Chapter 1055: The Irony of Fate

"Why are you back so late?"

As Li Xuewu just entered the courtyard, he saw his mother standing at the doorway looking out; upon seeing him, she couldn't help but complain.

"Even if you have work to attend to, you should have sent word so I could prepare dinner."

"Haha—there was something at the factory."

Li Xuewu smiled and hugged his mother, nodding to Wang Laoqi who was passing by, acknowledging his greeting.

After greeting him, Wang Laoqi didn't just walk past; instead, he leaned in and asked quietly, "Did Jin Yaohui from the Third Industry Comrade Comrade Li Chu die?"

Hearing him say this, Li Xuewu blinked, but by now, his mother had already caught on.

She looked at her son nervously, as if terrified that something might implicate Li Xuewu.

Li Xuewu had originally wanted his mother to know about his work, as it had nothing to do with him, but it only ended up causing her worry.

But since Wang Laoqi had already spoken, he had no choice but to nod and say, "He was already gone when he jumped. Just keep this to yourself; don't go blabbering about it outside."

"Don't you worry! Brother Seven knows how to keep his mouth shut!"

Wang Laoqi waved his hand as if he had heard some joyous news, and after saying that to him, he trotted off outside.

"Is everything alright? Why did someone die?"

Liu Yin grabbed her son's arm and asked, "You came back so late—was it to handle this?"

"Don't worry, Mom. It was a cadre at the factory who committed a crime and committed suicide out of fear of punishment. It has nothing to do with me."

Li Xuewu patted his mother's arm and said, "You can finish packing up. I'll carry it for you, and we'll get in the car and go home right now."

"I finished packing a long time ago, but you weren't back."

As Liu Yin was speaking, she saw her daughter Li Xue enter and complained again, "Your brother is busy, but are you busy too? You don't even know how to come home, and you haven't eaten dinner either?"

"Mom, you only see that my brother is busy. Have you thought about the fact that his leaders were having a meeting? Could I have left early?"

Li Xue hugged her mother helplessly and looked at her second brother, asking, "Is it all handled? You didn't get stuck with any responsibility, did you?"

"A death is a major event. No one can be completely clear of it; there's bound to be some management responsibility."

Li Xuewu let out a long breath and said, "If you're scared, take a detour when you walk by that side. It's bad luck."

"Stop talking about it. I wasn't scared until you mentioned it."

Li Xue pursed her lips and said, "They were all pressing against the windows looking out. I was writing materials and didn't see it, but everyone said it was terrifying."

"People just repeat what they hear. They landed face-first, and the security and factory hospital took them away. Who actually saw it?"

Li Xuewu tilted his head slightly and signaled to her, "There's no point in talking about him. Just take it as a warning. There will be a unified statement on this matter tomorrow."

"Is this what you studied in your meeting?"

Li Xue also felt it was pointless; she curled her lip and walked into the house, holding her mother's hand.

"Just off work? Have you eaten dinner?"

The old lady was holding Li Shu by the dining table, feeding her, and asked when she saw her grandson enter.

Li Xuewu smiled at his daughter and answered the old lady, "I was called into a meeting before I even got off work. I rushed back as soon as it finished, just afraid you'd be waiting anxiously."

"Your mother was waiting anxiously, afraid something had happened to you."

The old lady handed Li Shu, who had stopped eating, to Li Xuewu and said, "Go on, go on, go home with your daddy. She's closer to her daddy than anyone else."

"That's not true. Look at how many tricks she has up her sleeve."

Zhao Yafang coaxed the child in her arms and said to the old lady with a smile, "She was just thinking about her daddy earlier; that was because she was afraid her little aunt would come back first."

"Is that so—"

Li Xue deliberately scared Li Shu, saying, "Do you remember what you told me this morning?"

"Ya—ah—!"

Li Shu came out of the old lady's arms and, once held by her daddy, hugged his neck tightly.

She thought that if she stayed quiet, the "Big Demon King" wouldn't notice her and wouldn't think of her.

But since her aunt reminded him, the Big Demon King reached out to grab her hand, which scared her.

The child's voice was loud; it felt deafening right next to his ear.

Li Xuewu held her and dodged back. She finally had a backer; seeing her little aunt chasing after her, she reached out her little hands, wanting to scratch her.

And when Li Xue spanked her, the little mouth wouldn't give in, shouting "stinky aunt" and "hit," but the more she shouted, the more she got hit.

"Why are you teasing her? Isn't she noisy enough?"

