Chapter 43: Three Years Passed in a Flash (Part 2)

As Mu Mian stepped through the door, carrying the rabbit she had brought back, she immediately saw her older cousin Mu Wan sitting with their grandmother, chatting happily.

The two of them were engaged in an animated conversation, clearly enjoying themselves.

Mu Mian didn’t even need to ask—she already knew what Mu Wan was up to. She was definitely here to learn from the old lady again.

Speaking of which, this all had to do with a major event happening in the brigade.

For their family, the biggest news was that Mu Zhuo was coming home soon.

For the entire brigade, however, there was another piece of earth-shattering good news—

The city was building a machinery factory in their commune!

Up until now, their commune had never had a machinery factory. They only had small factories for food processing, textiles, and other necessities, and each factory had very few workers. They couldn’t compare to the large factories in the county or the city.

A machinery factory, on the other hand, required both precision equipment and skilled workers—something their commune had never been able to manage before.

But now, a new branch factory from the city was being established right here!

Preparations were already complete, and recruitment was about to begin. They were hiring more than two hundred workers from the commune!

The moment this news broke, the entire commune erupted in excitement.

Two hundred positions!

Workers were needed for all kinds of roles, and securing a factory job was a rare and precious opportunity.

It was like manna from heaven—something people might not encounter even once in ten years!

So lately, everyone had been putting in extra effort. Some people had even become so obsessed that they were studying while walking.

The recruitment requirements had already been posted.

Even though they were hiring a lot of people, most positions required an exam. If you couldn’t pass, there was no way in.

Some jobs even had education requirements. For example, office positions that involved clerical work required at least a high school diploma.

This was when people truly realized how valuable education could be—take Mu Wan’s own sister, Mu Qiu, for example.

She had excellent timing. After finishing junior high, she had successfully passed the entrance exams and gotten into high school.

Just this month, she had received her graduation certificate—just in time for recruitment!

She hadn’t planned for this, but luck was definitely on her side.

Compared to her sister, Mu Wan was much less academically inclined—even more so than Xu Lele.

Despite having a high school graduate as her own sister and an academically gifted cousin, Mu Mian, who were both willing to help her study, Mu Wan had outright refused to learn.

She claimed she just couldn’t absorb the material—her brain hurt the moment she opened a book.

As a result, she had only managed to get her elementary school certificate and hadn’t even made it into junior high.

Instead, she had thrown herself entirely into the kitchen, fully focused on her passion for cooking.

Now that recruitment was happening, Mu Wan had her eyes set on the factory’s cafeteria. That job didn’t require a written exam—just a cooking test.

So, worried that she lacked experience, she had been coming over to learn from the old lady every day.

When she saw Mu Mian walk in, Mu Wan turned her head and casually asked, “Xiao Mian, what are you carrying?”

Mu Mian shook the bag slightly. “A rabbit. It’s huge—really fat!”

Mu Wan’s eyes immediately lit up with excitement. “A rabbit! Let me cook it for you!”

Meat!

Their family rarely had the chance to cook meat, so she had to take every opportunity to practice.

Mu Mian laughed. “Sure! I’d love that.”

But before they could start cooking, they had to skin and clean the rabbit first. The two sisters didn’t let the old lady do the work. Instead, they squatted down together and handled it themselves while chatting.

As the recruitment deadline approached, even the usually carefree Mu Wan was visibly nervous. “Xiao Mian, do you think a lot of people will want to work in the cafeteria? I bet a ton of aunties will apply. What if I don’t get selected?”

Mu Mian kept working as she spoke. “You’ll be fine! Your cooking is way better than most of those aunties.”

She wasn’t just saying that to make Mu Wan feel better—it was the truth.

And honestly, Mu Wan’s chances were looking pretty good.

While the cafeteria job didn’t have strict education requirements, candidates still needed to know the basics—like reading and arithmetic.

After all, they had to keep track of how much food was brought in and how much was used each day. If they couldn’t manage that, the job would be impossible.

Mu Wan had no issues with any of these things. The only possible disadvantage was her age—she was simply too young.

Although the concept of child labor didn’t exist in this era, Mu Wan had only just turned fifteen. Her birthday was in July.

At this age, in the countryside, she would already be considered a major workforce in the family. But for city jobs like these, she would likely have to start as an apprentice.

Even so, being an apprentice wasn’t bad. The pay was around ten yuan per month.

If she were skilled, the supervisors in the logistics department would surely take notice. It would probably take about a year for her to become a full-time employee.

Mu Mian had this thought in her mind, and she analyzed it the same way for Mu Wan.

Mu Wan listened carefully, pondered for a moment, then leaned in close and started rubbing her head against her little cousin’s round head.

“What you said makes a lot of sense, but I still think it’s more practical if you let me rub off some of your luck.”

When her elder sister was preparing for junior high school exams, she had been extremely nervous. But after pinching Mu Mian, she performed exceptionally well. The same thing happened when she was taking her high school entrance exam.

Mu Mian, who was nearly rubbed into a frizzed mess: “………”

Alright then. Even though she didn’t believe she had such a special effect, if it made her cousin feel more at ease, she was willing to lend her head.

What else could she do? This was her dear cousin—she had to spoil her~

—-

By dusk, the kitchen was already filled with the rich aroma of food when Comrade Liu Shuangcui returned from work.

The big dog, Shiyi, sat at the kitchen door, staring intently. It looked quite imposing at first glance.

