Zhu Xin was not the kind of saintly, generous person. The reason she gave Ye Sulan and her two children so much money was because she had taken over the original owner's body, and the original owner's mother, younger brother, and younger sister had all treated her well. She had to return the favor and repay the family on behalf of the original owner, so she could feel at ease.
She was not the original owner and had little affection for Ye Sulan and her children. Staying in the Zhu Family, she would inevitably act differently from the original owner in words and deeds, exposing her identity as a time traveler. Taking the nanny job introduced by Hu Xinkai to leave the Zhu Family and work in the capital was her best choice.
In this era of food and clothing shortages, where jobs were hard to come by, working as a nanny for someone, with food and accommodation provided, and having a temporary place to stay, was already quite good for her.
Zhu Xin did not feel ashamed or think it meaningless to work as a nanny. As Old Mr. Hu said, the Shao Family was no ordinary household. If she could work for the Shao Family, even if it wasn't for long, she could establish connections with them, meet some influential people, and possibly find a new, better job through these connections.
Once she found a job, she would save some money, endure until the end of the Ten-Year Turmoil, then take the college entrance exam, get into university, graduate, follow the job assignment to work in a public institution, buy a house, invest in business during the 1980s, speculate in stocks in the 1990s, and when she had money, buy properties like crazy for investment, letting money generate more money, living a life free from financial worries for the rest of her days. Just thinking about it made her feel delighted.
In short, she had to go to the capital.
As a rural woman, Ye Sulan, like all mothers, hoped her daughter would marry into a good family and live a comfortable life without worries about food and clothing.
Having her daughter marry a city dweller, especially someone from a big city like the capital, was something Ye Sulan dreamed of.
When Zhu Xin used Old Mr. Hu's words to respond to her, Ye Sulan couldn't find any reason to refute.
Wiping her tears, she said, "But I'm worried about you going to the capital alone. What if the Shao Family doesn't want you as a nanny? With your stubborn temper, if you can't find a job, you'll definitely refuse to come back. Then you'll be wandering the streets alone, with nowhere to go in the harsh winter. Just thinking about it makes me sad."
"Mom, don't worry. Even if the Shao Family doesn't want me and I can't be a nanny, I can still find other work in the capital to support myself. I'm old enough to take care of myself."
Zhu Xin reached out and patted Ye Sulan's hand, then turned her gaze to Zhu Yue and Zhu Heping, the siblings. "I'm not giving you this money for nothing. This money is for you to fulfill my filial duties to our parents while I'm away. Don't always think about making our mom work hard in the fields to earn work points to support you two. You two should also do more work, share the household chores, and stop running around with a bunch of Little Red Guards all day, causing trouble in the name of revolution. If our parents ever get a headache or fever and need someone to take them to the clinic, there might be no one around."
Zhu Yue knew her sister's temperament—once she said something, she meant it—and knew she couldn't be persuaded. Holding her hand, she replied softly, "Big sister, don't worry. I'll take good care of Mom and Dad. When you go to the capital, take care of yourself."
Zhu Heping, on the other hand, looked up at the sky, wearing an expression that said, "I heard you, but I won't change. I'll keep on with the revolution."
Zhu Xin couldn't be bothered to say more to him. She immediately packed her bags and went to the village committee to get an introduction letter for the capital.
One day later, Zhu Xin boarded the train bound for the capital, carrying large and small bundles.
After two days and nights of long travel, the green-skinned train finally pulled into the capital railway station.
"Dear passengers, we have arrived at the final stop of this train. Please take your personal belongings and disembark in order from the carriage connections…"
The announcement echoed through the carriage. Many people inside couldn't help but sigh in relief, standing up one after another to retrieve their luggage from the overhead racks before silently heading toward the carriage exits to disembark.
Most of them wore old, worn-out clothes made from black, gray, or blue fabric. Everyone looked dusty and weary, their expressions heavy.
The proletariat revolution was raging fiercely across the nation, creating an atmosphere of tension and suspicion everywhere.
At this time, the number of passengers entering the capital had dwindled significantly. Across the provinces, nearly half the population had either been dispatched to support remote, harsh border regions or collectively sent-down. Those still taking trains into the capital were mostly individuals with clean proletariat backgrounds or cadres and other personnel coming to the capital on official business.
Given the severe situation outside, not a single passenger entering the capital wore a smile. All carried their bundles, hurriedly leaving the station after disembarking, never lingering on the streets.
In no time at all, the carriage, which had only been half full, was completely emptied.
Zhu Xin picked up the two large bundles stuffed with various snacks and local specialties that Ye Sulan and her two children had bought for her, and leisurely stepped off the train.
As soon as she disembarked, a strong, cold wind carrying snowflakes swept toward her. Wearing only thin cotton clothing, Zhu Xin couldn't help but shiver.
Sijiu City was actually snowing—she hadn't come at the right time!
As a child from the Southwest, where snow was rarely seen, Zhu Xin forgot the cold as she watched the light, drifting snowflakes and took in the simple, backward train station, full of Sixties Era characteristics. She stretched out a hand, letting the faint rustle of snowflakes settle on her palm, and smiled foolishly as she watched the snow melt from the warmth of her hand.
