Courtyard House: The Thief System of All Realms

Chapter 30: Joining the Company in the Cafeteria – A Moment of Pride, a Source of Regret for the Jia

After Sun Jingyuan rode his bicycle to work at the steel mill, Qin Huairu tidied her clothes a little and then accompanied her parents, brother, and sister-in-law, carrying simple luggage, to the courtyard house. As soon as the group passed through the moon gate of the central courtyard, they came into contact with Jia Zhangshi, who was leaning against the door frame of the Jia family. Her eyes were filled with hostility, and she stared at Qin Huairu with a gloomy and malicious gaze.

Madam Jia spat heavily on the ground, her lips pursed, deliberately lowering her voice, yet ensuring that passersby could hear her clearly. They muttered sarcastically, "Divorced and already bringing her family home? Who knows what underhanded dealings she's been up to? Her seductive nature is truly ingrained!"

Qin Huairu ignored it all, her steps never faltering, wanting only to get her family away from this troublesome place as quickly as possible. But when she caught a glimpse of Banggeng peeking out of the door, her heart clenched, and she involuntarily paused for a second.

Bang Geng, used to being instigated by Jia Zhangshi, had long forgotten Qin Huairu's countless sacrifices. He immediately stiffened his neck, mimicking Jia Zhangshi's tone, and shouted in a vicious voice, "What are you looking at, you shameless wicked woman!"

These words were like a cold, hard icicle, piercing Qin Huairu's heart. The color drained from her face instantly, and her fingers clenched tightly. Behind her, Qin Zhenbang and Qin Zhijun glared angrily, fists clenched, ready to confront Jia Zhangshi. But Qin Huairu quickly turned back, gripping her father and brother's arms tightly, gently shaking her head, lowering her head without a word, and strode out of the courtyard with her family, never looking back once more.

The group arrived at the bus stop, and soon the long-distance bus to and from Qin Family Village appeared in the distance. Seeing this, Zhao Xue found an excuse to pull Qin Huairu to a quiet spot on the side of the bus stop, her gentle expression completely gone, replaced by an extremely serious look.

"Huai Ru, come here. Mom has something very important to tell you from the bottom of her heart," Zhao Xue said in a low, serious voice.

Seeing her mother's appearance, Qin Huairu vaguely guessed what was going on. She forced a smile and said in a lighthearted tone, "Mom, why can't you say this in front of my brother and sister-in-law? Why do you have to say it alone?"

"Don't try to fool me or give me any polite words." Zhao Xue gently patted her hand, her eyes resolute. "What exactly is your relationship with Dr. Sun? I've lived most of my life and I'm very good at judging people. His feelings for you are definitely not just those of an ordinary neighbor."

Qin Huairu's secret was exposed, and her eyes darted away for a moment. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she tried to explain, "Dr. Sun and I are neighbors. He's kind-hearted and helped me out when he saw I was having a hard time."

"You child, still hiding things from your mother." Zhao Xue tapped her forehead with a hint of exasperation, her tone earnest. "If you really want to gain a foothold in the city and live a stable life for a long time, you have to hold onto the most solid support—give him a child. Only with a blood tie will you have roots in the city; otherwise, you'll always be alone, without any sense of security."

Qin Huairu froze on the spot, her face turning bright red to her ears. She clutched the hem of her clothes helplessly, stammering, "Mom, what nonsense are you talking about! I just got divorced not long ago. If I get pregnant without a proper status, how am I supposed to face people in the neighborhood and at the factory? Everyone's gossip will drown me!"

"You're just too stubborn and inflexible!" Zhao Xue quickly lowered her voice even further, revealing her plan that she had been pondering all night. "Once you're pregnant, quietly go back to the village. Nobody in our village knows about your divorce. After the baby is safely delivered, go back to the city and say that the child was adopted by your brother's family. That way, it'll be perfectly legitimate, and nobody can find fault with it!"

