On payday at the end of the month, Liu Li felt both hopeful and reassured—hoping to receive her first formal salary, yet knowing it was rightfully hers.
When the accountant handed over the dark blue pay bag, she held the opening with her fingers, didn't open it on the spot, and first stuffed it into the inner pocket of her work clothes. She pressed it down—it was heavy. Inside, besides 38.5 yuan in cash, there were also grain coupons, oil coupons, and several industrial vouchers, all of which were the quota for first-level workers.
"Liu Li! You have to treat us!" Zhang Shulan put her arm around Liu Li's shoulder and exclaimed loudly, "Now that you're a senior worker, you'll have to mentor me!"
The other workers around him laughed and said, "That's right, treat them to candy!"
Liu Li's face flushed slightly, but she smiled and replied, "Okay! I'll take the weekend off and buy everyone some fruit candy!"
As soon as the bell rang to signal the end of the workday, she went back to her dormitory to put away her tools and new books, changed into a clean floral shirt, and smoothed her hair in front of the blurry mirror—her eyes looked much brighter than when she first entered the factory, and she no longer had that panicked feeling.
On her way home, smoke billowed from the chimneys of the old tenement buildings along the roadside, and the aroma of someone frying chili peppers wafted over, mingling with the fragrance of dinner—it felt especially comforting. This time, she was no longer a student who needed her family's care, but a regular worker who could now contribute to her family's livelihood.
Pushing open the door, I saw Mom stir-frying cabbage in a wok, oil splattering everywhere. She hurriedly used her apron to cover herself. Xiao Dong looked up from his homework, dropped his pen, and ran over to tug at her clothes: "Sis! Did you get paid?" Dad, who was squatting by the table, tightening screws on an old radio, also stopped to look at her.
"Dad, Mom, Xiaodong, I'm home." Liu Li put her pay bag on the table.
Mom wiped her hands and came over, her fingers touching the words "Red Star Machinery Factory" on her pay bag. Her eyes were a little wet, and her voice was hoarse: "Good, good daughter, you've become a formal worker."
Dad stood up and gestured for Mom to open it. Mom carefully tore open the seal and poured the money and coupons onto the table—three ten-yuan notes, one five-yuan note, three one-yuan notes, and five-mao notes, with grain and oil coupons neatly stacked.
"38.5 yuan!" Xiao Dong exclaimed, his eyes wide with surprise. "Sis, you're amazing!"
Dad picked up a ten-yuan note, looked at it against the light, then put it down and patted her on the shoulder: "This money is earned with integrity."
Liu Li pushed three ten-yuan bills and most of the grain coupons to her mother: "You take these to supplement the family income. I'll keep five yuan for myself to buy some books."
Mom quickly pushed it back: "No need, we have enough at home, you keep it for yourself."
"Mom, I can earn money now, so I should help out at home." Liu Li stuffed the money into her mother's hand, "Please keep it."
Dad nodded: "Let her do what she wants." Mom then carefully put the money into her sewing basket, muttering: "I'll save it for your dowry later."
"No cooking today!" Liu Li picked up five yuan, grabbed Xiao Dong, and said, "Let's go buy some good food and celebrate!"
Mom was about to say "wasteful spending," but Dad stopped her: "It's time to celebrate, let them go."
The siblings ran to the grocery store, luckily it was still open, and there was a piece of pork belly left, with a good balance of fat and lean meat, weighing a little over a pound, costing seventy-eight cents; they also bought two frozen ribbonfish for fifty cents; and they splurged on a small bottle of sesame oil and a bag of peanuts, and chose potatoes, cabbage, and tofu as vegetables. They only spent less than half of their five dollars.
Xiao Dong, carrying the meat, jumped up and down excitedly: "Sis, we can have braised pork tonight!"
As soon as we got home, Mom took over the meat and got to work. Liu Li put on an apron and helped scrape the fish scales, while Xiao Dong squatted down beside her peeling garlic. Oil was poured into the pan, and the meat sizzled as it went in, filling the room with its aroma. Xiao Dong would occasionally peek into the kitchen doorway to smell it, making everyone laugh.
When the meal was served, the table was laden with dishes: a large bowl of braised pork, glistening and oily; a plate of pan-fried ribbonfish, golden and crispy; a dish of fragrant peanuts; and also stir-fried cabbage with vinegar and tofu soup, with each grain of white rice perfectly steamed. Dad even took out half a bottle of bulk white wine and poured himself a small cup.
"Come on," Dad said, raising his glass to the family, "a toast to Xiaoli's official promotion!"
Liu Li and her mother held up their teacups, while Xiao Dong held up his bowl of sweet soup. The four cups clinked together with a "ding," creating a lively scene.
With his mouth full of meat, Xiao Dong mumbled, "Sis, I want to work in a factory too, just as good as you!"
Her mother kept piling meat onto Liu Li's plate, saying, "Eat more. Look how thin you are. You must be exhausted working at the factory."
"I'm not tired. My mentor and colleagues are all great, and they even taught me new things," Liu Li said while eating. She talked about the competition, how Master Wang taught her how to machine, and the progress of the QC team. Her father didn't say much, only occasionally asking, "Is milling difficult?" His eyes were full of approval.
The lights outside were on, and the food inside was still steaming. Liu Li watched her father slowly drinking, her mother's smiling wrinkles, and Xiao Dong's boisterous antics, and her heart swelled with warmth—no matter how tiring it was at the factory, she forgot it all when she got home. This was her refuge; no matter how far she went in the future, there would always be a place waiting for her, with hot meals and care.
She picked up a piece of braised pork; it smelled delicious—she had bought it with her own money, a good life earned through her skills. From now on, she would work even harder to make her family's life even better.
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