B5SB -Chapter 50 Small Talk

After receiving her paycheck, Gu Yihan started slacking off a little at work, writing articles when she had nothing else to do.

Wang Xiang didn’t return to the accounting department, which temporarily left Zhou Na paired with Gu Yihan.

Since the incident last time, Gu Yihan had deliberately reduced her communication with Zhou Na. She knew it was taking out her anger on Zhou Na, but she just wanted to follow her own feelings.

Sister Li, knitting a sweater, looked at Gu Yihan and said, “Xiao Han, you’re almost seventeen. What kind of partner are you thinking of?”

Gu Yihan didn’t answer directly. She changed the subject: “Sister Li, the pattern on your sweater is really beautiful.”

Sister Li, caught off guard, didn’t press the matter and laughed: “It’s for my daughter. Do you want to learn? It’s simple; I can teach you.”

Gu Yihan modestly replied, “Seeing how nimble your fingers are, Sister Li, as a fellow woman, I feel a bit sad. I always feel my hands aren’t that skillful.”

Sister Li was pleased by the compliment: “You’re lucky. You don’t need to make things yourself. Later, if you marry into a well-off family, you can just pay someone to do it.”

Zhou Na, overhearing them, felt frustrated. She could clearly sense that Gu Yihan was isolating her. She sneered: “Sister Li, you don’t need to worry about Xiao Han’s future husband.”

“Who in the machinery factory doesn’t know? She’s under Deputy Director Shen’s protection. Otherwise, how could a lone girl like her stay so safely in Jinyang City?”

Gu Yihan was speechless at Zhou Na’s arrogance. She wasn’t really seventeen. At first, Zhou Na didn’t know, and later, she could find out. Who said she had to marry into the Shen family?

Couldn’t she use Deputy Director Shen’s influence at the factory to secure her position and deter anyone trying to take advantage of her?

Gu Yihan looked at Zhou Na calmly: “Are you jealous that I’m Teacher Shen’s student? Then what were you doing back in school?”

Then she gestured vaguely at her own head: “Oh, right. After all, you’re a bit different from others. I’ve seen women with bound feet, but never with bound brains.”

She shrugged and continued: “So, there’s no helping it. It’s natural. You’d need to be remade from scratch to change.”

Sister Li: “…How did I not know Xiao Han is this sharp with comebacks?”

In the office, Sister Zhang, acting invisible, was trying hard not to laugh.

Zhou Na, her face dark, stood up and pointed at Gu Yihan.

Squeak.

Sister Zhuang opened the door and saw Zhou Na’s gesture.

Frowning, she asked, “What are you doing so early in the morning? Haven’t you learned from the incident a couple of days ago?”

Zhou Na sat heavily on her stool, clearly upset.

Gu Yihan carefully studied Sister Zhuang but felt something was off about her today—though she couldn’t pinpoint what.

Steel Factory Cafeteria

Gu Yihan queued for food, ordering shredded potatoes, cabbage and tofu soup, and a steamed bun.

Sister Li, carrying her lunchbox in high spirits, waited for Gu Yihan: “Xiao Han, the cafeteria food is quite good today. They even have cabbage tofu soup.”

They found a quiet spot and sat down. Gu Yihan took a sip of the soup; the tofu flavor was rich and fresh.

Sitting across from Sister Li, she whispered: “The girl sitting behind you is Sister Zhuang’s younger sister-in-law.”

Gu Yihan turned to look but Sister Li stopped her: “Don’t look back. They don’t get along.”

Gu Yihan nodded in understanding.

Then Sister Zhuang’s younger sister-in-law started talking: “Isn’t it funny? My sister-in-law actually scolded my mom!”

The coworkers at the table asked in confusion, “What happened?”

“That sister-in-law of mine is always sulking like our whole family owes her something. Her daughter is a lovesick fool, always chasing after boys. Her own son skips classes and misbehaves, and she can’t manage him. She even scolds the kids herself—damn it.”

One coworker whispered: “That doesn’t count as scolding, right?”

The sister-in-law glared: “How is that not scolding? My mom didn’t take care of her kid or cook for her? She even complains my mom spoiled her son. What, she only says it now that he’s grown? If I had heard it, do you think I’d let her get away with it?”

The coworker shivered.

Another whispered: “Keep your voice down; you’re scaring Xiao Lian.”

The sister-in-law looked at Xiao Lian disdainfully: “Ha! You grow in height but not in courage? So timid, why even come to work? No one scares you at home.”

A coworker urged her to continue: “Enough nonsense. Tell us, what did you do to your sister-in-law?”

The sister-in-law smirked: “Of course, I slapped her several times. Hmph, I was too kind.”

A coworker asked in disbelief: “She let you slap her?”

She laughed: “My mom supports me. If she didn’t side with me, why side with some outsider?”

Xiao Lian whispered timidly: “If it were me, I’d return to my parents and divorce your brother.”

She calmly ate, saying: “Even so, she’d need a family to go back to. Besides, who saw me hit her? She’s already a middle-aged woman; two slaps on one cheek hardly shows.”

Everyone quietly ate their meals.

Finally, a coworker advised: “Don’t go too far. You’re the younger sister-in-law; your mom might rely on your sister-in-law later for old age.”

She scoffed: “My mom relies on my brother, not my sister-in-law. Too late for that now.”

Gu Yihan and Sister Li exchanged glances, silently reacting to the conversation behind them.

Back at the office, Gu Yihan and Sister Li couldn’t help staring at Sister Zhuang’s face.

Sister Zhuang touched her face in confusion: “Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?”

Both replied in unison: “No.”

A month passed at a leisurely pace.

One day, Gu Yihan was at her desk checking her published articles. Lately, fewer of her submissions were being accepted, and sometimes she didn’t earn 15 yuan in a month.

The office door was suddenly pushed open, startling her.

A group of people with red armbands surged in, shouting: “Who is Zhou Na?”

Everyone turned to look. Zhou Na, pale-faced, asked: “Me? What do you want with me?”

One young man with a red armband roughly grabbed her and touched her face: “What a pity.”

He pushed her into the crowd, and Zhou Na staggered.

Struggling, she shouted: “Let me go! Who are you to arrest me?”

The man sized her up: “Someone reported you for having an affair. Come with us to the Revolutionary Committee.”

No one in the office dared to intervene. Zhou Na was directly taken away.