Jiang Shan walked up to Jiang Zao and looked her up and down. Everyone was wearing work uniforms, yet Jiang Zao somehow looked the best in hers.
The jealousy in her eyes was impossible to hide. “Second Sister, our lockers are just sitting there unlocked. You went and put a lock on yours—who are you guarding against?”
“Are we that untrustworthy to you?”
She raised her brow and let out a provoking “Hm?” at Jiang Zao.
Jiang Zao’s gaze remained calm. “I’m guarding against you. I’m afraid one day your mental illness will relapse—you might drug me or steal my things.”
Once again, Jiang Shan had tried to humiliate Jiang Zao, only to be humiliated herself.
“The team leader already proved I’m fine! Are you questioning her?” Jiang Shan placed her hands on her hips, blocking Jiang Zao’s way.
She simply couldn’t stand Jiang Zao. No matter what Jiang Zao did, it irritated her.
Chang Sanxi heard Jiang Shan’s shouting from outside. When she entered and saw Jiang Shan making things difficult for Jiang Zao, she frowned. “What are you doing? Go clean the fermentation room. If I see you bullying Jiang Zao again, don’t blame me for writing you up.”
Jiang Shan left angrily.
She grabbed a broom and went to the fermentation room, treating the floor as if it were Jiang Zao—scrubbing hard, dragging forcefully, as if she wanted to scrape off a layer of cement.
Damn Jiang Zao, cursed Jiang Zao. They were both from the same Jiang family—so why was Jiang Zao the prettiest? Why did she have a good grandmother who left her such a beautiful jade pendant? Why did Xiao Shuisheng like her?
The more Jiang Shan thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. The jealousy in her heart churned until she almost cried.
She had sacrificed her reputation, drugging herself and offering herself to him—yet he still refused.
Thinking of Xiao Shuisheng’s flushed face, the veins bulging on his neck as he struggled to restrain himself, sweat covering his forehead, Jiang Shan felt even more unwilling.
…Just a little more, and she would have had him.
Missing that chance, and then being taken to the police station—she would never have another opportunity.
After finishing the cleaning, Jiang Shan went back to work with her head lowered. The experienced worker assigned to guide her explained how to judge fermentation, but Jiang Shan let it go in one ear and out the other.
The worker noticed her distraction but didn’t bother. As long as she did her own work well, others’ matters had nothing to do with her.
Jiang Shan remained absent-minded all day.
She refused to accept that she would marry someone inferior to Jiang Zao’s choice.
There were plenty of men in the world—she refused to believe she couldn’t find someone better.
In contrast, Jiang Zao’s day was especially fulfilling.
She was now a factory worker and had to contribute.
Otherwise, if everyone earned the same wages while others worked and she only learned from Master Sun without working, people would resent it.
After discussing with Master Sun, Jiang Zao completed her dough portioning work first, then spent the remaining time learning pastry-making from him.
Their team mainly made bread, with each portion weighing 65 grams, all pre-measured daily.
Jiang Zao was fast at portioning. Once she sped up, the following processes also went faster. Work that usually finished around six in the evening was done by a little after four today.
“Having Jiang Zao in our team is really great—we don’t have to work overtime and can leave on time.”
“Exactly! If Jiang Shan hadn’t ruined that batch of fermented dough and forced us to redo it, we could’ve finished even earlier!”
Jiang Shan had the easiest task in the team, yet she still felt tired—her legs and feet sore. Standing at the fermentation room door, stretching lazily, she overheard their words and froze.
Irritated, she snapped, “A bunch of fence-sitters! You’re flattering Jiang Zao just because she’s in the spotlight. You’ll regret it sooner or later!”
She turned and went off to talk to Wang Meili.
The other workers grew even more dissatisfied with Jiang Shan.
“She drags us down and still acts arrogant!”
“…She just recovered from mental illness—what do you expect her to understand?”
“….”
Among those whispering was Liu Gamei, who had been responsible for weighing dough portions the day before. She hesitated, then said quietly, “I’m going to ask my mom for a lock tonight. I’ll lock my locker tomorrow.”
She tapped her temple, looking troubled. “I really think something’s wrong with her head.”
“Right, I’ll get a lock too.”
“Me too…”
Jiang Shan had no idea she was being isolated. She went to Wang Meili and complained, “I just messed up one batch of dough, and they’re all targeting me.”
Wang Meili was busy watching Master Sun teach Jiang Zao kneading techniques and didn’t pay much attention.
She responded perfunctorily a few times. Finding it boring, Jiang Shan went out to change clothes and wait for the end of the shift.
Master Sun stood by the workbench. “Yesterday I had you knead dough all day. How did it feel?”
Jiang Zao looked at the dough in her hands, her delicate brows slightly furrowed. “Sometimes I can’t knead a whole piece evenly.”
Master Sun nodded. He scooped up some flour, slowly added water, and began kneading.
“Don’t underestimate kneading. It’s like the foundation—only when the dough is properly kneaded will the texture come out right.”
“The temperature of the flour and water greatly affects the softness and elasticity of the dough. In winter, use warm water; in spring and summer, the water can be cooler.”
The loose flour gradually became a smooth dough in his hands. He used five techniques: pounding, kneading, pressing, throwing, and rubbing.
As Jiang Zao watched, her hands mimicked the movements in the air.
Her expression was focused, completely absorbed.
Master Sun handed her the dough. “Try it.”
Jiang Zao nodded. “Alright.”
She took the dough and began kneading. Slowly, she incorporated Master Sun’s techniques. At first, her movements were stiff, but gradually she managed to use all five methods.
Not yet skilled—but learning quickly.
Master Sun was extremely satisfied. “Focus on mastering the kneading techniques first.”
Jiang Zao’s palms worked the dough, feeling its strength, softness, and elasticity.
Wang Meili was also secretly learning nearby.
She had only just grasped one technique, yet Jiang Zao had already learned them all!
If she couldn’t learn from Master Sun directly, she would just secretly learn from Jiang Zao.
At 6:30, the workers finished their shift. Chang Sanxi placed a greaseproof paper package on the table. “Jiang Shan ruined a batch of dough. Throwing it away would be wasteful, so I baked it and shared it with everyone. This portion is yours.”
The over-fermented dough affected the texture and wasn’t suitable for selling, but it was still good enough to eat.
Jiang Zao smiled sweetly. “Thank you, Vice Team Leader!”
There wasn’t much bread. Qin Xuehua took one portion, Wang Meili got one, and the rest were first come, first served.
Chang Sanxi had deliberately saved a portion for Jiang Zao.
Small gestures among colleagues often helped build friendships faster. Jiang Zao accepted it graciously.
Chang Sanxi pointed outside. “Keep it up. I’m heading home.”
Jiang Zao nodded. “Alright.”
Summer days were long, and night came late. Jiang Zao continued practicing until 7:30 before leaving.
Seeing Jiang Zao leave, Wang Meili decided to stay and practice for another hour.
The sun sank behind the hills, leaving only a brilliant afterglow. The deep blue sky gradually spread, and the factory windows reflected the last traces of orange-red light.
Holding the bread, Jiang Zao walked out of the factory gates and saw a tall, upright man standing there.
“Shuisheng!”
Xiao Shuisheng stood at the entrance, wearing a white shirt. The wind puffed against the fabric, his sleeves loosely rolled to reveal strong forearms. A gentle smile rested on his lips as he chatted kindly with the gatekeeper.
Hearing Jiang Zao’s voice, he nodded to the guard and walked toward her.
“Zao’er.”