Qin Huairu's heart was pounding, her mind a jumbled mess, and she didn't know how to respond. Just then, the long-distance bus slowly pulled into the station, and she hurriedly changed the subject: "The bus's here, Mom! You all need to get on quickly, don't be late!"

"This is your life's reliance, so you must take it to heart and think it over carefully. Don't take it lightly!" Zhao Xue held her hand tightly and repeatedly and solemnly instructed her, afraid that she would be perfunctory.

"I understand, I'll think it over carefully. Be careful on the road, and remember to send me a message when you get to the village." Qin Huairu agreed repeatedly, busy helping her family carry their luggage, waving goodbye again and again until the long-distance bus was completely out of sight. Only then did she turn her gaze away, not daring to linger any longer, and quickly headed towards the steel rolling mill.

After walking briskly for nearly forty minutes, Qin Huairu finally arrived at the gate of the steel rolling mill. After explaining her purpose to the gatekeeper, she was led by a security officer into the factory area and went straight to the infirmary.

"Dr. Sun, this lady said she came to see you, so I brought her here." The security officer pushed open the door to the infirmary and said loudly to Sun Jingyuan inside.

Sun Jingyuan was sitting at his desk organizing employee medical records when he heard this. He stood up with a smile, picked up an open pack of Daqianmen cigarettes from the table, and handed it to the security officer in charge, saying in a friendly tone, "Thank you for making this trip. Here, have a smoke."

"Thank you, Dr. Sun. We won't disturb your work any longer." The security officer's eyes lit up. He quickly took the cigarette, thanked him politely, and turned to leave the infirmary.

Just as Qin Huairu was about to speak to Sun Jingyuan, she noticed a male and a female factory cadre sitting on the sofa in the infirmary, looking her up and down with a hint of inquiry in their eyes.

"Is this the Comrade Qin Huairu you mentioned earlier?" Wang Wenbin, the canteen director, stood up, looked Qin Huairu up and down, and when he turned to look at Sun Jingyuan, his eyes held a tacit, polite smile.

"Director Wang, please watch your words. Dr. Sun has a good reputation among the factory workers. Don't make wild guesses." Li Hongmei from the personnel department immediately glanced at Wang Wenbin, her tone calm and serious, showing no sign of indulgence.

Sun Jingyuan was always patient and meticulous with all the factory workers, and never overstepped his bounds. He had an excellent reputation among the female workers. Li Hongmei always respected his character and naturally did not want to listen to these unfounded rumors.

Seeing this, Wang Wenbin quickly wiped the smile off his face and waved his hand sheepishly, saying, "I spoke too quickly, Sister Li, don't take it to heart, I was just saying it casually."

Sun Jingyuan walked up to Qin Huairu and calmly introduced her: "Huairu, this is Wang Wenbin, the director of the factory's canteen. You will be working in the canteen from now on, and he will be your direct supervisor."

Qin Huairu felt a little nervous, so she quickly straightened her back and respectfully greeted, "Hello, Director Wang. I hope you will take good care of me in the future."

"This is Sister Li Hongmei from the Human Resources Department. She is responsible for handling the onboarding procedures and subsequent salary payments," Sun Jingyuan said, pointing to Li Hongmei.

"Hello, Sister Li, thank you for your help." Qin Huairu quickly bowed slightly to Li Hongmei, her tone sincere and humble.

Li Hongmei nodded, her expression softening slightly. She took out an employment application form from her briefcase, placed it on the table, and pushed it in front of Qin Huairu: "Don't be shy. Just fill out this form. Once you have all the information, you can be hired."

Qin Huairu panicked instantly when she saw the densely packed handwriting on the form. She hadn't attended school much when she was little, and apart from her own name, she couldn't recognize most of the characters. She had no way of filling out the form and stood there helplessly, her cheeks slightly flushed, full of embarrassment.

Sun Jingyuan immediately saw through her predicament and stepped forward to pick up the form. He said to the two of them in a natural tone, "She hasn't had much schooling and doesn't know how to fill out forms. I'll fill them out for her."

