Chapter 30: Let him learn his lesson
Jiang Suining took half a month off, and her sister-in-law helped her with the recruitment. After the announcement was broadcast over the loudspeaker in the family compound, within three days, unemployed military wives came to sign up, and many employed women also came to inquire. Originally, the number of workers had been almost fully recruited, but unexpectedly, before the training even started, many people backed out.
There was no salary or subsidies during the training period. You had to attend training every day, and there were attendance checks and assessments. Only those who passed all the tests were accepted.
Although these military spouses don't have jobs, none of them are idle at home. They do housework, cook, and take care of children and the elderly. They originally signed up for the salary to supplement their family income. Now that they heard there would be no money, half of them have clearly stated that they will not do it, and a small number are still observing.
Jiang Suining heard the news from Sister-in-law Lian before returning from her leave. She understood those who had signed up and then withdrew, since they signed up to earn money, and it would be unreasonable not to pay them.
How could they not pay at all? Jiang Suining was quite surprised when she heard the news. She personally felt that this was not fair. She understood that the farm was not yet built and had no income, but they should at least pay some wages. Did they not include this part in the initial budget?
She was somewhat incredulous, and after much deliberation, she went to find Ren Gang, the person in charge of the project team.
Speaking of which, this was the second time Jiang Suining had seen Ren Gang since that meeting. She stepped forward to apologize for the work delays caused by taking leave due to unforeseen circumstances, and promised to complete all tasks diligently in the future.
Ren Gang had dark skin and forehead wrinkles that made him look somewhat unapproachable, but when he saw Jiang Suining, he smiled kindly, revealing a set of white teeth, and appeared extremely friendly. He comforted Jiang Suining, telling her not to worry, saying that Lu Ye was a hero, and that she should take good care of the hero first. He said he could arrange for someone to take over the work.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Suining knew that she was only benefiting from Lu Ye's influence and did not take it seriously, repeatedly stating that she did not need to ask for leave again.
After exchanging pleasantries and a bunch of pointless chatter, Jiang Suining finally steered the conversation toward job recruitment.
She told Ren Gang everything she had learned from Sister Lian. Ren Gang listened patiently and told her to calm down: "We considered this situation when we made the budget. You don't need to worry. We will definitely be able to find workers. During this period, Director Lian mainly promoted the program in the family compound, so the number of people who signed up is limited. Later, we will expand the scope of the promotion and recruit workers from the entire island."
Jiang Suining was a little anxious. Her main purpose in coming today was to fight for the workers' welfare. The key problem in not being able to recruit people was the lack of money, but Team Leader Ren didn't seem to think that was a problem.
“Team Leader Ren, what you said is absolutely right. Recruiting only from the family compound does have significant limitations,” Jiang Suining felt she should put it more bluntly. “But by looking at the small things, we can actually see a lot of problems from recruiting from the family compound. For example, why do people who originally signed up change their minds and refuse to participate in the training?”
"That's because they lack integrity and have low moral standards," Ren Gang slammed his hand on the table and said loudly, "Even if such people wanted to come, we would absolutely not accept them!"
Jiang Suining didn't understand why he was suddenly so agitated; his eyes were wide open like copper bells, which looked rather frightening.
“Yes, yes, you’re right,” Jiang Suining and Ren Gang had no prior experience with this person and didn’t know his personality. Fearing that a disagreement might lead to an irreversible situation, they dared not speak directly and instead probed, “But they are all military wives. It’s normal for one or two of them to have low awareness, but it’s impossible for so many of them to have low awareness. Doesn’t our unit have regular educational films for everyone to watch, and there are also study classes? I think there must be other problems.”
"What's the problem?" Ren Gang blurted out, "Whatever the problem, return after registering. People who don't keep their word have a problem with their character!"
Jiang Suining sighed inwardly. She was also a little confused. How exactly did her sister-in-law recruit them? Didn't she make it clear to the applicants that there was no salary during the training period?
Sure enough, Jiang Suining guessed right. Even her sister-in-law hadn't seen the job posting. She thought it was just hiring someone, no big deal. She was already doing women's work part-time in the family compound, so when she found out they were hiring, she offered to help.
Later, when someone asked her about her salary, she remembered and went to the project office to ask. Jiang Suining, who was in charge of recruitment, was on leave, and all the recruitment documents were piled on her desk. The other colleagues were busy with their own work and told her to find them herself.