But if one looked closely, they would notice that drool was already about to drip from the dog’s mouth, and its eyes were nearly bulging out.

Mu Mian was tending the fire in front of the stove. When she looked up through the open window, she saw her mother coming home.

She quickly jumped up, ran to the window, and stuck her head out. “Mom, did you get the introduction letter?”

Liu Shuangcui was scooping water to wash her face. “Not yet. I’ll go after I freshen up. What’s your grandma cooking? It smells so good.”

Mu Mian replied, “It’s not Grandma. She went to Grandma Li’s house for something. It’s Sister Xiao Wan who’s cooking. This afternoon, Shi Xiaolian, Lele, and I caught a rabbit in the mountains. Sister Xiao Wan said she wanted to practice her skills.”

Liu Shuangcui chuckled. “With Xiao Wan’s skills, there’s nothing to practice. She’s already much better than me and her mother.”

Mu Wan, who was standing by the stove, called out in response, “It’s always good to practice more. What if they test me on how to cook rabbit?”

Liu Shuangcui glanced inside with a smile. “Looks like I don’t need to do anything here. I’ll head over to your Aunt Guizhi’s house for a bit.”

Mu Mian waved her off. “Go ahead, Mom. The sooner you get it done, the better.”

Without an introduction letter, they wouldn’t be able to stay at the guesthouse in the city.

Her older brother had called earlier and said he would be arriving the day after tomorrow in the afternoon.

That meant after she finished her exam tomorrow morning, she and her mom could head to the city in the afternoon, stay overnight, and pick up her brother the next day.

Of course, her brother could find his way home on his own, but after five years of separation, everyone in the family was eager to see him. Waiting at home just wasn’t an option.

By the time the rabbit was ready, Mu Fugui had just arrived home, and the old lady had also returned from Grandma Li’s house.

Mu Wan didn’t stay to eat. The old lady scooped out two bowls of food, giving her one to deliver to her uncle’s family on her way out.

Liu Shuangcui took quite a while to get the introduction letter.

Mu Mian was just setting the table when she saw her mother walk in. She quickly put the bowl down and ran over. “Did you get it? Let me see what it looks like.”

Liu Shuangcui handed her the paper. “It’s just a piece of paper. I had your Uncle Xu write it for three days, just in case your brother doesn’t arrive tomorrow afternoon.”

“I heard from your Aunt Guizhi that the train is often delayed. If your brother arrives at night, we’ll have to stay in the city for another night, which means we’ll only be able to return the day after tomorrow.”

Mu Fugui leaned in. “Three days is good. If you have time, you can explore the city a bit.”

Mu Mian sneakily got closer to her father. “Dad, is there anything you want to buy but don’t want Mom to know? I can get it for you.”

Mu Fugui immediately lifted his eyelids, pretending to seriously think about it.

Liu Shuangcui, who was standing nearby and hadn’t left yet: “…….”

She huffed. “I’m not deaf yet, you know.”

Mu Mian grinned. “Just kidding~”

Mu Fugui also responded righteously, “Nothing at all. There’s nothing I can’t let your mom know.”

At most, he might sneak a drink or two. Unlike Old Pan, whose smoking habit was so bad that he spent all his savings on cigarettes.

Zhao Meihua called the family over. “Stop dawdling and come eat. You have an exam tomorrow, remember? Eat up and get some rest early.”

Mu Mian handed the introduction letter to her mother for safekeeping. “Coming! I’m starving. I could eat three big bowls!”

After running around the mountain all afternoon, she was absolutely famished.

Mu Wan’s cooking was truly incredible. The rabbit meat was tender and delicious. After eating, Mu Mian leaned back in her chair in satisfaction.

Barely two minutes later, Xu Lele came in with two yuan in her hand.

“Sister Mianmian, can you help me pick out a few more? Hair clips and headbands—I want both. You have great taste.”

Mu Mian took the money. “Got it. I’ll pick some nice ones.”

Her best friend was easy to please—she loved colorful things. Every time Mu Mian helped her buy something, she chose items with that in mind.

Xu Lele didn’t stay long since it was getting dark.

After dinner, the old lady took care of washing the dishes.

Mu Mian washed her hair with water that had been drying in the sun all day. Then, she brought a basin of water into her room to wipe herself down.

It was just too hot. After running around all afternoon, she was drenched in sweat. There was no way she could sleep without freshening up first.

While waiting for her hair to dry, Mu Mian organized her bag again, mainly making sure she had the pens and paper needed for the exam, as well as some money for her trip to the city.

She took thirty yuan from her small box and stuffed it into her bag.

That should be enough. If it wasn’t, she could always ask her mom. This was all the money she could freely use for now.

Still, her savings were quite substantial.

Since the beginning of last year, Mu Mian had been keeping a low profile. Aside from attending school for a year, she hadn’t done much else.

She only occasionally went into the mountains to gather some wild goods.

However, in the two years before that, she had been very diligent. She had published over a dozen articles, earning nearly three hundred yuan.

She had also illustrated three children’s books. One of them was quite long and had to be split into three volumes—upper, middle, and lower—so the royalties for that book alone were nearly one hundred yuan.

In total, the three books had earned her over five hundred yuan.

Adding the money she saved from 1963 and subtracting what she spent over the past three years, she still had 1,200 yuan saved with her mother.

She was officially a “thousand-yuan household”!

With a little more effort, becoming a “ten-thousand-yuan household” was just around the corner!

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