After confirming that Zhou Donghong was indeed pregnant, Mother Lin refrained from saying anything discouraging and instead cheerfully remarked, "This is wonderful news."
Father Lin instructed Lin Yingwei to fetch a bottle of Fenjiu from the cabinet, saying that father and son should have a drink to celebrate Yingwei's impending fatherhood.
The reactions of Father and Mother Lin put Zhou Donghong somewhat at ease, and the smile on her face grew a little brighter. She had always known that, no matter what, they would want to become grandparents and hold their grandchild.
Lin Yingwan, always blunt, spoke up, "Where will the child live after it's born? Should we move the dressing table out of the small partition to make room for a crib?"
"We could ask Dad to have someone build a bunk bed. You and Second Sister can take the top bunks, and the bottom bunk can be for Mom, Dad, and the baby." Seeing how happy Father and Mother Lin were about the baby's arrival, Zhou Donghong boldly voiced her idea.
Lin Yingwan scoffed, "Put the baby in the inner room, and those of us sleeping there won't get any rest—we'll all be up taking care of your child. You've got it all figured out, haven't you? Playing the hands-off boss while you sleep soundly."
Zhou Donghong was momentarily at a loss for words and could only weakly reply, "Third Sister, I… that's not what I meant."
"If that's not what you meant, then put the child in the partition to live. If the dressing table is more important than the child, then don't have a baby at all. Just spend your whole life guarding that dressing table."
The rosewood dressing table in the partition was part of Zhou Donghong's dowry, passed down from her grandmother, and she cherished it deeply. "If the dressing table isn't kept in the partition, where should it go? It's my dowry—I can't just throw it away."
Lin Yingwei stepped in to mediate, "The baby isn't due for several more months. Arguing about it now only disrupts the family harmony. Donghong, let's move the dressing table to the living room and cover it with a nice piece of floral cloth. It'll keep the dust off and look pretty too."
Before Lin Yingwan and Zhou Donghong could say anything more, a stern look from Father Lin silenced them. The family conflict sparked by the baby and the dressing table came to an abrupt halt.
After offering her congratulations to Lin Yingwei and Zhou Donghong, Lin Yingxian remained silent, quietly eating her meal.
In her mind, Lin Yingxian was already calculating how to secure a housing unit from her workplace. The current living situation was becoming increasingly cramped—too many people and too little privacy. Lin Yingxian valued her privacy deeply; even with the most intimate partner, she insisted on maintaining her own personal space.
Houses could be bought and sold freely on the market, but she would have to wait until at least the late 1980s. Trying to buy a house in the late 1970s would require underhanded methods, which came with too much uncertainty. Moreover, in 1970, everything was still in a state of trial and error, and she had no desire to become one of the "stones" people stepped on while crossing the river. Lin Yingxian had always been careful to conceal the fact that she was a time traveler in this world, not wanting to be mistaken for a secret agent or become a research subject who might lose her freedom, or even her life.
If she didn't want to spend the next decade or more living in a crowded, low-privacy house, her only option was to scheme for a housing unit allocated by her workplace this time.
There was, of course, another path: avoid the workplace housing allocation altogether and simply marry someone from a well-off family, moving into their home and integrating into a new, unfamiliar household. In that case, the house would have nothing to do with her. But if marriage was inevitable, she might as well try for the workplace housing. That way, she wouldn't have to live with her husband's family, and they could have a small home of their own—a house jointly owned by both of them, or even owned solely by her, which would suit her preferences far better.
Even though Lin Yingxian had arrived in the arduous and difficult 1970s, she still hadn't inherited the spirit of hard work and endurance characteristic of this generation. She wanted to live in a spacious house, enjoy a comfortable life, have private space, and not constantly worry that what she did or said at home would soon spread throughout the entire building.
………
Spring was a season with frequent outbreaks of epidemics, leading to a sharp increase in the demand for medication. The production tasks at the Pharmaceutical Factory intensified, and the tablet workshop where Lin Yingxian worked became busier. The female packaging workers, who usually enjoyed chatting, temporarily set aside this hobby and threw themselves into their work. This was because the annual Model Worker selection was about to begin, and the already fiercely competitive selection process became even more intense with the announcement of the housing allocation rules.
Lin Yingxian was also extremely busy. In addition to packaging tablets, she was assigned to the screening group. Screening involved separating mixed materials of different particle sizes according to their granularity. The operation was simple but required keen eyesight, meticulousness, and physical strength.
Lin Yingxian became the hardest-working female worker in the packaging group. Whatever the workshop supervisor assigned her to do, she did it without complaint. She had performed every task in the tablet workshop that could be done with simple operations and quick mastery.
Sister Peng and Zhong Hong also wanted to be like Lin Yingxian, but they lacked her endurance. Even when sick, Lin Yingxian persisted at her post as if nothing were wrong.
After returning from work, Lin Yingxian would read books and newspapers at the long desk in the inner room, occasionally taking notes or copying sentences from books and newspapers. Apart from Father Lin, no one else in the family understood why Yingxian had suddenly become so diligent.
………
One noon, Lin Yingxian and Jiang Lixia went to the cafeteria for lunch as usual. After ordering a meat dish, they began selecting vegetable dishes. Lin Yingxian hadn’t seen "Di San Xian" (a stir-fry dish with potatoes, eggplants, and peppers) at the cafeteria window for several days. "Lixia, why haven’t I seen Di San Xian lately?"
Jiang Lixia leaned close to Lin Yingxian’s ear and whispered, "The factory director who parachuted in last year and the secretary who rose through the ranks are locked in a power struggle. The production departments don’t dare act recklessly for fear of disrupting production and failing to complete assigned tasks. So, the logistics departments are suffering. The cafeteria got caught in the crossfire—the Northeastern master chef was fired for allegedly 'undermining the unit' and stealing ingredients. Some even say he had nepotistic ties with the factory director from the Northeast. In reality, the chef and the factory director had no such ties; they were just fellow townsfolk who hadn’t even known each other before."
The two sat in a corner to eat. Lin Yingxian inquired in detail about the power struggle between the factory director and the secretary. Jiang Lixia had been holding back and, to avoid getting involved, had been keeping quiet in the logistics department. Now, she poured out everything she had heard to Lin Yingxian.
A month later, the production tasks at the Pharmaceutical Factory gradually eased, and Lin Yingxian returned to her regular duties, working step by step…
Zhong Hong and a friend walked their bicycles out of the Pharmaceutical Factory. "Let me tell you, someone in my group tried to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice. She rushed to do every task in the workshop, trying to curry favor with the workshop supervisor so he would recommend her as a Model Worker. But in the end, her name wasn’t among the ones the supervisor submitted." Zhong Hong’s tone was sarcastic, and she even laughed as she spoke. Seeing someone else’s misfortune eased some of her own frustration at not being on the list.
"Some people don't mind working a bit harder—at least they don't spend money and even get overtime pay. Others are more unfortunate, working overtime only to fall sick for days, spending months of wages to give someone a radio, only to end up with nothing in the end."
Lin Yingxian suddenly spoke up beside her, startling Zhong Hong. Flustered and guilty, she stopped Lin Yingxian and stammered, "What nonsense are you talking? I wasn't talking about you—what right do you have to say that about me?"