The next day, when Su Ruyi woke up, the sky was already bright.
She had slept exceptionally deeply. After such a long and exhausting journey, coupled with the experience of time travel, both her body and mind were utterly drained.
Now, feeling refreshed and clear-headed, she had come to terms with her transmigration. It seemed as though she had always lived here, with her past experiences feeling like memories from another lifetime.
As Su Ruyi stepped out of her room, she saw Li Mei picking vegetables. Li Mei smiled at her and said:
"You're awake? I'm just preparing lunch. Why don't you have an egg to tide you over first? A hot meal will be ready soon."
Su Ruyi agreed, feeling no embarrassment about sleeping in. After such a long and tiring journey, sleeping a little longer was perfectly normal.
Carrying her toiletries, she went downstairs. Along the way, many people greeted her.
"You must be Accountant Tong's eldest daughter, right? You've grown so big!"
"Your father would have been overjoyed to see you if he were still here."
"If you need anything, just ask us. Your father and I were the closest of friends when he was around."
Su Ruyi smiled at these people. Although there were some who were just curious onlookers, most offered their kindness.
At this hour, most people were at the water room washing vegetables in preparation for lunch. Seeing Su Ruyi washing up, clearly having just woken up, they pointed and whispered among themselves.
Even without turning around, Su Ruyi knew exactly what they were gossiping about.
She remained completely unruffled, not even lifting an eyelid as she focused on brushing her teeth.
Old Wang, who was already displeased about not receiving any fruit during yesterday's distribution, grew even more irritated seeing Su Ruyi wake up so late without a hint of shame.
"Young people these days are getting worse and worse. Back in our day, no girl who woke up this late would even be wanted by the old men from the mountain valleys."
Although the others enjoyed gossiping behind people's backs, none were willing to confront others directly, not wanting to create awkward scenes. So they just smiled and didn't respond.
Yet looking at Su Ruyi now, they found it hard to connect her with the person who had effortlessly thrown someone out yesterday.
Su Ruyi casually tied her hair up, securing it loosely with a single chopstick in a carefree style.
As she splashed water on her face, the crystal-clear droplets trickled down, making her appear like a lotus emerging from water—fair, clean, and fresh, completely unlike a country girl from the countryside.
Su Ruyi pretended not to hear, reasoning that since no names were mentioned, the comments weren't directed at her.
But her indifference only annoyed Old Wang further.
"Are you ignoring me when I'm talking to you? What did your parents teach you? Such poor upbringing! Country folk will always be country folk. Did you think having fairer skin would make you pass for a city girl?"
Su Ruyi stopped and looked at Old Wang, pointing at herself.
"Are you talking to me?"
"Who else would I be talking to? In this entire furniture factory, who else is as lazy as you? I've never seen anyone so ill-mannered. You come here seeking shelter but don't bother to help out diligently, acting like some young mistress. If it were up to me, I would have kicked you out long ago!"
Su Ruyi turned to a young married woman nearby and asked, "Is this aunt particularly close to my family?"
Li Xiuyi snorted: "How could that be? Old Wang dislikes your family the most because of the housing issue back then."
"Housing issue?"
Before Li Xiuye could respond, Old Wang, who had been ignored, grew displeased and stepped forward to grab someone.
"Are you listening to me when I'm talking to you?!"
Su Ruyi simply tilted aside, dodging Old Wang's grasp, then darted behind her and repeated her old trick—grabbing her by the collar and hoisting her up.
A smile played on her lips, her eyes curved like crescent moons: "We country folks prefer using our hands."
With that, she lightly tossed Old Wang aside, sending her flying three or four meters away. Old Wang stumbled upon landing but managed to avoid a hard fall.
After practicing yesterday, Su Ruyi now had better control over her strength.
Old Wang was short, barely over 1.5 meters, but stout and thick-limbed—her arms were thicker than Su Ruyi's thighs.
Yet she had been thrown aside so effortlessly, making everyone gasp and recall Su Ruyi's feat from the previous day.
Su Ruyi acted as if nothing had happened, humming a little tune as she walked away.
Arguing was out of the question. Now that she had this newfound strength, she was all action and no talk.
After lunch, Li Mei pulled her into the room.
Li Mei took something wrapped in a handkerchief from a drawer and placed it in Su Ruyi's hand, her eyes slightly red:
"This is your share of the compensation—615 yuan in total. The factory calculated it based on your father's two years' wages, which came to 4,300 yuan. It was divided among me, your three younger sisters, and your grandparents, so each person gets 615 yuan."
Su Ruyi paused but didn't refuse, accepting the money.
Li Mei added, "And the job the factory offered…"
"You keep it."
Li Mei was taken aback and tried to say more, but Su Ruyi continued, "My father's job was always meant to be yours. Now it's returned to its rightful owner."
Although the furniture factory wasn't doing well now, if Li Mei could become a permanent employee, she might still receive some compensation even if the factory went bankrupt later.
Su Ruyi wasn't entirely clear about the specific policies, but she remembered an older man mentioning that when his former factory went bankrupt, he received a lump sum. Later, he used it to buy some kind of pension plan and could draw retirement pay once he reached the age. Because he had a long work history, his retirement income ended up being higher than his wife's, who had retired early.
