Chapter 24: Earning Work Points

“What? They’re even arranging a job for you?” Jiang Cuihua was instantly delighted. “That’s great! A career after transitioning out of the military is much better. You’ll have a job and can take care of the family—much better than being away serving in the army.”

With her son-in-law staying for good, her daughter’s life would finally become easier.

Liu Laifu shot her a sideways glance and muttered awkwardly, “Serving in the army to protect the country is good too. Both are equally important.”

In any case, everyone seemed satisfied with this outcome.

Second Sister-in-law Liu, however, felt uneasy listening to all this. She couldn’t help but ask Gu Cheng, “Brother-in-law, when will your job be assigned? And where will it be?”

Gu Cheng replied, “Probably within a month. It’ll be in the county town.”

Second Sister-in-law Liu pondered for a moment before asking another question. “Then… where will you live?”

She wasn’t thinking about anything in particular—just asking out of curiosity.

Gu Cheng glanced at Liu Yinyin briefly before pausing and saying, “Once my job is assigned, they should provide housing. But… it depends on Yinyin. She can live wherever she wants.”

Liu Yinyin was slightly stunned.

Why was everyone staring at her? She had her own home—of course, she would continue living there.

As for Gu Cheng…

If she suggested divorce now, would her parents agree?

Judging by their expressions, probably not. They’d most likely scold her for being foolish.

Clearing her throat, Liu Yinyin declared, “I’m staying in the village.”

Whatever. That house was already hers, and she wasn’t going to move.

She had no desire to live in the county town. In fact, housing conditions in the city weren’t necessarily better than in the countryside.

Besides, she had the system. Staying in the village would allow her to earn more money using it.

Wait…

Liu Yinyin held her forehead in frustration. Why was she even thinking about all this when she had no intention of living with Gu Cheng?

Jiang Cuihua shot her a glare before coughing lightly. “Living in the county town would definitely be better than staying in the countryside.”

Obviously! That was the county town—who wouldn’t want to live there?

“When the housing is assigned, you two should move there,” Liu Laifu stated matter-of-factly, not even considering Liu Yinyin’s opinion.

Why should they listen to their daughter? Gu Cheng was a man, and he would be working in the county town. Naturally, living there would be more convenient. There was no point in letting Yinyin mess around.

No one in the family cared about her feelings, so Liu Yinyin could only sulk silently.

Where would Gu Cheng stay?

After dinner, Liu Yinyin was ready to go home. She had been exhausted from working all day and just wanted to take a bath and sleep early.

But Gu Cheng didn’t know that she had moved out.

Jiang Cuihua quickly explained, “The village chief arranged a place for Yinyin. She’s been living there.”

She didn’t say anything else. Given the situation back then, it was understandable that Yinyin had moved out. But now…

Would her son-in-law read too much into it?

Gu Cheng was surprised but remained silent. He simply gathered his things, intending to leave with Liu Yinyin.

Seeing this, Liu Yinyin spoke up, “I only have one room. You should stay here and share a bed with my third brother.”

As soon as Liu Yinyin finished speaking, Jiang Cuihua gave her a smack on the arm. If it weren’t for the fact that her daughter was pregnant, she might have given her a proper beating.

Did she even hear herself?

What was wrong with having only one room? They were husband and wife, not strangers—why couldn’t they share a room?

“Enough, you two should head back now. If you wait any longer, you won’t be able to see the road properly,” Jiang Cuihua urged, as the sky had already turned dark.

“Mom,” Liu Yinyin protested reluctantly, “Isn’t there space at home? My bed is too small—it’s not convenient.”

When she had the house renovated, she didn’t have much money on hand. Since she was living alone at the time, she had opted for smaller furniture—her bed, cabinets, and everything else were made as compact as possible to save materials.

Jiang Cuihua pursed her lips. “If it’s small, then just squeeze in together. You’re heavily pregnant. With Gu Cheng by your side to take care of you, we can all feel more at ease.”

If she kept stalling, Jiang Cuihua would just chase them out!

She absolutely wouldn’t agree to let Gu Cheng stay behind. The young couple was clearly at odds right now, and this was the worst time to let them stay apart.

A quarrel at the head of the bed should end with reconciliation at the foot of the bed. Whatever problems they had, they should resolve them privately as a couple.

In the end, Liu Yinyin had no choice but to take Gu Cheng home with her.

Unable to hold back, Liu Yinyin asked, “When are you going back home?”

Him staying in Liu Village indefinitely didn’t seem quite appropriate, did it?

Gu Cheng was silent for a moment before replying, “I’ll go back when I have time.”

Liu Yinyin found that odd. “But you don’t even have a job yet—how could you possibly not have time to go back?”

Gu Cheng looked at her and said, “Oh, I forgot to tell you—I spoke with the village chief this afternoon. From now on, you don’t have to go to work in the fields. I’ll do the labor, and the work points I earn will be credited under your name.”

Since his household registration and grain ration book weren’t linked to the village, he couldn’t receive work points himself.

Liu Yinyin was stunned. “Is that even allowed?”

Gu Cheng smiled. “We’re husband and wife—of course, it’s allowed.”

In reality, it was only possible because Liu Changquan was giving him special treatment. If it had been anyone else, it might not have worked out.

Liu Yinyin let out a small huff. She had wanted to bring up the topic of divorce again, but since he refused to agree, constantly bringing it up felt pointless.

The words lingered on her lips before she swallowed them back down. Instead, she changed the subject. “How many work points can you earn in a day?”

Work points could be exchanged for food, and Liu Yinyin wouldn’t complain about having more.

To be honest, she hadn’t worked much this year. After the autumn harvest, she probably wouldn’t be allotted much grain. If she didn’t have enough to eat, she’d have to spend money to buy additional work points for food.

Right now… she was actually quite poor.

Gu Cheng’s lips curled into a smile. “Don’t worry, your man will make sure you get the highest number of work points every day.”

Liu Yinyin: “…”

Alright, she had asked too many questions.

On regular workdays, the maximum work points earned in the village was ten. During crucial periods like spring plowing and autumn harvesting, the upper limit was raised to twelve to encourage the villagers.

That said, only a handful of people could actually earn the highest work points.

Gu Cheng… well, he had been a soldier. His physical strength was definitely better than most villagers. Earning the highest work points wasn’t impossible for him.

Once they arrived home, Liu Yinyin sent Gu Cheng off to bathe first.

Meanwhile, she hurried into the bedroom, lit the kerosene lamp, and quickly put away anything that might draw attention.

Novels, camisole nightgowns, underwear, cups…

Sigh!

Having another person in the house was truly inconvenient. Now, she wouldn’t even dare to casually take things out from the system anymore.

“I’m done.”

Gu Cheng, treating the place like his own home, walked into the room after his bath—shirtless.

The dim glow of the kerosene lamp wasn’t very bright, but even in the low light, Liu Yinyin could make out his well-defined abdominal muscles.

His toned and powerful physique, broad shoulders, and strong back—all of it exuded a raw, masculine presence.

Especially that sharply contoured eight-pack—it was impossible to ignore.