Seeing Yang Lishu surrounded by everyone, jealousy flickered in her eyes. She suddenly spoke in a sharp tone:
“Third Sister, you and Second Sister are in the same class. Why didn’t you tell her about this recruitment exam? Who knows—if Second Sister had known, she might have passed too. Then our family would have another official worker.”
Everyone in the room turned to look at Yang Lihua. Sensing their curiosity, she quickly explained,
“This recruitment exam required at least a high school diploma. If Second Sister qualified, I would have told her.
Besides, I signed up for it by pure accident. The exam was originally intended for the factory employees’ children. The notice was only posted on the bulletin board for half an hour. If I had gone back to tell Second Sister at that time, I might not have even managed to register.”
Hearing this insider info about the textile factory exam, Su Meilan quietly felt grateful for her third daughter’s luck. It really was a close call.
“Lishu, if you don’t understand, don’t talk nonsense! Anyone would know how hard it is to get a recruitment spot. Even the factory’s own employees are waiting. It’s already lucky that your Third Sister managed to sign up.”
Just like their steel factory, some news wasn’t even known to regular employees. People only realized the factory was recruiting after starting work.
“Alright, time to eat.” Yang Daqiang didn’t want to listen to his youngest daughter’s nonsense any longer. Meal time was the best time to shut mouths, and listening to her just gave him a headache.
Yang Lishu wanted to say more, but Su Meilan and Yang Daqiang glared at her, and she reluctantly fell silent.
“Lihua,” Yang Daqiang turned to his third daughter, his tone softening, “Since you got the job, work hard. We don’t expect anything from you, and we can’t provide much support either.”
Getting this job depended on your ability and luck. If you hadn’t passed, the family wouldn’t have used money or connections to help. From now on, it’s all on you. We’ve already done well raising you this far.
Only Yang Lijuan and the younger siblings seemed to understand the true meaning behind his words; Yang Lishu and Yang Lijun didn’t.
Their family, though not strictly favoring sons over daughters, didn’t pay much attention to girls either.
Before she was fully independent, Yang Lihua would still need her family, at least so everyone would know she had someone backing her.
“Dad, Mom, I wanted to tell you something,” Yang Lihua began.
“Starting next month, after I get my salary, I’ll give the family 5 yuan a month, as a token of filial piety. You and Mom have worked hard raising us five siblings. Now that I have a job, I can help ease the burden a little.”
Yang Lixin’s eyes lit up. Five yuan wasn’t huge, but adding a little more, it could almost cover the family’s monthly expenses.
“Five yuan!” Su Meilan was surprised but touched. “That’s quite a sum. Why don’t you keep it for your dowry?”
Yang Daqiang hammered the decision. “Since Lihua has this heart, take it. Use it to improve the family’s life—it’ll help everyone.”
“Mom, take it,” Yang Lihua added. “Also, the factory is far from our home. For better management and night shifts, they require me to live in the dormitory.”
She spoke calmly; the family couldn’t exactly check for themselves.
“Moving out?” Su Meilan frowned, reluctant. She and Lihua were closest, and the thought of her moving out made her sentimental.
After a moment, Yang Daqiang said, “Since it’s the factory’s rule, go. Don’t leave a bad impression over such a small matter.”
Yang Lixin immediately offered, “Third Sister, when are you moving? I’ll help you carry things tomorrow after work.”
It would be good to have one child move out first; then, later, the house would feel more spacious. And it might even improve his prospects for his upcoming blind date.
“Alright, thanks, Big Brother.” Lihua thought: someone helping is someone helping, whether sincere or not, as long as the work gets done.
No matter what others in the family thought, she was moving into the dormitory.
On Saturday afternoon, Yang Lixin rode his bicycle carrying Yang Lihua to the textile factory’s staff dormitory.
At the dorm building, he helped her unload her things.
“Lihua, don’t forget to come home tomorrow.”
“Don’t worry, Big Brother. I don’t have work tomorrow, I’ll come back.”
Yang Lihua wanted to check out the female lead in person.
She carried her luggage up to the women’s dorm. Pushing the slightly open door, she found two women already unpacking.
One was tall with a short bob haircut; the other was modestly dressed and wore glasses. Both looked curiously at the newcomer.
“Hello, I’m the new loom operator, Yang Lihua,” she said with a friendly smile.
“Welcome!” said the short-haired girl first. “I’m Li Hongying, also a loom operator in Workshop 3.”
She pointed to the quiet, bespectacled girl. “This is Zhao Xiaofen, from the fine-spinning workshop.”
Zhao Xiaofen nodded shyly.
Yang Lihua walked to the empty bed near the window—it was a lower bunk, with good sunlight and ventilation. She started arranging her bedding.
Li Hongying came over, eagerly helping and explaining the dorm situation.
“I heard there’s another new colleague named Zhu Yuanyuan. Apparently she’s a nephew of some factory leader…”
Yang Lihua paused mid-motion, unconsciously muttering,
“Zhu Yuanyuan…”
The three characters in her mind flashed images from another old book, The Charming Chef of the ’70s.
The heroine—also from the textile factory—used a magical space bracelet to farm, gather spiritual springs, and cook incredible dishes. She rose from a temporary kitchen worker to the celebrated “Cooking God,” gaining both love and career success.
And here was Yang Lihua—like a supporting character in that story, oblivious to the heroine’s talents, jealous, constantly trying to trip her up, and ultimately sent away to the Northwest by the male lead.
Great! Wherever she went, she ended up as a tool for someone else.