Liu Chengguo naturally had no desire to offend the factory’s only Level-Eight technician. Smiling kindly, he said, “It’s fine. I’ll issue you a temporary recruitment certificate first. Just make sure to submit the remaining paperwork and transfer your file over as soon as possible.”
“Alright, thank you, Director Liu. Sorry for the trouble.” Zhang Yunqing nodded gratefully.
She knew very well that if Liu Chengguo had wanted to use her incomplete documents as an excuse to block her employment, no one could have faulted him for it.
After all, she herself had failed to prepare properly.
But instead of making things difficult for her, he had chosen to help. Whether Liu Chengguo cared about it or not, she intended to remember this favor.
Seeing her humble attitude, Liu Chengguo nodded in satisfaction.
He certainly had his own selfish motives—he wanted to curry favor with Zhang Xinmin.
But Zhang Yunqing was the one actually benefiting from the kindness. Someone who knew gratitude was always far better than an ungrateful wretch.
After finishing the paperwork, Ma Guangming made absolutely no effort to ease tensions or act friendly. He snorted coldly and strode off first.
After taking a couple of steps, however, he suddenly turned back, lifted his chin proudly, and declared to Zhang Yunqing:
“You may draw well, but I’m not bad either. Just wait—I won’t lose to you.”
Without waiting for her response, he disappeared from sight within moments.
Leaving Zhang Yunqing standing there completely baffled.
If she remembered correctly, today had been the very first time they met.
Why was his hostility so intense? Had he swallowed gunpowder or something?
It was utterly inexplicable.
“Don’t mind him.” Liu Suqin noticed the confusion on Zhang Yunqing’s face and stepped forward to explain shyly, her cheeks red. “His grandfather is an old master in the plate-making workshop. He’s wanted Master Zhang to accept him as an apprentice for a long time, but Master Zhang never took a liking to him.”
“Oh. So that’s what it is.” Zhang Yunqing suddenly understood.
So he still had not given up and now viewed her as a rival.
“Thanks for telling me, comrade. Your information network is pretty impressive.” Zhang Yunqing teased.
Even knowing about Ma Guangming wanting to become an apprentice meant Liu Suqin was clearly no ordinary person.
“Mm… the deputy factory director is my uncle by marriage,” Liu Suqin said softly.
She did not think there was any need to hide it. It was not exactly a secret anyway—people in the factory had often seen her visiting her aunt’s home.
“So you really do have connections,” Zhang Yunqing joked. “Looks like I’ll have to rely on your care in the future.”
The two chatted as they walked, quickly becoming familiar with each other.
By the time they reached the intersection where they had to part ways, Liu Suqin looked somewhat reluctant to leave.
Zhang Yunqing could only comfort her by saying they worked in the same factory now and would see each other every day before finally persuading her to go home.
When Zhang Yunqing returned home, everyone else had also gotten back from work or school.
The smell of corn grits porridge drifted through the courtyard.
After running around the entire afternoon and not eating enough at noon, Zhang Yunqing was already starving to the point her stomach felt glued to her spine. She unconsciously quickened her pace.
“So you still remember to come home at mealtime? Look around—what family’s daughter acts like you do?”
Zhao Pinglan rolled her eyes at her, openly venting her dissatisfaction as she spoke while ladling out half a bowl of corn grits porridge.
Zhang Yunqing did not take it.
“Half a bowl isn’t enough. Fill it up. The same amount as my brother’s.”
In these times, food was scarce, and Zhao Pinglan always calculated the grain portions carefully before cooking.
The original owner’s father and older brother both had jobs and handed their wages over to the household, so naturally they had to eat enough to work properly.
Her elder sister had also worked and, before marrying last year, had enjoyed the same treatment as the older brother.
Her younger brother was still growing and naturally needed to eat more.
Meanwhile, during the period after graduation, the original owner had essentially been freeloading at home, so she could only ever eat until half-full.
The original owner had never complained.
As the third child in the family—not the eldest nor the youngest—and with a shy, quiet personality, she had long grown accustomed to such arrangements.
