Seeing that the old lady had no intention of saying more, and with the surrounding diners changing the subject, clearly not wanting to continue this sensitive topic, Feng Qingxue didn’t ask further. When she saw the old lady again, it was after learning the general situation of the cultural relics departnt in the afternoon. She walked into a nearby public toilet and was suddenly surprised to find that such a graceful and outstanding elderly woman was actually working as a manual night soil worker.
"You work here?" Feng Qingxue wasn’t shocked in her heart, but rather unsurprised.
The old lady turned her head to see her, paused in her work of cleaning excrent, and suddenly smiled, "What’s so strange about working here? Isn’t it an honor for people to trample on ?"
Feng Qingxue remained silent, for she had no words to respond.
The number of people who had fallen to the sa situation as the old lady was countless.
"Let help you!" Feng Qingxue pulled her scarf over her mouth and nose, reached out to take the tools from the old lady’s hand—a shovel—and quickly cleared the remaining excrent in the pit into a wooden bucket.
With many years of army life, having to occasionally go to the countryside, she had done a lot of work, just not frequently.
Indeed, the sll of the cycle of five grains was truly unpleasant, and unexpectedly, it could splash onto her clothes. The food that Feng Qingxue had eaten in the morning, even after digestion, almost surged back up to her throat, and she could only forcefully endure it.
The early winter already slled so awful, in the height of sumr, it would only be filthier and more stench-ridden, with flies swarming.
During this ti, a few female comrades entered the toilet, seeing Feng Qingxue helping the old lady with the work, couldn’t help but give a few more glances. Seeing such a young and beautiful girl doing this dirty work, even if they found it strange, they said nothing, finished using the toilet and left, passing the wooden bucket while pinching their noses and covering their mouths.
The old lady leaned against the concrete wall of the public toilet, leisurely watching Feng Qingxue busily at work, saying, "Now I’m like a phoenix fallen to the ground; not even as good as a chicken, no longer the daughter of a capitalist. You help with the work, but I have no benefits to give you."
Feng Qingxue smiled softly, "If you only expect a return when helping others, can it still be called helping?"
The old lady was taken aback and heard her continue, "Moreover, my family is complete and happy, and I have no worries about food and clothing. Benefits are the least of my worries."
Although her rank wasn’t high and even if she were promoted in the future, she would most retire at the regint level, her husband was currently a deputy commander with great achievents, and they would continue to live in the upper echelons of power. Additionally, they possessed part of the Lu Family’s wealth and had a collection of items over the years, they were indeed powerful and wealthy. Could the old lady’s benefits compare with what they owned? No.
The old lady stared at Feng Qingxue’s face and eyes, finding no trace of deceit, her heart relaxed, and her face showed a slight sense of apology, "I was being overly suspicious. Thank you, comrade, for helping with the work."
"No need to thank ." Feng Qingxue carried the wooden bucket outside to place it on the flatbed piled with filled buckets. Having helped clean several toilets and delivered all the filled buckets of excrent to the septic tank, upon bidding farewell, she said, "The worst of tis have passed, and many people have been rehabilitated. Please be patient, you will surely see your own dawn."
The old lady was stunned, a hint of joy showing on her face, "I expected it too, just didn’t know when."
Feng Qingxue said earnestly, "The great leader just passed, it’s a ti of renewal and change. You need to be patient; once things at the top are sorted and smoothed out, naturally, they will attend to the situations below."
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