QTIMP -Chapter 47 Character Persona – Greedy (Part 47)

To the left was the west room. It was arranged the same as the east room, but since there were few people in the family, it was used as a storage room.

Stepping out from the kitchen led to a small courtyard. On the west side were two rooms used as storehouses. To use the toilet, they had to walk out to a public latrine outside the alley.

Although it wasn’t exactly close to their courtyard, in summer at least they wouldn’t smell any odor.

The washstand was placed by the kitchen window. The water inside the basin was steaming. A towel hung over the rack, and beside it a toothbrush had already been prepared with toothpaste squeezed on.

She hadn’t even finished brushing her teeth when Qin Bei had already folded the quilt. He came out, glanced at her, pinched her cheek, and went off to serve the food.

Si Qiu glared at him and continued washing up. Ever since last night, he had changed a lot—and was even starting to lean toward a slightly mischievous side.

“Breakfast is ready. Where are you going?” Qin Bei asked hurriedly when he saw her heading back toward the bedroom.

“I need to comb my hair.”

As soon as he heard that, Qin Bei eagerly followed her in. “Qiuqiu, want me to comb it for you?”

Si Qiu sat down at the dressing table, picked up the wooden comb, and handed it to him. “Go ahead—but don’t hurt me.”

If a man was willing to do housework, you should let him do it as much as possible—habit becomes second nature. When he went out driving and wasn’t home, there would be plenty of work left for her anyway.

Qin Bei was skillful with his hands. Combing hair was fine, but braiding it was another matter. In the end, Si Qiu did it herself—if they delayed any longer, the food would get cold.

Breakfast was millet porridge, steamed buns, two kinds of pickles, and a plate of scrambled eggs. The pickles were especially delicious—Qin Bei had pickled them himself.

“How many days off did your unit give you?”

Qin Bei put a piece of egg into her bowl. “Two days. That’s only because I’m on good terms with our team leader. Everything has to be ‘revolutionized’ now.”

“Same for me. And we’ve got an extra task too—sending people down to the countryside. Because of that, people in our neighborhood turn around and walk the other way when they see staff from our street office.”

“Didn’t you say the quota was already filled?”

“It was. But some hot-blooded teenagers hear the propaganda and demand to go to the countryside to help build rural areas. Of course, some go just to build credentials. But those people usually come from well-connected families—they can make sure they’ll come back.”

Qin Bei froze mid-bite. “You mean it won’t be easy to return in the future?”

It wasn’t strange that he still had doubts. In previous years, some had gone to the countryside and returned after two or three years.

Si Qiu nodded heavily. “In my opinion, don’t even think about coming back within five or six years—unless you have really strong connections. Otherwise, when they return, they’ll all be unemployed youth, which would be very destabilizing for society.”

Following her reasoning, Qin Bei realized she was right and unconsciously slowed his eating.

Si Qiu placed another piece of egg in his bowl. “It’s enough to live your own life well. Who else is worth worrying so much about?”

Qin Bei didn’t hide it. “The big brother I work with in the black market—his younger brother seems to meet the criteria.”

“Then he needs to act quickly. We already issued a document before—it mentioned compulsory relocation to the countryside. It hasn’t been enforced yet because quotas have been filled. But after the New Year, that might not be the case. Most likely, all fresh graduates and unemployed people—each family can keep only one. The rest will be mobilized to go to the countryside.”

Qin Bei nodded. “Alright. I’ll go see him after breakfast.”

“Go ahead. I need to sort out my translation drafts. There’s only a little left—once I finish, I’ll deliver them tomorrow.”

Every time Si Qiu worked on translation, she couldn’t help wondering if she had “abandoned medicine for literature.”

Whenever she mentioned translation, Qin Bei couldn’t help sighing. They had both done well in school. Yet it had never occurred to him to make money this way, nor had he worked toward it.

“Alright. Don’t tire yourself out. Don’t bother clearing the dishes—I’ll take care of them when I get back.”

He ate quickly and seemed a bit anxious to leave. Si Qiu nodded and watched him put on his cotton jacket and hurry out.

She really didn’t leave the dishes untouched—she just carried them down, soaked them in a basin of water, and didn’t wash them. She didn’t like washing dishes.

Si Qiu sat at the dressing table that also doubled as her desk and began organizing her translation. But if you walked close enough, you would hear her murmuring:

“Braised pig’s trotters, steamed sea bass, spicy dry pot, boiled cabbage in clear broth, roast duck…” Yes—what fueled Si Qiu’s determination to work hard was delicious food.

After her marriage leave ended, Si Qiu returned to work. In just a few days, it was New Year’s—but that year it was a “Revolutionized Spring Festival,” so there were no holidays.

Even Feng Yu’s wedding after the New Year was simpler than Si Qiu’s had been. Of course Si Qiu attended. Just as she had said, she didn’t give any monetary gift—but she didn’t miss the meal either.

A few months later, when the second son of the Feng family got married, Si Qiu returned the appropriate gift in full. Anyone who knew about it would praise her—except Feng Yu, of course.

After spring began, their street office also had to cooperate with the Revolutionary Committee in organizing people to watch struggle sessions and denunciation parades. The atmosphere became extremely heavy—except for the fervent Red Guards.

This time, the person being denounced was a once-famous wealthy businessman from their area. In the past, he hadn’t been particularly cruel or exploitative—but in the current social climate…

First came the placard hung around his neck, his hair shaved into the humiliating “yin-yang” style, paraded through the streets. Then he was brought onto a high platform to be publicly condemned.

Si Qiu had killed many in the cultivation world, yet she still felt some pity witnessing this scene.

Especially when she saw the impassioned young people, a wave of sorrow surged in her heart.

Yet even so, she couldn’t allow a trace of heaviness to show on her face. A single inappropriate expression could make her a target of attack.

After all, she had already once been reported by Shi Meifeng for having an “unstable stance.” At first, Si Qiu didn’t understand. She and that girl had barely interacted—where had such hostility come from?

It was only after Li Qingxue reminded her that she realized it was pure jealousy. Fortunately, though Si Qiu could be domineering, she was well-liked.

The incident hadn’t caused major consequences—but it had served as a wake-up call.

As for Shi Meifeng herself, when Qin Bei found out, he had wanted to have someone break her leg. Si Qiu stopped him.

If her leg were broken, she could rest comfortably at home. Most of the medical expenses would even be covered by their street office.

Heh—since she had already developed ill intentions toward her, of course she couldn’t be allowed to remain nearby.