I was married off to a disabled hero in lieu of marriage; my in-laws doted on me and I aspired to gr

We drove quickly and slowly, and it took us an hour to reach the vegetable shop in the former military family compound. When we entered, we saw Sister Liu busy helping people weigh bean sprouts.

"Sister Liu..."

Qiaoqiao called out, moved. Sister Liu looked up in surprise. It was Qiaoqiao. She hurriedly handed the bean sprouts to the customer and said, "Eight cents, hurry up."

The customer slowly pulled out a one-cent coin from a stack of red and green food tickets: "Comrade, how about adding some more and buying one-cent items?"

Sister Liu said impatiently, "Fine, fine."

I grabbed a handful of bean sprouts, weighed them again, and it came to exactly one cent.

After collecting the food tickets, Sister Liu wiped the water droplets from her hands and came forward: "Qiaoqiao, what brings you here? Is your mother back?"

"Comrade Liu, Qiaoqiao owes a lot to you when she was giving birth."

Luo Meiyun politely thanked her. Sister Liu held Qiaoqiao's hand and said, "No need to thank me. I didn't really help. It was that gentleman in the jeep; he's a very kind person. Qiaoqiao, are you alright? Have you moved back to the military family compound?"

"Sister Liu, I thought you had been transferred and I couldn't find you anymore. I came to see you today especially."

"You're just lucky. I'm being transferred to Songshan Road on the eighth day of the new year. I've approached my superiors several times, hoping to be transferred to a place near your home. There are many residential areas there, lots of food, and higher bonuses, but my superiors just won't agree," Sister Liu said, feeling aggrieved.

"Isn't that a wonderful coincidence? Sister Liu, my in-laws are back and have moved to Songshan Road. Now I can ask you to buy groceries again!" Qiaoqiao was overjoyed.

"This, this, no wonder you're called Qiaoqiao, it's truly a story full of coincidences." Sister Liu was also overjoyed.

"Sister Liu, I've come to see you because I need your help."

"Want to exchange for egg tickets? Tofu tickets?" Their friendship began with exchanging tickets.

"Once you get to Songshan Road, you'll naturally need to change. But I came today to ask if you have any relatives or friends who are reliable and trustworthy. My family is looking for a nanny."

"A nanny? You...you're going to work?"

In Sister Liu's heart, Qiaoqiao is the most capable housekeeper.

"No, didn't the college entrance examination resume last year? I passed and am going to school. My mother-in-law also has to go to work, and there's no one to take care of the child."

"Oh my god, you got into university? Congratulations!"

"Don't rush to congratulate me, my family urgently needs a nanny right now."

"Yes, definitely, let me think."

Sister Liu thought for a moment and quickly analyzed three women: "My aunt is over fifty years old. She has no problem taking care of the children and cooking, but she's a bit too careless when it comes to etiquette. My second aunt is about my age, in her thirties. She can also take care of the children and cook, but she has a sweet tooth... Hmm, my neighbor, Hu Xiaomei, is a good fit. She's in her forties and is very capable at housework, but... but..."

"Why are you beating around the bush? Just say it directly."

"People say she's a jinx. Ten years ago, her son drowned. Her husband hated her for not raising the child well, and her mother-in-law cursed her for bringing bad luck to her relatives. The couple divorced. Hu Xiaomei didn't have a job and did odd jobs to make ends meet. Life was tough, but she was very clear-headed. Even though life was so hard, every time I saw her, she was always neat and tidy and smiled at everyone. I was close to her. My grandmother was bedridden, and I was too busy to take care of her, so she helped take care of her."

This nemesis, isn't that bad for Xiaowei?

Qiaoqiao looked at her mother-in-law with a troubled expression, wondering which one she preferred.

"What 'cure relatives'? That's just feudal superstition. I think Hu Xiaomei is quite nice. Comrade Liu, could you let her come to my house to meet me tomorrow?"

Luo Meiyun didn't believe in any nemesis. Her son lost both legs on the battlefield, and her husband was in a coma for a year. Could it be that she was the nemesis of him?

"Okay, I'll ask her opinion when I get home tonight, Qiaoqiao, but... about the salary..."

As Hu Xiaomei's friend, I definitely need to find out about her salary first.

"Comrade Liu, my family needs a live-in nanny. Her main duties will be taking care of the children and grocery shopping. She can take two days off per month, and the job includes room and board. The salary is thirty yuan."

