“Taking the boat was definitely the right choice.”
“Yeah.”
“Next time, let’s take the boat again!”
“Sounds good.”
After the excitement died down, Baolan and Dingqing sat leaning against the wall, sighing in satisfaction.
Baolan said, “Just now, a man said the canning factory is recruiting over two hundred workers. As long as you can read, write, do basic math, and keep clean, you can sign up. Let’s go register together.”
Dingqing nodded eagerly. “Mm-hmm!”
Baolan asked, “Which factory was it you mentioned earlier?”
Dingqing looked around, then leaned close to Baolan and whispered, “The cotton mill is hiring a few statisticians.”
Baolan’s eyes widened. “Really?”
“Really,” Dingqing said. “A man told me. But what exactly is a statistician? What do they even count?”
Baolan shook her head. “No idea. We’ll find out when we go take a look.”
Dingqing said smugly, “That guy even said if I paid him fifty yuan, he could guarantee both of us jobs in the factory. Does he think I’m a three-year-old? Trying to scam me—no way!”
Baolan straightened up. “What happened? You didn’t get tricked, right?” Paying money to secure a job sounded exactly like a scam.
Dingqing waved it off. “Nope. We were both trying to trick each other—he wanted my money, I wanted his information. I didn’t lose out.”
Baolan sucked in a breath. “That’s too dangerous. From now on, you’re not going anywhere alone.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll listen to you,” Dingqing agreed.
After their excitement faded, the two quietly processed the information they had gathered. Neither spoke for a while, both staring absentmindedly at the river outside the railing.
Time passed slowly until two whistles sounded from the bow, and the cabin stirred with movement.
“Mingfeng City has arrived!” a staff member shouted through a megaphone. “Mingfeng City has arrived!”
“Passengers getting off at Mingfeng City, please take your belongings and prepare to disembark!”
The announcement was repeated several times.
Baolan pulled Dingqing to her feet and picked up her basket. “Let’s go, time to get off.”
They joined the crowd, forming a long line as they waited to disembark.
Soon, the boat docked, and passengers began filing out.
Holding Dingqing’s hand, Baolan walked down the gangplank. Outside the dock was a wide dirt road, bustling with vendors calling out to attract customers:
“Steamed buns, fried dough twists, rice sticks!”
“Plain noodles! Plain noodles! Eight cents a bowl—filling and fresh! Little sister, want a bowl?”
“Chenji Bridge! Guihua Street! Yangjia Intersection! Auntie, where are you going with such a big basket? Put it on my cart, I’ll haul it for you!”
Clutching Dingqing tightly, Baolan heard the word “cart” and squeezed forward to ask, “Uncle, how much to get to Baoshi Bridge?”
The cart driver sized them up. “Baoshi Bridge? You should take a boat for that. I haul goods, not people. And it’s far—don’t mess with me.”
Baolan flushed red but forced herself to ask, “Then where do we take a boat? Is it this dock, uncle?”
Dingqing added, “Uncle, please tell us. Thank you!”
The man sighed, then pointed the way. “Not here—this is for long-distance routes. See that road? Walk straight along it for seven or eight hundred meters. There’s a place called Jigongzui Dock. Go there.”
They quickly thanked him and headed in that direction.
Once they squeezed out of the crowd, the two exchanged a glance and burst into laughter.
What a thrill.
Baolan asked, “Are you hungry? Want an egg?”
“A little,” Dingqing said.
Each took an egg, eating as they walked.
Along the way, vendors carrying shoulder poles hurried in the same direction—likely heading to that Jigongzui Dock. Workers in uniforms rode past on bicycles, speeding by.
So many people. This really was a big city—Mingfeng was far livelier than Qingjiang County.
Before long, they reached the dock. There was no ticket office—tickets were sold directly on the pier.
Having done it once before, Baolan confidently told the ticket seller their destination. The worker tore off two tickets. “Two people, ten cents total. Board over there.”
She opened the gate beside her, and the two hurried through, waiting on the platform. Seeing other passengers holding maps of Mingfeng City, Baolan learned they were sold by the ticket clerk and quickly bought one.
With the map in hand, the two pressed their heads together to study it.
The entire city of Mingfeng lay along the Yangtze River, with a tributary called the Gaoliang River running through the city, dividing it into eastern and western districts. The west was Xiufeng District, and the east was Anping District.
They were currently at the far eastern edge of Anping District, and their destination was in the western part of Xiufeng District.
Soon, the boat arrived, and they quickly boarded. It was the same kind of wooden boat used in Qingjiang County, stopping at each station along the way.
After traveling for a while, the dense buildings along the shore gradually became sparse. About ten minutes later, the wooden boat docked at a small pier.
“Baoshi Bridge!” the boatman called out.
They got off, along with three or four other passengers. Baolan vaguely recognized two of them from the earlier ferry.
One of the women hurried over. “Little sisters, are you going to register too?”
Baolan nodded. “Yes, better to sign up early and feel at ease.”
“We thought the same,” the woman said. “Come on—I can see the bridge. That one over there, right?”
Besides the Gaoliang River, Mingfeng City also had many smaller streams. Baoshi Bridge spanned one of them. The group walked across the stone bridge together and soon saw a factory across the way, guarded by two stone lions at the entrance.
“That man didn’t lie to us.”
“He was a good guy!”
In front of the factory stood a polished black stone slab engraved with copper characters: Mingfeng City Food Canning Factory.
The factory was indeed large, and the entrance was bustling.
A long table was set up at the gate, with a man and a woman seated behind it—one handing out application forms, the other collecting them.
A weight lifted from Baolan’s heart: they really were hiring!
“Boss, give me a few extra forms—my kids haven’t arrived yet.”
“No. One form per person. No extras. Each person must register in person. You want to register for your kids? Then wait until they get here.”
“Boss, when is the exam?”
“Boss, how much is the monthly salary?”
“Boss—!”
Too many questions, noisy as a flock of ducks. The two staff members simply stopped responding, waiting until enough people had gathered before answering together.
Baolan pulled Dingqing forward to first read the recruitment notice posted on the wall.
The largest number of positions was for production line workers—two hundred in total. Then came twenty loaders, ten quality inspectors, two machine repair workers, and one warehouse manager.
Dingqing felt overwhelmed. “Baolan, which position should we apply for?”
Baolan guessed they could only apply for production line workers. She pointed at the staff behind the table. “Let’s listen to what they say first.”
At that moment, Li Lehua from the factory office and Ding Jianguo from the personnel department saw that no more people were coming and began announcing the requirements:
“Quiet, listen up!”
“Production line workers must be literate, able to write and do basic math. Loaders must be physically strong. Quality inspectors must have prior experience on the production line. Machine repair workers must know how to fix machinery. The warehouse manager must know bookkeeping.”
“Each person can apply for only one position. Today is the last day for registration. Registration closes at 5:30 p.m.”
“The exam will be held on Friday—that is, the day after tomorrow—at 8 a.m. at the factory. Results will be announced on the spot after the exam. Do you understand? I’ll repeat—be there at 8 a.m. sharp on Friday. Latecomers will not be admitted!”