After getting engaged, Xiang Gaoli would occasionally come over to visit. With Bai Jiu around, she visited even more frequently. Bai Jiu and she hit it off well, but the ones who liked Xiang Gaoli the most were the two children. Every time she came, she brought them treats—if not candy, then pastries, or sometimes fun toys.
"Jiu, Gao Li." Bai Xinghua returned from outside with a smile. As soon as he arrived, he saw his oldest sister and his future sister-in-law busy under the kitchen eaves. "Is there anything I can help with?" As the New Year approached, the family was finally going to have a good holiday this year, all thanks to Jiu.
"Go buy some firewood for me. It’s best to stack it all the way up this wall," Bai Jiu said, pointing to the designated firewood wall beside the kitchen. "But why are you back so early today? Don’t you usually get off work at six?"
Xiang Gaoli also looked at him in confusion. She knew a bit about Bai Xinghua’s situation. Since he had taken over Father Bai’s job, his working hours were often extended. "That’s right, why are you back so early today?" she asked.
"Jiu, Gao Li, let me tell you both something. Help me see if it’ll work out." Bai Xinghua was still young, after all, and couldn’t keep a secret.
"Let’s hear it," Bai Jiu said, looking up briefly without stopping the work in her hands.
"It’s like this: my captain came to me today and told me to transfer my job." Bai Xinghua hadn’t expected such a good thing to fall into his lap.
"Transfer your job? Transfer how? Besides, isn’t this Father’s job? He hasn’t even gone to process the official transfer yet," Bai Jiu said, puzzled.
Xiang Gaoli, on the other hand, had a gleam in her eyes. Guessing the situation, she asked, "Xinghua, could it be that your captain is transferring you to a better position?"
"Yeah, you’re really smart, Gao Li! The captain said that since I graduated from high school, being a security guard is a waste of my talents. He wants me to take the factory’s administrative exam. Since I’m filling in for Father’s job, if I get good grades, I can become an administrator." Speaking of this, Bai Xinghua was beyond thrilled. What man didn’t want to achieve a great career? Unfortunately, his family’s past circumstances...
"I’ve heard about this. If that’s the case, it’s a wonderful thing! You have to do your best, Xinghua," Xiang Gaoli said, genuinely happy for him. She had heard her mother mention the recruitment of administrators, but there had been no news for a while, so she thought it wouldn’t happen until next year.
Bai Xinghua rubbed his head sheepishly. "If I take the exam, Father’s job will be gone," he said, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"What does that matter? Go take the exam. As long as you can pass, we can do without this job of mine." At this moment, Father Bai’s voice rang out from the main room. He had been teaching Xiuxiu and Zhengyang calligraphy in there. Father Bai used to be a scholar, but unfortunately, he hadn’t been born in a good era. Now that there were grandchildren in the family, he naturally picked his scholarly pursuits back up.
"Father." Hearing his father’s voice made Bai Xinghua feel somewhat guilty. "But that’s your job." He actually preferred taking the exam on his own merit. The captain had told him he could participate directly in the administrative assessment, but if he did, he risked being edged out by others. After all, an administrative position at the meat processing plant was a highly lucrative job. Many people were fighting for it, and quite a few factory leaders had their eyes on the quota. If his results weren’t exceptionally outstanding, he was afraid he wouldn’t stand a chance. That was why he was hesitating.
"I originally planned to give the job to you anyway. You’ve graduated from high school; you can’t exactly be sent down to the countryside, can you? Tomorrow, I’ll go speak to the captain and officially transfer the job to you." Going down to the countryside was incredibly hard labor, and he didn’t want his child to leave and never be able to return. If his daughter hadn’t married someone living nearby, he never would have agreed to her marriage back then.
Listening to their conversation, Bai Jiu gleaned one crucial piece of information: the meat processing plant was hiring. "Xinghua, how many people are they hiring in total?" she asked, forming a plan in her mind.
"Three." Bai Xinghua held up three fingers. "A total of three administrators. However, rumor has it that no less than fifty people have already signed up privately. Once it goes public, there will probably be even more." That was the real reason behind his hesitation. If he used his current job as leverage for the exam, his chances of success were essentially one hundred percent. But if he tested entirely on his own, his chances would likely be less than thirty percent.
"Tell me more about it," Bai Jiu said, her interest piqued.
Bai Xinghua didn’t hide anything and told his sister everything.
"So, I can take the exam too," Bai Jiu said with a delighted laugh after hearing him out.
"You can, but Jiu, there are really a lot of people, and there might even be pre-selected candidates. If you take the exam, the success rate won’t be very high," Bai Xinghua explained, sharing what he knew. "I originally wanted to take the test on my own as well, but the captain said that if you apply using an existing job position, as long as your grades are good, you’re a shoo-in. As an ordinary applicant, though... it’s going to be tough."
Bai Jiu understood. "What about giving gifts?" she asked softly.
Bai Xinghua shook his head. "It won’t work. Several directors are keeping a close eye on this, plus the children of a few top leaders are also participating this time." If possible, he certainly hoped his sister could secure a job and stay home.
Xiang Gaoli looked at Bai Jiu, understanding her thoughts, but it really was too difficult. "Jiu, how about I have my mother help you ask around to see if anyone is selling a job?" she suggested. When it came to exams, every factory had their own pre-selected insiders. Passing the exam would be extremely difficult. It was better to just buy a position directly.
"That would be wonderful. I’ll just be troubling your mother, then." Bai Jiu, of course, had no objections. However, there were only so many job openings in town. She felt a bit uncertain about the prospects. She actually wanted to buy a position in the county city, but that would be even harder. Every position was securely filled, like pegs in their holes. Even if there was a job for sale, it would probably be snapped up before she could even ask about it.
"It’s no trouble at all. But Jiu, don’t get your hopes up too high, because people selling jobs are incredibly rare." In this day and age, jobs were extremely precious. Even if someone couldn’t go to work themselves, they still had family members to pass it on to. Therefore, wanting to buy one was difficult.
"I understand. Just have your mother keep an ear out for me. If there is one, that’s great; if not, then forget it." Bai Jiu still didn’t fully grasp the immense importance of a job in this era, which was why she harbored so much hope.
Since it was too difficult, Father Bai finally made the executive decision to have Bai Xinghua use his current job for the exam. Being able to get promoted would, of course, be for the best.
Having gained some reassurance, Bai Xinghua went out to buy firewood. Going out to gather firewood himself in the dead of winter was simply unrealistic. Normally, there were people selling it nearby, but they didn’t take cash—they only traded it for grain. Bai Xinghua bought back several hundred pounds.
Meanwhile, Bai Jiu and Xiang Gaoli had also finished marinating the meat for the New Year.
"Take a piece of this air-cured meat back for your mother to try. I learned this technique from an older woman in the village, and it smells amazing." They also smoked bacon in this region, but compared to the Hunan, Guizhou, and Sichuan provinces, the taste was far inferior. Instead, most people here made air-cured meat, marinating it with salt and various spices, which gave it a unique and special flavor. There were some people in the countryside who made smoked bacon, but it was impossible to smoke meat properly in the city.
After dinner, as Xiang Gaoli was preparing to head back, Bai Jiu quickly got up and took down a piece of the air-cured meat they had made today from under the eaves, handing it to Xiang Gaoli to take home.
"This is too much, I can’t take this." A single piece of meat had to weigh at least two pounds! She couldn’t possibly accept it.