Chapter 7

When Kang Guixiang said she had something to say, Grandpa Jiang was baffled. His three sons hadn’t voiced any objections, so what was this woman, who hadn’t even officially joined the family yet, trying to do?

He sensed that she might just be a troublemaker and was a bit displeased. “What do you want to say?” he asked.

Kang Guixiang gave a fawning smile. “Dad, Jiang Ci won’t have much of a future working in the machinery factory. Guozhu has technical skills, so I can pay to secure this job for him. I’ll also pay to find a different job for Jiang Ci. What do you think?”

In her past life, Jiang Ci hadn’t ended up working at the machinery factory, and Kang Guixiang didn’t want this life to deviate too much from the previous one. If she could prevent Jiang Ci from going to the factory, all the better.

However, Jiang Ci was intent on going to the machinery factory, and not just because of the job. She had other reasons.

There were things from her past life that she hadn’t figured out, and she needed to get into the machinery factory to investigate.

She turned to Grandpa Jiang and said, “Grandpa, a job at the machinery factory is quite respectable. I’m a high school graduate, so I’m sure I can handle an administrative position well. Besides, the small courtyard you gave me at Qushui Bridge is close to the factory, which will make it convenient for me to commute. I want this job at the machinery factory.”

“Very well. Then go upstairs and bring your diploma. We’ll head to the machinery factory right away.”

Grandpa Jiang waved his hand at his eldest son. “Jiang Guozhu, teach your woman some manners. The Jiang family hasn’t yet reached the point where she gets to call the shots.”

Jiang Guozhu felt awkward and pulled Kang Guixiang aside. “You stay at the guesthouse and keep an eye on the kids. Once I’m divorced, we’ll go out and look for a place. My dad said he would arrange a job for me, and he definitely won’t go back on his word.”

Kang Guixiang had nothing more to say. It seemed she couldn’t stop Jiang Ci from working at the machinery factory. She would just wait until Jiang Ci left and then head upstairs to grab that notebook.

Jiang Ci threw on her army-green canvas bag and thought for a moment before retrieving her diary from the camphor wood chest.

The diary still contained the part where someone had pushed her down the mountain, and there were no new entries. She put the diary, her diploma, the food ration tickets she had saved, and over a hundred yuan into her bag, then went downstairs to follow Jiang Dayou to the machinery factory.

The factory’s deputy director was Gu Chengrong, the eldest son of Dong Huahua and Gu Qingchuan’s uncle.

Gu Chengrong greeted them with a smile. “Old Secretary, isn’t your eldest son Guozhu back? Why not let him come to the factory to take over? If he comes, I’ll give him the position of office director. If you recommend me for the next factory director, I’ll promote Guozhu to deputy director.”

Though Grandpa Jiang had retired, he still had a say in the factory. Gu Chengrong was calculating, thinking that Grandpa Jiang would surely agree, as what father wouldn’t look out for his own son?

Jiang Ci couldn’t let Gu Chengrong interfere with her job. She knew that his wife, Gong Liping, had made unfounded accusations against Gu Qingchuan, claiming he was acting lewdly outside the hospital. She didn’t believe for a second that Gu Chengrong was unaware of this.

“Director Gu, your wife is slandering your nephew Gu Qingchuan. I almost got us both in trouble because of your family’s actions. You know that Jiang Guozhu brought a woman home, and my mother has had no formal job since the divorce. What will happen to us if I don’t get into the machinery factory? Will my mother and I end up starving?”

Gu Chengrong noticed the displeasure on Grandpa Jiang’s face, realizing that the old man was particularly concerned about his reputation. The news about Jiang Guozhu bringing a woman home had spread to the neighbors.

Seeing the old man’s expression, Gu Chengrong understood that he couldn’t let his eldest son work at the factory and continue to embarrass him.

He quickly changed his tone. “Dear niece, your aunt only acted out of concern for you. I’ve already criticized her for that. Since your grandfather is willing to let you take over the job, I have no objections.”

“You’re just a girl; working in the workshop is too tough. There’s a shortage of warehouse managers, so you can manage the warehouse instead.”

That was a tedious and low-paying position, perfect for sidelining her.

Grandpa Jiang was furious. His granddaughter was being relegated to a warehouse position?

