Whenever the New Year arrived, it always felt like the days flew by.
Once the holiday gifts were distributed, each work unit began making intensive arrangements for rotating leave. In large state-owned factories like the sugar factory, aside from certain departments that could not leave their posts and had to rotate shifts, most production departments gradually relaxed operations one by one.
However, the clinic where Wang Ying worked was not among them.
Even during the New Year, someone still had to remain on duty.
Except for New Year’s Eve and the first day of the Lunar New Year, when no one was required to work, for the remaining days there had to be one doctor and one nurse on duty every day.
Dr. Yang began arranging the duty schedule.
“Wang Ying is pregnant, so let’s take care of her. During the New Year period, we won’t schedule her for duty. No objections, right?”
It wasn’t that Dr. Yang was giving Wang Ying special treatment. In fact, this was standard practice in the factory. Even in the workshops, pregnant workers would receive some degree of consideration.
The other two doctors had no objections. Dr. Yang looked toward Jiang Lin.
Jiang Lin’s expression was strange—not angry, but almost eager.
“Doctor Jiang, any objections?”
“No!”
Of course Jiang Lin had no objections. Recently, she had been working extremely hard. She had even pulled out her old medical textbooks to study, to the point that her uncle was surprised, worried that perhaps he had spoken too harshly to her last time and driven her to such diligence.
Jiang Lin was holding back her determination to surpass Wang Ying and slap Yang Qing in the face. After some clumsy thinking, she decided she needed a concrete goal to overtake Wang Ying.
Looks and men were trivial—technical skill was what truly mattered!
Jiang Lin stole a glance at Dr. Yang, who was speaking. She felt her current objective was very clear.
She needed to surpass Wang Ying in Dr. Yang’s eyes!
Dr. Yang was the leader. She would outperform Wang Ying in front of leadership and become the pillar of the clinic!
Jiang Lin’s quick agreement surprised everyone.
In the past, she would definitely have made a few sarcastic remarks, mocking Wang Ying for not being serious about work.
Why was she so agreeable today?
Among everyone present, only Yang Qing understood the reason, and her smile nearly faltered.
Wang Ying was also somewhat surprised and gave Jiang Lin a puzzled look.
Jiang Lin felt uncomfortable under their gazes. She tossed out a sharp “What are you looking at?” and hurried into the consultation room.
Last time, when a patient with high blood pressure had come in, Wang Ying had swiftly inserted needles for emergency treatment, preventing a serious incident. Annoyed, Jiang Lin was determined to look up that method in her books. Once she mastered it, she would show it off in front of Yang Qing!
After Jiang Lin left, Dr. Yang said helplessly, “Alright then. I’ve finished arranging the duty schedule and posted it on the door. Everyone check your times and make sure to show up.”
Jiang Lin had been so proactive lately that Dr. Yang couldn’t even criticize her for walking out in the middle of the meeting.
Forget it—being willing to work was better than anything.
With the duty roster settled, the New Year spirit grew even stronger.
In the remaining days, everyone tacitly began taking turns requesting leave. After all, it was the New Year—who didn’t need to buy some meat? Chickens and fish were a must. There were sunflower seeds, candies, small firecrackers, fried pastries, red paper, popcorn…
Everything had to be prepared. While it wasn’t encouraged to post door gods or worship the Kitchen God anymore, couplets could still be hung. A couple of years ago, even that had been strictly controlled, but now it wasn’t really enforced.
Wang Ying, being pregnant, wasn’t supposed to squeeze into crowded places. She thought she would be fine, but Xu Shuang insisted on caution.
So Xu Shuang took half a chicken and went to visit Liu Dama, the courtyard head.
Liu Dama felt embarrassed accepting gifts so often. She had realized that Xu Shuang truly treated his wife like the apple of his eye. No other pregnant woman was treated as preciously as this! It was only three or four months along—what would it be like later?
But Liu Dama wasn’t one to talk much. Besides, the young couple were both workers—one a master chef, the other a doctor. They only had one elderly parent, who wasn’t living with them, and one child on the way. Simple household, good income. If they wanted to live more comfortably, what was it to anyone else?
