Qu Chuning's sudden shout drew the attention of everyone on the street.
Lin Dongguo was also startled, instinctively releasing Qu Chuning's hand. Seizing the opportunity, Qu Chuning dashed into the crowd, shouting as she ran, "Catch the pervert! Help!"
Lin Dongguo anxiously chased after Qu Chuning. As more people gathered, their gazes toward Lin Dongguo grew increasingly hostile. He turned and fled, his speed allowing him to quickly disappear into the crowd.
Only after he had run away did Qu Chuning gasp for breath, panting heavily. She had originally intended to go to the post office, but it was located at the end of the street. Afraid of encountering Lin Dongguo again, she didn't dare go. Nor did she dare return home—it was getting dark, and what if that despicable scoundrel Lin Dongguo ambushed her on the way?
As Qu Chuning hesitated, she spotted a tall figure standing out prominently in the distance. He was too striking—both in his demeanor and his height, which towered over ordinary people—making it impossible not to notice him.
Xi Muzhou wasn't wearing a uniform but a white short-sleeved shirt that accentuated his healthy complexion. Many female comrades couldn't help but whisper about him.
"Over here!"
Qu Chuning stood on her tiptoes, waving vigorously at him.
Xi Muzhou took large strides and was in front of Qu Chuning in the blink of an eye. He glanced her over but asked nothing, simply saying, "Let's go home."
Those four short words struck Qu Chuning's heart deeply. "Going home"—how beautiful it sounded. Just moments ago, she had been worrying about how to get back, and now Xi Muzhou had arrived. At this moment, he stood like a mountain, providing her with a sense of peace she had never known before.
"I haven't mailed the letter yet…"
Qu Chuning's voice was soft. Without another word, Xi Muzhou headed toward the post office, with Qu Chuning following closely behind.
Xi Muzhou walked slowly. When they reached the post office, Qu Chuning dropped the stamped letter into the mailbox and finally let out a long sigh of relief. As they walked back, she quietly recounted what had happened earlier. When she finished speaking and looked up, she noticed Xi Muzhou walking slightly ahead and to her left. It occurred to her then: in the past, whenever they walked together, Xi Muzhou always moved quickly, forcing her to jog to keep up. But today, she had been walking slowly the entire time.
Qu Chuning stared blankly at Xi Muzhou. Had he been waiting for her today?
On the way back, it was already dark, but with Xi Muzhou by her side, Qu Chuning felt no fear. By the time they reached home, it was 9:30 PM. They quickly washed up and went to bed.
"Today… I mean, thank you!"
In the darkness, Qu Chuning mumbled these words softly from under the covers.
But after waiting a long time, she received no response from Xi Muzhou. She finally poked her head out, taking several deep breaths of fresh air, and laughed self-deprecatingly. Xi Muzhou kept a very regular schedule and had to wake up early the next day—he must have already fallen asleep. She turned on her side and drifted off as well.
That night, in her drowsy state, Qu Chuning felt as if she had grabbed onto something warm. Exhausted both physically and mentally, she paid it no mind.
The next day, Qu Chuning went to work still dressed in plain clothes. She organized the newspapers and books she had brought back, packed her pen and notebook, and set off for work.
As soon as she entered the workshop, before Qu Chuning could even set down the newspapers and books in her hands, Shi Zhenzhen was already glaring at her from across the room, her voice sharp and grating: "Qu Chuning, you've been working here for several days now, how come you still don't know anything? Look at the floor—hurry up and move all this over to the shelves! And by the way, we're out of staples. Go get some later!"
Hearing this, Lan Xia immediately turned her gaze to Qu Chuning.
Whether it was moving books or fetching staples, both were physically demanding tasks. In their workshop, every time staples were fetched, they had to be carried back in loads weighing over a hundred pounds.
Qu Chuning glanced at the others. Like everyone else, Lan Xia quickly lowered her head and focused on her work. Being new here, Qu Chuning didn't want to cause trouble, so she set down her books and went to move the items first.
The floor was piled high with bound books that needed to be sorted and placed on the shelves. Qu Chuning could lift seventy or eighty pounds at a time—she had never been a delicate young lady. After marrying into the Lin Family, she had fought to earn work points equal to those of the men in the production team. Moving books was hardly heavy labor for her.
Qu Chuning never made a fuss. Her forehead and back were drenched in sweat, and she wiped away the beads about to drip from her eyelids, continuing until all the books on the floor were moved.
Before she could catch her breath, Shi Zhenzhen urged her on: "And the staples! Without staples, none of us can get anything done. Hurry up and go!"
Still, no one was willing to step up and say a word. It wasn't that Qu Chuning couldn't handle the work, but Shi Zhenzhen had been bossing her around since the moment she arrived, and she'd had enough.
So, she walked up to Shi Zhenzhen and said, "Comrade Shi Zhenzhen, in that case, will you be handing over your wages to me this month?"
Shi Zhenzhen, hearing this, wiped the smirk off her face and replied sternly, "Why should I?"
Qu Chuning let out a cold laugh. "And the rest of you—are you all waiting for me to fetch the staples? If that's the case, I'll go ask Director Hou whether all of your wages should be given to me this month. If so, you can all take a break—I'll handle the work!"
Hearing this, Lan Xia instinctively made to leave. Others might come from well-off families, but she didn't—she had several children to support.
"Nobody move!"
Seeing someone about to leave, Shi Zhenzhen shouted furiously, pointing at Qu Chuning, "I'm not giving you my wages! Qu Chuning, what are you going to do about it? In this workshop, I'm in charge! I'm telling you to go get the staples, so you go!"
"I can go, no problem. But then your wages are mine!" Qu Chuning showed no fear of Shi Zhenzhen. Her hand still ached from Lin Dongguo's rough handling yesterday, and she had a few scrapes on her body. She might not be able to overpower Lin Dongguo, but dealing with Shi Zhenzhen was a different matter.
"Keep dreaming—"
Before Shi Zhenzhen could finish, Qu Chuning gave her a hard shove. "Shi Zhenzhen, trying to bully me, are you?" Without waiting for a reaction, she yelled out, "Director Hou, Director Hou! Have you been promoted? Shi Zhenzhen says she's the boss of our workshop now…"
Qu Chuning was playing completely outside the rules. Hearing her shout, Shi Zhenzhen panicked and instinctively moved to cover Qu Chuning's mouth.
But Qu Chuning was stronger than Shi Zhenzhen. She might not be a match for Lin Dongguo, but handling Shi Zhenzhen was effortless. She grabbed Shi Zhenzhen's hand and twisted it, pulling her toward the door.
Director Hou had just finished the meeting and was walking with other workshop directors when Qu Chuning’s sudden shout, as loud as a soldier’s drill command, startled him. He quickly exchanged a few words with the others and hurried toward their Binding Workshop.