After they had settled in, He Aihua told them to first familiarize themselves with the surroundings. Training would start at 8 a.m. on Monday, with everyone gathering at the canteen. They could either go home today or stay in the dormitory.
She also told them that dinner was available at the canteen. Since they didn’t yet have meal coupons from the factory, they could go to the small office on the right side of the canteen entrance and buy some temporary meal tickets from Master Qian in logistics.
Only after explaining everything clearly did He Aihua leave.
Baolan and the other two escorted her downstairs.
Yu Heping said, “The leaders at your factory are really good—truly serving the people.”
“It’s almost three o’clock now, right? Are you two going back today?”
Baolan shook her head. “I’m not going back. What about you, Dingqing?”
Dingqing shook her head too. “What’s the point of going back? We start work the day after tomorrow. Come on, Dad, I’ll show you around so you can go back and tell everyone how great our cannery is!”
Yu Heping was tempted, but after thinking it over, he said, “Forget it. I need to catch a boat back as soon as possible. No time to wander around. Besides, you’ve just arrived—you must be extra careful and not run around.”
His daughter was only fifteen and already leaving home to live on her own. She was usually bold and a bit reckless, and he simply couldn’t stop worrying. He wished he could drill a hole in her head and pour in all forty years of his life experience at once.
Dingqing responded with a series of perfunctory “mm-hm” and “okay.”
“Buy a lock—”
“We remember. We’ll go buy one after you leave.”
“Do you know how to choose? Get the Xinsheng brand—those are durable.”
“Alright, alright, Dad. The boat’s here—go on.”
Even after boarding, Yu Heping kept turning back and waving at the two of them, still worried.
“Ugh, so naggy. Finally gone,” Dingqing said.
Baolan said with a hint of envy, “Uncle Yu worries about you.”
The area they were in was on the outskirts of the city. There weren’t many shops or homes nearby, and there wasn’t yet a supply and marketing cooperative near the cannery. To buy a lock, they had to walk over twenty minutes to the Baiyun Street cooperative.
The two strolled there and each bought a Xinsheng-brand iron lock, spending one yuan each.
There were cheaper ones for a few mao, and even brass locks costing five or ten yuan. But the cheap ones looked like they could be pried open easily, so they chose the slightly more expensive ones.
All the money was with Dingqing. After selling mushrooms and leaving Hongsha Village, they had twenty-five yuan in total. After deducting lodging, boat fare, and miscellaneous expenses… although Dingqing’s travel and food costs were paid by her father, Baolan still counted them as shared expenses.
After subtracting the two yuan spent on locks, they had nine yuan left.
Previously, Baolan had three yuan more than Dingqing. After returning those three yuan to Baolan, six yuan remained to be split equally.
So now Baolan had six yuan in savings.
From He Aihua, Baolan learned that the factory canteen wasn’t free, though it was cheaper than eating outside. Depending on personal choices, monthly food expenses would be around eight to thirteen yuan.
Baolan privately felt she couldn’t eat too poorly—ten yuan a month seemed necessary. That meant from her wage of a little over eighteen yuan, she’d have only eight yuan left after food. If she gave eight yuan to her family, what would she have left?
After a month of work, she’d have nothing.
She realized she had quoted too high a figure when talking to her father yesterday.
But it didn’t matter. Xing Baosong definitely wouldn’t hand over eight yuan. She looked down on him—she didn’t believe he could earn that much, and even if he did, he wouldn’t hand it all over.
Anyway, if Xing Baosong didn’t give his money to her, she wouldn’t contribute hers.
The two returned to the dorm, locked their cabinets, and made their beds.
The dorm beds were simple wooden frames with thin boards and no mats. They needed bedding to make them comfortable.
At home, Baolan and her sisters slept on straw, but it wouldn’t look good to spread straw in the dorm. She felt a bit embarrassed.
She only had the spring-autumn quilt given by Third Aunt. Folded in half, it was just wide enough for the bed. Baolan wrapped it in an old bedsheet and used it as a mattress for now.
Her blanket was just a thin cover without cotton filling.
She put her clothes into the cabinet and temporarily stored her toothbrush and bamboo cup there as well.
She didn’t have many belongings, so she finished quickly.
Dingqing had brought two sets of bedding—one thin and one thick. She used the thick one as a mattress, making her bed look soft and comfortable. She also brought a copper washbasin and an enamel mug printed with “Progressive Youth,” a prize her brother received for getting into a technical school.
Seeing the basin, Baolan let out a sigh of relief. “You brought a basin—that’s great. I’ll borrow yours for now.”
“No problem!”
“There’s only cold water in the restroom. Let’s buy a thermos together.” There was a hot water room near the bathhouse.
“Sure!”
As they were chatting, He Aihua knocked on the half-open dorm door.
Baolan turned to look. He Aihua pushed the door open with a smile. “You’re here—your new coworker has arrived. This is Comrade Wang Xiaoping. Wang, this is Comrade Yu Dingqing, and that is Comrade Xing Baolan.”
After introducing them, she said, “You’ll all be living in the same dorm—get along well.”
Baolan and Dingqing nodded with smiles.
“Alright then, Wang, settle in and keep your key safe. I’ll be going now.”
Wang Xiaoping quickly stuffed the key into her pocket and said, “Thank you, Comrade He. I’ll walk you out.”
The two chatted as they left.
Baolan and Dingqing exchanged a glance. Dingqing plopped down beside her. “Baolan, there are six people in our dorm. It’s my first time living with so many—I’m a little nervous.”
“It’s fine.” Baolan was a bit nervous too, but forced herself to sound steady. “We’re here to work and earn money. As long as we do our own part, it’ll be okay.”
Soon, Wang Xiaoping returned.
She was in her twenties, quite tall, with a round face and slightly protruding eyes. She had short hair with no bangs, all combed back and tied. Her natural curls made the hair around her hairline stick out wildly.
“Where are you two from?” she asked.
“Qingjiang County.”
“Qingjiang County? Never heard of it. I’m a local—grew up in a textile factory family. I know Mingfeng well. If you need anything, just ask me. Oh, by the way, can one of you switch beds with me? I want the one by the window.”
Dingqing was about to speak, but Baolan stopped her and said directly, “We’re not switching.”
After saying that, she nervously watched Wang Xiaoping’s reaction.
“Huh? Really not?”
“No. We like the window beds too. Otherwise, you can apply for a different room.”
Wang Xiaoping looked at Baolan, met her serious expression, and pouted. “Fine then.”
She opened both the upper and lower cabinets to take a look, then chose an upper one and began putting her things away.
Baolan let out a breath of relief. At least she wasn’t unreasonable. When you’re out on your own, you can’t be too soft—or people will try to bully you.
After finishing, Wang Xiaoping hitched up her pants and sat down on an empty bed, knees apart, looking a bit boyish.
“How old are you two? Married yet?”
Dingqing secretly sized her up, then shook her head. “We’re only fifteen—why would we get married? Are you married?”
“No wonder you look so young,” Wang Xiaoping slapped her thigh. “You’re right! What’s the point of marriage? I’m not married either—I’m twenty-one. Haha, you should call me Sister Xiaoping. Let me tell you something—there are relatives of mine among the factory leaders. I’ll look out for you two.”