country bumpkin

Chapter 358 Going to work again

Yi Zhuoshuai's eyes lit up. "No, what does that mean?"

Yun Ya said, "I'm so much older than you. Years later, when you meet a younger girl, you'll definitely look down on me. I don't want to be that transitional person."

With expectant eyes, Yi Zhuoshuai looked at Yun Ya and said, "What transitional person? That's not the point. The point is whether you like me or not. If you don't like me, I won't bother you anymore. If you like me too, we can try dating first, what do you say?"

Yunya considered it for a few minutes, but still insisted on not changing her mind. She would remain just friends, not lovers.

Yi Zhuoshuai's face turned a little pale, his smile faded, and he glanced at Yun Ya with undisguised disappointment. He said sullenly, "Well, alright, I respect your choice." After saying that, he lowered his head and slunk away from the courtyard.

It wasn't just Yi Zhuoshuai who was heartbroken; Yun Ya was also upset. She liked Yi Zhuoshuai too, but…

Yunya felt that if they couldn't end up together, why even start? It was a waste of both time and feelings.

Her goals were clear: when looking for a partner, she would first consider the man's family background, then his own qualities. Only then would she consider feelings. She was a rational girl.

Perhaps for other young girls, love is the most important thing. But Yunya's experiences from a young age have taught her that people are more real than feelings if they have something to offer.

Kong Xiujuan also constantly taught them not to get too close to boys when they were in school.

Aside from talking to Meng Fanxing, who took the initiative to get to know her, she basically didn't talk to any of the other male classmates at school.

It was the same at the garment factory. People there treated her like a child; even boys her age looked down on her. Of course, Yunya didn't care about any of that, and she would actively avoid her male colleagues.

Yun Ya unexpectedly met Ma Yong and Yi Zhuoshuai, and to her surprise, both of them confessed their feelings to her. She secretly felt a surge of joy, never imagining she could be so charming.

Back at her post, Yunya continued to wait for customers, treating her work with enthusiasm as if nothing had happened.

After the incident of being refused, Ma Yong and Yi Zhuoshuai visited much less often.

They would only exchange a few polite words when they occasionally saw each other, and the bond between the three of them had faded considerably.

Time is the best medicine to heal all wounds. It's not that I'm not as sad as I thought, but that the years have smoothed out my rough edges.

Yunya continued her life as usual, working hard and spending her free time reading magazines and gossiping. Her days were ordinary but peaceful.

Payday arrived. Yunya was overjoyed, her face beaming with smiles all day.

Before leaving get off work in the evening, the boss handed each employee their wages, and everyone looked at each other, unable to hide their joy.

Yunya took the money and told the boss that she planned to quit and go on a trip with her sister for a while.

The boss wasn't angry about Yunya's sudden resignation; hiring waitresses is easy, and it's not a technical job. So Yunya leaving wouldn't affect business much.

Business is currently in its off-season, so we're one person less, which saves us on wages. We can hire someone later.

The next day, Yunya didn't go to work. Ma Yong and Yi Zhuoshuai didn't see Yunya, so they went to ask Wang Ruixi.

When they learned that Yun Ya had resigned, both of them had the same expression: a sad look on their faces, as if they had been ignored.

“Even if they weren’t lovers, they were still friends. Didn’t she think of saying goodbye to us when she left?” Ma Yong said to Yi Zhuoshuai with a dark face.

Yi Zhuoshuai did not reply. He thought to himself, "Maybe it's better not to say goodbye. Since we won't have the chance to meet again in the future, let's just forget about it!"

A few days later, Yi Zhuoshuai also resigned and left. He wanted to change his environment, work in another place, and say goodbye to the past completely.

Yun Ya naturally didn't know any of this, and even if she did, it wouldn't concern her.

Everyone's path is different; we can't stay together forever. Meeting and parting are all predestined; when the connection ends, we part ways. Just pursue a peaceful mind.

It was still very hot in the seventh month of the lunar calendar. Yunya went to the Labor Bureau with her older sister, Sun Limei, to register.

The two met Xuan Mei, a fellow villager from Baiyan Village, at the Labor Bureau. Yun Ya didn't see her; Xuan Mei spotted Yun Ya first and ran over to greet her.

After learning that the garment factory they had signed up for was the same one, they chatted for a while. The next day, they took a bus from the Labor Bureau to Qing City.

This garment factory is located in an industrial park, and the area around it is full of factories.

There are leather factories, fishing rod factories, rubber product factories, food factories...

After Yunya and the others arrived, this was all they knew. There were also some factories that were far away, and they didn't know what kind of factories they were, but they were all very large, and they often saw thick black smoke billowing from the factories.

Everyone lined up and entered the factory. The reception staff first arranged their dormitories and then their workshops. After these arrangements were completed, the new employees stayed in the workshops to be assigned tasks.

Yunya was assigned to assist an older worker named Han Yan. This woman was 27 years old and had a short, neat hairstyle that looked quite elegant.

The electric sewing machine in front of her had been fitted with parts for lace trimming. She deftly manipulated the garment in her hands, using both her hands and feet.

The electric sewing machine roared and whirred, the clothes in its hands moving forward with a gurgling sound. In just two or three seconds, it had finished binding the lace on a garment. The speed at which it worked was truly impressive.

Because Han Yan was working non-stop, the wrapped clothes were all in a string, which required assistance.

Yunya was in charge of assisting her, bringing over the fabric for the clothes that needed lace trimming. After she finished trimming, she would cut the two pieces of clothing that were connected together into one piece.

If there's no more edging work this time, Yunya will draw buttonholes or make collar patterns. Sometimes Yunya also has to iron the lining of the clothes, so the assistants are always busy, and the wages aren't high.

Because Sun Limei had learned tailoring at home, she found the work very easy. At home, she used a foot-operated sewing machine, but here she switched to an electric sewing machine, which made things much more efficient.

Xuanmei was sent to learn how to use the overlock machine and the double-needle machine. She first learned how to use the overlock machine, and after finishing the fabric that needed overlocking, she went to practice on the double-needle machine.

These are all jobs that require careful and patient people. Yunya couldn't learn them. Just looking at the dozen or so needles threading the stitches on those overlock machines made her dizzy, let alone actually doing the work.

Many fellow villagers from the same county came with them by bus. However, there were also a few from rural areas, and they were all assigned to the same dormitory.

Among the girls who were close to Yunya and the others, there was one girl named Liu Jing who cared particularly about Xuanmei.

At first, she got along well with Yunya, Xuanmei, and Sun Limei. As time went on, Yunya noticed that she had a special feeling for Xuanmei.

Sun Limei, the older sister, also noticed the anomaly, but didn't say anything. Living in the same dormitory, everyone was smart enough to pretend not to know anything.