On her very first day out, Zhong Mei caused trouble and did not dare to leave the house again.
If it were in the past, she certainly would not be afraid.
But had she not just gotten out of the labor camp?
Her household registration was still at the labor camp and had not been transferred back yet. She was terrified, afraid of letting down Qiao Lanshu's good intentions and ruining the rest of her life.
Before, she had no one to rely on but herself, so she could only use extreme methods to protect herself.
But now, with Qiao Lanshu's help, she naturally became more timid and started to value her life.
Besides, Qiao Lanshu's husband was a military officer who highly valued his reputation. She could not afford to implicate the couple.
Therefore, Zhong Mei stayed quietly in the courtyard of Qiao Lanshu's new home. Every day, she accompanied Auntie Shi to plant vegetables, water flowers, and feed the chickens and sheep.
She also helped take care of An'an. After all, An'an was still young and needed to eat six meals a day. She also had to take him out to bask in the sun and watch the chickens and ducks play.
With Zhong Mei's help, Auntie Shi had an easier time. She continued to till the soil in the yard, stuffing vegetable seeds into every nook and cranny.
This way, it would not be long before the small courtyard became even more lush and green.
Qiao Lanshu had not officially resigned yet. Her application had been submitted, Yang Wenyan had signed it, and the process had reached the personnel department.
However, Qiao Lanshu had to wait for a newcomer to hand over her work.
Because the previous worker, Tian Hemei, had been transferred away.
Tian Hemei had originally intended to falsify the inventory data to frame Qiao Lanshu.
This stupid trick did not succeed. Instead, she got herself demoted from a dependent worker to a temporary worker and was transferred to the pickle workshop to make pickles.
Qiao Lanshu worked for a few more days until the personnel department transferred an elderly employee with mobility issues. After handing over her work and handling Zhong Mei's onboarding, she finally left the food factory.
Zhong Mei could only be a temporary worker. The salary for a temporary worker was only 10 yuan, plus a non-staple food ticket subsidy of about 2 yuan.
It was not a lot of money, but Zhong Mei only needed to support herself, so it was enough.
After Qiao Lanshu finished all this and had lunch, she officially resigned.
She did not have many belongings, carrying them out in just one basket.
On her way out of the factory, she saw Tian Hemei.
Tian Hemei had come specifically to block her path. Looking at the things Qiao Lanshu was carrying, she said in disbelief, Qiao Lanshu, why did I hear that you resigned? Did you really resign?
Tian Hemei could not believe it. Since Qiao Lanshu was going to resign anyway, why had she been in such a rush back then?
If she had not caused trouble for Qiao Lanshu and had just worked honestly, would she not have avoided being transferred and demoted to a temporary worker?
Seeing Tian Hemei, Qiao Lanshu acted as if she could not read her expression. She smiled and greeted her, Comrade Tian Hemei, what a coincidence. I heard you are working in the pickle workshop?
Tian Hemei: ...
Tian Hemei's face looked extremely ugly. She questioned Qiao Lanshu, Since you were going to resign, why didn't you say so earlier?
Qiao Lanshu looked at her in surprise and said, On my very first day back at work, everyone in the factory knew I was going to resign. Comrade Tian Hemei, didn't you know?
Tian Hemei: ...
Of course Tian Hemei knew. After all, she was the one who spread the rumor. But she had spread it on purpose; she did not know Qiao Lanshu was actually going to resign.
Besides, Qiao Lanshu had been back at work for a few days, staying in the small wooden cabin with her, yet she had not revealed a single word about it.
Tian Hemei felt both remorseful and furious.
She had truly lifted a rock only to drop it on her own foot. What a mess!
Seeing Tian Hemei's expression, Qiao Lanshu found it amusing.
This just went to show that people should be kind to others and not harbor malicious intentions.
Putting aside Tian Hemei's regret and frustration, Qiao Lanshu had already left the food factory.
Wherever there are people, there will be scheming, let alone in such a large food factory.
It was already summer, and half the year was about to pass.
The college entrance examination would resume next year, leaving Qiao Lanshu with only one year. She needed to focus on her revisions to ensure she passed on her first try next year.
However, she had one problem: her preferred university was in the south, not here. Longcheng only had one university, and it was not what she wanted.
When the time came, would she have to live apart from Qin Yuanzheng?
Thinking of this, Qiao Lanshu sighed again.
She admitted she was being a bit clingy. She relied on Qin Yuanzheng too much and did not want to be separated from him.
Anyway, there was still a year until the exam. She would wait and ask for Qin Yuanzheng's opinion when the time came.
...
Since she had some rare free time today, Qiao Lanshu thought about calling Zhong Mei out to accompany her to the supply and marketing cooperative.
