In the early 1980s and 1990s, workers held a very high social status.
Factories not only had medical clinics where workers could get medicine for free.
Even haircuts, baths, and watching movies or dancing at the workers’ club cost nothing.
They also distributed all kinds of daily necessities and paid wages monthly.
Workers also enjoyed considerable social standing. If someone could marry a worker and bring them home, the entire family would be delighted.
Before this, Zhou Qin had never considered quitting her job to become self-employed.
The moment she heard her daughter say it, she hurriedly shook her head.
“How could that possibly work? I’d quit my perfectly good accounting job at the textile factory to become self-employed? People would laugh themselves silly!”
People at the time did not consider being self-employed particularly respectable.
Zhong Yu sighed. She couldn’t expect her mother to be especially far-sighted.
Even she herself, despite having witnessed the country’s rapid development in her previous life, had still been endlessly astonished by it.
Her mother was getting older and had grown accustomed to a stable life. It was only natural that she would be unwilling to leave her comfort zone. She asked earnestly, “Mom, does the textile factory still have enough money to distribute rice, flour, and cooking oil every month?”
The moment this subject came up, Zhou Qin’s expression grew even more unpleasant.
Although she was not the only accountant at the factory, she was well aware of the basic state of its finances.
After glancing at her somewhat bewildered son, she answered honestly, “It’s been almost a year since they last distributed anything. Uncle Song says it’s because the economy hasn’t been doing well lately. Once the factory gets a major order, things will improve. Then everything will go back to the way it was before, so you don’t need to worry.”
Zhou Qin still held out hope. No. 12 Cotton Textile Mill was not one of those obscure little factories. It was a pillar of the textile industry, and she had had to fight tooth and nail to get in back then.
Zhong Yu had no choice but to remind her, “Mom, the market economy is the main force now. The glory of the past belongs only to the past. If you don’t look for a way out in advance, what will you do if there are mass layoffs and workers are made redundant in the future?”
Zhou Qin’s brow furrowed even more deeply. “It shouldn’t come to that, should it?”
Zhong Yu was helpless. Changing her mother’s way of thinking really was difficult.
“Anyway, I’ve said everything that needs to be said. If you don’t find a way out early, you’ll have plenty of hardship to endure in the future.”
In her previous life, after No. 12 Cotton Textile Mill went bankrupt, her mother had been frantic as she searched for work.
In the end, she had relied on her cooking skills to take over the cafeteria at a technical secondary school and get through the crisis.
Although it had made money, the work had been so exhausting that her arms were too tired to lift after all the cooking and wielding of pots and ladles. Those years had been incredibly hard on her.
Zhong Yu couldn’t bear to watch her mother suffer like that again.
Zhou Qin was not completely incapable of thinking, either. After carefully considering the state of some of Hai City’s major state-owned factories over the past few years, she began to feel uneasy.
“Being self-employed isn’t something you can just decide to do. First, I have no experience. Second, I have no connections. And I don’t even know what I’d sell.”
Hearing her mother say this, Zhong Yu knew that she had taken at least some of her words to heart. She did not press her to make a decision.
“Mom, you’ve worked at the textile factory for most of your life. If you want to go into business, you could consider selling clothes. There are plenty of ways to source merchandise, and the profit margins are substantial.”
Zhong Yu was not making a baseless suggestion. Her mother had high emotional intelligence, good social skills, and a decent sense of style. If she were given room to develop, she would certainly be able to make something of herself.
Zhou Qin had originally only tossed out the idea because she did not want to disappoint her daughter’s good intentions. But after hearing her daughter’s analysis, she truly began to feel tempted.
People who worked in finance were generally good at calculations. After doing the math in her head, she said worriedly, “Suitable storefronts aren’t easy to find right now. The big department stores and supply-and-marketing cooperatives are all state-owned. If we bought a storefront, the cost would be far too high. And that’s not even counting the expense of purchasing clothes wholesale. The initial investment would be considerable.”
Zhong Yu poured her mother a glass of water. Only after Zhou Qin had finished drinking did she say calmly, “We can rent a storefront first and buy one after we’ve made some money. Aren’t commercial residential properties already being developed? We can take it one step at a time. There’s no need to rush.”
