Student Xiao D and Grandpa He shouted simultaneously, one deep in He Tiantian’s sea of consciousness and the other by her ear.
Student Xiao D was genuinely curious, "Tiantian, what can you do? It’s not easy to find a job these days!"
In the eighties and nineties, the iron rice bowl system hadn’t been dismantled yet.
Jobs mostly depended on assignments or succession, and while there were openings for the public, they were very rare and typically predetermined.
The thought of applying for a job based solely on personal ability, like in later eras, was nearly impossible.
He Tiantian had graduated from high school, which was considered an education, but high school did not guarantee job distribution.
Her registration was still in the rural area; trying to find a job in the city without connections was like a fool’s dream.
Of course, Student Xiao D did not doubt He Tiantian’s ability. He just felt that no matter how strong personal abilities were, they could not stand against the overall social environment.
With the objective conditions in place and wanting to break the mold, Student Xiao D thought hard but couldn’t come up with a good solution.
Grandpa He was sarcastic, as if to say: What can a girl spoiled by a shrew possibly do?
He Tiantian raised her eyebrows, indifferent to Student Xiao D’s genuine curiosity and Grandpa He’s irritability.
"If there’s a way, there’s a way."
He Tiantian responded nonchalantly and then approached a passerby to politely ask where the nearest guesthouse was located.
After getting directions, He Tiantian led Grandpa He to the guesthouse.
"Why stay here? It’s still early, let’s take the long-distance bus home in the afternoon!"
Grandpa He was already filled with anger, and now everything about He Tiantian seemed displeasing to him.
Grandpa He felt that his granddaughter was being too reckless. If it wasn’t for her fiasco at the Yan Family, they could have stayed as guests without rushing home, possibly even staying overnight.
The Yan Family had a two-story western-style building, furnished with upstairs, downstairs, electric lights, and telephones, just like the wealthy households shown on TV.
The Yan Family also had a dedicated maid and orderly to attend to their needs.
And most importantly, the Yan Family had a lot of good liquor and cigarettes, which Grandpa He, being a "benefactor," enjoyed freely whenever he visited.
Thinking about those exclusive brands of liquor and cigarettes that even town officials couldn’t enjoy made Grandpa He’s cravings kick in.
He became even more resentful towards his unfortunate granddaughter: Truly a liability, always causing trouble for the family!
Grandpa He was furious enough to want to scold He Tiantian, but he dared not.
Alas, what could he do, bearing the misfortune of having a daughter-in-law like Liu Xiuzhi, who was neither virtuous nor filial?
Grandpa He vividly remembered disdaining He Tiantian at birth, as he and Granny He preferred boys.
During New Year’s, the elderly couple had given their two grandsons ten cents each but had given He Tiantian only two cents, considering Liu Xiuzhi’s fierce temperament.
Grandpa He and Granny He thought they had already favored He Tiantian enough by giving her anything, and yet Liu Xiuzhi exploded in anger.
She threw all the New Year’s money that the children received right back at the elderly couple’s faces and caused a scene by accusing He Jianguo directly.
Such a commotion on the first day of the New Year left the whole family in disarray and became a spectacle for the entire village.
The elderly couple, oppressed by their quarrelsome daughter-in-law and their useless son, trembled with anger and couldn’t eat for days.
Their entire Lunar New Year was spent in misery.
Yet Liu Xiuzhi was not yet ready to give up.
Previously, when He Jianguo took the two grandsons to visit the elderly couple, she had turned a blind eye.
But after this quarrel, subsequent festivals like the Lantern Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, and the birthdays of the elderly couple, Liu Xiuzhi forbade He Jianguo and the children from visiting the ancestral home.
Liu Xiuzhi took an extreme stance, cutting off relations with her in-laws, which was shocking to anyone.
Having only one son, He Jianguo, the old couple couldn’t bear parting with their grandsons.
They understood Liu Xiuzhi’s intentions clearly now; even if they didn’t like the liability He Tiantian seemed to represent, they dared not show it.
From then on, whenever they gave money or gifts to their grandchildren, they divided equally among the grandsons and granddaughter.
Whenever they interacted with He Tiantian, they showed her more favor—not because they truly cared, but out of fear.