There wasn’t a trace of defiance on her face—she looked completely obedient and filial. Sure enough, she quickly won the favor of the older aunties and uncles.
“What a filial child.”
“She’s quite brave too. So young, yet she dares to bring her younger sister on a boat to visit relatives. I heard she even has another little sister wandering around inside.”
“Very capable. Her parents taught her well.”
Don’t just praise me—someone please casually drop some recruitment news!
Baolan lowered her head shyly, half-smiling, but inside she was both anxious and full of anticipation.
Choosing to take the boat into the city had been absolutely the right decision. Before this, it had never even occurred to her that she could gather information from fellow passengers.
Sure enough, if you never step outside, you’ll never know how good the world beyond can be.
“The first time I took a boat, I was scared too,” Baolan said softly. “But the uncles and aunties on board were so kind. They taught me like elders from my own family, so I wasn’t afraid anymore. Next time I’ll know—when you’re out, as long as you’re willing to ask, people are always happy to help.”
Seeing the pure trust and admiration on the young girl’s face, the surrounding adults unconsciously straightened their backs.
Clearing obstacles for the younger generation and letting them venture out boldly—that was their duty as elders.
“A girl this capable and clever—your parents must be blessed.”
Baolan replied modestly, “You flatter me. It’s only what a child should do. It’s just that jobs are really hard to find, so I was thinking, since I’m going to Mingfeng to visit relatives, it would be even better if I could solve my employment problem along the way.”
Seeing the eggs in her basket, no one doubted her excuse about visiting relatives.
“Where are your relatives from?”
Baolan’s heart tightened. “Tianjia Town.”
She actually had no idea where Tianjia Town was—she’d only heard at the supply and marketing cooperative that Mingfeng’s Tianjia Town produced the best tung oil.
Sure enough, one of the women recognized the place. “The tung seeds from Tianjia Town are excellent. The people there really know how to tend tung trees.”
Baolan nodded in agreement.
The woman continued warmly, “If you’re looking for work, you should check out the Huzi Kou area. There are lots of factories there—cotton mills, noodle factories, daily chemical plants. Good for young girls like you.”
Another passenger chimed in, “Dashiba is even better—big factories there! Instrument factories, gear factories, and there’s an agricultural machinery plant too. Big factories have better benefits.”
Everyone started listing different factories all at once. Baolan wished she had more than two ears, straining to remember every place name.
At that moment, a middle-aged man wearing glasses and a white shirt, looking rather scholarly, spoke up:
“All the factories you mentioned are old ones. They might not even be hiring anymore.”
Everyone turned to him.
He adjusted his glasses and said to Baolan, “Little sister, if you’re looking for work, you should go to Baoshi Bridge. A new cannery has just been built there and is about to start production. They’ll definitely be hiring workers.”
Without anyone noticing, quite a crowd had gathered around. As soon as they heard this, the crowd erupted.
“Brother, is that true?”
“I remember hearing last year they were going to build a cannery—has it already been completed?”
“How many people are they hiring? I need to send word to my daughter right away!”
“How do you get to Baoshi Bridge? Are there buses?”
“No, it used to be wasteland over there.”
Baolan’s hands trembled with excitement.
She never expected it—never expected to actually hear real recruitment news!
She squeezed toward the man in glasses, but her voice was drowned out by the crowd.
Startled by the sudden enthusiasm, the man raised both hands to calm them. “Don’t push, don’t push! Everyone, listen to me!”
The uncle who had been lying on the ground earlier also helped maintain order. “Stop pushing! Quiet down! Listen to the man with glasses!”
Once the crowd settled, the uncle gestured. “Go on, tell us.”
The man continued, “If you want to apply, go to the factory entrance across Baoshi Bridge—the one with two large stone lions at the gate. The cannery is quite large. Its products will be exported to Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union, so the requirements for workers are high—you need to be clean, efficient, and literate…”
Every sentence he spoke caused a buzz in the crowd. Baolan listened intently, comparing each requirement with herself.
Luckily, she had attended a literacy class and even obtained a completion certificate.
“That’s about it. If you want to apply, go fill out a form first and wait for the unified exam. This time they’re recruiting over two hundred workers.”
Wow—
Baolan clenched her fists. As soon as she got off the boat, she would go apply!
The crowd was thrilled at the good news.
Back when the country had just been founded, people didn’t feel much difference between being a worker or a farmer. Land had been distributed, and farming life in the countryside was decent.
But after a few years, things had changed. Now rural areas were forming cooperatives. Farming for the collective wasn’t the same as farming your own land—motivation was completely different. On top of that, grain and supplies were under tighter control, and life was becoming harder.
Being a worker was different. In the past, workers received grain and cloth every month; now they received wages. One person’s salary could support a family of six. You could buy whatever you wanted, with stable income and various benefits.
Everyone wanted to become a worker.
Even if they themselves couldn’t, their children or relatives could.
Someone asked, “Brother, are you a leader at the cannery?”
The man hesitated at first—he had worried he shouldn’t be spreading another factory’s hiring news so openly. But hearing the gratitude from all around, he gradually straightened his back.
After all, whoever they hired was still hiring—if excellent workers were recruited, the cannery should be thanking him.
He adjusted his glasses and said modestly, “I’m not from the cannery—I work at the cement factory. Our factory does business with them, so I heard some news. I’m not a leader, just an ordinary staff member in the finance department.”
“Still saying you’re not a leader? A staff cadre is a leader!”
“Brother, thank you for telling us such good news!”
“Yes, thank you!”
In the crowd, Baolan sincerely thanked this kind man as well, even though he couldn’t hear her.
This was wonderful—absolutely wonderful!
She had just boarded the boat and already obtained recruitment information. It felt almost too smooth to believe.
But hearing others talk about passing the news to their sons, daughters, nieces, and nephews reassured her—it was real, not her imagination.
Inside her heart, a little figure rolled around cheering nonstop.
After more exchanges among the crowd, people finally dispersed, satisfied.
Baolan waited where she was. Dingqing still hadn’t returned. She was about to head to the broadcast room when she saw Dingqing running out from the stairway, full of excitement.
“Baolan! There’s a restaurant, a shop, and a medical room on the boat. I heard there’s even a library and a video hall upstairs!”
“Where did you go? I was worried sick!”
“Hehe, I just took a look around. Baolan, I have good news to tell you!”
Dingqing grabbed Baolan’s hand excitedly.
“I also have good news to tell you!”
Baolan couldn’t help spinning her around. “I heard about a job recruitment!”
Dingqing’s eyes widened. “I heard about one too!”