Zhao Qingsheng had smashed a hole in the ice and was fishing with a cotton thread.
In winter, fish suffered from oxygen deprivation under the ice; sometimes they would even leap out of the ice hole without needing to be hooked.
Su Xiao hesitated for a moment before walking over.
“Brother Qingsheng, fishing? Oh, you’ve already caught three! You’re amazing!”
Her tone was cheerful, her smile bright, like a carefree, sunny, and optimistic girl—the kind men found very appealing.
Zhao Qingsheng’s stern face broke into a smile: “Do you want one? I’ll give you one.”
Su Xiao waved her hands repeatedly: “No, no, it’s so cold, and you worked hard to catch them…
“It’s just… I wanted to ask for a few for Cheng Hui. You know she’s heavily pregnant, but at the Gao family, she never gets enough to eat, let alone any nutritious food. She’s about to give birth, but she’s even thinner than before she was pregnant. It breaks my heart to see it.”
As she spoke, she blinked, her eyes welling up with tears.
What a pure and kind-hearted girl!
And just like that, she dug a pit for Cheng Hui!
She always misspoke about how far along Cheng Hui’s pregnancy was. It was only seven months, yet she kept saying, “She’s about to give birth, about to give birth.”
Calculating the timeline that way, it just didn’t add up—as if Cheng Hui had been two or three months pregnant even before she got married!
Zhao Qingsheng’s expression noticeably shifted.
The first time he saw Cheng Hui, he had been struck by her beauty, feeling as though he had met the girl of his dreams. He had never seen anyone more beautiful than Cheng Hui.
Her beauty was somewhat unique—her delicate features carried a seductive charm and allure that other women lacked.
Whether it was the curve of her eyes and brows or the shape of her lips, everything about her was captivating.
Yet, her gaze and demeanor were cold, giving off an unapproachable vibe.
The stark contrast made her all the more enticing.
One glance was enough to leave a lasting impression, making you want to look again and again, to keep watching her!
Then he heard that her family was from Jingcheng and her father was an official, which made Zhao Qingsheng’s heart burn even hotter.
He pursued her fiercely, to the point where the entire village knew about it.
His persistence was part of the reason Cheng Hui broke up with her ex-boyfriend for good.
But then, in what felt like a blink of an eye, Cheng Hui married someone else.
Zhao Qingsheng was furious and resentful!
“There’s no one else around. Tell me the truth—whose child is it really?” Zhao Qingsheng asked.
Su Xiao wore an expression of sheer panic, shaking her head frantically: “I didn’t! I said nothing! The child in her belly really is Gao Yuan’s! Really!”
With that, she turned and ran.
But her reaction would make anyone think she was guilty—that the child wasn’t Gao Yuan’s.
Zhao Qingsheng turned to look in the direction of the Educated Youth Spot, sneered, and muttered under his breath: “So she’s a slut.”
…
Early the next morning, just after 6:30, the sound of horse bells rang outside the Educated Youth Spot.
Sun Tiemei had come to pick up Cheng Hui and Gao Zhi.
Cheng Hui had just gotten up and didn’t dawdle. She put on her clothes, washed her face, and went out.
It was better to go early—she was hungry.
The horse cart had a small wooden carriage bed, lined with a thick layer of straw. On top of the straw was a thick cotton quilt.
It was filthy, blackened from years of use—who knew which family had finally discarded it after it could no longer be used—but it was still a quilt, and it was warm.
Sun Tiemei had also prepared two large sheepskin coats for them—one to wear and one to cover their legs.
The horse cart jingled and swayed as it set off.
There was one advantage to winter: the uneven dirt roads were leveled by thick snow, making the ride smooth.
Cheng Hui squinted her eyes comfortably, no longer needing to walk on her own two feet—she was afraid of exhausting her baby.
Truthfully, what she should be doing right now was staying quietly at home to rest during her pregnancy, but she had no money! Absolutely none!
She was practically penniless. If she didn’t go out and strive, what would she eat and drink?
