Chapter 26: Job Transfer

Chapter 26: Work Transfer

With Nancheng basically stabilized, the temporary Military Control Office was dissolved. Director Zhao was promoted to Deputy Commander of the Nancheng Military District, Deputy Director Li was promoted to Commander of the 33rd Division, Division Chief Yang was appointed Mayor of Nancheng, Director Zhang was promoted to Deputy Secretary and also serves as Director of the Education Bureau, Sister Qian was promoted to Director, and Sister Li became Deputy Director.

Nancheng was divided into five districts, with the city center being the Nancheng District, which was made up of three streets. Li Yue was transferred to Anhe Street as the Women's Affairs Director of the Street Office.

Only Lin Zhijin hadn't received any notice. She was likely staying put, but since Director Zhang and Li Yue were being transferred away, Lin Zhijin really hated to see them go.

Director Zhang was an excellent leader, particularly kind to Lin Zhijin. After several months of working together, she had come to regard Director Zhang as a parental figure.

Li Yue was her work buddy and lunch buddy. With her leaving, Lin Zhijin felt like she was getting a divorce.

"Xiao Lin, come to my office for a moment." Director Zhang called Lin Zhijin into her office and asked with a smile, "Would you like to come with me to the Education Bureau?"

Lin Zhijin's eyes widened. The Education Bureau? Given that she'd just barely become literate, that didn't seem like a good fit, did it?

"Director, I don't have much education. I'd rather stay at the Women's Federation." She'd already gotten the hang of this job; going to the Education Bureau would mean starting from scratch again.

"Staying at the Women's Federation is fine too, but don't forget to keep studying. I'll still quiz you from time to time." Director Zhang wagged a finger at her and let her go.

She'd just sat back down at her desk when Li Yue hugged her arm. "Zhijin, I don't want to leave you. Why don't you talk to Sister Qian and come with me to the Street Office?"

"Personnel transfers can't be done so casually. I'll ask again in a while." Lin Zhijin trusted Director Zhang; when the time was right, she would arrange a transfer for her.

The Street Office had just been established, and Li Yue, as the newly minted Women's Affairs Director, was a commander without an army. Everything had to be built from scratch. She was so busy she didn't even have time to drink water, let alone buy and wash vegetables. So she swapped tasks with Wang Chunhua—from then on, Wang Chunhua would prep the ingredients and Li Yue would wash the dishes.

Lin Zhijin didn't care either way. She just cooked, and the rest was up to them.

"Delicious, really delicious. Zhijin, whoever marries you will be blessed for eight lifetimes." Li Yue talked with her mouth full, mumbling happily.

"Then eat more." Lin Zhijin picked up a piece of meat and put it in her bowl.

The next day, as soon as Lin Zhijin arrived at the office, she was notified that today was payday. That meant she was getting paid!

She'd been working at the Women's Federation for nearly two months, and this was her first paycheck. Lin Zhijin happily went to the finance department, where quite a few people were already waiting.

"How much did you get? One million? That's a lot. I only got nine hundred thousand."

"And you? How much did you get?"

Lin Zhijin was momentarily confused, then remembered that this was the first edition of the currency, with the highest denomination being fifty thousand. Hearing everyone talk about one million or two million sounded impressive, but when converted, it was actually just over a hundred or two hundred yuan.

She also received nearly two months' worth of salary in one lump sum—nine hundred thousand in total. When converted, that was forty-five yuan a month?

The salary wasn't bad; at least Lin Zhijin was quite satisfied.

Clutching her nine hundred thousand—a small fortune—Lin Zhijin planned to go to the department store to buy some good food to reward herself.

"Sister Lin."

Lin Zhijin turned to look and was surprised to see Xiaohong. She walked over with a smile. "Xiaohong, long time no see. Are you here shopping?"

"Sister Lin, this is my mother. Mother, this is Sister Lin." Xiaohong whispered in her mother's ear, "This is the Ninth Concubine I used to serve."

"Miss Lin, hello. Thank you for looking after Xiaohong in the past." Xiaohong's mother said nervously.

"It was Xiaohong who looked after me. Sister Lin, are you two still working for the Chen family?" Lin Zhijin asked with a smile.

"Xiaohong and I have already left the Chen household. Her father is still there. Today we're buying Xiaohong some clothes—she has a blind date tomorrow. Miss Lin, are you free? If so, could you help take a look too? If it's suitable, we'll finalize the engagement." Xiaohong's mother said cheerfully.

Lin Zhijin looked at the blushing Xiaohong in surprise. She was only thirteen. Engaged at such a young age?

"I have to work tomorrow. Isn't Xiaohong a bit young to be getting engaged?" Lin Zhijin asked with a smile.

"She's not that young. Good young men are snatched up fast. If you don't settle it early, they'll be gone." Xiaohong's mother chuckled.

