Chapter 5 – You’re Not Washing the Dishes?

“Something came up at home, so I had to go out and look for work. Unfortunately, I asked around all day, but nothing really suitable came up.”

“You said you wanted to do business—what kind of business are you planning?”
Gu Qiangwei asked her question as well. Truthfully, she was following the trajectory of her previous life.
But if she didn’t ask, it would seem suspicious.

“Clothing business.”

“Let’s not talk about work today. You seem tired. Let me treat you to a meal. After we eat, go home and rest. We’ll meet again tomorrow.”

Gu Qiangwei nodded. That was her plan too, since it was getting late. After the meal, she still had to go grocery shopping and bring food back for the elderly couple.

The pot at home had been stashed into her space, but the old couple would surely find a way to manage.
Even if they didn’t, there was still an old, broken iron pot and a ceramic jar in the house—they could still be used for cooking.

She wasn’t planning on eating with them anymore anyway, so who cared what they ate?

The two of them chatted and laughed, not about business but more about hobbies and interests.
When the dishes arrived, they kept eating and talking, and the atmosphere was relaxed and pleasant.

Su Qingshuang finally nodded. “It’s been great getting to know you. Let’s talk more tomorrow when we meet again.”

Gu Qiangwei shook hands with her. “Thank you for giving me this opportunity—and for the meal too.”

“Could you give me your address?”

Now that they were planning to work together, Su Qingshuang wanted her address in case she needed to find her later.

Gu Qiangwei thought for a moment, then pulled out a slip of paper and wrote down two addresses. “The top one is where I’m currently staying, but I’ll be moving soon.”

That “moving soon” meant once the news of her husband’s death came, she’d find a way to slip away.
By then, she’d be living at the other address.

“Okay.”

Su Qingshuang didn’t press further. After chatting a little longer, Gu Qiangwei headed home.
On the way, she stopped by the nearby market to buy some vegetables and a small amount of rice and flour.

The elderly couple had gone hungry all morning. By noon, they saw that there was nothing left in the kitchen and had no choice but to endure it.
By afternoon, unable to stand the hunger anymore, they dug out the broken pot and the ceramic jar.

“Why isn’t Qiangwei back yet? She’s not planning to starve us to death, is she?”

“Is she seriously expecting us old folks to go out and look for jobs?”

“We’ve been idle for so long—if we go job hunting now, won’t everyone in the compound laugh at us?”

“That damned thief, seriously! Why did they have to clean us out so thoroughly?!”

The two of them were muttering resentfully when Gu Qiangwei finally opened the door and came in.

“Qiangwei, you’re finally back.” Wang Shufen greeted her with a beaming smile, no longer the complaining tone from earlier. “How did it go today? Did you find a job?”

Wang Shufen didn’t even look at what Gu Qiangwei was carrying. What mattered most now was finding out if Qiangwei had found work.
If she did, and the job paid 30 yuan a month, then the two of them wouldn’t have to go out to work.
Thirty yuan a month was just enough for them to live on.

Once both their sons returned from their missions, each bringing in ten yuan of allowance per month, life at home wouldn’t be so tough.

Gu Qiangwei had lived with Wang Shufen for over twenty years in her past life—how could she not know what her mother-in-law was thinking?
She just wanted to see if there was any benefit to gain.

“No.”

Gu Qiangwei placed the rice and flour on the table. “I borrowed this from the neighbors. They knew everything in our home was stolen and we didn’t have money, so they only lent me this much.”

“As for the vegetables, I bought them. I still had some money in my pocket yesterday that the thief didn’t get.”

As soon as she said that, Wang Shufen’s eyes lit up. “How much is left?”

“Three jiao.”

“I spent one jiao this afternoon on vegetables, so not much left.”
After that, Gu Qiangwei went into the kitchen. She had already eaten, but she still had to pretend.

Seeing that the old couple had brought out the broken pot and jar, Gu Qiangwei smirked coldly.
These two really wouldn’t let themselves starve.

The pot was only cracked on the side. Tilt it a little, and it could still be used to cook.
She poured the rice into the jar to make porridge.
She washed the vegetables and did a basic stir-fry—just with salt, nothing else.

She found a few chipped bowls in the corner, served herself a small portion, quickly finished it, and set the dishes down.

“I didn’t find a job. You two should also start looking as soon as you can.”

Seeing the old couple reluctant to speak, Gu Qiangwei took the initiative.

“How could this happen?”

The elderly couple had been starving all day. Even though there was only salted vegetables for dinner, they still managed to eat quite a bit. The rice porridge was nearly gone.

After eating, they had enough energy to start thinking.

“You’re good-looking and capable. How did you not find a job?”
Wang Shufen frowned. She really didn’t want to go out and find work.

“Yeah, don’t you have a high school diploma?”
Zhao Minghua wiped his mouth. The two of them couldn’t believe it, but Gu Qiangwei simply shook her head.

“There was a job, pretty urgent and needing people. But it only paid 20 yuan a month, and the hours were ten per day.”

Wang Shufen immediately frowned and shook her head. “That won’t do! The pay is too low. You can’t take a job like that!”

“Ask around again tomorrow. When you do, tell people you graduated high school, and also tell them you can handle any hardship.”

Wang Shufen rambled on, while Gu Qiangwei quietly sneered in her heart.

She really knew how to talk.

They didn’t want to work themselves, told her to find work, then complained that the pay was too low.
And on top of that, they wanted her to tell employers she could endure hardship?

She had suffered for twenty years in her past life, worked herself to the bone to provide them a comfortable life—and they still had the nerve to lie to her?

Did their consciences really not bother them?

Gu Qiangwei let out a cold snort.

But then again, why would their consciences bother them?
They were the kind of people who could accept letting their younger son take the place of their dead elder son to survive.
They’d even cover it up for a lifetime.

How could they possibly feel guilty?

As long as their days were going well, as long as the younger son’s life was good—nothing else mattered.

“I’ll ask around again tomorrow.”

Gu Qiangwei didn’t want to argue with the old couple. She just casually replied, then returned to her room.

“You’re not washing the dishes?”