As soon as May began, Zhang Jing went back to work at the department store. Although Zhan Chunlan's school had reopened, she didn't go back. With only ten days left, she wanted to stay home and focus on her studies.

As for Zhan Zhiqiang's previous claim that he wanted her salary, his main point was that he had his say, and whatever Zhan Chunlan received was hers. As long as he didn't directly take it from her, she would never hand over her hard-earned money to someone else.

Time slipped away quietly amidst the intense review and anticipation, and before we knew it, it was May 13th.

That day, the sky was thick and dark, with only a few stars scattered across the horizon. Zhan Chunlan rose silently, her movements as gentle as if afraid to disturb the pre-dawn tranquility. She took the household registration booklet she had secretly stolen from Xu Lixia's suitcase the night before, along with the high school graduation certificates she had obtained from the school with Li Xiuxiu and Fan Hongying a couple of days prior, and set off.

Like a drop of water merging into the morning mist, I stepped alone into the cool and unknown dawn.

They didn't have to wait long at the entrance of the family compound before Li Xiuxiu and Fan Hongying appeared in the faint morning light. The three exchanged a smile, a tacit understanding flowing between them. Without further pleasantries, they simply walked firmly side by side toward the pastry factory.

In the crisp, cool air, the footsteps sounded exceptionally clear, shattering the silence before dawn.

When they arrived at the factory gate, it was still early, and the surroundings were empty and quiet. The waiting time seemed to stretch out until the sky gradually turned white, and then other figures appeared in twos and threes, mostly young people of similar age, maintaining a cautious distance from each other. A silent tension and anticipation filled the air.

Around seven o'clock, the sky brightened completely, illuminating the factory gate clearly. A security guard in uniform came out with a large job posting and neatly pasted it on the bulletin board at the factory gate.

The previously silent crowd surged forward instantly, tacitly gathering around the paper. Everyone held their breath, staring intently at the words on the page. There was no commotion, no discussion; an unspoken vigilance enveloped everyone—those who had come here at this time were well aware of the scarcity of the opportunity, and no one wanted to attract more potential competitors with the slightest movement.

After all, even though it's advertised as an "open recruitment" and only a limited number of people know about it, everyone in the same factory has connections, so this announcement naturally reaches a large number of people.

About ten minutes later, the staff member who had posted the notice returned and, before anyone could react, deftly tore the job posting off the wall.

Everyone walked into the factory. As the last person entered, the two heavy iron gates of the pastry factory slowly closed with a low creak, completely isolating the inside from the outside.

Fan Hongying applied for the position of announcer. Although Uncle Xiao said yesterday that the position had already been decided internally, Zhan Chunlan did not advise her against it because she believed that as long as Fan Hongying wanted it, the position could only be hers.

Li Xiuxiu applied for an accounting position, while Zhan Chunlan applied for a seemingly ordinary but equally competitive administrative officer position.

They smiled at each other, held each other's hands tightly, then quietly separated and followed the staff's guidance to the examination hall that would determine their fate.

Sure enough, good fortune favored those who worked hard and were well-prepared; Zhan Chunlan, Li Xiuxiu, and Fan Hongying all passed the exam.

With her excellent voice, clear pronunciation, and composure under pressure, Fan Hongying successfully passed the exam for the position of announcer in the publicity department.

The person originally slated for that position was someone with quite a background; she was the niece of a deputy factory director. However, she suddenly fell ill on the morning of the exam and was taken directly to the hospital, unable to attend the exam.

In the past, there might have been underhanded tactics to find a replacement or keep the position open. However, this recruitment process had already garnered attention due to strict scrutiny, and the deputy factory director dared not defy the rules. This allowed the recruitment to return to a pure competition of ability. In the end, Fan Hongying emerged victorious with outstanding results, truly embodying the saying, "The capable rise."

