Yao Chunhua was stunned.
After a long silence, she finally spoke: “Ningning, you must be joking. The steel mill is a state-owned enterprise—how could it possibly go bankrupt? How could it not be an iron rice bowl?”
“Mom, Dad, nothing in this world is impossible.”
“The college entrance exam was suspended for ten years, but now it’s been reinstated, hasn’t it?”
“Business wasn’t allowed before, but now there are signs of it slowly emerging. I have a feeling that the higher-ups will soon push for comprehensive economic development and even encourage private entrepreneurship. Maybe doing business will become fully legal and legitimate in the future.”
“Nothing stays the same forever.”
“We have to keep up with the times, or we’ll be left behind.”
To be honest, Yao Chunhua and Old Man Gu didn’t fully understand what Gu Jianing was saying.
They were rural folks, having spent most of their lives rooted in the countryside, so they weren’t familiar with the developments happening outside.
But they had one strength: they were good at listening to advice.
They knew that Ningning was now making her way in the outside world. Her current status and position meant she had more knowledge and foresight than they did.
What Ningning said had to make more sense than their own ideas.
Besides, Ningning would never harm her own eldest brother.
Finally, Yao Chunhua and Old Man Gu exchanged a glance and made their decision. “Alright, Ningning, we’ll listen to you.”
A faint smile tugged at Gu Jianing’s lips. She had known her parents would agree.
Her parents had never been domineering or the type to impose their own wishes on their children.
They were also willing to admit that they might not know as much as their children. They never acted high-handed just because they were older or assumed their way of thinking was always right.
They were always open to their children’s opinions.
So when Yang Manman called back later, she learned that her sister-in-law had already convinced her parents-in-law.
They agreed to let her take her husband to Haicheng to seek new opportunities.
“Manman, you can take Eldest with you, but leave the kids here for now. Your dad and I will look after them. You’ll be studying, and Eldest will probably be busy with work too—how will you have time to take care of the kids?” Yao Chunhua suggested.
Yang Manman was slightly surprised. “Is that really okay? Won’t it be too much trouble for you and Dad?”
Truthfully, Yang Manman knew it would be better not to bring the kids along.
With three young children, splitting their energy to care for them would inevitably take away from other priorities.
She had considered asking her in-laws to watch them.
Once they were settled in Haicheng, they could bring the children over to receive an education there.
Yang Manman believed the schooling in a big city would be much better than in the countryside.
But her in-laws were already helping raise her second brother’s children, and they were getting older. She worried they’d be overworked or stretched too thin.
So she hadn’t dared to bring it up.
Yet here her mother-in-law was, offering first.
Seeing the genuine sincerity in her mother-in-law’s eyes, how could Yang Manman not be moved?
“It’s no trouble at all. Let’s settle it like this.”
“Besides, this year, the work-point system for farming was abolished. Your dad says the higher-ups seem to be planning some kind of household responsibility system.”
“Once the land is divided, each family will have their own fields. We can farm whenever we want and grow whatever we want.”
“There won’t be any time restrictions.”
“I’ve also quit the pig-rearing job in the village.”
“Now I have plenty of time to help look after the kids.”
Yao Chunhua and Old Man Gu knew that to be good parents and in-laws—to earn the respect and care of their sons, daughters-in-law, daughters, and sons-in-law—they had to support them when needed.
People’s hearts are made of flesh.
Those who are ungrateful are few and far between.
Most people remember kindness.
So now, while the eldest son and his wife went out to seek new opportunities, the elderly couple would help take care of the children.
It was a good arrangement.
For the elderly, having children and grandchildren around—noisy and lively as they may be—was its own kind of happiness.
“You can go to Haicheng with peace of mind,” Yao Chunhua said, waving her hand.
Yang Manman’s eyes grew hot with emotion, and she hugged her mother-in-law, resting her head on Yao Chunhua’s shoulder. “Mom, thank you.”
“Really, I think the luckiest thing in my life was marrying Yunting and becoming part of the Gu family.”
Yao Chunhua chuckled and patted Yang Manman’s hair, her eyes full of affection. “Silly girl!”
And so, it was decided that Gu Yunting would go to Haicheng with Yang Manman after the summer break.
As for his job, there was no question of keeping it.
After discussing it with his father, Gu Yunting decided to sell the position at a reasonable price to someone in the village first.
After all, for the foreseeable future, this job was still considered an excellent opportunity.
When something this good came along, it was only right to give fellow villagers priority.
When the people of Huaihua Village heard that the eldest son of the Gu family was selling his job to follow Yang Manman to Haicheng, the news spread like wildfire.
“That’s a steel mill clerk position! How could the Gu family’s eldest son bear to sell it? Don’t Village Chief Gu and Aunt Chunhua object?”
“Well, if we’re hearing about it, it must mean the Gu family has already discussed and agreed on it internally.”
“Why on earth would Gu Yunting give up a steel mill clerk job to go to Haicheng? Could it be that he doesn’t trust his wife to study at university alone?”
“Honestly, that’s probably it. Look at all those married educated youths who went off to study—either they never came back, or they ended up demanding a divorce.”
“Gu Yunting must be tying Yang Manman down tight.”
“That makes sense. It’s definitely the reason.”
Though this was the general speculation, no one dared say it to the Gu family’s face.
While many felt it was a pity for Gu Yunting to give up such a job, the fact that the Gu family prioritized selling it to fellow villagers still left a very positive impression.
However, a few sharp-minded folks murmured among themselves, “The Gu family has been thriving all these years. They’re all smart people—why would they do something foolish?”
“Gu Yunting must think going to Haicheng with his wife is a better opportunity, or he wouldn’t give up that steel mill job.”
Of course, exactly what Gu Yunting planned to do in Haicheng remained a mystery to them.
And truth be told, these people had guessed right.
But those who could see this far were few.
In the end, Gu Yunting’s job went to the village party secretary’s son.
There were two main reasons: First, the steel mill clerk position was indeed a good one. Even at a discounted price, it still cost several hundred yuan—a sum most villagers, let alone city dwellers, couldn’t produce at short notice.
Second, though Gu Yunting was selling the job, he still had to take it seriously.
Being a clerk required a certain level of education, and very few in the village had schooling beyond junior high.
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