Chapter 21: Work

Who knows what Ji Yan and Ji Duo talked about, but Ji Duo quickly returned, giving Lin Qiao a meaningful look. Lin Qiao hadn’t figured out the meaning of that look when Ji Yan returned, looking embarrassed and giving her a glance. If Lin Qiao still couldn’t tell that their conversation was about her, she’d be a fool. But she was fine, so what was there to talk about? And with such a secretive attitude…

Lin Qiao recalled everything that had happened in the past two days. Besides confronting Ye Minshu, she hadn’t done anything.

Ji Yan was straightforward and generous and didn’t get along well with Ye Minshu. It was unlikely she would specifically talk to Ji Duo about this, and she wasn’t afraid of Ji Duo knowing.

Since there was nothing to worry about, Lin Qiao continued talking with Xu Li.

Ji Duo only had three days of wedding leave. After sending Ji Yan off today, they would also be heading back. Xu Li was busy helping them pack, “Take these wedding candies and share them with the neighbors. Also, here’s a receipt for the photos taken on the wedding day. Xiao Ze has already sent them to the photo studio for development. They should be ready in about half a month.”

Xiao Ze had many friends. When Ji Duo and Lin Qiao married the other day, he borrowed a color camera for the occasion. Although he returned to the army after the wedding, he sent the film to the photo studio. They just didn’t know how the photos turned out, as cameras in this era didn’t have a preview function.

Elderly people always liked to be meticulous. Fearing she might forget something, Xu Li asked the old man, “Did we miss anything?”

“How would I know?” The old man was clearly impatient with these details. Seeing Xu Li ask, he simply got up and went to the study. He had the traditional mindset of men handling external affairs and women handling internal affairs, so he didn’t pay attention to these trivial matters. Xu Li was long used to it.

However, Ji Duo said, “No need to bring so much. We’ll be back on the weekend.”

She immediately forgot what the old man might have missed and smiled brightly, “That’s good. I’ll ask Aunt Zhang to make something delicious for you.”

It seemed that as people got older, they enjoyed lively company more. Even a simple sentence could make them happy. So, when Ji Duo and Lin Qiao went to send Ji Yan off, the old couple also came out to see them off. Xu Li stood at the door, watching the car drive away before going back inside.

“Mom hopes you come home more often,” Lin Qiao said to Ji Duo.

Thanks to good rest, the young girl’s bright eyes and rosy complexion showed she had no idea how much she was troubling others.

Ji Duo’s gaze lingered on her face for a moment, and he replied in a deep voice, “Hmm.”

Why did he seem so strange? He seemed to be talking even less than usual.

Lin Qiao looked at him but couldn’t read anything from his usually expressionless face. Deciding not to dwell on it, she turned to talk to Ji Yan in the front seat.

Sure enough, the man remained silent throughout the journey. When they reached the security checkpoint, he placed Ji Yan’s suitcase beside her and was about to leave without a word.

“I just asked a question. If it’s true, it’s true. If not, it’s not. Do you have to be like this?” Ji Yan was speechless. Seeing Ji Duo glance at her indifferently, she quickly changed the subject and held Lin Qiao’s hand, “I’m leaving now. I’ll send you some good things when I get back. They’ll definitely be useful to you. Remember to keep an eye out for the package.”

This was the second time she had said this, and Lin Qiao smiled and replied, “Safe travels.”

After sending Ji Yan off, the two headed straight to the army base. This wasn’t the first time Xiao Fang had driven Lin Qiao. Almost every time he drove her, Lin Qiao’s status changed. At first, she was a bold stranger who stopped Captain Ji, then she became a junior with some connections to the Ji family, and now she was directly Captain Ji’s wife—a triple jump in status. Fortunately, Xiao Fang was reliable and not one to change his attitude based on someone’s status. Otherwise, he wouldn’t know how to handle his job.

When they arrived at their new home, a car was also parked in front of Commander Liang’s house next door. A sturdy woman in her fifties was taking bags out of the car. Before the driver could help, she had already swung the large bag onto her shoulder and went inside.

“Sister-in-law,” Ji Duo greeted her.