After searching for a long time, Sister-in-law Lian finally found the salary and benefits details. She was stunned when she saw them. She took the document to the other members of the project team and asked them. Everyone had their own responsibilities, and no one knew who had made the decision. She wanted to find the team leader, Ren Gang, but Ren Gang was on a business trip to find technicians in another city at that time, so the matter was left unresolved.
Seeing Ren Gang's attitude, Jiang Suining was reluctant to continue the conversation. However, if this matter wasn't handled properly, it would be difficult for her to recruit people in the future. After thinking for a moment, she simply laid out the difficulty directly: "Team leader, I understand what you're saying. Going back on one's word is indeed a breach of trust. But if one or two people break their promises, it might be a personal problem. But if so many people quit, I think we should think about whether we haven't done our job properly."
"What do you mean?" Ren Gang finally realized what was going on, his eyes flashing with a sharp light, and his brows furrowing. "This recruitment plan has been discussed with the higher-ups."
"Really?" Jiang Suining was somewhat incredulous. She licked her lips and said, "Team leader, what do you think these people are working for? What are their basic needs?"
After she finished speaking, she looked at Ren Gang, but before he could answer, she said her answer: "First of all, I don't deny that these people are doing this for the realization of their self-worth, but based on the basic human need for survival, the most basic thing about working is to get a salary and to support your family. We hire people, but we don't pay them a penny. Who would be willing to do that? This training is not for a day or two, or even a week or two, but for several months."
Ren Gang was speechless. He opened his mouth as if to explain, but in the end he didn't say a word. After a while, he said, "I know about the problem you mentioned, but there are inside stories about this matter, and I can't tell you right now. Don't worry about anything or ask anything. Just wait. Let those who don't want to stay because they don't have a salary go. Our training will still start as scheduled. Train the few people who are willing to stay."
Jiang Suining was a little confused. What was going on? "Team leader, you assigned me the recruitment task but didn't explain anything to me. It's difficult for me to get started."
“Don’t worry, just listen to me, go back and wait,” Ren Gang said, determined not to say another word. “I’ll explain everything to you in detail once the training officially begins.”
Jiang Suining remained silent for a moment, knowing that she wouldn't get the answer she wanted if she pressed for more information. But at least she was certain that the recruitment policy was likely more complex than it appeared, and there might be further additions. However, she would have to wait until the training started. Since that was the case, she wasn't in a hurry. The training would only last a few days, so she would suspend the recruitment work and resume it once the training began and the recruitment criteria were revised.
So that day, Jiang Suining did nothing but receive military spouses who came to inquire about their training period wages. What seemed like ordinary reception work left her with a hoarse voice. Finally, when she got off work, she thought that since there would be no recruitment before the training started, she might as well not come to the office the next day and go to the breeding farm to check on the construction progress.
Lu Ye has been discharged from the hospital, but he has not fully recovered. He is recuperating at home these days, and the troupe has specially assigned a bodyguard to take care of him.
This guard's surname was Zhao, and his given name was Cheng. He used to work in the mess hall and learned excellent cooking skills from the squad leader. The regiment assigned him to the position because they valued his cooking skills and wanted him to cook more delicious food for Lu Ye to nourish his body.
Lu Ye wasn't too picky about food. As long as he could fill his stomach, he could eat cornbread with pickled vegetables every day. But Zhao Cheng wasn't happy about that. He would go to the morning market early in the morning to buy the freshest vegetables and go to the fishermen's house to find old hens and fresh shrimp to make nourishing food for Lu Ye.
When Jiang Suining got home from get off work in the evening, she was attracted by the rich aroma in the yard. She didn't even bother to go inside the house and went straight into the kitchen.
The aroma from the kitchen was even stronger. She sniffed hard and asked, "Little Zhao, what delicious food are you making for your chief of staff?"
“Sister-in-law is back,” Xiao Zhao turned around and grinned. “I stewed an old hen all afternoon, and I also added jujubes, goji berries, and angelica. It’s especially nourishing.”
“And angelica root,” Jiang Suining said. She didn’t know anything about traditional Chinese medicine, but that didn’t stop her from having heard of angelica root. “I’ll have to try some later.”
