Tang Momo’s hesitation ended quickly when Zhang Xiaoli stepped forward and invited Gu Chengze to stay for dinner. 

Without waiting for Gu Chengze to refuse, she continued, “It’s too late to find food outside now. It’ll take you a while to ride back, and you must be hungry.” 

“Then I’ll trouble you, Auntie.” Gu Chengze nodded slightly and agreed to stay. 

Seeing this, Tang Momo quietly let out a breath of relief. If she had to invite him herself, she wouldn’t even know how to begin.  

She originally thought that after the rejection this morning, the two would never meet again, but she never expected that they would meet so soon and under such circumstances. 

Tang Momo felt a little embarrassed when she thought about it. Fortunately, she found an excuse to leave, “I’ll go cook.” 

“Let Jianan and the others help you.” 

Zhang Xiaoli saw that she really had no desire to stay and talk alone with Gu Chengze, so she naturally didn’t force her to stay. 

Gu Chengze glanced at Tang Momo’s departing figure from the corner of his eye, and the emotion in his eyes flashed briefly. Did she really think that by doing this was enough to repay the favor, and from now on they’d never have anything to do with each other again?  

“Xiao Gu, I really want to thank you for what you did today.” 

Zhang Xiaoli actually had a very good impression of Gu Chengze. 

Back then, he had saved Tang Momo, and later he even sent over ten eggs. Today, he had helped them so much again. Thinking about it, she couldn’t help but sigh—it felt like fate was playing tricks with them. 

“Auntie, there’s no need to be so polite. We’re all part of the same brigade. It was just a small matter.” 

“And about this morning, I hope you don’t take it to heart. Let’s keep things the same as before.”  

Gu Chengze really regretted his recklessness this morning. 

It seemed that the Tang family had started to distance themselves from him because of it, and that wasn’t the outcome he wanted. 

Zhang Xiaoli was stunned for a moment, obviously not expecting that he would take the initiative to mention this matter. After being stunned for two seconds, she nodded, “We should be the ones saying that. I hope this morning’s incident won’t affect the relationship between our families.” 

“Don’t worry, Auntie, of course not. We were too reckless in this matter.” 

Hearing this, Gu Chengze couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. 

Though they were in the back yard, the stove was built inside. In the city, people used honeycomb briquettes, and Tang Jianan, along with the two little ones, didn’t really know how to light a stove. Fortunately, Guan Shijie’s side had some coal, and before long, the coal stove was burning. 

Tang Momo glanced at the three standing next to her and asked softly, “Did you learn how to do it?” 

“I’ll handle this in the future. If they do it, they might get burned.” 

The village has a wood-burning stove, and the twins only need to add firewood to it which was much simpler than adding coal. 

“Did you hear that? From now on, you’re not allowed to touch this. If you get burned and scarred, it won’t look good.” 

Tang Momo smiled at the two little ones. 

The twins nodded firmly and then took the initiative to take on the responsibility of washing the vegetables. Tang Momo thought that Gu Chengze would have to go back later, so she quickly started cooking. 

Soon, their first meal after arriving in the city was ready. 

“Mother, wash your hands and get ready to eat.” Tang Momo poked her head out of the kitchen. 

“Coming.” 

After Zhang Xiaoli finished speaking, she said to Gu Chengze next to her, “Xiao Gu, let’s wash our hands first.” 

When Gu Chengze arrived at the table, the two little ones looked at him proudly, “Brother Chengze, doesn’t this food look good?” 

Gu Chengze unconsciously smiled, and his tone softened. “Yes, they look good.” 

“The food cooked by eldest sister is the most delicious.” 

The little ones spoke with absolute pride. 

Zhang Xiaoli stretched out her hand and flicked Tang Jianping’s forehead, pretending to be angry, “So are you saying that Mother’s cooking isn’t good?” 

“It’s just a little worse than Eldest Sister.” 

Tang Yangyang nodded seriously, causing everyone else to laugh. 

Gu Chengze didn’t even realize the smile on his face. He liked this kind of family atmosphere very much. It made people feel relaxed staying here. 

“I’m in a hurry today, so I only prepared a little. I’ll treat you to dinner the next time I get the chance. Thank you so much for helping us.” 

