Chapter 378: Chapter 138: The Green Tea Female Side Character in a Period Novel (25)

’No wonder they kept showing up in her past life, even though they knew she had lost her mind. For them, it was an especially satisfying way to vent their hatred.’

Because of this, Chi Yun’er abandoned her plan to just coast by at work. She was going to roll up her sleeves and make a real go of it. ’If for no other reason, becoming a team lead in the Human Resources Department and personally rejecting a scumbag like Jiang Zishi for a position wouldn’t be half bad!’

Now that the floodgates were open, Mrs. Chi smiled and began chattering about everything that had happened over the past year or so.

Their lives as a couple followed a simple routine, just back and forth between two points. It was monotonous and dull, but because they were always thinking of their daughter, having her return to look forward to made the days fly by.

The trivial neighborhood gossip that occasionally reached their ears was simply dismissed with a smile.

"Honey," Mr. Chi said with an uneasy, placating smile as they neared home. "Dad only took a half-day off. I have a surgery at three this afternoon, so I can’t stay home with you."

Chi Yun’er chuckled and nodded. "It’s okay, Dad. Go on and get to work. I’m planning to stick around the house from now on, so the two of us will have plenty of time to see each other."

Mr. Chi had been prepared to make all sorts of concessions, as if surrendering in defeat. ’Was he really being let off this easily?’

However, when he exchanged a look with Mrs. Chi, he felt no sense of relief. Instead, a heart-wrenching pain washed over him.

Back home, Chi Yun’er’s room was just as she had left it, beautiful and exquisite in every detail. Perhaps because she was finally back in the most comfortable and safest of places, she ended up sleeping straight through to the next morning.

"Sweetheart, you’re up? Come and eat!" Mr. and Mrs. Chi bustled back and forth from the kitchen, carrying out plates of fried dough sticks and bowls of soy milk, steamed buns and spicy pepper soup, and even fried dough sticks with savory porridge.

It was as if they wanted to put every breakfast dish imaginable on the table.

"You were sleeping so soundly yesterday that I didn’t have the heart to wake you," Mrs. Chi said with a smile. "Your Aunt Jiang stopped by in the evening. She brought a bag of small watermelons, fresh from the fields, and some of your favorite snacks."

"Zishu is a decent kid, but he’s the second son and was thoroughly spoiled growing up. He’s not a suitable partner for you."

"But Yihua is another story," Mrs. Chi said, a grin spreading across her face. "That boy has been different since he was little. While other kids were still in elementary school, he was already skipping ahead to high school."

"If you two had been closer in age back then, no one else would have ever stood a chance!"

Chi Yun’er smiled. "We were all just kids back then. Who was thinking about that stuff?"

Mr. Chi pushed his glasses up his nose. "Yihua isn’t getting any younger, and Yun’er has reached the legal age for marriage. There’s no point in delaying things further. The two of them know each other inside and out."

"When Yihua gets back from Mongolia, let’s make it official for them."

Mrs. Chi agreed. "The path to happiness is never smooth. It’s like they say: fate brings people together from a thousand miles away, but without it, they’ll never meet, even standing face-to-face!"

"Mrs. Jiang asked my opinion just yesterday. She’s just waiting for you to say yes, and then they’ll send a matchmaker over."

Mr. Chi chuckled and looked at Chi Yun’er. "I’m getting old; I can’t meddle in my daughter’s business anymore. This is something she has to agree to. Otherwise, if our good intentions backfire again, who knows how long it’ll be before she disappears on us?"

Chi Yun’er took a big, crunchy bite of her fried dough stick. "Go on, keep making fun of me. We’ll see who regrets it when I end up a spinster."

Mr. and Mrs. Chi both laughed. They knew their daughter was secretly thrilled but just had to put up a tough front.

With Chi Yun’er’s approval, they felt relieved and began the formal proceedings with the Jiang Family.

Jiang Yihua had already called home to explain the situation. The Jiang Family had watched Chi Yun’er grow up; they knew that aside from being a little pampered, she was a wonderful girl with no real faults.

When other families discussed such matters with future in-laws, it was like a haggling session, with one side trying to demand more and the other trying to give less.

But with them, it was the complete opposite. One family was so delighted with their future daughter-in-law that they were exceedingly generous. The other doted on their only child, wasn’t particular about the betrothal gift, and announced that it would all go to their daughter, for whom they were also preparing a lavish dowry...

