008: Prejudiced Against Wen Qiao?
After leaving the Civil Affairs Bureau, Wen Qiao did not return directly to the Shen family.
With Shen Haiyang not at home, what was the point of going back?
Facing Li Ling’s old face would only upset her.
Since she was already in the city, she couldn’t just idle away at the Shen family. She had married Shen Jichuan, but Shen Jichuan did not acknowledge her existence.
As previously stated, after marriage, she would be responsible for her own livelihood.
She could freeload meals at the Shen family.
But for buying things, she still needed her own money.
Moreover, she wanted to save up some money to take her mother away from her stepfather.
After receiving the marriage certificate, it was taken away by Shen Jichuan.
His exact words were: he was afraid Wen Qiao would use their marriage certificate to cause trouble outside.
Wen Qiao would never do such a thing.
But if she tried to explain, Shen Jichuan would neither listen nor believe her.
So there was no need to say more.
As a military district leading cadre, his marriage registration had gone through the fast track.
In less than half an hour, the marriage certificate was done.
With plenty of time left, Wen Qiao thought about going out to look around.
To see if she could find something to do.
She hadn’t even finished junior high in the countryside, and jobs in the city were scarce.
Without connections, it was nearly impossible to find work in the city.
Wen Qiao had just arrived in the city and knew no one except Shen Haiyang.
Shen Haiyang now utterly despised her, wishing she would die miserably on the streets, so he certainly wouldn’t help her.
Wen Qiao walked around the streets for a while, but with little money on hand, she saw many things and wanted to buy even more.
In the end, she just wandered around and headed home.
To be precise, back to the Shen family.
After getting the marriage certificate, Shen Jichuan seemed to have suddenly disappeared, not returning for several days in a row.
Wen Qiao wondered if Shen Jichuan was deliberately avoiding her.
But upon second thought, a man of Shen Jichuan’s noble status.
Would never look up to her, let alone avoid her?
It was entirely her overthinking.
During Shen Jichuan’s absence, Wen Qiao didn’t idle away either. She went out during the day and returned at night.
And she actually managed to find a job.
Wen Qiao knew her own educational level; jobs requiring academic qualifications were out of reach.
No one would hire her anyway.
Positions like salesclerks or counter staff were filled through connections.
Having just arrived in Beicheng, with no relatives or friends, there was no point in asking.
She was quite diligent—cooking, washing clothes, mopping floors, she could do it all, and even take care of the elderly.
So she thought about finding work as a housemaid.
She wandered around the job market for a few days, like many others from the countryside, squatting under the overpass.
Waiting to be picked by employers.
Seeing her as a young and pretty girl, people assumed she couldn’t handle hard work, so no one wanted her.
After wandering around for a few days, she unexpectedly met a fellow villager.
The fellow villager was kind-hearted, seeing this young girl struggling to find work for days, feeling sorry for her.
Coincidentally, she mentioned knowing an older sister who worked as a housemaid for a military district cadre’s family.
That person was leaving and returning to her hometown.
They were looking for a young housemaid for the elderly lady.
The elderly lady was particular; her first requirement for a housemaid was cleanliness and diligence.
Preferably someone fair and neat-looking, to brighten the mood.
After Wen Qiao was brought over, the elderly lady took a liking to her at first sight. But hiring a housemaid also depended on what she could do, so she had Wen Qiao cook a meal, wash a few clothes, and tidy up the house.
Wen Qiao was indeed pretty, but she had little temper, doing whatever she was told and obedient enough.
So she was kept at the Zhao family as a nanny.
But she never expected to see Shen Jichuan, whom she hadn't seen for days, at the Zhao family.
"Xiao Qiao, what are you standing there for? Go cut the watermelon quickly."
Wen Qiao's eyes met Shen Jichuan's, and she inexplicably felt a bit guilty.
But she immediately thought to herself, he said that after marriage, they wouldn't reveal their marital relationship to outsiders, and he wouldn't care about her life or death.