But then she remembered that Zhong Mei had caused trouble earlier and offended the police comrades. Right now, she was still hiding at home like a frightened quail, not daring to go out.
Qiao Lanshu found it funny but also felt a bit worried.
However, it had been a few days, and there was no news of the police catching any female comrades for speculation and profiteering. It should be fine.
Since the job at the food factory was settled, Qiao Lanshu needed Zhong Mei to familiarize herself with the route. She also needed to take her to the factory's personnel department to fill out a form and then rent a room for her.
After all, she was married to Qin Yuanzheng, and it was not appropriate for a young, unmarried girl like Zhong Mei to keep living in their home.
Qiao Lanshu returned home early and talked to Zhong Mei about it.
Wearing a straw hat and holding a hoe, Zhong Mei was weeding the vegetable garden. Having done farm work and chores since childhood, she was highly skilled at growing vegetables and cooking.
She said hesitantly, Lanshu, do you think I can go out now?
Qiao Lanshu smiled and said, Of course you can. I have asked around for you these past few days. The police are currently looking for a lost child; I haven't heard anything about them looking for someone involved in speculation... Besides, if you change your clothes and hairstyle, they might not even recognize you.
Zhong Mei was thin. Like Qiao Lanshu, she had a small frame, was slender, and a bit short. But not all the local girls were tall either. They definitely would not recognize her just by her figure.
Furthermore, Zhong Mei did not have any moles or freckles on her face, no distinguishing marks. For someone who had only seen her briefly, how could they possibly recognize her?
Qiao Lanshu felt Zhong Mei was overthinking it. It is fine. How about this: when we go out this time, we will cover our faces. Let us go to the food factory to fill out the form first. Getting your onboarding done is the priority.
Zhong Mei nodded. She also valued the job and did not want to miss this opportunity.
So she went back and changed into a clean set of clothes, burying the dusty gray outfit she had worn that day at the bottom of her trunk.
That day, she had her hair in two braids. Today, she thought about it, gritted her teeth, took a pair of scissors, and directly cut off her two braids!
Qiao Lanshu could not help but exclaim, Oh my, you finally grew your hair long, and you just cut it off like that?
Zhong Mei did not feel sorry at all. She said, If I cut my hair short, he definitely won't recognize me.
She originally did not have bangs, but now she also cut straight bangs.
With bangs and short hair, even she felt that her appearance had completely changed.
Qiao Lanshu looked her up and down and smiled, saying, "Well, getting a bob haircut makes you look like a completely different person. It feels like we're back in our school days. Now, there's absolutely no way the other party will recognize you, so you can put your mind at ease."
Zhong Mei took a hairclip and pinned back the loose strands by her ear. Letting out a sigh of relief, she said, "Lanshu, I'm really never going to cause trouble again. Just this once was enough to scare me half to death."
Although Zhong Mei's skin was on the tanner side, her facial features were quite pretty. With her new straight bangs, she looked even younger and more attractive.
Qiao Lanshu said softly, "This hairstyle suits you. Let me trim it a bit for you."
Qiao Lanshu recalled that she used to have straight bangs too.
Back then, it was the standard student haircut, and all the girls in school wore their hair like that.
Later on, when she got pregnant, she let her bangs grow out and tied her hair up.
After trimming Zhong Mei's hair, the two of them got ready to leave.
The two close friends linked arms, grabbed a basket, and headed out after letting Auntie Shi know they were leaving.
Qiao Lanshu first took Zhong Mei to the food factory. "My house is relatively close to the food factory, about a twenty-minute walk. Once you start working, I'll go with you to rent a place nearby. It definitely needs to be close, otherwise it'll be freezing when it snows in winter."
Qiao Lanshu added, "I asked my former colleagues, and there are indeed houses for rent around here. The rent isn't expensive either. A larger courtyard, big enough for a family of several people, goes for about three yuan.
But if you rent a smaller courtyard, the rent is much cheaper. There are some for a little over one yuan, and the more expensive ones are around one yuan and fifty cents. Based on a temporary worker's salary of ten yuan, you can easily afford to rent one. Later, when you find a chance to become a regular employee, your salary will increase, starting at twenty-five yuan. So don't be stingy with your money; living comfortably and safely is the most important thing."
Zhong Mei nodded, looking at Qiao Lanshu with gratitude. "Lanshu, thank you. If it weren't for your help, my life would be completely ruined."
Zhong Mei was truly grateful to Qiao Lanshu.
She felt she had terrible luck in life. Born into such a family, she had never had a full meal since she was little. By the age of three or four, she was already helping with chores, planting vegetables, and taking care of her younger siblings. As she grew up, she still wasn't treated well, and she couldn't even find a man who loved her to start a normal family.
