Chapter 52 Handover of the Scrap Yard
Zheng Haicheng and Jiang Qiubai had overheard what Deputy Factory Director Zhou said outside, and were immediately delighted.
They thought that as long as Chang Dafeng went in, Deputy Factory Director Zhou would agree to give her a job in order to keep the matter quiet and prevent the matter of Wang Sanqiang accepting bribes and leaking exam questions from becoming public.
Unexpectedly, instead of getting a job, they witnessed Chang Dafeng and Zheng Haiyang being taken away by the security department.
Jiang Qiubai: "!!!"
Zheng Haicheng: "!!!"
Both of them were deathly pale, clearly quite frightened.
Jiang Qiubai trembled all over, her lips moving, "How could this be? How could Haiyang and my mother-in-law be arrested?" Her mother-in-law and husband were both arrested, what was she going to do?
Zheng Haicheng was also very flustered. He knew that his mother and older brother had been arrested because they wanted to get him a job. How could he face his older brother and younger sister in the future?
Upon hearing Jiang Qiubai's voice, Zheng Haicheng immediately found an outlet for his frustration.
Yes! It's all this woman's fault, she's the one who ruined Mom and my older brother!
If she had done better on the exam, her mother wouldn't have had to throw a tantrum and threaten the factory leaders at the gate of the machinery factory just for a job.
If we don't threaten the factory leaders, my older brother and mother won't be arrested!
Zheng Haicheng roared at Jiang Qiubai, his face full of anger:
"It's all your fault! If you weren't so stupid and couldn't pass the exam, why would Mom have caused such a scene at the machine factory gate? Why would my brother have been implicated? It's all your fault!"
"You little devil!"
Jiang Qiubai: "!!!"
Oh shit!
Jiang Qiubai's eyes turned red with anger.
Did the mother-in-law cause trouble at the factory gate because of her? No, it was for her brother-in-law! Did Haiyang bribe Wang Sanqiang to buy exam questions for her? No, it was still for her brother-in-law!
They were all arrested because they were trying to get a job for their brother-in-law!
But her brother-in-law turned around and blamed her?!
What a selfish and useless person!
Jiang Qiubai retorted loudly, "It has nothing to do with me! It's all your fault! My mother-in-law was arrested because of you, and you even dragged your older brother into it! You good-for-nothing! How could you face him like that!"
Jiang Qiubai was only willing to take the exam for Zheng Haicheng because of Zheng Haiyang. Now that Zheng Haiyang has been arrested because of his younger brother, she naturally lost her temper.
"Damn it, say that again!?" Zheng Haicheng's eyes were bloodshot, his hands clenched into fists, as if he was about to punch Jiang Qiubai at any moment.
Jiang Qiubai took two steps back in fear, but still stubbornly retorted, "What, you want to hit me?! You good-for-nothing who lives off your brother and sister-in-law and just eats rice at home all day!"
Wang Xiaowu, who couldn't find a job after graduating from high school, still knew to take odd jobs at the neighborhood office to supplement her family's income. But her brother-in-law, who does nothing at home all day, shows up right on time for meals, wipes his mouth after eating, and then disappears again.
She had disliked her lazy and irresponsible brother-in-law for a long time, but she hadn't dared to say it out of consideration for Haiyang.
Whose younger brother-in-law is so old that his young sister-in-law has to wash his underwear?
At first, Jiang Qiubai was so angry that he cried several times, but when he thought of how good Haiyang had been to him, he forced himself to endure it.
But now that Haiyang has been dragged down by this good-for-nothing, Jiang Qiubai's pent-up resentment has finally been unleashed.
The once 'harmonious' uncle and aunt were now arguing fiercely.
Zheng Haicheng said fiercely, "Say that again?!"
Jiang Qiubai sneered, "You good-for-nothing who eats for free and does nothing but laze around, even your sister-in-law has to wash your underwear!"
Suddenly, the eyes of the onlookers lit up. What? What?
"Such a big young man making his young wife wash his underwear?!"
"Oh my! How shameless of you!"
"How could I possibly accept this?"
Some even said in a lewd way, "Maybe it's because the clothes are extra comfortable to wear after your sister-in-law washed them, hehe~"
Immediately, everyone's strange gaze swept towards Zheng Haicheng's face and waist, which was quite meaningful.
Zheng Haicheng's face turned red with anger. He really wanted to punch Jiang Qiubai a couple of times, but because his mother and older brother had just been taken away by the security department and the old gatekeeper was still watching them, Zheng Haicheng didn't dare to lay a hand on Jiang Qiubai.
