Su Qinghua had no idea what happened and she certainly wasn’t planning to stay to find out.
She ran away as soon as the thief was apprehended. She had to stay low-key for now, after all, and it was really hard to explain what happened.
It seemed like...she got a bit stronger?
Now that she thought of it, her senses and reflexes were also a bit sharper. For example, her vision was definitely clearer now, as if it had recovered back to 20/20.
Her vision had become imperfect due to various sewing assignments assigned by her mother, and also the fact that the only times she had to study were either very early in the morning or late at night. After all, she was the one who did all the chores at home.
She could vaguely tell that the number of high-quality crops growing in her space also influenced her external strength.
But she didn’t remember getting this strong in her past life, and she managed to plant until the fifth generation back then!
Did it have to do with the fact that she awakened much earlier in this life? Was it that the power managed to integrate and mold her body better because she was still growing?
Vaguely, she felt that she was onto something.
However, while improving her physique was understandable, that was 100 kg man barrelling towards her! The jump in strength was too much, especially since she had only planted level 2 crops.
For her to become an indestructible wall that blocked the way of an adrenaline-filled man, there must’ve been a cost.
Sure enough, when she used her mind’s eye to peek at her space, a good one-third of her crops, including a portion of the second-generation ones, had turned to ash!
She wanted to cry a little, but at the same time, she understood. Such a miracle couldn’t have been free. At least she had this trump card, even if it was to sacrifice a portion of her crops.
How long did this ’buff’ last, anyway?
That said, she put this aside for now. She had an exam to take!
...
The exams for these jobs were held right where the hiring factory was. She headed to the edge of the suburbs to the industrial zone. Their city had paper mills, food processing, and so on.
Most urban workers worked in factories. The others worked in state-owned restaurants, department stores, the bookstore, and so on. All these were highly attractive to people of this era. They signified stability and status.
It was also why they could sell for such a high price. In most people’s eyes, these jobs were permanent, unless one made grave errors, and could even be passed down to family or whoever they wanted.
These people had no idea that the economy would experience an overhaul in a few years, with private enterprises popping up and foreign investments coming in. Within several years, many factories and state enterprises would have major layoffs, if not close down entirely. Of course, this was not something she could say out loud.
She walked for about half an hour to get there from the hospital, and she was still half an hour early. She registered immediately after she arrived, and she only needed the household registration in her hand.
There were about a hundred or so other people taking the exam this time, which was a typical number of exam takers. According to the proctor, 15 positions were opening up this month.
The written test was held inside the meeting rooms, while the practical tests—which tested if they knew how to measure things and identify basic tools—were held in the factory itself.
They were divided into two batches with one half taking the written test while the rest were taking the practical test, and vice versa.
The written exam was mostly literacy and basic maths, which was really easy for her. She was leisurely when answering and waited for a third of the people to pass their papers before she stood up.
She ended the exam with a smile, and now all she had to do was wait for the results later in the afternoon.
...
She spent the time waiting in her space. She organized the items she bought first, planning the shelf and its ideal dimensions so it would be easier to make it later.
She also made a mental layout of how she would divide the plants, and this included separating per generation. These things really had effects, and the higher-level ones might be obvious to sensitive people, so she had to be careful whenever she took out high-level crops.
She went to the state-run restaurant and ordered food. Meat dishes required meat coupons, so she ordered a vegetarian meal. These days, this was the premier place to eat (not that there were any other options), so the tastes of the dishes were mostly pretty good.
She ate and ate and hung around for a while. There weren’t many people who could afford to eat here often, so many tables generally didn’t get occupied.
She was unaware that an acquaintance caught sight of her, and she went straight to her mother.
...
The result was released about two hours after lunch break, and the names were listed on the bulletin board by the employee time cards.
Her name was there, of course, though the passive expression on her face would’ve made people think she had failed. However, she stayed there for a while, eavesdropping.
Sure enough, she quickly found a potential ’client’.
"Sigh..." a man said, voice cracking, to the friend next to him. "What do I do? My wife is pregnant, and I need a proper job. Milk is too expensive, and my temporary labor job won’t do anymore."
"It’s okay, there is still the exam for the textile factory in two days. You can try that."
The man nodded, taking note.
Su Qinghua also noted it down.
After remembering the name of the factory, she went to approach them with a smile. "Actually, I passed," she said from the side, saying it just loud enough for the two friends to hear.
"Huh?" they asked, a bit bewildered that this young girl was even talking with them.
"You see...my family is actually moving elsewhere," she said, once again lying with her eyes wide open. "I just took the exam to see if I’d pass. This way, I am more prepared when I apply there."
She looked a little lost, sighing as if she was also very confused. "What do I do with this slot?"
The men’s eyes sparkled. "We’ll help you!"
...
While it was common practice to buy and sell jobs, it wasn’t entirely legal. At least it wasn’t something done blatantly and out in the open.
It was more like letting a friend inherit one’s job, and then getting a reward at a separate time.
It was an under-the-table thing, so they naturally had to be quiet. Further, the man had to go home to get the amount of money required, even borrowing a few from his parents.
Su Qinghua gained 500 yuan and a number of coupons, just like this.