Old Mr. Hu finally managed to scrape together five hundred yuan and had Hu Xinkai write a letter of recommendation for Zhu Xin, sending her to Sijiu City to interview for a nanny position with that Engineer Shao.
Over these two matters, Li Furong raised a huge fuss at home, criticizing Old Mr. Hu in every possible way. “You’re a cadre! When that wretched girl Zhu Xin showed up with a bunch of Little Red Guards, you just caved in. You had to borrow from every relative and friend to scrape together five hundred yuan, emptied out all the family’s money and grain, piled up a mountain of debt, and even gave that wretched girl the nanny job in the capital’s compound. That job was supposed to be for Lili!”
In these times, jobs were hard to come by, and a nanny position in a compound household in Sijiu City was something many people dreamed of having.
Li Furong had originally planned to have her eldest son arrange for her younger daughter, Hu Lili, to take the nanny job. Her goal was simple: to get her daughter close to that Engineer Shao and see if there was any chance for her to marry him, living a worry-free urban life with no shortage of food or clothing.
She had heard from Hu Xinkai that Comrade Shao, despite his young age, was an engineer at a state-owned machinery factory. His monthly salary alone was over a hundred yuan, and on top of that, he received various allowances, subsidies, and welfare benefits. By the end of the month, he had more money than he could spend. He lived in a two-story standalone white house, ate fine rice, flour, meat, and vegetables every meal, and wore brand-new clothes, shoes, and socks. His life was even better than that of high-ranking cadres.
Most importantly, Comrade Shao had lost his spouse just after turning thirty. He was exceptionally handsome and refined. Although he had a son under a year old and a mother with a peculiar temper, none of that mattered compared to his high salary, good family background, and good looks.
The organization intended to introduce him to a new partner to take care of him and his family, and many people were flocking to the Shao Family.
After hearing all this, Li Furong was moved. She wanted her daughter, Hu Lili, to go to the Shao Family in the capital and make herself familiar, hoping she could land that nanny job.
Unexpectedly, as soon as Hu Lili heard she was being asked to work as a nanny for someone else, she immediately refused. “Mom, I’m only eighteen, a young girl in the prime of my life. I’ve never even been in a relationship, and you want me to work as a nanny for someone else? Isn’t that an insult! Those who work as nannies are all middle-aged women in their thirties or fifties. If someone as young as me went to work as a nanny, washing clothes, cooking, and emptying chamber pots, and my classmates or people in the village found out, they’d laugh me to death!”
Hu Lili had been spoiled by her parents since childhood and had never done a single household chore. She couldn’t handle farm work at all, preferring to stay at home enjoying good food and drink, unwilling to do any kind of work.
Li Furong had deliberately raised her like a Young Miss, hoping she would marry into an urban cadre family, eat state-supplied grain in the future, and allow her mother to enjoy a comfortable life through her daughter and son-in-law. She never expected Hu Lili to work, so she had Zhu Xin come to the Hu Family to handle all the household chores, ordering her around to serve Hu Lili.
Hu Lili was used to a leisurely life where clothes were handed to her and meals were served to her. Asking her to work as a nanny, taking care of a whole family’s daily needs, was like asking for her life. She had no intention of doing it.
Li Furong was exasperated by her daughter's lack of ambition and poked her forehead. "What's wrong with being a nanny? You're a country girl. Going from the countryside to work in the capital is a chance to broaden your horizons and make connections! Other country girls don't even have the opportunity to work in the city—don't be ungrateful! What if that Engineer Shao takes a liking to you? If you marry him, you'll have endless meat to eat, new clothes to wear, and Snow Cream and cosmetics to use. Isn't that better than staying in the countryside, suffering and toiling alongside a bunch of poor boys?"
Hu Lili pouted. "But that Engineer Shao is already thirty years old—too old! He even has a son. I'm only eighteen. I don't want to marry a widower and become someone's stepmother."
"What's wrong with thirty? Thirty is the prime of life! Many people only achieve success and accomplish great things after thirty. Engineer Shao is already so accomplished at such a young age. If you can marry him, it's your good fortune. What do you have to complain about?
Don't think I don't know what's on your mind. You're just thinking about those educated youth who just arrived in our village to support the border areas, wanting to date them. Let me tell you, those educated youth have nothing going for them except their youth. They can't even farm properly. This nanny job—you'll do it whether you like it or not!" Li Furong didn't care whether Hu Lili was willing or not; she made the decision outright.
She had already planned it all out in her mind. When Hu Xinkai went to the capital to find Miss Qin, she would have him take Hu Lili along to apply for the nanny position at the Shao Family. If they could catch the Shao Family's eye, their whole family could latch onto the Shao Family, gain many benefits, and live a good life.
Who would have thought that before the trip could even be mentioned, Old Mr. Hu would give such a good opportunity away to someone else—and to that ungrateful wretch at that. No wonder Li Furong was so furious.
Old Mr. Hu impatiently pushed her hand away. "You nagging woman, can't you shut up! If it weren't for you giving Xinkai that terrible idea to cold-shoulder Zhu Xin and hide those things from her, how could that Zhu woman have thrown herself into the river? And how could she have brought so many Little Red Guards to raid our home? Do you think the situation outside is a joke? With the things our family has done, if those Little Red Guards keep digging, they'll torture us to death within a month! Don't you have any idea what's happening in the county?"
