“What major did you graduate in?” Li Minxi asked.
“Clinical Nursing.”
“You’re perfectly suited for this. Where’s Lulu?”
“Her major is Psychology, and also Clinical,” Yang Bin replied.
“That impressive?”
“Yes. She’s one of the few people in our hospital who majored in Psychology.”
“It’s a bit of a waste of talent to work at a confinement center, then.”
“Isn’t it? There was no other way, we were forced by Yan Shiliang.”
“Can’t you resign?”
“We used to always think about getting a stable government job, a secure position, no matter what. If Yuanyuan hadn’t called us, and we hadn’t come to you, we’d still be trying to pass the exam.”
“Why did you come here?”
“Mainly because General Manager Guo offers us a much better package. For people like us, even if we passed the exam, our monthly salary wouldn’t exceed five thousand, and a ten thousand salary would be a distant dream. Also, it’s much more relaxed here than in the hospital, without so many patients constantly calling for us. Here, we just need to serve you well.”
“I believe that. Following me is relatively easier. I’m less than a month from my due date. There isn’t much to do during this period, you just need to chat with me and go shopping.”
“Please don’t worry, I can definitely do that,” Yang Bin said.
“Where are you all from? Yangzi mentioned you’re not all from the provincial capital.”
“I’m from Yu Province, born in a small county town. I came here for university and stayed. Jiajia is from Ning Province, and she also came here for university and stayed. Most of us are classmates.”
“Are you classmates with Gao Yuan and Li Xiaolu too?”
“Gao Yuan is our classmate, and Li Xiaolu is our senior.”
“Then you’re still classmates. Do Lulu and Jiajia have boyfriends?”
“I suppose so, but I haven’t met them. I heard them talking about it,” Yang Bin said.
“Don’t their boyfriends look for them?”
“I haven’t seen them. Lulu is a bit older than us, and she’s very beautiful, so it’s normal for her to have a boyfriend. However, since we haven’t secured stable positions yet, their relationships have never been made public.”
“You can’t make your relationship public without a stable position? What kind of logic is that?”
“We aren’t locals, so the potential partners are quite picky. Without a stable position, we’re just temporary hospital staff.”
“There’s such a thing? Doesn’t that mean you’re not even considered temporary staff now?”
“We came here for the high salary that General Manager Guo offers. We’ve signed a five-year contract, and after five years, if you don’t need us here, we’ll just earn this money and go back,” Yang Bin said.
“With your qualifications, you could find good jobs in any county town. As long as you work hard here, I won’t mistreat you,” Li Minxi said.
“Thank you, Sister-in-law.”
“Don’t call me Sister-in-law, call me Little Xi Jie. We’re all around the same age.”
“Okay, Little Xi Jie. You’re so kind.”
“However, I need to give you a heads-up. Yangzi is good in many ways, and he’s generous, but he’s a bit… impulsive. You and Jiajia are among the most attractive girls here, so I hope you won’t get involved in anything beyond friendship with him.”
“Little Xi Jie, please don’t worry, I know my place and won’t do anything disgraceful,” Yang Bin quickly replied. However, she only spoke for herself, not for “us.” She couldn’t represent Jiajia and the others. After all, Guo Xuyang was a handsome man and also very wealthy. Being with him would mean decades less struggle. It would be a lie to say she wasn’t tempted. Rather than getting involved in rumors with Guo Xuyang, it was better to focus on her job and earn her ten thousand yuan salary steadily.
“Mutual attraction between men and women is normal. It’s not that I’m being bossy, but people’s energy is really limited. Yangzi has too many women, and he’s not exactly a stable person. I’m afraid you might fall into his orbit unintentionally. It will be awkward for you, and also for Yangzi.”
“I understand, Little Xi Jie.”
“Once I’m feeling better in a couple of days, I’ll take you shopping,” Li Minxi said, seeing how sensible Yang Bin was.
“Thank you, Little Xi Jie. I’ll do as you say.”
While Li Minxi was chatting with Yang Bin, Guo Xuyang took Wu Jia to the kitchen.
“Dad, what delicious food are we making today?”
“The usual dishes. Did the sun rise from the west today? What brings you to the kitchen?” Guo Yixiang said, with his back to Guo Xuyang.
“I brought you an assistant. Let’s see how her cooking is,” Guo Xuyang said, pointing to Wu Jia.
“Who is this young lady?” Guo Yixiang asked, turning to look at Wu Jia.
“This is Wu Jia. She’s the nurse I hired, and she says she’s a great cook.” Guo Xuyang introduced them.
“This is my dad. He usually cooks for us.”
“Hello, Uncle. I’m Wu Jia. I’ve come to learn cooking,” she said.
“This isn’t your job. Go outside. Besides, these are pre-prepped ingredients, it’s simple, it’ll be done soon,” Guo Yixiang said.
“Dad, Wu Jia says she can cook. Why don’t we let her cook a meal first and taste her skills?”
“This young lady is delicate and fair-skinned. Why would she be cooking? You two go out, it’ll be done shortly.” Guo Yixiang absolutely did not want Wu Jia to lift a finger.
Seeing that she couldn’t convince Guo Yixiang, Wu Jia reached out, took a few tomatoes and cucumbers from the rack, and washed them. Guo Yixiang glanced at Wu Jia, then at Guo Xuyang, and simply stopped talking. If someone was willing to help, who would refuse? Initially, he was a bit annoyed when Guo Xuyang brought such a beautiful girl. In such a short time, he’d brought home several girls. Especially that tall girl named Xiao Si, it was obvious there was something going on, yet Guo Xuyang denied it. This girl named Wu Jia, a nurse? She was too beautiful! She wasn't here to be a nurse, her intentions were likely elsewhere. His daughters-in-law were getting prettier one after another. If his son weren’t so wealthy and capable, would these girls have taken an interest in him? It was simply impossible. Guo Yixiang understood this clearly. However, this Wu Jia was indeed good, very efficient. She scored a cross on a few tomatoes, blanched them in hot water, peeled them, and cut them into pieces for later. She peeled the cucumbers and cut them into shreds, also for later. Coupled with the lamb Guo Yixiang had put in earlier and some pre-cooked food and semi-finished products delivered by Junyue, twelve hot dishes and two soups were on the table in less than twenty minutes.
“Uncle, please try what I made,” Wu Jia gave Guo Yixiang a sweet smile.
“Girl, you’re amazing. Just by your technique, I can tell you’ve worked in a hotel,” Guo Yixiang said.
“I helped cook in the cafeteria when I was in school. It was part of work-study,” she replied.
“Hmm. Not bad.” Guo Yixiang picked up a spoon and tasted the cucumber and egg drop soup. “The color is lovely, full of vitality; the chicken broth is seasoned, leaving a lingering fragrance. It tastes better than mine.”
“If it tastes good, please have more,” Wu Jia said.
Author’s aside: This book will have three chapters today. Please continue to follow along, esteemed readers. Cast your free silver tickets, let’s all get excited together.