Chapter 62, Shumai
When Lin Qingqing left the Revolutionary Committee, she ran into Secretary Zhou.
Last time she received Lin Qingqing, she was labeled with a lot of accusations, and for several days no one dared to ask her for work. Only in the last few days has the situation improved slightly.
It's not much better, really. Before, she had the final say on all the work assignments. If the military wives weren't happy, she'd throw a tantrum. Some women who wanted better jobs had to beg her, and there was a fair share of kickbacks in it. But now the situation is completely reversed. Forget about kickbacks; if she says anything wrong, the military wives will escalate the situation and complain to Director Chen. As a result, Director Chen has warned her several times, saying that if she doesn't adjust her work attitude, she'll be reassigned.
Of course, Zhou didn't want to be transferred, so he could only work with his tail between his legs, which was incredibly frustrating.
Seeing Lin Qingqing at this moment, both old and new grudges surged up, and he sneered, "Some people, they clearly don't have the skills but insist on taking on jobs they can't handle, they just can't recognize their own limitations. They can't even pass the job recruitment exam, ha!"
"Is this how you arrange jobs for your family members?" Lin Qingqing stopped and asked.
Zhou, the clerk, was taken aback by the question: "What?"
Lin Qingqing did not answer, but turned around and walked towards the Revolutionary Committee building, saying, "The staff of the Family Settlement Office not only did not comfort the families who failed the entrance examination, but also made sarcastic remarks to them. I must report this situation to Director Chen."
Upon hearing this, Officer Zhou's expression changed, and he quickly stepped forward to pull Lin Qingqing away: "Don't..."
Lin Qingqing stopped and turned to look at Officer Zhou: "What do I need?"
“You misheard me,” Officer Zhou quickly said, afraid that she would really go to Director Chen. “I was talking about someone else.”
"You can say it's another family member?" Lin Qingqing raised an eyebrow.
"She's not a family member, she's my sister, that's right, my sister!" After fabricating a sister, Officer Zhou went to great lengths to cover up the lie. "She didn't do well on the job recruitment exam and complained to me. I was annoyed and wanted to say something to her. But now, after your guidance, I realize that my thinking was wrong. So what if she didn't do well on the recruitment exam? She'll have other opportunities in the future. Although she is my sister, she is still young. I should treat her with the same gentleness and care I would show to a family member."
After finishing his long speech, Officer Zhou forced a smile and said, "Comrade Lin, you've really misunderstood. How could I possibly make sarcastic remarks about family members!"
"Heh." Lin Qingqing gave a fake laugh. She was just trying to scare Zhou, not really planning to complain to Director Chen. So she said, "Since you're so dedicated to the families of military personnel, then I'll go and complain to Director Chen about you."
"Yes. But Officer Zhou, military dependents have traveled thousands of miles to be with their families. Those of you in charge of family resettlement should be careful what you say to them. Otherwise, if I overheard this, what if other sensitive family members heard it? Wouldn't they be crying under their blankets at night?"
Officer Zhou thought to himself, "You must have failed the exam and are hiding under the covers crying." But on the surface, he kept agreeing, "That's right, Comrade Lin, you're right. I will definitely reflect on my actions and serve the military families wholeheartedly in my future work!"
Zhou, the cadre, repeatedly expressed her loyalty, and Lin Qingqing didn't bother her. After saying that, she left the Revolutionary Committee.
She didn't see Li Chunying when she arrived, but on her way back, she happened to board the bus that Li Chunying was working on as a ticket seller. As usual, Li Chunying saw her and asked, "Comrade Lin, are you here at the Revolutionary Committee on business?"
"Yes, I'm here to check my exam results." Lin Qingqing got on the bus and, as usual, sat in the first row by the window.
Her expression was indifferent, revealing neither joy nor sadness. Li Chunying was unsure of her emotions and hesitated for a moment before asking, "How did the exam go?"
"Not good," Lin Qingqing said, shaking her head.
"Oh, I see..." Li Chunying's smile faded a little, but she quickly perked up and said, "It's okay if you didn't pass. Didn't you get a job at the supply and marketing cooperative? Working there is a good option."
"Yes," Lin Qingqing said with a smile.