Liu Yin brought out the packed luggage and asked Li Xuewu, "We've all eaten. Why don't you have a bite here before we go back?"

"Forget it, the driver is still waiting."

Li Xuewu signaled to his mother, "I didn't say I wouldn't go back to eat; there's definitely food left at home. If you don't have anything else to take, let's go now."

He held Li Shu, went into the inner room to get the coat she was wrapped in, tucked his daughter inside the clothes, held her, and handed her to his mother, while taking her luggage himself.

"What's in here? It's so heavy?"

Li Xuewu had seen it earlier—a big bag of things—and didn't think it was heavy, but it felt heavy the moment he picked it up.

"Are you leaving already, Second Brother? Why didn't you eat here?"

Ji Yuxiu, who had just come over from the East Courtyard, smiled and teased Li Shu, who only had her eyes visible, and greeted Li Xuewu.

Li Xuewu pointed outside and said, "They're waiting at home. My meeting ran late. Did you get off work early?"

"It's normal now; it's quite relaxed."

Ji Yuxiu took Li Shu, held her, and walked out to see them off, saying, "I helped Mom pack some pickled vegetables and eggs for tonight."

"Why take that stuff?"

Li Xuewu smiled helplessly, "We have everything at home, and I don't like eating eggs. It's fine if you give the pickled vegetables to Gu Ning."

"Go on—! You have no sense of propriety~"

Liu Yin patted him with a smile and said, "The eggs are for Xiao Ning, and the pickled vegetables are for myself. If I'm not used to the sauce at your place, I'll just eat some pickled vegetables."

"Look at what you're saying. Is this like going to Second Brother's house to suffer?"

Li Xue, who followed them out, covered her mouth and laughed, "Stop letting people hear that, or they'll think my second brother isn't filial, and that you only get to eat pickled vegetables at his house."

"Hahaha—you're the one who talks the most!"

Liu Yin pointed at her daughter with a smile and said, "Whatever I eat, I don't mind. I just think these pickled vegetables go well with rice; they're delicious."

"Don't say that when you get there, or Second Sister-in-law will overthink it—!"

Ji Yuxiu joked, "Seeing her mother-in-law not eating the dishes and only eating pickled vegetables, she might think the family's food isn't good enough or the taste isn't right."

"Listen to you all. Is Xiao Ning that kind of person?"

Liu Yin looked at her son with a smile and said, "Seeing that your second brother is doing well, I'd be happy and content even if I went there to eat pickled vegetables."

"Then that's settled. At our house, it'll be pickled vegetables for the last meal, pickled vegetables for the next, every single meal."

Li Xuewu laughed, "By the time you come back, our house will be empty."

"Yo—! So lively!"

Sha Zhu, with his hands behind his back, was walking in with the First Master, and they bumped into Li Xuewu and the others face-to-face.

He spotted Li Xuewu and asked with a smile, "What's this? Leaving already? You haven't stayed for a while; what's the rush!"

"You're not in a rush because you've eaten, but I just got off work and I'm starving."

Li Xuewu handed the luggage in his hand to Han Jiankun, who had come in to take it, greeted the First Master, and asked, "Are you two out for a stroll after eating?"

"Just walking around the alley; the weather has warmed up."

The First Master smiled and teased Li Shu, let the family pass, and even said a few words to Liu Yin.

Everyone in the courtyard had known since the afternoon that Liu Yin had found time to go to Li Xuewu's place to take care of the child.

Even though Qin Jingru was there to help, a grandmother would always be worried about her grandchild.

Not to mention that since the meningitis propaganda started, she hadn't seen the child for nearly half a month; everyone knew she must be missing her.

So, everyone in the courtyard who met them coming and going greeted Liu Yin and asked about it.

Liu Yin also replied with a face full of smiles; she was naturally happy to have her grandchild, and even more satisfied to be relied upon by her son.

Thus, while Li Xuewu was still standing at the moon gate talking to Sha Zhu and the First Master, the mother and her children had already walked outside with the baby.

"Was the meeting because of what happened this afternoon?"

Sha Zhu raised his eyebrows and, seeing Shen Guodong come out of the side room, caught the cigarette he threw over.

"If you ask me, it has nothing to do with any of you. He brought it on himself!"

"What's that? Heard something happened at the factory?"

Shen Guodong, with his clothes draped over his shoulders and wearing cloth shoes, stood at the screen door and asked.

"Nothing much, it's all handled."

