Qi Zhifang had been living like a walking corpse for several months. As winter approached, Wang Yanda's former superior, Xiao Hu, came to visit. He had come to see the widow of his comrade-in-arms. After much searching and inquiries, he finally arrived at Qi's small house and was astonished to find that Qi Zhifang had fallen to such a state. He looked at the mother and daughter in disbelief. After all, Qi Zhifang had previously worked at the post office, a stable and respectable job. She received Wang Yanda's martyr's pension and had her own house. No matter how capable she was, she shouldn't have ended up like this!
When questioned by Wang Yanda's superiors, Qi's mother seized the opportunity. Of course, she couldn't say that Qi Zhifang had an affair and gotten pregnant; she could only say that she was raped by Dai Shiliang and was the victim.
“Our Zhifang was also deceived. The police said that Zhifang was innocent, but her unit leaders were unsympathetic and fired her. I'm fine at this age, I can endure any hardship, even if I die today, it doesn't matter! It's pitiful that our Fangzi is so young, and she's sweeping toilets on the street. What will she do in the future?”
Qi Zhifang's current state, neither human nor ghost, perfectly matches the character's persona.
Xiao Hu was also in a difficult position after hearing this. "Auntie, don't cry. We can solve this slowly. Yan Da is my comrade-in-arms. I can't just watch his widow live like this."
When Xiao Hu learned that Qi Zhifang was now working as a temporary laborer on the street, cleaning toilets, and making matchboxes with her mother in her spare time to make ends meet, he couldn't bear to see Qi Zhifang so dejected. He left her twenty yuan and ten jin of grain coupons, saying, "I'll go ask my comrades if I can get you a different job!"
He left after saying those words. Qi Zhifang and her mother hadn't held out much hope, but half a month later, Xiao Hu came to the Qi family again and asked Qi Zhifang to pack her things and go with him.
By sheer coincidence, Xiao Hu found Qi Zhifang a job in the steel factory's logistics department, in charge of issuing labor insurance. The job was easy, but the pay was low—only 23 yuan a month—but it was still much better than her cleaning toilets. After completing the formalities, the two walked out side by side. Qi Zhifang felt a surge of affection for this tall and imposing man and expressed her heartfelt gratitude!
"Brother Xiao, thank you so much!" Qi Zhifang had experienced the coldness and warmth of human nature over the past six months. Many people had kicked her when she was down, but only one person had offered her help in her time of need.
Xiao Hu smiled and said, "Work hard and contribute to the people. Don't go down the wrong path again!"
Qi Zhifang's face flushed red because she really didn't want to talk about those things, so she quickly changed the subject, saying, "I will definitely work hard! Brother Xiao, you don't really think I'm that kind of person, do you? I know what they're saying about me now, but don't worry, time will tell, and I believe there will be people who will believe in my innocence." As she spoke, she pretended to be strong, with tears welling up in her eyes.
Xiao Hu nodded and said, "Live a good life so that Yan Da can rest in peace in the afterlife!" He then left, while Qi Zhifang's face was flushed, whether from anger or embarrassment, it was hard to tell.
Qi Zhifang was unaware that this position was obtained through connections and underhanded means by Xiao Hu's wife's father. It just so happened that Xiao Hu was a comrade-in-arms of the factory's deputy director. This allowed Qi Zhifang to get the job smoothly; otherwise, given her reputation and criminal record, she wouldn't have even been able to get in the door.
Qi Zhifang didn't care about any of that. Once the onboarding procedures were completed, she had a stable and respectable job again. Although it wasn't as good as her previous job at the post office, it was still good. She only had one colleague, a woman who was almost forty. She didn't have to deal with many people, and she didn't have to put up with their attitudes.
She went home looking radiant, her whole being seemed to come alive again. The next day, she tidied herself up and went to report for duty.
Having just started working, and having been hurt by those things, he learned to keep a low profile and get along relatively well with Sister Lin in the same office. But it was only on the surface; behind her back, he still looked down on her for being uncultured and vulgar.
Everything was fine until Sister Lin introduced him to someone else. They knitted together and ate in the cafeteria. But things really went wrong when Sister Lin tried to introduce him to someone.
That day, Sister Lin pulled him aside and said she wanted to introduce him to someone. She asked him what his requirements were. Qi Zhifang smiled and said, "I'm a widow with three children. What can I ask for? Just someone who can feed me and my children. Right now, I can't even afford to raise my children. They're still with their grandparents!"
Sister Lin sincerely said, "My relative works at a meat processing plant, but he can only do so much. He can make sure you have enough to eat."
Qi Zhifang's expression changed, but Sister Lin didn't notice and continued, "My relative is 42 this year. Her first husband died of illness. She has a son and a daughter who are both working. You don't need to worry about that. It's just that you have three children. I'll go back and talk to him. What do you think? If it's okay, we can meet and discuss it."
Qi Zhijun's face turned ashen. Suppressing her anger, she said, "Sister Lin, thank you for your kindness. Although I am a widow with three children, it doesn't mean I'm not picky. My family is a scholarly family, but even if we're not highly educated, I can't marry a butcher." With that, she turned and returned to her seat, her face sullen and resentful.
Why did you make Sister Lin blush? What's wrong with being a butcher? These days, people can't even afford to eat. The meat processing plant workers are the easiest to find jobs. And a widow with three children is being so picky.
She got angry and went back to her seat to knit, ignoring Qi Zhifang. After that, they ate separately in the cafeteria and didn't eat together anymore.
When they got home, Qi's mother noticed that Qi Zhifang looked unhappy and asked, "Fangzi, what's wrong? Did something go wrong at work? Do you want to tell me?"
Qi Zhifang washed her hands and face, pouted, and said, "Sigh, it's all because of that uncultured, uncouth man at work. I was thinking of getting along with him and working together, at least superficially, but he just had to break off relations with me. You know what? Today he wanted to introduce me to someone, and it turns out he's a 42-year-old butcher! My God, no matter how down on my luck I am, how could I possibly marry a butcher? I'm like a dragon trapped in shallow waters, mocked by shrimp, a tiger fallen on flat land, bullied by dogs. Even he looks down on me."
Mother Qi sighed, "I know you have high aspirations, but can't you be more realistic? Meat processing plants are popular places these days. Putting aside everything else, although being a butcher sounds bad, you can still bring meat home every now and then. Even if you're 42 or 52, people in their 30s would be willing to pay you. Who can blame them when they have good benefits and can afford to eat meat!"
Qi Zhifang sat on the table with a cold expression and said, "I'd rather die poor, starve, and drink porridge every day than eat a single piece of his meat. The thought of the butcher makes me nauseous and I can't eat. Mom, please stop talking."
His mother sighed, but didn't say anything. She picked up her bowl and ate slowly and carefully.
In the following days, Qi Zhifang and Sister Lin sat in the same office without speaking to each other, each busy with their own things, creating a particularly awkward atmosphere.
Hearing Sister Lin gossiping with people from other departments, Qi Zhifang was furious and could only tell herself not to stoop to their level.
Before she knew it, Xiao Hu's tall and imposing figure had resurfaced in her mind. After finishing her meal, she returned to her office and wrote Xiao Hu a four-page letter.
It was quite a coincidence that the steel plant had six canteens, and the one they went to wasn't the second canteen where Zhao Dahu worked. So they never ran into Wei Shuqing and her group, and things remained peaceful between them!
A month passed peacefully, and Qi Zhifang received her monthly salary of 23 yuan without any problems.
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