But despite saying that, she still harbored a grudge. If it were because she wasn't good enough, she would have accepted that she had failed the recruitment exam long ago, but that wasn't the case.
After transmigrating to this world, Lin Qingqing, who had risen from a helpless and uneducated orphan to her current state, was initially quite content with her life. She felt that she could only live peacefully for the next few years, and the future would only get better. However, this recruitment exam for a clerical position at the steel mill was like a blunt object, completely waking her up.
Without a degree, no matter how hard she tried in the steel mill's clerical recruitment exam, she would only get 55 points.
Today she still has a way out—she can go to the supply and marketing cooperative—but what about tomorrow? What about the future?
One day, her academic qualifications will become her weakness.
When Lin Qingqing first transmigrated to this world, she hoped to defy fate and change her destiny after the college entrance examination was reinstated. However, as she married Xie Wei and her life gradually stabilized, this idea became less intense.
Only now has she realized that the survival of the fittest applies in any era. Even if an organization arranges a job for her, her lack of education will still hinder her progress. If she wants to have choices and doesn't want to be abandoned, she can only continuously improve herself and eliminate her weaknesses.
But at that time, university admission was based on a recommendation system, although many
The commune and brigade had quotas for worker-peasant-soldier college students, but a small unit like the Qingshan Supply and Marketing Cooperative was out of the question; there were definitely no quotas available. Unless, as Gao Aiqin had promised her, they turned the supply and marketing cooperative into a department store.
But it doesn't matter. Even if she doesn't make the supply and marketing cooperative bigger within three years, the college entrance examination will be reinstated in 1977, and she can still take the exam then.
Thinking of this, Lin Qingqing opened her eyes and looked outside. The shuttle bus swayed and bumped as it arrived outside the military camp. She suddenly stood up and shouted, "Driver, could you please give me a ride?"
"What's wrong? We haven't even reached the family compound yet," Li Chunying asked, startled.
"It's nothing." Lin Qingqing had already realized that it would be too hasty for her to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to find Director Gao now, so she decided to wait a couple of days before going. She said, "I thought we had arrived just now."
“Hey, the family compound is the final stop, we’ll definitely stop there when we get there.” Li Chunying said, pointing to the military camp gate. “And the military camp entrance, we’ll definitely stop there too.”
Lin Qingqing smiled sheepishly: "I was lost in thought just now."
Li Chunying thought it was normal for her to feel bad because she hadn't done well on the job recruitment exam, so she nodded and said, "I understand. Don't worry, I'll definitely call you when we get to the family compound."
Lin Qingqing hummed in agreement, but then stopped daydreaming and just stared at the road outside.
...
When Xie Wei returned home on Saturday night, he learned about the exam results from Lin Qingqing. He hugged her and said, "It's good to work at the supply and marketing cooperative; it's close to home."
Lin Qingqing also thought this was a good point. If her workplace was far away, she would definitely have to live in the company dormitory. Although the company had single rooms for married employees, someone like her would probably have to share a room. Even if her roommate got along well, it wouldn't be as convenient as living at home.
"When the time comes, will you prefer to use a public transport pass or buy a bicycle?"
Lin Qingqing didn't react for a moment, turned her head and said "Hmm?"
Xie Wei said in a low voice, "Have you forgotten that we still have a bicycle ticket?"
If he hadn't reminded her, Lin Qingqing would have completely forgotten about it. She rolled over and got out of bed, opened the wardrobe, took out the box containing money and tickets, and found the bicycle ticket that Xie Qingshan had given her before the New Year.
The bicycle ticket is valid nationwide and expires in January of next year.
Lin Qingqing took the tickets and went back to bed: "Do you think we should buy bicycles?"
"It's more convenient to commute by bicycle."
Although cycling is a bit slower than taking the bus, you don't have to walk or wait for it, so the overall time is about the same. However, cycling also has its drawbacks; in winter, the weather is cold, and cycling...
It's too cold to drive.
Xie Wei said, "You can ride the bicycle when it's hot, and take the bus in the winter."
Lin Qingqing thought about it and decided that it would work. She said, "Then let's go to the supply and marketing cooperative tomorrow... never mind, let's go next week."
