Chapter 12:

Apart from rice, grains, and meat, this time’s haul also included vermicelli, eggs, soap, brown sugar, and more, nearly exhausting Yu Qingshan and Zhao Qiaoniang’s monthly wages.

However, seeing the new additions to the household, even with less money, they felt happy. Life was truly difficult these days—having money wasn’t enough; you also needed ration coupons. And even with coupons, it didn’t guarantee you could buy everything in full quantities—it depended on whether there was stock. In these times, those with resources were the real winners.

Thinking of this, Yu Xiang’an took a deep breath.

The next day, when she went to the factory, acquaintances greeted her and asked what good things her family had managed to snag. Upon hearing they had gotten meat and fish, Yan Yuzhen slapped her thigh in regret: “I found out too late and didn’t get to the front of the line. By the time it was my turn, all I got was a pig’s trotter—barely any meat on it. It wasn’t worth buying, but I had no choice. My family hadn’t had meat in a while, and the coupon was about to expire.”

Back in the office, Sun Qingchun was even more frustrated: “At least you got something, Sister Zhen. My family got nothing—everything was sold out.”

Yan Yuzhen sighed, “You went even later than me. What about the fish? Did you manage to get any? Those fish were pretty good, quite big.”

Sun Qingchun nodded gloomily, “I got one fish—the last one.”

Yan Yuzhen comforted him, “It’s alright. We’re in the south with plenty of rivers and lakes. The county has a river running through it. Though this stretch isn’t great for fish, upstream and downstream are better. We can always catch fish from there.”

Sun Qingchun sighed, “This time, we just found out too late. At least the oil supply was decent—my oil jar finally has a little left.” It was a sad state of affairs.

Yu Xiang’an thought of the soybeans in her farm—soybeans could also be pressed for oil.

The topic dominated conversations all morning. Even at lunchtime in the canteen, people were still talking about it, showing just how much it was on everyone’s minds. Those who missed out on the good stuff might grumble about it for months.

In this weather, meat couldn’t be stored for long. After a few meals, the two pounds of meat at home were gone. After rendering some for oil and setting aside the bones, there wasn’t much left. The two fish weren’t eaten yet—they were being kept alive in case guests came over.

With so little meat to work with, Yu Xiang’an often drooled over the fish and plump ducks in her XiXi Farm whenever she entered.

She had already harvested apples—over two hundred pounds from a single tree, which she considered a decent yield. She had no frame of reference but was satisfied. The only regret was that each type of fruit tree in the farm was limited to just one. Now that the apples were harvested, only green leaves remained. But the nearby chestnut tree was in bloom, so she used her daily sign-in acceleration drops on it to speed up its growth.

Chestnuts were a great resource.

After her routine watering and weeding, Yu Xiang’an checked on the ducklings. They had grown noticeably in the past while. She scooped up a few fish to feed them—she had been conducting this experiment for a while but planned to stop by the end of the month.

She was cautious by nature, but watching food she couldn’t even eat herself go to feeding cats and dogs pained her.

Near the warehouse, not far from the stream, stood a half-built stove. She planned to use it for cooking when it became inconvenient in the real world, but first, she needed to finish building it and collect enough ration coupons to buy a wok.

It was a long road ahead.

Yu Xiang’an was pleased with the farm’s progress and was also settling into her job at the factory. She often shadowed Yan Yuzhen and had gained a good understanding of the factory’s operations, becoming more skilled at her tasks. Yan Yuzhen was delighted and took her everywhere, offering guidance.

This made Sun Qingchun somewhat resentful—he hadn’t received such treatment when he started—but he couldn’t complain. Yan Yuzhen was the head accountant, and Yu Xiang’an was a newcomer. Her thorough mentoring was beyond reproach.

Sun Qingchun could at least rationalize it, but Deng Xiahong from the cashier’s side was another story. At first, Yu Xiang’an thought she might be imagining the subtle hostility, but others later confirmed that Deng Xiahong had a daughter who had graduated from middle school but hadn’t found a job. She had been angling for this position, only for Yu Xiang’an to swoop in.

Yu Xiang’an: “…”

As if the job would’ve automatically gone to her daughter otherwise.

Deng Xiahong, bitter over her daughter’s missed opportunity, often made snide remarks. Now, seeing Yu Xiang’an gaining favor and visibility under Yan Yuzhen’s wing, her jealousy flared. If not for Yu Xiang’an, her daughter could’ve been the one in the spotlight—especially since her daughter was about to be sent to the countryside and cried at home every day, adding to Deng Xiahong’s frustration. In a fit of anger, she altered a few figures on a document meant for Yu Xiang’an.

