Chapter 51: Recruitment Day (Part 1)

Since Mu Fugui’s embarrassing past had been exposed, dinner that night turned into a full-blown roasting session, where everyone had their turn.

Mu Mian’s childhood accident of wetting her pants was inevitably brought up by her brother again.

It wasn’t even a big deal—just a little girl who had been groggy from a nap.

She had woken up, climbed out of bed, and, distracted by a butterfly in the courtyard, forgot she needed to go to the toilet.

By the time she remembered, she could no longer hold it in.

Accidentally wetting herself, the little girl froze for two seconds in a daze.

Then, without hesitation, she plopped herself right into the large water basin in the yard, attempting to destroy the evidence.

The basin was quite big, and she was very small.

Once she sat down, only her head and feet were left sticking out. It nearly scared the soul out of Mu Zhuo, who was only fourteen at the time.

He thought that in just a blink of an eye, his precious little sister had drowned.

By the time he ran over, yelling in panic, he saw his little sister lying motionless in the basin, blinking her big eyes innocently.

Mu Zhuo had assumed that she had accidentally tripped and fallen into the basin.

It was only later that Comrade Liu Shuangcui pieced together the truth from the clues on the ground.

At the dinner table, the adults were chatting excitedly, and Mu Zhuo even reenacted the scene with gestures. “Little Sister was lying in the basin just like this. She even knew to rest her neck on the rim so she wouldn’t get tired. She actually looked like she was enjoying it.”

Mu Fugui, still chewing his food, said with a mouthful, “Our daughter has been clever since she was little.”

Liu Shuangcui added, “I remember thinking something was off. There was a small wet patch on the ground and her shoes, but none of the water had splashed out.”

The old lady chuckled, “A three-year-old wouldn’t think that far ahead.”

Hearing all this, Mu Mian was so embarrassed that she nearly buried her face in her bowl. Trying to change the subject, she asked, “Did my brother ever wet his pants?”

Liu Shuangcui snorted, “Of course, he did. He wouldn’t even change after wetting himself. He’d just run outside, saying that running would dry them off.”

Mu Mian wrinkled her little brows. “Ew~”

Even though he was her own brother, she still found it a bit disgusting.

Drying wet pants by running around—definitely something only mischievous little boys would do.

Hearing about his childhood antics at twenty-something years old was a bit embarrassing.

Mu Zhuo opened his mouth, also wanting to steer the conversation away. But before he could say anything, footsteps sounded at the door.

The whole family turned their heads at the same time and saw Liu Guizhi walking in with a clay pot, followed by Shiyi.

Liu Guizhi carried the pot straight to the table. “You’re just in time for dinner. Lele took the chicken back and cooked it. Try her sister-in-law’s cooking.”

Liu Shuangcui got up. “Why bring it over here? You should just keep it for yourselves.”

Liu Guizhi waved it off. “There’s still plenty left. I put in lots of potatoes and mushrooms. The whole pot is full. You know how the weather is—leave it overnight, and it’ll go bad.”

Liu Shuangcui scoffed, “I’ve never seen meat go uneaten.”

Their families lived close and got along well.

Whenever one of them cooked a special dish, they enjoyed sharing it with the other.

So Liu Shuangcui didn’t put on airs and politely accepted.

She even shifted a bowl of soup aside to make room.

Liu Guizhi set the pot down and immediately turned to leave. “No time to chat. I need to go back and eat too. Just leave the pot here. I’ll pick it up later.”

She barely finished speaking before she was already out of the courtyard, moving briskly.

Liu Shuangcui picked up a piece of chicken for her mother-in-law. “Gaoyi’s wife has good skills. Looks nice and tender. Mom, have a few more pieces.”

Zhao Meihua nodded. “That girl is nice. Most importantly, she gets along well with Guizhi.”

Liu Shuangcui smiled. “They have similar temperaments, of course they get along.”

While the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were chatting, Mu Mian was rubbing Shiyi’s head and absentmindedly stroking its belly. “Did you eat yet?”

Of course, Shiyi couldn’t answer her. But Mu Mian could tell from the way it looked that the dog must have eaten something at Lele’s house.

She stood up and scooped some food for the dog.

But this time, Shiyi didn’t excitedly follow her as it usually did when it was time to eat.

Instead, it sat properly in front of the table, staring unblinkingly at the pot of meat.

Mu Zhuo chuckled, “So picky now, huh?”

Mu Mian knocked on the dog’s bowl. “Come on, eat. I’ll rinse the bones for you later.”

With their current situation, she could only try her best to make sure the dog didn’t eat anything too salty.

Maybe Shiyi understood because it stopped staring at the table and, with a whoosh, ran to its bowl, eating enthusiastically.

Mu Mian laughed and squatted down to talk to the dog. “If Aunt Guizhi hadn’t brought this over, would you not have come home tonight?”

“This kind of behavior is unacceptable, you know?”

Liu Shuangcui chuckled. “What would it know? Hurry up and eat these chicken feet. Didn’t you say you love them? Your Aunt Guizhi brought two just for you.”