After saying this, Tang Momo handed the first bowl of rice to Gu Chengze. 

Gu Chengze glanced at her when he heard this, then nodded and seriously said a word of thanks. 

Tang Momo couldn’t help but pause what she’s doing. What? I was just being polite; did he take that seriously? 

After Tang Momo finished speaking, she quickly lowered her eyes, secretly hating that she shouldn’t have said more. She knew he was a serious person, so why did she still have to be polite to him? 

This habit is not good and she really needed to change it quickly. 

Gu Chengze raised his head in confusion. So it was just polite talk? Then I definitely need to find a time to honor it. 

The meal was quite pleasant. After the meal, Gu Chengze said his goodbyes, worried that Zhao Xiuli would be concerned since he was getting home late. 

After Gu Chengze left, Zhang Xiaoli returned to the room. Tang Momo was clearing the table. She couldn’t help but sigh, “Today, it was really thanks to Xiao Gu; otherwise, we probably still wouldn’t have finished.” 

“It’s really thanks to him. Mother, if you feel bad about it, the next time we go back to Qingshui Brigade, just bring him some food as a small gesture.” 

Tang Momo knew that Zhao Xiuli was the one he cared about the most. 

“Yes, what you said makes sense, but I don’t know how long it will be before I go back again.” 

Zhang Xiaoli had no relatives left on her side of the family; she had already severed ties with the Tang family. Aside from Tang Dajun, who was buried in the countryside, they had no other relatives. 

Zhang Xiaoli glanced at her children who were clearing away the dishes and suddenly looked up at the sky. “Dajun, can you see this? We’re getting better and better now.” 

There was a kettle on the stove just now to boil water. It was just the right time to take a bath. Everyone was very tired today, so they immediately went to bed after taking a bath. 

In the backyard, there were just three rooms aside from the kitchen. Zhang Xiaoli lived in one, Tang Jianan and Tang Jianping shared another, and Tang Momo and Tang Yangyang stayed in the third. It was just like when they were in Qingshui Brigade, so nothing feels out of place. 

It was already very late when Gu Chengze went back. Zhao Xiuli had been wandering around the yard. When she heard the familiar sound of the bicycle, she breathed a sigh of relief and let go of her worries that had been hanging all night. 

When Gu Chengze pushed the bicycle inside, she gave his shoulder a hard pat. “Where have you been coming back so late? You didn’t even think to let me know in advance.” 

“I’m sorry, Grandma.” Gu Chengze quickly admitted his mistake. 

Today, when she heard that Tang Momo’s family had moved into the city, Zhao Xiuli actually had a guess in her mind, but she was still worried. Now that he was back, she hurriedly pulled him into the house and asked, “Did you really go to help the Tang family move?” 

“How did you know, Grandma?” 

Gu Chengze was a bit surprised. 

Zhao Xiuli said irritably, “Of course, I guessed! If you ever do something like this again, you have to informed me in advance.” 

Heaven knows how worried she was just now. As people age, they tend to overthink. She clearly guessed what he did, but she just couldn’t help but worry. 

“I understand, Grandma; there won’t be a next time.” 

Gu Chengze readily agreed, admitting that he was wrong this time. 

“Do you like that girl that much?” 

Zhao Xiuli didn’t expect that he would help today. 

“I just happened to run into them and lent a hand. Grandma, don’t say anything reckless.” 

Gu Chengze wasn’t even sure what he felt for Tang Momo. 

“Okay, okay, I won’t say anything reckless; just keep it in mind yourself.”  

Seeing him like this, Zhao Xiuli was really happy. 

In the past, Gu Chengze had no goals at all. In his eyes, he lived one day at a time. Because he had no expectations for life, every time there was a dangerous task, he would rush to the front because he didn’t think death was a big deal. He even considered it as a kind of relief. 

Now, things were different. He finally had something to care about. No matter whether he ended up with Tang Momo or not, he had experienced the beauty of life, and for this, Zhao Xiuli was truly grateful to Tang Momo.  

“Have you eaten yet?” 

Although she had her suspicions, she couldn’t help but ask. 

Gu Chengze nodded, “Yes, I’ve eaten. You should go to bed early; don’t worry about me.” 

