12
Going Out to Look for a Job
The next day, after finishing her meal, Lin Jianchun prepared to go out for a stroll. “Mom, I’m going to look around and see if there are any job openings.”
Mother Lu, worried that Lin Jianchun might face disappointment, gently reassured her, “Finding work depends on fate. Let’s not force it.”
For three consecutive days, Lin Jianchun went out searching, visiting every unit near the Courtyard, but she couldn’t find any place that was hiring.
Lin Jianchun had mentally prepared herself for this. Each day, she left home cheerfully and returned in high spirits, careful not to let Mother Lu worry that she was disheartened. Even so, Mother Lu continued to comfort her daily.
On the fourth day, Lin Jianchun set out as usual. “Mom, Brother Zhou might come home today. I’ll bring back some meat dishes, so you can prepare one less dish.”
Mother Lu agreed and watched as Lin Jianchun walked away.
“Sister-in-law Afu, your daughter-in-law goes out wandering every day. Aren’t you afraid she’ll turn into a loafer?”
There were many jobless young people in the city who idled about all day and were bound to get into trouble sooner or later.
“My daughter-in-law isn’t that kind of person. She goes out to look for work.”
Having lived a long life, how could Mother Lu misjudge someone? Her daughter-in-law was inherently simple, warm-hearted, sensible, and filial—she wouldn’t do anything irresponsible.
After Mother Lu spoke, the neighbors looked at her as if she were a fool. Country folks really had no clue—was finding work that easy? And yet Mother Lu still believed it.
Sister-in-law Afu, who was on good terms with the neighboring Song family, stirred the pot without concern for the consequences: “Isn’t your Little Lu about to graduate and be sent to the countryside? If your daughter-in-law really finds a job, she can transfer it to Little Lu. That way, Little Lu won’t have to go to the countryside, and both your sons will stay by your side.”
No one took Sister-in-law Afu’s joking remark seriously. “A country bumpkin without skills or connections—how could she possibly find work? My daughter-in-law’s sister-in-law’s uncle is a director at the textile factory, and even he couldn’t get a spot for my daughter. Finding work is tough these days. We ordinary folks can only wait to be sent to the countryside…”
Others chimed in agreement.
If Lin Jianchun had heard this, she would have nodded in agreement—finding work was indeed very difficult.
Because she had already been rejected for four days straight.
Today, she decided to check the schools to see if there was any chance of returning to her old profession—becoming a teacher.
As a university teacher, teaching high school shouldn’t be too much to ask, right? But she had forgotten that in these times, few students made it to high school, and the situation was dire.
The gatekeeper earnestly advised her, “Being an intellectual isn’t a good job these days, young lady. You’d better look elsewhere.”
Lin Jianchun took his advice but thought since she was already there, she might as well check on Little Lu and take him out for lunch to improve their meals.
Since they had received their grain ration on the first day, Mother Lu had cooked one proper meal, but these past few days, they had been eating watery porridge.
“Uncle, could you please call Lu Yuechuan from the graduating class for me?”
“The graduating class? Since the New Year, fewer and fewer students from the graduating class have been coming to school.”
Lin Jianchun was stunned—Little Lu had been dutifully carrying his backpack to school every single day without fail.
After asking the gatekeeper, Lin Jianchun learned that these graduates, whether preparing to marry or to be sent to the countryside, were all trying to make money.
There were only a few places in the city to earn money, like the recycling station and the Black market.
Lin Jianchun figured that, given Little Lu usually managed to save at most a few dollars, he was probably near the recycling station.
She had already visited three recycling stations and was about to give up and go home when she overheard voices coming from an alley.
Lin Jianchun peeked in and saw Little Lu leaning against the wall, holding a cigarette between his fingers as he blew smoke rings.
“That last batch of goods could earn us at least this much.”
Little Lu’s eyes lit up, but before he could speak, he was smacked on the head.
“Damn it, who hit me?”
Before he finished cursing, he was smacked again.
Little Lu turned around grumbling and saw Lin Jianchun standing there with a dark expression.
His hand trembled in fright, and the cigarette fell to the ground. “S-sister-in-law, what are you doing here?”
Since they all lived in the nearby Courtyard, the other two had also heard about the exploits of Little Lu’s sister-in-law. They exchanged a glance and said, “Well, Sister Lu, we have something to do, so we’ll be going now.”
“What’s the rush? Since I can’t find a job anyway, whatever big business you’re doing, count me in.”