But Zhang Yunqing absolutely could not accept it.
These past few days of never eating her fill had made her miserable.
In her previous life, village life had felt hard, but at least she could eat enough. Her family even raised chickens and ducks, so they never lacked meat.
Now, although she no longer had to do farm labor, not only was the food bad—she could not even eat enough to satisfy basic hunger.
She had not dared complain during the previous two days because she had no job. Economic foundations determined social standing. Zhang Yunqing had worried that if Zhao Pinglan got angry enough, she might not even be allowed her half-full meals anymore.
But today was different.
Now she too was earning state wages.
The oppressed serf had finally started singing songs of liberation.
At last, she dared to voice her demands.
“Hey! What’s gotten into you?” Zhao Pinglan felt as though her youngest daughter was rebelling against the heavens.
The girl had spent the whole afternoon fooling around somewhere, yet now dared complain after returning home.
So what if she couldn’t eat her fill? What family these days could eat until full every meal? Everyone lived like this.
Zhao Pinglan continued lecturing her.
“You don’t cook, don’t wash dishes, just open your mouth waiting to eat. This is all there is—”
“I got a job,” Zhang Yunqing interrupted calmly.
“Then don’t ea—… what?” Zhao Pinglan’s words jammed in her throat. She thought she had misheard.
Even the three Zhang family men, who had been silently drinking porridge with their heads buried in bowls, could not help putting down their chopsticks and lifting their faces.
“Sis, really? Where’d you find a job?” the youngest, Zhang Hongbing, immediately asked.
He himself would have to go to the countryside next year, so anything related to employment deeply concerned him.
“You weren’t tricked by someone, were you? Or promised something you shouldn’t have?” Zhang Hongwei frowned suspiciously while sizing Zhang Yunqing up from head to toe.
Hearing this, Zhao Pinglan suddenly remembered Zhang Yunqing saying earlier that day she refused to go to the countryside.
Afraid that her daughter might really have done something improper over the matter, Zhao Pinglan anxiously demanded:
“Tell me honestly. What exactly happened?”
Seeing Zhao Pinglan preparing to twist her ear again, Zhang Yunqing hurriedly explained about accidentally encountering the printing factory recruitment that afternoon and signing up on the spot.
“Really?”
Zhao Pinglan hesitated.
Could pies really fall from the sky? And just happen to land on her daughter’s head?
“Printing factory recruitment is usually pretty strict, isn’t it? Your grades weren’t even good. How did you pass?”
Zhang Hongwei still sounded suspicious, afraid Zhang Yunqing had done something foolish.
He and his fiancée Li Jinfeng were about to get married soon. At such a crucial time, the family absolutely could not afford any scandal reaching the Li family.
The original owner’s academic performance had indeed been average. Under normal circumstances, she definitely could not have passed a standard recruitment exam without advance preparation.
But Zhang Yunqing merely smiled, completely calm.
“Why do you think my grades were average? Because I spent all day at school drawing comic book sketches. Mom even complained I wasted paper.”
“Who knew the printing factory’s recruitment exam would turn out to be a drawing test? Since I draw well, of course I passed.”
As if.
The original owner really had loved drawing comics, but only to sell them for pocket money.
Her actual skill level was nowhere near Ma Guangming’s or Liu Suqin’s.
The reason Zhang Yunqing drew so well was because, in her previous life, she had been an art-school graduate trapped in the advertising industry.
Years of being overworked like a corporate beast had not erased her foundational skills.
Of course, none of that could possibly be explained to the Zhang family.
Fortunately, they had never truly paid attention to how well the original owner drew, so Zhang Yunqing was not afraid of exposing herself.
Hearing her explanation, Zhao Pinglan recalled that her youngest daughter really had often sat at the table doodling and sketching before.
She had scolded her countless times over it.
In Zhao Pinglan’s eyes, the girl should have spent that time doing housework and helping out instead.
Now, however, her heart filled with relief.
Thankfully, she had not stopped her daughter from drawing.
Otherwise, how could she have landed a job today?