Finally, he angrily threw down the words, "You just wait!" and turned to stride away.
Jiang Qiubai left quickly, but before she left, she glared at the dumbfounded Yu Junsheng and Cheng Jiajia.
She knew that these two were definitely laughing at her!
Yu Junsheng and Cheng Jiajia: "..."
This is ridiculous. Is this person out of their mind?
But she actually dared to argue with Zheng Haicheng...
"Isn't this person love-struck? How could she bear to scold Haiyang's brother?" And judging from her tone, she seemed quite resentful, which Cheng Jiajia really didn't expect.
She thought Jiang Qiubai was happy to dedicate everything to the Zheng family, after all, she had always seen her doing all sorts of chores at home, but she had never heard her complain.
"What's so unexpected? This person is inherently selfish. Now that Zheng Haiyang is in jail, who knows what will happen next? Naturally, she's lost her patience with the Zheng family. Just you wait and see, there'll be plenty of trouble to come."
Yu Junsheng had lived with Jiang Qiubai in his dream, and after his death, he followed her and Zheng Haiyang, so he had a pretty clear understanding of this person.
Cheng Jiajia thought about the plot in the book and nodded in agreement, "That's true."
Wang Xiaowu, who had overheard the conversation, asked in confusion, "Brother Junsheng, how come you seem to know so much about this woman?"
Yu Junsheng glared at him with a dark expression and said irritably, "If you can't speak properly, then shut up! Nobody thinks you're mute!"
Wang Xiaowu felt very wronged, but seeing Yu Junsheng's dark face, he dared not say a word.
Cheng Jiajia covered her mouth and chuckled. She hadn't realized that Yu Junsheng could be so intimidating when he had a dark expression.
...
After walking a distance, Jiang Qiubai felt a chill run down her spine. Her mother-in-law and husband had both been arrested, and she had no idea what was going on. What if Haiyang couldn't get out of there? What would she do outside? Was she just supposed to keep waiting for Haiyang?
Also, how did she speak to Zheng Haicheng just now?
Now that there's no one at home to protect me, what if he comes home and beats me?
Jiang Qiubai became more and more frightened as she thought about it. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. That's right, she still had her parents!
She hasn't gone back since the last fight, and she doesn't know if her parents and brothers have gotten over their anger.
Her brothers' injuries must have healed by now, so it's time for her to go back and visit them.
Thinking of this, Jiang Qiubai quickened her pace. Upon returning to the courtyard, she avoided everyone's gaze and slipped into the west wing. She quickly packed a few of her usual clothes, slung her bundle over her shoulder, and headed back to her parents' home.
...
Since Yu Junsheng was going to report to the machinery factory the next day, he took Cheng Jiajia to the scrap yard to hand over his work during the afternoon working hours.
Wang Xiaowu went the other way and parted ways with the two of them, going home first to share the good news with his family.
On the way, Yu Junsheng continued to ramble on, "Wife, are you really sure? I know you're a clean person, and recycling stations are filthy. If you regret it now, I can still transfer your job to the machinery factory."
Cheng Jiajia was getting annoyed by these words the whole way, and said helplessly, "Don't worry, I'm not afraid of getting dirty, I won't mind, and I won't regret it, Aunt Yu!"
Yu Junsheng: "..."
He finally shut his mouth.
Cheng Jiajia felt that the world was peaceful again.
The waste recycling station where Yu Junsheng works is not far from their compound; it only takes the couple about twenty minutes to walk there.
There are dozens of waste recycling stations of all sizes in Beicheng, and this one is relatively small, so it only has two staff members on a regular basis.
Old Wang knew that Yu Junsheng had taken leave to take the exam today, and he was very supportive.
What a fine young man! How can he stay cooped up in a junkyard all the time?
Seeing Yu Junsheng arrive with his men, Old Wang raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so the matter at the machinery factory is settled?"
Yu Junsheng chuckled and shamelessly boasted, "Of course! Don't you know who I am? It's just a job recruitment exam, how could it possibly be difficult for me?"
Cheng Jiajia: "..."
Although... she still felt embarrassed for him! She wondered who was studying with books every day before?
However, Old Wang was clearly used to Yu Junsheng's behavior. He just rolled his eyes and patted him on the shoulder with satisfaction, "You'd better work hard in the future!"