Li Xuewu's answers were always understated; he would never blow things out of proportion.

Seeing Shen Guodong come out, he glanced at the side room and asked, "Are the Old Master and the Second Master not home?"

"Took the boys out for a bath."

Shen Guodong lit his cigarette, reached out to pull up his shoes, and said, "I only heard from Brother Zhu this afternoon that someone died over at the Third Industry side."

"That was a case that started being investigated a long time ago."

Li Xuewu waved his hand, refusing the cigarette he had just pulled out to offer, and said, "Smoke less. You're still young; why act so high and mighty?"

After finishing, he explained, "It has nothing to do with the business. Lv Peizhong is temporarily in charge of the Third Industry side; it won't delay external cooperation."

"So, does that mean someone still needs to be replaced?"

As they were talking, the East Room, which had been pitch black, suddenly had someone push open the window, which gave Li Xuewu quite a start.

Yushui leaned her arms on the windowsill and said to him, "I gave suggestions to the management office a long time ago about the chaotic personnel assignments and the large-scale adjustment of technical management personnel, but no one listened to me."

"Alright, he who sows evil reaps destruction."

Li Xuewu shifted his feet and turned sideways to face Yushui directly. She was leaning on the windowsill, and the car lights were a bit blinding.

Perhaps noticing his movement, Yushui stood up quickly, though it didn't attract anyone else's attention.

The First Master said a few words of gossip about the workshop regarding this, and after getting Li Xuewu's explanation, he nodded and didn't say anything more.

Sha Zhu, on the other hand, kept saying he deserved it; he didn't know if it was because Jin Yaohui had offended him when he was Li Huai De's secretary.

Sha Zhu didn't say, but Li Huai De valued his cooking skills and must have ordered him around quite a bit.

A cook, after all, has a big belly and a small head; who knows how he ended up at odds with Jin Yaohui.

It wasn't that he liked watching the spectacle or kicking someone when they were down, but with Yushui there, he thought Jin Yaohui making things difficult for her had something to do with him.

Why else would people say his heart was too big? It was hard for him to think about anything.

With Jin Yaohui's position, it wouldn't have reached the point of going after Yushui because of a little past conflict with Sha Zhu.

It was a pure interest relationship, and a competitive one at that; it had nothing to do with personal grudges.

But since the person was dead, he was too lazy to explain to Sha Zhu. He asked how He Zhuang was growing, which effectively moved past the topic.

When Sha Zhu mentioned his son, he naturally grinned from ear to ear, saying "hehehe" about how good his son was and how chubby he was.

He was also a simple-minded person; once he was happy, he forgot about the previous matter.

He even told Li Xuewu to bring the child back when he had time, so they could compare whether Li Ning or He Zhuang was growing better.

Li Xuewu said he had no secrets in his belly, otherwise he'd be shaking it until the whole street knew.

Sha Zhu did say that his brother-in-law, Pa Zile, had come back twice to see the child and his sister.

He personally cooked four dishes and accompanied him with drinks; there was quite an age gap, but they got along very harmoniously.

It was also clear that his sister was doing well with Sha Zhu, and the child was growing well, sturdy, and with strong little legs.

Pa Zile had been busy with work. After arriving in Beijing, he was first recruited into the Dongcheng Public Security Brigade by Li Xuewu, and later enlisted with the brigade.

Now he had the status of a deputy battalion commander, and all that was left was to work hard.

He had settled in Beijing, but he wasn't married, so he wasn't in a hurry to find a house. Even when he had leave, he didn't rest; he only came back when his sister gave birth.

Even though his workplace was close to home, he often led teams up the mountain or on long-distance training, and with many tasks, he had no time to come home.

When he did come back, he would just stay for one night in the side room, which was very convenient.

Sha Zhu chattered on and told Li Xuewu quite a bit, seeing him off to the main gate.

He stopped talking, and Shen Guodong wanted to say a few words. He had just started the topic of Luo Yun following him to study, but Li Xuewu blocked him.

"Tomorrow is Saturday. I'm going to the club in the evening; you come over too. We can talk about business there."

Seeing that his mother and Li Shu had already gotten into the car, Li Xuewu got into the passenger seat and instructed Shen Guodong and the others, "It's late, they're waiting for dinner at home, and we're hungry too. We're off."

Shen Guodong and the others watched the command car leave from the gate, chatted for a while, and then entered the courtyard.

