Chapter 13 : Heartbeat

“I don’t…”  I was just joking around.

“Even if they were hiring, they’d probably first recruit internally. So, don’t waste your time here; you should go ask elsewhere,” the security guard said, fearing that Liang Qingqing might get discouraged and do something drastic. An idea popped into his mind: “How about you try asking at the Cultural Bureau on the street ahead? I heard they were hiring announcers a few days ago.”

“Announcer?” Liang Qingqing pondered the term.

“Yes, exactly. You’re so pretty and have a nice voice you definitely have a better chance than most. Go ask right away,” the security guard said, eager to get her to leave, speaking quickly and earnestly.

Liang Qingqing appreciated the compliment and thought that being an announcer sounded like a good job protected from the elements, just needing to read scripts. She quickly asked for directions and headed toward the Cultural Bureau.

When she arrived, she discovered that the actual hiring was being handled by the Broadcast Bureau, which was smaller and located in the same building as the Cultural Bureau, leading to the mix-up.

In the lobby on the first floor, there was a window with a woman in a white shirt and neatly cut short hair. When Liang Qingqing entered, the woman gave her a thorough look before asking, “Are you here to interview for the announcer position?”

Li Qingfeng had seen many young, attractive women coming and going these days, so she knew what they were here for without asking. However, Liang Qingqing caught her eye she was strikingly beautiful, without a single flaw in sight. Among the candidates, she ranked in the top three based on Li Qingfeng’s aesthetic standards.

“Yes,” Liang Qingqing nodded, stepping closer to the window and leaning in to make eye contact with Li Qingfeng, offering a friendly smile, “Hello, are you still hiring?”

So polite, and with a pleasant voice.

Li Qingfeng smiled back, “Yes, we’re still hiring; we just need one more person, so you came at the perfect time.”

Hearing this, Liang Qingqing’s eyes widened in surprise, “Really? Thank you so much!”

“Why are you thanking me?” Li Qingfeng was charmed by Liang Qingqing’s sweet words, her smile widening, “Can you read?”

Liang Qingqing quickly nodded, “Yes, I can read!”

“Then fill out this personal information form. Once you’re done, I’ll take you upstairs to meet the director for an interview,” Li Qingfeng said, pulling out a form from a drawer. Noticing Liang Qingqing didn’t have a pen, she handed her own over, adding, “Make sure you fill it out truthfully  there will be a background check if you’re hired.”

“Okay, I understand. Thank you!”

Calling her “sister” so affectionately made Li Qingfeng feel at ease. Noticing Liang Qingqing sweating in the heat, she asked, “Did you bring a cup? Would you like some cold water?”

“I did bring one. You’re really kind, sister.”

If it weren’t for the wall between them, Liang Qingqing would have hugged the kind and easygoing woman. She was extremely thirsty after wandering the city all afternoon, having finished her soda long ago. In an unfamiliar place, she couldn’t find any water and thought she’d have to wait until she got home. She was so grateful to have encountered such a kind person.

Seeing the soda bottle Liang Qingqing handed over, Li Qingfeng wasn’t surprised. Many people these days didn’t carry cups and used soda bottles instead, with some even drinking directly from the faucet.

“Drink slowly, you can have as much as you want. Water is free,” Li Qingfeng said.

The soda bottle still had a bit of sweetness left in it. Liang Qingqing smacked her lips a couple of times and quickly drank more than half of it. Not wanting to trouble Li Qingfeng further, she leaned on the counter in front of the window and filled out the basic information carefully.

Name, age, education, household registration, marital status…

The blank paper was soon filled with dense black characters.

“Liang Qingqing?”

Li Qingfeng glanced over the form, and her gaze landed on the household registration section. Upon seeing it, her eyebrows involuntarily furrowed, “Agricultural household registration? ”

A pretty girl who spoke such good Mandarin actually came from a rural background? If she hadn’t seen Liang Qingqing nod, Li Qingfeng would have found it hard to believe.

“Is there something wrong with an agricultural household registration?”

Liang Qingqing noticed the change in Li Qingfeng’s expression and felt a bad premonition rising from the pit of her stomach. She tightened her grip on the form.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Li Qingfeng kept rubbing the characters for agricultural household registration with her fingers and sighed regretfully. After a few seconds, she looked up and met Liang Qingqing’s hopeful gaze. Despite her reluctance, she hesitated for a while before breaking the silence.

“We prioritize urban household registrations here; we’re not hiring others for now. ”

Li Qingfeng shook her head and added, “The job market is tough, and we’re also quite helpless with these regulations, so…”

The rest of the sentence remained unfinished, but both parties understood that Liang Qingqing was being turned away at the threshold without even qualifying for an interview.