Old Wang knew that Yu Junsheng had some talent in mechanics, so going to the machine factory wouldn't be a waste of his talent; it was better than just wasting his time at the recycling station.
He then looked at Cheng Jiajia, who was speechless, and scrutinized her carefully. "Is this your wife?"
Yu Junsheng quickly introduced her, "Old man, this is my wife. I brought her here today to hand over some work."
Cheng Jiajia introduced herself with a smile, "Hello, Uncle Wang, my name is Cheng Jiajia. From now on, it'll be just the two of us at the recycling station. If there's anything I don't understand, I'll have to rely on your guidance."
Her smile was genuine, and her eyes were clear, making her very likable.
Old Wang nodded with a smile, praising repeatedly, "Not bad, not bad, you've made a good husband! She's clearly a good girl. And she's beautiful too, a perfect match for this young man!"
"What's with all this 'giving advice'? It's just a small job at the recycling station. When the recyclables come in, we sort them and put them away properly. There aren't many people here usually, so we can just guard this yard."
Cheng Jiajia glanced at it and saw that everything was indeed neatly categorized and arranged, and surprisingly, it even looked rather tidy.
To be honest, although Old Wang and Yu Junsheng were both people who loved to slack off, the two of them did a pretty good job tidying up the scrap yard, and the items were all sorted out and put away neatly.
Books and newspapers were piled up in one stack, metal items were piled together in another, and ceramic and glass shards were piled up in yet another.
In short, it was much better than Cheng Jiajia had imagined—dirty, messy, and chaotic.
Cheng Jiajia felt much more at ease.
I wanted to make a good impression as a new employee by being diligent.
Cheng Jiajia sweetly replied, "I'm quite strong. You can leave any heavy work to me in the future, so you don't have to lift a finger."
Old Wang didn't stand on ceremony and pointed directly to the pile of messy junk in the yard, "Look at this pile of stuff, it's been sitting here for a week. Now that you're here, it's yours!"
Cheng Jiajia "..."
She just said it casually, but this task came too fast!
Yu Junsheng said with dissatisfaction, "You old man, you really don't treat my wife with any respect."
Old Wang glared at him. "Whose work was this originally? You've been slacking off these past few days, so your wife has to suffer, right? Do you expect this old man like me to have to endure this?"
Yu Junsheng touched his nose guiltily, "Isn't this...isn't this what I was preparing for the exam a few days ago?"
Old Wang was actually Yu Junsheng's superior. Yu Junsheng was usually the main person in charge of sorting. However, he had been slacking off at work these past few days, reading and reviewing, so this huge pile hadn't been cleaned up yet and was just left messily piled up in the yard.
Old Wang snorted, glanced at his watch, and said to Cheng Jiajia, "There are still three hours until the end of the workday. If you finish this, today will count as your full workday."
This is giving Cheng Jiajia special treatment. She only has to work for three hours to earn a day's wages. That's such a good deal!
Cheng Jiajia's eyes crinkled with joy. "Oh, thank you, Uncle Wang! Don't worry, I promise I'll complete the mission!"
Old Wang was very satisfied. He glanced at Yu Junsheng and snorted, "Your wife speaks much better than you!" After saying that, he ignored the two of them and went to sit on the recliner by the door, slowly drinking his tea.
Yu Junsheng: "..."
Cheng Jiajia gave Yu Junsheng a smug look.
Yu Junsheng: "..." He wondered if he was being looked down upon by his wife?
Without saying much, Cheng Jiajia put on her work gloves and started working.
Yu Junsheng quickly came over to help, as he couldn't bear to let his wife do so much work by herself.
He originally wanted Cheng Jiajia to rest and that he could do it by himself, but Cheng Jiajia disagreed. From now on, this would be her job, so how could she always ask others for help?
Since it's something we'll have to do sooner or later, we might as well get familiar with it first.
The two men used pliers to rummage through the items one by one.
Knowing that this batch of junk was sent by some radicals after they had vandalized the place, Cheng Jiajia sorted through it even more carefully.
Fortunately, the items were not mixed; they were just some broken wood, broken porcelain pieces, and deformed metal products that were unrecognizable from their original form.
The two of them finished sorting in less than two hours.
The bad news is: there were no "escaped fish" inside.
The good news is that Yu Junsheng found another broken radio in the pile of junk and plans to take it back to repair it so he can make some money.
The two also rummaged through the wood and found a few pieces that looked like they had been taken off a chair. Yu Junsheng planned to make a shoe rack for it when he got home, so that the shoes at home wouldn't be scattered all over the floor.