In the courtyard, every household had finished dinner. Taking advantage of the fact that it wasn't cold, those who liked to visit would dash between the front and back courtyards.

However, people were careful about turning on lights in these years; even if children turned on lights to do homework, they would be scolded by their mothers.

They didn't go home to do homework after school in the afternoon, but went out to run wild, waiting until it was dark to think about using electricity to do homework; many families had such nagging.

Those who lived carefully would turn off the lights if there was nothing to do at home. It wasn't that they went to bed so early, but they would rather stand outside in the dark than waste those few cents or dimes a month.

There were also the wealthy ones who didn't care about that little bit, just to make the house bright, which also set off their status and style.

Your house is dark all year round, my house is bright—my house is living better than yours!

Ordinary people living their lives, isn't it all about this comparison? Comparing brothers, comparing neighbors, comparing appearances, feeling comfortable when comparing to living better, and having to work hard when comparing to living worse.

Seeing others living better than themselves, they had to know how to catch up; just being jealous wouldn't work.

"I've been working for a month, but I can't rely on anyone, and I can't see a cent of money."

Third Master's wife, Hou Qinghua, stood in the kitchen washing dishes, her gaze occasionally drifting toward the side room.

Their family had to turn on the lights; even if it was only for a while during dinner, they had to turn them on.

Yan Fugui was a teacher, a person of status; how could he let the neighbors look down on him?

No matter how much his heart ached for the electricity money, he had to maintain this last bit of dignity, especially since he had to listen to the radio.

If you say a teacher just needs to close their eyes and teach according to the textbook, that worked before, but not now.

They had to understand national affairs, understand the social situation, and learn new ideas and new lines; they couldn't be backward teachers, but had to have progressiveness.

Reading newspapers on weekdays was one aspect, and listening to news consultations in a timely manner was also necessary.

Yan Fugui's eyesight was still okay before, and wearing glasses didn't delay things.

But after one incident after another in the family, not only did his brain react slower, but his eyes were getting worse day by day.

He also knew he should change to a new pair of lenses, but he couldn't bear to spend the money and could only hold on.

He was just listening to the summary of the situation in March when he heard the nagging in the kitchen. He was so annoyed—should he listen to her or to the radio!

"Alright, stop nagging, what's the use!"

Yan Fugui said impatiently, "Wasn't it you who agreed to it early on? Could this messy business have happened otherwise?"

"Why are you blaming me again—!"

Hou Qinghua finished cleaning the kitchen, walked out, wiped her hands on her apron, and said, "Isn't Jiefang your son? Do you want to watch him go out and freeze or starve to death?"

Yan Fugui had thought about this countless times in his heart, almost to the point of death. Hearing his old partner bring up the past again, he frowned and really didn't want to listen.

Nothing else, he was just tired of it.

Hou Qinghua, however, had found an outlet for her frustration. She took off her apron and said angrily, "There's only the kind of son who forgets his mother after getting married, but there's no mother who doesn't feel sorry for her son. Besides, he's also a..."

She was speaking in a rush and almost blurted out the family's pain; the word "cripple" couldn't be said in their family, it was considered a taboo.

By now, she had walked herself into a pit. Hou Qinghua paused, sighed, and said, "Forget it, there's no point in talking about it."

"Didn't she pay the food money?"

Yan Fugui listened to the radio while frowning slightly, "What else do you want? Why is there so much to say?"

"If I don't say it—!"

Hou Qinghua glanced at her old partner and said, "Do you know what kind of work she does at the factory, and who she comes into contact with? Do you know that with Second Brother's situation, can he really hold onto her?"

"Why bring this up again?"

Yan Fugui turned off the radio in anger and said in a low voice, "They've closed their doors to live their own little lives; what else are you dissatisfied with?"

"They go to work at the factory peacefully, and they still have to think about nursing the child every day. Which nerve of yours hasn't connected right, why are you picking on this!"

He stood up, walked to the doorway, looked at the side room on the right, turned back to his old partner, and said, "If Second Brother hears this, he won't be comfortable. If the two of them start fighting, will you be comfortable then?"

"I'm not comfortable, I'm not comfortable no matter what."

Hou Qinghua sat on the chair, tilted her head, and said angrily, "Getting the certificate is one thing, but they even handed out wedding candies! It was so sweet it made her sick! She wasn't even ashamed."

"Besides, it was agreed at the beginning that even if she wanted to work, the salary had to be handed over to the family first to clear the accounts."

"Look at it now, they only hand over the food money to the family, and she keeps the rest for herself."