"Sister-in-law, please come in and sit for a while. This last dish will be ready soon," Xiao Zhao wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Oh, by the way, come in and see the Chief of Staff. When he was discharged from the hospital, Dr. Zhuang repeatedly told him to take good care of himself, not to exercise, and not to overwork. He agreed, but he just wouldn't listen. Today, he not only wanted to go out for a run, but also to do push-ups and hold dumbbells. I had to talk to him for a long time to stop him."
"Really?" Jiang Suining was taken aback. Although Lu Ye's injury had not hit any vital organs, a penetrating wound was not easy to heal. She had no mind to discuss the food and hurriedly left the kitchen and went into the house.
In the bedroom, Lu Ye lay on the bed with his hands behind his head. He was startled when he saw Jiang Suining and subconsciously withdrew his hands. Jiang Suining guessed that he had just been doing sit-ups when she saw him like this, and she was immediately furious.
She took a few deep breaths, didn't ask a single question, and pretended that Lu Ye didn't exist. She pulled out her suitcase from under the bed, opened the wardrobe door, and took out Lu Ye's change of clothes.
Knowing he was in the wrong, Lu Ye was pondering how to deal with his wife's anger when he saw Jiang Suining packing her luggage without saying a word, and it was all his clothes. He immediately felt guilty, quickly got off the bed, grabbed Jiang Suining's hand that was holding the clothes, and asked, "Wife, good wife, what are you doing? These clothes are all clean, they don't need to be washed."
“I know,” Jiang Suining shook off his hand, opened her suitcase, and packed the changes of clothes she had taken out into the suitcase one by one. “I packed this especially for you.”
"Pack my clothes?" Lu Ye asked, puzzled. "Why are you packing my clothes?"
“I’ll send you to the hospital to continue your stay,” Jiang Suining said calmly. “I’m thinking that you sometimes run, do push-ups, hold dumbbells, and now you’re doing sit-ups. When will your injury ever heal completely? It’s better to continue staying in the hospital. You can exercise while Dr. Zhuang treats you. That way you’ll heal faster.”
Lu Ye was speechless. He scratched his head, not knowing how to answer.
Jiang Suining pretended not to see his expression, quickly packed her luggage, took his toiletries and put them in, and was about to zip up the suitcase when Lu Ye stopped her: "Sui Sui, Sui Sui, I was wrong, I know I was wrong, I shouldn't have exercised, I shouldn't have disobeyed the doctor, please forgive me this time."
“How could you be wrong? I’m the one who’s wrong. I shouldn’t have let you leave the hospital,” Jiang Suining pulled his hand away and deftly zipped up her suitcase. “Let’s go. Xiao Zhao is here too. I’ll take you to the hospital with him.”
"Sui Sui, I was wrong, I will never dare to do it again." Seeing that Jiang Sui Ning remained expressionless, Lu Ye felt that it was even worse than being scolded by his wife. He snatched the suitcase from Jiang Sui Ning and stuffed it under the bed. "I promise you, starting tomorrow, no, starting now, from this moment on, I will definitely be obedient and follow Dr. Zhuang's instructions to take good care of my injury, not exercise, eat well and sleep well, and I will definitely not cause any trouble."
"Oh my," Jiang Suining saw that he was about to burst out laughing, so she tried to hold it in, but couldn't. She quickly brushed it off and said deliberately, "How could you, the great hero Lu, ever make a mistake? It's my fault as your wife."
"No," Lu Ye said, exposing Jiang Suining and covering her mouth with one hand. "Wife, you're not wrong. I'm the one who's wrong. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have been so stubborn. I won't do it again. I really won't do it again."
Jiang Suining knew when to stop, staring at Lu Ye for a moment: "Are you serious?"
“Really, really,” Lu Ye was genuinely frightened by Jiang Suining’s appearance. He grabbed her hand and said, “Watch my performance. You have Xiao Zhao keep an eye on me. If I do it again, you don’t need to take me to the hospital. I’ll go by myself.”
Jiang Suining was both amused and exasperated: "Alright, I'll forgive you this time. Hurry up and take your clothes out and put them in the closet. Dinner's almost ready."
"Okay." Lu Ye breathed a sigh of relief, watched Jiang Suining leave the bedroom, and then took out his suitcase to pack his things.
After dinner, the two originally planned to take a walk in the family compound to digest their food, but thinking about how many military wives had come to the project team to ask about work that day, Jiang Suining was afraid that she would be asked about it again during the walk, so she refused to go out and just walked around in her own courtyard.
