Chapter 29

Picking a Fight and Getting Shut Down

Xu Xiaoyao stepped into the courtyard just in time to catch the comment, but she didn’t get angry. “You brat! I’m a bootlicker and proud of it. What can you do about it?”

Catching him badmouthing her, He Xiaobao wasn’t fazed. “Pathetic. She got a job as a worker, and you’re still nothing. You hang around Xu Jiajia all day—did her success rub off on you?”

Wang Dani chimed in, “Exactly! Why bother trailing after her every day?”

Xu Xiaoyao lifted her chin, looking proud. “Who says it didn’t rub off? Jiajia’s going to follow the army, and she’s giving me her job. Tomorrow at eight, I’ll report for duty and even move my household registration. Soon, I’ll be a city person too!”

Wang Dani was dumbfounded. It took her a moment to react before she looked at Xu Xiaoyao in excitement. “Is that true?”

Xu Xiaoyao snorted. “What, do I look like I’d lie about it?”

Wang Dani immediately knelt at the courtyard gate and knocked her head on the ground three times. “Oh, thank you, ancestors! Our family finally has a worker!”

Xu Xiaoyao scoffed, “The ancestors didn’t arrange this.”

Wang Dani got up and asked, “Did that Xu girl say how much you’d earn a month?”

Xu Xiaoyao replied, “Five yuan.”

She didn’t dare tell Wang Dani it was actually fifteen yuan.

If she did, Wang Dani would take every last penny.

Unlike her four older sisters, Xu Xiaoyao wasn’t about to sacrifice herself for her family.

Wang Dani froze. Had she misheard? “Isn’t a worker’s salary supposed to be twenty or thirty yuan? How is it only five?”

Xu Xiaoyao stared straight at Wang Dani. “What, is that too little? If you think it’s too little, I’ll tell Jiajia you won’t let me take the job!”

With that, she turned to leave.

Panicking, Wang Dani grabbed her arm. “I don’t think it’s too little! It’s just… different from what people say.”

“Of course, it’s different. That’s Jiajia’s personal arrangement. Even if it’s just five yuan, I’d still go just to become a city person!”

Wang Dani: “…”

Five yuan a month. Sixty yuan a year.

Not bad, actually.

Once Wang Dani came around, she nodded. “A city household registration makes it easier to find a husband. Then you can marry another worker, and our family will have two workers!”

Wang Dani’s dream was rosy, but Xu Xiaoyao quickly shattered it. “I’m not marrying a worker. I’m marrying a soldier.”

Wang Dani: “…”

Excited by the thought, Xu Xiaoyao barely slept that night.

The next day, she arrived to meet Xu Jiajia with panda eyes.

Xu Jiajia couldn’t help but laugh. “Was it really that thrilling?”

Xu Xiaoyao nodded enthusiastically. “Of course! Becoming a worker is something everyone dreams of. How could I not be excited?”

Compared to her, Xu Jiajia was much calmer. “Work hard. I’ve heard that if you do well, you can earn awards. There are many types, like ‘Five-Good Worker,’ ‘Active Participant,’ and ‘Outstanding Producer.’”

Xu Xiaoyao’s eyes sparkled. “Will there be a raise?”

Xu Jiajia smiled. “Probably.”

Motivated, Xu Xiaoyao beamed. “I’ll work my hardest!”

The team had an ox cart scheduled to leave at six in the morning.

The cart was full of people from the team.

When they heard Xu Xiaoyao was going to the sugar factory to report, they were full of envy.

“It’s all about education these days!”

“Who can afford it? Studying in town costs a lot, plus you have to bring your own food.”

“Do you think finishing high school guarantees a job as a worker? If it were that simple, there wouldn’t be so many educated youth still around.”

“At the end of the day, it’s Jiajia who’s truly smart!”

“I agree with that. I heard about the internal recruitment at the factory—hundreds signed up, but only two or three were selected. The competition is incredibly tough.”

As everyone discussed, they occasionally glanced at Xu Jiajia, making her feel a bit embarrassed.

Since everyone was looking at her, not saying anything would make her seem unfriendly, so she spoke up: “There are specific requirements for applying. For children of workers, a middle school diploma is enough. For people like us, a high school diploma is required.

As for the exam, honestly, if you memorize all the materials and review past test papers, it’s not hard to do well.”

She specifically said “memorize,” not just “review.”

Some people skim through the materials without actually memorizing them. During the exam, they find everything vaguely familiar but make constant mistakes when answering questions.

“Were the materials purchased?” someone asked.

Xu Jiajia shook her head. “The materials can’t be bought outside. They’re issued by state-run factories, but without connections, you can’t get them.”

This statement dampened everyone’s spirits.

Sigh.

For ordinary folks, becoming a worker is harder than reaching the heavens!

Xu Xiaoyao also knew it was hard to become a worker, but she hadn’t realized it was this difficult. She grabbed Xu Jiajia’s hand, her face full of gratitude: “Jiajia, thank you so much. Don’t worry, I’ll work hard, strive for awards, and aim for raises.”

Upon reaching the town, Xu Jiajia and Xu Xiaoyao headed straight for the sugar factory.

When they arrived, Chen Ji was already waiting.

The moment he saw Xu Jiajia, his energy spiked: “Sis, you’re here! Here are the materials.”

Xu Jiajia accepted the materials. “Thank you—”

Chen Ji waved it off. “No need, no need. I have something to discuss with you. While I really want it, it ultimately depends on you and your family.”

Xu Jiajia raised an eyebrow at Chen Ji. “Go on, say it.”

Being stared at by Xu Jiajia made Chen Ji feel uncomfortable, and he lost his nerve instantly: “Well, um, I…”

Xu Jiajia, needing to handle work handovers, had no patience for his stammering: “Either speak clearly, or don’t say anything!”

Chen Ji took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and blurted it out in one go: “I—I want to recognize Uncle Xu as my godfather. That way, we’ll be family.”

Xu Jiajia had thought Chen Ji was joking before and didn’t expect him to be serious. “Do your parents know about this?”

Adopting someone as family was no trivial matter.

Chen Ji grinned widely. “Of course, they know. My dad initially wanted to recognize you as his goddaughter, but I thought it’d be better if I recognized Uncle Xu instead.”

Xu Jiajia couldn’t make sense of Chen Ji’s family’s thought process. “Well, I can’t decide that. I need to go back and ask my dad.”

Chen Ji had anticipated this response, so he wasn’t disappointed at all: “Alright, I’ll wait for your good news.”

With that, Chen Ji left after delivering his message.

Xu Xiaoyao, witnessing this scene, found it surreal: “Jiajia, weren’t city folks supposed to be arrogant?”

Xu Jiajia also wondered about this, but she didn’t sense any malice from Chen Ji. Besides, Gua Gua had said the Chen family was kind and trustworthy.

“Maybe the Chen family is just different.”

When they arrived at the office, the same leader from yesterday greeted them.

“Comrade Leader, I’m going to accompany my husband on his deployment, and I’d like to give my position to my sister.”

The leader was stunned. “You’re not taking the position yourself?”

Xu Jiajia nodded. “That’s correct—”

The sugar factory director walked in just as she said this and exploded with anger: “If you were going to follow your husband, why did you even take the exam?

Do you know how many people lost hope because of this test?”

The real reason for his anger wasn’t that.

It was because his nephew ranked fourth.

If Xu Jiajia hadn’t taken the exam, his nephew would have been selected.