“Xiao Ji,” the woman clearly liked him, smiling with her eyes squinting. Seeing Lin Qiao get out of his car, she paused, “And this is?”

“My wife,” Ji Duo pointed to the courtyard gate, “We just moved in.”

The woman’s smile faded a bit as she carefully looked Lin Qiao up and down, “I’ve only been away for half a month, and you’re already married?” Her attitude wasn’t as warm as it was towards Ji Duo, but it wasn’t hostile like Ye Minshu’s either. Lin Qiao knew she couldn’t please everyone, so she smiled generously and called her “Sister-in-law.”

The woman didn’t ignore her, “I live next door. If you need anything, come find me.”

“This is Commander Liang’s wife. You can call her Sister-in-law or Sister Liu,” Ji Duo explained to Lin Qiao in a low voice after the woman went inside.

Lin Qiao nodded and handed a red envelope to the driver, Xiao Fang. “This is for you.”

Xiao Fang didn’t expect to receive a red envelope and quickly tried to decline.

Lin Qiao placed it on the front passenger seat. “It’s not much, just a little something to share the joy.” She smiled and closed the car door.

In fact, these red envelopes were usually given to unmarried juniors. The amount inside wasn’t large, but the gesture itself was meaningful.

Xiao Fang didn’t refuse again. He got out of the car and helped Ji Duo and Lin Qiao carry their bags inside before driving away.

The house had been tidied up before the wedding, so a simple cleaning was all it needed to be ready for them to move in. Lin Qiao put the clothes they brought into the wardrobe and placed her old school bag on the desk. During the wedding preparations, Xu Li had also bought her a new bag, which was quite ordinary but looked better than the yellow canvas school bag. However, Lin Qiao was used to keeping some old items from home and the books she needed to read in that school bag.

Seeing this, Ji Duo suddenly asked, “If you were to go to school, what could you teach?”

Previously, Lin Qiao had been looking for a job, and the one she wanted most was a substitute teacher. The work wasn’t heavy, and she could use her free time to read and prepare for next year’s college entrance exam. This year’s exam was only two months away, and starting from scratch, her chances of passing were slim. However, she had a low level of education and no local household registration. She couldn’t even get a job, let alone enter a school. In the early 1980s, China had just begun its reform and opening up, and it was still a time when food and clothing required ration coupons. Without household registration, she couldn’t even buy food. Now that she was married, her household registration was settled, and she could look for a job. Ji Duo’s question indicated he had something in mind.

Lin Qiao remembered that military spouses could be arranged jobs, usually in positions corresponding to their previous work. Rural women without jobs could be placed in canteens, shops, or other logistical positions. She was better off than others because she had at least a high school education and could teach at a school. But if she were to be arranged a job in the military, did that mean Ji Duo wasn’t planning to leave the army anytime soon?

Lin Qiao thought seriously and replied, “I can teach middle school math, English, chemistry, and high school chemistry.”

Elementary school wasn’t necessary, as young children were hard to manage. Besides, she was preparing for the college entrance exam and couldn’t leave the children with a new teacher after just a year.

Hearing that she could teach middle school subjects and high school chemistry, Ji Duo looked at her, “Are you good at chemistry?”

Lin Qiao didn’t deny it, “Chemistry is my favorite subject.” She had studied chemistry in college and graduate school. While she would need to review other high school courses, she had never stopped studying chemistry.

Ji Duo nodded and said nothing more, “I’m going to buy groceries.”

“Wait, groceries?” Lin Qiao called after him, suddenly thinking of an important question, “Can you cook?”

Ji Duo almost immediately grasped the key point, “You can’t.”

“Not exactly can’t,” Lin Qiao said, “At least I can make something edible and not poisonous.”

But she couldn’t guarantee it would taste good. After all, she had always lived in dormitories, with school canteens and restaurants nearby. If she didn’t want to cook, there was always takeout. Dormitories also restricted the use of large appliances, so she hadn’t mastered this essential skill before transmigrating.

The original Lin Qiao could cook, but she inherited the original’s memories, not her skills.

