Chapter 006: Sister Sun

"How come I have never seen her? She is so beautiful; if I had seen her, I would definitely remember," Jiang Zhi asked.

She used to be from our village, but her childhood was difficult. Her family originally had a younger brother. One time, when her brother had a high fever, her parents carried him in the dark along the mountain path to the town for medical treatment. As a result, the whole family fell off a cliff and died. When your grandfather and I saw her, a little girl with no other relatives in the village, all alone and miserable, we took her into our home. After about a week, her aunt came to take her away. This Sun Juan is quite remarkable; it is said that she was admitted to university and later got a job in the town, marrying a teacher. Chang Jiejun opened up and couldn't stop talking, "She even came to our house a few years ago, bringing a lot of things to express her gratitude for the care she received from our family back then." She just couldn't stop talking, "She even came to our house a few years ago, bringing a lot of things to express her gratitude for the care she received from our family back then."

The dormitory is on the third floor. Jiang Zhi followed Sister Sun down the stairs and curiously asked, "Sister Sun, I thought this dormitory would be like the ones at school, where we have to share a bathroom."

"Xiao Jiang, come, come, come, I will take you to the workplace. Last time I heard your father mention it, everyone is looking forward to your coming to work soon. We are all quite clumsy; it takes us ages to type even a few words, and it takes half a day to prepare a document, which really delays things. Now that you are here, it will be much better, and everyone will be relieved." After Jiang Xinguo and Chen Weihua met, they exchanged a few casual words before leaving. Chen Weihua smiled broadly, leading Jiang Zhi into the document room.

Chen Weihua noticed the harmonious interaction between the two and, not wanting to linger, mentioned that he had a meeting to attend and hurriedly left

Sister Sun said with a hint of reproach: "Your home is not close to the town, and the car is crowded, bringing them over is quite troublesome. I was just worried about those things at home that are too good to throw away, and there’s no one to give them to. Now that you’re here, you can help me solve a big problem. Also, if you refuse again, I will be angry!"

Many people in the fields are busy working. Although she is the daughter of a farmer, and the only girl in her family, everyone dotes on Jiang Zhi and does not allow her to work in the fields. Therefore, Jiang Zhi does not know how to harvest rice, and if she goes, she would only hinder others. If she were to cut her hand or step on a leech, she would need to take someone away to care for herself. Not helping out is quite awkward, especially since they are all from the same village, and now that she has returned home to work, it would be embarrassing to avoid eye contact. To avoid this embarrassment, Jiang Zhi took a detour to the banks of the San Shan River, where she could walk along the river to Xianren Lake. There are fewer fields in this area, so she probably wouldn't run into anyone again. Not helping out is quite awkward, especially since they are all from the same village, and now that she has returned home to work, it would be embarrassing to avoid eye contact. To avoid this embarrassment, Jiang Zhi took a detour to the banks of the San Shan River, where she could walk along the river to Xianren Lake. There are fewer fields in this area, so she probably wouldn't run into anyone again.

Everyone has a desire for beauty! Jiang Zhi chuckled, feeling satisfied with the answer she received, and together with Chang Jiejun, they carried the vegetables back to the house

After the briefing, Sister Sun directly took Jiang Zhi to the logistics department and explained Jiang Zhi's situation to the logistics director. According to the regulations, Jiang Zhi was supposed to share a room with someone else. It is unclear what Sister Sun discussed with the logistics director, or if Chen Weihua had intervened. Surprisingly, Jiang Zhi was assigned a single room to live alone.

Jiang Zhi took a step forward and smiled, saying: "Director Sun, hello, I am Xiao Jiang. I will be troubling you more in the future, so please take good care of me."

In the village, there are hardly any old houses left; instead, new buildings have taken their place, scattered here and there in the mountains and fields. Occasionally, one can encounter villagers hurrying by on the road, carrying farming tools. At this time of year, the late rice in the village has ripened, and everyone is busy harvesting the rice, bustling with activity, while Jiang Zhi is the only one idly wandering along the road.

