Greta wiped her tears quietly, looking so pitiful that Mrs. Lu and Mrs. Zane couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.
Mrs. Lu comforted her, "Don’t be afraid, Greta. As long as you’re not a spy, you won’t be thrown out. Trust the officials—they won’t misunderstand you."
Greta dabbed her eyes. "But I’m not from here. I just got married and haven’t even learned your dialect. They might think I’m a spy just because I’m an outsider. What do I do?"
Greta did have a point.
No one here had ever seen what a real spy looked like. Mrs. Lu and Mrs. Zane, being country folk with limited experience, figured spies had to be outsiders. So Greta’s accent made her seem suspicious.
Mrs. Zane felt really sorry for Greta and said to Mrs. Lu, "Mrs. Lu, Greta’s situation is so sad. If she loses this job, her husband’s family will never accept her. Shouldn’t we help her out?"
Greta immediately grabbed Mrs. Zane’s hand and said, "Sister Zane, you’re so kind. I’ll never forget what you’ve done for me."
Mrs. Lu also felt sorry for Greta. Both she and Mrs. Zane were simple, kind-hearted women, unable to stand seeing someone as pitiful as Greta suffer. Especially since they thought a gentle soul like Greta could never be a spy. If she was misunderstood because of her accent, she’d have nowhere to go.
Mrs. Lu said, "But... how can we help her? We can’t interfere in government business. If the officials insist Greta’s a spy just because she’s not local, what can we do?"
Mrs. Zane was worried too, but Greta took both their hands and said, "How about this—Mrs. Lu, you say I’m your distant niece and that you introduced me to marry into Qin. Sister Zane, you say you once visited our village and met me. If the officials get suspicious, just tell them that. They won’t think I’m a spy then."
Mrs. Lu and Mrs. Zane thought it over and didn’t object to Greta’s idea. It was just saying a few words to help her keep her job, and these two kind-hearted women were happy to do it.
Seeing Mrs. Lu and Mrs. Zane agree, Greta thanked them quickly, secretly relieved and happy.
The women workers whispered among themselves until the Female Supervisor walked in and said, "Everyone, stand up straight and line up. Don’t be nervous—this is just the final screening. After this, I’ll take you all for job training. Now, get in line. The officials are coming to check you."
The women workers had all been carefully selected, so they were obedient and easy to manage. Hearing the Female Supervisor’s words, they stopped whispering and lined up quietly.
Next, the Female Supervisor accompanied two government officials as they questioned each worker one by one, asking about household registration, address, family situation, and so on.
The two officials, it had to be said, had sharp eyes. After a brief round of questioning, they quickly singled out a woman who seemed suspicious.
She was a woman in her thirties. When she was pointed out, she burst into tears, sobbing, "I'm not a spy, I'm not! Please don't falsely accuse me!"
But no matter how much she cried, she was still taken away.
Greta glanced at the woman who'd been singled out and realized she actually knew her. Greta quickly ducked her head, thinking to herself, these officials really are sharp—this could get bad...