Chapter 21: The Person Who Complained

Zong Shao seemed a bit off today, appearing somewhat detached.

This was the shared thought of everyone in the first battalion who saw him today.

Coincidentally, Zhou Jianhai had something to discuss with him and intentionally sat opposite him during lunch to ask.

Zong Shao raised his eyebrows slightly after hearing this. His expression remained neutral, and his tone still sounded calm as he asked, “How am I detached?”

Zhou Jianhai didn’t directly answer where he thought Zong Shao was detached. Instead, he said, “You’re in a good mood today. You clearly seem happy, but something’s off. Haven’t you been reunited with your wife and children already? You’ve been on the road for a while, but you’re only this happy now. Isn’t it a bit late?”

Zong Shao, who didn’t usually brag about his family matters, avoided answering directly and shifted the topic, saying, “I see you’re in a good mood today as well.”

Though Zhou Jianhai was about five or six years older than Zong Shao, he wasn’t as reserved. He was more open with his emotions. He wasn’t trying to hide anything and replied cheerfully, “Yeah, it’s because your sister-in-law got a job.”

Zong Shao paused for a moment: “That’s great.”

“It is, but we’re a bit troubled. Xiao Shitou is only three years old and not yet of school age. She has to work now, but what will happen to Xiao Shitou? We can’t just take him to the office every day. So, we’re thinking of hiring someone to help take care of him. They won’t need to cook breakfast or dinner; Xiao Shitou can have his meals during her break. The only thing we need is someone to watch him in the mornings and afternoons, making sure he doesn’t play with water or anything.”

Zhou Jianhai paused for a moment, then added a bit sheepishly, “The problem is that your sister-in-law is a quiet person and doesn’t interact much with other military wives. She doesn’t know who she can trust to leave the child with. Last night she brought it up, and I thought of your wife, Xiangyun. She’s kind and gets along well with Xiao Shitou. Plus, Ruier and Xiao Shitou are about the same age and can play together. So, I wanted to ask if your sister-in-law has any work plans. If she doesn’t, could she possibly help? Your expression is…”

Zong Shao snapped out of his thoughts and waved his hand, saying, “No, I was just thinking of something else. By the way, where’s your sister-in-law working?”

“At the hospital pharmacy. I heard that the person who was working there had to go back to their hometown with their husband after he retired, and the pharmacy is in desperate need of staff. The military family placement office recommended her…”

Zhou Jianhai suddenly stopped, gesturing with his hand, “Wait, your look seems off. What’s really going on?”

“There was something that happened,” Zong Shao briefly explained that Director Chen had asked Lin Wei to take over Hu’s position, but because someone had reported it to the military family placement office, the job had fallen through.

Zhou Jianhai furrowed his brows, realizing there was more to it. “So, the military family placement office was offering such a good job to your wife because of this situation.”

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Jianhai said, “I’ll ask Xiangyun about this when I get home tonight. But I can guarantee you, Zong, your sister-in-law is definitely not the one who reported it.” He lowered his voice and leaned closer to Zong Shao. “You know her background, and I’ve already offended Director Luo of the military family placement office. Even if she did report it, she probably wouldn’t get the job, and it might end up bringing her bad luck. Don’t you think?”

In this era, one’s background determined their social status.

For someone from a worker or peasant family, complaining about a problem and getting it right was seen as a sign of moral integrity—someone who couldn’t tolerate injustice. If they got it wrong, it wasn’t a serious issue, just a matter of writing an apology or being criticized.

But for someone with a “bad” background, even if they reported something correctly, they would be seen as calculating and scheming. If they got it wrong, the punishment could be severe.

Therefore, as a military wife, Deng Xiangyun had to be more cautious in daily life than others.

Zong Shao said, “I never doubted your sister-in-law.” This was genuine, and Zhou Jianhai knew it. He also understood that Zong Shao was thinking that if he had once believed the work fell through because the family placement office thought the process was improper, he now had to wonder if Lin Wei had been targeted.

And the reason she was targeted was obvious—it was because of his own involvement.

Moreover, who was the person behind the complaint?

…

Lin Wei had already figured out who had reported her.

Because when she went to the military family placement office two days ago to process the household registration, Liu Dan had told her that the paperwork would be processed in two to three days. So, after breakfast, Lin Wei took the two kids to the military family placement office again.

Things went smoothly. Her and the kids’ household registrations were processed, and all their information was in the same booklet.

Lin Wei flipped through the household register and smiled unconsciously. Finally, the seafood feast for the evening was secured.

But Shen Qing, who was sitting next to her, seemed puzzled. Did she not know about the job change? Why did she look so calm? After thinking for a moment, Shen Qing couldn’t help but ask, “Did you hear about the job situation?”

When she asked, Shen Qing was a little anxious, afraid that Lin Wei was pretending not to care and might be hurt by it.

But Lin Wei calmly nodded and said, “I know.”

