Chapter 26: The First Paycheck!

So it turned out Qian Sanya had been sowing discord in front of Zeng Cheng.

But wasn’t Zeng Cheng far too easy to fool?

A few careless words from her, and he no longer stood by his own wife.

Did he have no sense at all of what it meant to be a husband?

Dog of a man.

Did he really think she wanted him for himself?

If not for his money, would she put up with this humiliation?

Zhao Qianqian silently took a deep breath to calm herself.
“Calm down… calm down. Think of Zeng Cheng as your mountain of gold, your support for a lifetime of wealth and comfort.”

Slowly, she forced herself to settle down.

But she was still resentful. Zeng Cheng was simply too unreliable.

He had clearly promised her 30 yuan a month for expenses, and later, after her coaxing, added another 10.

So why was he acting so wronged now?

Besides, that 40 yuan covered not just her food and clothing, but all their household and social expenses.

Even the leftover money was still their joint property.

She wasn’t giving it to her family—she was just managing their household finances.

Hmph.

If he was unhappy, she was even more unhappy!

But what infuriated Zhao Qianqian most was the reborn Qian Sanya.

She had thought that giving Qian Sanya 50 yuan would buy her peace for a few days.

Who would have thought? Not even three days later, she was back at it—cozying up to Zeng Cheng, stirring up trouble again.

The more Zhao Qianqian thought about it, the more she despised the so-called heroine.

Hmph!

She didn’t care how many reasons Qian Sanya had for revenge, or whether the original Zhao Qianqian had been at fault.

Now, Zeng Cheng was her man, her future support for a parasite’s life of ease.

There was no way she would let Qian Sanya use him to swindle money, much less let her parade around in front of her.

Still, this was a book. The heroine must have a halo.

If possible, Zhao Qianqian didn’t want things to get too ugly, or to reveal too starkly how much her personality had changed.

After all, Qian Sanya had memories of her past life.

So, adopting a strategy of keeping her head down, Zhao Qianqian decided to talk with Qian Sanya face to face.

If they could keep to their own lanes, fine.

But if not—then Qian Sanya would have only herself to blame.

—

At the old Qian house.

Everyone thought Zhao Qianqian had come to see her mother.

But she went straight to Qian Sanya, pointing at her:
“I’m here for my stepsister.”

Qian Sanya’s face showed a flash of surprise, but she quickly smiled:
“And what is it you want with me, sister?”

“Let’s talk outside.”

“Oh? Is this about Zeng Cheng?” Qian Sanya asked knowingly.

Zhao Qianqian pressed her lips together, said nothing, and walked quickly away.

Her thin, stubborn back seemed to carry countless emotions.

Following her, Qian Sanya let a flicker of hatred flash in her eyes before concealing it.

She sped up, trailing Zhao Qianqian in silence, the air heavy between them.

At last, they reached a remote spot at the edge of Qian village.

Weeds grew wild, human voices were rare, and only occasional birdsong broke the stillness.

Seeing no one around, Qian Sanya dropped her pretense. Her tone turned sharp and proud:
“Zhao Qianqian, I know you called me here because of Zeng Cheng. But there’s nothing between us! We’re innocent—no crossing the line!”

She looked at Zhao Qianqian earnestly, as though desperate for understanding.

But Zhao Qianqian had already caught that fleeting smirk on her lips.

“Don’t pretend. I know you’ve been trying to seduce my husband. Not seduce, exactly—you’re undermining my marriage so you can milk him for money.”

“Qianqian, how can you say that? I just chat with Zeng Cheng, nothing like what you claim,” Qian Sanya replied innocently.

But inside, she cursed: Little bitch, how are you so sharp?

“Don’t argue. You just want money. I already gave you 50 yuan last time, and you’re still not stopping.” Zhao Qianqian’s anger boiled over.

“Hmph. What’s 50 yuan? If you really want me to leave him alone, give me another hundred.” Qian Sanya opened her lion’s mouth wide.

“Dream on! You won’t get another cent from me!” Zhao Qianqian snapped.

“I never even asked you, did I?” Qian Sanya smirked sweetly.

So—she was mocking Zhao Qianqian for not being able to control her own husband?

“You’ll regret provoking me,” Zhao Qianqian warned, her eyes blazing.