“You should also get some rest; you’ve had a long day,” Zhao Xiuli urged. 

“Yes, I’m going to take a bath first.” 

Watching Gu Chengze’s back, Zhao Xiuli couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief; he seemed much more lively now. 

She thought about it carefully, and it seemed that all of this happened after saving Tang Momo. It seemed that the girl from the Tang family was his lucky star. 

The next morning, when Tang Momo got up, Zhang Xiaoli was already cooking breakfast. She was actually a little nervous about going to the factory for the first time today. 

Hearing the footsteps coming from beside her, she turned her head and glanced at Tang Momo next to her, and said softly, “Why don’t you sleep a bit longer?” 

“I’ve had enough sleep. When you go to the factory today mother, head to the union first; someone will take you to the workshop.”  

After Tang Momo finished speaking, she glanced at Zhang Xiaoli and wondered if she would feel nervous. 

“Yes, I understand. Is it far from the food factory?” Zhang Xiaoli asked with concern. 

“It’s not very far. Besides, I still have a bicycle.” 

Speaking of bicycles, Tang Momo also thought about getting one back. In this era of underdeveloped transportation, having a bicycle is much more convenient. 

“Yes, it’s really thanks to that person who lent you the bicycle.” 

After Zhang Xiaoli finished speaking, she remembered that things at the shoe factory were also thanks to Yang Jianlin’s help, so she asked, “Should we invite him over for a meal to show our gratitude?” 

After the previous incident in the village, Tang Momo had seen how sensitive this era was to the interactions between unmarried men and women. Thinking of this, she quickly shook her head. “No need; I’ll just think of other ways.” 

“That’s fine. You can decide for yourself.”  

Zhang Xiaoli nodded and decided not to interfere in this matter. 

While they were talking, Tang Jianan also woke up. The two little ones had been too excited last night and had fallen asleep very late, so they were still sound asleep.  

Seeing Tang Jianan getting up, Tang Momo approached him and instructed, “Mother and I are going to the factory today. You need to take care of the two little ones and not let them run around in the yard. I’ll asked about the school later.” 

“I’ll also ask the union about the school, and I’ll bring back lunch from the canteen afterward,” Zhang Xiaoli added. 

Since they were still not used to using a stove here, it was a bit challenging. 

When Tang Dajun was still alive, he planned to divide the house and take the children to study in the city. Now, she felt like she had fulfilled his wish. 

Seeing that Zhang Xiaoli took the initiative to handle these matters, Tang Momo naturally had no objection. She nodded, “Okay, just listen to Mother.” 

When Tang Momo left, the two little ones hadn’t gotten up yet. She couldn’t help but shake her head. “They’re really too excited. Well, it’s just for today; let them sleep in.” 

With a bicycle, it took about ten minutes to reach the food factory. Tang Momo happened to meet Yang Jianlin at the entrance of the factory. 

Seeing the smile on her face, Yang Jianlin took the initiative to step forward and asked her with a smile, “Have you settled everything at home?” 

“Yes, I found a place to live near the shoe factory yesterday. My mother and younger siblings have all moved over, so my mother can report to the shoe factory today.” 

After Tang Momo finished speaking, she looked at Yang Jianlin next to her. He was her second “savior” after Gu Chengze. 

“It’s good that the matter is resolved so that you can focus on your work without any distractions.” 

Yang Jianlin is also very optimistic about the mooncake reform at the factory. 

Since great favors need not be explicitly acknowledged, Tang Momo stopped expressing her thanks verbally and planned to check out the supply and marketing cooperative after work to see if there were any suitable things that she could buy to give. 

Because Tang Momo is now currently assisting the factory director’s office, she and Yang Jianlin now share the same office. 

When they arrived at the office, Director Wu had already arrived. When she saw the two of them arriving together, she was stunned for a moment, but she quickly recovered and waved to Tang Momo. “Xiao Tang, come here.” 

Tang Momo guessed that Director Wu must have called her here to talk about mooncake packaging. 

“Xiao Tang, about the mooncake packaging you mentioned last time, the designs on the packaging have been used for several years; it’s time for a change. Over the next couple of days, see if you can come up with new designs. The one you drew last time was quite good.” 

