Forced to marry a disabled man in the countryside? I'll repay you tenfold!

Liu Shuqing nodded: "We should go back and have a proper talk." He then turned to Su Wanqing: "Dr. Su, you came to see me because…"

Su Wanqing quickly explained the mushroom contract.

Liu Shuqing took the contract, glanced at it, and his eyes widened immediately: "Wow! Is there such a good thing? The troupe doesn't have to do anything, and can just sit back and wait to increase income?" He immediately pulled out a pen and signed his name with a "swish".

Jiang Sisi curiously leaned over for a look: "This is the oyster mushroom cultivation site that my sister was scrambling to get into back then? It's quite interesting that they can even sell mushroom bags."

Su Wanqing smiled and said, "I'll bring you a few to try when they're done."

"Okay! Thank you, Sister Su!" Jiang Sisi smiled. "Let's keep in touch. I'll come visit you again in a while."

She left in a hurry after she finished speaking—if she had stayed any longer, the redness and swelling on her face would probably have gone down.

Su Wanqing returned to the planting site with the signed contract. From now on, she would only need to come and check on the oyster mushroom business every day; Chen Xiuer would have to handle most of it. Thinking about it this way, she decided that Chen Xiuer's wages should be increased again.

When they arrived at the planting site, Guo Mingyuan and Old Shen had gone off somewhere to discuss something, leaving only Chen Xiuer there.

"Xiuer, the contract is signed. Give a copy to Section Chief Guo tomorrow, and that will officially settle things." Su Wanqing handed over the contract. "Starting tomorrow, I'll give you more mycelium. You'll have to work hard, at least preparing hundreds of sets of auxiliary materials, cultivating the mycelium, bagging, managing... you'll have to keep up with the whole process."

Chen Xiuer had just finished breastfeeding, put the baby on her back, took the contract and looked at it carefully, her face beaming with undisguised joy. Being able to help Dr. Su earn more money was the best way she could repay him right now.

"Don't worry, Dr. Su, this is much easier than digging ditches on the farm." Chen Xiuer's voice was soft, but it conveyed a sense of steadiness.

Su Wanqing took out nine yuan from her pocket and handed it over: "This is last month's allowance, please keep it safe. Work points are accounted for through the public account, and the point clerk has already recorded them."

The nine yuan was a subsidy given privately by Su Wanqing, while the work points were the labor remuneration calculated by the government for Chen Xiuer.

Chen Xiuer wiped her hands clean and carefully took the money. Nine yuan... City workers only earn a dozen yuan a month, and street office clerks only earn eleven yuan. And her? She earns nine yuan every day by handling wheat bran, keeping accounts, and growing mushrooms.

Moreover, she earns eight work points every day. In the past, digging ditches would take eight hours of backbreaking work for only eight work points; now, she earns the equivalent of two people's wages.

She no longer needs a man to support her; she can support herself and her daughter on her own.

"Also, starting tomorrow, your daily work points will remain at eight." These work points are set by the government, and Su Wanqing can't change them. "But your allowance will increase to fifty cents per day."

Chen Xiuer opened her mouth, about to refuse, when Su Wanqing continued, "Xiuer, don't think this money is too much. From now on, you'll be in charge of all the mushroom bagging work, from preparing the ingredients and bagging to shipping and bookkeeping. You have to be meticulous in everything. This five cents is the hard-earned money you deserve."

Chen Xiuer's eyes were slightly red, and she finally nodded emphatically: "Thank you, Dr. Su!"

"Then we have to thank Dr. Su!" a voice suddenly rang out.

Chen Xiuer's face stiffened.

Su Wanqing turned around and saw a thin old woman and a dark-skinned man standing at the door—it was Chen Xiuer's mother-in-law, Granny Sun, and her husband, Zhao Shupi.

Zhao Shupi rubbed his hands together, grinning, "Mom, I told you Dr. Su kept her word! She said she'd give Xiuer money, and she did—a full nine yuan! And it'll keep going up!"

Granny Sun grinned from ear to ear, "Oh my, it's truly a blessing from heaven!" She looked at Chen Xiuer with delight, "Xiuer, you really are something, living here all the time and never even going home. If we hadn't come looking for you, we wouldn't have known you'd received your money!"

In fact, Zhao Shupi had heard about it when he went to work today—Zhou Yanshen, the most promising man in the village, had returned in a military truck, looking very impressive. At first, everyone thought Zhou Yanshen was just an ordinary person sent to the countryside, but later they found out that he was a real soldier, on a mission.

He disappeared for many days and then came back, driving a military truck, looking very impressive. Not only that, Zhou Yanshen came back with his wife, Dr. Xiao Su.

They also brought back a batch of horses and ducks, and who knows how many other good things they brought back.

The villagers were all speculating where the couple had struck it rich, but Zhao Shupi suddenly remembered: Dr. Su was back, Xiu'er had completed a month's work, and it was time to get paid. As soon as he finished work, he quickly dragged his mother over.

Sure enough, I ran into someone handing out money as soon as I arrived.

Chen Xiuer looked at her husband and mother-in-law, her face showing undisguised annoyance: "What are you doing here?"

Grandma Sun was about to yell – "What are you doing here? You're here for money, of course! What kind of wife is never home? Leaving her son alone on the cold bed, doesn't he know he's going crazy from boredom?" But before she could finish speaking, Zhao Shupi subtly tugged at her arm, then put on a smiling face and stepped forward:

"Xiuer, your words are so hurtful. I'm your husband, isn't it only right that I come to see you? I've missed Nannan too, it's been so many days, she must have grown so much, right? Come here, let Dad hold her." He reached out to take the child, "After you get off work, we'll go home for dinner. Mom specially made braised pork rice porridge and boiled an egg for you, all your favorites."

Chen Xiuer turned to the side, holding the child even tighter: "Do you even remember you have a child? She's shy around strangers, and it's hard to soothe her when she cries, so please don't hold her. I'm busy here; I need to move some wheat bran and go to…" She paused, then turned and winked at Su Wanqing, hoping the young doctor would understand she was making excuses.

"You think this money is easy to earn? I have to work more than ten hours a day. I'm not going home for dinner today, you guys go home first."

All she wanted to do was get rid of this annoying mother and son; she didn't want to see them again. But now wasn't the time to make a scene—she only had nine yuan on her, and if things got out of hand, she'd probably be the one who suffered.

Grandma Sun got angry, shoved her son aside, put her hands on her hips, and yelled, "I think you've gotten so rich you think you're above everyone else! Leaving my son home alone for so many days, go ask around the village, what kind of wife behaves like this? Your husband works hard outside to earn work points, and you don't even care, but when he comes home you still have to do your own laundry! People will laugh their heads off!"

Su Wanqing was dumbfounded—what? A man washing his own clothes when he gets home is considered a huge grievance? So, after work, he should act like a king, leaving all the laundry, cooking, and childcare to his wife? Is that what's proper?

Zhao Shupi quickly pulled Granny Sun behind him, playing the good guy: "Mom, alright, alright, isn't Xiuer working hard here too? We're all doing this for the family." He then turned to Chen Xiuer, his tone softening, "Xiuer, talk to your mother properly, let's discuss this as a family behind closed doors, so that outsiders won't laugh at us."