Gong Linglong rushed to the state-owned store to help Yuan's mother bring two feet of cloth after get off work. They were delayed for a while, and the mother and daughter ran all the way to catch the bus. Fortunately, they arrived on time.
After they got in, Brother Wang started the car and drove off. He also told her, "Sister-in-law, Deputy Head Lu came by half an hour ago and asked me to give you a message. He has a meeting in the city tonight that will last until very late. He will stay in the city tonight and return home tomorrow."
Gong Linglong's eyes flickered slightly, "Okay, thank you, Brother Wang."
It seems that they have made their deployment and will launch a joint operation tonight to catch all the hidden enemy spies behind Gao Xuemei.
"Wait a moment."
As the car started, a young man riding a bicycle came hurriedly with Meng Xiaoying on his back. Brother Wang stepped on the brakes and stopped the car to wait for her.
Meng Xiaoying jumped off the bicycle, said something to the young man, and then quickly got on the bike with the cloth bag.
Gong Linglong glanced at her but didn't greet her, and the same went for Meng Xiaoying.
There were not many passengers on the bus, all of them were locals living near the army. They didn't know each other and there was no greeting. The bus was unusually quiet.
Bai Shuixian took today's newspaper to read. Gong Linglong also had a book in her hand, which was lent to her by Director Yang.
"Linglong."
Bai Shuixian nudged her daughter gently with her elbow, pointed to the recruitment notice in the corner of the newspaper, and said to her in a voice that both of them could hear: "Linglong, the Translation Bureau is recruiting translators. I'd like to try."
Gong Linglong had read the news before and looked at her in surprise, "Mom, do you speak foreign languages?"
"University students in the 1950s studied foreign languages. There were foreign language teaching and research departments at the time, offering classes in English, Japanese, French, and Russian. Your grandparents attached great importance to our education. When we were very young, they hired teachers with overseas backgrounds to teach us foreign languages. My eldest brother studied Russian, and my second brother and I studied English."
Gong Linglong's eyes sparkled as she listened. She gave a thumbs-up and said silently, "Grandpa and grandma are so wise and far-sighted."
Bai Shuixian smiled, then thought about the current policy environment, which was somewhat complex. She whispered to her, "The vast majority of students who went abroad to study in the 1930s and 1940s received financial support from the Gong family. For a few who came from extremely poor families, your grandfather took the initiative to cover all their expenses during their study abroad."
Having said that, he paused and sighed, "The Gong family had close ties with them. If your grandparents and uncles were still alive, when the special period began ten years ago, they would have been sent to labor camps. I'm afraid our family would have been too..."
Thinking of the past, Bai Shuixian felt particularly heavy-hearted, but she quickly suppressed all of it in her heart.
Then he continued to talk to her about business: "Linglong, this is the recruitment information released by the Translation Bureau. They are mainly recruiting English translators. I want to give it a try."
"Mom, whatever you do, I support you."
Her mother had a very hard life, and now that her memory has been restored, it's time for her to display her talents. Gong Linglong really hopes that the rest of her life will be wonderful and happy.
The mother and daughter were talking in low voices. Meng Xiaoying, who was sitting behind them, pricked up her ears to listen, but the voices were so soft that she couldn't hear a word.
Half an hour later, the commuter bus returned to the outside of the family compound.
As soon as the mother and daughter got out of the car, they saw Yuan's mother coming back from the river with Gangzi in one hand and a small wooden bucket in the other. Bai Shuixian greeted her with a smile: "Sister-in-law, are you collecting the fish cages?"
"Sister, why are you back today?" Yuan's mother smiled at her and also taught her grandson: "Gangzi, call someone."
"Grandma Bai."
Even though they hadn't seen each other for a week, Gangzi still recognized her when he saw her, and ran towards Gong Linglong happily: "Auntie."
"Gangzi."
Gong Linglong squatted down, picked him up with one hand, and handed the cloth in the other hand to Yuan's mother, "Auntie, I brought the cloth back for you."
"Linglong, thank you for your hard work."
Mother Yuan took the cloth and asked Bai Shuixian, "Sister, aren't you only off on Sundays? Why are you back today?"
"The old leaders in the sanatorium are all very nice. They let me leave work early today and don't have to work at night. So I came back with Linglong." Bai Shuixian said with a smile.
"You and your daughter are both very busy people. Linglong goes out early and comes back late every day. We can only see her when we rehearse the show in the evening."
The three of them walked and talked, but Meng Xiaoying, who was following not far behind them, frowned: "Nursing home? Gong Linglong's mother also has a job?"
Thinking that the mother and daughter had only been here for a little over a month and both of them had jobs, Meng Xiaoying sneered, "Lu Jingchuan must have found her a job."
When she returned to the art troupe dormitory with her luggage, a roommate who was usually on good terms with her told her, "Xu Wei has left the art troupe."
"Hmm? Leave?"
Meng Xiaoying came back yesterday and even went to visit Xu Wei. Her brows furrowed, "Was he expelled from the group?"
"No, the group didn't fire her. She suddenly submitted her resignation this morning."
The person who spoke was Liu Qian. It was she who was instigated by Meng Xiaoying to invite the military wives to participate in the art performance. After the spring plowing incident some time ago, she is now also isolated by others.
"Why did she resign suddenly? Did she say anything before leaving?" Meng Xiaoying asked hurriedly.
"She said she couldn't stay here any longer and didn't want to listen to other people's gossip. She also contacted her family, and their elders told her to resign and go back, saying they'd find her a new job. When she left this morning, they said her family was pressing her and that they'd hired a skilled doctor to treat her injuries. She submitted her resignation and hurriedly packed her bags and left."
After Liu Qian finished speaking, she took out a letter from the drawer and handed it to her: "This is the letter Xu Wei asked me to pass on to you."
Meng Xiaoying had a feeling that Xu Wei's departure was a little strange and odd. When she went to visit her yesterday, the two had put aside their differences and reconciled. At that time, she did not mention the fact that her family was urging her to go back.
The reason Xu Wei gave for resigning in the letter was similar to what Liu Qian said, but she also mentioned Lu Jingchuan and Gong Linglong later.
She felt that Gong Linglong was not worthy of Lu Jingchuan, and that Meng Xiaoying was a better match for Lu Jingchuan. She also called Gong Linglong a robber who showed up halfway. She knew Meng Xiaoying's temperament and deliberately provoked and instigated her in the letter.
After reading the letter, Meng Xiaoying's mood became noticeably darker. After putting it away, she asked, "Liu Qian, I just saw Gong Linglong and her mother on the way back. Are they both working in the city now? Did Deputy Head Lu find them jobs?"
"I heard from the wife of Captain Guo, the Third Regiment, that Gong Linglong's mother found a job in a nursing home just a few days after arriving. She seems to know some medical skills and has been working there for almost a month."
"Gong Linglong found a job this week. Her mother heard about it at work. Deputy Head Lu took a leave of absence to accompany her to the assessment. I heard that she works in the civil affairs department, which is a lucrative job that everyone envies."
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