"Oh my, thirty yuan? And it includes food and lodging? Qiaoqiao, I work myself to the bone and only earn 28 yuan. If it weren't for the children and elderly at home I have to take care of, I would want to work as your nanny."

Sister Liu was astonished; he was indeed an important person, very generous.

"Sister Liu, you're a government employee. Your salary may not be high, but your benefits are great. My family can't afford to hire you." Qiaoqiao intentionally elevated Sister Liu's status.

"You've made me think this vegetable vendor is some kind of official. Oh, I'll ask Hu Xiaomei for her opinion tonight. If she agrees, I'll take her to meet her tomorrow. If she doesn't, I'll find someone else for you."

"Okay, thank you, Sister Liu. I knew I could have come to the right place."

"Qiaoqiao, your friend came to the vegetable shop the other day and was asking about you."

"My friend? Sister Han?"

"Yes, she also had a chubby boy, about the same age as your son. She asked where you moved to, and I said your husband went to work at the newspaper, and she didn't say anything more."

"Han's husband went to work as the deputy head of the security department at the chemical plant. I'll visit her when I have time."

"Qiaoqiao, you have to be careful of Sister Han. I think she has ill intentions," Sister Liu said in a low voice.

"What's wrong?"

"I have a feeling she wasn't trying to find out about you out of kindness, but rather showing off. She was telling me about your father-in-law, 'Hey, is your father-in-law back yet?'"

"I'm back, and I'm doing well. Actually, it'll be difficult for me and Sister Han to meet again in the future. If she wants to talk, let her talk."

"Sister Liu sees a lot of people at the vegetable shop every day. She can tell who's scheming and who's naive in just a few words. Qiaoqiao, you're a shrewd yet kind girl. Your friend is jealous of you."

"What do I have to be jealous of? It's just the life of an ordinary person."

Qiaoqiao felt terrible. Since her father-in-law's accident, Han Dan had never comforted her, and their relationship had cooled overnight.

"Sister Liu, I live at No. 126 Songshan Road. We're still cleaning up at home, so we'll be leaving now."

"Okay, I'm off work tomorrow, I'll come see you first thing in the morning."

When they parted, Sister Liu packed two pieces of tofu for Qiaoqiao, saying, "I have a ticket, you can take it. I don't have anything good to give you."

"Sister Liu, look at you, I asked you for help, and now you're even bringing me tofu."

"Don't mention it, I know you like to eat it."

"Thank you, Sister Liu."

I came in a hurry and didn't bring any gifts. I even took two pieces of tofu back with me, which made me feel really bad.

They took the bus back, and Luo Meiyun was very happy: "Your friend is a good person, a very kind person."

"She's very thrifty. Half a pound of meat coupons isn't enough for her family, so she trades them with me for a pound of meat coupons. She buys three pounds of scraps and bones to make soup, which will last her for a week."

"You and Wenhui don't have many hostages left, are there any left to exchange for Comrade Liu?"

"I cook at home and have a lot of meal tickets left over, so I went to Sister Liu to exchange them for egg tickets. It's a give-and-take situation; she helps me, and I help her in return."

"Qiaoqiao, you're making your life together quite enjoyable. Can I go to Comrade Liu to trade eggs later?"

"Of course I can, but I don't have many meat coupons left, so I'm afraid I can't spare any more for Sister Liu."

"Each person gets three jin of meat coupons. Add my son, Xiaowei, that makes five people, so that's 15 jin of meat coupons, right?"

"Mom... Wenhui changed jobs and only has two jin left, and I only have half a jin. You and Dad, one jin each."

"What? Your father and I only weigh one jin (500g)? Why?"

"No, Mom, you're back and back at work, so you must weigh more than a pound now."

"They distributed meat tickets based on retired patients. Your father was a division commander; even if he's retired, he'd get more than a pound, right? This is outrageous."

Luo Meiyun's eyes blazed with anger, but Qiaoqiao quickly comforted her, "Mom, don't be angry. Wenhui is giving a speech. We've saved up almost ten thousand yuan. If we don't have any coupons, we can just pay someone to exchange them for meat coupons. As long as Dad comes back safely, what do a few pounds of meat coupons matter?"

"Mom wasn't angry about a few pounds of meat coupons; these people are just too materialistic."