Her calmness made Shen Qing even more puzzled: “Aren’t you upset about it?”

Lin Wei thought for a moment and replied, “Not completely indifferent, but it’s not that bad either. I just follow what the organization arranges.”

Shen Qing kept watching her face, but she couldn’t detect any sign of forced calm. She had to admit that Lin Wei was indeed open-minded. It was her own thinking that had been overblown.

Shen Qing said, “It’s great that you can think that way. Anyway, you have the qualifications, so you don’t have to worry about finding a good job.”

It’s said that jobs near the base are hard to come by, but this is more about military wives who don’t have high education. Those with higher education are in demand anywhere. Otherwise, Luo Shuzhi wouldn’t have been so passive in picking candidates for the pharmacy position. It was because there were so many military wives without jobs, but none that met the requirements.

Lin Wei now had her household register and would soon register in the next department. If any position requiring higher qualifications opened up in the future, she would be the first choice.

By then, even if Luo Shuzhi wanted to interfere and undermine Lin Wei, it would be impossible to stop her since everything had to follow proper procedures.

However, despite saying that, Shen Qing still felt a little regretful and couldn’t help but mutter, “But you were too careless. You know who Gao Xiulian is. How could you talk to her about this before the job was confirmed?”

Lin Wei’s expression slightly stiffened: “Gao Xiulian? Was she the one who reported it?”

Although it was a question, Lin Wei already had an answer and wasn’t surprised. It was indeed something Gao Xiulian could do.

“You didn’t know it was her?” Shen Qing’s surprise confirmed Lin Wei’s guess.

Lin Wei shook her head. “I didn’t know. I haven’t talked to her about this.”

“You didn’t talk to her? Then how did she know you got the job at the pharmacy?” Liu Dan, who had just returned with documents to sign and stamp, asked.

Lin Wei shook her head. “Besides Zong Shao, I’ve only talked to you about this. At that time, you should have noticed she wasn’t around.”

Liu Dan paused for a moment: “Yeah, I didn’t see anyone else around except you, Zong Shao, and the two kids.”

Shen Qing was puzzled. “When did you talk about this?”

“Just the afternoon before yesterday,” Liu Dan briefly explained that night’s events. She was still confused. “How did Gao Xiulian hear about it?”

Shen Qing, always sharp, soon realized the problem and asked, “So, you were talking about it near Gao Xiulian’s house by the wall?”

Liu Dan nodded. “But we weren’t speaking loudly.”

Shen Qing lowered her voice and said, “You guys aren’t being loud, but the two houses are so close to each other. Haven’t you noticed? The Zhao family’s kitchen window is right next to the wall, and if Gao Xiulian is inside, she can hear every little thing happening in your yard, Lin Wei.”

Liu Dan clicked her tongue in disbelief, “She was eavesdropping?”

“Otherwise?” Shen Qing shrugged, “Look at how Gao Xiulian made a scene yesterday; this definitely didn’t come from next door. If I didn’t say anything and you didn’t say anything, then it can only be that she was eavesdropping.”

“No wonder they say walls have ears, this is really…” Liu Dan was speechless, then turned to Lin Wei with an apologetic expression, “This is all my fault. If I hadn’t brought this up to you, she…”

“Sister Liu, don’t say that. They say distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors, and we both live in the same housing area, with only an alley between our houses. If this hadn’t happened, who would have known she was like this?” Lin Wei was very open-minded and said, “Actually, it’s better this way. If it hadn’t happened, I’d have to deal with her more often in the future. With her character, who knows when she might stab me in the back? Now I don’t have to worry, I just need to be cautious around her.”

Exchanging a job for seeing someone’s true colors, Lin Wei felt it was worth it. But she still asked, “By the way, the person who took over the pharmacy job wasn’t her, right?”

Liu Dan hurriedly said, “No, the pharmacy position finally went to Deng Xiangyun. You know her, right? She lives behind your house. This time, she’s really hit the jackpot.”

Lin Wei didn’t know that Deng Xiangyun’s background wasn’t very good, so she didn’t fully understand Liu Dan’s implication, but she didn’t ask further and just smiled, “I know her. Her Xiao Shitou and my two kids get along pretty well.”

Seeing the smile on Lin Wei’s face, Shen Qing couldn’t help but ask, “You don’t mind that she took your job?”

“What’s there to mind? Do you think I’m such a petty person in your eyes, Sister Shen?” Lin Wei jokingly asked, then added, “Well, thinking carefully, I guess I might not be that broad-minded. For example, thinking about Gao Xiulian, after all her schemes backfired, I feel pretty happy about it.”

At this point, Lin Wei’s expression turned serious: “But Deng Xiangyun is just an innocent bystander who got caught up in this. Since the position was going to be changed, if not her, it would have been someone else. I can still tell the good from the bad.”

