Chapter 11: Selling a Job

“I’m Song Yue.”

Song Yue stood at the doorway, listening to the approaching footsteps inside until they stopped at the door.

The sound of the latch being pulled echoed.

With a creak, the door swung open.

A pale little face came into Song Yue’s view.

“Song—” Yang Duo’s eyes lit up with joy when she saw Song Yue, but just as a smile began to form, she noticed the bandage wrapped around Song Yue’s head and froze. “What happened to your head?”

Song Yue smiled and replied, “I fell.”

Yang Duo asked worriedly, “Are you okay?”

Song Yue said, “It’s nothing serious.”

Yang Duo stepped aside, motioning for her to come in. “Why are you standing at the door? Come in first.”

Song Yue stepped inside.

Yang Duo shut the door behind her and went to pour some hot water.

Song Yue turned to look at her. “Have you secured a job yet?”

Yang Duo carried a cup of water over. “How could it be that easy? Now that the policy is in place, the quotas are even harder to get.”

She handed the cup to Song Yue. “Yueyue, have some water.”

Song Yue took it with both hands. “Thanks.”

Yang Duo was briefly taken aback before waving her hand dismissively. “Oh, come on, there’s no need for thanks between us.”

Song Yue smiled and took a sip.

It was sweet.

There was sugar in it.

Pressing her lips together slightly, she looked at Yang Duo. “Would you like my job?”

Yang Duo didn’t immediately react. “Huh?”

Song Yue continued, “If you want it, I’ll give you a friendship price—five hundred yuan.”

“What? Yueyue,” Yang Duo asked anxiously, “if you sell me your job, what about you?”

“My stepfather and stepmother didn’t want Song Tiezi to be sent to the countryside, so they had him take my job quota instead. To make that happen, they signed me up for the countryside placement program. There’s nothing I can do.”

“If you don’t want it, then I’ll just—”

“I want it!”

“I want it!” Yang Duo immediately shot up from her chair.

“Yueyue, your mother’s job was at the textile factory, right?”

Song Yue nodded. “Yes.”

Yang Duo grabbed Song Yue’s hand and pulled her along. “Perfect, my mom works at the textile factory too. Let’s go!”

“Let’s go find her!”

Song Yue wasn’t used to being pulled along, but to avoid making Yang Duo suspicious, she let her.

The textile factory wasn’t far from Yang Duo’s home, only about a ten-minute walk.

At the factory gate, the security guard recognized Yang Duo.

She greeted him and said she was here to see her mother.

The guard opened the gate for them.

Yang Duo led Song Yue inside, weaving through the factory until they reached the office.

Song Yue waited outside.

Yang Duo went in to find her mother, Chen Meiying.

In no time, the mother and daughter stormed out.

Chen Meiying led them to a secluded corner where almost no one passed by.

With a serious expression, she looked at Song Yue. “Yueyue, Duoduo has already told me everything.”

“Have you really thought this through? Once you give this job to Duoduo, you won’t be able to take it back.”

Song Yue smiled. “Auntie Chen, Duoduo probably told you already—I’m giving her this job because my stepmother signed me up for the countryside placement program.”

“Once I leave for the countryside, my stepbrother will take over my job. I refuse to let my mother’s job be taken by an outsider.”

“That’s why I want Duoduo to have it instead.”

Chen Meiying had heard about Song Yue’s situation from her daughter.

Hearing it directly from Song Yue, she looked at her with heartache, wanting to offer some comforting words but afraid of hurting her further.

After a brief hesitation, she let out a sigh. “Ah…”

Chen Meiying raised five fingers. “Duoduo said you’re asking for this amount?”

Song Yue nodded. “Yes.”

Chen Meiying sighed again. This foolish child didn’t even check the market rate before transferring her job.

Since the new policy was announced, job prices had doubled.

Regular jobs that used to cost only three or four hundred were now going for seven or eight hundred, and good jobs were reaching a thousand.

Chen Meiying said, “Alright, Auntie doesn’t want to take advantage of you.”

“I’ll add a little more.”

“I’ll give you this amount.”

She gestured six fingers and added, “Plus thirty grain coupons, ten fabric coupons, and twenty other ration coupons.”

“If that works for you, bring your household registration booklet to the factory gate tomorrow morning.”

Six hundred yuan plus the coupons added up to about six hundred fifty.

Song Yue had originally planned to give Duoduo a friendship price, but she hadn’t expected Chen Meiying to offer more.

She didn’t refuse. “That’s fine, but let’s settle everything today, Auntie Chen. Just to avoid any complications later.”

Chen Meiying understood what Song Yue meant—she was also worried about something going wrong at the last moment and her daughter losing the job.

She agreed to finalize it today.

After notifying the office, she hurried home to gather the money and coupons while Song Yue went to get her household registration booklet.

As long as they completed the process before the 5 p.m. shift ended, they could finalize the job transfer.

After parting ways with Yang Duo and her mother, Song Yue took the bus back.

Once she got off, she sprinted all the way home, charging up to the third floor in one breath.

But as she reached her floor, her sprint slowed to a walk. She pulled out her keys while approaching her door.

Just as she was about to unlock it, she realized something.

The lock was missing.

The door was tightly shut.

Did she go to the wrong unit? Or had one of the three family members returned home?

She hesitated, wondering if she had run too fast and mistaken the apartment.

She took a step back.

Just then, a woman’s voice came from inside.

A voice she didn’t recognize.

Song Yue: “?”

She glanced around. No, she hadn’t gone to the wrong unit.

This was definitely her home.

She leaned in close to the door.

The unfamiliar woman’s voice sounded again. “Song Tiezi, when are you going to have the matchmaker come propose?”

Song Tiezi’s fiancée?

Song Tiezi’s irritated voice followed. “Why are you asking about that again?”

“I already told you—once my job is secured, I’ll have my mom arrange it.”

The woman pressed, “And when will that be?”

“Soon, in the next couple of days.”

“You said that last time, but it’s been days and nothing’s happened.”

“That’s because the person you arranged was unreliable. That useless money-drainer managed to run back!”

The woman giggled. “No worries. If she ran back, we’ll just sell her off again.”

Song Yue listened to their conversation, her gaze turning ice-cold.

So… the original host’s kidnapping?

This woman inside had played a role in it too?

Excellent.

Song Tiezi’s voice rang out again. “Listen, from now on, don’t come looking for me. I’ll go to you instead. It’s not a good look if people see you here.”

“What’s the big deal? Besides—”

“Idiot… you’re going to marry me, right? If people find out you were sneaking into my room before marriage, what will they think of you?”

“You’re so thoughtful.”

“Now, go. I’ll walk you out.”

“Okay.”

Hearing this, Song Yue didn’t stay at the door to ambush them.

Instead, she turned and bolted up the stairs leading to the rooftop, hiding there.

Beating them up?

That would be too easy.

She needed a way to send both of them straight to prison!

From her hiding spot, she heard the door creak open.

Two sets of footsteps moved away.

One headed downstairs, while the other stopped at the staircase landing.

A few minutes later, the sound of descending footsteps faded completely.

Then, Song Tiezi’s low voice cursed, “That worthless trash… she really thinks I’d marry her?”

“Keep dreaming.”