In the 21st century, some old-fashioned people still believed that no matter how successful a woman was in her career, if she didn’t take good care of her husband and children, she wasn’t fulfilling her duties. How much more so now?

Seeing Ji Duo looking at her without speaking, Lin Qiao looked back, her eyes innocent, “How about I give it a try?”

Anyway, whether this man was old-fashioned or not, their cooperation was already established, and it was too late for him to regret it.

In the end, Ji Duo looked away first, “It’s okay, there’s a canteen.”

So they took their ration coupons and headed to the canteen instead of the market.

Lin Qiao had never been there before, but from the dishes Ji Duo brought back, she could tell the military canteen’s food was much better than local fare. When they arrived, she found the supply was even better than she had imagined. There was not only fish and meat but also large fried prawns.

Lin Qiao immediately got herself a portion and placed it between them, but the man only ate other dishes and didn’t touch it at all.

Thinking back to when they had stir-fried shrimp at the Ji family, he didn’t touch it either. Lin Qiao curiously asked, “You don’t like shrimp?”

Ji Duo didn’t say anything, but his instinctive frown revealed his dislike for such seafood. So why should Lin Qiao be polite? She pulled it over and ate it herself, saving the trouble of anyone competing with her.

When they returned, they ran into Commander Liang’s wife at the door. She was holding a paper package and, seeing Ji Duo, immediately handed it to him. “I was wondering where you went, and here you are. This is a wedding cake I brought back from our eldest’s place. They like to give these for weddings and births. Try it.”

Ji Duo instinctively said, “Thank you,” but she waved her hand and turned back to her house.

Seeing Commander Liang, she couldn’t help but shake her head, “Xiao Ji is such a good young man, capable and handsome. How did he find such a partner?”

“What’s wrong with his partner? Isn’t she good?”

Lin Qiao had met Commander Liang before. She looked well-matched with Xiao Ji and was straightforward in her dealings. Unlike some young wives who were shy and spoke like mosquitoes, making it hard to hear.

His wife, however, had a different opinion, “What’s good about her? She didn’t even cook lunch; they went out to eat. When I saw her this morning, I thought she was too pretty. Sure enough, she’s not someone who can live a good life.”

“How is Xiao Lin not living a good life? Don’t be biased against his wife just because you introduced someone to Xiao Ji.”

“Then why doesn’t she cook?” His wife insisted on her point, “Besides, the ones I introduced to Xiao Ji were all better than that Xiao Lin.”

“Are those wives you introduced to him? They all look like old mothers.”

“I’m older than you, too, so are you saying I’m old?” Commander Liang’s wife retorted, “A man needs a capable wife who can manage the household. What’s the use of being young and pretty? You can’t eat looks.”

Looks can’t be eaten, but they are pleasing to the eye. Of course, Commander Liang didn’t dare say that. If he did, his wife would never let it go.

Commander Liang’s wife was arranged by his family. She was three years older than him and excellent at managing the household. The only problem was that she wasn’t very educated and had old-fashioned views, disapproving of young people who didn’t live properly.

He quickly changed the subject, “You should stop worrying about others and focus on Junzi’s studies. He has the college entrance exam next year. It’s not like my time; without a military academy education, it’s hard to get promoted, let alone advance further.”

His wife sighed, “I want to help, but I don’t know how. I wasn’t allowed to study back then…”

This wasn’t a good topic either. Afraid she would start nagging, Commander Liang pointed to the wedding cake on the table, “This is quite tasty.”

Finally, something she was good at. The woman perked up, “It is, isn’t it? I found out it’s made with flour, eggs, and a bit of sugar, then fried on both sides. It’s very simple. I’ll make it for you later…”

Ji Duo moved quickly. Within a few days, Lin Qiao received a notice to report to the military district’s dependent middle school.

The school was close to home, about a ten-minute walk. Like all middle schools of this era, it included both junior and senior high schools.

Lin Qiao was to report to Vice Principal Qi, who was in charge of personnel. She knocked on the office door for a while, but no one answered.

Eventually, someone from the adjacent office came out and said, “You’re looking for Old Qi? He’s gone to hand out physics assignments. He’ll be back soon.”

