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Chapter 171: Who Stole My Cucumbers?

"You’re getting 1,500 yuan as your salary?" Lu Hui was visibly taken aback."Yes, aren’t you?" Jiang Xinyi responded casually. She had never liked the veiled secrecy of corporate workplaces. Everyone worked for a few thousand yuan a month but acted as if their pay was some well-guarded treasure.

Her preference for simplicity was one of the reasons she chose to work at the courier station rather than a big company. She had just been appreciating how much more comfortable the school environment was, only to see Lu Hui's peculiar reaction.

Lu Hui mumbled with a hint of grievance, “How can even a small courier station have such discrimination? Is it because of our education?”

Though Lu Hui didn’t share her own salary, her expression spoke volumes. Jiang Xinyi, sensing this, didn’t push further. She thought to herself,

From the short time they had worked together, Jiang Xinyi had already noticed Lu Hui’s inefficiencies. While Lu Hui painstakingly calculated figures manually, Jiang Xinyi used a spreadsheet and a few quick commands to handle the same task in a fraction of the time, leaving her free to relax.

Jiang Xinyi thought contentedly.

She also noticed the disorganized system at the courier station. For example, everyone had a fixed salary regardless of productivity. Jiang Xinyi believed a proper incentive system was needed. If students worked over ten hours a day, they could earn an extra yuan per hour, while those who worked fewer hours would earn less. Such measures would motivate everyone to perform better.

she mused, chuckling to herself.

That evening, while Jiang Xinyi efficiently wrapped up payroll calculations for the day, Lu Hui left work early, grumbling about pay disparities. Jiang Xinyi, on the other hand, relished the quiet office environment, complete with free air conditioning and a computer. It was far more peaceful than the library or dorms and conveniently close to her residence.

On her way home, she couldn’t resist picking two cucumbers from the small vegetable garden Zhou Yuwen had cultivated by the station. She even thoughtfully brought one to You Changjin as a gesture of gratitude for introducing her to the job.

The next day, Jiang Xinyi wore a casual outfit—overalls and sneakers—basking in the fresh morning sunlight. She felt refreshed, especially after enjoying the crisp cucumbers she “borrowed” the night before. She decided to help herself to a couple more today.

As she approached the garden, she saw Zhou Yuwen standing there, frowning.

“Good morning! What’s up?” Jiang Xinyi greeted him brightly.

Zhou Yuwen sighed, “I counted yesterday—there were 18 cucumbers. But when I watered the plants this morning, two were missing.”

“Uh, maybe someone with a craving snuck a few?” Jiang Xinyi replied, trying to sound innocent while inwardly panicking.

“Who knows,” Zhou Yuwen muttered. “Who could be this greedy?”

Jiang Xinyi coughed awkwardly and quickly excused herself, “Well, I better get to work!”

Zhou Yuwen genuinely didn’t know who had been taking his cucumbers but resolved to ask Gao Yang to keep an eye on things.

During these busy days, the courier station saw a steady flow of students picking up packages. Zhou Yuwen often stopped by to help, though Zheng Yanyan, coming from a wealthy background, avoided such manual labor. In contrast, Lu Lin occasionally helped out.

When Zheng Yanyan asked where Lu Lin was, Lu Lin casually replied, “I’m at the courier station. Didn’t I tell you? I’ve been doing part-time work there.”

“My, how diligent!” Zheng Yanyan teased, lounging on her dorm bed and swinging her feet. “I’ll ask Zhou Yuwen to give you a raise!”

“I’ll pass, thanks,” Lu Lin replied with a scoff.

The rumor that Zhou Yuwen was involved with the courier station soon spread among their classmates. Most assumed he was merely a contractor helping out his friend who owned the company. Still, many admired him for being capable and hard-working. Read full story at NoveIꜰire.net

One day, Li Qiang, a fellow student, came by to help and couldn’t resist asking Zhou Yuwen, “Brother Zhou, is it true that your friend owns the Xianlin labor company?”

“Yeah, why?” Zhou Yuwen asked.

Li Qiang hesitated before continuing, “Well, some people say that the leader of the Xu Zhou Association is Liu Shuo, but others say it’s actually you.”

Zhou Yuwen chuckled. “Sounds like nonsense to me. There’s no such association. Who has time for that these days?”

Li Qiang grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, that’s what I told them too. But our department head didn’t believe me.”

He then launched into a complaint about the unfair practices of certain labor companies, praising the Xu Zhou Association for being transparent and fair. Zhou Yuwen listened quietly, amused by the gossip swirling around him.

Meanwhile, at the courier station, Zhou Yuwen was back in the garden, again counting his cucumbers. “Damn it,” he muttered, realizing five cucumbers were now missing.

he thought.

He decided he needed to install a security camera.

That afternoon, as Zhou Yuwen worked in the garden, Lu Hui sat comfortably in the air-conditioned office, eating sunflower seeds and scrolling through her phone. Spotting Zhou Yuwen outside, an idea popped into her head.

She adjusted the neckline of her V-neck dress, pulling it slightly lower, and strutted toward him with a mischievous glint in her eye.

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