Chapter 24: Do You Want to Work and Earn Money?

Luo Yaqing wasn’t familiar with pickling, so she followed Zhang Guiqin’s instructions completely.

Whatever she said to do, Luo Yaqing just did.

Zhang Guiqin said they needed to set up a small pot in the yard to blanch the cabbage.

That wasn’t difficult.

There was firewood readily available in the courtyard.

There were even bricks for propping the pot, which Luo Yaqing pulled out from under Han Zhixu’s single bed.

With the pot set up, they started preparing to pickle sour cabbage.

Following Zhang Guiqin’s steps, Luo Yaqing used a knife to cut the cabbages in half and blanched them in boiling water for 10 to 20 seconds.

“Don’t blanch them too long, or they’ll be cooked,” Zhang Guiqin warned.

Luo Yaqing quickly scooped out the cabbage and placed it into an empty basin to cool.

After all the cabbages had been blanched and cooled, they could proceed to the next step.

While waiting, the two sat down to rest and casually chatted.

Zhang Guiqin eyed Luo Yaqing’s pretty face. “Is everyone in your family good-looking? Your aunt is, you are too—your mom must have been a real beauty.”

“Hehe…” Luo Yaqing scratched her head and chuckled.

The original host’s mother had indeed been a great beauty, which was why the original Luo Yaqing had such a good-looking face.

Luo Yaqing figured Han Zhixu had probably married the original host simply because she was pretty.

Men all had a sense of vanity.

Who didn’t want a beautiful wife?

“Yaqing,” Zhang Guiqin scooted her stool closer to her. “Do you want to get a job and earn money?”

Luo Yaqing was taken aback.

A job? Earning money?

The four words rang in her ears. She licked her lips. “Me? Get a job?”

But Zhang Guiqin misunderstood her tone. “Uh, your household’s just the two of you. With Commander Han’s salary, you don’t lack for anything.”

Luo Yaqing: “……”

It seemed like everyone thought she was living a life of luxury.

Just two people at home—no elderly to care for, no kids to support.

Financially stable, life was good.

“You don’t need to work,” Zhang Guiqin added.

Luo Yaqing twitched her lips. “Auntie, I do want to work and earn money.”

She really needed a job—something that could support her on her own.

Once she saved enough and gained financial independence, she planned to divorce Han Zhixu.

She didn’t want to be the passive party.

It would be humiliating.

Zhang Guiqin didn’t know why she suddenly changed her mind, but thought it was a good thing.

Still, she worried Luo Yaqing wouldn’t be able to handle the physical demands—it was labor-intensive work, after all.

“Work is hard. Are you sure you want to do it?”

“Mhm!” Luo Yaqing nodded firmly. “Making money is never easy. Auntie, I’m not afraid of hard work.”

Seeing the determination in her eyes, Zhang Guiqin stood up and, while squeezing the water out of the cabbage in the basin, said, “I heard from Chen Xiaomin that the soap factory is short on staff. They’re planning to hire a few people.”

Chen Xiaomin—Luo Yaqing knew her. She was Grandma Su’s younger daughter-in-law and worked at the town’s soap factory.

Luo Yaqing rolled up her sleeves and helped while asking, “Is that reliable?”

“Of course it is,” Zhang Guiqin replied confidently.

Luo Yaqing felt a flicker of excitement. She didn’t know if she could get in, but she still held out hope.

“Auntie, for someone like me… is it hard to get a spot?”

“What do you mean someone like you? You’ve got all your limbs, don’t you? And it’s not even a formal job, so it’s not that picky.” Zhang Guiqin reassured her.

Luo Yaqing was surprised. “It’s a temporary job?”

Zhang Guiqin nodded and gestured with her fingers excitedly. “Thirteen yuan a month!”

It was only a temp job. Luo Yaqing was a little disappointed—but on second thought, it was still income.

Seeing her silence, Zhang Guiqin assumed she thought the pay was too low. “Oh, and besides the salary, they give towels and soap at the end of each month too.”

