The Cultural Troupe? Recruiting?
Oh my heavens, what incredible fortune is this!
Wei Shufen’s face flushed slightly, her eyes gleaming as she looked at Jin Miao, resembling a dog that had gone hungry for several days suddenly spotting a massive meaty bone.
It gave Jin Miao goosebumps all over, and she instinctively rubbed her arms.
What kind of look was her mother giving her?
“Third child, these next few days, take Little Fourth around town and see if there are any suitable jobs. Mom believes in you. As the older sister, you can find some work for Little Fourth.”
Jin Miao was dumbfounded.
Wait, what happened? How did the task of finding a job for Jin Yao fall onto her shoulders?
“Mom, no, my own job is just so-so. How could I possibly find a good job for Little Sister? You’re overestimating me.”
[Jin Miao: With Fourth’s love-struck brain, whatever job she finds, she’ll just end up running off to Chen Anguo’s side after a couple of days. What’s the point of wasting effort?]
Though Jin Yao still forced a pleading smile on her face, her heart had already sunk.
Jin Yao: It wasn’t me, I didn’t do anything!
Wei Shufen shot Jin Yao a look of exasperation. She never expected her most beloved youngest daughter to turn out so foolish, unwilling to even take on a decent job for the sake of a man.
What’s so great about that Chen Anguo anyway? Just a pretty face—how could he compare to earning money?
“Third child, Mom means that your job won’t last much longer anyway. After working so hard all these years, I’m giving you and your sister a few days off. Have some fun and keep an eye out for suitable jobs.”
She then took two steps toward Jin Yao, glared at her, and pulled her hand as she walked over to Jin Miao. “Miao, you have to keep a close watch on your little sister. She’s young and inexperienced. As the older sister, you should scold her or even hit her if needed. Don’t let her get involved with any shady men!”
Jin Yao grew anxious. “Mom, what are you talking about? When have I ever been with any man? I don’t even talk much to men outside. Don’t worry, I’m still young and have no interest in that kind of thing between men and women!”
Finally seizing the chance to defend herself, she wished she could raise her hand and swear to the heavens right then and there.
Wei Shufen didn’t say whether she believed it or not, just snorted heavily. “You’d better be telling the truth.”
Jin Miao was utterly confused. Why was this life different from the previous one? Could it be the unintended ripple effect caused by her, a little butterfly?
If so, her butterfly wings might have flapped a bit too hard.
“This matter is settled then.”
How was it settled? What exactly was settled?
With that matter concluded, Jin Sen finally seized the opportunity to speak up. “Mom, I haven’t finished talking about my situation yet!”
As he looked at Wei Shufen, he blinked his eyes, his meaning unmistakably clear—hopefully, they could extract more useful information from his little sister’s mind.
How could the factory go bankrupt? And what should he do about his job then?
If only they could know the exact time the factory would shut down.
Jin Dayong didn’t understand. Frowning, he spoke bluntly, his tone somewhat harsh.
“Eldest, what nonsense are you talking about? Such a good job at the factory, you…”
“You don’t know a damn thing.”
Wei Shufen’s single sentence made Jin Dayong obediently shut his mouth, not daring to say another word—their family hierarchy was crystal clear.
She glanced at her third daughter, who was sitting behind the table, propping her chin as she watched her younger sister beside her, and hesitantly began, “Maybe… you should keep doing what you’re doing?”
The two waited for a while but didn’t hear Jin Miao’s inner thoughts, leaving them somewhat deflated.
Jin Sen continued, “Mom, what if we try selling food?”
It was Jin Yao who was quick-witted, nudging the person beside her who was lost in thought, staring off into nowhere. She whispered, “Third sister, what do you think about Big Brother’s idea of starting a food business? Wasn’t his internship at the factory going pretty well? Is he really going to quit? That would be such a waste.”
Jin Miao, who had been lost in her own world, finally snapped back to reality. She glanced at Jin Yao and offered a perfunctory smile. “Big Brother and the others should decide for themselves. We’ll just listen.”
But in her mind, she was already chattering away with complaints.
[Jin Miao: Internship going well? Well, my foot! Doing more work than the regular employees but without their pay or benefits, having to give gifts to the mentor during holidays—even little cabbages aren’t exploited this badly. The factory’s already on the decline, but they’re keeping it from the interns. Eventually, they’ll trick them into spending money to become someone else’s fall guy—talk about being taken advantage of and then counting the money for them!]
Jin Sen clenched his fists at his sides, feeling a surge of anger. He had worked diligently and earnestly all this time, even helping his mentor with so much, only to find out the factory’s situation had been kept hidden from him. It was just too much.
All those years of effort had gone to waste!
[Jin Miao: But why did this silly big brother suddenly think of starting a food business? Although it’s actually a good time now—people in town have more money to spend and can afford it. With the upcoming wave of people leaving their jobs to start businesses, many are seizing this opportunity to build their capital. But still…]
As she thought this, her gaze involuntarily drifted toward her mother and brother.
If her father was the type who wouldn’t make a sound even if you hit him with a stick, then her big brother was the type who’d let out a single grunt if you did.
Her mother often scolded, “Just like the rest of the Jin family—cut from the same cloth!”
Her mother, on the other hand, was articulate, capable, and efficient. If it weren’t for all the troubles her father had caused, she wouldn’t have become so dispirited later on.
But she was always extremely cautious, even when buying things in town, she’d be nervous and careful—let alone going out to sell food.
Jin Miao was certain her mother would never agree.
[Jin Miao: My mom would never make any changes. How could she possibly go sell food in town!]
“Alright!”
See, she knew it…
Wait, hold on!
What did her mom just say?
Perhaps Jin Miao’s expression was too shocked and confused, because Wei Shufen’s face flushed slightly. “I’ve noticed things have loosened up a lot in town lately, and more people are starting businesses. We could give it a try too. With so many mouths to feed in this family, if we only rely on those few acres of land, we’ll all starve to death.”
Now that no one in the family was studying, and all the children except the youngest, Jin Yao, had their own things to do—the eldest working as an intern at the factory, the second helping out in the fields, and the third teaching people to read—the family was just barely getting by.
But now both the eldest and the third child are about to lose their jobs, so we really need to think carefully about other ways out!
“Let’s give it a try. If we can earn a little money, that would be even better. The eldest and the second child are both getting older, and there will be plenty of places to spend money in the future!”
As Mother Jin’s words fell, footsteps sounded from outside, and the second child, Jin Yan, walked in, looking puzzled at the large family gathered in the room.
“Mom, Dad, are you holding a big meeting here? Why wasn’t I included?”