Chapter 68 - 24: "I Can

Chapter 68: Chapter 24: "I Can

Bangbang exclaimed, the envy on his face unconcealed. "Your auntie even took you to see a movie and eat popsicles! You two had a great day, huh?"

Laimei’s attention was focused on the part about the phone call. She grabbed Da Zai’s hand and asked excitedly, "Da Zai, Er Zai, you got to touch the telephone? What did it look like?"

Er Zai was eager to share. "The shredded pork noodles at the state-run restaurant were huge! My mom, my brother, and I shared one bowl, and we were all stuffed! We had to bring the other two dishes back home."

"The telephone is long, with a little ear on each side," he described, trying his best.

Tie Chui asked expectantly, "Er Zai, what movie did you see?"

"Tunnel Warfare! It was so good! My mom said she’ll take us to see them often from now on," Er Zai said proudly.

Tie Chui was incredibly curious and asked again, "Er Zai, can you tell us about it?"

"Sure!" Er Zai began to tell them the story.

The Gu family children listened intently.

Da Zai didn’t stay long. He said a word to Mother Gu and headed home, as he still had to help his mother with chores.

Mother Gu overheard some of the conversation. She went back to the main house, sat on the kang, and said, wincing at the thought of the expense, "Our third daughter-in-law must have spent quite a bit on this trip, didn’t she?"

Father Gu glanced at her. "The family is split."

"Going to the state-run restaurant, then a movie, and eating popsicles... that must have cost at least five yuan. How can these young people be so clueless about managing a household? Earning money isn’t easy," Mother Gu sighed.

Father Gu repeated, "The family is split."

Mother Gu glared. "I know the family is split! I don’t need you to keep reminding me."

"..." Father Gu said no more.

-

「The next morning」

Lin Zhao went to the brigade office to get a letter of introduction.

The brigade leader wasn’t surprised at all. He knew what she wanted the moment he saw her. "Here for a letter of introduction?"

"Yes."

But when Lin Zhao explained what the letter of introduction was for, the fountain pen in the brigade leader’s hand dropped onto the desk with a CLATTER.

He quickly snapped out of his daze, scrambled to pick it up, and anxiously checked it for damage. He only relaxed after confirming it wasn’t broken.

’Wait, what did I just hear?’

’The Gu family’s third daughter-in-law is transferring her grain and oil registration? She’s becoming a city dweller?!!’

"The supply and marketing cooperative?" the brigade leader asked.

A smile played in Lin Zhao’s eyes. "That’s right."

"As a salesperson?"

"Correct." Lin Zhao nodded in confirmation.

The brigade leader’s whole expression changed. He looked at her eagerly. "Is the county’s supply and marketing cooperative hiring?"

"Not that I’ve heard."

The brigade leader grew anxious and pressed, "Then how did you get this job?"

Lin Zhao’s smile deepened, her tone lilting upward. "I’m a high school graduate. Is it that hard to find a job?"

’I’m not about to cause any trouble for my Comrade Gu.’

’Besides, if I weren’t a high school graduate, I could forget about a job this good.’

’Of course, the most important factors were still connections and luck.’

The brigade leader was left speechless.

"Brigade Leader, could you please hurry? I’m in a rush," Lin Zhao urged.

’I won’t be able to rest easy until my grain registration is successfully transferred.’

’After all, before I got married, my maternal uncle found a job for me, but I was just half an hour too late, and the position was gone.’

Not daring to cause a delay, the brigade leader sat down and wrote the letter of introduction.

He finished writing with a few quick strokes of his pen and handed it to Lin Zhao.

"You’re about to become our brigade’s only state-employed worker. If you hear about any job openings in the future, don’t forget to pass the word along. We’ll make it worth your while."

Lin Zhao took the letter of introduction and scanned it. After confirming there were no issues, she folded it, put it away safely, and smiled. "Of course. I’m a member of this brigade. If something good comes up, I’ll naturally think of our people here."

The brigade leader was about to say something else when a commotion erupted in the courtyard outside.

"I’ll be going, then," Lin Zhao said, and she left the brigade office.

Outside, she saw some unfamiliar faces.

They were the educated youth who had been sent down to the countryside.

In the original book, the educated youth spelled trouble. Lin Zhao merely gave them a passing glance before quickening her pace to leave.

"Who’s that?" a newly arrived female educated youth asked. "Is she also an educated youth?"

Judging by her clothes, her style, and the fairness of her skin, she didn’t look like a country person. She looked more like a city girl than the actual city girls did.

"That’s Lin Zhao, a daughter-in-law of the Gu family. She’s the one who gave birth to a set of identical twins and a set of fraternal twins," someone who recognized Lin Zhao explained. "She’s a family dependent, not one of us. She’s arrogant and a real handful. You don’t want to mess with her, so steer clear."

The newly arrived girl was skeptical. ’She doesn’t seem like that at all,’ she thought.

When the brigade leader came out and saw the group of educated youth waiting for him, a deep frown creased his forehead.

"Now what do you want?"

The group leader from the Educated Youth Courtyard remembered their official business and said hurriedly, "Brigade Leader, several more educated youth have arrived, and there’s simply not enough room at the youth point. We’re all crammed into one room, so crowded we can’t even turn over in our sleep. We came to ask if the brigade could help us build a few more rooms."

The brigade leader already had this in mind. "Expansion is possible, but not right now."

"Why not?" one of the new male educated youth demanded. He had never endured hardship in the city and knew nothing about the "double rush" harvest season. Thinking the brigade leader was just giving them the runaround, he was clearly displeased.