Chapter 413 I’ll Go and Find Out

Chapter 413 I'll Go Inquire Right Away

He Chunlan felt awkward—she’d come at a bad time.

She gave an awkward smile. "My cousin was talking about my younger cousin. After my aunt and uncle passed, he was the only one left in the countryside. Later, he got involved with a city-educated youth. He doted on her, giving her whatever she asked for. Lately, we heard she’s planning to return to the city to marry someone else, leaving him behind."

Secretly, she disapproved of her cousin—he had no backbone, letting some woman boss him around.

Jiang Yu just smiled and changed the subject. "Is this fabric still for sale?"

He Chunlan nodded eagerly. "Yes, it is."

She raised her hand and knocked on the door. "Sis, it’s Chunlan!"

It took a while before her cousin came to the door.

"Chunlan, why are you here at this time?"

Jiang noticed the woman’s puffy, red eyes—clearly, she had cried a lot over those troubles.

"Jiang, this is my cousin Zhu Lilan. Sis, this is Jiang, the one I mentioned to you."

Zhu Lilan hurried them inside. "Here to buy fabric, right?"

Jiang nodded. "I heard Sister Zhu has some imperfect fabric."

"Yes, come take a look. But I don’t want fabric coupons—you can pay less in cash, but I’d rather take meat instead."

She led Jiang inside to inspect the fabric and called her husband to bring it out.

Jiang Yu’s eyes widened at the sight—multiple bulging sacks worth.

"All imperfect fabric? This much?"

Zhu Lilan nodded. "Our mill gets regular perks. I traded all the good fabric for these imperfect pieces. Of course, I couldn’t have gathered this much on my own. But don’t worry, the sources are all legitimate. There won’t be any issues."

Jiang flipped through a few pieces. The defects were small—with some clever sewing, the clothes wouldn’t show any flaws.

"What’ll it cost if I buy the lot?"

Zhu Lilan’s jaw dropped. "All of it?"

Jiang nodded. "Name your price first."

Zhu Lilan had initially assumed she wouldn’t buy much and had only hoped to exchange for some meat.

But since Jiang wanted everything, another idea occurred to her.

"Jiang, I’ve heard Chunlan mention you before—said you’ve got connections. If you take all this fabric, I’ll give you a discount and even add some money. Could you find a job for my brother?"

Zhu Lilan was at her wits’ end.

These past few days, worrying over her brother’s situation had given her stress blisters.

With no one else to turn to, she decided to try her luck with Jiang.

Jiang paused, thinking it over carefully. The Second State Cotton Mill wasn’t hiring for his skills.

She’d need to check with other places.

Zhu Lilan didn’t get an answer, and her expression darkened.

"If it's not possible, forget it. I'll just swap for meat."

Jiang Yu finally spoke up, "I'll give it a shot, but no promises. If it doesn't work out, I'll still trade with you for meat. Is that okay?"

Zhu Lilan got emotional, tears streaming down her face as she grabbed Jiang Yu's hands.

"Okay! I'm not in a hurry. Take all the fabric, and I'll wait for your news."

Jiang Yu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "You trust me so much? What if I take the things and don't come through?"

"No, no. Chunlan said you're a good person, and I trust you too."

Jiang Yu nodded. "Then I'll send someone to pick up the fabric later. Sister Zhu, just wait a few days."

He Chunlan and Jiang Yu walked out, with some doubts in their minds.

"Comrade Jiang, can you really help my cousin find a job?"

Jiang Yu wouldn’t commit. "I'm not sure, but I'll do my best."

After all, she couldn't just take without giving—she thought.

He Chunlan sighed. "My cousin may be a mess in love, but he's hardworking. He doesn’t need an easy job—he’s strong and can handle heavy labor!"

"I'll keep my eyes peeled."

After saying goodbye to He Chunlan, Jiang Yu went to Lai Liuzi's house.

"Several sacks? All flawed fabric?" Lai Liuzi couldn’t believe it.

To him, cloth was harder to come by than meat, especially in winter when both were in short supply.

Jiang Yu said, "Get someone quick to move that flawed fabric over."

Lai Liuzi asked, "How much does it cost? I’ll get the cash ready."

"They don’t want money—they want help finding a job for her brother."

Jiang Yu felt uneasy. Jobs weren’t easy to come by.

Lai Liuzi paused to consider. "Any requirements for the job?"

