Heavy snow fell, and the weather was bitterly cold.
Zhu Xin got off the bus, carrying two large bundles, hunching her shoulders against the chill as she walked toward the Machinery Factory in the eastern suburbs.
From the bus stop to the Machinery Factory was about a half-hour walk. The area was surrounded by sprawling neighborhoods of low, single-story houses, usually inhabited by locals. However, since the sudden changes a few months ago, these neighborhoods had become home to many unsavory characters and troublemakers.
As Zhu Xin hurried along with her bundles through an alley, she heard the sound of bicycle bells ringing in the distance, growing louder as someone pedaled toward her.
Remembering the train attendant’s warning, she clutched her bundles tightly and broke into a run at the sound.
The snowy ground was slippery and treacherous. As a southerner, she had never walked on such slick surfaces before, and she hadn’t gone far when she slipped and fell.
Meanwhile, the group of rowdy Wanzhu, riding their bicycles, had already closed in.
“Comrade, why are you running? Got a guilty conscience, or are you just shy because we’re so handsome?” A young man in a black padded jacket rode up on a 28-inch bicycle, screeching to a halt in front of Zhu Xin. He let out a low whistle.
Zhu Xin sat up and turned to look at the man.
The man immediately exclaimed, “Hey, she’s a real beauty! Sheng-ge, come take a look!”
A man named Sheng-ge, dressed in a military overcoat, walked over. When he saw Zhu Xin’s face, he froze for a moment.
Before he could say anything, Zhu Xin scooped up a handful of snow and hurled it into the man’s face. As he and the dozen or so others around him cried out in surprise, she scrambled to her feet, grabbed her bundles, and sprinted away.
“Damn it, she’s getting away! After her!” The men mounted their bicycles and gave chase.
The young man in front shouted, “Hey, woman up ahead! Stop right there! Tell us who you are and why you ran as soon as you saw us. Are you a spy, or some bourgeois revisionist who studied in the Soviet Union? What are you running from?”
Zhu Xin tensed, clutching her bundles tightly, and ran forward without a word.
Whether it was because the ground was too slippery for the bicycles to gain traction on the snow, or because Zhu Xin was running too fast, the group on their bicycles couldn’t catch up with her. They trailed close behind, relentlessly pursuing her.
Some residents in the alley heard the commotion outside and opened their doors to look. But as soon as they saw the troublesome Wanzhu, they quickly shut their doors again.
Zhu Xin wanted to call for help, but seeing this, she understood that ordinary people dared not provoke these Wanzhu. She kept her mouth shut and focused all her energy on running toward the Machinery Factory.
Perhaps fate was on her side. Despite the relentless pursuit, she managed to reach the area around the Victory Machinery Factory with her two large bundles still intact. By sheer luck, she even made it to the entrance of the Ganbu Dayuan in the factory’s eastern district.
The entrance to the Ganbu Dayuan was wide and imposing, and just as the female train attendant had said, two guards were stationed there.
Zhu Xin rushed toward the entrance with her bundles, shouting at the top of her lungs, “Comrades of the Liberation Army, help! Save me—someone’s chasing me, trying to harass me!”
The two young guards heard her cries for help and, without hesitation, raised their rifles, aiming them at the group chasing Zhu Xin.
Seeing the two guards, the group stopped chasing. They exchanged glances, and finally, the man called Sheng-ge said something. Reluctantly, they rode their bicycles away.
After they left, Zhu Xin wiped the sweat from her face and thanked the two guards: "Thank you, Liberation Army comrades, for saving me. May I ask if there is a family named Shao living here?"
The two guards looked at each other. The younger one with slightly darker skin asked, "Why are you asking?"
Zhu Xin took two envelopes from her pocket and handed them to the guard. "It's like this: Comrade Qin Yu Jiao introduced me to the Shao Family to work as a nanny. These are my letter of introduction and my recommendation letter."
The guard made a surprised sound, took the two letters from her hands with some curiosity, carefully examined the contents and the official seals stamped on them, then looked her over twice. He said, "Wait here," walked to the nearby guardhouse, and made a phone call inside.
Soon, he came back and said, "Comrade Zhu, right? The Shao Family has invited you in. Their home is in the small white building at the very back of the compound's residential area. Just go there and give your name. Register with me, and you can enter."
Zhu Xin thanked the guard, completed the registration, and followed his directions inside, feeling an involuntary sense of relief.
She had no idea who those men chasing her were or why they dared not pursue her further once she reached this place.
She remembered the identities of those Wanzhu—they were all profligate sons from Sijiu City with money and power. They shouldn't have been afraid of just two guards from the Machinery Factory, so why hadn't they dared to come closer?
Moreover, why would a Machinery Factory Cadre Compound have guards stationed at the entrance?
It was already dark, and the snowflakes showed signs of growing heavier. However, the roads within this Machinery Factory Cadre Compound were lined with streetlights, illuminating the entire compound.