Liu Dama was broad-minded. When she had her first child, it was still the old society. She had worked up until the day she gave birth, delivering the baby at home on the heated brick bed. By the time she had her second child, she was already working at the factory and had given birth in the factory clinic. Times were indeed improving.
Xu Shuang brought the chicken to ask for Liu Dama’s help, and she didn’t disappoint.
Any New Year goods that required queuing, she would first ask Wang Ying if she wanted anything brought back.
After counting it over, Wang Ying realized they didn’t need much.
There were only two of them, and they didn’t eat much. Xu Shuang had already received chicken, duck, and pork. The only thing they needed to buy was fish.
Seeing Wang Ying’s visibly rounded belly, Liu Dama said directly, “When our family goes to buy fish, I’ll bring one back for you.”
Buying fish was a skill in itself—you had to line up in the middle of the night. Arrive a little late, and they’d all be gone.
Wang Ying didn’t refuse and thanked her.
Once the children in the courtyard were on holiday, the liveliness reached its peak.
The Ma family’s six children and the Liu family’s two—eight children in total—were either running around the courtyard or dashing outside to play.
Ever since Xu Dabao from the Xu family had been involved in losing Ma family’s Lüdan, the adults of the two families had become enemies and explicitly forbade the children from playing together.
So Xu Dabao could only watch longingly as Lüdan and his siblings played with Yangyang and his sister.
Even the most mischievous child would look somewhat lonely without playmates.
When Xu Dama saw her grandson like that, she grew furious and began hurling indirect insults. The other children became frightened and scattered outside.
A venomous glint flashed in Xu Dama’s eyes. She coaxed her grandson, “Dabao, be good. We’re not playing with that bunch of short-lived little bastards anyway. Go ask your mom for money to buy a few boxes of small firecrackers and play in the neighboring courtyard.”
A box of firecrackers cost a dime—not every family would buy them for their children.
But Xu Dama didn’t care about the money. It wasn’t coming out of her pocket.
As soon as he heard his grandmother’s permission, Xu Dabao happily ran to find Zhang Yun.
Zhang Yun was cleaning the house. It was the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month—the traditional day for sweeping the house.
Their two rooms were large but poorly oriented. One room never got sunlight and had been damp all year, so it needed thorough cleaning at this time.
With a cloth wrapped around her head, Zhang Yun dusted with a feather duster. Though the household had several members, her father-in-law was a heavy smoker. In recent years, he barely spoke—just ate, smoked, and slept, like a ghost haunting the house.
Her mother-in-law was considerate toward her, but her health was poor, and there was only so much work she could do.
As for Xu Lei, Zhang Yun could never bear to order her husband around. He was an educated man, and he had done well in school. When he had pursued her, he had written her letter after letter of love notes. Whenever Zhang Yun felt that life was so bitter she could barely endure it, she would take out those letters and read them. Just reading them once filled her with boundless courage.
Zhang Yun felt that, if only for Xu Lei’s sake, she had to persevere. This family couldn’t function without her.
Xu Dabao ran in and awkwardly called out, “Mom… I want to buy some firecrackers.”
Without hesitation, Zhang Yun replied, “Buy what? We don’t have money.”
A box of small firecrackers cost a dime—that was equivalent to a meal of cabbage.
Her monthly salary was limited. If she didn’t save carefully, what would they do? Her husband and mother-in-law were both in poor health and couldn’t eat too poorly. The child needed money for school. Food, clothing—every day when Zhang Yun opened her eyes, she felt endless pressure weighing down on her.
Xu Dabao pressed his lips together. He didn’t argue or make a fuss, but his eyes were full of resentment.
He thought his grandmother was right—his mother was a poisonous scorpion. He was her son, so why wouldn’t she buy him firecrackers? And the last time, when Lüdan had gone missing, his grandmother had even cried and begged his mother, yet his mother had still beaten him harshly.
Xu Dabao stood there stiffly like a wooden post. Zhang Yun was exhausted from cleaning and said impatiently, “Hurry up and go outside. There’s dust everywhere—you’ll get dirty and I’ll have to wash your clothes again.”
Xu Dabao felt even more that his mother wasn’t good—she only knew how to scold him.
