After dinner, Huáng’s father said to Shūxīn, “Finally, you’ve arrived. If you hadn’t come, I was about to send Yáo Yáo to your home to fetch you.”
“Yáo Yáo has probably told you everything already, so I won’t go into more details. We don’t want her wandering too far, so we planned to have her work as a ticket seller at the station. As for you, Shūxīn, I managed to get you a train attendant position. Are you okay with that?”
“Thank you, Uncle Huáng. I have no problem. Being a train attendant suits me perfectly,” Shūxīn replied sincerely. She genuinely thought it was a good fit. Although train attendants spent long periods on the train, they traveled across provinces and cities, all over the country.
Given that at present, traveling required an introduction letter, this was excellent. Plus, with her space, she could transport goods between regions and make some money. It was perfect for her.
“Uncle Huáng, I know you went to a lot of trouble for me. I came to the city specifically to ask for your help finding work. Look, I even brought some fine things to smooth the way,” Shūxīn said playfully.
“Oh? Let’s see then. If you call it a fine thing, it must be good. You’re not the sort of girl who would carry ordinary things,” Huáng Liè said, not taking offense at her joke about ‘pulling strings.’ Though he had left the military, he wasn’t so rigid as to reject a bit of humor—and he knew Shūxīn was teasing him.
Shūxīn didn’t tease further. She went to Huáng Yáo’s room and pulled out her luggage bag. Hearing that Shūxīn had brought good things, Huáng Yáo and her mother joined her to look. As Huáng Liè said, if Shūxīn said something was good, it certainly was, and they were curious.
“These are air-dried wild pheasant and mountain wild vegetable shiitake mushrooms. Aunt Huáng, you can use them to supplement your meals.”
“Now, here’s the main thing! This is my homemade ejiao—pure wild donkey-hide gelatin. I found it at a villager’s house. Aunt Huáng, you can add some ingredients to make it into a gelatin cake. You and Yáo Yáo can have a piece every day—it’s great for beauty and skin care.”
Huáng Yáo’s mother, hearing that it was ejiao made from wild donkey hide, immediately recognized it as something valuable. A woman can’t resist anything that enhances beauty and skin health. She quickly hugged it to her chest.
Shūxīn continued, “This is monkey liquor I found deep in the mountains. Uncle Huáng, I’m sure you’ll like it. And this—I spent a long time getting it from an old Chinese medicine practitioner. It’s a medicinal liquor made from a century-old tiger bone.”
“Ha! That’s indeed a fine thing. Tiger bone liquor is rare, let alone from a century-old tiger bone. Shūxīn, you’ve gone to a lot of trouble. Uncle Huáng won’t hold back now!”
Actually, the tiger bone liquor was Shūxīn’s own concoction. Two years ago, she had ventured far into the mountains and discovered a desolate cave containing a complete set of tiger bones, likely left behind by a naturally deceased tiger king.
Shūxīn hadn’t forgotten Huáng Yáo and Huáng Hào either. She brought along some homemade dried fruit and meat sauce. Though the Huáng family was well-off, in a time of limited national supplies, even having money didn’t guarantee you could buy such goods. The children accepted all treats eagerly.
Although Uncle Huáng had used connections to secure the job, Shūxīn and Huáng Yáo still had to go through the official examination process. The exam was in three days, with results the following day. Fortunately, Shūxīn was already in the city, otherwise, Uncle Huáng would have sent Yáo Yáo to the countryside to fetch her.
Shūxīn settled comfortably in the city, waiting for the exam. Over the past couple of days, Huáng Yáo had taken her around town, and Shūxīn also took the opportunity to bring her herbs to the purchasing station. This time she earned over ten yuan, three of which were hers, the rest for Granny Liú and the family.
Shūxīn and Huáng Yáo bought some clothes and fabric at the supply and marketing cooperative, planning to wear them on the day of the exam before the railway bureau issued their uniforms.
Once employed at the railway bureau—a place where almost everyone had connections—she couldn’t let people look down on them. While frugality was encouraged, as long as it wasn’t excessive, dressing nicely was fine.
On the day of the exam, Shūxīn wore a military-green long-sleeve dress and black leather shoes. Huáng Yáo looked equally nice in a yellow lace dress made by her mother, paired with white leather shoes like Shūxīn’s. Shūxīn had bought three pairs of shoes on the black market—two black, one white—and gifted the white pair to Huáng Yáo, saving one for her cousin.
Both girls were attractive, and walking together made them a striking sight. At the time, the dating culture wasn’t open, so they had no worries about being harassed. Even if someone had designs on them, Shūxīn’s strength was well known.
At the exam, the questions weren’t easy, but Shūxīn had no problem. She picked up her pen and started filling in the answers. Huáng Yáo also breathed a sigh of relief; the questions were all familiar to her. Being Shūxīn’s friend meant her own performance was naturally good.
After finishing the written test, Shūxīn was taken to an office for an interview, assessing her speaking tone, problem-solving attitude, personal appearance, and demeanor.
In the 1960s, workers were respected. Staff at supply and marketing cooperatives or state-run restaurants often had poor attitudes toward clients. The railway bureau, as the most secure of jobs, had to be stricter—especially the new Xīnyáng station, which couldn’t afford sloppiness. Proper appearance and conduct were essential.
When Shūxīn emerged, Huáng Yáo had waited some time and was glad to see her. Shūxīn explained that she had been delayed by the interview. Since they were applying for different positions, minor differences were normal. Happy, they returned to the compound together.
“Shūxīn, hurry! My mother knows we took the exam today and made braised pork, plus your wild pheasant. Just thinking about it makes me drool!” Huáng Yáo said. Hearing that, Shūxīn’s steps quickened.
Although Shūxīn had never lacked food, having lived through the apocalypse made her especially appreciative of it. Perhaps her standards were slightly higher now—but only slightly.
Back home, Huáng Yáo’s parents asked about the exam. Hearing that both girls had done well, they were relieved.
“Shūxīn, your job is basically secured. Tomorrow, you and Yáo Yáo will collect your appointment letters and return to the countryside to complete the necessary paperwork. The station won’t be ready for another week, so you’ll have at least half a month before starting work. Use this time to finish the formalities.”
“Okay, Uncle Huáng. We’ll see how things are arranged tomorrow,” Shūxīn replied.
The next day, Shūxīn and Huáng Yáo checked the accepted list—sure enough, both were on it. They collected their appointment letters and proof of connection from the office. Shūxīn didn’t linger at the Huáng home; she wanted to return to her team leader to finalize the paperwork. Securing the job was the priority.
“Yáo Yáo, I’ll go back and complete the paperwork first. You prepare as well. We’ll meet tomorrow morning at the railway bureau entrance.”
Huáng Yáo understood and didn’t stop her. After all, they would soon be working in the same place, and there would be plenty of time.
Returning to Liúlín brigade by car in the afternoon, Shūxīn hurried to Team Leader Liú Shuānggēn to complete the grain allocation and household transfer paperwork, then immediately returned to the city.
Team Leader Liú Shuānggēn, seeing her hurry off, thought: I always knew the Liú family girls were capable. She saved the entire village during the famine, then excelled in school to enter the county’s best junior high, and now she’s working in the city at the railway bureau, such a prestigious post. Meanwhile, our youngest son is still digging in the dirt… well, time to go check on him.
Shūxīn booked a room at the guesthouse for the night. She didn’t plan to crowd in at the Huáng home.
The next morning, she and Huáng Yáo went to the railway bureau office to finalize the job, then said their goodbyes and returned to Liúlín brigade.