Chapter 78: Displaying Noble Spirit

Chapter 78: Displaying Noble Spirit

Aunt Flo didn't come whenever she felt like it. Due to malnutrition, Su Zhaozhao's body had been irregular since giving birth to twins. It had been almost half a year since her last period. If she weren't only twenty-seven, Su Zhaozhao would have thought she was going through menopause.

Handing over the sanitary belt, Zhao SuFen quickly took it, turning sideways to bunch it up and hide it at the bottom of the basket, afraid someone might see.

As soon as the item was placed, Zhao SuFen's voice grew louder, "I remember you were knitting a sweater. How's it going?"

"I've just started. I've only finished the collar, but I don't know how to increase the stitches from there. The stitches were too obvious, so I unraveled it."

"You must not have knitted it correctly. Bring it over in the afternoon, and I'll help you with the increases."

"Won't it interfere with your time?"

On days off, women with jobs like Zhao SuFen would spend the day cleaning and washing at home, busy for half the day.

"It won't interfere. Since it's that time of the month for me, I can't do much anyway. It'll be a good way to pass the time at the Supply and Marketing Cooperatives in the afternoon."

At 11:30, Gu Xiang and Gu Nian packed their schoolbags to go home and cook. By the time Su Zhaozhao returned from work, the food was already on the table.

After lunch and a short nap, before leaving for work in the afternoon, Su Zhaozhao told the two children to find their friends to play with and not to accompany her at the cooperative.

Not long after opening, Zhao SuFen arrived, accompanied by the pregnant Liu Guilan. Without waiting for Su Zhaozhao to invite them, they fetched a stool and sat at the door.

"Did you bring the sweater?" Zhao SuFen asked.

Su Zhaozhao handed her the sweater with only a collar knitted. Zhao SuFen took it and sat at the door, needles clicking swiftly.

Liu Guilan arrived with a basket containing pre-cut fabric. She placed the basket on the ground and began sewing clothes, occasionally scraping the embroidery needle across her scalp.

She could make her own clothes; all the clothes at home were made from fabric she bought and sewed herself. In the past, in the countryside, she even wove her own cloth, self-sufficient.

When there were customers in the shop, Su Zhaozhao attended to them. When there were none, she chatted with the women for a bit.

"Last year, I went to the department store in the city and specifically checked out the sewing machine counter. They were 175.4 yuan each!" Liu Guilan remembered clearly.

"I thought about asking my husband to get a voucher to buy one. With so many children at home, making clothes and shoes is a lot of work. A sewing machine would make things easier. But when I saw the price, I didn't dare to think about it anymore. It's too expensive!"

Comrade Yang, a deputy regiment-level officer, earned a sixteenth-level salary, 113 yuan a month. In an era where wages were generally between twenty to thirty yuan, this was considered very high.

But with so many children, the money was tight. Sons needed to marry, daughters needed to marry off, and there were parents and siblings back in the village who needed help. So, even with a relatively high salary, large items costing over 100 yuan were only dreamed about, not purchased.

"If I had a job, I could save up for a few months and buy a sewing machine."

Talking about jobs led Liu Guilan to recall, "After the New Year, the guesthouse was short-staffed and offered a position. I was going to take it, but my husband wouldn't let me. He gave the spot to someone else. That family was in a difficult situation, the man was a company commander with a bunch of children, and their hometown was in a poor mountainous area, even poorer than ours. I thought they needed the job more than I did, so I gave it up."

There were other military family members like Liu Guilan who nobly gave up jobs to those in greater need. Generally, they were family members of regimental-level officers who, with higher treatment, didn't need the extra income and would give the physically demanding jobs to those with heavier family burdens.

Of course, it also depended on whether the family member could handle the job. For positions with higher requirements, ability mattered.

The jobs that could be given away were usually manual labor.

Before Su Zhaozhao joined the Supply and Marketing Cooperatives, a few military family members had privately grumbled about her. They felt she hadn't displayed enough noble spirit, a main regiment-level officer's family competing for positions with lower-level officers' families.

Su Zhaozhao was unaware of these whispers, and even if she had been, she wouldn't have cared.

Liu Guilan said, "Next time, I won't give up again. Once this baby is born, the expenses will increase again."

Knitting the sweater, Zhao SuFen said, "Let's cross that bridge when we get to it. Maybe you can bring the child to our nursery, and you can watch them while working."

Liu Guilan wasn't too keen on the nursery. With so many children at home, the noise was already overwhelming. Finding a job would still mean taking care of children.

She looked towards the tailor shop, "If the tailor shop is hiring, I'll definitely go." It would be great to learn how to use a sewing machine.

Su Zhaozhao: "...The tailor shop seems to want to hire an apprentice."

Liu Guilan stopped her work, "Really? When did you hear that?"

"I'm not sure. I only overheard it some time ago and haven't heard anything recently. I don't know if they're still hiring. The old master is getting on in years, so they'll need someone eventually."

Liu Guilan: "I'll ask my husband to inquire."

Su Zhaozhao looked at her belly, "You're pregnant. Can you manage?"

Liu Guilan patted her belly, "Of course! It's easy at the tailor shop! I was working in the fields until the day before giving birth with my previous children. In our countryside, some women even gave birth in the fields! This time, if my husband tries to make me give up again, I won't!"

A few days later, Su Zhaozhao saw Liu Guilan handling procedures at the Human Resources Division.

After finishing the paperwork, Liu Guilan came to find Su Zhaozhao, "Don't cook tonight. I'll treat you to dinner at the cafeteria. Bring the kids, and we'll eat out!"

Liu Guilan thanked Su Zhaozhao for giving her the heads-up. If she had been a little later, the position would have been taken by someone within the cooperative.

Xiao Tang was curious, "Why treat Sister Su to dinner?"

Liu Guilan and Su Zhaozhao exchanged a glance, neither telling the truth, "We'll be colleagues at the cooperative from now on. It's a celebration. By the way, Xiao Tang, you should come too."

Xiao Tang shook his head, "I have something to do after work."

And so, Liu Guilan started working at the tailor shop. The old tailor was quite satisfied with her. Although she was a bit older and pregnant, she was bold and meticulous, quick-handed and quick-footed. She dared to use the sewing machine, unlike some younger girls who were too afraid. With a solid background, she had more courage.

With two regiment-level officers' family members joining the Supply and Marketing Cooperatives, Deputy Director Hu spoke with Director Liu, feeling like they had invited two great deities.

"How can this be considered inviting two great Buddhas? Director Hu, this way of thinking is not acceptable!"