In her previous life, she received elite family education from a young age, and at sixteen, out of necessity, she took over the Kang Group, which was on the verge of bankruptcy. After that, she wholeheartedly devoted herself to the group's affairs while also instructing her brother, who was ten years her junior.
Normally, outside the education arranged by the family, raising children is the responsibility of the parents, but her father's favorite was his wife, her mother.
However, her mother's health was gravely impacted by giving birth to her brother Kang Yi, necessitating a long period of rest and recuperation. As her father was preoccupied with caring for his beloved wife, he had no interest in managing the group's affairs, leading to major problems within the company,
so, when she had just obtained her third doctoral degree, without any sense of shame, they dumped the burden of the Kang Group on her sixteen-year-old self.
With a sigh, Kang Li wasn't worried whether the group would encounter trouble following her sudden death.
The reason?
It was undoubtedly because she believed her seventeen-year-old brother would be able to take over the Kang Group as smoothly as she did. After all, Kang Yi, like his sister Kang Li, was a genius.
Moreover, with their father around, how could anything happen to the empire she had spent years building?
As her thoughts arrived at this point, Kang Li felt extremely at ease. She had experienced business success and reached heights that many of her peers found hard to match. Money, in her eyes, was just a number...
Now, for whatever reasons that had turned her into the youngest daughter of the Kang Family in the 1970s, and into a disposable character within a book, her only goal was to live as if she were retired,
so as not to experience once more the heart-wrenching responsibilities of her past life—struggling for the family, for the company, to the point where it cost her life at the age of twenty-seven due to unbearable stress.
Of course, since she was now the original character, the original character's family became her family. Throughout her lifetime, she would protect these relatives under her wings, ensuring they all remained safe and sound.
Oh, including Comrade Luo Yanqing and the three little brats, she'd protect them too!
They were all pitiful characters, cannon fodder in the main male and female leads' path to the peak of life. With her around in the future, it didn't matter who the male or female lead was, or what the d*mn plot was.
She was going to be the one enjoying the show while casually taking care of the three brats with their dad and watching the drama of the main characters' family unfold.
"That's what you're saying, but who knows the specifics?"
The voice of Cai Xiufen, tinged with anger, pulled Kang Li's thoughts back. Her attractive lips pursed slightly, then she imitated the original character, nuzzling her mother's arm with her head and sweetly whined:
"Mom, Comrade Luo looks much better than Zhou Weimin. I fell in love with him the moment I saw his photo. Please agree to this marriage with Comrade Luo,
otherwise, I won't be able to eat or sleep well, and I'm bound to lose weight drastically in just a few days. In the end, you'll be the one who feels the most heartache! Besides, dad has already brought back our marriage certificate from Comrade Luo. If we back out now, we'd be breaking trust with people, and that would be disgraceful."
"Let whoever wants to talk, talk. I'm not afraid!"
Cai Xiufen retorted offhandedly.
"I know Mom isn't afraid, and neither are Dad, my brother and sister-in-law, nor my nephews. But I don't want our family to be talked about by others.
Mom, ever since I was born, I've grown up being pampered by the family. I can't be selfish; I want the whole family to be happy."
Cai Xiufen looked at her daughter with a gaze full of pity, seeing the girl's eyes carry not a trace of evasion and her expression being sincere, she couldn't help but soften a bit, "Have you really decided?"
"Mm."
Kang Li nodded firmly, her clear, bright eyes filled with innocence and joy, "I love children. Besides, you know, Mom, I usually take care of the little nephews at home, playing with them and teaching them to read and do arithmetic!"
This was the truth; the original character's nephews, those older than her, actively helped their parents by working and earning work points when they weren't in school. The littler ones, nicknamed Radish Heads, would heed her every command, doing whatever she asked of them.
Cai Xiufen didn't speak for a long time.
"Mother-in-law, just relax. Our Li Bao is so smart, she'll definitely lead a good life. Oh, and I forgot to mention,
Director Wu's old leader also asked Director Wu to pass on a message to us, saying they would arrange a job for Li Bao in North City, with an official position,"
As soon as Captain Kang said this, besides Kang Li, everyone else in the hall widened their eyes.
A job with an official designation meant being a formal employee, receiving commodity grain, and drawing a salary every month…
Kang Guowei asked, "Dad, are they trying to trick our Li Bao?"
"Impossible."
Captain Kang shook his head, then continued, "I trust Director Wu's character. If he said they would arrange a job for Li Bao, then they definitely will."
However, aside from Captain Kang and the person involved, Kang Li, after their initial astonishment, the other members of the Kang Family still did not look favorably upon Kang Li marrying a twice-widowed man and becoming a stepmother.
They were worried, concerned that their precious daughter (sister, younger aunt) would be mistreated in North City, worried about her having no family members nearby to rely on. She was as beautiful as a celestial being,
but her body was frail. They feared the girl (sister, younger aunt) would hide under the covers and cry, trapping herself in her sorrow and potentially causing a serious health issue.
However, no one said anything, because they could see that the girl (sister, younger aunt) was determined, and they feared that anything they said now would be in vain.
"Dad, I have something I'd like to discuss with Director Wu."
Go to work? How could that be possible?! She was set on being a salty fish, asking her to work, no!
"...You want to see Director Wu?"
Captain Kang and everyone else in the house turned their gaze to Kang Li.
"Yes, I want to go to the Commune to see Director Wu. I have something to discuss with him. Dad, can you accompany me this afternoon?"
Kang Li batted her eyelashes, her clear eyes full of hope and trust.
"Alright, Dad will accompany you. But you still have an injury on your head. If something happens on the way, your mother would probably blame me!"
As he said this, Captain Kang cautiously glanced at his spouse.
"It's nothing, my head doesn't hurt anymore."
She raised her hand to touch the back of her head, shook her head, and smiled sweetly.
The original owner's head was wrapped in a white bandage, and although there was no major injury at the back of the head, just a small protrusion and a bit of scraped skin, it was nothing serious.
"Li Bao, what do you need to talk to Director Wu about?"
Cai Xiufen asked at that moment.
"It's a secret for now."
With a playful wink, Kang Li said to her family members seated in the hall, "I'm tired, I'll rest a little longer in the room, remember to call me when Dad leaves."
She had to think about how she could convince Director Wu to have his old leader transfer the job intended for her to her younger brother, Kang Guoan.
No matter whether the job was in North City or in their hometown, as long as it could be secured for her younger brother, that was all that mattered.
Why didn't she consider transferring the job to her nephew?
The reason was simple; she had more than one nephew, and two of them were of age to start working. If she gave the job to one and not the other, it could cause family conflicts.
Rather than stirring up such trouble, it was better not to consider the younger generation at all and let her younger brother, who graduated from high school with her last year, take over the highly coveted "iron rice bowl."