“What, you’re unhappy that I’m seeing patients? You think I’m not as good as Wang Ying?”
“No, no—I think you do a great job. It’s just that you’re so busy while Wang Ying is so idle.”
“You can’t stand that I’m seeing patients? You’re implying my skills aren’t as good as hers?”
“I really don’t mean that…”
Jiang Lin exploded in anger. “So that’s how it is, Yang Qing! I thought you were decent. So this is what you really think of me! What’s wrong with me being an intern doctor? Why shouldn’t I see patients? You’re mocking me, saying my skills are worse than Wang Ying’s! And you’re pretending to be sympathetic, bringing up her pregnancy. So what if she’s pregnant? Is pregnancy forbidden in our factory? And you’re a woman yourself, yet you use pregnancy as an excuse to sneer at me? I’ll remember this!”
She looked indignant. “One day, I’ll make all of you who doubt me acknowledge my ability! I’m not just someone who relies on my uncle’s connections!”
Yang Qing: …
Damn it.
Do you not understand human language?
Was that what I meant?
I was trying to sow discord—can’t you see that?
And so what if you’re connected? Why work so hard? Wouldn’t it be easier to just coast along with your connections?
Yang Qing watched Jiang Lin storm off and felt her insides churn with rage.
There were only four colleagues around the same age in the office. Wang Ying and Zhang Na had already teamed up, which left her isolated.
That was why she had wanted to align herself with Jiang Lin.
Jiang Lin’s uncle was a deputy factory director, while her own aunt was merely a minor leader in the clinic. Although Yang Qing was jealous of Jiang Lin—both of them had connections—why was Jiang Lin a doctor while she was only a nurse?
Yang Qing had planned to stand with Jiang Lin first, then stab her in the back once Jiang Lin was no longer useful.
After all, Jiang Lin’s conditions were better than hers.
Anyone better than her—she would envy.
Spreading rumors about Zhang Na last time had been too rash. It hadn’t taken long before Zhang Na saw through it. Yang Qing had tried approaching her several times afterward, but Zhang Na refused to respond.
Yang Qing knew Wang Ying must have had something to do with it.
Speaking of Wang Ying, Yang Qing disliked her even more.
A barefoot doctor—what right did she have to enter the factory and become a physician?
And as soon as she arrived, she outshone every female staff member in the clinic!
Yang Qing had secretly inquired and learned that Wang Ying had bought her position and had no connections within the factory.
That made Yang Qing scheme even more.
She, with connections, was only a nurse—so why was Wang Ying the “flower” of the clinic? Wang Ying was already married and pregnant—why was she competing with them young girls?
From the very first day Wang Ying arrived, Yang Qing had watched her closely, hoping Wang Ying would make a mistake so she could report her.
But although Wang Ying didn’t seem particularly ambitious, she never shirked her duties. Her medical practice was steady and excellent. Within just a few months, Yang Qing’s aunt had praised her repeatedly at home. Now she was the most relied-upon person in the clinic. To put it bluntly, when her aunt eventually stepped down, Wang Ying would be the most likely successor.
Left with no choice, Yang Qing had pinned her hopes on Jiang Lin to bring Wang Ying down.
She had waited and waited, expecting Jiang Lin to retaliate after being embarrassed by Wang Ying. But instead, Jiang Lin simply avoided eye contact with her—there was no further conflict at all!
Yang Qing cursed Jiang Lin for being useless.
Her uncle was a deputy factory director!
How hard could it be to deal with one person?
If it were her, she would thoroughly teach anyone who offended her a lesson!
Finally, Wang Ying’s pregnancy presented an opportunity. The first three months were the most unstable, so Dr. Yang had assigned some of Wang Ying’s workload to Jiang Lin. Since many female workers preferred not to be examined by male doctors, Jiang Lin’s workload had increased significantly.
Yang Qing thought Jiang Lin would surely be angry.
But from their earlier exchange, she realized Jiang Lin was an idiot!
She couldn’t even understand plain speech!
Damn it.
Yang Qing had meant to sympathize with her, but Jiang Lin couldn’t tell good from bad!
Anger surged through her, and she viciously kicked the flowerbed by the roadside several times.
Just as she finished, someone shouted, “Hey, you there! The short girl over there! I’m talking to you! Why are you kicking the factory’s flowerbed? Don’t you know it costs money to maintain that? Which department are you from?”
As soon as Yang Qing saw that the woman was wearing an armband—the unmistakable sign of the factory’s discipline-monitoring “old lady brigade”—she immediately turned and ran.
Angry shouts followed behind her.
“Why are you running! You, young lady! If I catch you doing that again, I’ll definitely have you disciplined!”
Yang Qing sneered inwardly: Heh, discipline me? Catch me first!
Wang Ying stood at the factory gate holding the four holiday gifts distributed by the factory. Before long, Xu Shuang came pushing his bicycle. When he saw her standing outside in the cold, he felt a little annoyed.