Her food rations were all at the Gao family’s place, and Widow Zhu would never give them to her, even if it killed her. In her current condition, Cheng Hui wasn’t fit to confront her head-on.
If she really wanted to, she could probably get money from her biological father, stepmother, or husband.
But she preferred to rely on herself—it made her feel more secure.
“Auntie, I never knew your horse-driving skills were this good! So fast and steady! This horse is as obedient as a little pup. You must be the best among the women in our Production Team, right?” Cheng Hui chatted with Sun Tiemei.
Beneath her scarf, Sun Tiemei grinned widely. How had she never noticed before how likable Cheng Hui was?
They must not have interacted enough! She should invite her over more often in the future.
The clip-clop of the horse’s hooves echoed as the carriage arrived at the Food Factory in less than half an hour. It wasn’t even 7 o’clock yet.
It wasn’t the usual start time for the workers, but surprisingly, everyone was already there.
They were all bustling about in the courtyard, catching mice!
When they saw Cheng Hui step down from the carriage, everyone paused for a moment before rushing over to greet her.
“The deputy director is here!”
“Deputy Director, was the journey cold?”
“Deputy Director, come inside and warm up!”
Tao Juan, being the most perceptive, asked, “Deputy Director, have you eaten yet?”
Cheng Hui smiled. “Not yet. I suppose none of you have either? Let me make some Geda Soup for everyone. You can try my cooking.”
The expressions on everyone’s faces instantly turned complex.
They were honest folks, but not fools. They could tell Cheng Hui intended to use the factory’s ingredients to cook for herself.
No, for all of them.
If everyone ate…
At that thought, they fell silent.
It had been six months since they’d received their wages, and many families were truly on the brink of running out of food.
Out of the dozen or so people present, seven or eight hadn’t eaten breakfast.
Gao Zhi, pulling the bewildered Sun Tiemei along, followed Cheng Hui into the employee break room.
The room was quite warm. Cheng Hui took off her hat and scarf and said to Wang Hui, “I’ve collected the eggs—8 cents each. Count them and record the accounts.”
That way, they could repay her later!
Sun Tiemei mechanically handed the basket to Wang Hui, watching as he obediently counted the eggs one by one and recorded the numbers in a ledger.
Finally, he respectfully handed it to Cheng Hui for her to sign at the end.
Sure enough, it was 8 cents per egg. Everything Cheng Hui had said was true—the Food Factory really was buying eggs.
One of Sun Tiemei’s reasons for coming along today was to see if Cheng Hui had been lying.
Was finding a job really that easy? For rural folks like them, if it were that easy, it wouldn’t be called “a carp leaping over the dragon’s gate”!
She and Gao Qishan had whispered half the night, worried that Cheng Hui, bold as she was, might have lied—that she hadn’t actually found a job but was planning to sell the eggs herself to make a profit.
But as it turned out…
She hadn’t lied. If anything, she’d been modest!
Not only had she found a job, but she’d also become the deputy director!
The carp hadn’t just leaped over the dragon’s gate—it had become a spirit!
Cheng Hui had already washed her hands and, without informing anyone, gone to the workshop to scoop a bowl of flour to start making Geda Soup.
“We collected 63 eggs today, exactly three extra, so let’s consider them a bonus for everyone.” After saying this, Cheng Hui cracked three eggs into the pot with a “crack-crack-crack” and stirred them into a beautiful egg drop soup.
In reality, she had bought 72 eggs for 5 yuan, but Cheng Hui had already decided yesterday to only bring 63 today, with the remaining 9 to be delivered tomorrow for payment.
After all the effort, their actual profit was just these 9 eggs, which still had to be split between two people.
But Sun Tiemei didn’t mind the small amount at all. Cheng Hui had said this was a long-term business—whatever quantity she collected, Cheng Hui would take it all!
Yesterday, she thought Cheng Hui was just boasting, but now Cheng Hui had become deputy factory director and could eat whatever she wanted…
Her authority was so great that even the official factory director beside her was green with envy!