She spent three cents on the bus and first went to the steel factory. From afar, the old gate guard saw a pretty young girl walking over and wondered which leader’s relative she might be.
When Lin Shiyao reached the gate, she asked politely, “Hello, sir. I’d like to ask if there are any job openings here.”
The old guard was surprised. Most jobs nowadays were internally assigned. How could they possibly post openings publicly? Didn’t she know how scarce jobs were?
“Little girl, I haven’t heard of any new hiring here.”
Not wanting to trouble him, Lin Shiyao took two White Rabbit milk candies out of her bag and handed them to him. “Thank you, sir. I’ll go check somewhere else.”
Although her father was a workshop director in this steel factory, she didn’t want to mention it. She never expected to find a job just by asking anyway—if there were openings inside, her father would have told her.
Next she went to the textile factory. Suddenly she saw two people at the entrance sneaking glances around while holding a sheet of paper.
“Hurry, hurry, put it up and tear it down quickly so no one sees,” one of them said.
Lin Shiyao immediately understood—an internally released recruitment notice. The quota was probably already reserved, and posting it was only for appearances.
There was no way she would miss this chance. She dashed forward and grabbed the paper.
“Hey! What are you doing grabbing things?” one man shouted.
“Aren’t you posting a notice? Why won’t you let people read it?”
“We can’t help it. The leaders told us to put it up and then remove it immediately, so we’re just cooperating. Are you looking for a job?” One of the men, about forty years old, looked at her pretty face and pleasant voice. They were recruiting a radio announcer anyway—since she saw it, why not let her try? He had followed orders by posting it; if someone saw it, that wasn’t his problem.
“There’s an interview tomorrow at 10 a.m. for broadcasting. Here, fill out this application form and come directly tomorrow.”
“Really? That’s great!” Lin Shiyao quickly filled out the form and handed it back. “Thank you!”
The middle‑aged man took her application and the torn notice back into the factory.
Lin Shiyao let out a sigh of relief. Whether she succeeded or not, she’d try. She was confident—she had been a broadcast host at school in her previous life.
She then wondered if there was a bookstore nearby. A single job salary wouldn’t be enough; she wanted to save money to buy property and become a landlady someday.
So she headed to a nearby bookstore.
Inside, she saw only a refined, gentle‑looking young man organizing books. When he noticed such a pretty young woman entering, a faint blush appeared on his face.
“C‑comrade… what book would you like? I’ll get it for you,” he stammered.
“No need, I’ll look around myself. By the way, are you hiring translators?”
“Yes, yes! What languages can you translate?”
“I can do English and German. Do you need those?”
“That’s wonderful! Our editor is worrying about finding an English translator. Please wait—I’ll call him.”
He hurried inside excitedly.
Lin Shiyao waited outside, glancing around. She noticed some comic booklets on the shelf—her younger brother would probably like them.
Less than two minutes later, the young man returned with a middle‑aged man with slightly graying hair and glasses.
“Hello, comrade. I heard you know English?” the middle‑aged man asked uncertainly—she looked very young.
“Yes, English and German. I’d like to ask if you need a translator.”
Few girls in this era could study, let alone know foreign languages. But Lin Shiyao wasn’t worried—her academic performance had always been top‑ranked.
“My surname is Zhang. Just call me Uncle Zhang. I’m the editor here. A machinery factory recently imported equipment from abroad, and we urgently need translation help.” He was delighted—finally he could sleep well. Still, he needed to test her level.
“Nice to meet you, Uncle Zhang. My name is Lin Shiyao.”
“Come with me. Translate this article first.”
He led her into a small office filled with books and stacks of papers. He handed her a sheet densely covered with English text. She glanced at it—no difficulty—and began writing.
Seeing how quickly she worked, Uncle Zhang believed she truly had ability.
After a while she finished. He compared it with a dictionary and found her translation almost flawless and very clear.
“Comrade Lin, congratulations—you passed. We have English manuscripts to translate. Finish within a week. Can you come here?”
“May I take it home to translate?”
“Yes, but you must sign a confidentiality agreement.”
“Okay. Could you also issue me a translator certificate? I’m worried about malicious accusations.” Her concern wasn’t unnecessary—if someone falsely accused her of being a spy, she’d be in serious trouble. With a certificate she’d be an official worker.
After arranging the certificate, Uncle Zhang gave her the documents for the machinery factory. She also bought two comic booklets, paid with money and ration coupons, left the bookstore, and put the books into her storage space at a corner.
The translation fee was 15 yuan—already as much as a regular worker’s monthly wage. For Lin Shiyao it wasn’t much, but it required little effort—just writing.
“System, are you there?” Lin Shiyao called in her mind. Her system was like an invisible person—sometimes she forgot she even had one.