Chapter 58 – The Self-Pitying Stepsister in a Historical-Era Novel (Part 6)

By the time Wu Yu returned from her walk, she happened to run into the most gossip-loving resident of the communal building—Auntie Wang. The moment the woman saw her, she came over with a sneaky, conspiratorial expression.

Wu Yu didn't avoid her—on the contrary, she was curious to see what this old gossip was up to this time.

Auntie Wang put on an overly kind and concerned face as she said, "Oh, Wu girl, heaven help you, just look at your poor hands, all covered in chilblains. Ay, did you hear? They've started sending educated youth to the countryside again this year. So, what's your family planning to do?"

Of course, Wu Yu knew Auntie Wang wasn't genuinely worried about her. She just wanted the latest drama from the Sun family, especially since her daughter-in-law had beef with Yang Dani. As a result, she always paid special attention to the Sun household. Unfortunately for her, the original host had always been tight-lipped and never gossiped outside.

But now things were different. She was Wu Yu of the Niohuru clan—she had her own agenda. At best, this was mutual exploitation.

As for Auntie Wang's "casual" inquiry, Wu Yu was secretly thrilled. She had been waiting for someone like this—a perfect helper sent by the heavens.

So, she lowered her head with a sorrowful expression and muttered just loudly enough, "My mom's planning to send me to the countryside and give my job to my little sister… I shouldn't be saying this, Auntie Wang, please don't spread it around, or I'll be in real trouble."

Although Wu Yu deliberately lowered her voice, Auntie Wang was standing close enough to catch every word loud and clear.

The moment she heard that juicy secret, Auntie Wang's eyes gleamed with excitement. This was golden! She had to go home and discuss it with her daughter-in-law—maybe they could use this to knock Yang Dani down a peg.

As for Wu Yu's well-being? Not her problem. The girl had spilled the beans herself, hadn't she?

You see, Auntie Wang's daughter-in-law had wanted to run for the position of group leader but got edged out by Yang Dani. Ever since, she'd been holding a grudge, and the two women had frequent spats.

Watching Auntie Wang hurry off, Wu Yu curved her lips into a sly smile. She'd intentionally tossed this smoke bomb—because she knew Auntie Wang's mouth had no filter. As long as she knew something, the entire building would hear about it within a day.

Which was exactly what Wu Yu wanted. She would never let Sun Lanting stay in the city. That scheming little sister was still unwilling to give up and was clearly trying to use Wu Yu as a scapegoat.

Though the Sun family didn't yet know she had a job, Wu Yu knew them well enough—they were surely trying to force the countryside quota onto her.

And sure enough, her hunch was spot on.

Right after lunch, Sun Lanting urged her mother to hurry and sign Wu Yu up for the countryside placement. She felt the sooner it was finalized, the better.

But when they arrived at the educated youth office, they were given a rude awakening: Wu Yu was no longer listed on the Sun family's household registry, so they had no authority to register her.

The staff member even gave them a contemptuous look and waved them off impatiently.

Everyone knew that once you went to the countryside, there was no coming back. These two trying to secretly sign someone up? Anyone could guess what kind of people they were.

So naturally, the young female clerk had no respect for them and showed them no courtesy.

Unfortunately, even though their actions were disgusting, there was no law against it. The state permitted such decisions, so officials usually turned a blind eye. After all, working folks had no power.

Yang Dani was so furious upon hearing the news that her hands trembled. She hadn't expected that jinx of a girl to be so ruthless, and now she'd wasted half a day's wages for nothing.

She'd even taken a half-day off from work just to handle the matter quickly—and now, not only had she failed, but she'd also been thoroughly embarrassed.

Meanwhile, Sun Lanting realized she could no longer push Wu Yu around. Her eyes darted cunningly, and her attention shifted—to her mother's job.

Still, she knew not to act rashly. Yang Dani valued her job immensely, and not even her eldest son had been able to take it from her. If Sun Lanting wanted to snatch it for herself, she'd need a careful and calculated plan.

Too bad her backup plan was already blocked. In this life, Sun Lanting was destined to be sent to the countryside.

Because by evening, thanks to Auntie Wang's loud mouth, the entire building knew. When Yang Dani returned home, she ran right into a group of gossiping women.

One of the loudest among them smiled brightly and greeted her, "Oh, Sister Yang! Aren't you being too biased? Sending your older daughter to the countryside while your younger one takes your spot at the cannery? Tsk-tsk!"

Before Yang Dani could respond, the woman had already rejoined the group to continue their chitchat.

Yang Dani was a nervous wreck. She had no idea how the rumor had spread so quickly and was now in a foul mood, seeing everyone as an eyesore.

Meanwhile, Sun Lanting perked up. She thought this rumor was just what she needed—it might help push her plan forward after all.

You see, Sun Lanting had long been jealous of her so-called sister. Why was Wu Yu prettier than her? Smarter than her? Ever since they were young, Sun Lanting had wanted nothing more than to trample Wu Yu underfoot.

She knew that as long as she spoke up, her mother would always back her unconditionally.

Her second step had always been to take over her mother's job. That way, she could stay in the city and even improve her status—maybe even marry into a good family.

At the time, state policy dictated that young women could only avoid being sent to the countryside if they either held a job in the city or married a city resident.

Technically, children of martyrs didn't have to go, but in her previous life, the original Wu Yu had stupidly believed the lies of the Yang family and never bothered to check the official policy herself.

She had trusted her mother too much—and in the end, died in a remote village. Her tragic fate was partly her own fault.

What made this round of rumors even better was that Auntie Wang's daughter-in-law passed it on to the factory. When the management found out, the higher-ups gave orders that Yang Dani could not pass her job to her daughter.

Normally, such things were handled privately. But this time, with everyone in the know, the factory couldn't afford to look the other way.

The risks were too great. Now that the rumor had spread far and wide, more people would be watching. Sun Lanting had zero chance of replacing her mother at work.

Truthfully, Yang Dani only had the job because she was a martyr's widow. But now she had remarried, and any hope of pulling strings had become pure fantasy.

And when the Yang-Sun duo learned what had happened, it felt like the sky was falling.

They both reached the same conclusion—someone must've leaked it.