Luo Yaqing smiled. “As long as they’re willing to take me, I’ll definitely go.”

“Great. We’ll go together—we can keep each other company on the way.” Zhang Guiqin picked up the drained cabbage and headed to the empty pickling vat under the eaves.

Luo Yaqing followed. “You’re going too?”

Zhang Guiqin laughed. “Just sitting at home doing nothing—if there’s a chance to earn money, why not?”

She neatly stacked the cabbage into the vat, poured in cooled boiled water, and weighed it down with a stone.

Then she wiped her hands with her apron. “All done. It’ll be ready to eat in a month.”

Luo Yaqing looked at the vat. “It’ll really turn sour?”

Zhang Guiqin put her hands on her hips. “Why don’t you believe me? I guarantee it’ll be sour—the longer it pickles, the sourer it gets.”

By the time they finished tidying the yard, it was already 5 PM.

Luo Yaqing invited Zhang Guiqin to stay for dinner, but she refused firmly.

As she was leaving, Zhang Guiqin lowered her voice. “Don’t tell anyone about the soap factory job, okay?”

“I’m going to talk to Chen Xiaomin tonight. I’ll let you know in a couple of days if there’s any news.”

Luo Yaqing nodded vigorously. “Got it.”

In the family housing compound, a ton of women and young wives dreamed of having a job and becoming honorable workers—but unfortunately, official job quotas from above were limited every year.

In that environment, even temp jobs became hot commodities. Even if they weren’t stable, they still made the unemployed envious.

Next door, Ma Xiaolian stood under her own eaves, watching suspiciously.

What were that Zhang woman and Luo woman whispering about so secretively?

She craned her neck and strained her ears, hoping to catch even half a sentence.

Just then, Hu Shuangyang came home from school with his backpack, glanced at her, and ran inside.

A few minutes later, he came running back out and rushed up to Ma Xiaolian. “Mom, how come you haven’t cooked yet? I’m starving!”

Ma Xiaolian was too focused on spying on the neighbors. She muttered to herself as she watched Zhang Guiqin walk away.

Hu Shuangyang tugged on her clothes. “Mom, I’m hungry!”

She looked down and yanked her clothes back. “You little starving ghost! Eating a bit late won’t kill you!”

But Hu Shuangyang, knowing his dad would be home from work soon, wasn’t afraid. “Dad’s scolded you more than once—he said you’re not allowed to curse at people, and here you go again!”

“You little brat! Trying to lecture your own mother? I’m not just gonna curse you—I’ll beat you too!”

Ma Xiaolian grabbed a broom and chased her son all over the yard, shouting.

Luo Yaqing, hearing the commotion from next door, couldn’t be bothered. She went inside, closed the door, and started making dinner.

When Han Zhixu came home, he found Luo Yaqing rolling out noodles, humming a tune—clearly in a good mood.

“Just a sec, I’ll cook the noodles right now.”

It was the first time in days she had spoken to him of her own accord.

He quickly responded, “Mm, no rush.”

Ever since Qiu Shimin had left, Han Zhixu had noticed Luo Yaqing had been gloomy and quiet.

It was normal to be sad for a few days after parting with family.

He had tried to comfort her, but she barely responded to him.

Han Zhixu was a rough man—he didn’t know how to cheer up a woman.

Now that she was cheerful again, he felt strangely relieved.

“Dinner’s ready!”

Luo Yaqing cheerfully served up the noodles, along with a side of cold shredded radish and a plate of pickled vegetables with minced meat.

“I learned to pickle sour cabbage with Auntie Guiqin today—spent the whole afternoon on it.”

Han Zhixu paused his mixing chopsticks. “Oh, thanks for your hard work.”

Luo Yaqing: ……

There it is again: ‘Thanks for your hard work!’

This man really knew how to kill a conversation.

After dinner, Luo Yaqing hummed her way back to the bedroom to rest.

Han Zhixu finished washing up, undressed to go to bed—only to find the bed noticeably lower, and even slightly uneven.

He rolled over—

“Bang!”