Under his breath, he muttered “stepmother.” He had heard people say that only stepmothers treated children badly. His own biological mother was worse than someone else’s stepmother.
He muttered it so softly that Zhang Yun didn’t hear.
At school she was used to disciplining children. In her heart she loved Xu Dabao dearly, but she was the strict one.
“If you’re not helping, then go out.”
Zhang Yun shooed him away.
Xu Dabao immediately ran off to find his grandmother, looking aggrieved.
Before long, Xu Dama came in, looking apologetic. “Xiao Yun, did Dabao come asking you for money again? Why don’t you just give him a dime? You don’t know—none of the children in our courtyard will play with him anymore. He’s all alone and pitiful. It breaks my heart. And that Ma family—so what if their child almost went missing? He wasn’t actually lost! Do they have to be so harsh to our Dabao? What do children understand…”
Zhang Yun felt uneasy. The last time she had returned home, she had arrived just as the courtyard fight was happening. Of course she had instinctively taken her own family’s side. But after the fight, she realized that her own Dabao had done wrong—he had been playing with the others and, when someone didn’t return, he hadn’t said anything.
Zhang Yun was conflicted. On one hand, she felt Dabao’s behavior had truly been inappropriate. How could he come back and say nothing? If the situation were reversed—if Dabao had gone missing and Lüdan hadn’t spoken up—she, as a mother, would have been furious too. On the other hand, she also felt her family had been somewhat wronged. After all, the child hadn’t actually gone missing, had he? Yet the quarrel had escalated to the point where the two families now ignored each other entirely. It was excessive.
Though Zhang Yun had a somewhat sharp temper from being a teacher, years of dealing with daily necessities had given her some shrewdness and awareness of the situation.
In this courtyard, the newly arrived Wang Ying’s family had good relations with the Liu family and no major conflicts with the Ma family. Especially on the night Lüdan fell ill with a fever, Wang Ying had given him medicine and reduced his temperature. Later, the Ma family had even brought over a pair of handmade cotton shoes with thick layered soles as a thank-you gift.
From that point on, the courtyard residents suddenly realized how convenient it was to have a doctor living among them.
Even if you didn’t benefit directly most of the time, you certainly couldn’t afford to offend her. If an emergency arose, you’d have to go knocking on her door for help.
So now, aside from their own household, the other three families in the courtyard were getting along harmoniously.
Zhang Yun wasn’t without regret. But since she had offended Wang Ying when she first arrived, how could she now turn around and fawn over her? She couldn’t bring herself to do it.
Since she couldn’t lower herself, she could only follow her mother-in-law’s suggestion and agree to buy her son some firecrackers. She couldn’t let him remain friendless forever. Better to buy a box and let him go play in the neighboring courtyard.
Xu Dama was sharp-witted. She quickly said kindly, “Give the money to me. I’ll take it out and give it to Dabao later. That child—who knows where he’s run off to.”
The daughter-in-law would provide the money, and she would be the one to hand it to the child. That way, Dabao would feel that his grandmother loved him more than his own mother.
Zhang Yun didn’t think much of it and casually took out a dime and handed it to her mother-in-law.
But almost immediately she felt worried. People always said the New Year was difficult—the difficulty was this stretch of time. To ensure a good New Year, most workplaces issued wages half a month earlier than usual.
The school had done the same, paying out wages a few days ago.
But once the money was distributed, expenses flowed like water—buying a few yards of fabric here, some fine grain and meat there. In just a few days, more than half her wages were gone.
And it still wasn’t enough. Before the New Year, they still had to calculate and purchase more necessities.
Zhang Yun frowned, already regretting the dime she had just given away.
Xu Dama could easily read her daughter-in-law’s thoughts and chuckled.
“Xiao Yun… are you going back to your parents’ home this year or not?”
Xu Dama saw the complicated look on Zhang Yun’s face. Anxiety stirred in her heart, but her expression remained full of guilt and motherly kindness.
“Xiao Yun, you should go back to your parents’ home and have a look. It’s been so many years already. Dabao is grown now—your mother won’t be that heartless. You’re not young anymore. How can you never go back to see your parents? The grace of giving birth and raising you—that’s something you must always remember.”
