Bai Shanshan was driven absolutely mad by Wen Yan, who remained calm from start to finish while pulling her outrageous stunts.
‘She just finished roasting me, and now she’s turning around and asking me to work for her?’
‘Is this something a human being would even do?!’
Her heart felt like it was going to explode from anger, yet she couldn’t stop her mind from wondering what kind of explanation Wen Yan could possibly come up with.
Bai Shanshan gritted her teeth and asked, enunciating each word, “You’re asking me to work for you?”
Wen Yan nodded politely.
“That’s right.
On the ride over, you said you were a junior college student.
I need a data recorder.”
The veins on the back of Bai Shanshan’s hands bulged at her sides.
Wen Yan had shocked her once again.
“After everything that’s happened between us, you actually want me to work for you!”
Wen Yan countered, “It wasn’t a conflict.
You made a mistake and corrected it.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Wen Yan saw that Bai Shanshan looked like steam was about to pour from her head.
She finally, belatedly, looked at Bai Shanshan and asked, “Are you… angry?”
‘Angry…?’
‘No!’
‘I’m about to explode!’
It was as if a fire was burning inside Bai Shanshan, from the inside out, making her fume with rage.
And the one constantly adding fuel to the fire was Wen Yan.
‘I get it now.
This must be Wen Yan’s way of getting revenge on me.’
‘What a brilliant scheme!’
‘No way.
I can’t lose to her!’
Bai Shanshan desperately suppressed her anger and forced a smile.
“I’m not angry.
I’m not the petty type.”
“I just want to know why you’re asking me to work for you.”
Bai Shanshan smiled through gritted teeth.
‘I’d like to see how she spins this.
It’s just putting on a magnanimous act.
As if I can’t do that, too!’
Wen Yan saw the look on Bai Shanshan’s face—one that said ‘you’re a liar if you don’t give me a straight answer’—and fell silent for a moment.
‘Her mentor had repeatedly reminded her: telling half the truth is enough.’
‘But Bai Shanshan was insisting on hearing it… Ugh, fine.’
Gu Qing suddenly had a bad feeling.
Sure enough.
Wen Yan took a step forward.
“You’re the only educated youth I know.
Finding someone else would require me to get to know them from scratch, which is a waste of time.”
“You have a diploma.
You lied on the transport with a straight face, which shows you have strong nerves.
If you work for me, you won’t be able to see Jiang Baizhou.
Sister-in-law Gu Qing is your aunt, and Li Group Leader is your uncle-by-marriage, which means your family connections are solid.”
“COUGH, COUGH, COUGH, COUGH—I’m fine, I’m fine!
I just choked on my own spit.
Don’t mind me, you two keep talking.”
Sister-in-law Gu Qing took two steps back and turned away, forcing herself to stare at the ceiling as her shoulders shook.
‘My god, I’ve never met such an honest girl.’
Bai Shanshan’s face cycled through red, white, and a sickly green.
She stared, dumbfounded, at Wen Yan, stammering “You… you… you…” for a good while, utterly unable to form a complete sentence.
‘Was this the kind of thing you could just say out loud?!’
Apparently, for Wen Yan, it was.
And not only that, Bai Shanshan had the distinct “impression” that she had been the one to force it out of her.
‘So, to sum it up: I basically begged for her to insult me?’
Bai Shanshan’s insides twisted with rage.
After she finished, Wen Yan offered a polite smile, took two steps back, and raised her wrist to check the time.
“The lunch break is thirty minutes.
It’s 12:13 now.
If I don’t have your answer by 12:43, I will find a new data recorder.”
With that, Wen Yan went to the front of the line to get her food.
Bai Shanshan felt as if her entire worldview had been run over again and again by a monster truck driven by Wen Yan.
She turned woodenly to look at her aunt, Gu Qing.
“Auntie—”
Gu Qing walked over and whispered earnestly, “Shanshan, tell your auntie the truth.
Are you still hung up on Jiang Baizhou?”
Bai Shanshan naturally understood what her aunt was getting at.
She felt both resentful and dejected.
“Auntie, I won’t cause you any trouble.
I really thought the two of them had divorced, that’s why I said what I did on the ride over.”
Gu Qing stared at Bai Shanshan’s face.
