Chapter 21: Prelude to Selling the Job

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The sharp-faced girl who had snapped at Xu Qinghuan during registration was named Kong Lijuan, and the middle-aged woman with slanted eyes in charge of registration that day was her aunt. To avoid any conflict of interest, she did not come to proctor the exam today. However, her aunt had said that as long as the scores were acceptable, Kong Lijuan could be admitted.

Kong Lijuan felt a bit unsettled and disdainful when she saw Xu Qinghuan submit her exam paper first. So what if she handed it in early? She didn’t believe Xu Qinghuan’s foreign language skills could surpass hers.

As long as factories weren’t conducting mass recruitments, they usually recruited targeted individuals. If they hired two people, at least one position was a reserved spot for a particular candidate; if only one person was hired, the choice was almost certainly predetermined.

This lighting factory’s recruitment exam was practically tailored for Kong Lijuan, as she had even known the test questions in advance.

For the final translation question, she had someone prepare the answer for her beforehand, so all she needed to do was memorize it.

Xu Qinghuan’s act of handing in her exam interrupted Kong Lijuan’s train of thought, momentarily leaving her unsure how to proceed.

Fortunately, after pondering for a moment, she managed to grasp something and eventually recalled what to write, though it still felt off. Time, however, was running out.

“Time to submit your papers. I’ll count to three; if you haven’t turned yours in by then, you won’t be allowed to submit anymore,” the proctor announced.

Reluctantly, Kong Lijuan stood up and handed in her paper.

Outside the exam hall, Xu Qinghuan waited. As soon as Zhou Xinyan emerged, she ran over and linked arms with her. “Let’s go, Huanhuan. We’ll grab something to eat and have a chat.”

“Alright, but it’s still early now. Can you come with me to take care of something first?” Xu Qinghuan glanced at the clock—half past ten—and knew the state-run restaurant wouldn’t be serving yet.

“Sure! What do you need to do? I’ll come with you!” Zhou Xinyan didn’t even ask what the errand was and took the lead.

Kong Lijuan quickly stepped forward, “How did you two do? Did you answer the last big question?”

Xu Qinghuan understood the smug look on her face—she was confident and wanted to show off.

Confident in her own answers but modest enough to recognize there were always others better, Xu Qinghuan nodded slightly. “Yes, I answered it. I wouldn’t leave it blank.”

Kong Lijuan was satisfied with that and then asked Zhou Xinyan, “What about you? You didn’t leave it blank, did you?”

Zhou Xinyan frowned, annoyed. “Who are you to care if I left it blank or not?”

She tugged at Xu Qinghuan’s arm. “Let’s go. Ignore her!”

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Zhou Xinyan wasn’t upset and smiled. “She’s just angry because she’s embarrassed. Too bad—it doesn’t matter. If you can’t pass, you can’t pass!”

Xu Qinghuan furrowed her brow. Why was this girl like that? But since Zhou Xinyan had already pulled her far away, she didn’t bother responding to Kong Lijuan anymore.

“Do you know her?” Xu Qinghuan asked curiously.

“High school classmate. Her grades were terrible. I really don’t know where she got the confidence to mock me!” Zhou Xinyan had just graduated from high school and hadn’t yet entered society, innocent as a blank sheet of paper.

“I was at least the English class monitor. If I couldn’t answer the last question, I can guarantee she couldn’t even write a single word.”

Judging from Kong Lijuan’s earlier expression, Xu Qinghuan doubted she was truly that incapable.

“How did you do on the last question?” Xu Qinghuan asked. It was a long translation section involving several proper nouns.

“I translated about sixty to seventy percent,” Zhou Xinyan sighed, not wanting to dwell on the unpleasant topic. “If I don’t pass, I don’t pass. If worse comes to worst, I’ll think about going to the countryside. After all, it won’t be just me as a sent-down youth. Come on, what do you need to do?”

They were close to Yong’an Department Store. After walking for about ten minutes, Xu Qinghuan retrieved clothes and cotton quilts with a slip of paper.

A full set of winter clothes, one ten-pound quilt, and one five-pound quilt—altogether weighing over twenty pounds.

The ten-pound quilt was sized 1.8 meters by 2 meters, as Xu Qinghuan preferred larger quilts and disliked the currently popular size of 1.5 meters by 2 meters.

No matter how you looked at it, it was quite a pile.

Zhou Xinyan thought Xu Qinghuan was going to carry them home, so she helped with the smaller quilt. But when Xu Qinghuan went to the post office to send them, filling out the address as Hongqi Commune, Shangjiang Brigade, Anping County, Heilongjiang Province, with herself as the recipient, Zhou Xinyan was even more surprised.

“Qinghuan, what’s going on?” Zhou Xinyan asked.

After sending everything off, Xu Qinghuan clapped her hands and smiled. “Because I’m preparing to go to the countryside!”

“But you took the exam. What if you pass?” Zhou Xinyan was anxious. “Aren’t you going to stay in the city?”

From the first moment she met Zhou Xinyan, Xu Qinghuan knew this girl came from a privileged background. Later, from their conversation, she learned some inside information about this exam, such as the foreign language section.

Xu Qinghuan knew Zhou Xinyan must have some backing at the lighting factory.

She smiled and said, “I mean, if—I pass and you don’t—do you want me to sell you my job?”

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Zhou Xinyan was stunned for a moment, then more confused. “Qinghuan, you don’t want to stay in the city?”

Xu Qinghuan shook her head firmly. “My father sacrificed himself for the country. My mother remarried when I was three. I have no home—no family. I’m dependent on others. If I go to the countryside, the world there will be broader. I want to take control of my own destiny!”

She didn’t seek pity. Her words were somewhat vague, but somehow Zhou Xinyan inexplicably felt sorry for this friend she had only known for two days. She couldn’t help but put an arm around her. “Qinghuan, life in the countryside is tough!”

Time was running late, so Xu Qinghuan took her hand. “Let’s go eat. The results aren’t out yet. It’s too early to talk about this.”

They arrived at the state-run restaurant and unexpectedly ran into Xu Manman and Jiang Chengxu. Seeing them enter, Xu Manman waved, “Sister, over here!”

Zhou Xinyan looked at Xu Qinghuan with a puzzled expression. Xu Qinghuan shook her head lightly and walked over.

On their table were a bowl of braised pork, a bowl of Kung Pao chicken, and two bowls of plain white rice.

Jiang Chengxu scooted over and said, “Sit down. Whatever you want to eat, I’ll buy it.”

“No need,” Xu Qinghuan smiled. “I came with a friend, and she’s treating me!”

Without any hint, Zhou Xinyan quickly chimed in, “Yeah, yeah, I already said I wanted to treat Huanhuan. Come on, Huanhuan, I’ll treat you to braised pork.”

“No thanks, I’ll just have a bowl of plain noodles.” Xu Qinghuan was pulled away. “I can’t let you spend so much!”

Behind them, Xu Manman called out, “Sister, if you buy noodles, come over. We’ll save some braised pork for you.”

Xu Qinghuan pretended not to hear.

While waiting in line, Zhou Xinyan kept sneaking glances at Jiang Chengxu. “Your fiancé must be blind. He can’t see such a beauty like you. Instead, he likes that fake, pretentious girl who just plays the helpless cousin?”

One had to admit, Zhou Xinyan’s eyes were sharp.

“I’ll give you the money later. I can’t now,” Xu Qinghuan whispered.

She didn’t want those two to know she had money on her.