Hou Qinghua became more and more energetic as she spoke, pointing at the doorway and saying, "If I had known she would be so high-profile, I wouldn't have agreed to Second Brother's marriage. Why is she so lacking?"

"Alright! Is it pleasant to hear!"

Yan Fugui heard her getting more and more outrageous, gave a low shout, and reprimanded, "Who was the one who persuaded me at the beginning? Are you confused yourself now!"

After finishing, he glared at his old partner and said, "If you're willing to look after the child, then look after it. If you're not willing, don't go near them!"

"And!"

He pointed at the kitchen and said, "If you're willing to cook this meal, then collect their food money. If you're not willing to serve them, tell them to set up their own stove as soon as possible."

"How can they set up their own! With Second Brother's body!"

Hou Qinghua said dissatisfiedly, "I told you to find the school and say something. Why can't you arrange it? Have you been working for nothing all these years?!"

"Look at how tired he is, riding a tricycle every day. Can he even pedal it!"

"Now you know how to feel sorry for him! What were you doing earlier!"

Yan Fugui was also angry, slapped the table, and said, "When he was causing trouble, you spoiled him. Now he has to eat this bitter work himself. Is he willing to eat it, or is he begging others to let him eat it!"

Hou Qinghua was scolded by her old partner and burst into tears, wiping her eyes with her apron, sobbing and unable to speak.

A few days ago, the Bai Bai Xiyuan recycling station quietly released word that they were short of manpower and that neighbors who were willing to do this could come over to talk.

Bringing your own vehicle was one price, and if you didn't have one, they would provide a tricycle, which was another price. Anyway, there was money to be made, and you wouldn't starve.

Just the phrase "wouldn't starve"—in the current Four Nine City, for young people or those with nowhere else to turn, it was no different from a full meal and a roof to shelter from the wind and rain.

The word only spread among the neighbors, but before it could go outside, people were already blocking the door.

The early bird catches the worm. No one knew what he was thinking, but Yan Jiefang, who used to walk with his neck held high and looked down on these people in the Bai Bai Xiyuan who collected scrap, took the initiative to go to their door.

He heard it the earliest and went the earliest. Seeing Shen Guodong, he stated his intention straightforwardly.

Shen Guodong saw his stiff face and his body trembling with nervousness, and asked about his leg.

At this, Yan Jiefang almost cried. He bit his lip hard and nodded, guaranteeing that he could pedal the vehicle and collect scrap.

Shen Guodong really saw his difficulty. Killing someone is just a matter of a head falling to the ground; Yan Jiefang didn't have a shred of arrogance left on him now.

Those who knew him thought he was seventeen; those who didn't thought he was twenty-seven.

Standing in the side room, how much psychological preparation did he have to make, how much determination did he have to have, and how much so-called face did he have to throw away?

On New Year's Eve, Comrade Ge Shuqin brought him home. It was Comrade Ge Shuqin who carried his luggage and walked back to that room openly.

As a man, since he had given his sister-in-law a promise, he had to keep his word.

Pasting matchboxes could make money, but it was getting harder and harder to do now. Being able to get a share of this work was only because they saw he had a problem with his leg.

But the quota he got was getting smaller and smaller. Just relying on this, he couldn't support his family at all.

Yes, Comrade Ge Shuqin had started work and could earn money, and that salary was enough to support their family of three.

But he was a man. Now someone had to take care of the child, and when Comrade Ge Shuqin was at work, she still had to feed the baby formula, and the expenses would increase in the future.

His mother said she wouldn't look after the child because the salary wasn't handed over to the family; she wasn't willing, and she was too busy.

Yan Jiefang was angry and told Comrade Ge Shuqin to go to work with peace of mind, and he would take care of the child.

Comrade Ge Shuqin was also really willing to let go. She taught him how to take care of the child and then went to work at the steel mill.

And Yan Jiefang, while taking care of the child at home, was also pasting matchboxes and thinking of ways to earn money to support his family.

It was a coincidence. Hearing the news from the recycling station, his heart folded a hundred and eighty times.

After thinking over and over again, he really lifted his leg and walked into the courtyard of the side room.

He was prepared to be kicked out by Shen Guodong. He used to often talk behind their backs that these people were down-and-out and only deserved to live with scrap.

And the result? They were scrap collectors, but their lives were getting better and better.

And him? A teacher's child, living like a dog.

So don't talk about whether he could let go of his face; he just wanted to live. Once he could support himself, then they could talk about face.

