Chapter 128: Chapter 128: Kitchen Odd Jobs

Xu Huaizhi returned to the county town that very afternoon. That evening, he brought some wild goods from home and paid a visit to his master.

His master was a senior worker at the factory, well-respected, and his master's wife also worked in logistics there. They could definitely help him out, but Xu Huaizhi felt a bit embarrassed—his master already looked after him, and now he had to trouble them with family matters too.

In the end, his master's wife said that the logistics department was currently short a temporary odd-jobs worker. The kitchen was looking for a male helper to do things like washing dishes, cleaning vegetables, and moving produce.

It didn’t require any special skills—anyone with hands and eyes could do it. The only downside was the low pay, just twenty yuan a month, but the holiday benefits were the same as for other workers.

That was already pretty good. Jobs were scarce and competition was fierce. For his master's wife to offer him this opportunity was a huge favor.

And this was something that needed to be settled quickly—if they waited, someone else might jump in and there’d be competition for the spot.

Xu Huaizhi thanked his master and his wife profusely as he left their house. That night, he rode his bike home in the dark to share the good news with his family.

No one in the family had expected to hear back so quickly.

Xu Mingshan and Liu Guifang thought it was a pretty good deal. There were always perks working in the kitchen, and it was much easier than working in the boiler room.

Lin Xiaomeng also thought it was decent. Even her own siblings in Beijing might not be able to find this kind of job. In the last letter from home, they’d mentioned that her youngest brother was unemployed again.

So she really did think it was a good opportunity.

But Xu Huaiyu was still dissatisfied.

“Big brother, is there anything else? Maybe we can look around some more?” Odd jobs, moving things and washing vegetables—he felt it was beneath his status as a high school graduate, and the pay was so low. It would be embarrassing to talk about.

Xu Huaizhi’s face visibly darkened.

“Then do as you please! I’m done helping you with this!”

Lin Xiaomeng watched coldly from the side. Some people just don’t know how good they have it—spoiled, that’s what they are.

Liu Guifang tugged at her younger son’s sleeve. “Do you still want to get married or not? Who cares what the job is—just do it for now!”

Xu Mingshan scowled. “Ungrateful brat! If you keep talking nonsense, do you believe I won’t give you a beating?

Do you know how hard it is to find a job these days? Your brother had to call in a big favor to get this for you, and you’re still being picky. If you don’t want it, then don’t go.”

Xu Huaiyu finally came to his senses. The Yan family just wanted him to have a job to support a family—they didn’t care what kind of job it was.

He could use this job to get the Yan family off his back. Whether he kept it or not, or how he did it, that would be up to him later.

With that thought, he finally agreed.

“I’ll go, I’ll go, okay?”

Early the next morning, before dawn, Xu Huaizhi and Xu Huaiyu set off for the county town.

Xu Huaizhi took his brother to the logistics department to find his master’s wife, who immediately brought them to the main kitchen to meet the head chef.

The head chef wasn’t impressed with Xu Huaiyu—he looked like someone who’d never done a hard day’s work in his life, with nothing going for him except his looks.

But for the sake of his master’s wife, the head chef agreed to take Xu Huaiyu on. He could finish the paperwork today and start work tomorrow.

Xu Huaizhi hurriedly took Xu Huaiyu to complete the onboarding procedures before rushing off to work himself, leaving Xu Huaiyu to look around on his own.

After finishing the paperwork, Xu Huaiyu immediately went to find Yan Lijun. She was at work and was surprised to see him show up.

“What are you doing here?”

“Guess!” Xu Huaiyu grinned from ear to ear.

“I can’t guess.”

“I found a job!” Xu Huaiyu proudly took out his freshly issued work badge.

“See? Steel Factory, Logistics Department.”

Yan Lijun hadn’t expected things to move so fast. They’d only talked about it yesterday—how did he find a job already? It felt like a joke.

“Really? You’re not lying to me, are you?” she asked, half-believing.

“Of course it’s true! My brother went to the factory yesterday to ask around, and this morning I came to fill out the paperwork. Look, my name is right here on the badge!” Xu Huaiyu held it up to her face.

“Xu-Huai-Yu—it really is your name. You really did find a job! Huaiyu, you’re amazing!” Yan Lijun beamed, happily grabbing his arm.

“Of course! Your man isn’t just anybody. Now your parents can’t say anything, right?” Xu Huaiyu was both proud and relieved.

After all, being looked down on is never a good feeling. If they weren’t Yan Lijun’s parents, he would have cursed them out long ago.

“They won’t say anything now. Don’t be mad—they’re just looking out for us,” Yan Lijun coaxed.

“Alright, talk to your parents and pick a time to settle things with my family. Let’s get everything done before winter!” Xu Huaiyu looked like he couldn’t wait.

Yan Lijun patted his arm. “Silly, just wait!”

The Yan family was even more anxious than he was. Yan’s parents wished they could get everything settled tomorrow and bring their daughter-in-law home with the bride price.

That night, Yan Lijun told her family the news.

The Yan family was overjoyed, practically dancing with excitement, wishing Yan Lijun could get married the very next day. Only she herself felt a secret sadness and unease.

Xu Huaiyu started work the next day. The kitchen work was heavy and busy, and the head chefs kept ordering him around. By noon, he was already exhausted and wilted.

Luckily, Yan Lijun brought good news at lunchtime—her parents had agreed.

Only then did Xu Huaiyu breathe a sigh of relief, and he worked much harder that afternoon.

—

After meeting Xu Jianguo’s mother, Gu Qinghuan couldn’t shake her worries about Zhong Luoning.

So, early the next morning, she decided to go find her cousin.

Ever since that incident a few years ago, the Xu family had moved, and Gu Qinghuan had never been to Zhong Luoning’s new home. She could only follow the address from the letter and try to find her way.

Lanting and Ruxue had school today. Xu Huaian took the two kids to the hospital for treatment in the morning, and would go to the villa in the afternoon to collect goods—they’d already arranged the delivery time with the department store yesterday.

So today, Gu Qinghuan had to go find her cousin by herself.

She didn’t expect to run into He Qiang, the rickshaw driver she’d met before, as soon as she left the house.

He Qiang spotted her from afar, his eyes lighting up. He cheerfully came over, “Good morning! What a coincidence. Where are you headed? I’ll give you a lift.”

He Qiang had a great memory for faces—especially since Gu Qinghuan had once given him five yuan, so he remembered her well.

“Oh, it’s you! Perfect, I was just about to get a ride. Please take me to 15 Xinjie Street,” Gu Qinghuan said as she got into his rickshaw.

“Alright, sit tight!” He Qiang pedaled the tricycle energetically.

Along the way, the two chatted as they went.

Although He Qiang was lively and smooth-talking, he knew his boundaries and never pried where he shouldn’t. His tact and sense of propriety made him likable rather than annoying—in fact, Gu Qinghuan found herself quite appreciating him."

"Chapter 129: A Little Girl Named Yuran Fell from Upstairs