Quick Transmigration: Reversing the Life of a Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Character

Lian Yanyan came back to see He Lanying. After He Lanying returned from grocery shopping, Lian Yanyan asked in front of the whole family, "Auntie, our company cafeteria is short a pastry chef, a temporary worker. Would you like to go?"

He Lanying nervously straightened her clothes: "Me, can I go? With my background, can I work in the government canteen?"

Although she wasn't classified as a landlord, it's undeniable that she was the child of a landlord, so her status was always rather awkward. No one criticized her, but good things never came her way either.

"It's okay, it's just a temporary job. The noodles in our cafeteria have always been just so-so. Last time I brought the flower-shaped steamed buns you made to the cafeteria and gave one to the head of logistics. She thought they were delicious and wanted to replace the pastry chef. You'll have to take a test first to make sure your noodles are good enough before you can start working. The salary isn't high either."

"As long as I can make money, that's fine. It'll save my parents from always nagging me to come home. They can't leave this time, so they'll have to look after the second child for me," He Lanying said happily.

Lian Sanzhu's eldest son is a month younger than Yangyang and has been staying at the factory's daycare center. His second daughter is only one year old and has not yet been sent to a daycare center.

"Yanzi is really amazing." Even Sanzhu couldn't say anything else but praise her for being amazing.

"Uncle, after all these years, is this all you've said? Why don't you say something to praise me?"

"Huh?" Lian Sanzhu scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed.

He Lanying playfully patted her husband.

"Uncle, how's it going at the factory?"

"It's fine."

Lian Yanyan nodded and didn't ask any more questions. The reform of major state-owned enterprises is already taking shape. Steel mills, as a state-owned heavy industry, are relatively stable at present.

"What happened to the factory?" He Lanying, being more perceptive, asked with concern.

"The steel mill is fine for now."

"Is something wrong at another factory?"

Lian Yanyan glanced at the others and didn't continue speaking. Instead, she brought up He Lanying's plans to go to the cafeteria tomorrow. She had confidence in He Lanying's noodles, but she couldn't help but remind her, "Auntie, when you try making them tomorrow, remember not to show off. Just make the most basic ones. The main thing is the taste. Make some salty and some sweet ones."

"Okay, I understand."

"Once you're inside, we can occasionally make something that looks eye-catching, but the rest of the time you just need to focus on the taste."

"Why."

He Lanying entered the government canteen without much trouble. Firstly, her pastries were indeed of good quality, and secondly, she was allowed to try making them. Lian Yanyan had already done the work with the logistics director. Without particularly strong competitors, she made a steady progress.

After He Lanying started working at the government canteen, the food quality for Lian Yanyan and Mo Songchuan improved significantly. She often prepared semi-finished dishes at home and then cooked them at the canteen to add a dish for the mother and son. This attracted the bureau chief and the municipal party secretary to frequently come to her canteen for a few bites.

Lian Yanyan happily gave He Lanying money in private, telling her to make some snacks, but not every day, just every few days to research some new dishes.

"Don't worry, I'll tell you a secret. My mother entered the landlord's family because of her excellent cooking skills, and because she was good-looking, she was forcibly taken as a concubine. She even left me a book, saying it was left by my grandfather. Unfortunately, she couldn't read, and I'm only at the level of a literacy class student. Everything I'm doing now is taught to me by my mother. She said that even in a famine, a cook won't starve, and it will always be useful." Unfortunately, she didn't have the ingredients to cook before, and she only recently started trying. She always cooks in two portions, bringing the good ones to Lian Yanyan and keeping the less desirable ones at home.

He Lanying didn't think too much about it. At first, she just wanted to thank Lian Yanyan, but she didn't know how to express her gratitude, so she remembered her cooking skills.

"What about that book?" Lian Yanyan asked curiously.

"It's buried at home, sealed in a jar. Swallow, do you think I can dig it out now?"

"Just do it quietly, don't make a big fuss." Lian Yanyan knew what she meant; she was worried about future searches of the house.

"Okay, next time I'll have your uncle come back with me and secretly dig it up. There's some jewelry too."

The days passed by at a leisurely pace, and Mo Yan, who had been away for more than half a month, suddenly returned one evening.

"Wife, son."

"You're back? Are you hungry? My son and I have finished eating. Shall I make you a bowl of noodles?"

"Okay, I'll go wash up. I've been smelling bad all the way here."

After finishing their noodles, Mo Yan kissed her son for half an hour before putting him to sleep. Back in their room, Lian Yanyan immediately asked, "You look serious. What's wrong? Is that area unsuitable for business?"

That shouldn't be the case.

"No, it's very suitable. The special economic zone is just starting out, and it's the perfect time to get involved. I have many comrades there, and they also encourage me to join in."

"Then what are you worried about?"

"Before coming back, I went to the home of a former comrade-in-arms, Liang Weiqiang, who sacrificed his life in '79. His wife remarried, and both children were left with the Liang family. Although their conditions weren't bad, the eight-year-old girl was skin and bones from hunger, while the boy was doing quite well, chubby and well-fed," Mo Yan said with a frown. Several of them went together, and they couldn't bear to see it, so they tried to persuade Liang Weiqiang's mother. But the old woman was stubborn and inflexible. She thought girls were a waste of money, and that feeding them too much was a waste, since they would get married sooner or later anyway.

She didn't hit the girl, but kept ordering her around to do chores. When it was time to eat, she would give her a small bowl of coarse grains with some vegetable soup to keep her from starving.

Lian Yanyan knew Liang Weiqiang; he was Mo Yan's classmate and had the best relationship with him. They had always kept in touch. When Liang Weiqiang sacrificed his life, Mo Yan was heartbroken for a long time after receiving the news and visited his family at that time.

"The government doesn't care about the children of heroes?"

"It's difficult to manage. They have strong clan ties there. The clan feels that since they didn't beat her, and they feed her and let her do some work every day, it's not considered abuse. The government can only try to persuade her. If they push her too far, the old woman will ask the government to take the child away and refuse to raise her anymore."

"Didn't you comrades ever think of bringing this back yourselves?" This should be the child that Mo Yan adopted in the original owner's previous life.

"She doesn't meet the adoption requirements; she already has a guardian." A comrade working in a nearby city had considered it, but ultimately gave up because she didn't meet the requirements.

"Then let's not go through the formal adoption procedures. The main thing is to bring the child out and raise her properly. When she comes of age, she will have the right to decide whether to stay or leave," Lian Yanyan said directly. According to that grandmother's thinking, the child is still her family's child, but someone will help raise her and she won't have to eat the family's food. Isn't that something she would be happy about?

"Isn't that a bad idea?"

"There's nothing wrong with it. Whoever raises her isn't doing it for any reward. It's all about honoring the camaraderie. No matter the form, whether it's foster care or adoption, the ultimate goal is for the child to grow up healthy." By the time the child reaches adulthood, it will be the 1990s, and with the wave of layoffs, everyone will be out looking for a way out. At that time, whether or not they return to their hometown will be even less noticeable.

"Let me discuss it with a few of my comrades."