Chapter 158

Chapter 158

Locals preferred jobs close to home, and Gaojiazhai’s factory filled all its positions in just a week.

To everyone’s surprise, not a single one of the original dozen city workers quit—they all decided to stay.

Turns out, the free housing was the reason.

At first, these employees had been reluctant to move, but after Zhang Mingqing suggested they visit the Gaojiazhai factory, they discussed it and all decided to stick around.

The factory was now divided into operational and living areas. Since the workshop had open flames running constantly, the living quarters were separated into a different building, though only a stone’s throw apart.

When designing the dormitories, they had planned for six people per room, each equipped with ceiling fans—conditions nicer than what most of them had at home. The factory was initially designed for 200 employees, with dormitories for 40. Apart from the security room at the entrance, the factory area was essentially reserved for female employees.

It worked out perfectly.

The women hired from Gaojiazhai were locals who didn’t need to live on-site.

The dozen or so original employees, however, needed a place to stay. Having worked together for months, they were already familiar with one another.

Moreover, city housing was scarce, and most of these workers came from financially struggling families. Finding a job that provided meals and lodging without leaving Beijing was a huge perk, so after discussing it, they were all in.

This outcome surprised Zhang Mingqing, who had expected at least some to leave.

But it worked out even better—these experienced workers covered various roles and could now train newcomers. Having already adapted to the work over the past few months, they quickly got new hires up to speed.

Training was promptly arranged.

The veterans guided the new hires for about half a month until they could work independently. This timing coincided perfectly with the onset of autumn, so Zhang Mingqing let Song Xia handle most of the hotpot shop’s day-to-day while she personally oversaw the factory’s progress.

The factory was suddenly buzzing. Huang Xiaoying, who had initially planned to commute, also got busy and moved into the factory.

Apart from the local female workers, the original dozen employees filled two dormitories, keeping things lively. Zhang Mingqing even brought over an old, unused TV from home, giving the girls something to do off-duty.

With this perk, the female employees living at the factory became even more settled.

By late August, production stabilized, and September saw business pick up. The shop switched from pop-up sales to supplying small supermarkets and stalls. The previous independent vendors now operated under the factory’s sales model.

The cost of goods was covered by the company, but commissions remained unchanged.

Huzi’s mom went from paying for stock out of pocket to becoming the top salesperson.

Earning more, she now wore the pants at home.

In August, she decided to use her savings to buy the adjacent storefront.

Chen Hu’s previous noodle shop had been too small to expand, but with nearly double the space, he diversified the menu. Hiring a chef to specialize in breakfast dishes, business took off—enough to make even Wang Meili envious and repeatedly cornered Huzi’s mom for tips.

Huzi’s mom hesitated, knowing exactly what Wang Meili wanted.

But she owed her success to Xu Meng and refused to cause her trouble by bringing Wang Meili into sales. If Wang Meili kept pressing, Huzi’s mom resolved she’d lay it out straight.

By late August, as the last batch of college acceptance letters reached students, Xu Jia had to come to terms with not making the cut.

Though the family had braced for it, Wang Meili hit the roof.

The state-owned ceramics factory where she worked was struggling, increasingly losing ground to private outfits, and wages were often delayed. The family’s financial burden grew heavier by the day. In the past, this wouldn’t have been a problem—third brother Xu Jiefang’s trucking income had been pooled for household expenses, keeping the family above water.

But now, with no wages from the factory and Xu Jiefang’s contributions gone, things were tight. To make matters worse, the elderly grandmother required frequent hospital visits for medication.

As a filial son, Xu Laoer couldn't ignore his mother.

Behind his wife's back, he took Granny Xue to the hospital for a checkup, costing the family another few dozen bucks. When he returned home and saw his good-for-nothing daughter still lazing around, Wang Meili broke down for the first time, wailing uncontrollably.

From her husband to her daughter, not a single one gave her a break.

To make matters worse, Xu Jia was shameless—she hadn’t gotten into college and wouldn’t even talk about retaking the tests. Wang Meili had repeatedly urged her to find a job, but Xu Jia just brushed it off. Recently, Xu Jia had even tried to weasel her way in through Xu Meng’s parents. But like that would work? Even if her parents hadn’t seen their daughter in over a decade, wouldn’t they have looked for her? And after all these years without contact—not even sending money—it was highly likely they were either gone or had divorced and started new families, with no interest in getting their daughter back.

