Chapter 7: Something Sparkling in the Reeds

Huang Juan was stunned for a moment, then said, "More than half of the applicants this time are unmarried young people. If any of them are actually hired, the work ahead will be trivial and full of petty domestic disputes. Tell you what, I’ll head over to the Lu family and see for myself first."

——

Lu Qiaoge didn't think the neighborhood committee would pay much attention to Duan Xiaoxiang's words, but she figured they would consider her test scores at their discretion.

She hadn't expected them to give her another test.

At this moment, she was reviewing the documents.

Meng Xia, standing to the side, hesitated: "My Qiaoge is just a young girl; surely this task is only suitable for a man to handle?"

Huang Juan asked Lu Qiaoge, "What do you think?"

Lu Qiaoge had finished reading the documents in her hand.

The dispute was a domestic matter. Yao Kai and Qi Shuang from the second workshop had been married for two years. Three days ago, Qi Shuang came to the neighborhood committee, claiming that apart from their wedding night, Yao Kai had never touched her. The two rarely spoke, and she didn't want to endure it any longer, so she decided to divorce. Yao Kai refused, and subsequently moved into the factory dormitory and stopped coming home. She wanted the neighborhood committee to intervene—if they could get a divorce, great; if not, she at least wanted to know why.

Qi Shuang was at her wit's end; otherwise, her mother-in-law would spend all day cursing her for being a "hen that couldn't lay eggs."

In the past, she had been too afraid to speak up for the sake of her reputation, but recently, her mother-in-law had actually been forcing her to drink bitter, disgusting medicinal soups.

Furthermore, Yao Kai was fond of the silent treatment. Although he didn't get physical, whenever they had a heated argument, he could go half a year without saying a single word to her.

As for why Old Chen’s son got beaten up, it was because he had run over to ask Yao Kai if "that thing" wasn't working anymore and suggested he go see a doctor.

That Yao Kai was currently being lectured in the security department.

However, Yao Kai wouldn't say a word. Even when the leaders asked him for the reason, he refused to speak. Director Hu’s intention was to have someone visit Qi Shuang.

Because Qi Shuang, who worked in the workshop, had been so mentally distracted yesterday that she nearly caused an accident.

Qi Shuang had already reported the divorce matter to the neighborhood committee. If something happened because it wasn't resolved properly, everyone would be held accountable.

After all, since Qi Shuang had exposed the situation, Old Mrs. Yao hated her to death; it was said that she had even hit Qi Shuang last night.

If they could mediate, that would be for the best.

Lu Qiaoge put away the documents and said, "Auntie Huang, I’ll go find Qi Shuang tomorrow."

Huang Juan nodded, then smiled at the hesitant Meng Xia: "Don't worry, she’s just going to find Qi Shuang to understand the situation. She won't be in contact with Yao Kai, so nothing will happen."

After Huang Juan left, the Lu family members in the courtyard looked at each other.

Meng Xia thought for a moment and said, "I’m going out to visit a neighbor; I’ll see if I can ask around and find out anything."

Su Hui hesitated for a moment before saying, "Then... do you want me to go with you tomorrow?"

Lu Qiaoge shook her head and said it wasn't necessary.

If the Yao family hadn't pushed Qi Shuang to the brink, she likely wouldn't have spoken about such private matters, especially in this day and age.

Lu Da, exhausted from the day, gave Lu Qiaoge a few words of advice before going to rest.

Lu Qiaoge felt that this day had been so fulfilling that it left her feeling a bit dazed.

She entered her bedroom to rest, not even having the time to look at what was in the room.

Unexpectedly, her younger brother, Lu Xiao Si, knocked and came in. He tugged on Lu Qiaoge’s sleeve, blinked his large, dark eyes, and looked up, whispering a plea: "Second Sister, I can go with you too."

Lu Qiaoge rubbed Xiao Si’s head. The child was in poor health; despite being eleven, he was so thin and small he looked like an eight-year-old.

Lu Qiaoge said, "No need to come along."

Xiao Si lowered his head in disappointment.

Lu Qiaoge thought for a moment and said, "How about I take you fishing at Red Star Lake tomorrow morning?"

