After Tang Xiaoxue left, Tang Momo managed to pull herself away from Tang Dajun’s “old friends.”  

She looked at the time and saw that it was still early, so she simply walked around the area. Although the other people in the dormitory and Yang Wenyu promised to help her find a solution, time was clearly not on her side, and it seems that she would have to find the place herself. 

She could stay in the dormitory by the factory, and even if she returned home occasionally, she wouldn’t have to stay overnight. So, having two rooms would be enough; of course, it would be best to find a separate yard if possible. 

With this in mind, Tang Momo walked around the neighborhood and found that the nearby yards were mostly fully occupied. For a moment, she couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. 

Just when she was about to leave, an old lady waved to her. When she came closer, she lowered her voice, “Little girl, are you looking for someone just now?” 

Tang Momo shook her head and also lowered her voice. “No, I’m looking for a place to live.” 

The old lady glanced at her and said thoughtfully, “Why are you looking for a house at such a young age? Is there no place for you to stay at home?” 

The old lady was assessing Tang Momo, who was secretly evaluating her in return. She had a hunch about the situation, so she explained her current circumstances and added, “It would be best to find something long-term.”  

Both she and her mother were unlikely to get welfare housing, so long-term arrangements were indeed necessary. 

The old lady’s eyes couldn’t help but light up, but her tone remained calm. “Since we seem to have a connection, I have a vacant yard at home that you can borrow to stay in.” 

Tang Momo understood that this “borrowing” meant an agreement to rent, so she nodded immediately. “Can I go take a look first?” 

The old lady’s name is Guan Shijie. She has a son and a daughter. She originally lived in the yard with her son and daughter-in-law, but at the end of last year, her son and daughter-in-law moved out directly after they secured welfare housing from their work unit. 

Now, she was the only one left in the large yard. Although she had considered renting it out privately, she hadn’t found anyone she liked yet. 

It was just a coincidence that while she wandered around nearby today, she happened to see the dispute between Tang Momo and Tang Xiaoxue at the gate of the shoe factory.  

She thought at the time that this was an independent young girl and when she saw her wandering around, she had a rough idea of what was going on and decided to approach her. 

Hearing that Tang Momo wanted to check out the place, Guan Shijie gave her a warning in advance, “It’s still some distance from here, so you have to think carefully.” 

“As long as it’s not too far and it doesn’t delay my mother’s time at work, it’ll be fine.” 

Tang Momo knew that having a place at all was a stroke of luck in these times; she couldn’t afford to be picky. 

Guan Shijie only came back every few days to check on things because she had to take care of her grandchildren. She really couldn’t get used to living in welfare housing; the space was too small. Although it was an apartment, living in a yard was far more comfortable. 

Tang Momo followed her for about ten minutes and saw her opening a yard door. The distance was acceptable. 

“I live in the front yard myself, so if you want to live there, you can only live in the backyard.” 

Although it was the back yard, Guan Shijie had tidied it up neatly. The only downside was that it was somewhat dimly lit. 

Time was tight, and Tang Momo didn’t have time to look for another place. Besides, if this didn’t work out, she could always find somewhere else later. 

They agreed on a “borrowing fee” of two yuan per month. 

This price was within Tang Momo’s acceptable range, and the back yard was empty, with nothing inside. The kitchen was also bare, so she needed to move her things over.  

After making an agreement with Guan Shijie and paying the money, Tang Momo decided to go back. In order to save time, she went back to the factory to borrow Yang Jianlin’s bicycle. 

Seeing her in such a hurry, Yang Jianlin couldn’t help but ask, “What’s the rush?” 

“I just went to the shoe factory. Things there have been taken care of. My aunt doesn’t have to go there tomorrow, and my mother can go to work.” 

After saying this, Tang Momo’s face was filled with gratitude, all thanks to Yang Jianlin. 

Yang Jianlin nodded, indicating that he understood, and then continued: “If you need any help, just let me know.” 

“Then I’ll thank you in advance, Brother Yang.” Despite saying this, Tang Momo didn’t plan to trouble him further; in these times, repaying favors was not easy. 

Having a lot on her mind, Tang Momo rode quickly to the village entrance and nearly collided with Gu Chengze, who was also riding a bike. Fortunately, they both stopped in time. 

Thinking of her rejection in the morning, Tang Momo felt a bit awkward when facing Gu Chengze again. 

