She won't clear her name; she'll throw away all the scum.

What's wrong with this kind of work? Isn't it also serving the people?

There's only a difference between jobs that pay a lot and a little; there's no such thing as a high or low status.

“You can’t pretend to be a good person and give up the job. It would be better to give the job to the second son. If Xiang Hong doesn’t get the job, it would be good to give it to her in a pinch.” Old Chen was very anxious. Although he would help Widow Huang, he absolutely could not give up the job. He was clear-headed about this kind of thing.

After all, money can be earned, but job opportunities are not easy to come by.

Grandma Xia slammed the door shut. "Are you out of your mind?"

Old Chen was inexplicably scolded. After thinking for a while and observing her expression, he realized that Old Lady Xia had just been talking nonsense.

There was no job at all; she made it all up.

Old Chen was annoyed, but he felt even more disgusted with Widow Huang. That woman was truly... utterly hopeless, only good for swindling him out of his money. She even looked down on such a rare job; did she think she could fly to the moon?

He will never give her a single penny again.

On her way back, Widow Huang felt the few remaining grain coupons and money in her pocket, hesitated for a moment, and then stopped at the state-run restaurant to buy a bowl of steaming braised fish.

Money can be earned again... but I can't afford to lose face by lying again.

Although she didn't get the money, Widow Huang believed it was mainly because Old Lady Xia was there; otherwise, Old Chen would have given him the money long ago.

However, she can have it tomorrow; she's not in a hurry.

She returned home, and her two children had just arrived as well. They were overjoyed to see that Widow Huang had bought fish. Her youngest son asked, "Mom, you had a good haul today, didn't you?"

Widow Huang rolled her eyes at him. "Where did he get that? His wife was home. Not only did I not get a single penny, but I also got a dirty talk from someone for nothing."

She went into the kitchen and stir-fried some vegetables, then took out a bowl and chopsticks to eat. "That old hag still wants me to go to work, to hell with her."

When Widow Huang's youngest daughter heard about the job, her eyes lit up. "Mom, a job is great! My brother and I will graduate from high school in two years. If we don't have jobs then, we'll have to go to the countryside. If they have jobs, you should ask for them and save them for us. If you don't want to work then, we can do it. It's better than going to the countryside."

Widow Huang nodded to her youngest daughter. "You think work is free? That old hag wants me to pay for it. Even a temporary job costs several hundred yuan. Do we have that kind of money? Besides, you still have two years. What's the rush? I'll find a way to keep you from going to the countryside."

The widow's youngest daughter complained, "What if something goes wrong? At least having a job now provides a safety net. If things get really bad, we can just sell it."

Widow Huang placed some vegetables on her plate. "Didn't I tell you? Even if we wanted some, we don't have the money. Why are you yelling at me like that?"

“If you buy fewer clothes each time, our family can still save up.”

Widow Huang was furious. "If I don't dress up nicely, do you think those lecherous men will give me money? If I'm slovenly, how can I pretend to be pitiful? They might as well go home and look at their old wives. You're the one who's disgusted with me."

"Okay, if our family wants to save money, we'll start with you. Look at your new clothes, they're so much better than the clothes worn by people in the compound who have both parents. When have I ever let you wear clothes with patches? From now on, don't buy any more clothes like these, save the money to buy a job."

The widow's youngest daughter immediately burst into tears, "Mom, how could you do this? If I'm dressed in rags, how can I play with the factory directors' children? If we don't build a relationship now, how can I marry well in the future? Do you want me to marry a peasant?"

Widow Huang's tone softened, "Since you know you need to rely on good clothes and shoes to get along with them, why can't you understand your mother?"

The widow's daughter fell silent. Her mother was right; clothes make the man. If her mother didn't dress well, even if she pretended to be pitiful, she would still look slovenly.