Those bastards wanted her job? Dream on!
Jiang Zao would rather give it away for free to a loyal and righteous friend like Yanqiu than leave it to those ungrateful wolves.
Tao Yanqiu’s round eyes widened. “Zao’er, y-you’re not planning to leave it to your brother?”
Jiang Zao replied, “Better to give it to you than him.”
Yanqiu’s academic performance was good too. She had only been unlucky in exams—she was more than capable of handling the job.
Tao Yanqiu asked, “Didn’t you used to say siblings should take care of each other? That if they live well, you’ll have someone to rely on after you get married?”
She asked out loud, but couldn’t hide her happiness.
Zao’er cared about her—how wonderful.
A trace of mockery flashed in Jiang Zao’s eyes. “That depends on the people. Only someone with brothers like yours can say that.”
Tao Yanqiu’s three older brothers were all successful. Her eldest and second brothers moved out after marriage, and both they and their wives treated her very well, even giving her factory holiday benefits.
Her parents both had jobs and gave her a generous allowance every month.
Tao Yanqiu grabbed Jiang Zao’s hand. “Wait for me—I’ll go get the household registration booklet.”
She ran home and told her family about Jiang Zao transferring the job to her.
Her father had already gone to work, but her mother, Zhang Guihua, was still home. Hearing this, she scolded lightly, “You child, Jiang Zao is helping you out of kindness—how can you just accept it empty-handed? Wait, I’ll get some money.”
Tao Yanqiu slapped her forehead. “I forgot—I’ll follow your lead, Mom.”
Jiang Zao stood waiting in the alley.
“Jiang Zao, what are you doing standing here?” Feng Miao spotted her from afar.
Jiang Zao narrowed her eyes. “Second Aunt seems to be in a good mood.”
Seeing her reminded Feng Miao of Jiang Shan’s suffering in prison. Her eyes were filled with malice. “Of course! My Shan’er has already been released from prison. With your little tricks, you thought you could keep her locked up? Keep dreaming!”
She expected to see shock, anger, or fear on Jiang Zao’s face.
There was none.
Jiang Zao had long guessed Jiang Shan would be released soon.
It was only an attempted crime, with no solid evidence of espionage. With connections and enough money, Feng Miao’s family could get her out.
…Though this fast release still surprised her a little.
“What are you talking about, Second Aunt? It was clearly your daughter who coveted my fiancé, used despicable methods, and had a suspicious background—that’s why she got locked up. How are you blaming me?”
So what if she was released?
Having been in prison and investigated, Jiang Shan’s reputation was already half ruined.
Feng Miao nearly fainted from anger at Jiang Zao’s smug look. “She’s your sister! Can’t you stand to see her do well?”
Only people filled with anger would shout like that. Feng Miao knew Jiang Shan wasn’t the same anymore.
What kind of family would accept a girl who had been detained by the police? Especially with the Xiao family involved… It hadn’t been easy to get Shan’er out—money was spent, and her reputation paid the price.
Feng Miao’s voice was loud enough for Tao Yanqiu to hear from inside the yard. She came out and said, “Aunt Feng, don’t go too far. Your daughter drugged Jiang Zao’s fiancé—she has no shame. What right do you have to accuse Zao’er?”
“Zao’er is just too kind. If it were me, I’d have ripped your daughter’s hair out, slapped her face until it swelled, and pulled out her tongue to feed the dogs!”
Zhang Guihua followed her out, sneering. “Feng Miao, didn’t your Shan’er go crazy? Why aren’t you home taking care of her? If you’re out and no one’s watching her, what if someone’s child falls, a dog dies, or something goes missing—how will you explain that?”
Feng Miao wanted to shout—
My daughter isn’t crazy!
She pretended to be mentally ill to get out of the police station!
You’re the crazy ones!
But she didn’t dare say it. She trembled with anger.
“I can’t be bothered with you!”
Afraid she might explode from rage, Feng Miao hurried away.
Only then did Jiang Zao realize—Jiang Shan had pretended to be mentally ill to get released.
What a choice: freedom over reputation.
A mentally ill ex-prisoner—finding a job or a husband would now be extremely difficult for Jiang Shan.