Large items like bicycles are prioritized for supply to department stores, and then to supply and marketing cooperatives in various streets and communities. As a result, the number of bicycles delivered to the street and community supply and marketing cooperatives is very limited, and they are quickly snapped up as soon as they arrive. Therefore, the supply and marketing cooperatives in the residential compound and Qingshan do not sell bicycles; if you want to buy one, you have to go to the department store in the city center.
We had agreed to have dinner with Jiang Feng's family tomorrow, but that will have to be postponed.
...
The next morning, Lin Qingqing found Xie Wei standing in the yard, whittling a bamboo pole with a kitchen knife, having somehow acquired one. Confused about what he was doing, Lin Qingqing asked him what he was up to.
"Fishing," Xie Wei said succinctly.
Lin Qingqing had only ever seen such primitive fishing tools in TV dramas, and she was momentarily dumbfounded: "This... will it work?"
"Let's try it first, and we'll see if it works." Xie Wei said, lifting up the sharpened end of the bamboo pole to examine it. He thought it was good enough and placed the bamboo pole against the wall.
Seeing his confidence, Lin Qingqing stopped asking and went back to her room to set out the breakfast Xie Wei had brought back, inviting him in to eat.
Although Lin Qingqing started cooking for herself after she had almost finished equipping the kitchen, she only cooked for lunch and dinner; she still preferred to buy breakfast from the cafeteria.
It's not that she's lazy, but that making breakfast is difficult.
At that time, there were no noodles or instant steamed buns for sale, so whether it was noodles, buns, or steamed buns, you had to get up early to knead and let the dough rise, which was time-consuming and laborious, and Lin Qingqing really didn't have the patience to make breakfast for two people. Moreover, Lin Qingqing could make noodles in various shapes, but she wasn't very good at rolling them out; she couldn't make them as chewy as those made in the north, so it was better to eat the ready-made ones from the cafeteria.
So she and Xie Wei still ate breakfast at the cafeteria. Usually, she would buy it herself, but after Xie Wei came back, he got up early and went to buy it for her.
He bought noodles and vegetarian buns as usual, but only two vegetarian buns. He also bought two shumai, saying they were a new product launched by the cafeteria, for Lin Qingqing to try.
Lin Qingqing noticed that the shumai was twice the size of the ones she had eaten in her previous life. Although it was filled with plenty of filling, the wrappers were not thin enough, and she had a feeling that it wouldn't taste very good.
But since Xie Wei had bought it specifically for her, Lin Qingqing took a bite anyway. The taste was indeed just average, but not too bad either. She decided to eat it like glutinous rice.
"How is it?" Xie Wei asked.
"good."
Xie Wei picked up a shumai, took a bite, frowned, and said, "This isn't..."
Is it just glutinous rice?
"Isn't shumai made of glutinous rice?" Lin Qingqing said casually.
"How did you know this was shumai?" Xie Wei asked with a puzzled look after taking a bite of shumai.
Lin Qingqing was stunned: "Didn't you tell me that?"
Xie Wei swallowed the food in his mouth, shook his head and said, "I didn't say that."
Lin Qingqing froze, her mind racing, and finally decided to use Aunt Wang as a shield: "That's what Aunt Wang told me. She described it to me, saying it's a specialty snack from Guangdong."
Xie Wei only knew that Aunt Wang was the head chef at the Yutian Commune Guesthouse. He had only talked to her a limited time and didn't know which cuisine she was familiar with. Therefore, he didn't doubt Lin Qingqing's explanation and said, "I see."
Seeing that he believed her, Lin Qingqing breathed a sigh of relief and said, "She also told me that Cantonese shumai are not this big, and the skin is thinner and more transparent. She told me how to make it. I'll make it for you when I have time."
"Okay," Xie Wei readily agreed.
After finishing breakfast, it was almost time to leave. Xie Wei picked up his bucket and prepared to go. Lin Qingqing was curious about how he fished and wanted to follow him to see, but she hesitated because she was afraid that no one would be home when Jiang Feng and his wife came.
Xie Wei said, "If they see no one, they'll go back on their own. At worst, we can go back to their house and call them. Anyway, we all live in the family compound and are close by."
Lin Qingqing thought about it and agreed. Since they were friends, there was no need to be bound by those rules of hospitality. So she went back inside to get her hat, put it on, and went out with Xie Wei.
Author's Note: Second update
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