Handing out physics assignments? It seemed he was still teaching physics to some grade.

Lin Qiao thanked the person and waited another five or six minutes before Vice Principal Qi returned. He was a refined, thin middle-aged man with glasses. His shirt was a bit faded from washing, but his slender back was straight, giving him the air of an old scholar.

Seeing Lin Qiao, he gently asked her a few questions about her background: how old she was this year, which middle school she graduated from, and in which year she graduated. This was clearly not just small talk but an attempt to gauge Lin Qiao’s specific level.

Upon hearing that Lin Qiao had only graduated from a township middle school, he paused but remained gentle in tone, “Do you know your school’s college entrance exam results?”

Because the original Lin Qiao’s school had finally produced some college students that year, Lin Qiao did know, “Last year, a total of seventeen students took the exam, three got into college, and fourteen into technical schools.”

In those days, there were no junior colleges, only colleges and technical schools. These three college students had repeated their studies for two years, essentially redoing high school, and there were no fresh graduates. After all, the college entrance exam had been suspended for ten years, and people had long believed that studying was useless. When it suddenly resumed in 1977, most people hadn’t studied properly.

Vice Principal Qi nodded and didn’t continue, “You came at an inconvenient time. This school year will end in two months. How about this: I’ll find someone for you to follow in junior high for a few months, and we’ll arrange for you to take a class when the new school year starts.”

Lin Qiao naturally had no objections and followed him to the junior high small subjects office. The school’s teaching buildings were clearly newly built in recent years, with one grade per floor. Compared to the main subjects office, the small subjects office was larger and had more people.

Vice Principal Qi stopped a female teacher who was about to leave, “Xiao Yang, I’m assigning a new person to you.”

The female teacher, in her forties, carrying a lesson plan, walked briskly. Upon hearing this, she immediately pushed back, “I don’t have time to mentor anyone. I have to teach three classes and prepare exams for the entire grade. Let Xiao Zheng take her; she has time.”

Another female teacher, who was doing her nails nearby, immediately looked over, showing some displeasure.

Teacher Yang didn’t mind and, after her rapid-fire response, was about to leave. Vice Principal Qi quickly stopped her again, “It’s because you’re busy that I’m assigning her to you. Let her help you grade assignments and assist you. She can take her time with teaching.”

Hearing that she didn’t have to mentor someone immediately, Teacher Yang’s expression finally softened, and she didn’t insist on refusing. She turned around, took a book and a stack of assignments, and handed them to Lin Qiao, “See if you can grade these. I have a class now, so I’ll be off.”

“Teacher Yang is just a bit impatient, but she teaches very well. You’ll see,” Vice Principal Qi explained, probably to prevent Lin Qiao from overthinking.

Just as he was about to say more, someone hurriedly came over, “Can you contact a car? Old Jiao just fell down the stairs, and his leg is deformed. He needs to be taken to the hospital immediately.”

Hearing this, Vice Principal Qi couldn’t attend to Lin Qiao anymore and quickly left, “Where is he now?”

“At the bottom of the high school teaching building stairs. We haven’t dared to move him…”

As they talked, they walked away. Some people followed, while others looked out the window to see what was happening. “How did Old Jiao fall?”

“Probably wasn’t paying attention while going downstairs. The stairs on the high school side are a bit steep.”

Amidst the discussions, Lin Qiao politely asked where she could find a chair and moved one to sit by Teacher Yang’s desk. Being new, she didn’t have a place in the office yet. She would have to wait for Vice Principal Qi or Teacher Yang to finish their tasks and see where they could set up a desk for her.

Opposite her was the female teacher named Zheng, who had been doing her nails earlier. Seeing Lin Qiao, she smiled, “Teacher Yang is something, isn’t she? She asked you to grade assignments but didn’t give you the answers. She makes up her own questions, and they’re not in the book. You’d better wait for her to come back.”

Lin Qiao didn’t sense much goodwill from her words and smiled, “It’s okay, I’ll take a look first.”

Teacher Yang hadn’t done it on purpose. She had already reached the classroom door when she remembered. The class bell had already rung, so she didn’t go back. She waited until the class was over to return to the office.