Lu Xiao Si’s eyes lit up: "I... can I go?"

Lu Qiaoge: "Of course you can."

Red Star Lake, huh? She would have to take the tabby cat along to check it out tomorrow.

Lu Xiao Si’s eyes sparkled. He thoughtfully helped his second sister pull the curtains, closed the door, and left happily.

By now, the night had blanketed the entire sky.

The light from the distant streetlamps seemed inferior to the fireflies in the wild.

However, the moon tonight was large, round, and shone gently through the gaps in the curtains into the bedroom.

Lu Qiaoge didn't wait for Meng Xia to return; she lay down and quickly drifted into a deep sleep.

——

The next morning, the Lu family members went off to work or to look for odd jobs. Meng Xia hadn't found out any useful information the night before, so she hurried out after instructing Xiao Si not to run off and play.

Lu Qiaoge carried a fishing rod handmade by Old Lu and a net, followed by a tabby cat. Lu Xiao Si carried a small iron bucket. Wearing straw hats, the two headed to the spot where Lu Qiaoge had fallen into the water yesterday to fish.

This was the west side of the lake, with a vast pine forest in the distance.

Because they arrived early, they didn't see a single soul.

Lu Xiao Si asked Lu Qiaoge in surprise: "Second Sister, why has this cat been following us?"

Lu Qiaoge: "I gave it some dried fish and a steamed bun yesterday; it probably decided to accept me as its owner."

Lu Xiao Si gave an "oh."

He didn't take it to heart, as he was very excited—this was the first time his older siblings had taken him out to play, even if it meant he couldn't glue paper boxes today.

He suddenly remembered something and said nervously: "Second Sister, I was the one who went to the neighborhood committee to pick up the paper boxes yesterday. There were two hundred in total, and we’re still short eighty. The deadline is tight this time; if we don't finish, they’ll deduct our pay."

Lu Qiaoge paused and turned to look at Lu Xiao Si, who was torn between wanting to play and wanting to go back to glue boxes.

Gluing paper boxes was a job Meng Xia had taken from the neighborhood committee. Lu Qiaoge and Xiao Si, who stayed at home, helped out.

Five boxes earned only one cent in labor fees.

However, the original owner had always made excuses to run out and play, leaving only Xiao Si to diligently glue boxes with Meng Xia.

Meng Xia didn't want to be too hard on Lu Qiaoge, as she was already engaged and would be married soon; being a bit lazy was fine.

At this moment, Lu Qiaoge felt her pockets—they were empty. She really didn't have a single cent.

If she couldn't find a job, she would definitely be forced by Meng Xia to glue boxes.

Lu Qiaoge patted his head and said grandly: "It’s fine, we’ll glue them together this afternoon."

Only then did Lu Xiao Si feel relieved.

Without needing Lu Qiaoge to tell him, Lu Xiao Si chose a safe spot himself and warned Lu Qiaoge to stay away from the water.

Seeing that Lu Xiao Si had a strong sense of safety, Lu Qiaoge felt at ease.

She let the tabby cat go look for nearby water rats, while she stood by the lake, listening carefully to the sounds within the water.

[One of my scales got scraped off, it hurts so much.]

[There are shiny round things in the reed bed, you can get one and stick it on.]

[But the scattered shiny things were all taken by the crabs. Those iron boxes won't open.]

[I want to sunbathe, but that human who fell in the water is back again, preventing an old fellow like me from stretching my bones.]

[She even brought a skinny little boy.]

[She must be trying to catch fish to nourish him.]

[Tell everyone later, don't fall for it.]

[Sigh, the little boy’s body is so weak. If only my master were still alive.]

Lu Qiaoge didn't hear them talking about the steel billets at the bottom of the lake; they must have become accustomed to them, so they were no longer a topic of conversation.

However, she knew there were several iron boxes in the reed bed to the east, and they contained "shiny things."

Were they silver coins or some other treasure?

Lu Qiaoge suppressed her eagerness; she would have to wait until the steel billets were salvaged from the bottom of the lake before she could go check.

Also, the one who wanted to sunbathe was an old turtle, over a hundred years old. Its previous owner had been an old traditional Chinese medicine doctor...

(End of chapter)