The room is not large, but the window is quite big, allowing for ample light. Inside, there are two desks for work and reading, both equipped with computers and photocopiers. At the desk by the window sits a woman in her thirties, with large eyes and an oval face. Although there are slight wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, they are not very noticeable. Her hair is in large curls that fall to her shoulders, dyed a wine red color. She is wearing a beige trench coat, paired with black leggings and black high heels, and has a great figure, particularly in the front, which makes Jiang Zhi feel somewhat inferior. She clearly embodies the mature and confident woman archetype. Upon noticing someone enter, the mature woman also stands up.

Sister Sun familiarized Jiang Zhi with the general process and pointed out some important details to pay attention to. Jiang Zhi diligently took notes behind her, as this job introduced by an acquaintance would be quite embarrassing if not done well

Sister Sun, after listening to Jiang Zhi's words, covered her mouth and laughed, "What a silly girl. Also, please don't keep saying 'you' and 'your'; it makes me dizzy. Here, everyone just says 'you' without so many formalities like in the North. Just be casual, or else it makes me feel uncomfortable."

"Then what about now, where is that person?" Jiang Zhi pressed for an answer

Chang Jiejun said: "At that time, you were studying at school. Would I still call you back to meet beautiful women?"

"Come here, Director Sun, this is Jiang Zhi, Xiao Jiang, who is reporting for duty today," Chen Weihua said, pointing to the elegant woman. "Xiao Jiang, this is Director Sun Juan; you will be under her supervision from now on. Director Sun is very kind, and I believe you two will get along well."

After returning home, Jiang Zhe and Ji Meihua were in the house. Not seeing Chang Jiejun, Jiang Zhi greeted them and asked where her mother and grandmother were, then rushed to the backyard. Chang Jiejun was picking vegetables in the backyard. Jiang Zhi pulled her and pressed on with questions: Why is Sun Juan so enthusiastic? Why does everyone know her? Does grandmother know her?

Hello, I am Sun Juan. Since you are still young, you can just call me Sister Sun. When Sister Sun, the elegant older sister, smiles, her white and even teeth are revealed. Initially somewhat aloof, her entire demeanor transforms into one of warmth when she smiles, making her approachable and inviting.

Jiang Zhi felt a bit excited upon being referred to as a beauty, and she foolishly smiled: "Sister Sun, rest assured, I will definitely work hard and never slack off."

First, she went to the town government, where Jiang Xinguo helped Jiang Zhi find a job as a typist in the document room. The director of the town office is the son of Jiang Zhe's comrade and got the position through this connection. The director's surname is Chen, and his name is Chen Weihua. He is a medium-sized, chubby man who smiles like Maitreya Buddha and is quite familiar with everyone. Before Jiang Zhi could even call out "Uncle Chen," he affectionately called her "Little Jiang, Little Jiang," as if he were seeing his own niece.

At noon, the two elders went for a nap, and Jiang Zhi also felt a bit drowsy, perhaps because she had woken up too early in the morning. She returned to her room to sleep for a while and ended up sleeping until after 3 PM. Rubbing her eyes and yawning, Jiang Zhi went downstairs. The house was quiet, and she did not know where everyone had gone. After watching television for a while and finding it quite boring, she decided to go out for a stroll.

Sister Sun pulled Jiang Zhi and said with a smile, "Alright, he has already walked far away, so you don't need to say thank you. Oh, by the way, I have some extra bed sheets, duvet covers, and blankets at home. I will bring them to you another day, so you won't have to take them from your house."

Jiang Zhi became even more curious and repeatedly questioned Jiang Xinguo, but he remained silent, leaving her with no choice but to give up.