Previously, Zhou Qin had not even dared to imagine buying a home.
But after her daughter painted such an appealing picture, she began to feel restless with anticipation.
She knew about commercial housing, too, and had even discussed it with her coworkers. Why shouldn’t she, Zhou Qin, be able to afford a home?
Zhong Yu did not disturb her mother’s thoughts. Seeing Song Congchun sitting there in a daze, she patted him on the head.
“Eat your noodles. Children shouldn’t meddle in adults’ concerns!”
Song Congchun rolled his eyes and said indignantly, “I’m not a child. What use is it to discuss all this? Dad definitely won’t agree. And even if he does, the money Mom earns will belong to that family too. That’s called marital property, and those two will have a right to it as well.”
Zhou Qin bristled the instant she heard that. “Why should the money I earn go toward supporting those two bottomless pits? Let Song Bingkun try!”
Zhong Yu had somewhat underestimated her little brother. He really was thinking far ahead.
“Mom, don’t get worked up. Congchun is right. As long as you and Uncle Song remain married, if you incur debts, he’ll have to help repay them, and if you make money, he’ll be entitled to half of it.”
The thought of the money she earned being used to support those two made Zhou Qin so furious she could have burst a blood vessel.
“In his dreams! Even if I fed it to a dog, the dog would at least wag its tail at me. Those two from the Song household can forget about getting a single cent from me.”
As Zhong Yu cleared the table, she replied calmly, “That’s easy enough. Uncle Song definitely won’t agree to you quitting your job and working for yourself, so you can simply divorce him without moving out. That way, any money you make in the future will have nothing to do with him, and you’ll bear the losses yourself. If you can continue living together, you can support each other. If you can’t stand it anymore, you can go your separate ways.”
Zhou Qin instinctively glanced at her son, then pretended to smack Zhong Yu. “Don’t talk nonsense. What do you mean, divorce or no divorce?”
In those days, divorce was a major matter. No one would take that step unless they absolutely had to.
Song Congchun rubbed his nose indifferently. “Hey, don’t worry about my position. I’d rather be the son of a beggar’s mother than the son of an official father.”
Everyone kept their own accounts in their hearts. For all these years, whenever his father had something good, he thought of the two older children first and never cared about Congchun’s studies or daily life. Congchun had long since stopped expecting any fatherly love.
Although the three of them had only reached this subject in the heat of the moment, Zhou Qin had truly begun to consider it.
Nothing had been decided yet, and she did not dare make a decision lightly. She instructed her children, “Don’t let this get out for now. I need to think it over.”
The siblings were both sharp. Naturally, they would not go around talking.
Zhou Qin tucked the matter away in her heart and planned to mull it over properly later.
Seeing that her daughter was tired enough to yawn, she hurriedly said, “If you don’t have anything to do tomorrow, go to the house. At least greet Uncle Song and have a meal with him. You still have to keep up appearances. We can’t give anyone an excuse to criticize us.”
Zhong Yu had been prepared for this. Her sleepy yawn left the corners of her eyes slightly moist.
“I have to report to Nanshan Hospital tomorrow morning. I probably won’t have time to go over for dinner until the evening.”
Reporting to the hospital was an important matter, so Zhou Qin hurriedly said, “Then go to sleep. Getting your job settled is the most important thing. If you don’t have time tomorrow, go the day after. I’ll explain things to Uncle Song.”
Zhong Yu nodded. She would definitely have to make time to go over tomorrow. She couldn’t make things difficult for her mother.
She was so sleepy that she stumbled toward her room, leaving the living room for her mother to clean up.
She had to admit, having her mother by her side really was the greatest happiness.
Zhong Yu slept until dawn. She and Hospital Director Liu of Nanshan Hospital had agreed that she would report in during the morning, but they had not set a specific time.
Still, since it was their first meeting, Zhong Yu did not want to leave a bad impression. After breakfast, she hurried to the hospital.
Zhou Qin was even more nervous than she was, nagging incessantly at home.
