Chapter 7: Work

Gu Xiaobao remained silent for half the day, causing Su Nianmei to feel a bit anxious. Ignoring her appearance, she quickly slipped on her shoes and headed out the door.

As she reached the entrance, a strong scent of perfume rushed toward her, making Su Nianmei’s head ache.

Seeing Gu Xiaobao standing dazed at the door, she hurried over and pulled him inside, only then catching sight of the visitor.

The woman wore a long red dress with a black-and-white fabric bag draped over her arm. She stood on heels that were about four to five centimeters high, clearly new to her, as she wobbled slightly with each step.

Su Nianmei pinched Gu Xiaobao’s chubby little hand, noticing that his palm was still cold. Her heart sank at that moment, and the smile she had been wearing faded slightly as she asked with a half-smile, “May I ask who you are?”

The woman in the long dress noticed Su Nianmei approaching and stepped further inside, reaching out her hand to touch Gu Xiaobao.

Su Nianmei sidestepped, subtly blocking the woman’s hand, yet her smile deepened. “My Xiao Bao is shy and afraid of strangers. If you have something to discuss, please speak to me.”

The woman’s hand had stopped just in front of Su Nianmei, barely a finger’s width away, before she retracted it.

She then pulled a white silk handkerchief from her bag, rubbing it back and forth on her hands, her gaze darting into the room.

After wiping her hands, she pinched the handkerchief between her fingers, frowning with an expression of disdain as she let it drop.

The light silk handkerchief fluttered gently in the breeze, slowly descending.

Two slender, fair fingers caught the falling handkerchief. Su Nianmei lifted her gaze, a half-smile on her face, and raised her arm to hold the handkerchief just a finger’s width away from the woman.

After being reborn and adapting to her new body, her reflexes seemed to be sharper than before.

A gentle breeze brushed by, lifting the stray hairs on Su Nianmei’s cheeks. Gu Xiaobao looked up at his mom and leaned closer to her.

With a smile on her face, Su Nianmei wrapped her arm around Gu Xiaobao’s shoulders and said, “Recently, the wind has been strong. You need to keep an eye on your things, or one day, you might lose something and not be able to find it.”

She thoughtfully tucked the silk handkerchief into the woman’s bag.

The woman glanced at Su Nianmei, her expression unchanged. “Let me introduce myself. I am Gu Xiaobao’s teacher, Shi Hua. Our school is looking to provide some ideological education for the children to instill the spirit of the military. I would like to ask if Captain Gu has time to meet with us.”

Su Nianmei was somewhat aware of the situation; many families in the Western Military District had relocated, and to provide better education for the children of soldiers, a school had been built near the military base. Gu Xichao’s circumstances were special, and he was often on missions, so Gu Xiaobao had been sent to school early due to the lack of someone to care for him.

Footsteps echoed down the hallway, and Ma Fang came up carrying a basket of vegetables. She happened to hear Shi Hua’s words and looked puzzled. “Little sister, didn’t Captain Gu go on a mission? My husband left last night in the middle of the night; the horn in the yard blew for quite a while.”

Seeing Ma Fang, Su Nianmei joined in the conversation, “Yes, he left last night. I was scared to death being all alone in the dark.” As she spoke, she patted her chest twice. Her expression changed, revealing a hint of fear.

Gu Xiaobao quietly raised his hand to pat her back, offering comfort.

Shi Hua’s expression shifted rapidly, like a spilled palette of colors. She crossed her legs and started to leave, her high heels clacking loudly against the floor. She nearly lost her balance as she passed through the doorway, her whole body tipping forward as if she might fall out.

Ma Fang quickly reached out to steady Shi Hua, who wobbled like a gourd as she descended the stairs.

Watching Shi Hua’s figure fade away, Ma Fang spat in the hallway and grabbed Su Nianmei’s hand, smiling as she pulled her into the room. She casually placed the vegetable basket on the table and led Su Nianmei into a small room.

Upon seeing Er Gouzi still there, she beamed and coaxed him out, suggesting that Gu Xiaobao take him outside to play.

Su Nianmei observed Ma Fang’s mysterious demeanor. She couldn’t help but be puzzled. She gave Gu Xiaobao a few more instructions before stepping through the door.

As soon as they entered the room, Ma Fang pulled a piece of paper from her pocket and eagerly handed it to Su Nianmei.

Su Nianmei took the paper and felt its warmth. It bore the words “Hiring Temporary Workers” written in blue ink, with an official stamp at the bottom.

Confused, Su Nianmei asked, “Sister Fang, what’s this Hiring Temporary Workers about?”

Ma Fang was taken aback, not expecting Su Nianmei to recognize the characters. She immediately retracted her hands, fidgeting as she adjusted her clothes. “Oh, it’s just that the procurement office has been short-staffed since Xiao Wang from our courtyard had some family matters to attend to and went back home to visit. Director Liu asked me if I had any good candidates to recommend, and after thinking about it, I thought of you, little sister.”

Holding the paper, Su Nianmei pondered how such a lucrative position in the procurement office could have anything to do with her. She reached out and took Ma Fang’s hand, sitting down on the bed together. “Sister, you’re putting me in a difficult position. I only learned a few characters a few years ago when I was sent down to our village as an educated youth. I’m untalented and unworthy; I can’t take on such a position.”

Ma Fang smiled as she examined Su Nianmei, growing fonder of her. The girl had been quite unlikable when she first arrived, but now her attitude towards people had softened.

Not only was she good-looking, but she could also recognize a few characters. How she handled herself with Shi Hua just now had been impressive.

Shi Hua had always targeted their family’s Dazhuang at school, and Ma Fang had never liked her. However, she had been reluctant to voice her feelings due to her husband’s position.

Ma Fang waved her hand dismissively. “The procurement office in our courtyard isn’t like the one in the district; it just buys some daily necessities for the families. There’s not much profit to be made, and it only helps a bit with household expenses—mostly hard work.”

“Normally, I shouldn’t recommend this to you since you’re recovering from a serious illness, but when an opportunity comes, you have to seize it. If you end up with a tough job later on, don’t blame me for not finding you a good one. I’m not sure how else I can help you; I can only suggest a few small jobs. I’ve been through it all—every family is the same. Relying on just one person’s salary, the whole household won’t last long.”

Su Nianmei smiled wryly. Although Gu Xichao’s monthly salary was decent by the standards of that time, half of it had to be sent back home, and there were household expenses to consider, not to mention saving a little for emergencies. The amount of money she had left to manage freely was limited, especially since the original owner had been spending recklessly.

She realized she needed to think about making a living, which was a sudden opportunity.

Trying a temporary job would be a good way to test the waters and get a feel for the situation in this world.

Su Nianmei smiled at Ma Fang and neatly placed the Hiring Temporary Workers on the bedside table. “Then I’ll thank you, sister-in-law.”

Ma Fang stood up as well, patting her somewhat wrinkled clothes. “Alright then, little sister, you can get back to your business. Just remember to report on time tomorrow morning. I need to hurry home to cook for the kids.”

Su Nianmei stepped forward and opened the door to the small room, causing the two children crouched at the doorway to tumble inward in unison.

Quickly, Su Nianmei reached out to catch both of them, giving each a gentle tap on the forehead.

Ma Fang emerged from the room, chuckling, “Oh, these two little rascals were eavesdropping by the door!”

She walked over to the table, grabbed the vegetable basket, and opened the door.

Su Nianmei followed her out.

At the doorway, Ma Fang leaned in and spoke softly to Su Nianmei, “Captain Gu is quite capable, so you can relax and not worry too much. Even with a Xiaobao around, he will make sure you live well.”

Su Nianmei smiled back, tapping her temple. “A knock here, and I understand everything. Having experienced life and death, what else is there to worry about? Thank you for the reminder, sister-in-law.”

Ma Fang laughed and patted Su Nianmei on the shoulder before exchanging a few more pleasantries and heading upstairs.

After seeing Ma Fang off, Su Nianmei closed the door, only to have Gu Xiaobao tugging at her to head to his room while Er Gouzi latched onto her leg from behind, preventing her from moving forward.

Caught between the two children, Su Nianmei felt slightly confused as she stumbled into Gu Xiaobao’s room, where the scene before her was amusing and exasperating.