After speaking, he picked up his pen, and the nib glided smoothly across the paper. In less than half a minute, he had filled in all the information neatly and legibly.

Wang Wenbin leaned closer to take a look and couldn't help but exclaim, "Dr. Sun, your handwriting is so neat! The prescription you gave me last time was so illegible that I couldn't decipher it even after trying for ages. So you're treating me differently after all!"

Sun Jingyuan put down his pen, smiled and glanced at him: "This is the rule of practicing medicine. The handwriting of prescriptions can be accurately identified by pharmacy staff. The employment form needs to be filed in the factory, so it naturally needs to be written neatly and in a standardized manner."

"So that's how it is. I thought you deliberately wrote it in a way that was hard to understand." Wang Wenbin touched his nose and nodded in sudden realization.

Sun Jingyuan handed the completed form to Li Hongmei, waving his hand with a smile: "The formalities are all done. Please have Sister Li and Director Wang take her to familiarize herself with her position. I drank too much at a business dinner last night, and my head is still a bit heavy. I want to rest for a while."

"You little rascal, you want to kick us out after you've used us? That's too impolite," Li Hongmei said with a laugh as she took the form.

"It was my fault, I apologize to both of you." Sun Jingyuan smiled helplessly, bent down and pulled out two large watermelons covered in ice from under his desk, placing them on the table. "They're freshly chilled, take them to cool off, consider it my apology."

"You managed to get your hands on such a rare item?" Wang Wenbin's eyes widened instantly, filled with astonishment.

Watermelons are rare these days, and such large, high-quality iced watermelons are even more hard to come by, even for someone with money. Even if he were the cafeteria manager, it would be difficult for him to get his hands on one easily.

"A former employee who recovered gave this to me earlier. I couldn't finish it all, so you can have it," Sun Jingyuan said casually.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony!" Li Hongmei was a straightforward person, and immediately picked up a watermelon. Wang Wenbin quickly snatched another one from her. The two exchanged a few pleasantries with smiles and then left the infirmary together.

In an instant, only Sun Jingyuan and Qin Huairu remained in the infirmary.

Looking at Sun Jingyuan, who had helped her resolve all her problems, Qin Huairu felt a surge of warmth in her heart, and spoke softly with gratitude.

Sun Jingyuan interrupted her with a smile, bent down and took out a bright red apple from under the table, stuffing it into her hand: "Don't be polite, take this and eat it on the way. Hurry up and get to the cafeteria to familiarize yourself with the work, don't delay your business."

Qin Huairu gripped the warm apple in her hand, walked quickly to the door of the infirmary, peeked into the corridor to make sure no one was around, then turned and walked back to Sun Jingyuan's side. She gently hugged his head, kissed him lightly on the cheek, then blushed and, not daring to linger, turned and ran out quickly.

Sun Jingyuan raised his hand to touch the lingering warmth on his cheek, chuckled helplessly, turned around and sat back down at the table, focusing on his work.

At this moment, in the kitchen of the steel rolling mill's canteen, Sha Zhu was standing with his hands on his hips, arranging for the helpers to prepare the ingredients for lunch. The kitchen was bustling with activity.

Not long after, Wang Wenbin led Qin Huairu into the kitchen, raised his hand and patted the door, signaling everyone to stop what they were doing.

"Everyone, stop for a moment. I have something to say." Wang Wenbin waited until everyone's eyes were on him before pointing to Qin Huairu beside him and saying, "This is Qin Huairu, the new kitchen helper. She is a formally appointed employee of the factory and will be working in our canteen from now on. Everyone should look out for each other and no one is allowed to bully the new colleague."

Sha Zhu stood to the side, stunned, his face filled with disbelief. Sister Qin had actually become a full-time employee at the steel rolling mill, and had even been assigned to the canteen, earning a fixed monthly salary of twenty-seven yuan and fifty cents. This was completely beyond his expectations.

