Free Web NovelChapter 69: Chapter 44: Humble Wife of the 50s (44)
When Zhu Yun went to work in the morning, she found a new service window had been opened in the first-floor warehouse. A sign hung above it, advertising cold drinks and desserts for sale and pre-order.
Inside the office, six two-person desks had been arranged in the middle, facing each other. Bookshelves lined the walls, holding a few basic books borrowed from the factory library: collections of outstanding essays, books of prose poetry, a Chinese dictionary, an idiom dictionary, and an English-Chinese dictionary.
A clock hung on the wall, along with a large, red banner that read: "Study hard and make progress every day!"
Director Wang walked over with a cheerful smile, tea mug in hand. "Director Yun, you can always count on me to get things done. So, what do you think? Are you satisfied? If anything’s missing, just say the word."
Zhu Yun smiled and said, "It’s great. With Comrade Chu Shenyu tutoring and supervising our studies, Director, you just have to wait for our cafeteria to produce thirteen university prospects!"
Director Wang froze, then his face started to twitch with excitement. "Director Yun, are you saying that Mr. Chu himself is going to tutor you and those twelve kids?"
"Mr. Chu is brilliant. He had such good grades that he was fast-tracked all the way to graduate school. Everyone says if he’d actually taken the college entrance exam, he would have surely been a top scorer."
"I don’t have high hopes for my Si Mi. If she could just get into a vocational college... wow. Her mother and I would wake up laughing in our sleep."
Zhu Yun smiled knowingly. "Don’t worry, Director. You have to believe that there are no bad students, only students who don’t try and teachers who can’t teach. With Comrade Chu Shenyu and me, all twelve of my own apprentices will become university students—not a single one left behind!"
From that day forward, Zhu Yun and Chu Shenyu began a hellish training regimen.
They trained their knife skills for six hours a day. At mealtimes, they prepared pickles and cold dishes for the workers getting their food. On top of that, they had to study for two hours each in the morning, at noon, and in the evening.
It could be said that aside from eating and sleeping, all their time was spent practicing and studying. They even had to jog to the restroom...
Zhu Yun would take two apprentices in shifts, making one batch of cold drinks in the morning and another in the afternoon, ready for the cafeteria staff to deliver to the various factory workshops.
The rest of the time, she studied systematically, completing the assignments given to her by Chu Shenyu.
She had always been focused. People with nimble hands are often sharp-witted, and on top of that, she was an actor from the future. Her brain was developed to a degree others couldn’t match, so her memory was astonishing. While she might not have been able to read ten lines at a glance or boast a perfect photographic memory, she was certainly in the top tier.
In just one week, she had completely devoured the elementary school language curriculum and had more or less mastered all the vocabulary.
「That weekend」
With the apprentices cheerfully seeing them off, Chu Shenyu drove Zhu Yun back to the residential compound in his classic car.
The apprentices’ families had sent over clothes, all of them fashionable, classic styles that were popular at the time.
Chu Shenyu wore a white short-sleeved shirt, navy blue straight-leg trousers, and a pair of gleaming black leather shoes. The outfit perfectly highlighted his noble and aloof aura, making his handsome features seem like winter bamboo on a remote mountain—too ethereal to belong in the mortal world.
Zhu Yun wore a vibrant red, short-sleeved, knee-length dress with a ruffled collar and a cinched waist, accented by a wide, woven belt. The whole ensemble highlighted her graceful figure, slender waist, and long legs.
A slightly messy topknot added a touch of youthful flamboyance to her fiery ensemble.
Not to mention, she was stunning to begin with. Her features were exquisite and striking, a captivating mix of innocence and allure. She was the very picture of a prized bloom in a wealthy garden!
Mr. and Mrs. Chu had already informed their friends and family that they would be holding a belated wedding reception for the young couple right there in the compound’s cafeteria. ƒreewebɳovel.com
Those who were close to the Chu family had met Zhu Yun during the Dragon Boat Festival and felt nothing but admiration and good wishes for them.
However, Mr. and Mrs. Chu’s colleagues from work and their neighbors—who lived close by and were prone to constant comparison—were more inclined to believe the rumors. They even took it upon themselves to eagerly spread the gossip.
Since everyone was off on Sunday, people headed over to the Chu family’s home right after breakfast, under the guise of "coming to help." In reality, they were secretly hoping to watch a disaster unfold!
Capital City seemed vast, but it was divided into districts. After living in the same area for a long time, people naturally became familiar faces to one another.
Everyone knew the Chu family’s eldest son was an absolute genius. He’d skipped grades throughout his schooling and was admitted to both his undergraduate and graduate programs without having to take the entrance exams. Back in the day, it had even caused a huge stir when representatives from several universities showed up at their door, all competing to recruit him.
From the moment Chu Shenyu first picked up a book, he was a constant topic of conversation.
Everyone was green with envy. They’d turn to look at their own disappointing brats, and the jealousy was so thick you could probably use it to fumigate a room. As a result, the Chu family had been subtly ostracized by the community.
Mr. and Mrs. Chu were busy with work and raising three children, so they didn’t have much energy to spare for socializing. Besides, the only people worth associating with were open-minded and shared a sense of mutual appreciation.