Mu Mian immediately bolted back to the table. “Hehe, Aunt Guizhi is the best!”

Mu Fugui snorted. “Look at how agile our daughter is. No wonder she loves chicken feet. You are what you eat.”

Liu Shuangcui smirked. “Then you should eat more pig brains.”

The grandmother, mother, and daughter all burst into laughter at the same time.

Mu Fugui: “………………”

He got the message—his wife was particularly annoyed with him tonight.

He’d make it up to her later with some fresh wildflowers that didn’t smell like sweat.

By the time they finished eating, the sky was completely dark.

Having eaten too much, Mu Mian lay in bed, unable to fall asleep.

Her mind was unusually active, her little brain spinning with thoughts.

Her big eyes stayed wide open as she stared at the pitch-black ceiling, thinking about what Shi Xiaolian had said earlier.

Could it be true that Educated Youth Qian really found something?

She never expected that someone like him would actually become successful in his past life.

Now that she thought about it, she vaguely remembered hearing that a wealthy landowner once passed through their area while fleeing.

The memory is a little hazy due to how long ago it was, but there was definitely such an incident.

As Mu Mian thought about it, she groped around in the dark, got up, and opened her small box. The old copper bowl was still lying inside, safe and sound.

The room was pitch black, making it impossible to see anything clearly. Mu Mian fumbled around for a bit.

If a wealthy landlord really did pass through back then, it would explain why she found the bowl in the ditch.

It must have been something they dropped.

If they were fleeing with their belongings, they wouldn’t have taken the main road. They probably traveled through the mountains instead.

Then, for some unknown reason, they lost a lot of their belongings, and many years later, those things washed down from the mountains.

Thinking about it this way, Shi Xiaolian’s guess might not be wrong. That Educated Youth Qian must have picked up something.

An old chest wouldn’t break unless it had been buried for a long time.

Just like her copper bowl. They might have come from the same batch.

With this thought, Mu Mian grew more excited the more she pondered over it. She had no idea when she finally fell asleep.

When she opened her eyes again, the sound of raindrops pattering against the window filled the air. The rain was pouring down heavily, and the room carried the damp scent of soil.

The sky was gloomy, making it hard to tell what time it was.

Mu Mian got out of bed and opened the window slightly. She peeked outside and saw that the rain was indeed pouring as heavily as Shi Xiaolian had predicted.

That girl was not only a living map but also a weather forecaster at times.

A few raindrops drifted in through the crack, and with a swift motion, Mu Mian shut the window again.

After combing her hair, she stepped out of her room. By then, Liu Shuangcui and Zhao Meihua had already started bustling around with their morning chores.

The main hall’s door was wide open. Just as Mu Mian was about to scoop some water to wash her face, she turned her head and saw her eldest brother standing at the entrance. He was wearing a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat while talking to Brother Xu.

The rain was too loud for her to hear what they were saying.

She turned to her mother and asked, “What are they doing?”

Liu Shuangcui replied, “The roof at the educated youth’s dormitory is leaking. Old Xu asked Gaoyi to check it out. Your brother heard about it and decided to go take a look too.”

Mu Mian let out a drawn-out ‘Oh~’ in an exaggerated tone. “Big Brother isn’t really there for the roof, is he?”

Her voice carried a playful lilt, twisting and turning with an obvious hint of mischief.

It made the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law laugh.

Liu Shuangcui chuckled, “Where did you pick up that strange way of speaking?”

Mu Mian puffed up her chest. “I am a flexible person, you know~”

She was adaptable in every way.

Quick to move on the outside, and sharp-witted enough to take winding paths when necessary.

The three women chatted for a while. By the time Mu Zhuo returned, half an hour had passed.

Seeing her older brother’s slightly damp clothes, Mu Mian grinned and waggled her brows. “What a kind and helpful comrade you are!”

As expected, when a man’s feelings awaken, he acts differently.

Mu Zhuo pretended not to understand and ruffled his little sister’s hair. “Thank you for the compliment.”

Mu Mian waved a hand. “No need for thanks, we’re family!”

Liu Shuangcui didn’t join in on their playful exchange. Instead, she said, “Your clothes are half-wet. Go inside and change.”

Mu Zhuo pulled at his damp clothes indifferently. “It’s fine. They’ll dry on their own soon enough.”

Mu Mian lifted her eyelids and silently glanced at him.

Wearing wet clothes and waiting for them to dry naturally—her brother had never changed this habit since childhood.

Luckily, this time it was just rain. If it were like when they were kids, she might have taken three steps back in disgust.

Zhao Meihua casually asked, “You were out there for a while. Was the damage bad? Did the bedding and clothes get soaked?”

Mu Zhuo paused for a moment before answering, “It’s not too bad. It was the men’s dormitory that leaked.”

As soon as he said that, the three women in the room stopped what they were doing and looked at him. Then, they burst into laughter in unison.

Mu Mian laughed so hard she could barely breathe. “So, Big Brother, you didn’t even see Sister Sihui?”

Mu Zhuo scratched his short-cropped hair. “I saw her. She peeked out from the doorway.”

Mu Mian smirked. “Oh~ gazing at each other through a wall.”

Liu Shuangcui suddenly recalled something. “If I remember right, it was also the men’s dormitory that leaked last time.”

Zhao Meihua nodded. “When it rains heavily, leaks are inevitable. I just hope it stops before Friday. It would be bad if it kept pouring and delayed everything.”

Mu Mian glanced outside. “No way. I think it’ll only rain for two days. The weather will definitely be great on Friday!”

Mu Zhuo chuckled and wiped his hair with a towel while casually teasing her. “Oh? You can tell just by looking?”

Mu Mian responded with a serious expression, “Intuition. There’s a recruitment exam on Friday. On such an important day, the heavens will surely grant us good weather.”

Liu Shuangcui remained skeptical. “Rain doesn’t follow anyone’s schedule. Even during the autumn harvest, it can pour.”

Zhao Meihua sighed. “That was really tough. I remember that year. We worked two whole nights just to salvage some crops.”

Liu Shuangcui’s face showed lingering fear. “Exactly. We worked so hard that our heels were practically hitting the backs of our heads.”

With the rain keeping them indoors, the family sat together and continued chatting. Their conversation naturally drifted from one topic to another.

—

Before they knew it, Friday had arrived.

Just as Shi Xiaolian predicted, the weather was perfect.

The rain had already begun to ease off by yesterday afternoon, and by the time morning arrived, the ground had dried significantly.

Today, Qingfeng Brigade was destined to be bustling with activity.

Almost everyone who met the basic requirements had signed up for the exam, eager to give it a shot.

After all, if they got recruited, they would become workers!

This kind of large-scale recruitment only comes around once in a while. If you miss this opportunity, who knows when the next one will come?

No one in Mu Mian’s immediate family or her uncle’s family met the requirements, but her fourth uncle’s family had plenty of people.

Aside from Gutou, Mu Qing, Mu Qiu, and Mu Wan—all three siblings—were planning to go.

Mu Qing had only an elementary school education, but he had a graduation certificate, which met the minimum requirement for some factory positions.

Although he couldn’t compare to his younger sister Mu Qiu, who had graduated from high school, many young people in the village didn’t even have an elementary school certificate.

A lot of villagers never took education seriously, believing that studying was useless. Now, even if they regretted it, it was too late.

—

On Friday morning, Mu Mian got ready early. She had already told Comrade Liu Shuangcui yesterday that she wanted to go check out the event.

Of course, that was just an excuse. The real reason was that she wanted to look for any discarded chests.

The adults in the family didn’t notice her true intentions. After all, this girl had always loved excitement.

However, Mu Zhuo hesitated for a few seconds, as if he wanted to say something.

Mu Mian understood right away—her brother must have been thinking about taking her to see Sister Sihui when he had time.

Young people in the throes of first love were all the same. It had only been two days since he last talked to her, yet he already felt like time was dragging on.

Mu Mian moved closer to her brother and grinned. “Come on, Brother, even if I’m not home, there’s still Xiao Mai, Xiao Miao, and the others. They’re your little sisters too, and they’re great at covering for you. Besides, they’re really close with Sister Sihui.”

Mu Zhuo smacked his thigh. “You’re right!”

Mu Mian reminded him, “Bring a couple of extra candies. That little twin sisters are sharp. If you don’t give them candy, they won’t cooperate.”

Just as she was about to say more, Mu Fugui’s voice echoed from the courtyard. “Daughter, are you sure you don’t want to ride with me? A bike is much easier. Why insist on walking?”

Mu Mian waved her hand toward the courtyard. “Dad, you go ahead. I’m going with Shi Xiaolian and Sister Xiao Wan. It’s more fun with more people!”

Since his daughter didn’t want to ride the bike, Mu Fugui didn’t force her and left for the commune on his own.

Zhao Meihua asked, “Is Lele not going? I remember Gaoyi and Zhiyong both signed up.”

Mu Mian replied, “No. I asked her before, and she said she’d rather run around in the mountains than deal with an exam. Just hearing the word ‘exam’ annoys her.”

She didn’t even need to ask—she already knew that would be Lele’s answer.

Lele had hated exams since she was a kid. A recruitment exam was still an exam to her, so she probably saw no difference.

Zhao Meihua chuckled. “That girl is full of energy.”

Mu Mian grinned. “The more she runs, the more energy she has. If people don’t move around, they’ll rust!”

She didn’t chat with her grandma for long, eager to leave and find Shi Xiaolian. She slung her bag over her shoulder, stuffing a bit of money inside, and got ready to head out.

Liu Shuangcui reminded her, “Come straight home after you’re done. Don’t wander into unfamiliar places.”

Mu Zhuo, remembering how his little sister had almost been kidnapped, also felt uneasy. “Should I go with you?”

There was no way Mu Mian would let him tag along. She and the others still had things to look for.

She reassured him, “Brother, I’m almost thirteen, not three. Don’t worry—most people can’t beat me in a fight.”

That was true.

In the end, Mu Zhuo stayed put and plopped back down into his seat.