Lu Ye realized that she had something else on her mind about not going out for a walk, and was about to ask her when he heard someone knocking on the door. Xiao Zhao opened the door, and Jiang Suining was surprised and delighted to see who it was. She quickly went to greet her: "Sister Hongjuan, come in quickly."
Zhuang Hongjuan carried a net bag of apples and two cans of malted milk powder: "I went back to my hometown with my dad a while ago and just got back. I heard that Comrade Lu was injured. How is he now?"
"It's nothing, he was in the hospital for half a month, and he's been discharged now. He's fine." Jiang Suining and Lu Ye quickly ushered him into the house. "Where's Yueya'er? Why didn't you bring her?"
“Yueya’er didn’t come back with me. She’s still in her hometown with her great-aunt and won’t be back until the end of the month.” Zhuang Hongjuan put her things on the coffee table, took the teacup from Xiao Zhao, sat down, pursed her lips, and then explained her purpose, “I came here today, firstly to see you, and secondly to ask you something.”
Jiang Suining became serious: "Sister Hongjuan, what's the matter?"
"I just got back and I heard that they're building a seaweed farm on the island and recruiting workers in the family compound?"
"Yes, that's right." Jiang Suining smiled. "I'm in charge of recruitment, Sister Hongjuan, do you know anyone who wants to apply?"
Jiang Suining didn't suspect Zhuang Hongjuan. Zhuang Hongjuan's biological father was a military commander; arranging a job for his long-lost daughter would be a piece of cake for him.
However, after she finished speaking, she saw that Zhuang Hongjuan looked a little embarrassed. Her heart skipped a beat, and she immediately realized that she had said the wrong thing. She quickly tried to make amends: "Sister Hongjuan, I think you are very suitable. Why don't you sign up too?"
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Hongjuan's expression softened, and she even became a little excited. She grabbed Jiang Suining's hand and said, "Sui Sui, do you think I can really do it? You know, I'm uneducated and illiterate."
Her voice grew softer and softer, and her head drooped unconsciously.
Jiang Suining thought of Zhuang Hongjuan's twin sister, Zhuang Lina, who was a high-achieving student who had attended university. Since her return, relatives had often compared the two of them. Even though everyone knew that Zhuang Hongjuan had no opportunity to go to school because she was lost at a young age, people only felt sorry for her because of this. At the same time, they also saw through her.
Jiang Suining and Lu Ye exchanged a glance, knowing that although Zhuang Hongjuan had found her biological family, she was probably not having a good time.
“Sister, it’s okay if you can’t read,” Jiang Suining grabbed Zhuang Hongjuan’s hand. “We have training and we will teach you to read, so you don’t need to worry.”
Jiang Suining had specifically reviewed the recruitment documents today. It didn't matter if the farm workers were illiterate; there would be literacy classes during the training.
“You’re going to teach me to read?” Zhuang Hongjuan was a little surprised. After a moment of silence, she hesitated and said, “Well, I’d better not. I’m afraid I won’t be able to learn it.”
“Sister Hongjuan, you can do it,” Jiang Suining said, grabbing her hand as she tried to pull it back. “Believe in yourself and set an example for Yueya’er.”
Upon hearing Jiang Suining mention Crescent Moon, Zhuang Hongjuan's expression froze, and her eyes immediately reddened.
"Sister Hongjuan?" Jiang Suining asked with some concern upon seeing this.
Zhuang Hongjuan came to her senses, shook her head with a bitter smile. She was very unfortunate, having been lost since childhood and having suffered a lot from a young age. But she was also lucky to have escaped the den of wolves and been reunited with her family. In the few months she had been on the island, she had no worries about food or clothing. Her life was like heaven and earth compared to before. But perhaps she was too greedy. When she heard her relatives talking about her and her daughter behind her back, the contempt in their eyes and tone made her unable to lift her head.
Seeing Yueya'er's timid and cowardly appearance, her aunt had blamed her more than once for not teaching the child well, which was why she went back to her hometown and wouldn't let her bring the child back. She was heartbroken, but hearing Jiang Suining's words, she felt like she saw hope: "Sui Sui, are you saying that if I sign up and do this job, I can teach Yueya'er well?"