Shen Guodong was very surprised to see him come, and Yan Jiefang was also very surprised to hear him agree straightforwardly.

His heart was filled with mixed feelings, and he didn't say a word. The next day, he got up early, prepared everything the child needed, put it on the tricycle, and pushed it out the door.

From that day on, the tricycles in the Bai Bai Xiyuan were all put to use. Even the neighbors around, both old men and young men, for the sake of a meal, quietly started pedaling the tricycles.

Those who didn't catch up regretted it, but were also fortunate that they still had a chance to wait for the neighborhood office; what if there was a job allocation?

He didn't care about others. Yan Jiefang, carrying a half-year-old child, started his scrap-collecting career in the spring when it was still cold.

His legs weren't good, so he used one leg harder. When the child cried, he would get off and coax her first.

People in Four Nine City look down on the poor and up on the rich. If your family is rich and powerful, they will flatter you on the surface, but they won't recognize you in their hearts.

But for those who are worse off than them, they have to have a bit of kindness; they can't just watch without doing anything.

So the area Shen Guodong arranged for Yan Jiefang gradually became familiar with this cripple carrying a baby girl.

They didn't know his name, so they all called him "Cripple," and he would answer, talking to people with a smile.

Whether they pitied him or took care of him, the scrap was really not hard to collect. At first, he might not be familiar with it, and coaxing the child also wasted time.

But they both ate outside, and the midday period was made up for.

It was precisely this spirit of enduring hardship that allowed him to quickly get started in the scrap-collecting trade.

At first, he could only earn two or three dimes a day. There was no such thing as a salary, and the recycling station didn't recognize them as people from the station; they were just borrowing the vehicles for external tasks.

If you collect more and the scrap is of higher value, you earn more. If you are lazy, waste time, or don't collect good things, you earn less.

At night, they had to return the vehicles on time. The recycling station's rule was that they couldn't be late; otherwise, they would be scolded. Even if they hadn't collected anything or had things to sell, they had to rush back.

In about a week, Yan Jiefang and the child could earn five or six dimes a day, which was not much less than pasting matchboxes.

Of course, pasting matchboxes was at home, sheltered from the wind and rain, which was more comfortable than this.

The key was that the child was suffering, but Yan Jiefang insisted, and Comrade Ge Shuqin was willing.

She knew Yan Jiefang wouldn't harm the child. He was her own uncle, and if he harmed the child, she wouldn't recognize him, and the two of them would never have a good life.

So this complex, broken, and reorganized family actually united.

Sometimes the family of three would go out early together. Comrade Ge Shuqin would pedal the tricycle to the factory, and Yan Jiefang would pedal back to collect scrap.

If they caught up, he would go to the steel mill to find Comrade Ge Shuqin to breastfeed at noon, and he could also eat a hot meal with Comrade Ge Shuqin in the canteen.

If they didn't catch up, he would borrow some hot water from someone to mix some milk powder to feed the child.

You say there's meningitis at this time?

Hey! This premature baby girl just mixed with her uncle like this, without any illness or disaster; it really is a bitter child who is tough to live.

After less than a month, the two of them were fine, and the money was earning more and more.

From two or three dimes to five or six dimes, it was now basically stable at around eight or nine dimes.

Eight or nine dimes a day! In a month, that was twenty-six or twenty-seven yuan. Pasting matchboxes couldn't earn that much.

Besides, don't look at this scrap-collecting work; the matchbox-pasting work wasn't lost either.

The couple would rush home to eat a meal in the main room. Neither of them had any complaints. After eating, they would take the child home. One would coax the child to sleep, and then they would follow to help out.

The quota of matchboxes for one person was not enough for the couple to work hard.

At the end of the month, some people in the courtyard gathered to gossip, some chatted about the East family and the West family, and some gathered to play cards.

Only this couple was still busy.

Comrade Ge Shuqin first gave the child a bath with warm water. After coaxing her to sleep, she went down to the ground and took a small notebook to settle the accounts for the month.

"Salary is twenty-three yuan, scrap collection is seventeen yuan, eight dimes, and six cents, matchboxes are thirteen yuan, four dimes, and seven cents."

She muttered while writing and calculating, "Handing over the food money to the family for morning and evening is twelve yuan, the child's milk powder money..."

After adding and subtracting the scattered amounts, and deducting all the expenses for the family of three, there were finally eleven yuan, three dimes, and six cents left.