Early the next morning, Jiang Xinguo and Jiang Zhi took a minibus to the town

In the past, the village was quite peaceful, with far fewer people than now. Over the past decade or so, many villagers went to Guangdong Province for work, and almost every household was affected. The fields became overgrown, with only the elderly and children left behind at home. The elderly, with limited energy, could only watch helplessly as the fields were filled with wild grass. Now, policies have improved significantly, and there are subsidies for farming. Some factories have also relocated to the interior, allowing people to work and earn money right at their doorstep. Some who earned a bit of capital while working outside have opened small businesses in the town or county. Others have returned home to care for the elderly and tend to the fields. In recent times, the prices of various grains and vegetables have risen sharply, bringing some hope to farming. Although one cannot expect to become extremely wealthy, it is still sufficient to make a living.

Jiang Zhi said apologetically, "Sister Sun, I understand."

Sister Sun said: "I left early, after staying here for six months, I was transferred. During these six months, I only saw people when I reported in, and I never stayed in this dormitory even once."

The world of the wealthy is truly beyond our imagination, but thanks to him, I would not have such a good dormitory to live in otherwise, Jiang Zhi remarked

Sister Sun, it's fine, no need to trouble yourself, I can manage on my own. Jiang Zhi declined, thinking that although Sister Sun was someone who made people feel close at first sight, her enthusiasm was a bit overwhelming for Jiang Zhi.

Today, Uncle and Aunt went to Aunt's family home to harvest rice, so there were only a few people for lunch. Chang Jiejun stir-fried a couple of dishes and added some leftovers from yesterday, resulting in a simple meal. I heard that in some places abroad, eating leftovers is not allowed. Many experts on television in Huaguo also talk daily about the various dangers of eating leftovers. As for how the Jiang Zhi family eats, they continue to eat as they always have. According to Chang Jiejun, they have been eating this way for decades and have long developed antibodies, so they are not afraid.

Jiang Zhi has never mentioned where her home is, so how does she know that Jiang Zhi's home is far from the town? Jiang Zhi initially wanted to ask about it, thinking that it might have been Chen Weihua who told her, so she refrained from bringing up the topic. Instead, she smiled and continued, "Thank you, Sister Sun."

This time, the task of washing the dishes was finally seized by Jiang Zhi. She drove Li Meihua and Chang Jiejun out of the kitchen and settled in alone to wash the dishes and wipe the stove, busy and cheerful. The pot lid was scrubbed spotless by Jiang Zhi. When Chang Jiejun came in to inspect the "work," she gave Jiang Zhi's efforts a score of nine, hoping for continued diligence and an early achievement of a perfect score

Sister Sun stopped in her tracks, waiting for Jiang Zhi to come down and walk alongside her before speaking: "This, you see, is largely thanks to a second-generation official coming to the town to make a name for himself. The town wants to make him comfortable, hoping he might say a few good words in front of his father, which could lead to more funding for local projects. It would be too conspicuous to arrange a separate room just for him, and coincidentally, there is only one dormitory building here, with about ten rooms, which happened to be renovated together."

After meeting with Jiang Xinguo, Jiang Zhi was still very excited, continuously pulling her father to talk about Sister Sun. Upon hearing Jiang Zhi's question, Jiang Xinguo did not explain, but rather cryptically said: "Why is she so good to you? When we get back, just ask your grandmother and you'll find out!"

Jiang Zhi originally wanted to go alone, but Jiang Xinguo said, "You don't know anyone there, so let me take you. After you finish your business, we can come back together. Starting tomorrow, we need to harvest the late rice at home, and I won't have time to buy groceries. We should buy more meat today to take back." Therefore, they took a vehicle together to the town

Before Jiang Zhi returned, Sister Sun specifically instructed her that tomorrow and the day after are the weekend, and she only needs to come to work on Monday

After following Sister Sun and Director Wang from the logistics department to inspect the dormitory, Jiang Zhi discovered that this room actually came with a bathroom and a balcony. After seeing it, Jiang Zhi was truly very satisfied. After Director Wang walked a few steps away, Jiang Zhi was still saying, "Thank you, Director Wang"