Jiang Ci was a high school graduate, which was impressive at a time when many girls only managed to finish middle school. There were hardly any high school graduates, and wages varied significantly by job type.

Being a warehouse manager meant hard work and low pay. Just after retiring, Gu Chengrong had the audacity to treat his granddaughter like this?

“Xiao Ci, let’s go find Director Ge. I’ll have your Uncle Ge arrange a position for you in the office,” Grandpa Jiang said, turning on his heel to leave.

Gu Chengrong felt a bit anxious and hurriedly said, “Old Secretary, you can’t just assign your granddaughter to whichever position you want. The factory has its own difficulties.”

It was clearly a deliberate attempt to make things difficult. Grandpa Jiang, unable to contain his frustration, took Jiang Ci to find Director Ge, who was busy working on technical issues with the workers in the workshop.

“Old Secretary, what brings you here?” Ge Xiang was the factory director whom Grandpa Jiang had personally promoted, treating the old man with great respect.

Grandpa Jiang stood with his hands behind his back and said unhappily, “I want my granddaughter to take my place in the factory, and Director Gu is trying to send her off to be a warehouse manager. After working a lifetime in the factory, am I only worth a warehouse position?”

It was infuriating; if he accepted Gu Chengrong’s arrangement, what would others think of him as a retired old secretary?

The workers nearby felt that Gu Chengrong was being unreasonable. “The warehouse requires moving and unloading goods. Xiao Ci is only seventeen; how can she manage? It’s not appropriate to make a young girl a warehouse manager.”

In truth, Jiang Ci already had a position in mind, and being assigned to the office would be more convenient for her.

“Uncle Ge, I heard there’s still a vacancy for an administrator in the data room. I could work there,” she suggested.

She took her diploma out of her bag to show everyone. “I graduated from high school, and I’ve been learning about data and mechanical drawings with my grandfather since I was young. If you need any information, I can find it quickly for you.”

In reality, the position in the data room wasn’t great, but Jiang Ci needed it. The incident that Gu Qingchuan had regretted for a lifetime was still shrouded in mystery, and Jiang Ci realized that she could only uncover the truth by investigating the machinery factory’s data room.

Qinchuan Machinery Factory was a heavy industry enterprise, and much of its technical data was confidential; outsiders were strictly prohibited from entering the data room.

Some factory employees could access it, but the data room was as large as half a city library, and finding specific information could take months.

She couldn’t just make excuses to enter the data room daily; that would only raise suspicions.

If she could work as an administrator there, she could use the excuse of organizing files to dig up the truth she sought.

Ge Xiang thought the girl was quite sensible; this way, she wouldn’t put her grandfather in a difficult position, preventing Gu Chengrong from spreading rumors about the old secretary using his influence to secure a good job for his granddaughter.

He said, “You’re a high school graduate, so ideally, you’d be well-suited for a position in the office, public relations, or finance, but since Director Gu disagrees, let’s start in the data room. If you perform well, I’ll arrange for you to transfer to the factory office.”

“Sounds good!” Jiang Ci was pleased. “Thank you, Uncle Ge. I’ll head to the human resources department to complete my onboarding.”

Gu Chengrong felt a jolt of alarm. Why did it have to be the data room? That matter…

“It’s not appropriate for the data room. She’s just a little girl who doesn’t understand anything. What if she messes up the files? It would be a problem if we can’t find them when we need them.”

Jiang Ci thought to herself that Gu Qingchuan had been brooding over this matter for a lifetime, and it might really have something to do with Gu Chengrong. Otherwise, why would he stop her from entering the data room?

Before her rebirth, Grandpa Jiang had pampered her and had grown up braver than most girls. She used to love chasing after Gu Qingchuan, and Gu Chengrong surely noticed her feelings for him.

Was that why he didn’t dare to let her enter the data room?

She was determined to go!

“The data room doesn’t only have me. I will learn how to manage the files properly.”

Grandpa Jiang had originally been quite dissatisfied with the data room work. Yet, Gu Chengrong still refused, and the old man was so infuriated that he swung his sleeves dismissively. “Can’t my granddaughter handle being a data administrator? I guarantee she can do it better than anyone else. Xiao Ci, let’s go get you hired.”

Gu Chengrong thought for a moment and didn’t stop her again. The little girl couldn’t possibly know what had happened that year; perhaps he had been overthinking it.