‘For someone who volunteered to join the Reclamation Team empty-handed just to save her younger siblings some food back home, she might be a little selfish, but her heart can’t be in a bad place.’
Gu Qing squeezed Bai Shanshan’s hand firmly.
“Auntie believes you!
Shanshan, I think Wen Yan is a decent person.”
Bai Shanshan frowned.
“What?
You think *she’s* decent?
After the things she just said!”
The thought of Wen Yan’s earlier display made Gu Qing want to laugh.
She said disapprovingly, “She was telling the truth.
You’re too young to understand, but it’s rare to meet someone so honest.”
“All the educated youth have to work.
You’ve never done reclamation work, so you don’t know how tough it is here.
This chance to work with Wen Yan is a real opportunity.
You should think it over.”
Bai Shanshan wanted to argue but couldn’t find the words.
She muttered, “She’s only been here a day herself.
Where did she find this job?”
Gu Qing paused.
That was a good point.
She hadn’t even thought to ask that question; she had just subconsciously assumed Wen Yan was capable enough to arrange something.
Their gazes followed to the front of the room.
Wen Yan had already gotten her meal and was holding her enamel mug while talking to the cafeteria’s head cook, though they couldn’t hear what was being said.
Wen Yan took a bite of the stewed salt fish.
It was chewy and had a strong, salty-fishy taste, but it was a bite of meat, at least.
“Master Niu, do we have a lot of fish?”
Master Niu replied offhandedly, “Tons.
It’s the land where you can knock out a deer with a stick and scoop up fish with a ladle.”
The main dish was stewed salt fish, accompanied by stir-fried potato slices with some dried, preserved vegetable Wen Yan didn’t recognize.
The staple food was a steamed bun made from sweet potato flour.
“Why don’t we raise any chickens, ducks, or geese?”
Wen Yan asked.
Master Niu finally looked up, giving her a look one might give a naive child.
“It’s not that easy to raise them.”
He left it at that.
But Wen Yan was the type of person who wouldn’t turn back even after hitting a brick wall.
She pressed on, “Why isn’t it easy?
What’s the primary difficulty?”
Master Niu was getting impatient with her questions.
In his eyes, Wen Yan was just a kid who didn’t understand a thing.
“Why do you care about all that?
Just eat your food!”
“Step aside, step aside.
Don’t get in the way of my work.”
Master Niu ignored her.
Wen Yan thought for a moment.
‘He does have a point, he is working.’
“My apologies.
Please, continue with your work.
I’ll come find you later.”
With that, Wen Yan left.
Master Niu grunted noncommittally, then his head snapped up.
‘What did she just say?’
‘Whatever.
Let her say what she wants.’
Master Niu didn’t pay Wen Yan any mind.
If she hadn’t immediately introduced herself as Jiang Yingzhang’s wife, he wouldn’t have even bothered to say those few words to her.
「Half an hour later」
Wen Yan finished her meal, closed her lunchbox, and prepared to get back to work on the plows.
“Wen Yan!”
Bai Shanshan had arrived.
Bai Shanshan had intended to put on some airs, but Wen Yan just stared at her frankly, not saying a single word.
The look on her face clearly said, ‘If you don’t start talking, I’m leaving,’ leaving Bai Shanshan with no opening to seize control of the conversation.
Bai Shanshan took a deep breath.
“I can be the data recorder, but where did this job even come from?
Don’t tell me you just made it up—”
“Comrade Wen, finished eating?
If so, let’s get back to work.”
Captain Zhu had come over with a few young soldiers, and Bai Shanshan’s words died in her throat.
Wen Yan replied that she was finished, then turned to Bai Shanshan.
“I’m making plows for the logistics department.
I need a data recorder.”
Captain Zhu, standing nearby, cheerfully vouched for Wen Yan.
Bai Shanshan said awkwardly, “Well, if that’s the case, I suppose I can help you out.”
‘I will definitely find lots and lots of Wen Yan’s flaws and mistakes!!’
Wen Yan never bothered herself with what others were thinking.
As long as they could do the work, it was fine by her.
Her eyes simply lit up as she extended a hand to Bai Shanshan.
“Welcome aboard.
Comrade Bai, your first task is to go to Li Group Leader and apply for job positions for you and me.
Remember to request pay.”
Bai Shanshan: “…”