Chapter 245: Seventies Treasure Appraisal System (19)

Bai Mu looked at her young daughter who had returned to her maiden home empty-handed, and was truly quite annoyed:

"You married a driver too, so why haven't I seen you get a city job for your brother and sister-in-law? Xie Yang even brought a large slab of meat to her maiden home, along with Malt Extract, Brown Sugar, biscuits, and the like... You're nothing like her; every time you come back, it's just two cigarettes. Besides your father and brother liking to smoke them, what use are they? It would be better to trade them for some Brown Sugar; that would be practical!"

"..."

How could Bai Xiuyuan not know where the things Xie Yang brought to her maiden home came from? They were all thank-you gifts given by others!

But thinking that the family was even more generous than she had imagined—not only giving so many thank-you gifts but also arranging a job for Xie Yang!

A job!

And a Formal Worker position at that!

This made her regret even more that she hadn't left a little faster that day.

Otherwise, all those good things, plus the position of Women's Federation cadre, would have all been hers!

Now, Xie Yang was the one who benefited!

Bai Xiuyuan was so angry her teeth itched.

Xie Yang accompanied her sister-in-law from her maiden home to hand over the Women's Federation work, then went home. After resting at home for a day, she went to her husband's family.

The things for her husband's family were the same as those for her maiden home, but there was only one job, and it had already been given to her sister-in-law from her maiden home.

However, this job was one she had earned herself, so she could give it to whomever she pleased.

But considering that there were several young wives in the Hongqi Commune who had married over from the Liming Commune, if someone were to gossip one day and spread this matter to the ears of her husband's family—or even twist the facts and exaggerate, making them think this job was something Qin Zheng had secured but she had given to her maiden home—it would inevitably cause friction.

So, Xie Yang did not hide anything and explained the sequence of events in detail. At the end, she said to her mother-in-law:

"Mother, the reason I gave the job to my sister-in-law is because I had my own considerations. First, she has a high school education and is more suited for this job than I am; second, she is pregnant, and the doctor at the team said her pregnancy is not very stable. My sister-in-law's constitution is naturally quite weak, and if she continues to work in the fields, I worry she might miscarry, so I gave this job to her. I am in the city, and I will surely encounter other job opportunities in the future. Please rest assured, Qin Zheng and I have been keeping an eye out for Qin Yue. At worst, we can spend some money when the time comes to let Qin Yue start as an Apprentice Worker and find an opportunity to transfer to a formal position later."

Xie Yang simply made her stance clear to her mother-in-law, almost explicitly stating: whatever her maiden home had, her husband's family would definitely have too.

Qin Yue was still a year away from graduating middle school, and the Qin family naturally hoped he could be like Qin Zheng, testing into some unit in the city to eat from the public pot.

However, they also knew how difficult this path was to walk.

Hadn't they seen that in recent years, the educated youth from the city had all gone to the countryside? City jobs were all accounted for, one radish for one hole; there was no share for country folk.

Even Temporary Worker or Apprentice Worker positions were not that easy to find.

Qin Mu was not the type to be unreasonable. After hearing the ins and outs of this job from Xie Yang, besides sighing at her young daughter-in-law's good fortune, she didn't have any other thoughts. Instead, she said:

"City jobs are not so easily obtained. It is enough that you and the second son have this intention. Children and grandchildren have their own fortunes; many things are fated and cannot be forced."

Her youngest son was away driving and not at home, yet her young daughter-in-law still sent good things to her husband's family; this was enough to satisfy her.

After all, these were thank-you gifts from others. In this day and age, how hard was it to get a bite of meat? And there were cigarettes, Malt Extract... besides being expensive, one had to have coupons to buy them.

That large silk scarf, which one was afraid to even touch for fear of snagging, couldn't necessarily be bought even with money and coupons.

Even if she had kept it all to eat and use herself, or sent it to her own maiden home, what could she, as a mother-in-law, say?

When Xie Yang left, Qin Mu reciprocated by packing her a basket full of Shepherd's Purse, a bag of dried wood ear and mixed mushrooms, and three or four Rice Field Eels.

