Chapter Thirty-Four: He Fell into Her Arms
The next morning, Zhang Chunxue tidied up the house briefly, gave Zhong Xiaoxiao a few instructions, locked the gate, and headed straight to town.
She had a plan in mind, wanting to find a suitable business for Zhou Mingli.
But what good jobs are there in this small rural town?
She either had to carry heavy loads at the docks or do manual labor at the brick kiln. Those kinds of jobs would exhaust even men, let alone a woman like Zhou Mingli.
Or they could work odd jobs in a factory, doing very little work for a pitifully small amount of money, and they had to be subservient to others all day long, with many rules to follow.
Zhang Chunxue spent the whole morning wandering around, asking at several places, but she wasn't satisfied with any of them.
She peeked into the door of a small restaurant and saw the owner doing the accounts, so she went in and struck up a conversation.
"Boss lady, are you... still hiring?"
The proprietress looked up and sized her up: "Looking for a waitress. Someone quick and efficient, who can endure hardship is fine."
Zhang Chunxue pressed further, "Then how will the wages be calculated?"
The proprietress announced a number, and Zhang Chunxue frowned immediately: "Isn't that too low? We're always on our feet, and this is all we get?"
The proprietress was displeased: "Take it or leave it, this is the price in town!"
Zhang Chunxue tried to plead further: "Could you add a little more? My daughter-in-law..."
Before she could finish speaking, a familiar voice suddenly came from beside her.
"Chunxue... Sister-in-law, what... how did you get here?"
When Zhang Chunxue turned around, she was surprised to see Song Xingzhi.
Seeing her travel-worn appearance and hearing her arguing with the restaurant owner about her wages, Song Xingzhi frowned slightly: "Are you looking for work? I can help arrange something."
Zhang Chunxue was taken aback, then waved her hand, a slightly hurried smile on her face: "It's not me looking for work, it's me finding a job for my second daughter-in-law, Zhou Mingli."
Song Xingzhi raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Zhang Chunxue didn't hide anything from him and briefly explained Zhong Chengren's affair and Zhou Mingli's current situation.
"You saw it yesterday too. My second son, that scoundrel, has someone else outside. Mingli, that child, is honest and kind-hearted. She's suffering inside, feeling like she's no good at anything. She's almost withered away."
“I was thinking that she’s still young and shouldn’t just stay at home all the time. If she could find a job and have some money of her own, she would have more confidence and be more energetic, and regain some self-confidence.”
"In the future... no matter what she wants to do, whether it's divorce or staying together, at least she can stand on her own two feet and won't have to live at the mercy of others."
Song Xingzhi looked at her quietly: "Sister Chunxue, you are really a very good person."
Zhang Chunxue was taken aback by his words, and her cheeks flushed red instantly: "Secretary Song, please don't say that! What do you mean I'm good? It's all because of my unfilial son Chengren. He's the one who wronged Mingli and hurt her heart. As his mother, I haven't raised him well, and I'm ashamed. What I did... is all what I should do, what I should do."
Song Xingzhi just smiled gently, "Sister Chunxue, don't take this to heart. I happen to have some connections regarding Comrade Mingli's job, I'll keep an eye out for her later."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chunxue's heart tightened again, and she quickly waved her hand, saying, "How could I possibly accept this! Secretary Song, this... this is too much trouble for you!"
Song Xingzhi shook his head, his tone still unhurried: "It's no trouble at all, it's just a small favor for me. Besides, I'm genuinely happy to be able to help you, sister-in-law."
Looking into his clear and gentle eyes, Zhang Chunxue felt her heart pounding like a little rabbit.
Many words were on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed them back.
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, and as if to hide her inexplicable panic, she quickly changed the subject: "By the way, Secretary Song, what brings you to town today? Are you here on business?"
Seeing that she had changed the subject, Song Xingzhi didn't point it out and went along with her words, saying, "Well, I came to town to take care of some personal business. I just finished and was about to go back to the village."
As he spoke, his gaze fell on Zhang Chunxue, with a hint of inquiry: "Sister-in-law, if you're also going back to the village, why don't we... go together?"
Zhang Chunxue's cheeks were still flushed, and her heart pounded again when she heard him say that.
Walking with a grown man, especially someone like Song Xingzhi... If people saw this, they'd probably gossip about it.
But then I thought, it's broad daylight, and we're going the same way, so it's no big deal to give each other a ride.
Besides, she really wanted to go back as soon as possible, missing Xiaoxiao and Yuanyuan at home.
She composed herself and nodded slightly.
Song Xingzhi seemed surprised that she agreed so readily, and paused for a moment before his heart was filled with joy.
The two of them then left the small restaurant one after the other.
The early summer breeze, carrying the fragrance of grass and soil from the fields, gently brushed against my cheeks, dispelling the slight embarrassment from before, and making me feel refreshed and relaxed.
They walked side by side on the path back to the village. At first, they were a little silent, but gradually, they started talking.
Song Xingzhi spoke first, his voice still gentle: "Sister-in-law, what did you do with Zhong Chengren later?"
Zhang Chunxue sighed. She didn't hide anything from Song Xingzhi and told him in detail how she had driven that bastard Zhong Chengren out of the house.
Song Xingzhi listened quietly, his brows furrowing slightly. He sighed softly after she finished speaking.
He paused for a moment, then changed the subject, asking softly, "Sister Chunxue, you raised four children all by yourself these years... it must have been very hard, right?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chunxue waved her hand, a relieved smile appearing on her face. "The children are all grown up, she's a grandmother now, what's so hard about it?"
Song Xingzhi listened to her nonchalant words, but his eyes held a complex and unreadable expression: "When I first met you, you were only twenty-three years old. In the blink of an eye, so many years have passed."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chunxue paused slightly, her heart stirred as if gently touched by something.
Twenty-three years old...
Yes, she was so young back then!
Like the old apricot tree at the entrance of the village, the tree of apricot blossoms that blooms most vibrantly in spring is lively, bold, and full of inexhaustible energy.
Upon hearing Song Xingzhi's words, long-buried memories surged forth like a floodgate being opened.
She remembered it clearly.
The first time I met Song Xingzhi was under that crooked old locust tree at the entrance of the village.
Back then, he wasn't the composed and refined Secretary Song he is today; he was just a hot-blooded young man who had just come from the city to their poor mountain village.
He was fair-skinned and refined, wearing thin-rimmed glasses; he looked like a scholar.
We rode into the village in the creaking, bumpyest oxcart.
As a result, he was so carsick that he was completely disoriented, his handsome face turned as white as paint, and he looked like he was about to fall straight off the oxcart.
At that time, she was holding her eldest son Zhong Chengfa's little hand.
As fate would have it, the young Song Xingzhi swayed and, without veering, fell straight into her arms.
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