Gong Mingxia's construction project had a duration of one and a half years. Knowing this timeline, she still opened up a small, unobstructive plot of land for a vegetable garden behind the construction site.
The garden was planted with leafy green vegetables that were frequently consumed. While she was not very familiar with what to plant in which month, there were many farmers on the construction site who guided and assisted her, so her little vegetable garden was well-tended.
In April, she sowed green beans, cucumbers, eggplants, chili, scallions, lettuce, green vegetables, and water spinach, etc. Three months later, these had grown significantly and were almost ready to harvest, which was a delightful sight.
This vegetable garden was a joint effort with her worker colleagues. She wasn't very skilled at gardening; she either followed what others did or they instructed her directly. She naturally wouldn't take advantage of others, so sometimes she added an extra dish of meat in the morning and at noon.
It was considered a substitute for buying vegetables.
She was very conscientious in that respect, so much so that no one even had the chance to gossip about her.
Indeed, where there are women, there tends to be idle gossip spread by meddlers. In this predominantly male environment, however, gossip was scarce. Still, she had adapted to this way of living, hence her personal expense (the difference in living costs) was always kept between five hundred to eight hundred yuan, no more, no less.
Each month, although there might be a discrepancy of several hundred yuan, if that sum was converted into meat, it would be enough for the workers to enjoy several meals with meat dishes.
They were all workers away from home; empathy was necessary.
Speaking of the construction workers' salaries, she had asked them. In the '90s, it was about 15 yuan per day, and by 1997, it had increased to 50 yuan per day—it could be said they worked dead-tired each day and earned about the same as she did.
Of course, her job involved dealing daily with oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, washing, chopping, and stir-frying, which was no less demanding.
She had to wake up at five in the morning to steam steamed buns and prepare breakfast. By the time breakfast was over, it was already eight or nine o'clock, and then she would immediately start preparing lunch. After lunch around one or two o'clock, she'd rest for an hour, then head to the market to buy vegetables. Upon returning, she'd rush to prepare dinner. Dinner ended after eight o'clock, and then she had to start preparing ingredients for the next day and managing the dough, finishing around ten o'clock.
Day in and day out, Gong Mingxia felt her body was almost shaken to a job-related illness, and she owed it to her nightly routines of stretching exercises focused on the neck, shoulders, and spine. Otherwise, the prolonged physical toll would have been substantial. Google seaʀᴄh novel[f]ire.net
To protect her hands, she soaked them every evening in rice water and applied the aloe she grew. Without a face mask, she would use cucumber slices.
Everyone possesses the desire for beauty. When money is tight, one gets by using less costly methods.
As the saying goes, a widow's doorstep is often fraught with troubles, even more so for her who was not a widow but a divorced woman raising a beautiful daughter.
The original owner was aesthetically pleasing, fair-skinned, and beautiful, with excellent culinary skills. With cosmetics, a slight touch-up would transform her into a beautiful girl. Even though she was limited by her circumstances, her beauty regimen habits from a past life persisted. Aside from her disciplined self-care and yoga routine, she continually used raw materials around her to maintain her appearance, which over time caused some ill-intended people at the construction site to stir.
In the circle of migrant workers, having a temporary spouse was not unusual, and the original owner had resorted to such arrangements out of necessity. However, now that Tangyuan replaced the original owner, she definitely wouldn't foolishly exploit herself, and she often dealt with those with ill intentions.
Gong Mingxia was outwardly gentle but inwardly tough and self-reliant. Men who couldn't have her would spread rumors about her. If someone helped her wash or chop vegetables, word would soon spread, suggesting the person was interested in her, intending to woo her, with the content being inappropriate and vulgar. Sometimes, the wrongful accusations moved her to tears, but she knew that single women often faced such challenges. The only thing she could do was to safeguard herself and her daughter effectively.