Embezzling public funds, he was sentenced to five years of labor reform in the countryside. The family suddenly lost its main support, and Wang Jiajia was forced to drop out of school.
No matter how much she fussed, Zhang Zhaodi refused to let her attend school; if she caused trouble, she wouldn’t even be fed.
Her older brother, Wang Fugui, had recently set his sights on a girl whose family demanded a bride price of 200 yuan. Otherwise, she wouldn’t marry. Zhang Zhaodi planned to marry Wang Jiajia off to Li Erzhu from the neighboring village of their rural hometown.
Although Li Erzhu had a bad reputation in the village—spending his days teasing cats and dogs—his family offered 200 yuan as the bride price if she agreed to marry him. Zhang Zhaodi hadn’t intended for her daughter to marry into the countryside, but the high price was too tempting.
With her husband sent for labor reform and the family’s money spent on compensating the steel factory, they could only rely on their son. The daughter was of no use for support.
At first, Wang Jiajia didn’t realize her mother was planning to use her to secure a bride price for her brother.
Until the Li family came with drums and gongs to fetch her. Wang Jiajia was dressed in a red outfit and forced onto an ox cart, barely comprehending what was happening.
Halfway through, she realized and tried to struggle and escape, but the strong men restraining her covered her mouth.
By the time she arrived at Li Erzhu’s home in the countryside, escape was impossible. And this was just the beginning—next came the mother-in-law’s torment, the husband’s beatings and scoldings, and children born one after another.
Lin Shiyao had also heard about this and knew it was definitely her father’s doing. Evil would be punished, and good would be rewarded—not that it wouldn’t be, just that the time hadn’t come yet. Rather than letting her die outright, it was worse for her to suffer endlessly. This felt like vengeance for the original owner, and Lin Shiyao felt a weight lifted from her shoulders.
The next day, Lin Shiyao woke up earlier than the day before. She had an interview for the broadcasting position at the textile factory today, and no matter what, she had to secure it.
After breakfast, with her parents gone to work and her younger brother at school, Lin Shiyao cleaned the house and then took a bus to the textile factory.
She realized she would need to buy a bicycle soon; otherwise, she’d tire of taking the bus every day.
The bus smelled of everything, with chickens, ducks, and geese squawking all around.
After a bumpy ride, she finally arrived and rested by the roadside for a moment before heading into the factory.
She told the gatekeeper she was there for an interview. After checking the list, he let her in.
The workers were probably in the workshops; only a few young people were walking around outside.
In front of her were two young girls—one with braided pigtails and one with short hair.
The short-haired girl said to the long-haired girl, “Qingqing, do you think we can get in? Uncle said they’re hiring two broadcasters, an archive clerk, and a workshop textile worker. Which one are you going for?”
The braided girl said, “I’m going for broadcaster. My dad said I’m sure to get it this time.”
The short-haired girl replied, “Qingqing, you’ll definitely get it. I just… I’m not confident I can…”
Before she could finish, the braided girl said, “Yuanyuan, don’t worry. I told my dad yesterday that you’re coming to take the test too.”
…
Lin Shiyao walked silently behind them, thinking these two were fake friends. The braided girl’s dad probably had some connections in the factory. As for the short-haired girl, she was likely flattering her because of her family connections.
As a 21st-century “hard worker,” Lin Shiyao didn’t even need to guess. Facing people with connections, her chance of securing the broadcasting position was uncertain.
The three girls followed the others to the second-floor office. Outside, around twenty people were waiting, all there for the interview.
Competition was fierce. Now it depended on personal ability. But sometimes, even talent could be crushed in front of those with connections.
Lin Shiyao, adhering to the principle of “I came, so I’ll try,” calmly walked forward.
When the three girls arrived, everyone looked over. The first two: the braided girl with fair, delicate skin and pretty features, and the short-haired girl with slightly darker skin and average looks.
Then they looked at Lin Shiyao—was this a little goddess? She had a perfect oval face, fair skin, naturally red lips, a tall, graceful figure, and long jet-black hair.
She looked like a beauty stepped out of a magazine. The men stared, and the women looked at her with jealousy.
The braided girl, thinking everyone was staring at her, twisted her braids in front of her chest and shyly said, “Hello.”
No one responded. She looked behind and, seeing Lin Shiyao, let out a sarcastic, “Foxy temptress.”
Lin Shiyao, of course, heard it but wasn’t angry. She leisurely replied, “Thanks for the compliment, comrade.”
“Hmph…”
At that moment, the office door opened, snapping everyone out of their distraction. They were here for an interview, after all.
“Ahem, everyone, follow me,” a man in his 30s with glasses said, leading them to a larger room with tables and chairs, likely used for meetings.
Lin Shiyao chose a seat by the window.
A tall, straight-backed man with dark skin, wearing a white shirt and black pants, walked in—exuding the uprightness and discipline of a soldier.
The man with glasses called out, “Director, you’re here?”
“Just came to supervise. You handle the rest,” the director replied. He was personally supervising the exam—this recruitment was clearly taken seriously.
“Understood, Director,” the man with glasses said nervously.
“Hello, everyone. I’m Zhang Qiang, overseeing this exam. Next to me is the director. We’ll start with a written test. Those who fail this first round will be eliminated. Please take it seriously,” he said, distributing the test papers.
Lin Shiyao saw the content—it wasn’t difficult, so she began writing immediately.
Half an hour later, she finished and looked up. Some were still diligently writing, others scratching their heads in confusion.
She didn’t want to be the first to submit, so she waited for the time to end.
After another 20 minutes, Zhang Qiang collected all the papers.
Next, those taking the broadcasting test moved to another room. The braided girl, noticing Lin Shiyao was also taking the broadcasting test, glared at her. Lin Shiyao returned the glare.
People like her were like leeches—once they latched on, they wouldn’t let go. Lin Shiyao followed her principle: if people don’t offend me, I don’t offend them; if they do, I’ll double back.
Six girls were competing for the broadcasting position. The director was present to supervise, along with three others.
They drew numbers; Lin Shiyao got number 3. As the first girl entered, everyone else watched nervously.