There was also an enamel basin with several holes. Cheng Jiajia planned to plant some cacti in the basin and place it under the bedroom window. Otherwise, she always felt that someone was squatting under the window eavesdropping, which made her feel unsafe.
Old Wang turned a blind eye to these things, and Yu Junsheng bought these "junk" items for a penny.
...
When Cheng Jiajia and Yu Junsheng returned, a group of people had gathered in the front yard. Hu Mei was showing off the new watch that Ma Gaosheng had bought for her among the young wives.
"It's so beautiful!"
"Oh my, this is a Plum Blossom brand, it costs over a hundred yuan. Your Ma Gaosheng is really good to you!"
Hu Mei said with a mix of pride and shyness, "Him? Well, there's nothing special about him except that he's quite generous to me and fairly obedient. He always puts me first. Otherwise, I wouldn't have agreed to date him in the first place, right?"
These words drew envy from the other young wives, who exclaimed, "Hu Mei, you're so lucky!"
Who doesn't want to marry someone generous, considerate, and who puts them first? But not everyone is destined to have that.
Seeing Hu Mei's happy, feminine appearance, Cheng Jiajia couldn't help but recall the scene where she had seen Hu Mei being affectionate with that burly man last time.
Cheng Jiajia closed her eyes; she couldn't think about it anymore!
What kind of mess is this?!
Ma Gaosheng stood aside, listening to everyone praising his wife, and felt very proud, especially the eager looks from the women, which greatly satisfied his vanity.
The smug Ma Gaosheng had the illusion that he was the most capable among the younger generation in this compound.
Just then, Yu Junsheng returned with a pile of junk. When Ma Gaosheng saw it, he looked at him with disdain, and his gaze lingered on Cheng Jiajia's face behind him.
Ma Gaosheng's eyes flickered. "Junsheng, it's not that I'm criticizing you, but how come you, a perfectly healthy young man, spend all your time dealing with junk? You can't even afford to buy your wife anything, and you can only make do with this junk. Listen to me, you should find a proper job and settle down."
Yu Junsheng gave a half-smile. He was about to ask a few questions about Ma Gaosheng's hat when Cheng Jiajia retorted, "What business is it of yours how my Yu Junsheng is? Even if he hadn't passed the exam for the machinery factory, it's none of your business to criticize him!"
"Let him give me whatever he wants, what's it to you? How can you, a man, be more gossipy than an old woman?"
Then an older woman said, "That's right, it's just a young couple's business, why are you meddling so much?"
"What's wrong with a scrap yard? It's not a government-run institution, it's not a guaranteed job! My child can't even find work at a scrap yard!" The older woman winked at Cheng Jiajia, as if to curry favor with her.
“I’m telling you, Ma Gaosheng, what’s there to look down on others for? Junsheng’s mother used to be an accountant at the machinery factory. If he were to take over, wouldn’t he be more capable than you?”
"Oh, Junsheng, that silly kid. If he had taken over his mother's job when he graduated, he would have been working in the machine factory long ago."
Ma Gaosheng: "..."
Ma Gaosheng was shoved in the face and wiped the spittle off his face with his hand.
Hey, wait, what's wrong with these women?
Why is everyone siding with Yu Junsheng?! I've never seen them like Yu Junsheng this much before!
However, he really didn't expect that Yu Junsheng could pass the exam to get into the machinery factory, and even the technical department. That sounded much better than his own sales department.
That won't do!
These middle-aged women and young wives were not speaking well of Yu Junsheng for no reason.
Yu Junsheng seemed much more enthusiastic, and his eyes flickered as he approached the neighbors who were asking him and his wife all sorts of questions and trying to stop them from leaving.
The older women asked him questions, and he answered them in various ways; they chatted about everything under the sun, and he was always quick to slip and turn.
Then, taking the opportunity, he and his wife made a hasty escape.
The few who failed to achieve their goal were left cursing inwardly.
...
The residential compound for employees of a food factory.
Jiang's mother flew into a rage the moment she saw Jiang Qiubai, and no matter what she said, she wanted to drive her away. Her three younger brothers were no longer as close as before, and just watched coldly from the sidelines.
In the end, Jiang Qiubai had no choice but to hand over the money he found in his mother-in-law's wardrobe before his mother and younger brother reluctantly agreed to let him stay.
That night, Jiang Qiubai started dreaming again.
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