Chapter 278: with translation of chapter title

Qin Huairu thought the so‑called full staff was merely an excuse Shazhu used to refuse her.

In essence, she still didn't want to help the Jia Family; she just wanted to see herself suffer.

There are policies from above.

There are countermeasures below.

He opened his mouth.

He blurted it out without thinking.

"Shazhu, you're the canteen chief; find a pretext, fire someone, and Qin Sister can join the canteen. Or have him swap with Qin Sister so he won't be left without work at Yagangchang."

Shazhu nearly couldn't hold back his laughter.

I didn't expect Qin Huairu to be so shameless.

"If you fire one person, I can work in the canteen; otherwise we could swap posts—she goes to the canteen, that person goes to the Ninth Workshop."

His gaze swept across Qin Huairu's face a few times.

"Shazhu, what are you looking at?"

"I'm checking whether your face is big or not."

Qin Huairu's expression changed.

She's not an idiot.

She heard the mockery in Shazhu's words.

"Shazhu, please help me—I really can't keep working in the Ninth Workshop."

"Do I look like an idiot to you?"

"'Ah?' Qin Huairu hadn't expected Shazhu to ask that; she stared for a few seconds, then stammered, 'No… not really… not like that.'"

"Then why should I help you? What relation are you to me—sister? sister? On what grounds would I fire a good canteen worker and transfer you, Qin Huairu, to the canteen? Are you an advanced worker in the Ninth Workshop? A labor model? Or have you done something noteworthy?"

He heard footsteps coming from afar.

Shazhu's voice involuntarily rose.

"If you can't keep working in the Ninth Workshop and want to come to the canteen, why can't you stay in the workshop? Is it because of me, He Yuzhu, or because of the neighbors? Is it me holding you back, Qin Huairu, or the neighbors dragging you down? On what basis would you fire someone and transfer you to the canteen? Even the factory director wouldn't dare casually say to fire a person—you, Qin Huairu, just flap your lips and fire someone; who gave you the nerve?"

"He Yuzhu." Seeing Shazhu refuse to help and even put a hat on her, Qin Huairu felt her heart and gall burst; she stared wide‑eyed at Shazhu and said, "Are you trying to drive me to death?"

"'Driving you to death—such a big hat, I, He Yuzhu, can't bear it. You entered the factory together with Liang Laidi; she's now a third‑class welder, and I hear she'll be pushing for fourth‑class soon, while you, Qin Huairu, are still a first‑class worker receiving special subsidies."

"I really don't know what you've been doing these two years; with the time you spend scheming against the steel plant coworkers, why not improve your skills? For the mistakes you've made, why should I, He Yuzhu, have to pay the bill?"

"I still say the same thing: I can't help you transfer jobs; if you want to change work, go to the leaders—if they let you into the canteen, I, He Yuzhu, won't object."

Shazhu slapped away the hand Qin Huairu had braced against the door panel.

Then he gave the door a hard swing.

There was a bang as the door he slammed shut shuddered violently.

Only Qin Huairu remained standing outside, staring at the cold, trembling door panel, her face deathly.

He was completely dumbfounded.

Although she had already guessed Shazhu wouldn't help her, when the fact actually unfolded before her eyes she still couldn't quite accept it.

A strong sense of crisis surged into Qin Huairu's heart, making her feel very uneasy.

If Shazhu won't help her, does she have to keep being harassed by everyone in the Ninth Workshop?

Seek the leaders to transfer work.

Qin Huairu hadn't not thought of that.

She had given it serious thought.

As the notorious laggard famous throughout Yagangchang, the Ninth Workshop fell from the top ten advanced workshops to last place because of Qin Huairu's existence.

The ensuing trouble left everyone in the Ninth Workshop—from the workshop chief down to the apprentices—resentful of Qin Huairu.

The bloody fact lay right before them.

Only someone with a screw loose would transfer Qin Huairu into their own workshop.

Nobody wanted her.

Otherwise Qin Huairu wouldn't have lost composure; she ended up becoming the very person she despised—a Jia Zhangshi who wasn't the Jia Zhangshi.

…

Yan Family.

Yan Fugui's face broke into a smile.

Outsiders couldn't see the inner secret.

Yan Fugui, however, guessed a big scheme.

Qin Huairu hadn't held back a good fart.

After so many years as neighbors, who doesn't know who?

They constantly say they can't make a living.

Actually it just means their quality of life has dropped.

Qin Huairu's monthly wage plus subsidy is twenty‑seven point five; the food expenses for five people amount at most to seven or eight yuan, which is one yuan more than the Yan Family's.

Only because of Yi Zhonghai's some immoral ideas, with overt and covert aid, the Jia Family's mouths have been spoiled—they can't stand coarse cornmeal buns or thin sorghum porridge.

Otherwise Jia Zhangshi couldn't be so pale and plump, and Bangeng wouldn't be so sturdy.

Put plainly.

Greed is not enough for a snake to swallow an elephant.

This is them setting their sights on Shazhu; otherwise why not come yesterday or tomorrow, but they deliberately picked a day when Yu Li wasn't around to show up quietly.

It's nothing more than them harboring a sneaky plan, wanting to use Shazhu to improve their family's quality of life.

Unfortunately, Shazhu didn't fall for it.

Qin Huairu will also lose face more and more.

There is no wall that doesn't let the wind through.

In the Siheyuan, many people take a dislike to Qin Huairu.

According to Yan Fugui's guess, it won't take long tomorrow for Qin Huairu's embarrassing incident to spread throughout the Yagangchang, letting countless people know.

As expected.

Everything turned out exactly as Yan Fugui had predicted.

The next day at eight o'clock.

The workers of the Yagangchang, who had not yet officially started work, gathered around and gossiped about Qin Huairu's failed job transfer.

In Workshop Nine, the atmosphere was the most lively.

"Have you heard? Brazen Qin Huairu went to Director He and asked him to transfer her to the cafeteria."

"She can't stay any longer; in my opinion, letting her go would be good, so we don't drag down Workshop Nine. I haven't seen the workshop ranking award in three years."

"You didn't see it, but we did? The problem is there's no place for her. I heard from the Siheyuan workers that Director He answered Qin Huairu like this, saying all ten cafeterias are full and I can't help you, Qin Huairu."

"What Director He said is correct; the Yagangchang now has one radish per hole."

"Guess how Qin Huairu answered Director He? I bet you can't figure it out. She said, 'Director He, if you fire one cafeteria worker, couldn't I just go work in the cafeteria?'"

"Hey, Qin Huairu is treating Director He like Yi Zhonghai; I'm worried Director He will follow in Yi Zhonghai's footsteps."

"Impossible, Director He's wife is Yu Li, who is a thousand times better than Qin Huairu; Director He would never do something like picking up sesame seeds and losing a watermelon. Besides, Qin Huairu isn't a sesame seed—she's a pile of dog shit. When Yi Zhonghai was around, he loafed around all day."

Outside the door.

Qin Huairu stood there.

Listening to the workers' heated discussion.

She had become a senseless wooden puppet.

Before work today, she had already made some mental preparations, knowing she would be mocked by the workers.

Being mocked.

She also had to endure it.

Unless she wanted to be punished for absenteeism.