She searched her wardrobe and picked out a gray top and black pants. The top had a faux double-layered collar, with the white collar folded outward, and it fit her very well. Looking at the wardrobe, all the clothes were pristine, not a single patch—showing how much her family cared for her. In this era, resources were scarce, incomes were low, and populations were large; most families patched up their clothes repeatedly.
In front of the mirror, she braided her hair into two French braids, slightly pulling a few strands on the sides to give them some volume.
After sleeping, her complexion looked much healthier, no longer pale like yesterday. Satisfied, she opened the door and went out to wash her face and brush her teeth.
When she returned to the living room, her parents and younger brother were already seated at the table waiting for her. Lin Shiyao felt a little embarrassed—she had gone to bed early yesterday, so why was she waking up so late?
Mother Lin quickly called her to sit down for breakfast, placing a bowl of steamed egg custard in front of her. “Yaoyao, this is steamed just for you. Eat up and replenish your body.”
Lin Shiyao glanced at the others, who had none, and hesitated, thinking to share her egg custard—she felt awkward eating alone.
Mother Lin immediately understood and stopped her: “Eat it yourself. Your brother just ate yesterday, and your dad and I aren’t eating. You’ve just recovered, so you need to eat well to get better faster. Come on, eat up.”
Lin Shiyao was deeply moved and silently vowed to treat her family well and repay their care.
“Alright, Mom. You eat too.”
“Yaoyao, don’t worry about that girl who pushed you into the water yesterday. Dad will make sure justice is served,” said Father Lin Jianguo. His daughter had never suffered such a thing before. He remembered Wang Youcai, who worked as a boiler operator at their steel factory, and had occasionally heard complaints that he was lazy.
“Okay, Dad. But be careful—safety first. Don’t let this affect your work.”
“Don’t worry, I know my limits.”
Lin Jianguo was now the workshop director and about to become the deputy factory manager. Last month, during an inspection by higher-level officials, the factory director strongly recommended him. The previous deputy manager had been transferred to a new factory as manager, leaving the position vacant.
This was a coveted position, and many people were watching for any mistakes. Nowadays, people reported each other at the drop of a hat. If someone used this incident to get him in trouble, it wouldn’t be worth it. Lin Shiyao wanted to handle it herself, but she knew her parents would never agree.
Though he was just the workshop director, he had many apprentices, solved workers’ problems immediately, never shirking or acting superior, and was well-liked by the staff.
“Mom, Dad, I plan to go to school today to get my graduation certificate early. I’ve already learned everything anyway, and I graduate next month. I want to see if I can start looking for a job early—if I wait until graduation, there will be even more people looking for jobs, making it harder.” Lin Shiyao couldn’t help telling her parents. She had planned to speak with her teacher first before telling them, but her parents were so kind, she decided to tell them ahead of time.
“Good, you tell the teacher. I’ve also been looking for jobs for you. As soon as something comes up, we’ll take it. If nothing works, I’ll transfer the job to you,” Mother Lin said, worried her daughter might be forced to go to the countryside if she couldn’t find a job.
“Mom, I’ll look first—maybe there’s something available. If not, then I’ll go to the countryside.” Although she didn’t want to go, if there were no other options, she could handle it. Another option would be marriage, but she didn’t want to marry just to avoid going to the countryside. One step at a time—first handle what’s in front of her.
Her parents had been looking into job opportunities for her for six months already. But there were always more job seekers than positions. Most family positions were passed down within the family, and outsiders rarely had opportunities—except in special cases.
After breakfast, Father and Mother Lin rode their bicycles to work. Lin Shiyao and her brother slung their backpacks and headed to school. The high school and elementary school were only about 500 meters apart, a twenty-minute walk from the family compound.
The siblings walked together, talking and laughing, and soon arrived at the school. After seeing her brother enter the school gate, Lin Shiyao turned to head to the high school building. The school wasn’t large, and she quickly arrived at her classroom.
Wang Jiajia saw her enter and felt guilty, not daring to look. She had been scared and regretful since helping Lin Shiyao into the boat, and hurried home afterward. She didn’t dare tell her mother, who would have beaten her. After worrying all day and seeing no one come for her, she gradually relaxed.
Now, seeing that Lin Shiyao was unharmed, her remaining guilt vanished. She looked up—but Lin Shiyao was already gone, on her way to the teacher’s office. Once she secured her graduation certificate, she would deal with her.