"No requirements, anything that's going. Manual labor is fine too."

But even temporary jobs weren’t easy to come by in the city.

To Jiang Yu’s surprise, Lai Liuzi had just the thing.

"The flour mill’s canteen could use a hand to help move goods, but it’s a temporary position."

Lai Liuzi currently supplied goods to the flour mill, so he had the inside track on what was happening there.

"I might take him on myself, but it wouldn’t be steady work, and I can’t help him get city residency papers."

Most people looking for jobs in the city wanted to become proper city folk.

Jiang Yu felt a weight lift off her shoulders—like a godsend.

"Perfect! Even a temporary job is fine for now. He can start with that, and if he performs well, he might get a permanent position."

Given the large amount of flawed fabric, Lai Liuzi decided to pull some strings for Zhu Lilan’s brother to see if he could secure a permanent job for him.

After Lai Liuzi brought the flawed fabric back, Jiang Yu sorted through it, selecting some pieces she liked.

"Have you made your winter coat for this year yet?"

Lai Liuzi shook his head. "Not yet, last year’s still works."

Jiang Yu picked out another piece of dark, durable fabric. "I was just about to have winter clothes made for the family. I’ll send the tailor to take your measurements later—we’ll have yours made together."

Lai Liuzi scratched the back of his head and grinned. "Thanks, sis-in-law."

Jiang Yu carried the fabric and meat home, making everyone jealous.

Being suspended didn’t stop her from splurging with her money.

"Jiang Yu, didn’t you just buy fabric yesterday?" Mother Sun was green with envy.

"This flawed fabric was a steal, so I bought a bit more."

Xu Lihua immediately chimed in, "Got any left? Mind sparing some?"

She happened to want to make a few small clothes for her grandson.

Jiang Yu didn’t agree right away, waving her hand instead.

"I’ll check later."

If she said yes, the whole neighborhood would come knocking for fabric.

Jiang Yu set down the beef, her hands sore from lugging it.

She’d have to wait for He Tingyue to come back to deal with the meat.

Xu Lihua followed her again. "Jiang Yu, with so much beef, can you spare some for me? Lin Rui’s postpartum—she needs more meat to recover."

Considering the newborn in her household, Jiang Yu gave her two pounds of beef.

"I still have some flawed fabric left. I’ll give you some later, but Aunt Xu, keep it under wraps—don’t tell anyone."

Xu Lihua agreed eagerly. "Don’t worry, my lips are sealed—cross my heart!"

Jiang Yu arched a brow, giving her a look. "You’re louder than a factory PA system—it’s never been sealed."

Xu Lihua: "...You’ve got the wrong idea. I never gossip behind people’s backs."

Jiang Yu smirked, eyeing her. "Oh really?"

Xu Lihua, not wanting to argue over the meat, plopped down on the steps to chat with Jiang Yu.

"So, did you hear? Liangzi’s sister, the one sent to the countryside, is coming back for an arranged match."

Jiang Yu scoffed. "And here you are gossiping."

Xu Lihua tsk’ed, unfazed. "This doesn’t count! I’m just shooting the breeze with you."

Jiang Yu went "Oh," "I've heard about it."

Aunt Xu whispered mysteriously, "She's going on a blind date with Jiang Mingrui."

"I've heard that too."

Jiang Yu's reaction made Aunt Xu feel unaccomplished.

"Then let me tell you something you don't know—Sun Yulian had a boyfriend in the countryside for many years. She strung him along without marrying him just so she could dump him and return to the city."

Jiang Yu froze—this story sounded oddly familiar.

"Aunt Xu, what’s the name of her countryside boyfriend?"

Aunt Xu was downright mortified because she didn’t know!

Jiang Yu had actually asked her something she didn’t know—it was downright humiliating.

"Just wait, I’ll go ask around right now!"

Jiang Yu: "...I was just wondering. It’s fine if you don’t know."

Aunt Xu glared, "I’ll know soon enough. You just wait!"

Sure enough, she was nothing if not resourceful. Before long, she came running back.

She told Jiang Yu, "His name is Zhu Juncai! I heard he treated Sun Yulian really well. She didn’t want to get married, so he bent over backwards for her, doing everything she wanted. Now that Sun Yulian’s returning to the city, she just kicked him to the curb."

Well, Jiang Yu was pretty sure—that had to be Zhu Lilan’s younger brother.