Lin Zhijin saw Xiaohong nod in agreement and didn't say anything more. Different upbringings led to different values, and there was no right or wrong in that.

"Well, I wish you find a perfect match. I have things to do, so I'll be going now. Oh, Xiaohong, I live in that house with three courtyards on Anhe Street now. Come find me when you're free." Lin Zhijin waved and turned to leave.

Maybe she should have checked the calendar, because she hadn't gone far before she ran into more acquaintances—Third Mistress Chen and Chen Waner.

"Ninth Concubine? No, wait—Cadre Lin. Where are you working now?" Third Mistress Chen eyed her up and down with a smile.

The first time she'd seen this Ninth Concubine, she'd been skinny, with rough, dull skin and a timid demeanor, looking like anyone could push her around. Later she'd gained some weight and her skin had improved, but she'd always kept her head down. Third Mistress Chen hadn't paid her much attention anyway—she seemed like a timid, fearful type. But now, in just a short time, her eyes were bright and spirited, her bearing calm and confident. It was like a different person.

"Still at the Women's Federation." Lin Zhijin toned down her usual manner a bit and gave them an apologetic smile.

"The Women's Federation is a good place. I heard Director Zhang became Deputy Secretary and Education Bureau Director. Why didn't you go with her?" Third Mistress Chen said casually, as if she knew all about their personnel changes.

"Our director mentioned it, but unfortunately I'm not educated enough. I didn't want to let her down." Lin Zhijin glanced at Chen Waner from the corner of her eye. Why had Director Zhao asked about her? Was there something wrong with her?

"Speaking of education, our Wan'er is a graduate of Women's University. Cadre Lin, do you know when the government is hiring? With Wan'er's credentials, getting in shouldn't be hard. That way you could be colleagues and look out for each other." Third Mistress Chen suddenly said.

Lin Zhijin was taken aback. Hadn't Chen Waner always prided herself on being the legitimate daughter and adhered to that ladylike code? Why would she suddenly want to work?

"That... I don't handle personnel matters, so I'm not really sure. I'll ask around for you later." Lin Zhijin said politely, then quickly made an excuse to leave. "I still have work to finish. I'll head back now."

Watching Lin Zhijin's retreating figure, Chen Waner stomped her foot in displeasure. "Third Aunt, how could you ask that Lin woman? It lowers our status."

Third Mistress Chen took a deep breath and said with a smile, "Times have changed. Miss Lin now works for the government."

It was the New China now, the whole country liberated, and she was still clinging to that whole legitimate-versus-illegitimate nonsense, just like the first wife. Neither of them was willing to face reality. Third Mistress Chen sighed inwardly. She needed to talk to Third Master when she got home about splitting off from the main family.

Having run into acquaintances one after another, Lin Zhijin had lost interest in shopping. She casually grabbed some candies and biscuits she liked and headed home to cook.

The old duck she'd put on to simmer over charcoal in the morning was already fall-off-the-bone tender. She just needed to stir-fry two vegetables and dinner would be ready.

"Zhijin, what smells so good?" Sister-in-law Ye came over, drawn by the aroma.

"Yeah, I smelled it this morning and it's been teasing me all day. I've been drooling all day. I'm dying for a taste." Aunt Bai followed along.

"It's braised duck. Sister-in-law Ye, Aunt Bai, you came at the right time. Let me get you a bowl." Lin Zhijin saw them and quickly invited them in.

Sister-in-law Ye and Aunt Bai waved their hands repeatedly. They were just joking—there was no way they'd actually take any, and besides, they had plenty to eat.

"I've got fish stewing at home. I need to get back before it burns." Sister-in-law Ye left first, and Aunt Bai quickly made up an excuse and followed.

Just then, Li Yue breezed in, setting a chicken with its wings and feet tied on the floor. "I saw a villager selling one on the way. Where's Sister Chunhua?"

"She left early—she had something to do. She said we should eat first and not wait for her." Lin Zhijin took a clean bowl, scooped out some food, and left some duck in the pot to keep warm for Wang Chunhua to eat later.

Li Yue took a sip of soup and sighed contentedly. "Delicious. Zhijin, how come you can't even kill a chicken? There are still plenty of enemy agents around, and you're pretty. You need to be able to defend yourself."

The duck in the bowl had been killed by Li Yue. Lin Zhijin really couldn't bring herself to do it.

"I've been working hard to learn." She'd been practicing shooting with Sister Li for over a month. She wasn't an expert, but she could hit the target now. Director Qian had already requested a gun for her, so she'd be able to carry one on her next field assignment.

As for self-defense techniques, she'd memorized the moves, but in practice they probably wouldn't work. According to Sister Li, they were just for show. If she ever ran into a real enemy, she should run as fast as she could and never try to be a hero—otherwise she'd just be offering herself up as a meal.