However, Gu Chengze nodded towards her as if he was not affected in any way and then asked, “Why are you back again? Did you leave something behind?” 

Gu Chengze knew about her trip to the shoe factory, so Tang Momo didn’t think about hiding it. “The issues at the shoe factory have been resolved. My mother can go to work starting tomorrow.” 

“That’s good news. Do you need help? I was planning to go into the city anyway.”  

Gu Chengze was originally going to the post office in the city. 

“No need, you’re busy, so I won’t hold you up.”  

Tang Momo had a smile on her face, but she couldn’t help but complain in her heart. His resilience is impressive, but I really feel embarrassed. Help! 

Hearing this, Gu Chengze couldn’t help but smile. This time, he didn’t give Tang Momo a chance to refuse. “Your younger siblings will definitely come with you. It’ll be too exhausting for the two little ones to walk all the way to the city. Let me help you take them.” 

Although Tang Momo wanted to refuse, Gu Chengze’s suggestion was tempting. It would indeed be a hassle for the twins to walk to the city, and a ride would be great. 

As the main characters in today’s scene, their presence attracted a lot of attention. Just when Tang Momo was hesitating, the person across from them slowly spoke again. “I remember you’re not the type to be embarrassed. You wouldn’t be making it difficult for yourself because of what happened this morning, would you?” 

Gu Chengze’s expression seemed to say, I’m the one who got rejected and I’m fine, but you’re the one who refused and now you’re acting all embarrassed? This made Tang Momo grit her teeth. She gathered her courage and said, “Alright then, I’ll trouble Comrade Gu.” 

When Gu Chengze turned around, the corners of his lips lifted unconsciously. “No trouble at all. Comrade Tang, please don’t feel any pressure.” 

He must be doing this on purpose! 

Tang Momo’s tone was filled with frustration. 

When Gu Chengze in front heard these words, his expression became even more joyful. Fortunately, no one noticed the lively expression on his face at this time. 

When the two people left one after another, the people watching the excitement finally withdrew their gaze. To be honest, they were a little disappointed. They originally thought that the scene would be tense, but they didn’t expect it to be so harmonious. 

Zhang Xiaoli and Tang Jianan were working together today. Zhang Xiaoli couldn’t help but frown when she heard the people in front of her talking about what happened in the village entrance. Then she touched Tang Jianan next to her with her elbow and said in a low voice. “Jianan, go back and see if your sister is really back.” 

Tang Jianan nodded when he heard this. “Yes, I understand, Mother.” 

Tang Momo arrived at the Tang family house right behind Gu Chengze. Before she got close, she heard the twins crying. Tang Momo quickly got off the bicycle. 

At this moment, Tang Jianbao looked at the twins with an arrogant look on his face. “You two are just dead weight. If not, why wouldn’t Tang Momo take you to the city?” 

The term “dead weight” had been used since the two little ones were about a year old. At first, they didn’t understand what it meant, but later they did, so they desperately tried to help out at home to prove they weren’t a burden. 

But the reason why the twins cried was not entirely because of Tang Jianbao’s words. They heard it when they went out today. Brother Chengze was originally eyeing their eldest sister, but because of them, it didn’t work out. 

Thinking that they had delayed Tang Momo’s good match, the two little ones took this chance to cry loudly and sadly. 

Tang Momo heard Tang Jianbao’s words from afar. She couldn’t help but quicken her pace. She stepped forward and slapped Tang Jianbao in the face. Her tone was full of displeasure. “Tang Jianbao, who gave you the courage to come to our house to cause trouble?” 

“Ahhhh, Tang Momo! How dare you hit me? I’m going to tell Grandma!” 

Tang Jianbao covered his face and stared at Tang Momo in disbelief. 

Tang Momo sneered, “Go ahead! Do you need me to call the police for you too?” 

“Just wait.” 

Tang Jianbao stamped his feet and then quickly ran to the front yard. 

He was running too fast and bumped into Gu Chengze in front of him. When he was about to curse, he discovered that it was Gu Chengze. Seeing the green military uniform, he swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth. 

When the twins saw Tang Momo, they were so surprised that they forgot to cry. “Sister, why are you back?” 

“Still crying at this age? Aren’t you ashamed? Have you forgotten what I told you before?” 

Tang Momo knelt down to comfort the two little ones. 

“Sister, I’m sorry. It’s because of us that you can’t get married.” 