After a moment of silence, Liang Qingqing forced a smile and bowed slightly in gratitude, “Thank you anyway, sister.”

She then dejectedly walked out.

Seeing this, Li Qingfeng bit her lip and, after a moment of hesitation, called out, “Wait a moment.”

Liang Qingqing turned her head and saw Li Qingfeng opening the door and walking out. Li Qingfeng grabbed her hand and strode toward the big locust tree outside. Sunlight filtered through the branches, casting dappled spots of light on the ground, creating a beautiful and dreamy scene.

Just like the words that followed.

“You call me ‘sister,’ and I’ll call you ‘sister’ too.” Li Qingfeng glanced around to make sure no one was nearby before continuing, “It’s really unfortunate about today’s incident. I feel a special connection with you, so let me share some news with you.”

“Actually, this news isn’t really a secret, but it hasn’t spread outside yet. See if you can seize the opportunity, or use your family’s connections to secure it first.”

“Go ahead, sister,” replied Liang Qingqing, thinking that sweet-talking women have the best luck. In these times, there are still many good people around!

“The provincial capital plans to carry out a comprehensive technological innovation this year. The county’s radio bureau and the township’s finance office have allocated funds to build new radio station buildings. Each district and county under the commune, and even some large villages, will establish radio stations. When the time comes, they’ll definitely be recruiting broadcasters.”

“So, don’t be discouraged about not getting the job this time. Try applying at your commune or village. With your looks and voice, do you think you won’t get hired?”

Li Qingfeng patted Liang Qingqing’s hand. Her words made Liang Qingqing feel warm inside, understanding the value of this news. Without much hesitation, she took a packet of sponge cakes from her bag and handed it to Li Qingfeng.

“Sister, keep these and enjoy them. Thank you so much for telling me this news.”

“Oh, how could I accept this from you? What kind of person would I be?” Li Qingfeng was determined not to take Liang Qingqing’s things, and the latter had no choice but to take them back.

They chatted a bit more, feeling an instant connection and acknowledging each other as sisters.

It was getting late, and Li Qingfeng had to return to work, so Liang Qingqing said she’d visit her next time and hurriedly said goodbye.

Li Qingfeng saw Liang Qingqing off and then returned to the window. From upstairs, a colleague asked, “Who was that girl? I’ve never seen her before.”

Li Qingfeng took a sip of water, glanced at her male colleague, and could tell what he was thinking. Feeling a bit smug, she said, “That’s my sister.”

“Sister? Li Qingfeng, you have a sister?” He had seen the girl clearly from upstairs. She looked nothing like Li Qingfeng; one was as striking as a model on a magazine cover, captivating at first glance, while the other was plain and unremarkable. How could they be sisters?

“It’s work hours now. Do you have any other questions?” Li Qingfeng gave him a look, clearly not wanting to engage further.

“Alright, Li Qingfeng, you get back to work.” He thought to himself that after work, he needed to find out more about this girl. He couldn’t let such an attractive young woman slip away.

Meanwhile, Liang Qingqing had no idea she was on someone’s mind. She was sitting on a tractor heading back to her village, contemplating her future.

From what Li Qingfeng had said, the radio station would be fully operational by the end of the year at the latest. Her village Daping, wasn’t very large so it was uncertain if it would have a radio station. However, the nearby Hongmiao Commune was certain to have one so she could go there to get information in advance.

Relying on her family’s connections was out of the question since the Liang family didn’t have the money to pull any strings. She would have to depend on herself.

As Li Qingfeng had mentioned, with her looks and voice, she had a high chance of being hired, provided there was no favoritism. She estimated her chances to be at least 70-80%.

In the meantime, she would work in the fields to earn work points and take things one step at a time.

There were still two years until the college entrance exams, which meant she had to live in Daping Village for the next two years unless she got extraordinarily lucky and met a “tall, rich, and handsome” man who could take her to the city. Otherwise, given the restrictions on household registration and transportation, moving to the city was just a dream.

After thinking for a long time, Liang Qingqing sighed, “I guess I’ll have to rely on myself.”

A laid-back life would be nice but only if the environment allowed it!

The tractor came to a steady stop at the village entrance. By now, it was late, and smoke was rising from every household as the aroma of food filled the air, making Liang Qingqing swallow involuntarily and her stomach growl.

She hadn’t eaten all day except for two sponge cakes, and she was truly hungry.

“Little Auntie, Little Auntie!”

Just as she got off the tractor, she heard a familiar call. Liang Qingqing looked up to see Songzi running towards her. The little kid must have been playing outside all day, with a smudge of dirt on his face.

“Run slower, what if you fall?”

Barely had she finished her warning when Songzi tripped, almost falling to the ground. Fortunately, Liang Shuqing, who was just a few steps behind, quickly caught him.