But Qian Sanya only laughed, covering her mouth like it was the funniest thing she’d heard:
“Oh really? You say ‘no’ and that makes it so? As far as I know, the money’s in Zeng Cheng’s hands. And your face isn’t big enough to stop him!”

“So what? What’s his is mine.” Zhao Qianqian retorted stubbornly.

In a quarrel, the point was never to concede ground.

No matter which side Zeng Cheng stood on—before her rival, Zhao Qianqian would insist he was hers.

“Oh? What’s his is yours? Then if he gives me money, it’s with your consent. Why get so angry?”

Qian Sanya arched her brow, eyes full of naked provocation.

Fury surged through Zhao Qianqian. Her chest rose and fell, fists clenched so tight her knuckles whitened.

Then suddenly—she smiled.

Didn’t everyone have a weak spot?

If Qian Sanya loved stabbing at hers, she’d return the favor.

Zhao Qianqian stepped closer, resisting the urge to hit her. She leaned close and whispered with a wicked grin:
“Qian Sanya, don’t think I don’t know who you’re after now.”

Qian Sanya forced composure. “Who?”

“Zhou Wen. Dare touch Zeng Cheng again, and I’ll seduce Zhou Wen myself!” Zhao Qianqian declared, then turned and walked away.

Behind her, Qian Sanya stamped her feet in rage.

Because Zhou Wen had been Zhao Qianqian’s second husband in her last life.

She was terrified.

Terrified she couldn’t win him. Terrified Zhou Wen might actually fall for Zhao Qianqian.

Zhao Qianqian’s threat hit home.

For a moment, Qian Sanya even thought: If Zhao Qianqian promises to stay away from Zhou Wen, maybe I can keep away from Zeng Cheng. That way, neither of us loses.

—

But Zhao Qianqian herself also felt uneasy.

She feared the ongoing contact between Qian Sanya and Zeng Cheng.

She had read too many stories in her past life to know—the heroine always had a powerful halo.

Even if the plot changed, fate itself would force things back on track.

She feared that if the two stayed close, the halo would pull them together anyway.

If only Zeng Cheng could become a soldier.

Everyone knew military marriages were strictly protected by law. Anyone who interfered would face severe punishment.

More importantly, once Zeng Cheng entered the army, discipline would restrain him.

Then he couldn’t indulge himself as before.

Zeng Cheng wasn’t exactly a good man—but he wasn’t bad either.

With rules and oversight, he could straighten up.

Just like back when he feared dragging down his grandfather’s family, he had worked well among the educated youths.

Zhao Qianqian believed that once he joined the military, he would settle down—and she could live comfortably as a pampered wife.

—

At the food factory.

That day, Zhao Qianqian went to work.

Because on the 15th of each month—wages were handed out.

And she couldn’t miss her very first paycheck!

She was thrilled.

The soul of every worker hated going to work—but loved payday.

Since she had only worked twenty days last month, her wage was 19 yuan.

After giving 2 yuan to her cousin Zhao Diao for covering shifts, she still had 17 left.

Yes, she had worked two-thirds of the time. He had worked two-thirds too, so giving him 2 yuan out of 3 was fair.

Besides money, she had to give him grain.

But she planned to let Zhao Diao come pick it up.

After all, during the autumn harvest, Zeng Cheng had earned plenty of coarse grain with his work points.

And their household never ate coarse grain.

So she could just give that to Zhao Diao.

At Qian village, the factory had three rest days each month.

Last month, Zhao Diao hadn’t taken any. This month, plus those, he had five days off.

Earning money and food while resting—what a life!

Much better than idling uselessly in Zhao village.

So on his day off, Zhao Diao came to collect grain from his cousin.

Since it was a long trip, Zhao Qianqian gave him 80 jin of coarse grain at once:
“I’ll advance you two months’ worth, so you don’t have to keep running back and forth.”

“It’s no trouble,” Zhao Diao scratched his head sheepishly. “Cousin, isn’t this too much?”

“I told you—it’s just an advance.”

“Alright then. Thank you, Cousin!” He accepted without protest.

Because he had come on foot, Zhao Qianqian even lent him her bicycle, making it easier to haul the grain home.