Meng Suling kept nodding. It seemed the old house wasn’t entirely without merit—at least it was spacious enough that they wouldn’t have to worry about living space when their eldest son got married in the future.
Seeing that their second daughter-in-law was satisfied, the old couple breathed a sigh of relief.
By now, the sky had brightened. Miao Dashan went to the commune office for a round and brought the secretary over to discuss the renovation.
In those days, ordinary families couldn’t afford to build houses, nor were they allowed to do so casually.
But both of Miao Dashan’s sons and daughters-in-law had secure jobs—their family was well-known in the commune for being well-off. Besides, the old house was truly dilapidated, and it wouldn’t make sense not to allow the renovation.
Thus, the matter was quickly settled.
The secretary helped by contacting several skilled masons from the commune.
They were ready to start work that very day.
Seeing how things were progressing, Miao Yunwei felt reassured and hurried off to her workplace.
Today, without Miao Jianguo to accompany her, she had to handle everything on her own.
She first signed in, then waited in the parking lot for the bus to return.
The bus hadn’t returned yet, but there was another vehicle preparing to depart.
The ticket conductor shouted at her in a loud voice, “What are you standing there for? Come over and help with the luggage! You look so wooden and dull, nothing like someone who can work!”
The driver, who was helping passengers load their luggage, promptly got into the vehicle as soon as Miao Yunwei approached.
The two of them chatted and laughed inside the vehicle, while Miao Yunwei worked like a spinning top below.
By the time she finally stuffed the last piece of luggage in, she was panting heavily and drenched in sweat.
Zhao Qiming appeared near her at some point, speaking kindly, “Being a loader isn’t easy, is it? I think you shouldn’t push yourself too hard. This job is more suitable for men.”
Miao Yunwei wiped the sweat from her face and shook her head stubbornly, “I can do it!”
Zhao Qiming’s expression darkened instantly, and he ignored her after that.
That day, Zhao Qiming didn’t assign her any work, but she didn’t dare idle around. Whenever she saw a vehicle arrive, she rushed over to help.
The other loaders were happy to take it easy, and with Zhao Qiming’s tacit approval, some even slacked off and made sarcastic remarks on the side.
She gritted her teeth and persevered through the three-day probation period.
When the director found out, he was amazed and praised her highly, “Comrade Miao! They say women hold up half the sky. I used to have a superficial understanding of that saying, but you’ve made me truly grasp its meaning. Welcome to our bus passenger transport company.
This is the temporary worker contract. Take a look, and if there are no issues, sign your name.”
Miao Yunwei’s eyes shone brightly as she bowed solemnly to the director. “Director Gao, I’ve always remembered a great man’s words: ‘What is work? Work is struggle. Where there are difficulties and problems, we must go and solve them. We work and struggle precisely to overcome difficulties.’
No job should be divided by gender. We should face difficulties and struggles fearlessly!”
Director Gao’s spirits were lifted. “Well said! Your ideological awareness is quite high! What’s your educational background?”
“I just graduated from high school,” Miao Yunwei said proudly.
It wasn’t that she was boasting—her grades were genuinely good. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to get into high school. Unfortunately, there was no college entrance exam at the time, and everyone’s ultimate goal was to get into a factory. She had no choice but to start working.
In her previous life, when the college entrance examination was reinstated, she had already given up on herself—married, pregnant, and prevented by her in-laws from participating. Missing the exam became a lifelong regret. This time, no matter what, she had to give it a try.
“Still a high school student! Not bad. I heard your father is also a driver for the company. Work hard and strive to secure a permanent position.”
Director Gao gave Miao Yunwei high praise.
Miao Yunwei’s cheeks flushed with excitement as she clenched her fists tightly. “I will work hard and contribute to the bus station, Director. I’ll take my leave now!”
Director Gao watched the slender figure depart, openly expressing his fondness for Miao Yunwei. The bus station needed diligent and motivated employees like her to inspire everyone to work harder.
Accountant Old Zhang slowly approached, holding a teacup. “Director, you were speaking a bit too loudly just now. Everyone heard you!”
Director Gao scoffed. “So what if they heard? I said it on purpose for certain people to hear. The vehicle team’s work has been getting worse these past few days. If this continues, I don’t think Zhao Qiming should stay in his position!”
Old Zhang felt a pang of nervousness and cautiously asked, “Director, what’s going on?”
Director Gao slammed the table angrily. “What else could it be? Yesterday, I saw several loaders idly chatting, and Zhao Qiming was right there on the scene! He didn’t say a word or ask a thing! What does he think he’s doing?”
Old Zhang was sprayed with saliva and silently turned back to his workstation.
The news of Miao Yunwei becoming an official temporary worker spread quickly, and many staff members at the station came to see what the fuss was about.
When Ke Youzhi returned from his trip, he immediately went to find Zhao Qiming upon hearing the news. “Brother Zhao, I gave you plenty of good stuff just so you could drive that annoying girl away. Three days have passed, not only is she still here, but she’s also passed her probation! Does that make sense?”
He had just returned from a long-distance trip that took four days round-trip. If Miao Yunwei had left during that time, he wouldn’t have had to face her.
Now, his plans were completely ruined.
Zhao Qiming was also frustrated, but he kept a calm expression and acted indifferent. “Ke Youzhi, who do you think you are to talk to me like that? Don’t forget, you’re just a driver. I did what you asked and made things difficult for Comrade Miao. If she could endure it, that’s her skill. What are you complaining about?”
Anyone could see he was giving Miao Yunwei a hard time, and he didn’t believe Ke Youzhi was unaware. What was the point of coming to him now to demand an explanation?
Ke Youzhi’s face turned pale, then flushed with anger. He quickly apologized, “Brother Zhao, I was just too anxious and spoke out of turn. Please don’t take it to heart. I just don’t understand. Also, I heard Director Gao praised that annoying girl in his office and didn’t even mention you. Isn’t that a slap in your face?”
Mentioning this made Zhao Qiming even more annoyed. He glared fiercely at Ke Youzhi. “And whose fault is that? You’re the one stirring up trouble. A grown man like you, picking on a young girl—aren’t you ashamed?”
Ke Youzhi was inexplicably scolded and stomped his feet in frustration.
When he turned around, he saw Miao Yunwei standing not far away, staring straight at him. Her gaze sent shivers down his spine. He blinked hard and looked again, but there was no one there. He wondered if he was seeing things.
No, he couldn’t let that damn girl stay at the bus station any longer. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to live in peace!
With that thought, Ke Youzhi strode into Director Gao’s office.
At the end of her shift, Miao Yunwei signed out and left the passenger vehicle as usual, hurrying to Hekou Village as quickly as possible.
After several days of hard work, the wasteland around the old house had been completely cleared.
The tidied-up courtyard indeed looked spacious enough. The open area in the front yard was estimated to be around one hundred square meters, while the backyard still had three fen of private land and a small open space of about fifty to sixty square meters. It could be cultivated for growing vegetables or leveled to serve as a washing area.