Chapter 510: Gossip-for-Survival System (9)

Word spread that the Xie Family had gained a nursing babe, and that he was the legitimate son of Xie Jianbing from where he had been sent to the countryside; the neighbors in the Dazayuan were all curious and went over in groups to take a look.

"My, he looks quite like Jianbing did when he was little!"

"He just looks a bit weak. How old is he?"

"Five months or so? Then isn't that Jianbing..."

Those with quick minds immediately guessed the truth—it was likely that the news of Xie Jianbing's accident had reached Dongjiang County, causing his country wife to go into premature labor.

"The child is so small, and the mother has already remarried? How heartless!"

After a bit of imagination, everyone assumed the woman didn't want to be a young widow, which was why she had sent the child back to the Xie Family.

Grandma Xie sighed gloomily: "It was my Jianbing who dragged the child's mother down; she had a seven-month premature birth and didn't pull through, following Jianbing, leaving behind my poor little grandson who will have to live with an old woman like me from now on."

"..."

What? The child's mother not only had a premature birth but also a difficult labor?

Oh my! This is really...

Which god of misfortune did the Xie Family offend? How could they be so plagued by disasters!

Everyone's gaze toward the three Xie Family members was filled with pity.

But it was only pity for a few seconds.

When they looked up and saw the Xie Family's three large Main Rooms, those sturdy rafters and pillars, the high and wide eaves, and the spacious hall, they felt the Xie Family members weren't so pitiful after all; Grandma Xie had a pension, Xie Yang had a job, and Xie Lei... although he was still a nursing babe, he was born with an independent large bedroom, happier than many of them!

Rather than pitying the Xie Family, they might as well pity themselves!

Especially Wang Lin; every time she came to the Xie Family and saw the candies and pastries on the eight-immortal table, the apples and bananas on the side table, and the biscuits, milk powder, and Malt Extract in the food cabinet... she wished she could swap identities with Xie Yang.

Everyone thought Xie Yang was pitiful, but only she thought Xie Yang was so happy.

She had an independent, spacious room and could eat whatever she wanted; even if she ate meat every day, Grandma Xie would never say a word of criticism, but instead would only reach into her purse and walk on her bound feet to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative to buy what her granddaughter liked to eat.

Unlike herself, sleeping in a partitioned-off small room without even a proper door; even when she finally saved enough pocket money to buy some snacks she liked, she had to hide and eat them secretly, otherwise her mother would catch her and scold her for being "gluttonous and lazy."

The only thing better than Xie Yang was: she was still studying and didn't have to work.

Studying was much easier than working.

Although she couldn't guarantee she would definitely get into university in three years, at least it was easy now.

Unlike Xie Yang, who got so tired she fainted after working for less than two months. Tsk tsk! Let's see how she manages in the future!

The Xie Family members were completely unaware of what the neighbors thought of their home.

With a five-month-old little tot added to the family, the two were very busy—

Grandma Xie brought out the sewing machine, picked out some old cotton clothes to cut into a pile of diaper strips; she also burned some plant ash and sewed a batch of thick diapers for nighttime use. This was to avoid running out of clean ones when there wasn't enough time to wash them.

Xie Yang went to find a carpenter to make a cradle and a baby carriage.

The cradle could be moved, and it was faster to coax the baby to sleep; with a gentle push, the cradle would sway, immediately lulling the sleepy tot into a deep sleep.

The baby carriage was for pushing him to the Courtyard to sunbathe when the little fellow was awake, so that even at mealtime, when Grandma Xie needed to wash vegetables and rinse rice, her hands were freed.

In addition, she had a chest-high long cabinet custom-made and placed under the window in the hall.

On the surface of the cabinet, she arranged the milk powder, baby bottle, a bowl for scalding the bottle, an enamel cup with a lid for cooling boiled water, and a thermos.

Inside the cabinet, the top layer held unopened milk powder and spare bottles; the middle layer held washed and dried diapers, baby clothes, and small thin blankets; the bottom layer was temporarily empty, to be filled gradually in the future.

This cabinet was specifically for Xiao Shitou's items, saving them from running back and forth when they needed things.

After settling the home, it was time for Xie Yang to end her leave and go to work.

"Xiao Xie, here for work? Has your health recovered? If you aren't fully recovered, just rest for a few more days, don't force yourself."

"Thank you, Director He, I'm all better."

Workshop Director He Wenli was once the deputy to Xie Yang's mother and the Deputy Director of the workshop.

After Xie Yang's mother passed away, he competed for the position of Workshop Director, passed the factory's assessment, and sat in the chair of the First Production Workshop Director.

When the original owner came to work at the Mechanical Factory, the factory leaders, out of care, wanted to arrange for her to work in the factory office or the Union, but it was He Wenli who said:

"If your mother were still here, she would definitely keep you by her side, teach you lathe technology hand-in-hand, and train you to be the most capable lathe operator."

The original owner decided to stay in the First Production Workshop where her mother used to be.

Xie Yang recalled this scene and smiled.

Who would have thought, He Wenli was actually an old "green tea" manipulator.

Was this because he was unwilling to have been subordinate to Xie Yang's mother? Did he feel it was a grievance for a grown man to be a deputy to a woman? Now that he was a director, did he want to regain his so-called dignity from her daughter?

He couldn't do anything openly, but was he secretly pleased to see her struggling to keep up with the progress in a production workshop that only a group of grown men or an Iron Lady could handle?

Truly sick!

But now that she was Xie Yang, this level of work intensity was no pressure at all for her.

She worked easily for half a day; as soon as the noon bell rang, Xie Yang took off her gloves, removed her blue coat, and went to the Canteen to get food on time.

"Xiao Xie!"

The Iron Lady from the neighboring workshop, Zhao Wenhui, caught up with her quickly.

"How is your health? I wanted to visit you a long time ago, but the factory recently took on a batch of urgent orders, and I haven't been able to get away."

Xie Yang saw her sunken eye sockets, sallow skin, and a large fever blister at the corner of her mouth—typical signs of excessive liver fire caused by lack of sleep.

She sincerely advised her: "Hui Yi, I'm already better, but what about you? Have you been working overtime every day and not getting enough sleep lately? If this continues, your health will collapse."

"Sigh, what can I do!" Zhao Wenhui waved her hand, "When the brain isn't enough, you have to make up for it with physical labor."

A colleague passing by couldn't help but laugh: "The Iron Lady has troubles too?"

"Go, go, go! Is the Iron Lady not a human?"

Zhao Wenhui took Xie Yang to the Canteen and headed straight for the first window where she knew the server: "Lao Fan, is there braised pork today? Give me two portions."

"No braised pork, but there is braised hairtail Fish."

"That works too."

Zhao Wenhui paid for two portions and had Xie Yang hand the lunchbox to Lao Fan.

Xie Yang said helplessly, "Hui Yi, I have money and food coupons."

"You having them is your business."

Zhao Wenhui insisted on paying for two portions, one for herself to eat and one for Xie Yang to take home.

The Mechanical Factory is reasonably close to Number 8 Compound, a dozen minutes by foot, and faster by bicycle.

Therefore, unless it was raining or snowing, the original owner usually came to the Canteen to get a meat dish, while Grandma Xie stir-fried a vegetable dish at home, and the grandmother and granddaughter ate together.

Now that it is Xie Yang, with a little one at home to take care of, she needs to go home to eat even more.

Xie Yang rode her bicycle back home; Grandma Xie was already stir-frying in the kitchen, and the smell was like vinegar-glazed Chinese cabbage.