This year, because of the recent conflicts, there was no more neighborly help to rely on. Xu Dama urgently needed Zhang Yun to find some way to get money. Otherwise, it would be her eldest grandson who suffered.
Zhang Yun hesitated again and again. In truth, she had already regretted throwing her mother’s twenty yuan back last year. But she had put on such a high front that she couldn’t climb down now. Besides, if she started visiting her parents again and the neighbors back home saw how poorly she was living, who knew what gossip they would spread?
“Let’s forget it,” Zhang Yun said.
She couldn’t afford to lose face.
Xu Dama was about to say more, but Zhang Yun suddenly fired off a string of words like rapid gunfire.
“Mom, I’ve said it before. I chose to be with Lei-ge not for anything material, and I know he didn’t choose me for anything either. We’re together for love. Even if life is hard, I’m willing. The people at my parents’ home look down on me—I don’t care. As long as I know my life is good, that’s enough. Please don’t try to persuade me.”
Xu Dama: …
What are you talking about? If it weren’t for the fact that you’re a teacher, would I have let you marry into this family?
How can you be this naïve?
She couldn’t be bothered arguing with her love-brained daughter-in-law anymore. Tucking the dime into her pocket, she went out to find her grandson.
Xu Dabao bought a box of small firecrackers and immediately strutted around like a peacock.
Delighted, he took the firecrackers to the neighboring courtyard and gathered a group of younger kids to play war games.
Recently, two new families had moved into that courtyard. Each had a child—two girls about the same age as Xu Dabao.
The two girls mixed right in with the boys and, when they played war games, they often won.
Xu Dabao didn’t like that. Pointing at them, he said, “You two leave! We’re not playing with girls!”
The girl with pigtails was displeased. “Xu Dabao, you just can’t stand losing! You lose and then you don’t let us play. Why don’t you admit you’re just slow?”
Her little friend chimed in, “Yeah! You’re the one who runs slow!”
At home, Xu Dabao had always been spoiled. Before falling out with the Ma family, he had even been something of a little tyrant in his own courtyard. Naturally, he couldn’t stand being looked down on.
“What nonsense are you spouting? You’re the ones who can’t stand losing! I just don’t play with girls! My grandma said if you play with girls, you’ll grow up to be a ‘sissy’!”
The pigtail girl didn’t know what “sissy” meant, but she knew it wasn’t nice. “If you can’t stand losing, just say so. Even if you don’t play with girls, you’re still a sissy.”
Xu Dabao exploded in anger. Children’s quarrels were like this—once they started arguing, they loved to imitate the adults’ speech.
In a rage, he copied his grandmother’s foul language: “You little slutty bastard, short-lived brat! Get the hell out of here! I won’t let you play with my firecrackers! Go eat shit!”
Xu Dama would never have dreamed that her habit of cursing viciously in secluded corners had been noticed by her grandson. All those filthy words had been memorized by Xu Dabao.
The moment he shouted that, the children in the neighboring courtyard began to scold him.
“Xu Dabao, why is your mouth so dirty?”
“Yeah! You come to our courtyard and then bully people here?”
“Why are you cursing Tiantian and Xiaomi?”
Xu Dabao panicked for a split second, then yelled, “What’s that supposed to mean? You’re ganging up on me? Fine! Then you don’t get to play with my firecrackers!”
Children had tempers too.
“Then we won’t!”
“We’ll buy our own for New Year!”
“Let’s go over there.”
Once again, Xu Dabao was isolated. Furious, he decided not to go home and instead ran off toward another alley with his firecrackers.
Fine! If they didn’t want to play, he didn’t care!
Xu Dabao ran fast and quickly disappeared into the alley.
But after he left, a man with a scar on his face hurried into the area.
The man glanced around furtively, then found a little boy playing nearby. He handed him a piece of candy—untainted—and said with a smile:
“Little friend, could you help me call someone from the Xu family?”
“Just tell Xu Dabao’s father that something happened at his uncle’s house. Several relatives are about to take the train here and need to stay with him for a while.”
![The Villains Are All My Reserve Food [Quick Transmigration]](https://novels.space/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Villains-are-Reserve-Food.jpg "The Villains Are All My Reserve Food [Quick Transmigration]")