Yan Jiefang sat on the ground, holding a matchbox, stunned for a moment, and then had an urge to cry.

Finally, the family could save money.

The high expenses now were mainly because the child had to eat milk powder, and the twelve yuan they paid for food at their parents' house was a lot, but also not a lot.

Comrade Ge Shuqin had to eat at the factory at noon, he had to prepare dry food himself, the child had three boxes of milk powder a month, plus other trivial life expenses.

Don't talk about how his father supported a family of three on thirty-two yuan a month; stereotypes kill people.

The total earned by the couple was over fifty, which was more than his father earned. Why was there only eleven yuan left after calculating to the end?

It's very simple. In this era, salary is one aspect, supply is another, and welfare is another. Only those with proper jobs earn money.

There were too many welfare benefits that didn't cost money: bathing, medical treatment, haircuts, heating... so the money was saved.

But Comrade Ge Shuqin had just started work and could only be counted as a government agency staff member, not a cadre, nor a clerk, just someone who did the work, so the minimum wage was 23 yuan.

Yan Fugui's thirty-something yuan was hard to use when raising a big boy, but the supply of grain was no problem, plus what he brought back from school, and the savings from the family's early years, they were supported like this.

Yan Jiefang and his wife lived together. In the first month, they bought so many things, and being able to save money already showed they were capable and frugal.

He was also moved, thinking that from now on, it would be a good life.

Comrade Ge Shuqin also wanted to shed tears when she heard this. She packed up the account book, sat on the stool, and busied herself with pasting matchboxes. After organizing her emotions, she muttered about what should be saved and what shouldn't.

Yan Jiefang sat there listening, thinking in his heart that if only his mother could help look after the child, the couple could earn more.

But even now, although they didn't save much in the first month, it would be more next month.

Maybe there would be twenty yuan; a year would be two hundred and forty yuan. What about ten years?

He had never thought that collecting scrap was so profitable. He only saw the Bai Bai Xiyuan becoming down-and-out, and didn't think that others had earned big cars early on.

Actually, that car wasn't earned, but he didn't know, he just thought so.

The recycling station borrowing the tricycles to them also required collecting a portion of the money, which was just reflected in the price of the recycled scrap.

Actually, most of the profits were yielded to these people who collected scrap, which they knew very well.

Some clever ones went to the scrap company to ask themselves, and also went to other recycling stations to ask, knowing how much the price was suppressed here.

If they really collected scrap and sold it to other recycling points, they could sell it for a few more cents, but how would they explain it when they went back?

It worked once or twice, but they wouldn't do it more often. Were the vehicles given to you for nothing?

As for the scrap company, they wouldn't pay attention to you at all; they only accepted goods sent by recycling points, weighing them by the truckload.

So, after estimating, it didn't make any sense, so the cleverness was all put away.

The recycling station was righteous; if they were bastards, they wouldn't be able to stay in this alley.

This was also the reason why Shen Guodong was recruiting people in the alley.

So, does the recycling station yielding so much profit mean they are doing charity?

How could that be? Even the thinnest profit is for individuals. Once the quantity goes up, the money is earned.

Otherwise, wouldn't those tricycles be empty if they were left there? Losing the market for nothing—which is more, which is less?

The key is that using these people to participate in the ranks of scrap recycling effectively reduces the risks for everyone at the recycling station.

Even if it solves the employment difficulty situation of the neighborhood office and does a little bit of charity, someone will remember them.

The recycling station had long since stopped counting on this to make money, but it had to use the recycling station to keep the accounts.

Therefore, Yan Jiefang and these people might earn more, but the recycling station would never lose money.

After working for a month, Comrade Ge Shuqin's state had also improved; she wasn't as dead as she was after the New Year.

Yan Jiefang had asked her if she often saw Li Xuewu while working at the security office.

Comrade Ge Shuqin asked him what he thought Li Xuewu was—someone who ran errands and did chores like her?

Or did he really think Li Xuewu was a neighbor in this courtyard, and everyone saw each other with their heads down?

That was a leader, the actual person in charge of the security office, and also a factory leader who could be ranked in the factory.

See him often?

Are you joking? Even a deputy section chief couldn't enter his office; they had to pass the deputy team leader first.

Comrade Ge Shuqin understood what Yan Jiefang meant. The current relationship was awkward, especially the previous relationship between Li Xuewu and Yan Jiecheng.

She didn't avoid her past, but Yan Jiefang didn't ask, so she didn't say.

