“Comrade Lin Wanqiu,” Li Weiguo began, his tone noticeably more polite than it had been the day before. “This is Comrade Gu. He’s interested in buying your factory position.”
Gu.
Lin Wanqiu silently committed the surname to memory.
Gu Qingshan gave a slight nod, his gaze settling on Lin Wanqiu with quiet scrutiny.
His eyes were rather distinctive. His irises were unusually dark, and the outer corners tilted slightly upward. He said nothing, merely observing her in silence, yet his gaze carried an invisible pressure that was difficult to ignore.
Lin Wanqiu, however, showed no sign of discomfort.
Instead of looking away, she met his eyes calmly, returning his scrutiny with equal composure.
“Comrade Gu would like to verify your identity,” Li Weiguo explained.
Lin Wanqiu reached inside her clothes and took out her work ID and household registration booklet.
Her work ID had been issued by the textile factory. Its dark blue plastic cover was already somewhat worn from years of use.
The household registration booklet was an older version, its pages yellowed with age. Under the section for class background, the words “Poor Peasant” were clearly written.
Gu Qingshan accepted the documents and examined them carefully.
His fingers were long and slender, with well-defined knuckles. A thin layer of calluses covered the skin between his thumb and forefinger.
“Lin Wanqiu, female, County Textile Factory, spinning machine operator…”
He read the information quietly before lifting his head.
“Why are you selling your job?”
Lin Wanqiu repeated the explanation she had prepared, a mixture of truth and deliberate deception.
“My family is forcing me to give my position to my younger brother. I’m unwilling to do that, so I’d rather sell it and use the money to stay with relatives in the south.”
“Where in the south?”
“Guangzhou.”
She deliberately chose a city far away.
Gu Qingshan glanced up at her, a subtle change passing through his eyes.
“That’s quite a distance. You’re planning to travel that far alone?”
“It’s better than staying with my family,” Lin Wanqiu replied.
Gu Qingshan fell silent.
For several seconds, his gaze lingered on her face.
Then he closed the documents and handed them back.
“Brother Li said the price is eight hundred yuan.”
He went straight to business.
Opening the canvas bag he carried, he took out a brown paper envelope. From inside, he counted out four hundred yuan in banknotes and held them toward her.
“Here’s four hundred as a deposit. Once the transfer procedures are completed, I’ll pay you the remaining amount.”
Lin Wanqiu didn’t immediately reach for the money.
“Your family background and medical examination are both in order, correct?” she asked.
This was an important matter.
In 1974, transferring a factory position wasn’t simply a matter of finding someone willing to take the job.
The applicant’s personal qualifications and class background also had to meet the required standards.
If the buyer’s background was considered unsuitable, the entire transfer could fall through.
A flicker of surprise crossed Gu Qingshan’s eyes.
He apparently hadn’t expected her to raise such a question.
Nevertheless, he nodded.
“My background is fine, and I have a complete medical examination report.”
Only then did Lin Wanqiu accept the money.
Four hundred yuan.
She carefully tucked the four banknotes inside her clothes, feeling their reassuring thickness through the fabric.
“We can handle the paperwork tomorrow,” she said. “Bring your identification documents, household registration booklet, and medical examination report. I’ll meet you at the textile factory entrance at twelve thirty tomorrow afternoon.”
Gu Qingshan glanced toward Li Weiguo.
Li Weiguo smiled.
“Don’t worry. As long as I’m involved, neither of you will lose what’s rightfully yours. I’ll accompany Comrade Gu to the factory tomorrow.”
Only then did Gu Qingshan nod.
“All right.”
By the time Lin Wanqiu left the black market, the sun was already sinking toward the horizon.
She didn’t return to the factory immediately.
Instead, she made a detour to the post office and deposited the money for safekeeping.
The following day, Lin Wanqiu arrived early at the textile factory entrance.
She stood beneath a plane tree outside the main gate, quietly waiting.
At exactly twelve thirty, Li Weiguo and Gu Qingshan appeared.
Today, Gu Qingshan had changed into a dark blue Mao suit, its high collar buttoned neatly all the way to the top.
He carried a document folder in one hand.
Walking beside Li Weiguo, he maintained a steady pace, his posture upright and his gaze fixed straight ahead.
“Comrade Lin,” Li Weiguo greeted her.
“Brother Li, Comrade Gu.”
Lin Wanqiu nodded to them both.
“Please follow me.”
She led the two men through the factory grounds, passing rows of production buildings on their way to the administration office.
The distant roar of machinery drifted from the spinning workshop, and the faint smell of cotton fibers hung in the air.
Director Zhou Yun’s office was on the second floor.
Lin Wanqiu stopped outside and knocked.
“Come in.”
Zhou Yun was reviewing documents behind her desk.
When she looked up and saw Lin Wanqiu accompanied by two unfamiliar men, she immediately understood why they had come.
