Chapter 18: Preparing for the Competition and Blood Ties
Zhou Xiaomei coaxed Li Guodong's three half-grown children from his previous marriage to sleep, and then used all her skills to have a passionate and unforgettable lovemaking session with Li Guodong.
Afterwards, she curled up in Li Guodong's sweaty arms like a lazy cat, tracing circles on his chest with her fingers, her voice soft and seductive: "Guodong, I heard from Sister Lian today that the Labor Protection Factory's Women's Federation is recruiting staff. Aren't you familiar with Director Song of the Labor Protection Factory? Could you go and talk to him for me and let me take the job?"
"You're going?" Li Guodong stroked her smooth back, unconcerned. "It's much more peaceful staying at home. Why go to work in a factory? What do you think the Women's Federation is? It's a place where women congregate, full of gossip and backstabbing. It's incredibly annoying. You should stay home, take good care of the children, and manage the household well. That's better than anything else. Do you think I, Li Guodong, would deprive you and your children of food and drink?"
He enjoyed this feeling of being relied upon, and his male chauvinism was satisfied.
“But you’re never home, and I’m all alone with the kids. I don’t even have anyone to talk to. It’s so boring.” Zhou Xiaomei softened her voice, trying to appeal to her emotions. “The kids are all grown up now, and they go to school during the day. Besides cooking three meals a day and doing laundry, I don’t have to watch them all the time. If I go out to work, I can not only earn a salary to supplement the family income and ease your burden, but I can also have something to do and broaden my horizons. Isn’t that great?”
"Nonsense!" Li Guodong's face darkened, his tone filled with displeasure. "My woman, Li Guodong's woman, needs to go out and earn a pittance? Supporting the family is a man's job! You should focus on managing this little plot of land at home; that's more important than anything else. Don't think about these nonsense things!" He felt that Zhou Xiaomei's words were questioning his ability to support the family.
"Guodong..." Zhou Xiaomei keenly sensed his displeasure, immediately turning to hug him tightly, nuzzling her cheek against his neck, softening her posture and acting coquettishly, "I misspoke. I know you care about me and don't want me to go out and suffer. I also know you're capable enough to support our family. But Guodong, think about it, in our family compound, almost all the men with higher positions, like the regimental commander's wife, the political commissar's wife, and the wives of several battalion commanders, don't they mostly have jobs? Do you know why?"
Li Guodong was taken aback by her question. As a rough and unrefined man, he had never really thought much about these kinds of family matters before. He followed her words and asked in return, "Why?"
"Think about it," Zhou Xiaomei coaxed patiently, "If you women stay home all day, your eyes will only be on the children, the stove, and laundry. What kind of knowledge will you have? When you have nothing to do, you'll just get together and gossip about everyone, and who knows when it might cause conflicts and trouble, which will only cause trouble for your husbands. But going out to work is different. Not only can you earn a salary, but more importantly, you can broaden your horizons and gain experience. Most importantly, you can meet more people and build connections, which will be of great benefit to your husbands' development in the army!"
"What benefits could there be?" Li Guodong still hadn't fully grasped the situation.
“Think about it,” Zhou Xiaomei lowered her voice, with a hint of mystery, “our regimental commander’s wife, Sister Lian, isn’t she the director of the Women’s Federation at the labor protection factory? If I could get a job at the Women’s Federation, wouldn’t I see Sister Lian every day? The more I interact with her, the better our relationship would be, wouldn’t that be the same as getting in touch with the regimental commander’s family? If there are any good training opportunities or promotions in the regiment, I’ll mention your good points to Sister Lian, and she’ll whisper sweet nothings in the commander’s ear, and the opportunity would be even more likely to fall into your lap.”
Li Guodong's eyes suddenly lit up, as if he had been enlightened! He sat up abruptly and looked at Zhou Xiaomei: "Hey! Wife! You're really sharp! How come I didn't think of that!"
Zhou Xiaomei was secretly delighted and pressed her advantage, saying, "Isn't this how relationships are built? If you help me today, I owe you a favor; if you need something from me tomorrow, I'll repay you. This back and forth naturally brings us closer. 'Having more friends means having more options'—that saying is timeless."
These words struck a chord with Li Guodong. He began to consider his options. He had indeed been in the position of company commander for quite some time, and some of his contemporaries had already surpassed him. If he didn't make any progress soon, he might really be stuck in this position until he was demobilized. If he could really use his wife to establish a connection with the regimental commander's family, the more he thought about it, the more brilliant his move seemed!
***
As dawn broke, Jiang Suining was already sitting at her desk looking at the stack of review materials that Lu Ye had brought back the night before.
The book contains Mao's Selected Works, quotations, interpretations of the latest policy documents, and a thick stack of guiding materials on women's work, with particular emphasis on the specific provisions of family planning and the implementation methods for protecting women's rights.
She quickly flipped through it; the content covered a wide range of topics, the regulations were detailed, and there were quite a few points that needed to be memorized and understood.