"That chicken—you kill it, then," Li Yue said casually.

Lin Zhijin gritted her teeth. Fine, she'd kill it. She had to get used to blood sooner or later.

The next evening, Lin Zhijin pressed down on the chicken's head, steeled herself, and slashed down with the knife. But the chicken thrashed violently, wrenching free from her left hand, and suddenly a bleeding chicken was flapping wildly around the yard.

"Holy crap!" Wang Chunhua lunged forward, grabbed the chicken by the neck, gave it a twist—the struggling bird twitched twice and went still. "Hahaha, Zhijin, you're no good at this!"

"Hahaha, Zhijin, first time killing a chicken? Look at all this blood all over the yard—anyone would think you'd killed several people." Sister Ye didn't let Lin Zhijin off the hook either.

Li Yue stifled a laugh and patted Lin Zhijin on the shoulder. "It's normal. I was the same way when I killed my first Japanese soldier."

Lin Zhijin shot her a look. Gee, thanks. That's not comforting. Killing a Japanese soldier and killing a chicken aren't the same thing.

Because of that chicken, Lin Zhijin became famous throughout the entire circle of military families: there was a young comrade at the Women's Federation who made killing a chicken look like a murder scene—and had even passed out from the shock.

Lin Zhijin was speechless. "When did I ever faint? That's ridiculous."

On the second day of the sixth lunar month, Lin Shishu married Regiment Commander Liu, and Lin Zhijin attended the wedding feast as a relative on the bride's side.

Only two tables were set, mostly filled with the groom's fellow soldiers. On the bride's side, besides Lin Zhijin, there was a woman named Shihua, a close friend of Lin Shishu's from the Wu family.

"So you're Shishu's new friend, huh? I hear you work at the Women's Federation? You're the one who set up Shishu's marriage to Regiment Commander Liu, right?" Shihua looked Lin Zhijin up and down. She really was quite pretty. "Does Regiment Commander Liu know about Shishu's condition?"

Lin Zhijin looked at her, puzzled. "What?"

Shihua leaned in close to Lin Zhijin's ear, speaking with concern: "The old master took Shishu as a concubine nearly eight years ago, and she's never gotten pregnant once. This... has Shishu ever mentioned this to you? Sigh... Regiment Commander Liu doesn't have kids, does he? If you ask me, Shishu should find a widower who already has children."

Lin Shishu had said she and Shihua grew up together and were very close friends. But looking at it now, Lin Shishu treated Shihua as a friend—Shihua, on the other hand, was a different story.

"You're Shishu's friend, so you should know what kind of person she is. She told Regiment Commander Liu everything long ago and even went to the hospital for a checkup—she's perfectly healthy." Lin Zhijin noticed a flicker of panic and displeasure in Shihua's eyes and narrowed her own. Sure enough, this Shihua was a fake friend—possibly even a toxic one.

Just then, Lin Shishu and Regiment Commander Liu came over to offer a toast. Lin Zhijin stopped paying attention to Shihua, offered her congratulations, ate quietly, and headed home before dark.

"Zhijin, stay a little longer! These are all Old Liu's comrades—I'll have someone escort you back later. It won't be dangerous." Lin Shishu grabbed Lin Zhijin's arm, reluctant to see her go.

"A wedding night is precious—I won't intrude on you two. Let's hang out another time when we're both free." Lin Zhijin waved and turned to leave.

She was a young, pretty woman—if a man walked her home, people would definitely gossip.

A few days later, Sister Li came in with a woman in her early thirties. "Xiao Lin, this is our new colleague, Chen Qiuqiu. Show her the ropes, okay?"

"Hello everyone, my name is Chen Qiuqiu. I'm thirty-two, from Hancheng, and I moved to Nancheng with my husband. I used to work in women's affairs back home. I hope you'll all take care of me." Chen Qiuqiu introduced herself with poise.

"You're a few years older than me, so I'll call you Sister Qiuqiu, if that's alright? As for the work, you probably know it better than I do—let me help you get familiar with the situation in Nancheng instead." Lin Zhijin didn't put on airs.

That afternoon, Lin Zhijin had just sat down when a woman came to them for help.

"Which street district are you from? Why didn't you go to the Women's Federation in your district?" Chen Qiuqiu asked coolly, holding her teacup.

"I'm from Chengnan Street—doesn't this office handle our cases too?" The woman looked at them anxiously. They wouldn't turn her away, would they?

"We handle it." Sister Li waved a hand, telling Chen Qiuqiu to attend to other matters while she took over with the woman. "What do you need the Women's Federation for?"

Hearing they would help, the woman immediately choked up: "My husband wants a divorce. My birth mother died long ago, and my father remarried and had several more kids—there's no place for me at my natal home. If he divorces me, isn't that just forcing me to die? We have three children together. How can he be so heartless?"

Author's note:

None.