The Shepherd's Purse had been freshly dug that morning; at this time of year, it was very tender and delicious no matter how it was cooked.

The wood ear and mixed mushrooms were also picked from the mountains; they would dry what they couldn't finish, and every time she returned, Qin Mu would pack a bag for her.

The Rice Field Eels were caught by Qin Feng, who would squat by the pond every night to improve their meals. However, with the salted meat and fried ribs Xie Yang had brought, Qin Mu didn't keep a single one of the eels they were raising and let her take them all.

"Have you not been eating well lately? You look thinner than before. With the second son away, you need to eat better even when you're alone."

As she saw her out, Qin Mu muttered a few words of concern.

Xie Yang: "..."

She, thin?

She was almost bordering on plump, alright.

It was just that she had a small frame, and the weight was hidden; you couldn't tell just by looking at her face.

Her mother-in-law had given her too much Shepherd's Purse; she wouldn't be able to finish it in three or five days.

After Xie Yang returned home, she gave some to Kuihua Sao and dried some as preserved vegetables; when the weather got hot, she could use them to make soup.

After resting at home for two days, she couldn't sit still again.

Thinking that there was more than one Recycling Station in Yongcheng, and that other street stations might also have old items scattered about that this era treated like trash, she decided to go out and look around.

In fact, not every Recycling Station had old items of collectible value, but by running to a few more, she could always save some.

Just like that, as long as it wasn't raining, Xie Yang would go out every day, scouring the Recycling Stations one by one, from the nearest to the farthest.

During this time, she even saved a three-year-old boy who was almost abducted by a child trafficker. Because she reported it to the police in time and provided the trafficker's facial features, the Yongcheng police quickly cracked a major abduction case, rescuing more than a dozen young boys from the trafficker's den who were about to be sold across the country, sparing over a dozen families the pain of being separated from their flesh and blood.

Three days later, the police officers handling the case accompanied the families of the rescued children to present Xie Yang with a silk banner, a cash reward, and thank-you gifts.

Neighbors in the Family Building: "..."

Qin Zheng's wife has done another good deed?

Who did she help this time?

Why are so many people here to thank her? And none of them are empty-handed.

With so many thank-you gifts, wouldn't Qin Zheng's house be piled full?

Bai Xiuyuan had been wondering before: Xie Yang didn't use to go out much, sleeping until the sun was high every day, and was very lazy after getting up. Even when she did go out, it was either to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative or to eat out, or else to fetch water at the Canteen or bathe at the bathhouse. Why had she been riding her bicycle out every day recently? She had seen her from the balcony several times.

Until this moment, as 208 next door welcomed wave after wave of guests bringing armfuls of supplies to express their gratitude, Bai Xiuyuan's brow furrowed deeply.

Could it be that Xie Yang tasted the sweetness of the last thank-you gifts and was specifically going to the street to lie in wait and do good deeds?

No wonder she hadn't been sleeping in lately; she rode her bike out every day before noon and didn't return until evening.

So she was waiting for a rabbit to hit a tree, doing good deeds in exchange for thank-you gifts!

Don't say, this was really a good way to make money!

Since she was idle anyway, just helping out casually, who knows if she might run into a family as wealthy as the Chen Family? Once they came to thank her, wouldn't the rice, flour, and oil for this month and even next month be covered?

And looking at the things these people brought, it wasn't just rice, flour, and oil; there were also plenty of Canned Food, fruit, and other rare goods!

Just taking a few pieces to the black market would be enough to trade for quite a bit of money and coupons!

This money is coming in far too easily!

The more Bai Xiuyuan thought about it, the more jealous and depressed she became; why did she have to be pregnant at this exact time, not earlier and not later? Otherwise, she would have gone out to the street to wander around too.

But she was heavy with child recently; although her morning sickness was not as severe as it had been at the beginning, ever since she made a trip to her maiden home, she felt tired even climbing the stairs upon her return, so how could she dare to take this risk?

If she failed to encounter someone in need of help, but instead caused herself to have a miscarriage, wouldn't that be a loss that outweighed the gain!