Jiang Zao called out loudly after her, “Second Aunt, keep slandering people like that and your tongue might really fall out!”
Feng Miao turned back to curse, but stepped on a loose stone and lost her balance. As she fell and shouted, she bit her tongue hard, instantly tasting blood and trembling in pain.
“Y-you jinx!”
“Ow… it hurts…”
Already unable to win verbally, and now with an injured tongue, Feng Miao slunk away in embarrassment.
Zhang Guihua smiled at Jiang Zao. “Zao’er, let’s go. If we’re late, you won’t be able to take the exam.”
Jiang Zao nodded.
They went to the steel factory, where Jiang Zao took the exam for half an hour.
The results for family-member worker exams came out quickly—Jiang Zao was successfully admitted.
Holding her pen, she came out and took Tao Yanqiu’s hand. “Auntie, Yanqiu, let’s go change the name together. We’ll say Yanqiu is my younger sister, and I’m voluntarily giving her the job.”
Zhang Guihua was a sharp and capable woman. “Zao girl, jobs are hard to come by. Even if you don’t keep it for your family, you could sell it. Giving it to Yanqiu for free—doesn’t that bother you?”
Jiang Zao smiled lightly. “Auntie, Yanqiu and I are good friends. She’s always shared everything with me since we were young. I want to help her too.”
Zhang Guihua nodded in satisfaction, having made up her mind. “Let’s go, child. We’ll find her second brother.”
Tao Yanqiu clung happily to Jiang Zao’s arm, almost glued to her.
Her second brother, Tao Jiangxi, was a first-level technician at the steel factory and had significant influence. When Zhang Guihua approached him, he took them to the personnel department to complete the transfer.
Thinking of Feng Miao, Jiang Zao cautiously said, “Brother Jiangxi, can you also change the internal admission list? Put Yanqiu as admitted and me as not admitted.”
Everyone had honest-looking round faces. Tao Jiangxi was surprised. “Why?”
Jiang Zao explained, “We ran into my second aunt on the way. I’m afraid she’ll hear about this and tell my parents. If my mother finds out I took the exam without telling them, she’ll guess I gave the job away—I’m afraid she’ll make a scene.”
There were no fools in the Jiang family. Even the slightest hint could be figured out.
For Tao Jiangxi, changing the internal list wasn’t difficult.
He went to coordinate with the personnel department, and everything was settled.
Once the names were transferred, Tao Yanqiu officially became a worker at the steel factory.
Zhang Guihua led them outside and sat on a bench. She took out a red envelope from her cloth bag. “Zao girl, I’m very grateful you helped Yanqiu secure this job.”
“I know you gave it out of friendship, and not taking money is your choice—but I can’t let Yanqiu accept it for free.”
Tao Yanqiu popped a candy into her mouth and nodded eagerly. “That’s right, Zao’er, you have to accept it.”
Zhang Guihua added, “You two are good friends—that’s exactly why you should accept it. Even between friends, accounts should be clear. A job is a big matter. If Yanqiu owes you too much, your friendship will become unbalanced.”
“You’re not living comfortably at home, and you’re about to get married. The bride price may not stay in your hands. Keep this money as your dowry—it’ll help you when you marry.”
Her words were completely sincere. Having lived through much of married life, Zhang Guihua had seen enough. She felt sorry for Jiang Zao and couldn’t help but say more.
Hearing this, Jiang Zao no longer hesitated. She reached out and accepted the red envelope. “Thank you, Auntie—for both the money and your advice.”
She truly needed money.
Only with her own money and her own job could she stand tall.
Jiang Zao accepted it openly. Not everyone in the Tao family was like Yanqiu—they didn’t like owing favors and weren’t short on money. For them, solving things with money brought peace of mind.
By accepting it, it was good for both her and Yanqiu.
Zhang Guihua felt even more satisfied. “Come, I’ll treat you both to a meal at the state-run restaurant.”
Tao Yanqiu said, “Mom, Zao’er likes fish—let’s order a braised fish later.”
After eating, it was afternoon.
When Jiang Zao returned home, Liu Chunhua was sleeping. She tiptoed inside, closed the door, and opened the thick red envelope.