Due to ongoing reforms in the meetings, Director Wu had been very busy lately. 

Of course, one can imagine the pressure she feels. After all, this is a reform she fought hard to secure. If successful, that would be great, but if it failed, it was easy to imagine what would await Director Wu. 

Since Tang Momo had been brought in by Director Wu, she knew her own fate wouldn’t be any better if things went wrong. Thinking this way, her expression turned serious.  

Seeing that she suddenly became serious, Director Wu chuckled and said in a gentler tone, “Go ahead, don’t put too much pressure on yourself, just do your best.” 

The more Director Wu said this, the less Tang Momo dared to take it lightly and returned to her office with a serious face. 

Seeing the seriousness on her face, Yang Jianlin lowered his voice and asked, “Did Director Wu say anything to you?” 

Tang Momo shook her head. “No, she just asked me to design a new packaging.” 

Yang Jianlin knew that she was nervous, so he comforted her gently. “Don’t be too nervous. The one you drew before was actually pretty good.” 

At this time, most mooncake packaging was made of rose-red oil paper, with a layer of white paper featuring an image of Chang’e flying to the moon. It looked nice at first, but it was the same every year, and everyone was tired of the design. 

Although people were tired of the same design, it shaped everyone’s perception of mooncake packaging. Therefore, it is best not to make the design too novel to the point where the public cannot accept it. 

After listening to Yang Jianlin’s opinion, Tang Momo had some ideas. She nodded with a grateful look on her face. “Thank you, Brother Yang, for your advice.” 

*** 

Just when Tang Xiaoxue was thinking about how to talk to her husband’s family about her work, Chen Lanying unexpectedly came, which gave her an excuse for not being able to go to work the next day. 

Tang Xiaoxue planned to delay things against the Qiu family. She planned to let Qiu Ming take her to find Yang Jianlin’s parents. With their involvement, she could certainly ruin Zhang Xiaoli’s job. 

She might even be able to ruin Tang Momo’s position at the food factory as well. 

At that time, she could explain to her in-laws that she loses her job entirely because of the mess caused by Tang Momo.  

Chen Lanying’s arrival just bought her an extra day. 

Seeing Tang Xiaoxue, Chen Lanying felt anxious and was about to confirm a few things, but Tang Xiaoxue had quick insight and swiftly pulled her into the room before she could say anything. 

As soon as they entered the room, Chen Lanying couldn’t hold it in anymore: “Xiaoxue, that girl Tang Momo said that you were fired from the factory. Is this true?” 

“She went back?” 

When Tang Momo was mentioned, Tang Xiaoxue’s eyes were filled with resentment. 

“Yes, she said the shoe factory job was resolved, and their whole family had already moved to the city.” 

Recalling the grievances she had suffered from Tang Momo; Chen Lanying’s tone was harsh. 

“They already moved to the city?” 

Tang Xiaoxue snorted, she clearly underestimated Tang Momo. 

If they moved to the city, they would definitely need a place to live. There was no way the shoe factory would provide them with welfare housing. Since that girl had just started working at the food factory, she couldn’t possibly get a welfare housing from them as well. 

So, there was no need to guess; it was clear that the place they were moving to had been arranged by Yang Jianlin. 

That girl had her own way of dealing with men. But this was good; the more Yang Jianlin helped her, the more his parents would hate Tang Momo. Thinking this, Tang Xiaoxue’s expression suddenly brightened. 

“Exactly! You don’t know how arrogant that mother-daughter pair has become.” 

Chen Lanying really regrets the note she had made to the captain to sever ties; otherwise, she could have used this opportunity to teach that mother and daughter a lesson. 

“Let them be arrogant for now; I have plenty of ways to deal with them.”  

After saying that, Tang Xiaoxue reminded Chen Lanying not to tell the Qiu family about her not going to work. 

“I’ll spend the day with you in the city today and take you back tomorrow.”  

When she comes back tomorrow, he will ask Qiu Ming to take him to Yang Jianlin’s parents. 

Let that girl be proud for two days. The higher she climbs, the more painful her fall will be. 

“Shouldn’t you discuss this with Qiu Ming first?” 

Chen Lanying looked at Tang Xiaoxue with some concern. 