Li Xiuxiu was hired as an accounting assistant in the finance department. Her mother was an experienced accountant, and she had been exposed to this from a young age, giving her a natural sensitivity to numbers and accounts. After joining the company, she quickly got the hang of things, but it was also really tiring. Every time she got home from work, she would complain a little to avoid accumulating resentment.

"I had such high hopes before, handling thousands of accounts every day. But now I'm stuck calculating every penny, over and over again, and it's always different. It's so annoying."

"I just came in and encountered an inventory check. Today, I almost went blind from reconciling the accounts over the difference of one pound of oil."

"I have to be very careful when I write now. If I make a mistake, I have to rewrite the whole page. After a few days, my hand will be ruined."

Zhan Chunlan and Fan Hongying would always take turns holding one of her arms and gently massage her sore shoulders, comforting her with smiles: "You've worked hard, you've worked hard. You can do such a complicated and difficult job well. You will definitely be the future head of the finance department."

Li Xiuxiu was both amused and exasperated by their teasing, and feigned annoyance, sighing, "You're just trying to coax me." However, the weariness between her brows eventually dissipated somewhat amidst her friends' jokes and concern.

As for Zhan Chunlan, she was assigned to the logistics department. This department was mainly responsible for managing the factory's office supplies, coordinating logistical matters, and dispatching official vehicles. The tasks were numerous but crucial.

However, these core management tasks are not yet relevant to her, the new staff member. The section chief is responsible for planning and distribution, while she is mainly responsible for execution and follow-up. Although her hands and feet are busy at the end of the day, she doesn't need to rack her brains too much, so she feels relaxed and at ease.

However, there were also quite a few troubles.

Her family found out that Zhan Chunlan had found a job. She thought that Zhan Zhiqiang or Xu Lixia would react the most, and that they might come to her asking for her wages.

Surprisingly, Zhan Chunhua was the quickest to react, and immediately came to her asking for a job.

As soon as Zhan Chunhua saw her, she put on a caring attitude and got straight to the point: "Chunlan, look, I'm getting married soon, and it's not good for me to still be a temporary worker. The Jiao family will look down on me. How about we switch jobs? You can work at the state-run restaurant, and I'll work at the pastry factory. Anyway, you've been cooking since you were little, so you can quickly get the hang of it at the state-run restaurant. The pastry factory is a big factory after all, with complicated interpersonal relationships and relatively difficult work. I'll take on this hardship for you."

Her words were eloquent and seemingly made for her sister's sake, but there was an undeniable demand in them.

Zhan Chunlan laughed angrily, her tone becoming sharp: "They require a high school diploma. Can you write propaganda articles? Do you know how to coordinate the allocation of various materials? Do you know how to dispatch delivery vehicles? Or do you have any other special skills? You can't do anything, yet you're talking big here and making a scene for me. I'm the one who should be making a scene for you."

Seeing that she couldn't persuade her sister, Zhan Chunhua immediately turned to her parents, adopting an anxious expression: "Dad! Mom! Think about it, if I can get into the pastry factory and become a full-time worker, won't I have more leverage when negotiating the bride price with the Jiao family? Then our family will have a pastry factory worker, and we won't have to worry about not having pastries to eat! This is all for the good of the family!"

Zhan Zhiqiang and Xu Lixia exchanged a glance, their faces clearly showing interest and calculation. Seeing that her parents were about to nod, Zhan Chunlan quickly spoke, her voice clear and calm, getting straight to the point:

"Some people may seem shrewd, but they don't actually know how to calculate at all. I got this job through my own exam, and it's actually an asset of the Zhan family. Once she gets married, she'll take the job to the Jiao family. She's already siding with the Jiao family, so it's uncertain whether the job will still belong to the Zhan family. Besides, they have a younger brother and sister."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over her parents' faces, which suddenly became hesitant, and continued, "I'm different. I'm still young, and I can stay at home for at least a few more years. By the time I get married, our Hongyu will be all grown up."