This isn't a subject exam; it's clearly a major test of political literacy and current affairs policies! The original owner did have some memories of some of the content, and she knew a little bit about it, but not much. It was simply not enough to cope with this kind of highly targeted job exam.
“This…” Jiang Suining held the paper, her brows furrowing unconsciously, a hint of difficulty on her face.
"It's okay," Lu Ye said gently, having been watching her expression closely. "Just do your best. If you don't pass the exam, we can find other jobs. There's no rush." He knew she was ambitious and was worried that she was under too much pressure.
"Who says I can't pass the exam!" Jiang Suining's competitive spirit was immediately ignited. Although the material was dry and obscure, requiring rote memorization, she was confident in her memory. She was simply surprised by the format and content of the exam.
"There are still three whole days left! Three days is enough! From today onwards, I will go into seclusion to study hard, and none of you should disturb me!" She straightened her back and made a solemn vow.
Lu Ye was amused by her tense yet determined appearance, and his resolute brows softened: "Alright, last-minute cramming is always good. Focus on memorizing for the next three days, and I'll check your get off work and ask you questions when I get home from work."
"Yes!" Jiang Suining nodded vigorously, closed the study door, and continued reciting.
Zhang Hongjuan looked much more energetic than when we last met. Although she was still thin, her face had some color in it, and her eyes were no longer lifeless.
Yueya'er changed into a clean floral dress. When she saw Jiang Suining, she immediately jumped into her arms like a happy little bird and sweetly called out, "Aunt Jiang!"
"Sister Hongjuan, Yueya'er, you've finally arrived!" Jiang Suining took the food she had brought back from the cafeteria from Lu Ye, invited Zhang Hongjuan to sit down, and then grabbed a few White Rabbit milk candies and stuffed them into Yueya'er's hands.
Lu Ye then made two cups of malted milk powder and brought them over.
“I waited until Sun Jianjun and his mother were both sentenced before I packed my things and came over,” Zhang Hongjuan explained, her voice filled with a sense of relief. “I really don’t know how to thank you for this…”
“Sister Hongjuan, you’re wrong about that,” Jiang Suining interrupted her, her tone serious. “The reason this matter has turned out this way is mainly because you stood up for yourself, because you had the courage and determination to resist. Even if we gave you a lot of help, if you didn’t dare to move forward, then it would all be for nothing. You saved yourself.”
Zhang Hongjuan was stunned for a moment, but did not refute. Her eyes quickly reddened. She lowered her head and wiped the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand: "I will remember your kindness in my heart and never forget it for the rest of my life."
Jiang Suining didn't want the atmosphere to remain so heavy. Knowing that Zhang Hongjuan's main purpose for this trip was to find her relatives, she turned to Lu Ye and asked, "Has that Chief Zhuang returned?"
"Not yet, probably another three or four days." Lu Ye looked at Jiang Suining, his tone hesitant. "But Dr. Zhuang is at the hospital. Why don't we go see her first?"
“That works too.” Jiang Suining understood Lu Ye’s concerns. In this matter, the couple mainly played the role of matchmakers. Whether Zhang Hongjuan was Zhuang Lina’s long-lost sister or not, it would ultimately have to be verified and recognized by their own family. “Then let’s eat first. After we finish eating, I’ll go with you to take Sister Hongjuan and Yueya’er to the hospital to see Dr. Zhuang.”
"Okay, let's eat first." Seeing that she didn't misunderstand or feel unhappy at all, Lu Ye felt relieved and quickly brought over bowls and chopsticks, served rice, and put it on the table.
After lunch break, Lu Ye and Jiang Suining brought Zhang Hongjuan and her daughter to the military hospital. Zhuang Lina, a resident doctor, was writing medical records in her office at this time. Upon seeing Lu Ye at the door, she immediately smiled, put down her pen, and came out to greet him.
Lu Ye, however, took a half step back without making a sound before she approached, making way for Zhang Hongjuan behind him to step forward.
When Zhuang Lina's gaze fell on Zhang Hongjuan's face, she froze instantly.
Zhang Hongjuan was equally shocked. Although she was mentally prepared, the visual and psychological impact of suddenly seeing someone who looked almost exactly like her standing right in front of her still made her heart skip a beat and her breath catch in her throat.
“Mom…another mom…” Crescent Moon looked at Zhuang Lina, blinking her big eyes in confusion, her two little eyebrows furrowed into a knot.
Children speak without thinking. She tilted her head, looked at it, then shook her head, denying what she had just said. "No, this isn't Mommy."
She broke free from Zhang Hongjuan's hand, ran to Zhuang Lina, looked up at her with her little face, and asked curiously, "Auntie, who are you? Why do you look just like my mom?"
Zhang Hongjuan did not tell her young daughter in detail about her trip to the island to find her relatives. Yueya'er was only curious because Zhuang Lina and Zhang Hongjuan looked remarkably alike, and was not afraid.
"I'm not sure, but it should be right." Lu Ye knew what she wanted to ask, and explained the situation concisely, "Chief Zhuang hasn't returned yet, so I thought I'd bring them to see you first."