“Mom, that little girl from the Jiang family has joined the machinery factory and even went to the data room. I’m afraid the issues from back then will be uncovered, and that would be a real problem.”

Gu Chengrong still felt a bit uneasy. He rushed home to tell his mother, Dong Huahua, about Jiang Ci’s employment. The “second son of the Gu family” he mentioned was Gu Qingchuan’s father, Gu Zhengchu.

“Back then, the second son was the director of the machinery factory. I tampered with the batch of machinery blueprints he personally designed. a thorough investigationThere was supposed to be conducted when the production accident occurred. If you hadn’t reported that his family had landlord ties and taken people to raid their homes, I would have certainly been found out. At that time, it would have been the end for me.”

Gu Chengrong felt a lingering fear. “I have been worried about this matter for years. What should we do, Mom?”

Gu Zhengchu insisted that there was nothing wrong with the blueprints he had designed and demanded the original first-edition blueprints for verification. Gu Chengrong was so frightened that he immediately went home to discuss it with Dong Huahua.

Coincidentally, that year marked the beginning of a tumultuous period. Dong Huahua quickly went to the committee to report that Miao Xiulan was the daughter of a landlord family, and Gu Zhengchu was a “wolf cub” from a landlord household who had intentionally designed faulty machinery blueprints, causing significant losses to the machinery factory and the Gu family.

That year, Gu Qingchuan was ten years old. A few days after Gu Zhengchu’s home was raided, he was sentenced to death and executed immediately.

After Gu Zhengchu’s death, no one wanted to investigate the accident from that year. They had already made up their minds that the landlord’s “wolf cub” had deliberately destroyed the Gu family’s property.

He deserved to die.

Dong Huahua looked at her son, who was so frightened that he was at a loss and hated his lack of ambition. “You’re too timid. The blueprints from ten years ago might have already been eaten by rats. Besides, can’t you deny that you altered them even if they find them? It’s not a big deal.”

The old woman spoke as if it were nothing. “By the way, are the few people who knew about it still keeping quiet?”

“I’ve assigned them to the boiler room. If they dare to say anything, I’ll fire them. Right now, they are all behaving themselves,” Gu Chengrong replied.

“Then that’s good enough,” Dong Huahua said. “No one will speak up for a dead man, especially if it means risking their jobs. They’re all waiting for that little salary each month to support their families. Don’t frighten yourself unnecessarily.”

After hearing his mother’s words, Gu Chengrong felt a little reassured. “Mom, should I look for an opportunity to get that little girl fired? She’s getting too close to that Gu Qingchuan kid, and seeing her at the factory bothers me.”

He always felt uneasy, thinking that there was a fire in her eyes when she looked at him, making his spine chill as if she knew something.

In short, it made him uncomfortable.

“You’re just too timid,” Dong Huahua said, pointing eastward. Next door was the large house of Gu Qingchuan’s family, and next door was the ancestral home of the Jiang family.

Jiang Ci had moved over and became neighbors with Gu Qingchuan.

“Jiang Guozhu brought a woman back; everyone in the neighborhood knows that. Grandpa Jiang has divided the family property, and that little courtyard was given to Jiang Ci.”

“Director Ge is about to run into trouble, isn’t he? You should find a way to replace him. As for Jiang Ci…”

Dong Huahua gave a cold smile, advising her eldest son not to worry about a little girl’s affairs.

“That little girl has always been up to no good. I’ve heard she used to run into the mountains to gather wild goods and sell them illegally. I’ll have your wife keep a close eye on her. If she gets the chance, she should report her. Focus on your work at the factory; this time, don’t let anyone take the position of factory director from you.”

“Mom, I understand,” Gu Chengrong replied. “This time, I will definitely become the factory director.”

When the former factory director, Gu Qingchuan’s father, Gu Zhengchu, died ten years ago, the position should have belonged to him.

But at that time, Grandpa Jiang, who was the Party Secretary of the machinery factory, promoted his most favored disciple, Ge Xiang, to become the factory director, leaving him with no choice but to settle for the position of deputy director.

The power disparity between the director and the deputy was immense; this time, he was determined to take the role of factory director.

—o—o—o—

Jiang Ci completed her employment procedures at the machinery factory. Grandpa Jiang handed her the key to the small courtyard.

