When Wang Guihua found out, she was so angry she fainted on the spot.
The household was in chaos, and they rushed her to the hospital.
Gu Dongfang usually didn’t deal with family affairs, though he was aware of his daughter-in-law’s bias toward Gu Juntao. Initially, he was angry, but he knew Gu Juntao wasn’t exactly capable. So, not going was fine with him. But when Juntao defied his mother’s wishes and went to the disaster area, he was stunned for a moment, then smiled with satisfaction.
After all, he has Gu Family blood, definitely not a coward! But Gu Zishan was endlessly worried, visibly more worn out these days.
Sun Chan had been worried about Gu Junming, dreaming at night about Junming falling into a big pit or being hit by stones, waking up scared and drenched in cold sweat.
She didn’t dare talk to Guihua, so she deliberately kept herself busy, spending any free time at the storefront Guihua had rented. It was a good spot, near the train station, and in front of it was an inn, which was not successfully managed, thus rented out.
They took over now, and it didn’t even need a major renovation, just some simple fixing. Guihua was busy every day getting people to organize the place.
The flooring needed replacing, as did the wallpaper, curtains, and bedding.
Sun Chan helped for two days, coming in the morning and leaving in the afternoon. After all, the fruit still needed to be sold fresh outside, and several jars of fruit preserves she’d made needed selling too—earning them a total of about thirty yuan a day.
Sun Chan was busy with selling fruits and helping with the Guihua Inn, and still had to cook at night, leaving her exhausted.
Fortunately, on the third day, Yang Liu arrived with her luggage, and since Sun Chan was close to the station, she went to pick her up.
Yang Liu had lost some weight. Seeing Sun Chan, she immediately hugged her: "I’ve missed you so much! How have you been?"
Sun Chan laughed, "I’ve missed you too! You’re really not regretting it? That was a good job you left."
"Yeah, because it was such a good job, many people wanted me out! You wouldn’t believe how fierce the competition is now. Better to leave early than be fired, which isn’t a good look."
Yang Liu told her that dozens of temporary workers had joined the sanatorium, just the cafeteria had gained four or five new staff members, all competing for employment. So many fighting for two permanent positions, the rivalry was intense.
"I was often framed, losing things, much food spoiled, and people claiming it was my fault. Denying it was useless; no one believed me. I got docked wages several times, had no choice but didn’t want to fall back on my father. Your letter came just in time, so I quit right away!" Yang Liu said with relief.
She and Sun Chan were both temporary workers, kind-hearted with no background, finding themselves helpless due to the intense competition.
Sun Chan regretted not sending the letter earlier.
Yang Liu asked, "What work is there? Tell me quickly, I can’t wait! I want to make a good effort and not let you down!"
Sun Chan couldn’t help but laugh: "It’s not me, the inn is my friend’s."
"Okay, it doesn’t matter whose it is, let’s just get to work. I’m running low on money, otherwise I’ll be going hungry."
Yang Liu was very eager, and Sun Chan took her to Guihua’s place. She and Guihua got along well, both having lively personalities, chatting away merrily.
Sun Chan was introverted in the village, tormented in the past, afraid to speak. But alongside these two, she too started enjoying the conversation.
Yang Liu didn’t move elsewhere, temporarily staying in the house Sun Chan rented.
With Yang Liu, Sun Chan didn’t have to go to the Guihua Inn every day; she started selling fruits again. Guihua found an old man who taught Sun Chan how to make sugar-coated hawthorn. Making syrup is a complex process, and initially, it didn’t go smoothly. So she learned gradually, though she made many jars of fruit preserves.
With the cold weather, fewer people were out. Those feeling peckish saw her goods and came out to take a look. She sold at a lower price than the market, even cheaper by a few cents, so business was good.
Besides selling apple preserves, Sun Chan also sold hawthorn and pear ones, buying less fresh fruits from the market, cooking them into preserves to sell. No rush, they wouldn’t spoil quickly, and leftovers could be eaten.
Han Dong came by once; the news was the same, due to the earthquake, they could only wait and see about his big brother.
Sun Chan asked, "Is it dangerous?"
"Don’t worry, things are almost settled. My big brother is fine; your partner should be the same."
Sun Chan smiled but didn’t say anything. As long as they’re safe, hurry home.
The Guihua Inn was being set up successfully, running smoothly.
Two weeks later on the weekend, just on New Year’s Day, Han Dong arrived early. He saw Yang Liu coming out of the coal shed and was surprised: "Oh, why are you here?"
"Can’t I be here?" Yang Liu laughed, "I’m living here now."
"You can’t just live here rent-free."
She laughed, "Got it. Don’t worry, I’ll pay when I have money."
They joked as they went inside, found Sun Chan. Han Dong said, "Today I saw my big brother. Just got back. Since it’s a holiday, let’s visit!"
Sun Chan thought, maybe he’s with Gu Junming at the same place, wondering if Junming is back too? The thought made her anxious. Hastily preparing, she left with Han Dong.
Yang Liu said with a smile, "You should eat something, otherwise, if you faint from hunger, the trip will be in vain."
Sun Chan blushed, having forgotten she hadn’t eaten.
Han Dong chuckled softly, thinking to himself, looks like she’s quite fond of the other person, I have no chance.
Han Dong hadn’t eaten either, so they grabbed a bite—boiled noodles, each bowl with an egg, plus a few pickled veggies on the table.
The four tidied up the table and ate breakfast together, Guihua being the eldest, sitting at the innermost part of the heated platform.
Han Dong and Sun Chan sat opposite each other, Yang Liu the youngest, took a chair and sat below.
Breakfast was simple, but the pickles were quite plentiful, and they chatted with Guihua about the inn plans while eating. Both Han Dong and Guihua had some understanding of business. They exchanged ideas, with Sun Chan and Yang Liu listening intently. Guihua wanted Yang Liu to help find a few people.
"You’ve worked as a server at a sanatorium, you should know what quality service is. Help me pick a couple of good ones; I don’t want lazy types."
"No worries," Yang Liu said with a smile, "I’ll work hard!"
Guihua’s promised wages were much more than the sanatorium’s cafeteria, and she even promised that if there was a future, Yang Liu could be promoted to management. Of course, it’s worth the effort.