If that were the case, what was the point of finding them?

Even if they did, given how the family had treated Xu Meng back then, would they even feel grateful?

Just as Wang Meili was at her wit’s end, a sudden scream erupted from Granny Xue’s room: "Ah—"

It was that brat Xu Jia. Had she gotten into a fight with her grandmother?

Wang Meili’s head throbbed. She really wanted to slap the daylights out of her, but with a sigh, she pushed open the door and headed toward Granny Xue’s room. There, she found Xu Jia standing inside, clutching a thick stack of letters, squealing as she read them. Furious, Wang Meili bellowed at the room:

"What’s going on? Have you lost it?"

"Mom, come here, Mom!"

The mother and daughter had been in a cold war these past few days, and Xu Jia hadn’t said a word to her in days.

Wang Meili shot her spineless husband a glare before stomping into her mother-in-law’s room. There, she saw Xu Jia holding a letter, her jaw dropped. When she spotted Wang Meili, she exclaimed, "Mom, guess what I found."

Wang Meili frowned. "What?"

Xu Jia raised the letter high. "Turns out Xu Meng’s parents wrote to us before."

This was something neither her father-in-law nor mother-in-law had ever mentioned.

Wang Meili frowned as she stepped into the room, snatched the letter, and began reading.

Granny Xue lay on the kang, thoroughly annoyed by Xu Jia’s rummaging. She hollered at them, "Digging and digging—you’ll tear my cabinet apart! Think just because I can’t move now, you can both bully me, huh? A couple of freeloaders!"

Though the old woman was bedridden, her tongue was as sharp as ever, cursing up a storm.

After her third stroke, Granny Xue was truly paralyzed.

Illness had made her temper worse, and she now spent her days starting trouble at home. Xu Jia’s sudden intrusion and frantic searching had already put her in a foul mood.

To her surprise, Wang Meili immediately snapped, "Granny, Xu Meng’s folks wrote to us. Why didn’t you tell us?"

And not just one!

Wang Meili flipped through the envelopes, finding the most recent one dated 1985.

After that year, no more letters arrived from Xu Meng’s parents. That last letter had come from Hong Kong, mentioning their imminent move abroad—and enclosing 200 yuan.

Granny Xue pursed her lips. "I kept the money. Did they really think I’d give their daughter back? Fat chance! If they knew how Xu Meng was treated here, they’d probably demand the money back."

Wang Meili felt a pang in her chest. "Then why didn’t you tell the family? I had no idea!"

Granny Xue snatched the letter back, shouting, "Why should you know? What right do you have? None of your business!"

And she had kept all these letters hidden all this time.

Wang Meili was so furious her heart ached. At a loss for words, she pointed at the old woman and spat, "They’re abroad now! If only we’d treated Xu Meng better, maybe her parents could’ve helped us out. But you—just for a bit of money, you kept it all to yourself! Do you even know where they are now? They went to America!"

Granny Xue pursed her lips and grumbled under her breath.

She had never intended to raise Xu Meng properly in the first place, so she naturally refused to let Xu Meng go back to her real parents.

As long as Xu Meng stayed in this household, her parents would keep sending money over. Who’d have thought they’d just stop?

This had always been Granny Xue’s little secret, never shared with anyone. She knew that as long as Xu Meng was in the house, she was bait—her parents would keep sending money. But Granny Xue couldn’t read, so she never saw the letters. She didn’t know that after 1985, Xu Meng’s parents had gone abroad. She assumed they had abandoned their daughter.

With no more money coming in, her treatment of Xu Meng grew even harsher. That year, when Xu Meng fell into the lake and fell seriously ill, Granny Xue didn’t dare tell her parents. Besides, bringing it up would just make them look bad.

They had taken the money but failed to take proper care of the girl.

Wang Meili’s chest heaved with anger. Xu Meng’s parents had left the country six years ago—back then, there wasn’t even a telephone nearby, and communication relied solely on letters.

If they had been able to send money so consistently back then, they must have been well-off. If only they had reconnected with them sooner. But there’s no use crying over spilled milk. Just then, someone outside called out, "Auntie, there’s a phone call for Granny Xue!"