Unexpectedly, the stack of assignments was still neatly placed on the desk. Lin Qiao was holding a junior high school chemistry book, flipping through it quickly, though it was unclear if she was actually reading it.

Even though Teacher Yang didn’t have high expectations for her, seeing her attitude made her somewhat displeased, though she didn’t show it. “I forgot to give you the answers earlier. If you can’t grade them all, give me half. I don’t have a class this period.” As soon as she opened the first assignment, she was taken aback.

Lin Qiao looked up from the book, “You came back just in time. Please check if I made any mistakes.”

Teacher Yang glanced at her, said nothing, and continued looking at the assignments in her hand. Not only were there no mistakes in the grading, but Lin Qiao had also carefully marked the students’ errors. The next assignment was the same.

Teacher Yang’s expression softened, “Were you a good student?”

“I like chemistry,” Lin Qiao smiled, handing Teacher Yang the top few assignments. These have the most typical mistakes.” She pulled out a few more, “These have particularly clear thought processes.”

She had even categorized them. Teachers grade assignments not just for the students but also for themselves. They need to identify which students are struggling and need guidance, and which knowledge points are prone to errors and need reinforcement. This is all reflected in the assignments and exams.

Lin Qiao wasn’t just a good student; she was meticulous, making her a promising candidate for teaching.

Teacher Yang, an experienced teacher who appreciated talent, looked at Lin Qiao more warmly, “Then you can grade these two classes as well. I’ll prepare some exam papers for the students. I’ve been too busy to find the time.”

By the time she had finished preparing most of the exam papers, it was already lunchtime, and only a few people were left in the office.

Teacher Yang got up and stretched her neck, noticing that Lin Qiao had already finished grading the assignments and had even categorized them with paper slips. She picked them up and flipped through them, getting a general understanding of the students’ situations, and couldn’t help but laugh, “I thought you’d be a burden, but you’re quite capable.”

“Of course, just look at whose daughter-in-law she is,” said Teacher Zheng, who was about to leave, with a smile.

This comment sounded odd, and Teacher Yang didn’t respond, but another person in the office was curious, “Whose daughter-in-law? I haven’t heard of anyone’s son getting married recently.”

“Who in our school would be good enough? Her husband is someone important, our military district’s Captain Ji.”

Who didn’t know Captain Ji? The youngest captain in the military district.

The key point was that he was not only competent but also came from an extraordinary family. Early on, when he was still at the lower levels, people didn’t know, but as he rose to the rank of captain, it gradually became known that he was the son of Ji Chunming. Many people wanted to introduce their daughters to him, but he didn’t consider any of them. Recently, it was heard that he suddenly got married, and it turned out he married Lin Qiao.

Teacher Yang was also surprised, “She’s Teacher Xu’s daughter-in-law?”

Xu Li was quite famous back then, not only because of her strong background but also because she taught very well. Teacher Yang had attended her public lectures and benefited greatly.

If she was Teacher Xu’s daughter-in-law, it was normal for her to be outstanding in this area. She glanced at Teacher Zheng, who didn’t look too pleased, “You found out all this in just one morning. You’re quite efficient. Have you finished grading the assignments for classes seven and eight?”

In the afternoon, when Lin Qiao returned, many people in the office had changed their attitude towards her. Some, like Teacher Yang, remained the same. She figured some people had learned something, but she didn’t show it.

After dinner and watching the news, Lin Qiao and Ji Duo sat at the desk as usual. Lin Qiao reviewed her studies, while Ji Duo read books she hadn’t seen before.

These were clearly not available outside. When he noticed her glancing at the book covers, Ji Duo said, “You can read them, just don’t take them out.” She hadn’t been curious since.

Seeing Lin Qiao take out a junior high school textbook, Ji Duo glanced at it, “Teaching junior high?”

“Yes, they want me to follow along first, and then I’ll be assigned a class next semester.” Lin Qiao was reading to familiarize herself with the progress of the classes Teacher Yang was teaching.

Ji Duo didn’t ask anything more, his gaze falling on her face, “I have to go away for a few days, there’s a mission.”