Walking further in, she could see over a dozen standalone two-story houses, two tall tube-shaped apartment buildings, a small cluster of single-story dwellings in a mixed courtyard, a small park, and activity areas. The roads were flanked by straight trees and bright streetlights…
The compound environment looked exceptionally good, completely different from the old, poor, and low-rise single-story houses that were common in this era. It resembled a Military District compound.
As Zhu Xin walked further in, her breathing unconsciously quickened. She had already realized that the family she was about to work for as a nanny seemed to be no ordinary people.
Soon, she arrived outside the small white building at the very back and knocked on the gate.
"Who is it? Knocking so late at night." A woman soon came out from inside, around twenty-seven years old, with delicate eyebrows and eyes, a plump figure, and a rather proper appearance. However, her eyes were puffy and she looked at people sideways, giving off an unfriendly impression.
"Hello, comrade. My name is Zhu Xin. I was introduced by Comrade Qin Yu Jiao to apply for the nanny position." Zhu Xin stepped forward and showed the woman her letter of introduction and recommendation letter.
The woman took the letters, glanced at them, then looked Zhu Xin up and down with a particularly disdainful gaze. "Our Yan Yi is busy right now. Wait outside for a while. When Yan Yi is free, I'll let her know, and then you can come in."
Is this meant to intimidate her? The guard had already called to announce her arrival, yet now she was being made to wait outside. How long would she have to stand here?
Zhu Xin couldn’t understand why the woman before her harbored such hostility. Judging by her attire, she was likely also a maid working for this household. As a newcomer, Zhu Xin couldn’t afford to make a scene.
After a moment’s thought, she removed the extra coat she had put on after getting off the bus, leaving only a thin cotton jacket. Shivering in the biting wind, she stood still as snowflakes settled all over her.
After what felt like an eternity, the woman finally reappeared. Holding the door ajar, she looked at Zhu Xin, who was clearly freezing, and a smug expression crossed her face. With an air of superiority, she said, “Come in.”
Trembling, Zhu Xin picked up her bundle and followed the woman inside.
The warmth from the heating indoors made her exhale softly in relief. She quickly scanned the house before lowering her gaze and following the woman into the living room.
It was a spacious two-story retro-style villa. The living room, just beyond the entrance, was furnished with a sofa, a coffee table, and mahogany chairs and cabinets that exuded a distinct vintage charm. On one cabinet stood a large, metal-cased transistor radio, next to which sat a bulky sewing machine and a green cabinet that resembled a refrigerator, along with other household items. The decor felt both nostalgic and opulent, far surpassing what an ordinary family of that era could afford.
Zhu Xin knew that in those days, owning a refrigerator was no small feat. Refrigerators required special foreign exchange certificates to purchase, which ordinary people had no access to.
A refrigerator cost several hundred yuan—a sum that would take an average family over a decade to save up, and even then, they’d have no means to buy one.
Appliances like refrigerators were still rare luxuries in the country at the time, mostly limited-edition imported goods. Only high-ranking cadres or technical experts had the privilege of obtaining the certificates needed to purchase them.
What kind of family background did the Shao Family have, to own a refrigerator and live in such a large, standalone Western-style house?
The woman led her to the center of the living room, where a middle-aged woman was sipping tea on a mahogany sofa. With a respectful tone, the woman said, “Yan Yi, the maid introduced by Comrade Qin has arrived.”
The same woman who had been so arrogant and smug in front of Zhu Xin now appeared utterly humble before the tea-drinking middle-aged woman. The swift shift between her two faces left Zhu Xin stunned.
The middle-aged woman on the sofa was around fifty years old. She wore a long white wool sweater, matching trousers, and black insulated wool boots. Her features were delicate, with a high nose bridge and her hair elegantly swept back into a single bun. Her face was well-defined, and she carried a cool, refined aura. Despite her age, with fine wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, she remained strikingly beautiful, with fair, well-maintained skin that made her look more like a woman in her thirties.
This middle-aged woman was the head of the Shao Family, named Yan Man Ru.
Upon hearing Wang Xin Feng’s words, Yan Man Ru paid little attention. Lately, so many maids had been introduced to her household by friends and relatives that it felt as though her doorstep had been worn thin by their visits.
She hadn't taken a liking to any of them, and held little expectation for the person introduced by Qin Yu Jiao, who had some dealings with their Shao Family.
Originally holding her tea with an indifferent expression, her attitude improved considerably upon seeing Zhu Xin.
The reason was that Zhu Xin's appearance was truly exceptional. She wore only a light blue buttoned cotton jacket, matching cotton trousers, clunky and rustic old cotton shoes, and two cotton braids. On anyone else, such attire would have looked particularly dowdy, but on Zhu Xin, for some reason, it appeared remarkably ethereal and beautiful.