Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 378 Mu Lijuan's Helplessness

Xiaowei's mother teased Xiaohu, saying, "Then hurry up! Your father and I have nothing else to look forward to now, we're just waiting to hold our grandson."

Xiao Wei asked, "Has my dad's back stopped acting up?"

Xiaowei's mother shook her head and said, "No, we don't have to do any hard work now, so I guess we shouldn't make any mistakes. Have you made arrangements with Xiaohong's parents?"

Xiao Wei fastened the suitcase, lifted it onto the cabinet, and said, "It's all done. My aunt and uncle are in Fengtian now, and they'll officially start work on Monday."

Xiao Wei's mother asked, "Where were you assigned? Is the work easy?"

Xiao Wei laughed and said, "The deputy director of the Comprehensive Division of the Construction Department, judging from what Director Wang said, might still be promoted in the second half of the year. My uncle is really powerful now, he'll be promoted to division level in a while, and if he goes back, he'll be the county magistrate."

Xiaowei's mother said, "That's great! Where will you stay? Will you live with Xiaohong? Is there room for you?"

Xiao Wei crumpled his clothes in his hands and came over to change his shoes, saying, "Yes, that room has two bedrooms, which is perfect. Then our house will be ready for occupancy in October. Besides, my uncle's work unit also provides housing, so we have plenty of places to live."

The mother and son, carrying Xiaohu, came out again. Xiaowei's mother asked, "We can move in in October? Oh dear, your father and I haven't even seen it yet. How about we go to Fengtian together sometime when we're free?"

Xiao Wei threw the clothes he was holding into the washing machine and said with a smile, "Go if you want, whenever you want. If you and Dad want to go, just have Hongliang drive us. Just call Xiaohong beforehand. But there's not much to see now, the main structure isn't finished yet, it's a mess. Let's go after it's finished."

Xiaowei's mother asked, "So, once the house is finished, will your uncle and aunt move in too? Will Xiaohong move in as well?"

Xiao Wei nodded and said, "We'll all go, we'll all live together. There are only a few people in our family. My uncle and aunt only have this one child, and we're going to divide him up into several parts?"

Xiaowei's mother said, "How many houses have been built? Is the entire acre of land covered with houses? Like courtyard houses?"

Mu Lijuan greeted her with rosy cheeks: "Auntie, I'm sorry to have made you hold me for so long, give it to me."

Xiao Wei's mom smiled and said, "All packed? Is anything else missing?"

Mu Lijuan took the child, kissed him, and said, "It's all packed. Nothing's missing. It's better than I expected." Xiaowei's mother reached out and straightened the child's clothes, saying, "He's bound to be unaccustomed to it at first, but he'll get used to it after a few days. Being together as a family is a blessing; nothing else matters."

Xiao Wei said, "Mom, I'll go take a look at the restaurant." He got in the car, started the engine, and turned around. Looking at the car, Xiao Wei's mother said, "This day, I'm so busy, I don't know when it will end."

Mu Lijuan said, "It's good to be busy. Money is hard to earn these days. The boss is really something. So many people want to be busy but have nowhere to be busy. Many factories in our area have closed for the holidays and can't even pay wages."

Xiaowei's mom asked, "You used to work too?"

Mu Lijuan said, "Well, we used to both work in the factory, but now we can't. At least he found a job, while I've been staying at home."

Xiaowei's mother said, "It's alright, no rush. Xiaolong is a capable child, and you two will definitely amount to something in the future. The child is still so young, so you should just focus on taking good care of him and not let Xiaolong get distracted. You can come out into the world when he's older and in school. We have a lot of things to do, and you'll have plenty to do then." Xiaowei's mother smiled and patted Xiaohu's head. She was dreaming of having a grandson.

Mu Lijuan glanced at her son in her arms, smiled helplessly, and said, "I can't do anything now, there's nothing I can do, this little guy is too much. Sigh, it's not right to rely on Xiaolong for everything, there are two of us in the family, we both depend on him to earn money, so I'm just thinking that whatever he earns, it's something, it can supplement our income. I'm practically rusting from staying here like this."

Xiaowei's mother shook her head and said, "Take it slow. You're both young, and it's true that you can't just sit around doing nothing. So, what will you do with the kids when you're at work?" Mu Lijuan looked at her child, hesitated for a moment, then smiled bitterly and said, "There's no way around it. Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore." She nudged Xiaohu's head with her own and mooed. Xiaohu waved his hands, kicked his legs, and laughed loudly.

Xiaowei's mother said, "Why don't we have the elderly come over and help take care of him? He can stay here."

Mu Lijuan shook her head and said, "My parents-in-law are old and in poor health, so they can't take care of them. My own parents are helping my brother take care of them."

Xiao Wei's mother shook her head, checked the time, and said, "Did you eat on the way? Are you hungry?"

Mu Lijuan said, "You've eaten, so don't worry about me anymore, go and get busy, Auntie." Xiaowei's mother patted Xiaohu and went into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

When Xiao Wei arrived at the restaurant, he looked around and thought it was alright. Ding Chunyan and her colleague were quite diligent; the restaurant was kept very clean, both upstairs and downstairs, including the stairs, and the items were arranged neatly. Finding a comfortable job these days wasn't easy, and the two kids from the suburbs cherished it.

The restaurant business remained stable. Relying on government employees meant they didn't have to worry about customers. At this point, Jubinge Restaurant was considered a well-known establishment in Longcheng, ranking among the top five in business. These days, private businesses were few and far between, and government businesses were just so-so. In any case, these days, everyone in this industry had to rely on government employees to survive; relying on individual customers would lead to starvation. This was a product of the times.

Xie Na found out she was pregnant a few days ago and took leave. Family planning is being strictly enforced right now, so it's absolutely impossible for her to have a baby. Even paying a fine won't help; she'll have to have surgery, which is more harmful to her body than a normal postpartum period. She won't be able to go back to work in the short term. Right now, the welfare policies for female employees are quite comprehensive. There are benefits for things like menstruation, IUD insertion, and family planning surgery. They offer benefits, money, and leave.

Fortunately, there were interns. Sister Zhang led several intern chefs to do the water-based cooking, which not only provided them with some income but also made their work much easier than before.

Brother Zhai also brought in trainees, all of whom had some prior experience. He even introduced many trainees to other restaurants through connections. It's a win-win situation for everyone; nobody wouldn't welcome someone doing the work without paying wages. Of course, they need to be able to get work done; those who know nothing definitely won't do. Those without experience are all in the cafeteria.

Li Bing's team has the most interns because they are concentrated in one area.

Upon seeing Xiaowei, Li Bing immediately began to complain: "Boss, what am I supposed to do? There are over twenty students, how am I supposed to arrange them? There aren't even enough people to stand in this space."

Xiao Wei asked, "So what are your plans now?"

Li Bing said, "What am I supposed to arrange? Five people a day, the others are with Sister Shang, they'll come over in rotation, what else can we do? Can this go on for long? There are about fifty people in the second phase, you might as well just kill me."

Xiao Wei scratched his head and said, "Didn't you guys think of a solution?"

Li Bing said, "We can only try to find a solution over there. These first five are the most we can manage. Why don't the boss just open a few more? One older woman and a few students can handle the whole operation."

Xiao Wei thought for a moment and said, "That's feasible, but it can't be rushed. We need a house first. I originally asked Hong Liang to look for a house, but he doesn't have time now. He's learning to raise pigs in Fengtian."

(End of this chapter)