If Lin Wei had said that she didn’t blame anyone, Shen Qing might have doubted the truth of her words. But since she directly said that she was happy about Gao Xiulian’s schemes failing, Shen Qing knew that Lin Wei was someone who could get along with others.

Shen Qing smiled and said, “Hearing you say that, I know Gao Xiulian is in big trouble this time.”

When she said that Gao Xiulian was in trouble, it wasn’t about her schemes failing, but about losing a good neighbor. It’s rare to find a neighbor who’s straightforward and decent.

Lin Wei might not seem overly enthusiastic about others, but once you get to know her, you’ll realize she’s a good person. If her neighbor wasn’t Gao Xiulian, after some time, the two families might have become very close. But now, forget about being close; it’s good enough that they’re not enemies.

What a pity.

Liu Dan had always liked Lin Wei, otherwise, she wouldn’t have said those things to her that evening. But who would have thought that good intentions would backfire, and Lin Wei’s job, which was almost a sure thing, got ruined by her words?

If Lin Wei knew the whole story and felt resentful, she might feel wronged. But Lin Wei was so understanding that all Liu Dan felt left was guilt.

After Liu Dan checked the ration books, food stamps, and other documents for Lin Wei, she handed them to her and said, “Please check them over. If everything’s fine, just sign here. Then you can go next door and do a work registration. I’ll keep an eye out for you. If something suitable comes up, I’ll let you know.”

The military family resettlement office was next door, and Liu Dan’s sources were definitely better than Lin Wei’s. Though it might not have much impact on the outcome, the gesture itself was rare.

Lin Wei wasn’t an ungrateful person. She smiled and said, “Thank you.”

But business was business, so after receiving the ration book and stamps, Lin Wei wasn’t shy about checking them right in front of Liu Dan.

The supplies were calculated from the day of household registration, and since half a month was left, her supplies were calculated for that period. For example, the seafood supply was one and a half pounds per person, so for her and her two children, it totaled four and a half pounds. Adding the oysters she bought yesterday, she could buy six and a half pounds of seafood in total.

Of course, she couldn’t buy all of that today, since there was still half a month left. But she could use up half of it, satisfy her cravings, and then save up for the rest of the month.

Having made up her mind, Lin Wei happily wrote her name on the registration form for the ration books and then followed Liu Dan’s instructions to do the work registration next door.

The registration process went smoothly; she just had to fill out a form, and Officer Wu briefly asked her about her job preferences.

Actually, the latter was just a formality. Most military wives in the housing area didn’t take this question seriously because they were afraid that answering in detail might make them seem demanding, so the usual answers were “anything works” or “no preferences.”

But Lin Wei wasn’t like the other military wives. She directly stated that she didn’t want to work night shifts, that she preferred the work to be near the base, and that the hours should be flexible enough so she could take care of her two children.

The way she spoke…

If Officer Wu hadn’t known about the pharmacy position switch and that Luo Shuzhi had a personal agenda, she might have rolled her eyes and snapped back at Lin Wei: “You want all these things and still want to work? Why not stay home and take care of your kids?”

But now, Officer Wu only said, “Why don’t you think about it a little more? The requirements you mentioned might be hard to meet all at once, which could affect your work placement.”

Lin Wei was surprised and asked, “Are these requirements too high? I think there are plenty of units near the base. As for the time, places like the guesthouse, supply store, and military district school all seem to have pretty flexible hours?”

“It’s true that those places have flexible hours, but first of all, they don’t have any vacancies at the moment. Second, there are quite a few military wives ahead of you, so it might be hard to arrange something for you in the short term.”

Since Luo Shuzhi had intervened, Officer Wu felt it was better to clarify things upfront.

She wasn’t intentionally making things difficult for Lin Wei. The military district school didn’t even need to be mentioned; the guesthouse and supply store had low requirements. As long as you could read and do basic math, you didn’t even need to know how to use an abacus. After joining, people would be trained. These positions were coveted because the work was light and the job was presentable. Many people were eyeing them.

Lin Wei was new to the area and had no advantage when it came to competition.

Lin Wei knew this well. She smiled and said, “It’s fine. After all, I just got here. I want to familiarize myself with the surrounding environment. Just don’t forget about me.”

In fact, Lin Wei didn’t care too much about getting a job. In the coming year, she wanted to spend more time with Zong Shao and the twins, Mingming and Ruirui. As for everything else, she would think about it after surviving the disaster next year.

But even if she didn’t care, she still had to make an effort. Otherwise, others would think she was weak.

Officer Wu smiled and said, “Don’t worry, I won’t forget.”

She thought to herself, Luo Director has already remembered you. I can’t forget you even if I try.

However, whether or not Lin Wei got a job wasn’t something Officer Wu could decide alone. It would depend on how Luo Director felt. What she could do was her job well, so she didn’t end up as collateral damage in the middle.

Sigh, it’s not easy being an office worker these days!