The 1960s: The Story of a Country Girl's Journey to the City

The two hid in the shadows and waited quietly. Two seconds later, they heard a flurry of activity coming from inside the house.

The door was suddenly opened, and the man ran out, pulling up his pants.

When Bao Ya saw the person come out, she turned on her flashlight and shone it in the person's face. The person ran away as fast as a startled rabbit.

Bao Ya nudged Jiang Yuan, urging him to follow, and called out as she did so:

"Hey, who are you? What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

With just a flick of her flashlight, Bao Ya saw that the man was wearing glasses and recognized him as the man Tan Xinmin had seen with Ji Xiaotao the day he brought her home.

Ji Xiaotao, who was inside the house, was so frightened that she was completely at a loss. She originally wanted to open the door a crack to see what was happening outside, but she saw the light of a flashlight in the yard.

She nervously retreated into the house, her hands trembling as she locked the door. Then she shrank back into bed and covered herself with the blanket, completely immersed in the fear of her neighbor discovering their affair.

Bao Ya and Jiang Yuan followed the man out of the courtyard, but instead of continuing to chase him, they turned around and went home.

It seems that if you can't go to the toilet at night, you'll always discover something different.

Jiang Yuan hadn't said a word since he came back. He lay on the bed and, ignoring Bao Ya's objections, held her tightly in his arms.

Bao Ya struggled a few times but couldn't break free, so she turned around to face him.

"What's wrong? Did something upset you?"

"fine."

Jiang Yuan spoke in a muffled voice, clearly in a bad mood.

"It's none of your business if someone's being cheated on. Don't be so upset."

Jiang Yuan listened to her carefree words and couldn't quite describe how he felt.

"Actually, Yan Sanren is a pretty good guy. It's just that he got married..."

He was a little speechless, but he was secretly relieved that he no longer had to work the night shift, which saved his house from being burgled.

Bao Ya had no idea what he was thinking. If she had known, she would have told him: "Silly child, thieves can come to your house day or night."

"Should I tell Yan San about this?"

Jiang Yuan hesitated. He felt sorry for Yan San; that woman was practically draining him dry. Not physically, but financially.

He couldn't stand it anymore. He had married such a wife, and all the money he earned went to support her family. She even cheated on him when Yan San wasn't home.

"If I were you, I wouldn't say anything. If you went and told someone's wife they were cheating on them, would they be grateful to you?"

He'll remember being cuckolded whenever he sees you in the future.

It's kind of a person to distance themselves from you over this. If you were dealing with a truly malicious person, they'd want to kill you.

Bao Ya felt that Yan San and Ji Xiaotao were a willing buyer and a willing seller. Yan San might not be unaware of Ji Xiaotao's affair. Given Ji Xiaotao's attitude towards him, even if he was stupid, he should understand something.

Since they themselves don't want to change, others shouldn't worry about it.

Jiang Yuan listened to his wife's words and felt that she made sense. He still felt a little uncomfortable, so he moved closer to his wife and buried his head in her neck.

Bao Ya touched his face and said to him in a flippant tone:

"Don't worry, as long as you're good in bed, I definitely won't cheat on you, hahaha."

Jiang Yuan was stunned for a moment, then rolled over and pinned her down.

This girl, how can she always be so heartless? The things she says can drive a person crazy.

In the days that followed, Bao Ya went to get off work and came home as usual and stopped complaining about the cafeteria.

But Lin Baoya wasn't the only troublemaker at the meat processing plant; it was as if everyone had been turned on, with all sorts of oddballs emerging one after another.

The cafeteria is getting more and more lively. Every time I get food, I see cafeteria staff arguing with people who come to get their food.

There were too few vegetables today, the steamed buns were too small tomorrow, there was too little meat the day after tomorrow, and so on. There were all sorts of excuses.

Even worse, some people would wait at the factory gate for the canteen staff to get off work, and then search their bags, accusing them of stealing things from the canteen to take home.

Believe it or not, I actually found a few. In just half a month, the cafeteria staff were punished or had their bonuses deducted.

Chef Yu once ran to the logistics director and cried his heart out about his hardships. He even resorted to a feigned retreat, saying that if the leadership didn't resolve the issue, he would resign.

Nobody would believe this if I told them. These days, jobs aren't easy to find. If you get one, it's a secure job; if you don't, you just don't get one.

Of course, the leaders didn't believe him when he said he wanted to resign. A job, especially a cafeteria job, is something many people envy.

Although Chef Yu cut corners when cooking large batches of food, he was still quite skilled at cooking for smaller kitchens, so the factory leaders reluctantly took charge of the matter.

The factory office first warned a few troublemakers, and also criticized the canteen for not taking its work seriously at the general meeting.

Originally, this matter should have ended there, but unexpectedly, it ended up coming back to Bao Ya.

On the first day of work, Bao Ya was called in for a talk by the factory's Women's Federation. She found it strange, as she didn't seem to have any connection with the Women's Federation.

As soon as Bao Ya entered, she saw a woman in her thirties with neat, short hair that reached her ears, her sideburns pinned back with hair clips, who looked shrewd and capable.

She's just too thin, all skin and bones, with absolutely no aesthetic appeal; you could only call her a person.

"You must be Comrade Xiaolin. My name is Qi Huifang, and I'm the deputy director of the Women's Federation in the factory office. I'm here specifically to wait for you."

Qi Huifang looked Bao Ya up and down the moment she entered the room. Bao Ya was wearing a light yellow floral dress that hugged her shapely figure, and with her delicate and relaxed eyebrows and eyes, Qi Huifang couldn't help but want to hide herself.

"Oh, you wanted to see me about something?"

Bao Ya casually replied, "It's just the Women's Federation, not an important department, and I don't need their help."

"There's something I need to discuss. Let's go inside and talk."

Qi Huifang paused briefly, then immediately reacted and led Bao Ya into the office. She couldn't help but glance at Bao Ya a few more times along the way.

People who come here are either reserved or timid. But Lin Baoya's nonchalant attitude is something she really can't understand.

She's a leader, after all, but it feels like she's someone insignificant in her eyes.

Bao Ya followed Qi Huifang into the house, and as soon as she entered, she saw Ji Xiaotao already sitting inside.

She was a little confused. They didn't seem to have any relationship, so why was he looking for her?

"You should already know each other, so I won't introduce you. I've called Comrade Xiaolin here today because I have something I'd like to discuss with you."

As Qi Huifang spoke, she poured Bao Ya a glass of water and placed it on the coffee table. Bao Ya didn't stand on ceremony and went over to sit on the single sofa, listening to them continue their conversation.

Ji Xiaotao stood up when she saw Bao Ya come in, but she didn't say a word from the moment Bao Ya entered the room until she sat down. After seeing Bao Ya sit down and drink tea, she slowly sat down again.

While talking to Bao Ya, Qi Huifang also secretly observed Ji Xiaotao's reaction, but when she saw that Ji Xiaotao had sat down again and remained silent, she frowned.

She came to my door today seeking help to solve her problem, but why didn't she say a word after she arrived?