Tang Yangyang grabbed Tang Momo’s clothes and sounded a little uneasy. 

Tang Momo stretched out her hand to wipe away their tears and said in a gentle tone. “Nonsense. I obviously don’t want to get married so early. What does it have to do with you?” 

“But don’t you like Brother Chengze very much?” Tang Jianping also stepped forward and said timidly. 

“Who have you been listening to? Liking someone is a sacred thing. We’ve only met a few times; how could I say I like him? Besides, I prefer making money over getting married.”  

After saying this, Tang Momo wiped away the tears on their cheeks.  

Although the two little ones didn’t understand what she said first, they understood the last sentence. Their eldest sister likes to make money. 

They clenched their small fists, indicating that they wanted to help their older sister earn money. 

Gu Chengze, who was standing at the door, couldn’t help but lower his eyes when he heard this, making it hard for others to read his emotions.  

“Brother Chengze, why are you here?” 

Tang Jianan, who had just returned and was behind him, was very surprised. 

After today’s incident, he thought Gu Chengze would never come to their house again. He didn’t expect to see him here. 

“Jianan, you’re back just in time. The shoe factory matter has been settled. Go call Mother back.”  

“Oh, okay, sister.” 

Tang Jianan still felt a bit dazed and it wasn’t until he walked a few steps that he realized the meaning of Tang Momo’s words. 

Then they were moving to the city. Thinking of this, Tang Jianan’s steps became cheerful and his tone became even more joyful as he shouted for Zhang Xiaoli from a distance. 

After Tang Jianan left, Tang Momo looked up at Gu Chengze, who was staring at the door, and felt a bit embarrassed. She adjusted her expression while brushing her hair. “Comrade Gu, we may need to clean up here for a while. If you’re busy, I won’t keep you.” 

“It’s fine; I didn’t have anything planned today.” 

Going to the city was an impulsive decision, as long as he could return by the evening. 

“Then we’ll trouble you.” 

Tang Momo said as she stood up and planned to pour him water. 

The two little ones followed Tang Momo into the house, their voices filled with curiosity. “Sister, why is Brother Chengze here?” 

“You’ll be riding his bicycle to the city later.” 

Gu Chengze can ride his bicycle steadily, even if there’s one in front and one behind him. 

“Are we really going to the city later?” 

The two little ones were obviously shocked by the news. 

“Yes, we’ll go soon.” 

After Tang Momo finished speaking, she started to pack up. They needed to bring essential items, while other less important things could wait. 

Upon hearing Tang Jianan’s loud shout, Zhang Xiaoli shot him a playful glance. “Why are you shouting so loudly?”  

Tang Jianan’s tone was full of excitement, “Mother, sister said that the matter at the shoe factory has been settled. She told us to go back and pack our things, and we will go into the city.” 

After all, he was still a kid, and hearing they could move to the city made him visibly excited. 

Zhang Xiaoli was a bit surprised too; it was happening so quickly. 

“What’s going on at the shoe factory, Xiaoli?” Hearing this, someone nearby asked curiously. 

“Probably related to Dajun’s job, but I’m not too sure about the details.” She hadn’t seen Tang Momo yet and wasn’t fully informed about the situation. 

“Dajun’s job was taken by Tang Xiaoxue, right? Are you saying you got it back?”  

The speaker looked surprised. She didn’t believe that Tang Xiaoxue would be willing to return it. 

“We reported this matter to the union, and I guess they must have come up with some solution,” Zhang Xiaoli said. Without acknowledging the crowd’s curiosity, she left with Tang Jianan.  

As soon as Zhang Xiaoli left, the place erupted with chatter. Did she really get the job back at the shoe factory? Does this mean their family is moving to the city? 

Everyone felt a mix of envy and jealousy for a moment. At that time, Chen Lanying, who was also in the crowd with Tang Jianbao, heard it and realized they couldn’t let them leave today; otherwise, Xiaoxue’s job would be at risk. 

Xiaoxue worked at the shoe factory and brought home money every month. Although the amount had been decreasing, every little bit helped. If that job were given to Zhang Xiaoli, she certainly wouldn’t share her earnings with the family. 

Thinking like this, Chen Lanying patted Tang Jianbao’s shoulder and whispered, “Xiaobao, go call your grandpa back.” 

They couldn’t let them leave today; otherwise, Xiaoxue’s job would be ruined. 

Author’s note: 

Give the male lead a chance to shine, haha! 

***

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