Fortunately, Zhong Yu was calm by nature. Once she arrived at Nanshan Hospital, she still had the leisure to look over her future workplace.
Since she had come to report in, Zhong Yu did not wander around aimlessly.
After asking the nurse at the information desk where the director’s office was, she went straight there.
Hospital Director Liu was not at all as she had imagined. The moment he met her, he smiled benevolently and warmly invited her to sit down.
“Doctor Zhong, you’re young and accomplished. I heard that even the director of Capital Medical University Affiliated Hospital personally tried to retain you. Having you come to our Nanshan Hospital is an honor for us!”
Zhong Yu smiled and shook her head. “You flatter me. My teachers and elders were simply showing me too much kindness. I was also very reluctant to leave them. But I have my own burdens to bear, so your hospital is the best choice for me.”
Hospital Director Liu nodded knowingly. Nanshan Hospital was no worse than Capital Medical University Affiliated Hospital, and he had enough confidence in that.
“I heard you chose Plastic Surgery as your specialty. Our department was only established recently. Including you, we currently have only three physicians, so you may have to take turns being on leave. It could be rather demanding.”
Being a doctor had little to do with holidays in the first place, and Zhong Yu had long since grown accustomed to it.
She smiled and said, “What doctor’s work isn’t demanding? I’ll communicate and coordinate with the department head regarding all work-related matters and do my best to integrate into the team quickly.”
Zhong Yu’s rational decisiveness made Hospital Director Liu see her in a new light. At first, he had been somewhat skeptical of a talent trained through an eight-year direct doctoral program.
As Zhong Yu herself had said, her teachers had shown her special favor. Giving female medical students a little extra consideration was only natural.
But judging from her conduct, she clearly did not seem like someone who intended to coast through life.
In any case, there was plenty of time. He could come to understand her gradually.
“Director Tang should definitely be at work today. I’ll call him first. Go meet him and let him arrange your shifts. There’s no need to hurry—you can take some time to get used to things.”
Zhong Yu smiled and nodded. She was a newcomer, after all. It never hurt to be obedient and sensible at the beginning.
Hospital Director Liu had just connected the call to the department when, before he could say a word, Director Tang anxiously spoke first.
“Director, we’ve just admitted two burn patients. The older one is three years old, and the younger one is only seven or eight months old. Guo Pengfei is absent again, and I need a General Surgery Department physician to help!”
Burn patients first needed routine wound treatment. Their electrolyte balance had to be maintained, and reconstructive surgery had to be performed as quickly as possible. There was no time to waste.
Director Tang’s urgency clearly meant that the burns covered a considerable area. Before Hospital Director Liu could say anything, Zhong Yu rose with a solemn expression.
“Director, saving lives is what matters. Since you’re short a doctor, I’ll go. I’m an attending physician as well, so please don’t worry!”
That was how hospitals were. No one knew when an emergency might suddenly arise.
Hospital Director Liu agreed without the slightest hesitation. Saving lives always came first.
Zhong Yu followed a nurse at a quick pace toward the Plastic Surgery Department. On the other side, Hospital Director Liu also called Director Tao of the General Surgery Department over to lend a hand, in case he was needed.
As soon as she reached the Plastic Surgery Department’s treatment room, Zhong Yu quickly put on a mask and white coat, then thoroughly washed and disinfected her hands.
Director Tang was busy and did not spare any attention for her.
The two children were crying at the tops of their lungs and struggling constantly, while the nurses tried to calm them, sweat covering their foreheads.
The burns were concentrated mainly on their hands. Zhong Yu walked over to the smaller child, took the instruments from the nurse, and began treating his wounds with practiced, gentle movements.
Director Tang noticed her arrival. Seeing that she was completely unfamiliar to him, he asked coldly, “Which department are you from?”
Even with a mask covering her face, her youth and inexperience were obvious. Director Tang was plainly displeased.
Zhong Yu did not pause in her work. She answered calmly, “I’m Zhong Yu, an attending physician. I graduated from Capital Medical University’s eight-year direct doctoral program and have just joined the Plastic Surgery Department. My admission and employment procedures are still being processed. I heard you were short-handed, so I came over to help first.”