“Xiao Lin, is this…”
“Director Zhou, this is Comrade Gu, the person who wants to purchase my factory position,” Lin Wanqiu explained. “And this is Brother Li, who’s acting as the intermediary.”
Zhou Yun studied Gu Qingshan for a moment.
Her gaze lingered briefly on his straight, disciplined posture before she gave a small nod.
“Have a seat. Let me see your documents.”
Gu Qingshan handed her the folder.
Zhou Yun opened it and carefully examined each document.
The folder contained his household registration booklet, proof of class background, medical examination report, and the other required documents.
Everything was complete.
The handwriting was neat, and every official seal was clear and properly placed.
“Comrade Gu Qingshan,” Zhou Yun said, reading the name on his household registration booklet.
“Yes.”
His reply was deep and clear.
“You graduated from high school?”
“Yes.”
Zhou Yun nodded and continued reviewing the documents.
Standing nearby, Lin Wanqiu silently repeated the name to herself.
Gu Qingshan.
Now she knew his full name.
After examining everything, Zhou Yun opened a drawer and took out several forms.
“Fill these out,” she instructed. “Xiao Lin, you need to complete this transfer application as well.”
The office fell quiet.
For a while, the only sound was the soft scratching of pen tips against paper.
Sunlight streamed diagonally through the window, illuminating tiny specks of dust floating lazily in the air.
Lin Wanqiu carefully completed her form.
Then she picked up her pen and signed her name.
Stroke by stroke, she wrote the characters that would formally end her employment at the textile factory.
To anyone else, it was merely a signature.
But to Lin Wanqiu, those few strokes carried the weight of all the suffering, struggles, and hard decisions she had endured across two lifetimes.
She was finally cutting away another chain that bound her to her past.
The procedures went surprisingly smoothly.
Zhou Yun had clearly prepared everything in advance.
One official seal after another was pressed onto the documents.
In less than half an hour, the entire transfer was completed.
“All right. Everything is settled.”
Zhou Yun handed Gu Qingshan a stamped document.
“Bring this to the factory next Monday to report for work. First, go to the personnel department to complete your employment registration. After that, you’ll be assigned to the workshop.”
She paused before adding, “Working as a spinning machine operator can be quite demanding. You should prepare yourself for that.”
“Thank you, Director Zhou.”
Gu Qingshan accepted the document and carefully put it away.
“There’s no need to thank me.”
Zhou Yun turned toward Lin Wanqiu.
A complicated expression crossed her face.
“Xiao Lin, from now on… take good care of yourself.”
“Thank you, Director.”
Lin Wanqiu bowed deeply.
Across both her previous life and this one, Zhou Yun was among the very few people who had ever shown her genuine kindness.
That was something she would not forget.
The three of them left the administration building and walked out through the textile factory’s main gate.
Once they were outside, Gu Qingshan stopped.
He opened his canvas bag and took out another brown paper envelope.
“The remaining four hundred yuan.”
He handed it to Lin Wanqiu.
She accepted the envelope, opened it, and counted out eight ten-yuan notes, totaling eighty yuan.
Then she passed them to Li Weiguo.
“Brother Li, here’s your commission.”
Li Weiguo accepted the money with a cheerful smile.
He lightly tapped the banknotes against his palm.
“Excellent! Money paid, goods delivered. Everything’s settled.”
He grinned.
“If you ever have another profitable deal, don’t forget to come find me.”
With a casual wave toward them both, he turned and walked away.
Beneath the plane tree, only Lin Wanqiu and Gu Qingshan remained.
A warm July breeze swept past, carrying the familiar smells of cooking from the factory canteen.
Lin Wanqiu carefully tucked the envelope of money inside her clothes.
Then she looked up at Gu Qingshan.
“Comrade Gu, thank you.”
Gu Qingshan regarded her quietly.
Several seconds passed before he finally spoke.
“Comrade Lin, if you haven’t decided what to do next, would you be willing to help me with something?”
Lin Wanqiu blinked in surprise.
“What is it?”
“I need you to deliver something to the provincial capital.”
Gu Qingshan reached into his pocket and took out a small cloth bundle.
It was no larger than his palm, wrapped in ordinary blue fabric and tightly secured with a thin cord.
“Please deliver this to someone called Auntie Zhou. Her address is written here.”
He handed her a small slip of paper.
A neatly written address appeared on the slip of paper.
No. 37 Dongfeng Road, Ning’an City.
Lin Wanqiu accepted the bundle and the note.
She didn’t open the package.
“What’s inside?”
“A photograph,” Gu Qingshan answered.
Lin Wanqiu looked at him suspiciously.
“I’m warning you, I won’t get involved in anything illegal.”
Gu Qingshan shook his head.
“Don’t worry. There’s nothing prohibited inside. You can open it and inspect it right now if you want.”
Lin Wanqiu hesitated.
After a moment, she decided it was better to be cautious.
She loosened the thin cord and carefully unfolded the blue cloth bundle.