Jiang Suining carefully considered her words. Although she didn't know exactly what had happened, she could roughly guess some of it. She sighed. After all, she was an outsider, so she couldn't say too much. She could only encourage Zhuang Hongjuan: "Yes, if you come to work, attend training, learn to read, and earn your own money, you can become a solid support for Yueya'er. I told you this when we first met."
Zhuang Hongjuan was lost in her memories. Jiang Suining did not interrupt her and waited patiently. After a moment, Zhuang Hongjuan came back to her senses and said excitedly, "Sui Sui, you are right. I want to work. I will sign up. Please write me down."
“Okay,” Jiang Suining quickly took out her work notebook from her bag, carefully wrote down Zhuang Hongjuan’s name, and then said, “Sister Hongjuan, there’s something else I need to make clear to you beforehand. This training is unpaid.”
"I know that, I've heard about it. It's alright, the organization is teaching us, how can we ask for a salary?" Zhuang Hongjuan didn't care at all, she was completely immersed in the envious looks of people in the future.
Seeing her expression, Jiang Suining was unsure whether she had understood what she had just said, so she looked at Lu Ye. Lu Ye shook his head at her, and she immediately understood and didn't say anything more.
It was getting late, and Zhuang Hongjuan had achieved her goal. She chatted with Jiang Suining for a few more minutes to confirm the specific time for the training, then got up to say goodbye.
After seeing Zhuang Hongjuan off, Jiang Suining said, "Sister Hongjuan looks like she's gained weight, but the worry on her face hasn't lessened. Is it because her family treats her badly?"
“It’s not that bad,” Lu Ye explained, as he knew about Zhuang Hongjuan’s family situation. “Chief Zhuang’s family situation is quite complicated. His biological mother died when he was young, leaving him and his three-year-old sister. His father remarried, and his stepmother gave birth to a boy at great risk, but died in childbirth. The family of three children couldn’t be left without a woman to take care of them, so his father married a widow from the village who had two children. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement, a way for them to live together.”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Suining was astonished. There were five brothers and sisters in this family, three mothers and two fathers. It was indeed not easy for them to live in harmony.
"Chief Zhuang gave up his position in the city's military region and was willing to come to this island. Could it be to avoid trouble at home?" Jiang Suining guessed.
“You’re so smart,” Lu Ye pinched Jiang Suining’s nose and continued, “When the Zhuang family saw that Chief Zhuang was successful, they first asked him to do this and that, houses, jobs, they asked him for everything. At first, Chief Zhuang helped them out of courtesy, but these people were not satisfied and went too far. Chief Zhuang refused to help them anymore, and these people even used Chief Zhuang’s name to bully others. Later, Chief Zhuang found out about it, and in order to stop their behavior, he volunteered to be transferred to the island.”
"So there's so much more to it than meets the eye," Jiang Suining thought to herself. "No wonder it's a novel; even a minor character's family has such a compelling story." But then she looked up at Lu Ye and asked, "How do you know so much about the Zhuang family's affairs?"
Lu Ye thought to himself that he had said too much, and he didn't dare to tell the truth: "Of course, it was the commander who told me."
"You, Lu Ye," Jiang Suining said, not believing it at all. "A high-ranking official like him would tell you these things? Who are you trying to fool?"
Lu Ye dared not speak.
Lu Ye grabbed Jiang Suining: "Suisui, no, no, I didn't dare to tell the truth because I was afraid you would be angry. Don't go, I'll tell you, I'll tell you the truth, I'll tell you everything."
"Are you willing to talk now?" Jiang Suining stood ramrod straight. "Hmph, I'm not even interested in hearing it."
Jiang Suining wanted to say something sarcastic, but the words stuck in her throat. Lu Ye was chatting with Dr. Zhuang back then, before she even transmigrated, so why was she jealous? But she was still angry. After thinking it over, she realized that although she hadn't transmigrated back then, the original owner was still alive. The original owner was engaged to Lu Ye since childhood. Once engaged, one should keep their distance from other women. She couldn't let it go so easily; she wanted to teach Lu Ye a lesson.
Having made up her mind, Jiang Suining forcefully pried Lu Ye's arms off: "You sleep with Xiao Zhao tonight, I'll sleep alone in the small bedroom."
"Sui Sui, no!" Lu Ye didn't expect that telling the truth would result in this outcome, and he immediately regretted it. He followed Jiang Sui Ning towards the small bedroom, but was locked out.
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