Xu Ningyan was unaware that her words had stirred up the Lin family's desire for the Zhou family to split up.
She tidied herself up and headed to the department store, familiar with the route, intending to have dinner at Li Jian's house.
It was rush hour, and everyone was hurrying home, either walking, taking a car, or riding a bicycle.
Xu Ningyan didn't ride her bike; she walked along the road at a leisurely pace.
She used to walk her dog twice a day, so she was in great shape. Usually, she would walk rather than ride a bike, considering it a form of exercise.
Winter has arrived, and it gets dark early.
By the time Xu Ningyan reached the residential area of the department store, it was already getting dark.
It's cold outside, so everyone has closed their doors and windows and stayed indoors early.
Occasionally, a few children would run around outside, but they would soon be dragged home by their families, their ears pulled.
The door to Li Jian's house was ajar, and the aroma of meat wafted out, making the neighbor's child cry out for some.
Before the door was even opened, Li Jianguo's youngest son peeked out of the house, smiled as soon as he saw Xu Ningyan, and turned to call into the house, "Dad, Sister Xiaoyan is here!"
Upon entering the house, it was warm and cozy, with a stove lit.
Sister Hu was busy at the stove when she saw Xu Ningyan come in. She quickly greeted him, "Come in and sit down. I have two more dishes to cook and we can have dinner ready!"
Li Jianguo also came out of the house, and his eldest son, Li Jingye, had already poured tea for Xu Ningyan.
We chatted for a few minutes, and then the food was ready.
Sister Hu cut the roast duck into pieces and stir-fried it with dried chili peppers until the oil was rendered out. Although it lacked the unique flavor of crispy skin and juicy meat of roast duck, it was more suitable for the taste of the people of Jingshan.
Not to mention the two children, Li Jianguo and Sister Hu were also beaming with joy as they ate, after all, this was no ordinary roast duck, but a roast duck brought back from Beijing.
While eating, Xu Ningyan casually inquired about Li Jingye's situation.
Speaking of this, Sister Hu's initially cheerful mood turned worried: "He's still in school and will graduate next year. If he can't find a job, he'll have to go to the countryside! That's what his father and I are worried about! These days, jobs in the city are extremely limited, and it's not easy to find one. But this rascal doesn't seem to care at all; he's even thinking about going to the countryside—"
"He's used to a good life and has no idea what kind of hardship people endure in the countryside! He even tries to show off, saying that if others can go, so can he! I told him to take over my job, but he wasn't willing—"
Li Jingye's face flushed red as his mother openly criticized him: "I'm the older brother. If I don't go to the countryside, it'll be the second oldest's turn next year. What will we do then? Are we supposed to give up Dad's job? Dad finally got a promotion and a raise. If we give it up, our family's main income will be gone—"
The mother and son started arguing face to face.
Xu Ningyan understood that with Li Jianguo's current abilities, it wouldn't be difficult for him to find Li Jingye a temporary job.
They had only guessed that if she wanted to stay in the capital, they could start working on the project in Jingshan County, so this was just a preliminary inquiry.
However, this was probably Sister Hu's own selfish motive. As soon as she said this, Li Jianguo's face darkened, and he glared at Sister Hu without leaving a trace.
Then he said, "Let's just eat, why are we talking about this? Everyone else can go to the countryside, but your son can't?"
Sister Hu hesitated and didn't say anything.
Xu Ningyan smoothed things over: "That's perfect. I came back this time to handle some work. I'm leaving Jingshan for the capital this time, and I probably won't be back unless something comes up! I don't need this job anymore, and I was just thinking of selling it to get some money to go to the capital."
Sister Hu's eyes lit up, and she grabbed Xu Ningyan's hand: "Xiaoyan, are you serious? Isn't that a coincidence? Look, Jingye just needs this job. With the relationship between our two families, I won't beat around the bush with you. It doesn't matter who you sell this job to, we've got a good relationship between our two families, so could you sell it to us?"
Xu Ningyan laughed: "Auntie, you're being too polite. Don't worry, I discussed it with Brother Jiang before I came back. This job was actually secured for me by Uncle Jianguo! We've always remembered that kindness! Now that I'm going to Beijing, this job will naturally be prioritized for you!"
Sister Hu beamed and held Xu Ningyan's hand tightly, saying, "That's wonderful! Xiaoyan, thank you so much!"
He then turned around and gestured for Li Jingye to come forward: "Hurry up and thank Sister Xiaoyan!"
Li Jingye naturally knew the significance of this task, and honestly stepped forward to express his gratitude.
Sister Hu hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Xiao Yan, how much do you charge for this job?"
Xu Ningyan didn't stumble at all, and asked with a smile, "Auntie, you've stumped me! I just got back, how would I know about the market? How about I go and find out tomorrow, and then I'll tell you?"
Sister Hu showed a hint of surprise and embarrassment.
Li Jianguo immediately spoke up: "Why are you asking Xiaoyan? How would she know? These days, an ordinary worker's job outside costs at least seven or eight hundred, and that's just for working in a factory! Xiaoyan's job is in an office, or she gets a travel allowance. People would hire her for 1,200! Xiaoyan is already doing us a huge favor by selling her job to us, so we can't let her lose out on the money! We'll offer 1,200!"
Upon hearing the amount, Sister Hu immediately became anxious and frantically tried to signal to Li Jianguo with her eyes.
Li Jianguo ignored it.
Xu Ningyan spoke up: "Uncle Jianguo, you said it yourself, this is the price outside. How can our two families be treated the same as outsiders? A thousand will do!"
Sister Hu immediately perked up again, rubbing her hands together: "Then I'll go withdraw the money tomorrow. Xiao Yan, I'll need you to go to your workplace tomorrow to complete the formalities—"
Xu Ningyan nodded to indicate that there was no problem.
With this job, Sister Hu became exceptionally enthusiastic, serving Xu Ningyan food and showing her concern, creating quite a lively atmosphere.
After a lively meal, Xu Ningyan took her leave.
Sister Hu originally wanted her two sons to take Xu Ningyan home, but Li Jianguo stood up and said, "Alright, I'll take Xiaoyan home."
Sister Hu didn't dare to say anything.
After the two left the Li family's house, Li Jianguo walked silently ahead.
After leaving the department store's residential area and seeing that there weren't many people around, Li Jianguo finally spoke: "Xiao Yan, about what happened today, your aunt—"
After all, she was his wife and the mother of his children. Li Jianguo didn't know what to say, and his face burned with embarrassment.
Xu Ningyan was very understanding: "Uncle Jianguo, don't worry, I didn't take it to heart! Do you think I don't know what kind of person my aunt is? She's straightforward and says what she thinks. She doesn't treat me like an outsider! Don't say anything about my aunt when you go back. She's only thinking of what's best for your family! Besides, it's not a big deal! If I explain any more, it'll just be like I'm being distant!"
Li Jianguo had a lot to say, but it was stuck in his throat, and he didn't know what to say.
He could only give a muffled reply.
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