Wang Ying placed her warm hands against Xu Shuang’s face. “I just got here! Don’t you think we’re perfectly in sync?”
Whatever Xu Shuang had been about to say got stuck in his throat.
Wang Ying laughed. “We got meat and eggs! Be careful carrying them. What are we having tonight?”
Xu Shuang replied, “I already made it at home—beef hotpot.”
Wang Ying’s eyes lit up. “Beef?!”
Xu Shuang nodded. “Our restaurant received some beef today. It was meant for cooking dishes, but I talked to Master and paid for it as if we were buying vegetables from the restaurant. Then I brought it home raw to cook ourselves.”
It was definitely expensive, but since no ration coupons were required, it was a good deal.
Wang Ying nearly jumped with joy. “That’s wonderful!”
Xu Shuang added, “We also got holiday gifts. I received six items: five jin of eggs, a box of oranges, one chicken, one duck, a box of peach pastries, and five jin of pork.”
Wang Ying felt a little envious. “How did you get so much?”
Xu Shuang corrected her, “It’s not that we all got that much—it’s that I did.”
He received the allocation for master chefs. In the entire restaurant, only he, his master Chen Dong, and another Master Su were at that level. The others received half portions or fewer items.
Wang Ying sighed admiringly. “So having a higher rank really helps.”
Xu Shuang had already secured a spot to take the Level-One Chef certification exam. He would go to the provincial capital in early spring next year to take it. Once he passed, he would officially be Level One.
Wang Ying had never doubted he would pass, nor had anyone else. So although he was technically still Level Two, he already received nearly the same benefits as the top masters.
Except for one “big three” appliance coupon.
Xu Shuang explained, “The restaurant issues one each year. Usually the three master chefs rotate receiving it. This year it was a sewing machine, and it went to Master Su.”
Wang Ying nodded. “We already have a sewing machine, and Master doesn’t even use one. It’s right that Master Su got it. What about next year? What kind of coupon will it be?”
Xu Shuang asked, “What would you want?”
Wang Ying thought about it. Their family already had all three major appliances, and they even had two radios. They weren’t lacking anything.
“A television?”
Xu Shuang: “…”
Wang Ying laughed awkwardly. “A bit ambitious, huh?”
Xu Shuang replied, “Not just a bit—very ambitious. I doubt there are even a hundred in our entire county. And we don’t even have a broadcast station here. If we wanted to watch, we’d need to buy extra wiring—more than ten meters of cable…”
Wang Ying chuckled. “Alright, forget it then.”
Xu Shuang didn’t understand why she suddenly mentioned a television. In his opinion, movies were much better. Televisions were blurry and had limited programming. Radios received more stations, and films were clearer.
After hearing that, Wang Ying was also surprised. So televisions were like that right now? Then forget it for now.
“We don’t really lack anything. Next year you could ask Master if he wants a bicycle.”
In fact, starting this year, Wang Ying had noticed something: the general public’s enthusiasm for revolutionary activities had declined significantly.
Although people still talked about instability, most were steadily focused on production and development. Compared to previous years, life had improved somewhat.
And when life improved, people lost the mood for constant political upheaval.
Aside from a small group still stirring trouble, most people were simply tired.
So Wang Ying felt that Chen Dong’s formerly low-key lifestyle could be relaxed a little. Buying a bicycle wouldn’t be excessive.
After all, he had been a master chef for so many years. If he couldn’t even afford a bicycle, that would be ridiculous.
When she put it that way, Xu Shuang agreed.
“I’ll ask Master later. If he’s worried about drawing attention, we can say the bicycle is mine and he’s just borrowing his apprentice’s ride.”
The two of them chatted cheerfully as they walked home. As soon as they stepped inside, they were greeted by the irresistible aroma of beef.
Wang Ying’s eyes sparkled as she opened the door. The steaming beef hotpot was simmering on a small stove with the fire banked low. It had been gently braised for half an hour—perfectly ready to eat.
Large chunks of beef had been stir-fried with spices until browned, then simmered with aromatics. The rich, spicy fragrance filled the entire room.
Xu Shuang opened the door briefly to let the smoky air dissipate, then closed it and brought over a stool for Wang Ying to sit beside the pot and eat.
With a small bowl in hand, Wang Ying scooped herself a generous serving and dug in happily.
The beef was tender and falling apart, every fiber soaked in savory juices. Underneath were bean sprouts and dried mushrooms, equally delicious. While she ate, Xu Shuang added another layer of greens on top.
Spicy, juicy beef. Crisp bean sprouts. Mushrooms bursting with flavor. Fresh, crunchy baby bok choy. Plenty of chili peppers made it hot enough to bring sweat to Wang Ying’s forehead—but she felt thoroughly satisfied.
She ate two full bowls before finally setting down her chopsticks.
Life felt so full of promise!
