"Time is getting late, little sister. You have class tomorrow, so you should go back and get some sleep," Chen Lishu said, putting away her books.
"Third sister-in-law, don't you need the sewing machine anymore?"
Chen Lishu shook her head. "Mom and Dad are going to sleep soon. If I make noise in their room, it will disturb their rest. I'll do it tomorrow."
The sewing machine had been placed in Li Xiulan's room initially, thinking it would be convenient for anyone in the family to use. Besides, Chen Lishu's own room was small, and fitting the sewing machine would leave no space to turn around.
Gu Xingping thought about it and agreed, picking up her books and returning to her own room.
The next day, after dinner, Liu Yuemin didn't bother tidying up the table. She directly sat down at the sewing machine and started working again.
Chen Lishu saw this but said nothing, going to tidy the kitchen with Zhang Qin.
"Eldest sister-in-law, I want to ask my elder brother for a favor. Could you ask him to help me move the table out of my room later? I want to put the sewing machine there."
Zhang Qin understood the reason immediately. "Okay, I'll tell your elder brother later."
After tidying the kitchen, Chen Lishu returned to her room and put away the books and other items on the table into the five-drawer cabinet. Just as she finished, Gu Xingguo arrived and helped move the table out.
"Second sister-in-law, when will you be done with it? Elder brother is free now, and I want him to help move the sewing machine to my room."
As soon as Liu Yuemin heard that she was going to move the sewing machine, she exploded.
"Third sister-in-law, what do you mean? This sewing machine is fine here, why do you want to move it?"
Chen Lishu patiently explained, "I need to do some work at night and I'm afraid the noise will disturb Mom and Dad."
"If you need to work at night, moving it to your room means what will I use? Besides, the sewing machine is for everyone to use, why should it be moved to your room?"
Chen Lishu sneered, having never seen someone so unreasonable and shameless. "I bought the sewing machine, so it's only natural to move it to my room."
Liu Yuemin didn't address her words, only asking, "What will I use if it's moved to your room?"
"It has nothing to do with me what you use. If you like it, you can buy one yourself."
"I don't have money or the sewing machine ticket," Liu Yuemin said, refusing to move, clearly intending to be difficult.
"Second sister-in-law, I advise you to get out of the way. It's not good for everyone's reputation to make a scene over a sewing machine."
"I'm not moving. What are you going to do about it?" Liu Yuemin tilted her head, looking as if she wanted to provoke them to death.
"Second sister-in-law, you should stand up. The sewing machine was bought by third sister-in-law, so it's normal for her to move it to her room," Zhang Qin said, trying to de-escalate the situation.
"Is she great just because she bought it? I want to use it now, so I won't let her move it."
Chen Lishu couldn't stand looking at her face any longer. She stepped forward, swept up the hair clips and scraps of fabric Liu Yuemin was working on, clutched them in her arms, and walked out.
"Chen Lishu, what are you doing? Who told you to touch my things!" Liu Yuemin exclaimed, getting up and chasing after her.
"What's going on?" Li Xiulan and Gu Shoufu entered from outside, noticing the tense situation and asking.
"Mom, please stop third sister-in-law," Zhang Qin said urgently, quickly explaining the situation before hurrying after Chen Lishu.
Chen Lishu, carrying the pile of items, had already reached the stove in the kitchen and was about to throw them in without a word.
"Chen Lishu, if you dare to throw them in today, I'm not done with you!" Liu Yuemin's voice broke with fright. "It's just a broken sewing machine, I'll give it back to you."
Upon hearing this, Chen Lishu immediately let go of her grip, dropping everything she was holding onto the ground. Liu Yuemin, seeing that she hadn't thrown them into the stove, let out a heavy sigh of relief.
"You're still too naive to play dirty with me. Learn your lesson from now on. Letting you have your way once or twice is one thing, but not everyone is your mother who tolerates you every time."
Chen Lishu left after saying this and returned to her room.
"You, you, you really are..." Li Xiulan, having understood what happened, didn't know what to say to her daughter-in-law.
However, seeing Liu Yuemin frustrated, Li Xiulan didn't sympathize. Instead, she felt that someone like Chen Lishu was needed to teach her a lesson.
"Let's go, back to our room," Gu Shoufu said, turning and walking back to his room with his hands behind his back. Zhang Qin, seeing that nothing major had happened, followed them.
Liu Yuemin was left alone in the kitchen, picking up her things with a resentful expression.
She had sewn over two hundred hair clips with the sewing machine in the past two days. Without it, she couldn't even make fifty a day. She felt that Chen Lishu was petty. However, she then remembered that her hair clip business was coming to an end, and a smug smile unconsciously appeared on her lips.
She wondered how much longer she could be so arrogant.
In the following days, Chen Lishu used up all the fabric she had, accumulating nearly four thousand hair clips.
The items were too numerous and heavy, so she had to ask Gu Xingye to accompany her to deliver them to the town.
At the entrance of the Material Bureau, Zhou Bin quickly came out from the office building. Seeing her delivering so much merchandise at once, he smiled and said, "You've come at the perfect time. I happen to be going out on a trip these past two days."
"I finished making them and thought I'd deliver them all at once. I was worried you might not accept so much."
"I'll accept whatever you make."
As Zhou Bin spoke, his gaze fell on Gu Xingye beside her. Thinking about a recent vacancy at the bureau, he said to Chen Lishu, "One of our colleagues who unloads goods injured his back a while ago. It's estimated he won't be back for three to four months. Do you know any suitable young men you could introduce?"
Zhou Bin then elaborated on the conditions: "Someone who can endure hardship and is diligent. The salary is twenty-five yuan a month. Food and accommodation are provided by the unit. It's just hard work; sometimes you might have to sleep in the car for a few days while traveling."
Chen Lishu noticed his gaze towards Gu Xingye and guessed he was quite impressed. Although twenty-five yuan wasn't a high salary, providing food and accommodation made it a decent offer. The only drawback was that it was a temporary position.
Zhou Bin seemed to sense her thoughts and, after a moment of consideration, said, "Although it's a temporary job, as long as the person is personable and willing to learn, they can learn to drive while accompanying the master on trips. At least they can learn a skill."
Hearing that he could learn to drive, Chen Lishu and Gu Xingye's eyes lit up simultaneously.
Gu Xingye was a typical man who loved vehicles. Chen Lishu, however, had a more far-sighted perspective.
Even into the 1990s, being a driver was a sought-after profession. If Gu Xingye could learn this skill, he would have a secure future.
Knowing that Zhou Bin had explained in such detail out of consideration for her, Chen Lishu was grateful and silently acknowledged his kindness.
Chen Lishu turned to look at Gu Xingye. Although he was willing, it was his first time leaving home, and he would be away for several months, not to mention his work points in the team. He was still hesitant.
"Third sister-in-law, what do you think?" At this moment, Chen Lishu was his pillar of support.
"It's good for a man to go out and experience the world. Besides, it's only for a few months; it will pass in a blink of an eye. If you don't feel it's suitable, we can come back to farming."
Seeing her agreement, Gu Xingye nodded.
"I'll go back and inform my colleagues. If you have nothing else to do, you can report for duty tomorrow or the day after."