Chapter 4: I Can’t Shake the Feeling That We’ve Met Before

What?

When the old couple heard this, their eyes flew wide open.
“We’re already this old, and you still want us to go out and find jobs?”

“Whether it’s Zhoushan or Big Brother, they’re just regular soldiers. Their monthly stipends aren’t much to begin with, and they still have to pay rent here. Now everything in the house has been stolen—what, are we just not going to buy any pots and pans?”

“If the whole family doesn’t work together and go out to earn money to get through this tough time, what are we going to do in the future?”

Gu Qiangwei gave a cold snort in her heart.

She had lived to be 40 in her past life, and it had been twenty years since this era.

Twenty years later, the city had developed rapidly, and even the elderly in their sixties were still out there working odd jobs—no one ever said they couldn’t work.

Wang Shufen was only 45 this year, and Lu Minghua was just 50. Why couldn’t they work?

Out there, people their age were still sweeping streets and doing small tasks to earn money for the household.

And the two of them? Just sitting around?

Impossible!

In her past life, even after she treated them so well, they still deceived her.

In this life, she must make them go out and work.

The old couple weren’t happy after hearing that. They felt they were too old and wouldn’t easily find a job, and what if something happened while working?

“We don’t even know when they’ll be back. Before they return, we won’t get any stipends.”

“I can’t support the three of us by working alone. You two better think of something. I’m going out to look for work today—if I don’t, we’ll starve to death!”

After tidying up a bit, Gu Qiangwei returned to her room to freshen up.

“I’m heading out now. I’ll bring something back for you both. You should also think seriously about this.”

After saying that, she left the house.

She walked a long way and found a deserted alley where she slipped into her space.

Inside her space, Gu Qiangwei looked at everything stored there with deep satisfaction.

She deliberately lingered a bit, then took out a few yuan, planning to buy some simple food later to bring back.

If she remembered correctly, it was right around this time in her past life when she met her future best friend.

Why not head down that same road and take a look today?

If she could meet her earlier, they could start doing business together sooner.

That would be ideal.

After leaving the space, Gu Qiangwei made her way to the spot where she had met her in her past life.

Back then, she had witnessed a purse snatching there.

She helped the other girl get her purse back, and after a bit of back-and-forth, the two became friends and later decided to go into business together.

That girl had a brother who was a company commander.

And her family had a pretty decent background. In the past life, they became business partners because the girl invested money, while Gu Qiangwei contributed labor at first, and later ideas as well.

Their business only grew from there.

Gu Qiangwei waited in the area for more than an hour, but didn’t see anyone. The time seemed about right, but she didn’t want to wait any longer.

She decided she’d come back tomorrow.

For now, she’d go home and see whether the old couple were willing to find work or not.

Just as she was about to leave, a shout came from the distance.

“Someone’s snatching a purse!”

At the sound of this, Gu Qiangwei instinctively turned her head. The thief was holding a red purse and sprinting her way.

He was headed straight toward her.

She grabbed a thick wooden stick from the side and backed into a spot where a wall partially hid her from view.

As the thief got closer, his footsteps growing louder, Gu Qiangwei stepped out suddenly and smashed the heavy stick right into his face.

The man crashed to the ground, the purse falling beside him. Gu Qiangwei quickly picked it up.

The thief glared at her viciously, holding his face with one hand.
“You bitch! You’d better watch yourself!”

Seeing there were still quite a few people around, the thief took off running.

Gu Qiangwei held the red purse and turned around—only to see the girl she’d met in her past life running toward her.

They looked to be around the same age. The girl jogged over, one hand on her waist as she gasped for breath.
“I just wanted to buy a roasted sweet potato and ended up running into a mugging! Thank you, comrade!”

Gu Qiangwei handed the purse back to her and looked into the girl’s face, her eyes reddening slightly.

In her past life, it was because of this girl’s many acts of kindness that Gu Qiangwei was able to live a decent life. She had stubbornly stayed by her in-laws’ side, even rejecting matchmaking offers this girl introduced to her.

This girl had helped her so much.

“Thank you,” the girl said, taking her purse back.

Gu Qiangwei nodded. “Glad you got it back. I won’t say more—I’m in a hurry to look for work!”

She turned to leave.

But just like in her past life, the girl grabbed her arm.
“You’re looking for work?”

“I just happen to have a business I want to start and was looking for a partner. Are you interested?”

“Huh?”

Everything was playing out just like in her past life. Gu Qiangwei couldn’t help but show an expression of disbelief.

“You really want to bring me in?”

Seeing the look on her face, the girl laughed cheerfully.
“I don’t know why, but I just feel really comfortable around you. Like we’ve met somewhere before.”

Where had they met?

Of course—it was in the past life. And they’d become very good friends.

But back then, Gu Qiangwei had been too preoccupied with her in-laws, thinking about how hard life was for them, and she had turned down all the girl’s help.

That’s how she ended up the way she did.

Honestly, what happened to her in her past life wasn’t just because of the old couple’s lies or Lu Zhoushan’s heartless betrayal.

A big part of it was her own fault.

And the girl standing in front of her…

Just thinking about those past events made Gu Qiangwei feel an ache in her chest, like a giant hand was squeezing her heart.

It hurt so much!

“That just means we’re fated to meet,” she said with a bright smile.

The girl nodded. “You’re really my type of person. If you’re willing to work with me, why don’t we talk it over?”

“My treat!”

Gu Qiangwei, almost unconsciously, nodded. The two of them headed to the same restaurant she had loved most in her past life.

After sitting down, Gu Qiangwei ordered two dishes.

The girl took the menu and added two more.
“Wow, we really are a good match. You ordered both of my favorite dishes.”

Gu Qiangwei gave a faint smile.

She only knew that because she remembered it from her past life—not because of fate.

“Let’s formally introduce ourselves. I’m Su Qingshuang.”

“Gu Qiangwei.”

The two of them reached out and gently shook hands.

Su Qingshuang beamed.
“I don’t know why, but I really feel like we’ve met before. I just get a good vibe from you. So tell me—why are you out looking for work?”