A colleague of his, however, hadn't purchased such a plan for various reasons and ended up with nothing in old age, forced to rely on others. She couldn't work because she was caring for her son's children and often had no money at all. Her daughter-in-law even resented her for not contributing to the household like other mothers-in-law and for being stingy, never buying anything for the grandchildren.
Su Ruyi didn't know whether Li Mei's previous work experience would count toward seniority if she became a permanent employee, but regardless, Li Mei was the most suitable person to take the job now.
"But… what about you?"
Li Mei understood the importance of the job. With the furniture factory's poor performance, she, as a temporary worker, often had no work. Previously, it was mostly Tong Aihua supporting the family.
So she was reluctant to give up the job, but seeing Su Ruyi so readily yield it to her, she felt somewhat guilty.
If not for Su Ruyi's mother's help, she wouldn't have gotten any of this.
Although Su Ying said that according to the Inheritance Law, Wang Huizhen and Wang Huiting were also entitled to a share of the compensation, and Li Mei wanted to secure more money for her own family, she still felt deeply uneasy inside.
After all, the two children had no relation to Tong Aihua—they hadn't even taken his surname.
Moreover, this division was disadvantageous to Su Ruyi, yet Su Ying had still insisted on it fairly. She even called the factory leadership to supervise and ensure the rights of Li Mei and her daughters. Li Mei felt deeply grateful toward this mother-daughter pair.
But now Su Ruyi had no job either. For her to simply take this position felt like an injustice to their kindness.
Li Mei was torn—on one hand, she faced practical realities and needed the job to support her family; on the other, her conscience weighed heavily.
"I have other plans. This job doesn't appeal to me," Su Ruyi stated truthfully.
But to Li Mei's ears, it sounded like Su Ruyi was being generous and giving it up for her sake. Her eyes instantly reddened.
"If you feel uneasy about it, just round it up and give me a thousand. I won't claim any other assets."
Besides the compensation fund, Su Ruyi also had partial inheritance rights to Tong Aihua and Li Mei's savings and fixed assets.
Initially, Su Ruyi hadn't intended to claim any of it, but seeing Li Mei's reaction, she decided to ask for a bit more money to ease the woman's guilt.
This would also give her more capital. If things went smoothly, she could repay the kindness later in other ways—such as taking better care of Tong Yunyun. A win-win situation.
Before coming, Madam Su Ying had even advised Su Ruyi not to take the compensation, noting how difficult it was for Li Mei to raise three children alone.
However, if Li Mei didn't mention the money at all, then they absolutely had to claim it.
Madam Su Ying was compassionate, especially having worked extensively in women's affairs, always showing extra tenderness toward females.
But she wasn't without principles—she'd encountered plenty of unreasonable people. Some simply asked for trouble, and she'd never let them off just because they were women.
Li Mei agreed readily, quickly retrieving a biscuit tin from a drawer corner and handing five hundred to Su Ruyi.
"Take it all. If you run short later, just ask me."
Su Ruyi hadn't expected Li Mei to be so generous—handing over the money without hesitation, even more than requested, without a moment's pause.
What virtue had Comrade Tong Aihua possessed to deserve such wonderful wives?
Each kinder than the last, each more considerate than the other.
He must have rescued Sun Wukong from under the Five-Finger Mountain in a past life.
Su Ruyi looked at the money in her hand—she now had 3,152.3 yuan total. Her startup funds had increased, enough to accomplish quite a few things.
"Aunt Mei, aren't you worried I'll squander all this money?"
Li Mei laughed. "Your father said you're as capable and decisive as Sister Ying. I trust any child Sister Ying raised will be more capable than any boy."
"Then does that mean you'll support me in whatever I do?"
"Of course," Li Mei affirmed. "Your mother entrusted you to me—I'll take good care of you."
Though Madam Su Ying was somewhat careless, she was extremely vigilant about safety matters.
The world was chaotic—Su Ying had even collaborated with the police to rescue trafficked women several times, including college students.
She couldn't rest easy with a delicate girl like Su Ruyi navigating the world alone.
Therefore, she demanded that Su Ruyi could venture outside, but she must either stay with Li Mei or go to Zhang Laoyezi and follow his arrangements. She couldn't wander around aimlessly and must always have someone familiar by her side.
Otherwise, if something really happened, by the time she received the news in the countryside, it would be too late to do anything.
Su Ruyi would never go to Zhang Laoyezi and get entangled with the male lead—that would be suicidal. So if Su Ruyi wanted to do business outside, she currently had to stay here.
Only when she could prove her capabilities would she qualify to make other requests to Madam Su Ying.
In this regard, Su Ruyi was very obedient to her mother.
Although Liulin County was just a county town, its scale was quite large—much bigger than the county where Su Ruyi originally lived.
Whether in terms of population, area, or overall development, it ranked among the larger county towns. There were many factories, and although it had declined significantly recently, the foundation built in the past remained solid enough to rival some prefecture-level cities.
However, the overall atmosphere remained relatively conservative, and development lagged behind the southern regions. Some policies were still quite restrictive, but this very situation would present more opportunities for Su Ruyi.
"What if I want to ask Huizhen, Huiting, and Yunyun for help?"
Author's note: