Chapter 51: Recruitment Day (Part 2)

Mu Mian ran straight toward the village entrance after leaving home.

From a distance, she spotted Shi Xiaolian and Shi Xiaozhu already waiting there.

She called out, “Sister Xiaozhu, have you been waiting long?”

Shi Xiaozhu smiled. “No, we just got here.”

Mu Mian looked around. “Where’s Sister Xiao Wan? She’s not here yet? I thought she would’ve left earlier than me.”

Shi Xiaolian gestured with her chin. “Right there.”

Mu Mian turned around and saw Sister Xiao Wan and the other two approaching.

She waved excitedly.

Mu Wan beat her to it. “Xiao Mian, what are you doing here? Are you coming too?”

Mu Mian hooked her arm around her cousin’s. “Hehe, just coming to check it out. I’ve never seen a recruitment event before.”

They chatted as they walked.

Mu Wan admitted, “Me neither. I’m a little nervous. There are so many people from our brigade alone. What about all the other brigades in the commune?”

Mu Mian tilted her head toward Mu Wan. “If you’re nervous, just rub my head for good luck.”

Mu Wan didn’t hold back. “Haha, you’re the best, Xiao Mian!”

As Mu Mian leaned her head toward her cousin, she suddenly felt an unfamiliar hand on top of her head.

She instinctively looked up and saw Shi Xiaolian pulling her sister closer to join in.

Shi Xiaozhu gave an awkward smile. “Xiaolian, don’t mess around.”

Shi Xiaolian responded seriously, “You never know—it might actually work.”

Luck was unpredictable.

After all, Mu Mian was the most extraordinary person she had ever met—mysterious in every way.

Mu Mian flashed a sweet smile. “I don’t mind, Sister Xiaozhu.”

She had just been surprised by the unfamiliar touch.

Being someone who frequently got her head patted, whether by the old lady or Mu Wan, she was already used to it.

She was so used to it that she could even tell whose hand it was just by touch.

At this moment, for example, the big hand on her head belonged to her cousin, Brother Daqing.

As for the little boys like Xiao Chengzi and Gutou, they weren’t tall enough to reach her head yet. She was the one rubbing their heads instead.

But short buzz cuts weren’t all that fun to touch—they were a little prickly.

Chatting as they walked, the group soon arrived at the commune.

The newly built machinery factory was bustling with activity, filled with people everywhere.

After all, the job recruitment was open to the entire commune, and anyone who met the educational requirements could apply.

Of course, educated youths were an exception. The first requirement for hiring in such factories was having a local household registration, which meant educated youths were not eligible.

They arrived just in time. After finding the location for their exam, it was only about five minutes before someone came out to announce that they could enter and begin the test.

Mu Qing and his two sisters had applied for different positions, so they each headed in separate directions.

Shi Xiaozhu and Mu Qiu had both applied for office jobs, which required a more rigorous examination, so they were assigned to the same testing location.

Mu Mian beamed like a little sun. “Sister Xiao Qiu, good luck! You will definitely pass!”

Mu Qiu couldn’t help but smile as well. “Mm.”

Shi Xiaolian glanced at Mu Mian and copied her encouragement. “Sister, good luck! You will definitely pass too!”

Shi Xiaozhu smiled. “Mm. The sun will be strong soon, and it’s really hot outside. Don’t wait for me here, just head back first.”

Shi Xiaolian nodded. “Alright. I’ll leave once you go in.”

Only a small portion of the applicants had a high school education, so there were fewer people in Shi Xiaozhu and Mu Qiu’s queue. After exchanging just a few words, it was already their turn to enter.

As soon as they disappeared into the building, Mu Mian suddenly grabbed Shi Xiaolian’s arm and hurriedly pulled her toward a less crowded area.

“Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go! Hurry up!”

They needed to start searching right away!

Shi Xiaolian moved just as quickly. She didn’t even need Mu Mian to pull her along—if anything, she was half a step ahead, showing just how excited she was.

Sending her sister to the recruitment exam was important, but so was finding that thing!!

With so many people still waiting outside for their turn to take the test, the two girls, one tall and one short, skillfully weaved through the crowd.

Just before entering, Shi Xiaozhu instinctively turned to look back.

She had assumed her younger sister was just humoring her when she said she would head home first, expecting her to stand outside quietly waiting instead.

But when she turned around, she could barely even catch a glimpse of her sister’s silhouette. She could only vaguely recognize their figures darting swiftly through the crowd—it was definitely her sister and Mu Mian.

Shi Xiaozhu: “………………”

So she really wasn’t lying. She actually left.

Mu Qiu also glanced back and chuckled. “They’re running so fast. They must be going off to play somewhere.”

Shi Xiaozhu retracted her gaze and smiled faintly. “It’s good that they went back early. It’s too hot outside.”

Knowing that her sister wasn’t standing outside anxiously waiting for her somehow made Shi Xiaozhu feel much more relaxed. Her nerves eased, and she was no longer as tense as before.

She had studied for a long time—she was sure she could pass the exam. Once she became a factory worker, life at home would improve significantly!

While they were focused on their test papers, on the other side, Mu Mian and Shi Xiaolian had already run off into a small side path.

Mu Mian had barely ever taken this route before—if it could even be called a path.

It was just a narrow trail, barely wide enough for a person to pass through. The terrain was rough, with large stones blocking the way in some spots, requiring them to climb over. Some areas were overgrown with thorny vines.

But at this moment, Mu Mian had no time to worry about any of that. Her eyes were wide like copper bells as she scanned the ground.

After about fifteen minutes of searching, Mu Mian blinked her slightly sore eyes. “Are you sure this is where you saw Educated Youth Qian?”

Shi Xiaolian nodded. “Yes. He tripped here, probably on that rock sticking out. I guess he wasn’t too familiar with this path and didn’t know to be careful.”

Mu Mian immediately understood. “Since he married into his wife’s family, he probably felt embarrassed and took the smaller path to avoid being seen.”

Shi Xiaolian added, “But he probably didn’t find the box here. I spotted it a bit farther ahead.”

Mu Mian was very experienced when it came to searching for things. She was someone who could even find ginseng hidden in a pile of weeds.

With a serious expression, she said, “When looking for something, you have to analyze the situation thoroughly and not miss a single detail.”

“What if he actually found it here, stuffed the items into his bag, and then tossed the old, broken box away up ahead because it was useless?”

Shi Xiaolian considered this. “That’s possible.”

Mu Mian was working with both her hands and feet—kicking at the ground, sifting through the grass, and keeping her eyes and ears sharp, as if she could transform into a human scanner.

Unfortunately, she only had a pair of ordinary eyes that could only scan the surface.

“You’re certain it was a box just slightly larger than a man’s palm?”

Shi Xiaolian, still crouched down and searching meticulously, didn’t even lift her head. “Yes. I picked it up to check. I originally wanted to bring it back to store things, but it was too damaged to be useful.”

“Oh, and it was wet at the time, covered in damp mud.”

Mu Mian immediately made a deduction. “Then it must have come from a damp place. There’s no point searching dry areas.”

After searching for another ten meters or so, Mu Mian straightened up. “Did you see anyone else that day? Are we sure no one else will pass through here later?”

Shi Xiaolian shook her head. “No one. I only ran into Educated Youth Qian.”

In this lifetime, since Educated Youth Qian had lost his job as an elementary school teacher, he had gone to the commune much earlier than before. Naturally, he wouldn’t be taking this route again.

So for now, the only people here were the two of them.

Mu Mian grinned. “Good. If no one else has been here, that means the box should still be around.”

She continued kicking at the ground here and there while chatting casually with Shi Xiaolian.

Even though they hadn’t found anything yet, her excitement remained high. “What do you think is inside? You’re sure you heard a jingling sound? Do you think it could be gold?”

If it really was gold, wouldn’t she suddenly have a whole bunch of money?!

Just thinking about it is exciting!!

Shi Xiaolian spoke honestly, “I don’t know. I didn’t see it with my own eyes. I only heard some movement. Maybe it was something he already had in his bag.”

Mu Mian analyzed seriously, “What in his bag could make that kind of sound? He couldn’t have taken the pots and pans from the educated youth dormitory. The only things he could carry would be his clothes and bedding. You mean to say…”

Mu Mian originally wanted to ask Shi Xiaolian if she agreed with her reasoning.

But before she could finish speaking, as she walked past an inconspicuous pile of grass, her foot suddenly stepped on something sharp.

She thought it was a rock, but when she looked closely, it seemed to be the corner of a box.