When the numbers didn’t add up, it would surely give her a headache.

But Yu Xiang’an’s university education wasn’t for nothing—she had studied accounting basics. Mismatched numbers were a nuisance, but with patience, the issue could be traced. And she had plenty of patience—years of honing her culinary skills had seen to that.

What she hadn’t expected was how blatant the sabotage was.

After triple-checking, she found the altered document—subtle changes, like turning a “1” into a “7” or a “4.” The discrepancies were minor, but the original records existed. A quick cross-reference and questioning of those involved quickly exposed Deng Xiahong.

Yu Xiang’an wasn’t one to let things slide. She reported the issue to Yan Yuzhen, who, though usually easygoing, was strict about work integrity.

True to form, Yan Yuzhen was displeased. She knew why Deng Xiahong resented Yu Xiang’an and had overlooked the petty jabs, but this was crossing a line. She deemed Deng Xiahong’s attitude unacceptable and decided to reprimand her.

She approached Wang Yunlai, the head of the cashier department: “Xiang’an is a newcomer and hasn’t made such mistakes. How could Deng Xiahong, with her years of experience, do this? If Xiang’an hadn’t caught it, who would’ve taken responsibility if higher-ups noticed? This isn’t the place for grudges.” She didn’t outright accuse Deng Xiahong of malice, but Wang Yunlai got the message.

His expression darkened. “Understood. I’ll have a word with her.”

After “tattling,” Yu Xiang’an left it at that—department heads were the proper authorities to handle such matters.

Soon after, Sun Qingchun mentioned that Deng Xiahong had been scolded and warned that if she couldn’t focus on her work, she’d be transferred.

Wang Yunlai couldn’t threaten dismissal—permanent employees couldn’t be fired, only reassigned.

Naturally, Deng Xiahong didn’t want to leave. Office jobs were comfortable and respectable—she had no desire to switch. Forced to behave, she quieted down.

While workplace conflicts were manageable, the neighborhood gossip was trickier. Secrets don’t stay buried—news of the Yu and Zhou families’ marriage discussions had spread locally. No one had expected the current situation, so they hadn’t kept it quiet.

Initially, people assumed Yu Xiang’an’s early departures and late returns were for school. But when someone realized she hadn’t attended classes in a while and asked, they learned she was working at the food factory.

How had she gotten the job?

Those with relatives at the factory soon discovered that Yang Xizhi had retired, and Yu Xiang’an had taken her place. It seemed the wedding was imminent.

Aunt Tian stopped Yu Xiang’an one day: “When’s the big day with the Zhou family? Need any help?”

Yu Xiang’an shook her head. “There’s no wedding. I’m not seeing anyone right now.”

Aunt Tian was stunned. “What? You and the Zhou boy aren’t together?”

“It was just idle talk between families—nothing serious. Don’t take it to heart.”

After a pause, Aunt Tian asked, “Then how’d you get the job?”

Yu Xiang’an answered plainly: “I tested in. An old accountant retired, and since I’m a high school graduate, I qualified. I took the exam, scored well, and got hired.”

Aunt Tian gasped. “The food factory was hiring?”

“They didn’t advertise—just needed one person.”

“Permanent position?”

Yu Xiang’an nodded.

Aunt Tian sighed enviously. “Well, at least you’re set now.”

Most were simply jealous, but others, like Granny Chen, were more interested in the drama. She cornered Yu Xiang’an: “Xiang’an, I heard things fell through with the Zhou family. That can’t be true, right? When’s the wedding?”

Suppressing her annoyance, Yu Xiang’an smiled politely. “I’m not getting married. There’s no one.”

Granny Chen gasped theatrically. “But weren’t you and the Zhou boy betrothed since birth? I heard it fell apart—so it’s true? Was it the bride price? Or did you find someone else? How could the Zhou family let you take the job if that’s the case?”

Yu Xiang’an forced a pained smile. “Auntie, you’ve got it all wrong. This isn’t the old days—there’s no such thing as arranged marriages. It was just talk. And the job wasn’t a handover—I’m an accountant, hired through proper exams. It has nothing to do with the Zhou family.”

Granny Chen scoffed. “Without their help, how’d you land such a sweet deal? Tell me the truth. If someone’s giving you trouble, I’ll stand up for you.” Her tone was thick with nosy excitement.