How I Tamed My Wolfish Husband Back in 80s-Chapter 148 - 150: Reserved_1

Xun Dong eased up and gave Xu Feng and Ma Ling two days off.

Li Qiao took over their work, organizing reports at one moment, and being asked by the police unit next door to print documents in the printing room at another.

In that era, there were no printers connected to computers.

The unit’s manual typewriter was the most advanced typographic equipment in China.

Inside a square frame lay a dense array of Chinese characters, all of them upside down.

When copying, one had to use the manual typewriter to print the characters onto wax paper, which was quite a test of one’s eyesight.

After that, copies were made with the mimeograph machine, the printed characters carrying a strong scent of ink, but the process was quite labor-intensive.

There weren’t more than two people in the unit who knew how to operate it, and it was slow, so knowing she was Top Scholar, they notified her to come and learn.

Once was learning, twice was familiarity; she quickly mastered the technique and soon completed the task assigned by her superiors.

"Director Tong, the documents you wanted are ready."

After reviewing the documents, Director Tong nodded repeatedly: "Top Scholar really is different, not a single typographical error. From now on, you’ll handle the printing tasks."

Li Qiao smiled: "Thank you for the compliment." She paused and said, "But... am I not from the forensic department? This isn’t my job, is it?" Shouldn’t she be printing documents for her own department? Are they taking advantage of her because she’s a workplace novice?

"The forensic department is still part of the police unit, this is your job. Li, you’re still young, you have to learn to be content. We’ve given you a great opportunity to train and broaden your horizons. You don’t need to worry about working more or less; you should learn to follow management’s instructions, understand?" Director Tong was very polite.

Li Qiao thought, why does that sound so familiar? Wasn’t that what her cousin complained about her boss doing, manipulating her? Hard to believe people decades ago also knew how to brainwash.

She wasn’t falling for that.

"Wasn’t it you who asked me to come? If I had known there was so much work, I wouldn’t have come! I’ll go talk to Director Xun right now. We agreed I’d write a report, check out crime scenes. Not do other things."

"You can’t nitpick about work like this; you have to see what you’ve gained. Our place is where people can best train..."

Li Qiao turned and left, all talk and no action, weren’t they just trying to get her to work for free?

Couldn’t she train anywhere?

Seeing that his tactic didn’t work on Li Qiao, Director Tong hastily said: "I was just kidding. You come here to photocopy, and I’ll apply for five kilos of grain tickets for you at the end of the month."

Upon hearing about the grain tickets, especially five kilos, Li Qiao immediately agreed, but she had her own conditions: "I won’t come to print when I’m busy."

Director Tong: "...Okay!"

"Please mention the grain ticket matter to Director Xun; I’m afraid he might not acknowledge it," said Li Qiao. She knew she had to fight for every benefit, no ambiguity allowed.

Her cousin had said, always record your boss’s promises; otherwise, they turn around and deny it. Without a phone to record, she needed a human witness.

Director Tong: "..." How come this kid is so shrewd?

...

Around four o’clock, the weather turned gloomy, and soon after, a thunderstorm broke out.

Li Qiao figured Qin Jin wouldn’t come to pick her up, and when it was time, she left work with an umbrella, heading straight back to her quadrangle home.

On the way, she stopped to buy a cylinder of noodle.

There was pak choi growing in the front yard vegetable garden; after entering the house and putting down the noodles, Li Qiao picked a handful of pak choi.

She went to the kitchen to light the stove and prepare to boil noodles for dinner, just as she was putting the coal briquettes into the stove.

"Qiaoqiao."

Li Qiao peered out, and there was Qin Jin, soaked from the rain, appearing in her line of sight. His wet hair clung to his forehead, surprisingly not looking dishevelled; the firm muscle lines on his chest were subtly visible, exuding a wild and rugged charm.

For a moment, her mouth was dry, and she was stunned, then she scolded, "Did you come here in the rain? What if you catch a cold? Aren’t you afraid of causing a flood?"