Li Furong recalled the scenes in the county of swarms of Little Red Guards rampaging through factories, schools, and shops, dragging groups of intellectuals through the streets to parade and beat them. She couldn't help but shudder and muttered softly, "But we gave that wretch so much money and such a good opportunity to be a nanny. Are we just going to let it go?"
Hu Xinkai, who had been silent all along, squatted on the bare wooden chair in the living room and sneered. "Her wings have hardened, and her courage has grown. She dared to call those Little Red Guards to raid our home and took our hard-earned money. Sooner or later, I'll make her spit it all out!
Mom, do you think being a nanny for the Shao Family is some great opportunity? That Shao guy is a Vegetative Person. He's been lying in bed for half a year with no signs of waking up. He eats, drinks, relieves himself, and sleeps all on that sickbed. Taking care of a Vegetative Person like that would exhaust you to death.
His son is also a weirdo, crying nonstop all day long, like a crying ghost—so difficult to handle. Two nannies have already quit because of his crying. Whoever takes care of him is doomed!"
His mother isn't exactly easygoing either—always making trouble, one thing after another. None of the nannies they've had before could stand her. If Zhu Xin really goes to the capital to work as a nanny for that Shao family, whether it'll be a blessing or a curse is still hard to say."
Hearing her son say this, Li Furong finally felt a bit better. She couldn't stand to see Zhu Xin doing well. After all, in her eyes, Zhu Xin was nothing but a servant girl, destined only to serve others. How dare a mere servant girl lead those Little Red Guards to harass their family, swindle so much money from them, and even dream of landing a decent job? What a joke!
As soon as Zhu Xin got the money and the letter, she immediately pulled out a Great Unity bill and generously stuffed it into Tian Dazhu's hand, coaxing him and the group of Little Red Guards to go back to the commune in town for a meal, temporarily putting aside the matter of criticizing the Hu family.
However, before the Little Red Guards left, she whispered a few words into Tian Dazhu's ear. She told him that after she left Xiashui Village, he should bring a few Little Red Guards to the Hu family every now and then to raid their home, smash things, and make them feel constantly on edge, as if they were sitting on pins and needles, always at risk of being criticized and sent-down. This would keep them from causing trouble and making things difficult for her and her parents.
Tian Dazhu had already taken her bribe and was hoping to squeeze even more benefits out of her, so he readily agreed.
After returning to the Zhu family, Zhu Xin called Ye Sulan and her two children into the room and recounted everything that had happened that day. Finally, she took out the four hundred and ninety yuan and gave Ye Sulan and her two children one hundred yuan each.
"Mom, Second Sister, Third Brother, take this money. Tomorrow, I'm going to buy a ticket to the capital to apply for the nanny job at the Shao family. Whether I succeed or not, I won't be coming back for a while.
I'm already eighteen years old. I can't keep running around with a bunch of Little Red Guards like before, eating without contributing at home. I have to find a job, support myself, and carve out my own path.
You must keep this money safe. It's your private savings. Don't spend it recklessly, lend it out, or give it to anyone else. And absolutely don't tell anyone you have this money, not even Dad. Do you understand?"
Zhu Ershan was both blindly filial and unable to keep a secret. If he found out that Zhu Xin had given Ye Sulan and her two children one hundred yuan each, he would definitely make a fuss, demanding his share, and might even let Old Mrs. Zhu know, who would then confiscate and take control of all of Zhu Xin's money.
Zhu Xin didn't want to share the money with such a clueless, cheap father, so she only called Ye Sulan and her two children into the room to quietly hand over the money.
"Xin'er, this money is your hard-earned money, and it's also the compensation the Hu family paid you for nearly costing you your life. I can't take it," Ye Sulan said without hesitation, pushing the money back into her hands. "You say you're going to the capital to work as a nanny, but is the job the Hu family introduced you to really reliable? I have no idea at all."
"Big Sister, Mom is right. This is the blood-and-sweat money the Zhu family compensated you with. I can't take it," Zhu Yue also placed the money back into Zhu Xin's hands. "Everything was fine—why do you suddenly want to leave our family and go to the capital? I've heard it's chaotic over there. Can you manage on your own?"
Zhu Heping, clutching the money in his hand, said boldly, "This is the first time I've ever seen so much money. That Hu Family must be really wealthy—they said five hundred yuan and gave exactly five hundred yuan. There's definitely something fishy about the Hu Family. Later on, I'm going to gather a group of Little Red Guards and thoroughly investigate the Hu Family's background to see where they got so much money!"
After a pause, he looked at the ten Great Unity bills in his hand and grinned from ear to ear. "Big sister, is this money really for me? I've never seen so much money in my life. How should I spend it? Oh, right, you're going to the capital to look for work. Why don't I go with you? I can join forces with the Red Guards in the capital to carry out the revolution and fight against those stubborn, self-righteous elements in Sijiu City!"
"Keep the money properly. This is my heartfelt gift. If you don't accept it, how can I leave home with peace of mind to work in the capital?"
Zhu Xin placed the money back into Ye Sulan and Zhu Yue's hands. "Mom, having died once, my mind is much clearer than before. I don't want to stay in the countryside my whole life, marry some poor guy, have a bunch of kids, spend my days digging in the dirt, and live a miserable, hard life.
I want to go to the capital to work as a nanny, not just to earn money, but also to find a good partner for myself and change my life.
Think about it—if I manage to marry a comrade from the capital, wouldn't I become a city dweller and get to eat state-supplied grain?"