“Don’t interfere in this matter; I know what I’m doing.” 

Tang Xiaoxue interrupted Chen Lanying impatiently. 

Chen Lanying’s unannounced visit today annoyed her. Her in-laws were already dissatisfied with her coming from the countryside, and even after more than ten years of marriage, they still brought it up from time to time. 

So, for all these years, she had never let her family visit her home and rarely went back herself. She didn’t expect Chen Lanying to come today.  

Noticing Tang Xiaoxue’s displeasure, Chen Lanying felt a bit upset too. After all, she was doing this for her, but thinking of the money she sent every month, she managed to hold back her feelings. 

The job fell to Tang Xiaoxue back then, not just because they favored her, but because Tang Xiaoxue promised to send back half a month’s salary every month. 

Otherwise, it would have been better to give the job to the second or third daughter-in-law. It wasn’t until she complained about how her in-laws looked down on her and how she couldn’t hold her head up in the Qiu family that this job was given to her. 

Now Chen Lanying was not only nervous about Tang Xiaoxue’s situation but also worried that if Tang Xiaoxue didn’t go to work, the money would be cut off. 

Tang Xiaoxue didn’t understand what Chen Lanying was thinking, but she had no intention of going to work now. What she was thinking about most now was how to ruin the work of Zhang Xiaoli and her daughter and let them go back to the countryside in despair. 

*** 

Because Gu Chengze had helped Tang Momo move her things only halfway through, most people were unaware of it. 

At this moment, everyone was still discussing Tang Momo’s family moving to the city, and their faces were full of envy. 

“When Tang Dajun was still around, he said that once the factory divided the welfare housing, he could bring his family to the city. Who would have thought that he would leave before that happened?” 

“Exactly. The past couple of years have been tough for Zhang Xiaoli and her children; now they can finally enjoy some sweetness after the bitterness. If you ask me, the Tang family is really shameless. They only think about their married daughter Tang Xiaoxue. Even if Zhang Xiaoli is an outsider, Tang Momo and her other siblings is still part of the Tang family, right?” 

Xu Xiaoyun felt irritated hearing everyone discuss Tang Momo. How could she have such good luck in this life?  

She had suspected before whether Tang Momo was like her, but she quickly dismissed that thought. If Tang Momo were like her, she wouldn’t have gone up the mountain that day.  

“It’s a pity that this girl is so filial that she refused the Gu family’s marriage for the sake of her family.” 

“I think she is just unwilling. She could have at least gotten engaged first and then thought about marriage later.” 

“Yes, I don’t see Zhao Xiuli as a difficult person to deal with. If the two families sit down and have a good talk about this matter, it might be settled.” 

“But even if she missed out on Gu Chengze, Tang Momo is now a worker, and Zhang Xiaoli is also working at the shoe factory. When she looks for a partner in the future, it’ll probably be at least another worker.” 

At this point, everyone couldn’t help but sigh. Just a few months ago, those who went to propose to the Tang family were either divorced or had some physical defect. Who would have thought that in such a short time, that girl would have such fortune?  

Xu Xiaoyun clenched her fists hard and wanted to shout, asking them to stop talking. She didn’t want to hear about Tang Momo anymore. 

“This time, the matter between Gu Chengze and Tang Momo has fallen through. I wonder which girl Zhao Xiuli has her eye on now.” 

“I heard that Zhao Xiuli went to Aunt Xi’s house again yesterday. Maybe we will know in two days.” 

When the speaker finished, the person glanced at Xu Xiaoyun. 

Xu Xiaoyun, who was a little irritable at first, couldn’t help but pause. Zhao Xiuli went to find Aunt Xi again, but she hadn’t heard that at home. 

No, she couldn’t let the same thing happen again. She needed to find Gu Chengze. After all, they had been a couple for almost two years in their previous life, and she knew what he liked about her. 

Thinking of this, Xu Xiaoyun lost all interest in working. She needed to tidy herself up and then go find Gu Chengze looking her best. 

***

🌸 Thank you so much for reading! 🌸 If you’d like to download the PDF or EPUB version, you can grab it for free on my Ko-Fi page! ☕📖✨

https://ko-fi.com/s/3b1f469e02