However, her luck wasn't entirely bad. Fate had allowed her to meet Qiao Lanshu when they were young. They were not only childhood friends but also classmates who grew up together and shared a deep bond.
It really was true that when fate closes a door, it opens a window.
Qiao Lanshu sighed and said, "These aren't big deals. I just want us both to be well."
In her past life, she could barely protect herself, and looking at it now, her fate hadn't been much better than Zhong Mei's.
They were both people with hard lives.
Qiao Lanshu led Zhong Mei straight to the personnel office of the food factory.
In this day and age, jobs were hard to find. City jobs were in high demand, and even a temporary position was very rare.
At the very least, if young people in the city had jobs, they wouldn't have to be sent down to the countryside, nor would they have to wander around the city all day with nothing to do.
Having a job also made it easier to find a marriage partner. Even a temporary job was better than no job at all.
That was why Zhong Mei was so incredibly grateful to Qiao Lanshu, but between close friends like them, there was no need to say too much; they both understood each other's hearts.
Zhong Mei had only attended elementary school, but her handwriting was very neat. After filling out the form, she handed it to the clerk in the personnel office. The clerk smiled and asked Qiao Lanshu, "Xiao Qiao, why did you suddenly resign? It's really such a pity."
That was a warehouse keeper position, after all!
Qiao Lanshu smiled and replied, "I was just too busy and couldn't manage it. Zhong Mei is also from Yangcheng. She isn't familiar with this place and doesn't have any family or friends here, so I hope you can take good care of her in the future."
The personnel clerk smiled and said, "Don't worry. Since she's your friend, I'll definitely look out for her."
Whether the clerk meant it or not, both Qiao Lanshu and Zhong Mei expressed their thanks.
The personnel comrade informed Zhong Mei to report for duty on the 1st of next month.
Calculating the time, there were only four or five days left. Qiao Lanshu pulled Zhong Mei outside and said, "We need to hurry up and rent a place. Then we can buy some furniture, and you'll finally be settled down."
Zhong Mei was immediately filled with longing.
"I want to rent a place with a courtyard, somewhere I can bask in the sun... I've never had my own room since I was little. My whole family squeezed into one dark room, and all four of us siblings slept on one small bed. It was so crowded. In the summer, I would just sleep right under the bed... I want my own room so badly. This time, I definitely want to rent a beautiful little courtyard. Even if the rent is a bit more expensive, I'll accept it."
Out of her ten yuan, she could take out three yuan for rent. By living frugally on the rest, she might even be able to save a little money.
Zhong Mei's face was full of hope and yearning.
The two friends strolled through the residential area near the food factory, looking for a house.
Zhong Mei grabbed Qiao Lanshu's arm and whispered to her, "Last time, I was in that alley over there..."
As she spoke, she pointed to a nearby alley. Qiao Lanshu looked over and indeed saw people going in and out of the alley from time to time. It seemed it really was a black market.
Truth be told, Qiao Lanshu had also bought things in that alley before. The last time she and Wang Xue bought fried dough twists, they were sold right in that alley.
She smiled and said to Zhong Mei, "You just got here, and you already found that place. You're really something."
Zhong Mei said nervously, "I wonder if that public security comrade is still over there, waiting to catch people..."
As the two were talking, Qiao Lanshu spotted a familiar face.
She said in surprise, "Director Guan? What are you doing here?"
Guan Wenjun had gauze wrapped around his head. He was wearing a white Dacron shirt and black trousers, holding a paper bag made of newspaper filled with sunflower seeds.
He stood leaning against a tree by the street, cracking melon seeds while staring at the alley over there, his eyes dark and gloomy.
Hearing the voice, he turned his head, his eyes lighting up. "Hmm? Comrade Xiao Qiao? Long time no see! I'm sorry, I haven't given my gift as a godfather for your baby yet. I don't have time right now, but once I'm free in a while, I'll go see my son."
Qiao Lanshu didn't dwell on the title of 'godfather.' She pulled Zhong Mei along as she walked over, looking at Guan Wenjun hesitantly. "Director Guan, what happened to your forehead? Didn't you say you just got back? How did you get hurt again?"
Guan Wenjun was handsome, had fair skin, and was quite vain. She really never expected there would be a day when his face would get marred.
Speaking of this, Guan Wenjun grew furious.
His expression instantly darkened. Staring at the alley over there, he sneered, "It's a long story. That son of a bitch better hope I don't catch her!"
He had been staking out the place for several days, but that son of a bitch hadn't shown up.
He refused to believe it. How could a living, breathing person just vanish into thin air?
Qiao Lanshu felt Zhong Mei suddenly let go of her hand, turn around, and run.
Qiao Lanshu turned her head in surprise. "Hey, Zhong Mei..."
Seriously, everything was fine. Why was Zhong Mei suddenly running away?