Mu Mian: “!!!!!!”

Her already round eyes widened even more in shock.

She waved at Shi Xiaolian, who was three meters away, and called out excitedly, “Come here, come here, come here! Hurry! This looks like a box!”

Shi Xiaolian bounced over like a rabbit, more agile than ever before.

“Where? Where?!”

As soon as she asked, she saw it too—a large corner of the box was exposed.

Mu Mian immediately pulled out a small shovel from her bag with a swift motion.

The handle wasn’t long, just the right size to fit in her bag.

Shi Xiaolian was dumbfounded. “You actually brought that?”

Mu Mian smirked proudly, as if saying, See? I was prepared! “When you’re searching for something, you have to dig and turn over the ground. Otherwise, can you really call it searching? Let me tell you, I used this very shovel last time when I was digging for ginseng.”

By extension, this was her lucky shovel!

The box seemed to have been buried in the sloping ground for a long time.

Mu Mian grabbed the shovel and started digging around the edges. Shi Xiaolian looked around and guessed, “It must have been uncovered by the rain these past few days.”

Mu Mian chuckled, unable to contain her excitement. “This is what you call the perfect timing. It means this box was meant to be ours!”

Laughing, she put all her strength into digging. Within a few strokes, most of the box was exposed.

Shi Xiaolian immediately noticed a hole on the top of the box. She was so excited that she slapped Mu Mian’s thigh. “This is it!!”

Mu Mian was just as thrilled, too excited to even register the sting from Shi Xiaolian’s slap.

She gave the soil another scoop, and with a final lift, the entire small box was pried free.

Shi Xiaolian eagerly pulled the box toward her. Just as Mu Mian was about to set down the shovel to take a look—

A metallic clinking sound rang out from the pit she had just dug, as if the shovel had struck another piece of metal.

Mu Mian frowned in confusion and glanced into the hole.

And then—

She saw a lock.

A lock identical to the one on the box they had just dug out.

Mu Mian: “!!!!!!”

She patted Shi Xiaolian excitedly. “Wait a second! I think there’s another box down there?!”

Shi Xiaolian, who was fiddling with the lock on the first box, froze. “What?!”

Her eyes widened. “Another one? I only remember there being one!”

Mu Mian stepped aside so Shi Xiaolian could take a closer look. “See for yourself! There’s definitely another one. My shovel hit a lock just now. No way would a rock make that kind of sound.”

Shi Xiaolian didn’t even care about getting dirt on her clothes and immediately leaned over.

Sure enough, what she saw was another rusty lock, with a faint trace of wooden material beneath it.

She sat up slowly, her mouth slightly open, unable to close it for a long time. “I really only remember there being one.”

Her memory wasn’t wrong.

So the problem wasn’t with her—it was with Mu Mian.

This person was simply unbelievable. Everything seemed to take an unexpected turn when she was involved.

The last time was the wild boar incident. Shi Xiaolian clearly remembered only one small sow running down the mountain, but by the time they went back up, there were two in the pit.

Shi Xiaolian stared at Mu Mian in disbelief, as if trying to figure out what kind of special aura she had.

But Mu Mian had no time to think about that. She eagerly continued digging.

Two minutes later—

An identical box was unearthed.

Except for the hole in the first box’s lid, the second one looked exactly the same—even the locks were identical.

The two of them exchanged a silent glance.

There was no time to wonder why one box had turned into two.

It didn’t matter.

The explanation was simple—Shi Xiaolian’s past life only had one box because Educated Youth Qian had only found one. The second one had remained buried.

If one could be buried, why not two?

What mattered now was that both boxes felt just as heavy. If one contained something, then the other must as well!

The locks were old and rusted, likely from two or three decades ago.

Mu Mian took a deep breath. “Are you ready? I’m about to break the locks.”

The moment of truth had arrived!

Would they strike it rich overnight, or had they just wasted their effort? The answer was just one step away.

Shi Xiaolian pushed her box closer to Mu Mian. “Go ahead.”

She sounded calm, but her fingers were already clenched tightly together.

The locks were so rusted that they could barely hold together. With two strong smashes, both locks snapped open.

They lifted the lids at the same time.

The next second, what came into view was—

The large yellow croakers were neatly arranged.

Mu Mian: “！！！！！！”

Shi Xiaolian: “！！！！！！”