This family had tacitly formed a situation where she was in charge, and everything listened to her command.

Comrade Ge Shuqin only told him to live his life with peace of mind, don't think about anything, don't ask about anything. Those people he cared about were already high above, and those things he cared about were already like passing clouds to others.

That the two of them could walk to today and lie on the same kang could only be said to be the irony of fate.

And both of them had experienced the bitterness of life and yearned even more for the sweetness of life.

For some people, being able to live well is a kind of sweetness.

"Oh my, my big grandson."

As soon as she entered the house, Liu Yin couldn't wait to take the child from Qin Jingru's hands and coaxed, "Grandma missed you to death."

Qin Jingru greeted her with a smile, asked about Li Xuewu and the other, and then went to the dining room to prepare dinner.

She didn't know that Aunt Liu was coming, but it wasn't a surprise; wasn't it normal for a grandmother to come see her grandchild?

It wasn't until Han Jiankun delivered the luggage upstairs that she understood that Aunt Liu was worried about her taking care of the child alone.

Hearing her mother-in-law's voice, Gu Ning also came down from upstairs and called "Mom" with a smile.

Seeing her dressed thinly, she was cared for by Liu Yin for a while, only saying that the weather was still cold and she had to pay attention to keeping warm.

These words were neither deep nor shallow, every word revealing care, and the scale was just right, making Gu Ning feel that her mother-in-law really cared about her.

Li Xuewu called Han Jiankun to the dining room to eat, and also teased Li Shu to play by the dining table.

Liu Yin coaxed the child, held her, and entered the dining room, and the whole family started laughing and talking.

Regarding Han Jiankun and his wife eating at her son's house, Liu Yin didn't ask, nor would she care.

Not to mention that her son had the ability to survive independently, but in this whole mess of family affairs, was there any matter that wasn't hosted and handled well by her son?

She could see Han Jiankun and his wife busy back and forth, and she wouldn't think crookedly just because they were eating here.

Eating here just proved that they were busy until mealtime, and being able to provide for subordinates was her son's business.

Before leaving, the old lady smiled and told her not to overthink or talk too much when she got there.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had been together for decades and had long since tacitly understood each other; these words were a joke, but also realistic.

Gu Ning's personality was relatively sensitive and special, and Li Xuewu was busy with work and not at home during the day, so the pressure was also great.

Now that there were two children in the family, she came over to help, not to add trouble.

Not to mention that Gu Ning was a good daughter-in-law; even if she were picky, she wouldn't say anything, after all, she was here for the big grandson.

Qin Jingru left food specifically for Li Xuewu and Han Jiankun. The two of them ate, and she coaxed Li Shu to take a bath and sleep.

Li Ning in Liu Yin's arms found Grandma fresh for a while, and then cried and wouldn't let her hold him.

There was no way; Gu Ning took him over, coaxed him to sleep, and went upstairs with her mother-in-law.

Liu Yin was a bit reserved; even though this was her son's house, she hadn't lived here for a long time.

Last time Gu Ning gave birth, she stayed in the hospital for one night. Coming here to live for real, she was very afraid of causing any inconvenience to her son and daughter-in-law in the morning.

After Qin Jingru coaxed Li Shu upstairs, she helped Aunt Liu tidy up the room and talked about the housework that needed to be done every day.

She was good at talking, saying straight out that she had no experience and was in a rush today, and that Li Ning was good at coaxing and sensible, otherwise she would have been too busy.

Fortunately, Aunt Liu came, so she could teach her how to take care of the child, and she would have time to tidy up the house properly.

Once these two sentences were said, the embarrassment in Liu Yin's heart because she didn't know how to explain it all dissipated.

In an instant, the three women started talking, and after talking about the housework for a while, they all understood.

Gu Ning understood, but she only coaxed the child to sleep and didn't pay much attention.

She welcomed her mother-in-law to help, and she had no opinion if she didn't come. She wasn't delicate about the child, and the same went for herself.

Li Xuewu coaxed her to eat eggs, silkworm pupae, and high-nutrition food in the morning, but she was somewhat impatient, feeling that giving birth was no big deal.

Now it was fine; just a moment ago in the guest room, her mother-in-law was still saying that the sixty eggs they had saved up and bought were all to be given to Gu Ning for nourishment.

Gu Ning almost suspected that this was a bad deed done by Li Xuewu; she didn't want to eat them, so she brought her mother-in-law along.

Since her mother-in-law gave them to her, could she really not eat them?