"Shazhu, I want to give you a special warning." Wang Wenbin's gaze fell on Shazhu, and his tone became more serious. "You're usually impulsive, so you'd better tone it down. If I find out you've bullied Qin Huairu, I definitely won't let you off easily."

Sha Zhu quickly snapped out of his daze, smiling and waving his hand: "Director Wang, don't worry, she's an old neighbor from the same compound. I'm too busy taking care of her to possibly bully her, absolutely not!"

"So you're neighbors, that's perfect. Keep an eye on her." Wang Wenbin nodded, then beckoned to Liu Lan from the kitchen, pulled her aside, and whispered, "Qin Huairu was introduced by an important friend of mine. Arrange some light and clean work for her, don't let her get tired. If anyone causes her trouble, tell me immediately."

The kitchen was quiet to begin with, and although Wang Wenbin's voice was low, the surrounding helpers still managed to hear most of it. A few male helpers who had initially been eyeing Qin Huairu with a hint of frivolity instantly suppressed their thoughts, their expressions becoming serious, no longer daring to harbor any improper ideas. Everyone knew that she had the director's backing, and was someone they couldn't afford to offend.

Wang Wenbin gave Qin Huairu a few more instructions, telling her to focus on her work and to come to him anytime if she had any problems, before turning and leaving the kitchen.

As soon as he left, Sha Zhu wanted to go up and talk to Qin Huairu, but Liu Lan had already taken the initiative to pull Qin Huairu aside, showing her around the kitchen and arranging her work, leaving Sha Zhu standing there, feeling disappointed, but he could only give up.

Before they knew it, it was lunchtime. The factory workers flocked into the canteen to get their meals, and many of them spotted Qin Huairu at the food window as soon as they entered, their eyes lighting up.

Jia Dongxu followed Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong and his group to the cafeteria to get food. As soon as they reached the front of the line, they saw Qin Huairu busy getting food at the window. The group froze on the spot, their faces full of astonishment.

Yi Zhonghai stepped forward first, frowning as he looked through the window and asked, "Qin Huairu, what are you doing here?"

Liu Lan immediately tapped the window with her rice scoop, her tone impatient: "Comrade, please line up for your food. Don't chat at the window and delay other people."

"We're neighbors in the same courtyard, a few words will suffice," Yi Zhonghai said with a smile.

"Uncle, I work at the factory now, and I'm in charge of serving meals." Qin Huairu looked up at him, her expression calm and peaceful.

Jia Dongxu squeezed forward with a dark face, his tone sour and full of disdain: "Sun Jingyuan found you a temporary worker, right? You'll probably be fired after a few days. What's there to be proud of?"

Liu Lan immediately rolled her eyes and retorted without any politeness: "What temporary worker? Qin Huairu is a formally appointed employee of the factory, with a fixed monthly salary of 27.5 yuan and all the benefits of a formal employee. If you're not getting food, then get out of the way. There are many people queuing behind you."

"A permanent position? Twenty-seven yuan and fifty cents?"

Jia Dongxu was struck dumb, frozen in place, his face turning pale and then red, a wave of intense regret washing over him. He never imagined that Qin Huairu would actually become a full-time employee at the steel mill. If they hadn't divorced back then, his family would be a dual-income household now, living a comfortable and respectable life, instead of being so strapped for cash.

Seeing this, the workers queuing behind them began to complain, "Jia Dongxu, if you're not going to get your food, then move back and stop blocking everyone's way!"

Seeing the disapproving looks around him, Yi Zhonghai couldn't save face. He quickly grabbed the dejected Jia Dongxu and slunk away to the back of the line.

Standing in the queue, Liu Haizhong looked at Qin Huairu working calmly through the window, his heart filled with doubt and his face full of disbelief. Regular positions in the steel rolling mill were always in high demand; countless people tried to get in through connections and back channels, but to have Qin Huairu, a rural woman, become a regular employee so easily was truly baffling.