Chapter 72

The next morning, Lu Erming asked his younger son, Lu Weijun, to run an errand to the steel factory dormitory in town.

“You have a leisurely job. Later, help me deliver the things sent by your brother Weiguo to your uncle’s house,” he said.

For convenience, Lu Weiguo had not sent the package to his parents’ house.

Lu Weijun, already enchanted by the aroma of beef jerky the night before, eagerly accepted the task but made sure to remind his father, “Dad, I earned my job as an accountant through my own hard work, and it’s not easy at all.”

Back then, to avoid village gossip, he had to pass an examination to secure the job despite being the most educated person in the village.

Lu Erming laughed and patted him on the back. “Alright, get going. If you’re late, your uncle and aunt will have gone to work.”

Lu Weijun cheerfully hopped on his bicycle and left.

The village was less than an hour’s ride from town. When he arrived at the steel factory dormitory, it was not yet six o’clock.

Lu Daming and his wife were preparing breakfast.

Seeing Lu Weijun, they invited him inside. “Weijun, what brings you here so early?” they asked.

Lu Weijun handed them the package. “These are things sent by Brother Weiguo and his wife. I’ve brought them over.”

Hearing about Weiguo and his wife, the couple, who had not yet met their daughter-in-law, perked up.

Amused by their reaction, Lu Weijun said, “The beef jerky inside was made by your daughter-in-law. You should give it a try.”

Had it not been for the letter that came with the package, Lu Weijun would have thought it was bought from the department store in Jinling. The supply and marketing cooperative in their area didn’t sell such delicious beef jerky.

Lu Daming and his wife immediately opened the package and tried a piece.

“This tastes really good. The more you chew, the better it gets,” Lu Daming said.

Watching them enjoy the jerky, Lu Weijun felt a bit tempted too. He awkwardly reached out and took a piece. “Second sister-in-law’s cooking skills are really good,” he said.

Seeing his nephew like this, Lu Daming didn’t say anything, feeling a bit proud of his daughter-in-law’s abilities.

Lu’s mother invited Lu Weijun, “I’ll make more noodles. Join us for breakfast.”

Lu Weijun accepted the offer, having not eaten breakfast yet.

After Lu Weijun left, Lu Daming brought some beef jerky to his eldest son’s house in the same dormitory compound.

Lu Weiguo’s elder brother, Lu Jianguo, worked at the same steel factory as Lu Daming but was not a technical worker. He was the head of the factory’s security department and had recently been assigned a new house, so his family had moved there.

Lu Jianguo’s wife, Qin Ping, worked at the same textile factory as Lu’s mother. She was quiet and diligent, typical of contemporary women, but a bit timid.

Seeing Lu Daming, she felt a bit scared of her father-in-law, despite being married for many years.

Lu Daming handed her the package and turned to his eldest son. “These are things sent by your brother and his wife. The beef jerky was made by your sister-in-law. I’ve brought some for you to try.”

Just then, a boy’s cheerful voice rang out. “Grandpa, what brings you here?”

It was Lu Jianguo’s son, Lu Zhen, who had woken up at the noise. Despite being young, he wasn’t afraid of his stern-looking grandfather or his stern-looking second uncle.

Not only was he not afraid, but he also admired Lu Weiguo, who was a soldier. His favorite possession was a small tank made from a shell casing by his second uncle.

Seeing his grandson, Lu Daming was pleased. He patted his head and told him to wash up and eat breakfast.

With the delivery done, Lu Daming went home.

At Lu Jianguo’s breakfast table, Lu Zhen chewed the beef jerky, enjoying it despite its spiciness.

Qin Ping, however, was a bit distracted. She asked softly, “Jianguo, what kind of person do you think Second Sister-in-law is?”

Though she was a worker, her family had a slight preference for boys over girls, which made her a bit timid. She knew her second sister-in-law’s family were all intellectuals who had returned from abroad. Even though intellectuals were now being criticized, everyone knew that knowledgeable people were different from those with less education.

She felt that given her second sister-in-law’s background, she must be someone high and unattainable.

Lu Jianguo, being thick-skinned, said, “Dad and Mom mentioned her once. She’s beautiful and has a good personality.”

However, this did not ease Qin Ping’s worries but rather increased them.

Beautiful, well-off, and educated—such a comparison made the gap between them too wide. She worried about being looked down upon.

Lu Zhen, puzzled, said, “We’ll find out when we meet Second Aunt. Besides, anyone who makes such delicious beef jerky must be a good person.”

Qin Ping: …

Forget it, neither of these men understood.

Fortunately, they had already separated households. Even if they didn’t get along well, it would only be a few days during the holidays. She could endure that.

At that moment, Shi Tingyu had no idea that her image in her eldest sister-in-law’s mind had already deviated significantly.

She was busy hosting Director Liu from the Women’s Federation.

“Xiao Shi, have you been busy at home lately? Your elder sister needs your help with something.”

Shi Tingyu had already sent out the first story of “Loyal Dog” and was still brainstorming the second one, so she wasn’t too busy at the moment. She asked, “What kind of help?”

Director Liu sighed, “Our Women’s Federation is still short-handed. Recently, Xiao Lu has been taking leave frequently. While we don’t expect her to be as versatile as you, capable of writing and drawing, her absence means others have to pick up her slack. There’s a publicity bulletin that needs to be done, and we’re short on people. We were hoping you could lend a hand.”

“Of course, you don’t need to do something as elaborate as the school wall murals. Just some simple drawings will suffice. I’ll pay you the same rate as a senior employee, and you’ll get paid for however many days you work.”

Shi Tingyu, having not much on her plate recently, thought it over and agreed.

When she arrived at the Women’s Federation, she realized she just needed to draw some illustrations for the publicity bulletin.

This wasn’t difficult for her.

Shi Tingyu finished the drawings that same day.

Director Liu was full of praise after seeing her work.

“Look at these drawings, so beautiful. You’ve done them quickly and well.”

What she didn’t mention was that if this had been assigned to someone else, it could have taken about a week.

The wages were collectively distributed by the accountant at the end of the month, and Director Liu decided to apply for an additional two days’ pay for her.

Even so, she still felt that Shi Tingyu wasn’t getting enough compensation.

Meanwhile, Lu Wenchan, who had taken leave, was in the office of the head of the cultural troupe.

Recently, several young women from the cultural troupe had retired and gotten married, so the troupe was recruiting new members.

Upon hearing the news, Lu Wenchan decided to give it a try.

Although she wasn’t good at dancing or other performances, she had a pleasant singing voice, so she came to audition.

If she could join the cultural troupe, she could later move into the troupe’s dormitory.

Moreover, the cultural troupe had many military officers she could meet. Without Captain Yang, she might even find a major to marry.