The discussions between the two families were exceptionally harmonious and pleasant, leaving the neighbors beside themselves with envy, jealousy, and resentment.

They were all neighbors who got along well, with comparable family backgrounds and children of marriageable age. So why did the Chi Family and Jiang Family get to form such a powerful alliance?

After resting for a few days, Chi Yun’er dressed in an olive-green suit, her hair in a loose French braid. With a small leather purse over her shoulder and a canvas bag in hand, she hopped on her pink bicycle and cut a conspicuous figure all the way to Kyoto General Hospital.

The Capital City was the capital of Xia Hua, and Kyoto General Hospital was the best of its kind in the entire country. Anyone who worked there, even a janitor, could proudly puff out their chest and claim to be at the pinnacle of their profession.

The hospital was vast and teeming with staff, not to mention the constant stream of patients and visitors. Long before the official start of the workday, the long bicycle racks were already packed, a dense sea of new and old bikes with not a single empty spot.

As Chi Yun’er stood there in a daze, pushing her bike, an old man approached with a chuckle. "Here for work, lass? Come on, put your bike inside the gatehouse. Grandpa Li will keep an eye on it for you."

"This bike is new, isn’t it? A girly color like this... there aren’t many of these in the whole hospital. Even if you could find a spot out on the racks, you shouldn’t park it there."

Chi Yun’er smiled, her voice sweet. "Hello, Grandpa Li..."

As she spoke, she pulled a pack of cigarettes and a handful of candies from her canvas bag and pressed them into his hands. With a secretive grin, she said, "It’s a double celebration, Grandpa Li, you have to take these!"

"First, it’s my first official day, so now I’m your colleague. I’ll be counting on you to look out for me from now on, and I’m sure I’ll be bothering you plenty, so you must accept."

"And second, I’m getting engaged soon! I was worried I might miss you when I hand out the official celebration candy, so I wanted to give you some in advance."

She had put it in a way that Old Sir Li couldn’t possibly refuse. Chuckling, he put the items in his pocket. "All grown up, are we? So, who’s the lucky young man?"

Chi Yun’er lifted her chin slightly. "It’s Jiang Yihua. You’ve heard of him, right?"

"I have," the old man said, taken aback for a moment before nodding repeatedly with a smile. "Now that young man is really something. Other kids struggle and tear their hair out over school, but for him, it was like a game. He skipped a grade every year and even became the top scorer on the entrance exams with ease."

"The two of you together... yes, a truly fine match."

After a few more words, the old man directed her to park the bike in the back room of the gatehouse. "This bike of yours is too flashy. It’s a shining beacon for thieves. Or some young punk with a mean streak might sneak over and let the air out of your tires, and then where would you be?"

The old man was a veteran and also the father-in-law of the hospital director. Due to some trouble with his legs, he had been stationed at this gatehouse for nearly twenty years.

He himself was a walking repository of connections, but many people were blind to his importance, treating him like just another guard or a cranky old man and occasionally ordering him around in a condescending tone.

The old man never started trouble, but he wasn’t afraid of it either. He was content to serve as a minor supervisor in the security department, personally holding down the fort at the main gatehouse.

A hospital might seem like a sanctuary dedicated to saving the dying and healing the injured, but in truth, any place with people is a chaotic world of its own, full of hidden filth and intrigue. He would certainly look after a child he had watched grow up.

Chi Yun’er nodded eagerly. "Grandpa Li, next time I’ll bring some of my dad’s good liquor over for you!"

Old Sir Li laughed heartily. "You clever little rascal, you know just what I like."

"Alright, Grandpa Li will be waiting."

After parking her bike, Chi Yun’er checked her watch. There was still plenty of time.

It helped that she lived so close—the bike ride was only three to five minutes. She knew the hospital like the back of her hand, and even some of the long-term patients recognized her.

So, Chi Yun’er took her bag and made the rounds, visiting some of the senior staff she was on good terms with. She handed out small gifts to mark her first day, making her presence known and hoping these veterans would show her some consideration in her future work.

After finishing her circuit, she arrived at her workstation five minutes early.

"What are you doing lurking out there? Get in here," a woman sipping from a cup said with an exasperated chuckle, spotting Chi Yun’er peeking her head into the doorway.

The Human Resources Department handled a lot, so it naturally had a sizable staff of about ten people. The director of the department just so happened to be one of her distant relatives, a cousin-aunt of sorts.

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