"How could I catch a cold in such hot weather? I have it under control," Qin Jin didn’t seem to care.

Li Qiao urged, "Hurry and change into some dry clothes."

Qin Jin: "No rush." He took a cool shower in the bathroom before entering the room to find loose, dry clothes to change into: "I told Mama when I left that I would stay here tonight. No one’s here, and you have the day off tomorrow. Heh heh..."

His sleazy chuckle was chilling.

Li Qiao secretly swallowed, she’s been busy with work lately; he had been very proper.

She had abstained from desires for quite some time, and she was beginning to feel the longing.

But she couldn’t show it--a woman must be reserved! She changed the subject, "I’ve learned to use the office printer, and the director said they would apply for an extra five pounds of grain tickets for me when it’s time to issue salaries."

Qin Jin lavished praise on her for her competence, a monthly salary of thirty yuan, plus five pounds of grain tickets.

Better at providing for the family than a man.

In his previous life, he must have accumulated great virtue to have married such a capable wife in this life.

Li Qiao laughed heartily, "I can’t compare with you. You went straight ahead and bought a big house." He did have some skill to his name.

Qin Jin replied, "It’s still you who deserves the credit." Earning a living through knowledge is respectable.

The method he used, if spoken aloud, would only invite criticism.

She did not disdain it in the slightest and even eagerly joined in.

It seemed like she never scorned anyone.

Whether it was towards him or her work.

He wondered what kind of family could have raised such a girl.

....

Li Qiao cooked a pot of spinach and egg noodles, which he and Qin Jin ate together.

At that time, the rain had stopped.

The drainage ditch outside the courtyard was clogged, causing water to backflow into the yard.

Qin Jin went out with a shovel to clear the blockage.

Next door, Yan Xiaoyu came to greet them, holding a basket in her hand that contained a half-basket of plums. "I picked them just before it rained, I’m bringing you some to try."

Li Qiao’s initial impression of Yan Xiaoyu had been good, but ever since accidentally overhearing her conversation with Qin Jin the other time, he felt uneasy whenever he saw her: "Thanks, but I don’t like plums, you should take them back."

"Why be so polite? Go ahead and eat them!" Not letting Li Qiao refuse again, Yan Xiaoyu carried the plums straight into the house and dumped them on the table: "Qiaoqiao~ come, take the basket back."

"Hey! You..."

At this moment, a dog suddenly rushed in from outside.

It wasn’t their own, and Li Qiao, worried about being bitten, ran out of the house in a panic without finishing his sentence.

Yan Xiaoyu laughed, "Look at how scared you are, this dog doesn’t bite people; it helps me with work." ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

Li Qiao was starting to get annoyed.

Just then, Qin Jin came in with the shovel, and he was not friendly towards Yan Xiaoyu: "What are you here for?"

Yan Xiaoyu put on a smile: "I brought over plums for you to eat."

When Qin Jin noticed there was another dog in the house, he roared, and the frightened dog ran off with its tail between its legs.

While everyone’s attention was on the dog, Yan Xiaoyu took a hairpin out of her pocket, hid it on the high table used for the telephone, and then asked, "You have a telephone in your house, huh? How much did it cost to install?"

Li Qiao’s gaze returned, "It was left by the previous owner; there’s no telephone line." He found the rotary phone to be attractive, so he kept it as a decoration.

There shouldn’t be many people in the city with telephones.

Because the post office opposite them had a telephone.

People had to queue up every day to make calls.

And making a call to find someone required an operator’s assistance, which was quite troublesome.

Ordinary people still wrote letters to keep in touch.

If they were slightly better off, they might send a telegram.

Qin Jin came inside with a stern face and ordered her to take the plums away.

Yan Xiaoyu, unable to exit gracefully, grumbled as she collected the plums and left.

She thought bitterly, enjoy your comfort for one day, tomorrow I’ll make sure you fall from grace!