"Comrade, comrade? What are you standing here for? It's so cold out—you'll freeze in such thin clothes. Hurry and find a place to stay." A middle-aged female train attendant at the station, seeing her standing foolishly on the platform, reached out to pull her.
Zhu Xin snapped back to reality, hunching her shoulders and shivering as she looked at the attendant. "Sister, this is my first time in Sijiu City. I'm not very familiar with it. Do you know how to get to this place?"
Zhu Xin gave an address, looking at the attendant with hopeful eyes.
In the later era, she had visited the capital many times, whether for business or leisure, and was quite familiar with it. But Sijiu City in the Sixties Era was completely different from the capital of the later era. Even though Sijiu City was the capital of China, in this era, it was as poor and backward as a modern third-tier city. Many places and transportation routes were entirely different from the modern ones. Finding the exact location of the Shao Family would still be a bit challenging.
The middle-aged female train attendant was somewhat surprised upon hearing the address she gave. "You want to go to the Machinery Factory Cadre Compound? That's near the Military District. There are guards stationed there—ordinary people can't get in."
Zhu Xin was a bit confused. "Near the Military District? Is the Machinery Factory not in the city but in the suburbs?"
"Yes, Victory Machinery Factory is in Weidian Town, east of Sijiu City. It's near the mountainous area, quite far from here. That area is chaotic."
Seeing her confused expression, the older sister sighed and said, "Comrade, are you from the countryside looking for relatives at the machinery factory? I advise you to take the bus there. Don't try to save those few cents by walking. The city is very chaotic right now. If you encounter flower-snatchers or Little Red Guards, you'll need to run fast, understand?"
"Understood, thank you."
Zhu Xin carried her bundles and walked to the bus stop the train attendant had pointed out to take the bus.
She might not have eaten pork, but she had seen pigs run. In her spare time after work, she used to read novels and watch TV dramas, and she had some exposure to and understanding of Period Novels.
She knew that during the Ten-Year Turmoil, there was a special group of people in Sijiu City called 'Wanzhu'—young men from well-off families who idled around, wandering and having fun all day in Sijiu City. They often clashed with local ruffians over territory, and fights, brawls, and bloodshed were common. Occasionally, they even confronted groups of Little Red Guards, causing endless trouble.
They feared nothing, doing whatever they pleased. Even the Little Red Guards and military police couldn't handle them. Their favorite pastime was flower-snatching.
So-called flower-snatching didn't refer to human trafficking as in later times. In this era, it meant groups of men using pick-up lines and various methods to meet pretty, young women, harass them, and deceive or coax them into willingly engaging in relationships.
They usually operated in groups, using tactics like striking up conversations while riding bicycles or talking in skating rinks.
The female train attendant probably saw that she was young, from the countryside, inexperienced, and naive, easily deceived. With revolutionary struggles raging fiercely in Sijiu City and chaos everywhere, she was worried Zhu Xin might get entangled with those Wanzhu, hence the warning.
Zhu Xin wasn't afraid of trouble, but she didn't seek it either. Still, when it came to these special groups in such a frenzied era, she preferred to avoid them whenever possible.
Buses at this time charged by the number of stops: two cents for three stops, and twelve cents for the entire route.
Zhu Xin needed to go to Victory Machinery Factory in the eastern suburbs, which required taking the bus for the full route. After getting off, she still had to walk a stretch to reach the factory.
After paying twelve cents, Zhu Xin took the white ticket stamped with an official seal, carried her two large bundles onto the bus, and leaned against the window, watching the passing street scenes outside.
Narrow streets, low, dilapidated single-story houses and mixed courtyards, occasionally interspersed with a few low-rise tube-shaped apartment buildings. Walls along the streets and roads were plastered with large red and white slogans everywhere. Groups of Little Red Guards in military-green uniforms frequently stopped pedestrians for various interrogations. Most of those stopped looked panicked and fearful.
Many pedestrians, upon seeing the Little Red Guards, would quickly turn around, detouring through alleys and hutongs to avoid trouble.
But in those streets and alleys, there were also groups of Wanzhu riding bicycles, wearing leather coats or military overcoats, looking slick and unruly, laughing and chasing after young female passersby…
Indeed, as the train attendant had said, Sijiu City was chaotic now.
Zhu Xin couldn't help but worry for herself. By the time she got off the train, it was already five in the evening. The journey from the train station to the Victory Machinery Factory would take at least an hour and a half by bus, and after getting off, she would still have to walk another half hour to reach the factory. By then, it would be close to seven o'clock.
In the winter, Sijiu City grew dark early. Outside, it was snowing, gloomy and cold. If she encountered some Wanzhu on the way after getting off the bus, she truly couldn't guarantee she would make it out safely.
At this moment, she already understood—she had been tricked by Hu Xinkai and his family.
They had told her she was coming to the capital to work as a nanny for the Shao Family, but they hadn't mentioned how remote the Shao Family's location was.
If something happened to her on the way to the Shao Family, the Hu Family would probably be overjoyed.