“The courtyard is yours from now on. I usually grow flowers, plants, and vegetables over in that yard. It’s well-kept and tidy. You can buy some new bedding this afternoon, and then you’llyou can move in.”

Holding the key, Jiang Ci immediately thought about being neighbors with Gu Qingchuan and felt an urge to go take a look. “Grandpa, I’ll go over right now. You can head back home; I won’t be coming back for lunch.”

When she left that morning, Jiang Ci had packed her grain coupons and money in her canvas bag. She ran to the state-run restaurant, bought a few hot dishes, and headed straight for the house at Qu Shui Bridge.

The area near Qu Shui Bridge was vast and sparsely populated, with no tall buildings, just the kind of courtyard houses from before the liberation.

The old house had three tiled rooms: two bedrooms on the east and west sides and a living room in the middle. A small room on the east side also served as the kitchen.

Although the rooms were few, the courtyard was particularly large, with at least fifty square meters in the backyard. Grandpa Jiang used to grow vegetables there, so the family didn’t have to buy any.

However, the old man’s energy had declined in recent years, and the backyard had become overgrown. Only the front yard had some flowers, plants, and fruits.

It didn’t matter; it was autumn now, and she could still plant some vegetables for the fall and winter seasons. The backyard could be converted into a small greenhouse, and she could raise some chickens and ducks.

For the past ten years, Gu Qingchuan had lived a difficult life; his entire family had almost been worn down over this period.

She needed to find a way to be self-sufficient and nourish Gu Qingchuan’s body before this turmoil came to an end.

The height of the courtyard wall was less than two meters. Jiang Ci moved a chair to the corner, stood on it, and leaned over the roof tiles.

A frail little girl was squatting on the ground in the neighboring yard, pulling out the weeds growing in the brick crevices.

Jiang Ci felt a pang in her heart. This was Gu Qingchuan’s little sister, Gu Tingxiang. At ten years old, she was so malnourished that she looked only six or seven.

“Tingxiang,” Jiang Ci called out, smiling and waving at her from the wall, “come here.”

“Xiao Ci Jie!” Xiao Tingxiang ran excitedly to the base of the wall. “You haven’t been here for a long time!”

A year ago, her brother had said something to Xiao Ci Jie that made her cry and run away, and she hadn’t come back since.

Without Xiao Ci Jie’s visits, no one had sent food over the wall to their family, so seeing Jiang Ci again filled her with joy.

“From now on, I’ll live here. Are you happy?”

Xiao Tingxiang’s eyes widened in disbelief. Really? Was Xiao Ci Jie going to live here? That was wonderful.

“Happy!”

“Why aren’t you in school?” Jiang Ci asked. “Is your brother at home?”

“My brother went out,” Xiao Tingxiang replied. “Grandma is sick, and my brother asked me to stay home and take care of her.”

Qin Province was the provincial capital, and there was no land for farming in the urban area. Everything needed for a living—food, clothing, and other necessities—had to be purchased with ration tickets.

The Gu family had no one with a job, leaving them without money or tickets, making their lives incredibly difficult.

In her previous life, the men in the family would hunt for wild chickens and rabbits in the mountains, go deep into the uninhabited woods to gather wild goods, and secretly trade them for grain in the black market, barely managing to keep the family fed.

From the room across in the east wing came the sound of an elderly cough; it was Gu Qingchuan’s grandmother.

Jiang Ci felt a wave of concern. The year Gu Qingchuan was in prison, Grandma had passed away before he could be released. Later, someone told Gu Qingchuan that Grandma hadn’t died from illness; she had starved to death…

After Gu Qingchuan was imprisoned, his aunt sent the ten-year-old Tingxiang to be adopted by a childless family.

No one in Dong Huahua’s family cared for the bedridden Grandma. Before she could die from her illness, she had starved to death in bed.

Later, after Gu Qingchuan was released from prison, he did not spare those people…

Grandma’s death remained an indelible pain in Gu Qingchuan’s heart.

Jiang Ci thought of her spiritual spring; she hadn’t used today’s drop yet.

“Tingxiang, wait here for me. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay.” Xiao Tingxiang obediently waited in the corner by the wall. Her brother said he would return by noon, and if he saw Sister Ci, he would surely be overjoyed.

Xiao Tingxiang hoped her brother wouldn’t be foolish enough to make Xiao Ci Jie cry again.