Little Lu breathed a sigh of relief. If his sister-in-law wanted to join them, she definitely wouldn’t snitch on him for skipping school and smoking.
The other two had no objections either. After all, this job was originally brought in by Little Lu. Since they were about to be sent to the countryside and wouldn’t be able to keep it up for long, handing it over to Little Lu’s sister-in-law wasn’t like giving it to an outsider.
Little Lu put on an ingratiating smile. “Sister-in-law, we’re so glad you’re willing to join us. We’ve been working for the boiler room grandpa for two months and finally managed to get him to agree to give us all the coal dross. Just picking out the unburned coal nuggets alone can earn us about 3 yuan a month.”
Lin Jianchun’s eyelid twitched. “This is what you call a big business?”
Covered in coal dust from head to toe, working like coal miners every day, and only earning one yuan per person per month?
Little Lu wore an expression that seemed to say, “Praise me, quick!” “Not just that, we also get to sweep up all the coal dross left from transporting the coal briquettes. We collect the coal dross, mix it with a little yellow clay, and make coal briquettes. Coal briquettes aren’t cheap, you know—3 fen per jin. A hundred jin would be 3 yuan!”
“Then we should be able to produce one or two hundred jin a month, right?”
“Doesn’t that mean we could earn three yuan a month?”
Lin Jianchun felt a pang of guilt. Three half-grown kids, getting filthy every day, just to earn two or three yuan—and she had just beaten Little Lu up for it.
“Sister-in-law, do you want to join us? Anyway, the three of us are going to the countryside in a month, so you can take over this job and earn the money afterward.”
“No need. You guys keep your profits. Don’t worry about me.”
She couldn’t bring herself to earn a single cent of this dirty money.
She’d rather go home every day and cling to Lu Xuanzhou’s leg than spend her days covered in coal dust. After all, Lu Xuanzhou had once gifted her three pairs of fine cotton panties without a second thought.
Little Lu and the other two assumed Lin Jianchun simply didn’t want to take their money, which made them think even more highly of her.
Lin Jianchun wanted to leave, but Little Lu dragged her along, insisting on showing her their entire workflow.
First, they buttered up the boiler room grandpa, making him feel at least ten years younger. Then they helped haul and unload coal. Only after the first batch of coal dross was sorted could Little Lu and the others start their own work… They worked until dark, then borrowed the boiler room’s faucet to clean up before heading home for dinner.
No wonder Mother Lu had to cook porridge every day. If she cooked solid rice every day, Little Lu alone could devour the entire family’s rations.
Lin Jianchun’s heart ached as he watched them. “Don’t go back. Let me take you all for a proper meal.”
The three were reluctant, but Lin Jianchun insisted, dragging them along. “Didn’t you say you were leaving this money-making venture to me? Perfect timing—I’ll treat you to a good meal first. Once you’re sent down to the countryside, there won’t be another chance.”
Lin Jianchun led the three to the State-run Restaurant.
Zhou Ying, the waitress, blinked when she saw Lin Jianchun and greeted him warmly. “What brings you here today? What would you like to eat?”
Lin Jianchun ordered four plates of dumplings and also asked for a takeaway portion of sour radish stir-fried with chicken. Lowering his voice, he said, “I didn’t bring any food coupons. How about I leave a deposit with you today and come back tomorrow to pay?”
Zhou Ying nodded. “I’ll give you four bowls of mutton soup on the house. There’s no mutton in it, but there’s plenty of radish. Hope you don’t mind.”
“I’m nothing but grateful. How could I possibly mind?”
Zhou Ying was thankful for Lin Jianchun’s idea of using deposits, which had helped their State-run Restaurant increase profits and create more job opportunities. By the end of the year, they were sure to be recognized as an outstanding unit.
“A-Chuan, I never expected your sister-in-law to know the waitress at the State-run Restaurant. She doesn’t seem at all like the crude country bumpkin people say she is.”
Little Lu snorted coldly. “Those gossips—sooner or later, I’ll teach their kids a lesson with a sack over their heads.”
“Since we’ve eaten your sister-in-law’s dumplings, count us in on the sack lesson.”
After eating their fill, the three found a random spot to nap for the afternoon before returning to work.
Indeed, if you can endure hardship, there will be no end to the hardships you’ll face.
Lin Jianchun, however, was not fated for such struggles. He chose to go home and nap in his own bed.