-in nanny isn't an option. She can't stay in someone else's home all the time. Wang Chunfen works outside during the day, but she still has to go home at night. "If there's work, I take it. If not, I stay home."
Jiang Yuqin took on odd jobs, and she specifically told Wang Chunfen that she could come and work with her, and they would split the money. Wang Chunfen didn't plan to always do odd jobs with Jiang Yuqin. Jiang Yuqin had to take care of the children, so she would definitely do less work. If they always split the money equally, Wang Chunfen would definitely suffer.
Jiang Moli didn't pay special attention to Jiang Yuqin. She didn't go to the house rented by Jiang Yuqin and his wife. The Jiang family's house was quite far away from Jiang Yuqin and his wife's house. Jiang Moli didn't have to pass by Jiang Yuqin when she went to take the bus.
Zhao Jiaojiao went to school with the small schoolbag Jiang Moli gave her. She looked down at the bag several times while walking on the road. She liked the bag very much and was very happy with a smile on her face. Niu Cuihua saw Zhao Jiaojiao so happy. She thought that her daughter had never been so happy even when she made a schoolbag for her.
"Did you buy your daughter a new schoolbag?" a parent asked. "A new schoolbag is good. Many of her classmates have new schoolbags, but she doesn't. That's not good."
"The original schoolbag was also new. I made it myself," said Niu Cuihua.
"This..." The student's parents were a little embarrassed.
"The schoolbags made from old clothes don't look very new," Niu Cuihua explained.
"We have family planning, and your husband works at the company. If you don't plan to have more children in the future, just these two," the student's parent said. "Without that many children, you can still buy more things for them."
After arriving in the classroom, Zhao Jiaojiao told her classmates, "This is a gift from my aunt."
My aunt, my aunt, my aunt... Zhao Jiaojiao said a lot of these words today.
Some children envied Zhao Jiaojiao for having such a good aunt. After school, some children simply told their parents that they wanted their aunt to buy them nice schoolbags. Zhao Jiaojiao's aunt then bought Zhao Jiaojiao a nice little schoolbag.
The parents of those children can't really let their children go to their aunt. The schoolbags cost a lot of money and are not cheap. The parents are also unwilling to give money to the aunt to help the children buy schoolbags. This time it's a schoolbag, next time it's something else. They can't be too accommodating to the children.
On the way home from school, Zhao Jiaojiao was still talking about her aunt in front of her mother.
"Auntie is so nice." Zhao Jiaojiao said and looked at her mother again.
When she returned home, Zhao Jiaojiao didn't say hello to her aunt, she just stared at her schoolbag.
"Put your schoolbag in your room, on your bed, not on the table," Niu Cuihua said. "We'll be serving food on the table soon. Don't get your schoolbag dirty or greasy."
"Oh." Zhao Jiaojiao quickly put the schoolbag into the small room, fearing that the schoolbag was really dirty. She now cherishes this schoolbag very much.
Jiang Moli didn't see Zhu Zhixuan at work today because Zhu Zhixuan had asked for leave.
When Zhu Zhixuan was on a business trip in the capital, she did not get enough rest. She had to take a long-distance train back, so she had to take leave to rest. She did not have the energy to go to work and could not hold on.
Zhu Zhixuan's boss allowed her to take leave, and others did too, though the number was relatively small. Most people still came to work on time. Taking leave meant salary deductions, and while the deductions were small due to no performances, it was still money.
Qiao Yuwei and Jiang Moli lived in the same room in the capital. They talked a lot and became closer.
After work in the evening, some people ate dinner in the company cafeteria instead of going home. Qiao Yuwei went to the company cafeteria for dinner. She was not from Nancheng, but from another city in the province. The Provincial Xiaobaihua School recruited people not only from Nancheng, but from all over the country, and mainly recruited people from within the province. Everyone entered the Provincial Xiaobaihua School based on their ability.
Not only Qiao Yuwei is not from Nancheng, Zhu Zhixuan is not from Nancheng either. Many people in the unit are not originally from Nancheng. They were transferred from local areas to the provincial Xiaobaihua.
"I really envy you for being able to go home for dinner." Qiao Yuwei sighed, "I just go to the company cafeteria for dinner."
"The food in the cafeteria is not bad, quite good." Jiang Moli said, "After eating, you can go back and wash up and go to bed. It's simple and convenient."
"It's more heartwarming to have family around." Qiao Yuwei said, "You should go back quickly. Your boyfriend is here to pick you up."
When Qiao Yuwei saw Sheng Jiahao, she did not continue to talk to Jiang Moli, but went to the company cafeteria. On the way to the company cafeteria, Qiao Yuwei thought about how nice it would be if she could find a considerate partner.
"Are you tired?" Sheng Jiahao walked to Jiang Moli's side, "It's your first day at work after your business trip."
"Not bad," Jiang Moli said. "Thanks to you, I wasn't so tired after flying back with you. Someone in our unit took a day off today. They were really exhausted after taking such a long train ride and performing for several days."
"Next time, if something like this happens again, you can take a plane and I'll pay for the ticket," Sheng Jiahao said. "Don't worry about people saying you're unsociable. You can't stand it for such a long time."
"Others can bear it." Jiang Moli said.
"That's other people. We have the conditions to make ourselves feel more comfortable, so of course we should make ourselves more comfortable." Sheng Jiahao said, "If you have to tell others about this kind of thing, they will only think you are a fool, not that you can share their suffering."
Sheng Jiahao doesn’t think there is anything wrong with enjoying himself. This is not a special era, and he pays for it himself, not asking the company to pay for it.
"I'll do as you say from now on." Jiang Moli happily took Sheng Jiahao's hand, "When I'm with you, I feel like I'm spoiled."
"This isn't being spoiled; it's making good use of resources," Sheng Jiahao said. "We're going to be together forever."
When Sheng Jiahao and Jiang Moli arrived at the gate of the compound, they met Shi's mother. Shi's mother asked with a smile, "Moli, did you go to the capital and meet our Shi Nan?"
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