Cannon Fodder Husband Ch.685-686

Chapter 685 – Employee Housing Benefits

These housing benefits were not limited to factory workers alone; all departments of Xia Lin’s company had the same rights.

Although the location of these buildings appeared quite far from the city center, it was still real estate! In the current real estate market, buying an apartment in the capital would cost tens of thousands of yuan. The fact that the company was offering them for free left the employees with no room for hesitation.

The company’s staff not only found this arrangement good but were also particularly satisfied and excited. During holidays, many employees would take the company’s transportation to visit the construction site and eagerly anticipate the completion of these houses. After all, according to the company’s information, these apartments were truly affordable.

Even Ye Lin, Master Zhong, and others were very pleased and urged Lu Xia to reserve apartments for them.

Lu Xia had already made plans for this. Most of the apartments were one or two-bedroom units with sizes ranging from 30 to 80 square meters. The larger ones were designated for the company’s management team, but she had also specially built a few larger apartments, over 100 square meters, for the company’s partners.

Before the construction had even begun, it had already attracted a lot of attention. Over the past couple of years, the company had given away various gifts at its annual banquets, making it well-known in the city that the employees enjoyed great benefits.

Previously, the company had distributed home appliances and bicycles, which were within reach for ordinary people. However, the announcement of providing apartments was a big surprise.

Therefore, after hearing about these benefits, it seemed like everyone in the city wanted to join their company. The company’s current employees were constantly bombarded with inquiries from family and friends asking if they could help secure a job for someone they knew.

At times like these, they felt particularly proud of their achievements.

…

During this period, Ye Lin informed Lu Xia that their company had been recognized as one of the top ten emerging enterprises in China for the year and needed someone to attend the awards ceremony. Initially, Ye Lin wanted Lu Xia to go, but as expected, Lu Xia outright declined the offer.

So, with a five-month baby bump, Ye Lin attended the awards ceremony.

The next day, this achievement made it to the People’s Daily, reaching a nationwide audience. It was at this point that Lu Xia realized that their company had truly reached a different level.

…

Time passed quickly, and before she knew it, Lu Xia had completed her graduate studies. However, Professor Lin was quite fond of her and believed she had great potential, so he convinced her to pursue a Ph.D.

In this day and age, Ph.D. positions were in demand, and Lu Xia was offered direct admission without the need for an entrance exam. By the time she started her Ph.D., her schedule had lightened up, allowing her to help Professor Lin supervise his graduate students.

In terms of teaching, her excellent performance led to her taking on additional responsibilities. Starting two years ago, she not only taught English but also took on the role of a Japanese language instructor.

This made her schedule a bit busier, but it came with a considerable increase in her salary. In the fall of the current year, she unexpectedly had the opportunity to be promoted to an associate professor.

However, to be honest, many of her colleagues in the English department had more experience and seniority than her. She was selected primarily because of her educational qualifications, as higher degrees had become part of the criteria for academic titles in recent years.

This made some of her colleagues who had only completed their undergraduate degrees regret their choices. They had originally adopted a relaxed attitude towards career advancement but were now facing new educational requirements. Some began studying to improve their qualifications, while others contemplated giving up.

In any case, they all admired Lu Xia, especially because she managed to pursue higher education while excelling in her job. With a Ph.D. now under her belt, her qualifications set her apart from her colleagues.

As a result, her promotion was met with little resistance or complaint from her peers.

*

Chapter 686 – Sacrifice

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In her early thirties, Lu Xia had become an associate professor.

During the past two years, Jiang Junmo’s career had been progressing well, and he had already become the head of his unit. The architectural designs he produced were gaining recognition in the industry, especially since he spent a year in France for further education, which greatly expanded his knowledge and expertise. He was known for designing buildings that seamlessly combined practicality with innovation, making many organizations eager to involve him in their projects.

As for their children, Kang Kang had already entered junior high school and had grown significantly in height due to his regular exercise routine. He had inherited the best traits of Lu Xia and Jiang Junmo and had become a standout figure on the school’s basketball court. Every time Lu Xia saw him, she wondered who would be fortunate enough to have her handsome and athletic eldest son in the future.

The three younger children had started elementary school, and while they weren’t as steady as their older brother, they had outgrown their early childhood mischief. Nonetheless, with four children in the house, it was still quite noisy every day.

…

They had recently moved back to their small courtyard. When Jiang Junmo was chosen for an international exchange program last year, he was initially reluctant to leave home. Lu Xia, however, didn’t want him to miss out on such a great opportunity, so she insisted that he go. Since he was concerned about their children living on their own, Lu Xia and the kids moved to the large courtyard and stayed with Grandfather Jiang for a year. It wasn’t until recently that she and Jiang Junmo moved back.

However, they now spent every weekend at the large courtyard. Grandfather Jiang’s health had been deteriorating since last year. Although he had not yet reached the age of eighty, his earlier injuries sustained during his military service had taken a toll on his health.

Fortunately, when Lu Xia had been living there the previous year, she had often used the spiritual spring water to cook, which had greatly improved his health.

However, Grandfather Jiang couldn’t stay still; he was out and about every day, taking the dogs for a walk and enjoying a rather leisurely life. But maybe it was his age catching up with him, as he always missed the younger generation.

When Lu Xia and the kids left, the only one left at home was Ningning, who happened to be quite introverted and rarely spoke. She was timid, and even Grandfather Jiang dared not tease her. So Lu Xia and the kids often visited to keep him company.

…

After their recent return from the large courtyard, Lu Xia received a call from Yu Wan.

Two years ago, Yu Wan had given birth to a daughter, whom she and Chang Yi cherished. Even Grandfather Chang loved the baby girl, and it seemed that having a great-granddaughter made him feel much younger. He often took the baby to the private restaurant for visits. Now that Chang Yi had completed his apprenticeship and was running the kitchen, the restaurant was not too busy, which made Grandfather Chang feel much lighter. He spent his days playing with his great-granddaughter.

However, the phone call from Yu Wan this time left Lu Xia visibly upset. When Jiang Junmo arrived and saw her sitting in silence with a pale face and teary eyes, he became concerned.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?” he asked.

Lu Xia looked at him, and her red eyes finally let out tears.

“Chu Liangchen… he’s gone!” she said.

Jiang Junmo’s face turned grave, and he silently came over to hold her.

At this moment, neither of them spoke, just seeking solace in each other’s embrace.

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