Lin Shiyao saw that the teachers were all looking at her, so she quickly went up to her homeroom teacher and said, “Teacher, here’s the situation. Yesterday, I accidentally fell into the water. The doctor said my body isn’t in the best condition and I need to rest at home for a while. I discussed it with my parents and I’d like to take the graduation exam early. Teacher, is that okay?”
The homeroom teacher knew Lin Shiyao’s family situation pretty well—her family was well-off and her parents doted on her. Seeing that she wasn’t being forced to graduate early, the teacher told her to wait a moment and went to find the principal.
After a while, the homeroom teacher returned with the principal. “You must be Lin Shiyao, right? I heard you want to graduate early?” the principal asked.
“Yes, Principal,” she replied.
“Good. I happen to have the exams from last year. You can take them here. As long as you score 90 or above in each subject, you’ll be able to graduate,” the principal said.
“Okay,” Lin Shiyao responded.
She sat in the teacher’s office and began the exams, with several teachers and the principal supervising her. Seeing that the exams weren’t very difficult, she quickly started writing.
As class time went on, some teachers gradually left to teach other classes. In about an hour and a half, Lin Shiyao finished all the exams. The principal, homeroom teacher, and other teachers graded her papers, and soon the scores came out—over 90 in every subject.
“Congratulations, Lin Shiyao. You’ve passed the exams and can graduate today,” said her homeroom teacher, pleased. Lin Shiyao was one of the few female students she taught who performed so well. Many girls dropped out before finishing school, either getting married or staying home to take care of younger siblings.
Holding her graduation certificate, Lin Shiyao’s mood lifted considerably. She left the school and noticed the streets outside were empty, lined with dull-colored buildings. She decided to visit the supply and marketing cooperative to tell her mother the good news.
At the cooperative, she hadn’t seen her mother yet when an aunt called out, “Oh, Yaoyao! What brings you here? Your mom just went to the restroom. She’ll be back soon. Come, have a seat.”
Lin Shiyao didn’t have time to say much—the aunt was so enthusiastic, talking rapidly like a machine gun. Once the aunt paused, Lin Shiyao quickly said, “Aunt Zhang, I graduated early! Please tell my mom for me.” Even if she hadn’t said anything, the neighbors would find out soon since she wouldn’t return to school.
From memory, she knew Aunt Zhang was very talkative. Lin Shiyao looked toward the door and saw her mother entering. She quickly stood up. Mother Lin noticed her and could roughly guess that Lin Shiyao had her graduation certificate.
“Mom…”
“Oh, Lǐ Sǎo, thank you for being here with her. This girl… well, she’s been here before. Thank you for taking care of her,” she said, but there was no scolding tone toward her daughter.
“Mom, I just wanted to let you know, then I’ll head home,” Lin Shiyao said, seeing her mother busy carrying things.
“All right, go ahead. Be careful on the way—stick to main roads, don’t go through alleys,” her mother cautioned.
“Got it,” Lin Shiyao replied, understanding her mother’s concern for her safety as a young girl.
Once she stepped out of the cooperative, Lin Shiyao immediately opened her system to sign in.
“Ding! Congratulations, host. Successfully signed in for one jin of pork belly, stored in your system space. Please check.”
Through her awareness, Lin Shiyao saw a piece of pork belly in her system space, neatly wrapped in greaseproof paper. She was thrilled—oil and meat were scarce in this era. Even though her family had money, meat was limited. Daily rations were fixed: if you got some, great; if not, tough luck.
Thinking about braised pork made her mouth water, but she stopped herself—not yet time to eat. It was too early to go home, so she wandered along the street. Ahead, she noticed an elderly woman with a green headscarf carrying a basket. Curious, Lin Shiyao followed her.
The woman led her into a small alley. Lin Shiyao immediately felt wary—should she continue following? She gritted her teeth and stealthily followed, hiding in a corner and peeking around. A guard stood at the entrance. After the woman said something, the guard let her in. Lin Shiyao quickly ducked back, afraid of being seen.
Seeing this, Lin Shiyao realized she had stumbled upon the legendary black market. She had nothing to disguise herself, so she couldn’t go in now, but she memorized the location for next time.
Lin Shiyao walked back home. Her younger brother hadn’t finished school yet—he always came home for lunch. Normally, Mother Lin prepared the midday meal before leaving for work, so the siblings could eat immediately after returning.
She set down her backpack, took the pork belly out of her system space, and placed it in the kitchen. If anyone asked, she would say she had seen a farmer selling meat at the black market and bought a jin of pork on the way home—an explanation that no one could really verify.
With everything settled, she sat on the sofa. Now that she had her graduation certificate, the next step was to find a job. Jobs in this era were limited and specific—finding one was tough.
She also had to prepare for the possibility of not finding a job. Should she marry or go to the countryside? She didn’t want either option. For now, she could only take things step by step, inwardly groaning, wishing her system could somehow help her sign in a job.
System: “You’re dreaming.”
Soon her brother returned. His voice carried before he arrived. Opening the door, Lin Zhengbin saw his sister sprawled on the sofa.
“Sis, I didn’t see you under the tree, so I knew you got your graduation certificate and came home. I came back with Xiaopang.”
“Good, then go eat. I just reheated it,” Lin Shiyao said, sitting up.
In the afternoon, after her brother went back to school, Lin Shiyao went out again, this time to look for job postings. Maybe, with some luck, she would find one.