My Youth Began With Him

“I’m fine with it. I’m just afraid that the work is beneath you; after all, you’re a family member of a high-level official…”

“Oh, don’t call me that. I’m not so lofty; I’m just an ordinary woman.”

Mrs. Su held Huo Mian’s hand in excitement. “Mian, you promise me you can’t go back on your words.”

“Haha! Don’t worry, Auntie. I’ll never go back my words; I’m just afraid you’d get tired.”

“No, no, no! My body aches all over because of boredom. I’ll treat the work as a form of physical exercise.”

“Auntie, will… Su Yu agree to it?”

“It’s not his business. Don’t mind him…” Mrs. Su waved her hand dismissively.

“Auntie, about the salary…”

“It doesn’t matter. I’d do it free; I’ll just take it as volunteer work,” Mrs. Su said happily.

“No, we can’t use your labor for free. Auntie, you’re a postgraduate of a famous university. We planned to pay 30,000 yuan per month if we employed someone else. It’s not much, but it’s what you deserve for your work. What do you think?”

“I’ll do it for 2,000.”

Huo Mian: “…”

“Auntie, please don’t argue with us on the salary. It’s a fair salary for the director position. Please take it, or Mian and I will feel bad,” Qin Chu said.

Seeing their persistence, Mrs. Su had to give in.

“Okay. That’s settled then. When do I begin?” She was impatient.

“Grandma Su, you feel like a prisoner who’s finally got released, right?” Little Bean smirked.Update by

“Nonsense! What are you talking about?” Huo Mian scolded Little Bean for her impertinence.

“It’s fine. The kiddo is right. I do feel that I’ve just been released after getting a life sentence.” Mrs. Su was in a good mood.

“Auntie, you can go to the center in a couple of days and I’ll tell the staff about it. In a few days, I’ll return to work at South Side. Our workplaces are close, and we can help each other. You may come to me if you have problems,” Huo Mian said.

“Excellent. I’ll have lunch with you then.”

“The food in the cafeteria isn’t very good.” Huo Mian chuckled.

“It will be fine. I love to eat the food prepared in large quantities in a cafeteria. It’s better than staying at home alone and counting the minutes… To tell you the truth, I’ve been lonely these years despite the good food and beautiful house. The senior is usually not home and my husband goes on business trips constantly. Yu joined the army at a young age and then opened his own company and moved out, coming back to see me only occasionally. In fact, the happiest days I’ve had in the past years were the time when you lived here and gave birth to Pudding and Little Bean…”

Mrs. Su’s words brought a lump into Huo Mian’s throat.

Although she needed nothing since she was part of the family of a high-level official and a rich lady in the top circle, she had felt empty spiritually.

Huo Mian now truly understood the meaning of the Zen words “you win some, you lose some”.

It seemed she had done a good deed to find something to do for Auntie Su.

“Good. Auntie, it’s settled then.”

“Mian, are you three months along now?” Mrs. Su looked at Huo Mian’s belly.

“Yeah. Three months and five days.”

“You’re so thin and it doesn’t show. You must eat more.”

“I will.”

“Is it a boy or a girl?” Mrs. Su asked.

“I don’t know yet.”

“You’re a doctor and can check it with a color ultrasonic machine. I heard your South Side Hospital has advanced devices to check the gender of the babies,” Mrs. Su said with great interest.