So now that they met outside, they should just act as if they didn't know each other…
She responded crisply, "Okay, Auntie Wang."
Then she turned and went to the kitchen to cut the watermelon.
The Zhao family's elderly lady was surnamed Wang, and Wen Qiao always called her Auntie Wang.
Wang Yuezhi looked at Shen Jichuan and said with a smile, "It's been a long time since you last came here."
Shen Jichuan's gaze shifted away from Wen Qiao.
Why was Wen Qiao here?
Shen Jichuan came to the Zhao family because the family's patriarch, Zhao Laifu, was the principal of his military academy and had once mentored him. Moreover, Shen Jichuan was classmates and old comrades-in-arms with Zhao Laifu's son, Zhao Minghan.
Today, he came to the Zhao family because he ran into Zhao Minghan at his workplace.
Zhao Minghan and Shen Jichuan weren't in the same unit. This time, Zhao Minghan was there on business, and the two happened to meet at Shen Jichuan's workplace.
It was just around mealtime, and Zhao Minghan insisted on inviting Shen Jichuan to his home.
Shen Jichuan didn't have a good relationship with his parents; he had always been cold and distant since childhood.
During his time at the military academy, Principal Zhao and his wife, the elderly lady Wang Yuezhi, treated him quite well.
Perhaps it was because of his solitary nature that they paid him extra attention.
After Shen Jichuan achieved success later on, he would bring gifts every year to visit the elderly couple.
The patriarch retired last year, completely letting go of everything in his hands.
Wang Yuezhi was originally a teacher and had also retired.
Zhao Minghan was divorced, and his ex-wife left their daughter behind and went abroad.
Zhao Minghan moved in with his parents, bringing his daughter along.
Zhao Minghan asked Shen Jichuan to sit down first.
He was busy unloading the things he had brought from outside.
His parents were getting older, and although Zhao Minghan couldn't come home every day, he always bought something whenever he returned.
After all, his child was being cared for by his parents, helping him look after her.
His parents didn't ask him for money, so Zhao Minghan brought more things home instead.
Shen Jichuan nodded and sat on the sofa.
In the kitchen, Wen Qiao finished cutting the watermelon, placed it on a fruit platter, and calmly carried it to the table with a composed expression.
Shen Jichuan stared at Wen Qiao.
Wen Qiao was a bit flustered inside. Even if she appeared calm, it was just an act.
She set down the watermelon and glanced at Wang Yuezhi.
"Auntie, I'll go prepare lunch now."
"Xiao Qiao, we have guests at home today. Make a few more dishes later."
Wen Qiao responded crisply, "Okay, Auntie."
The girl was pretty. At first, Wang Yuezhi had worried that a young and beautiful girl might not be good at cooking. Unexpectedly, not only was the girl pretty, but she also cooked well. Most importantly, her personal hygiene was excellent, and she kept things tidy.
The family had hired several nannies before, but their personal hygiene really wasn't up to par.
Auntie Wang had thought that as long as hygiene standards were met, she wouldn't ask for much.
In short, she now liked Wen Qiao very much—young, simple-minded, and very respectful toward them.
"Xiao Qiao, have some watermelon too, don't be shy. In our family, we don't treat our housekeepers harshly."
Wen Qiao smiled gently, "Auntie and Uncle have both been very kind to me."
Wang Yuezhi noticed Shen Jichuan staring at her young housekeeper.
She said with a smile, "We only hired her a few days ago. At first, I thought such a young and pretty girl might not be up to the task, but she's diligent, honest, and well-behaved—quite good, really."
Shen Jichuan recalled how Wen Qiao had schemed against him.
He remarked calmly, "Auntie, appearances can be deceiving. It's best to be more cautious."
Wang Yuezhi paused, not quite agreeing with Shen Jichuan's words.
She couldn't help but wonder if Shen Jichuan had some prejudice against Wen Qiao.