He didn't elaborate on Zhang Hongjuan's experiences. After all, everything was still speculation at the moment, and even if the blood relationship was confirmed, it was up to Zhang Hongjuan herself to decide whether and when to tell her family about her unpleasant past.
Zhuang Lina took a deep breath, trying to calm her excited emotions, walked up to Zhang Hongjuan, and asked directly, "What is your blood type?"
Zhang Hongjuan shook her head blankly. Although she had been hospitalized when she gave birth to Yueya'er, medical conditions were limited in those days, and no one told her her specific blood type.
“Come on, I’ll take you to the lab to check your blood type.” Zhuang Lina turned to Lu Ye and said in a pleading tone, “Lu Ye, don’t go yet, wait for me here.”
Lu Ye did not answer immediately, but looked at Jiang Suining first. Seeing her nod slightly, he replied, "Okay, we'll wait here."
Zhuang Lina noticed Lu Ye's subtle gesture of seeking Jiang Suining's opinion, and a bitter feeling welled up in her heart. The Lu Ye she remembered, always decisive and uncompromising, now even had to consider his wife's feelings for such a small matter. Suppressing her complex emotions, she said to Zhang Hongjuan, "Come with me."
"Crescent Moon, be a good girl and wait for Mommy here with Aunt Jiang and Uncle Lu, okay?" Zhang Hongjuan let go of her daughter's hand and gently instructed, "Mommy and this auntie are going to take care of something, we'll be back soon."
"Okay!" Yueya ran to Jiang Suining's side very sensibly and tugged at her clothes. "Mom, you go ahead. Yueya won't run around. I'll wait for you to come back here."
The wait seemed exceptionally long. About half an hour later, the office door opened again, and Zhang Hongjuan and Zhuang Lina returned one after the other. Both their eyes were slightly red, especially Zhuang Lina's, whose expression was a mixture of excitement and an indescribable daze.
"How is it?" Jiang Suining looked at Zhuang Lina and asked softly.
Zhuang Lina seemed to be still immersed in some kind of emotion, only snapping back to reality upon hearing Jiang Suining's voice. Her gaze fell upon Jiang Suining's calm and gentle face, and a fleeting hint of embarrassment and shame quickly crossed her eyes.
Recalling her rude act of introducing herself as Lu Ye's "girlfriend" outside the hospital building that day, she felt utterly ashamed every time she thought about it. She had been wanting to find an opportunity to apologize to Lu Ye and Jiang Suining, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She never imagined that they would meet again under these circumstances.
She assumed Jiang Suining must dislike her; after all, what wife would have a good impression of a woman who coveted her husband? Especially since they were newlyweds.
But she hadn't expected Jiang Suining to be so calm, and even to take the initiative to ask. The contrast between them overwhelmed her with a wave of self-loathing, making her wish she could disappear into the ground.
Jiang Suining was puzzled to see that Zhang Hongjuan was just looking at her with a complicated expression but no words. She had no choice but to turn her questioning gaze to Zhang Hongjuan.
Just as Zhang Hongjuan was about to speak, she heard Zhuang Lina take a deep breath and say in a trembling voice, trying her best to remain calm, "We have the same blood type, AB. She must be my twin sister."
In those days, DNA paternity testing technology was not yet widely used. Judging kinship solely based on blood type was not entirely accurate scientifically and there was always the possibility of coincidence. Jiang Suining was aware of this, but she had no other choice.
"I'll call Dad right now!" Zhuang Lina said, her voice choked with emotion. Although she had known since childhood that she had a twin sister, due to their separation at a young age, the sisterly bond existed more in her parents' stories and imagination than in reality. But just now, when the doctor in the lab clearly told them that their blood types were completely identical, she almost couldn't help but hug the weathered woman in front of her, who looked so much like herself, and burst into tears. She only managed to hold back for fear of frightening the woman.
There was no phone in the doctor's office, so Zhuang Lina practically ran to the dean's office to borrow one.
Jiang Suining looked at Zhang Hongjuan, who was silently shedding tears and unable to control her emotions, walked over and gently patted her shoulder, saying softly, "Sister Hongjuan, this is a wonderful thing, you should be happy, don't cry."
"Thank you, Sui Ning, thank you all." Zhang Hongjuan kept thanking them, and in her excitement, she even pulled Yueya'er to kneel down and kowtow to Jiang Sui Ning.
"Sister Hongjuan! What are you doing! Get up!" Jiang Suining was startled and quickly pulled the mother and daughter up. "Don't frighten the child!"
Zhang Hongjuan realized she had lost her composure, quickly wiped away her tears with her sleeve, and choked out, "I'm just so happy, it feels like a dream."
After making the call, Zhuang Lina's agitated emotions calmed down a bit. She briefly reported the situation to her father, Chief Zhuang, on the phone. The old chief's voice was also choked with emotion on the other end of the line. He instructed her to make sure her sister and granddaughter were settled first, and that he would return as soon as he finished his work, which would take about three or four days.
After thanking Jiang Suining and Lu Ye profusely once again, Zhang Hongjuan and Yueya'er temporarily returned to the Zhuang family home with Zhuang Lina.
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