To the Jiang family, this was no mere piece of paper; it was a document capable of changing their family's circumstances, and most importantly, the destiny of their eldest son.
The couple, especially Feng Damei, flushed a deep, vibrant red, their breathing growing heavy. She strode over to Feng Qingqing, snatched the paper, and scrutinized it. Had anyone looked closely, they would have noticed her hands trembling as she held it.
Feng Damei had attended night school for two years in her youth, so she could decipher the gist of what was written. After reading it, she handed the slip to Jiang Yong and gave her eldest son, Jiang Hongbing, a heavy slap on the shoulder. "Eldest," she said, "your job is finally settled. You must thank your sister Qingqing properly. Work hard at the factory, try to earn an 'Advanced Worker' title, and bring honor to your mother and father."
Thinking of how her Hongbing finally had a formal job, and that she would no longer have to endure the snide remarks of the neighborhood gossips, Feng Damei felt an urge to run out into the courtyard and shout to the world that her son had a real, official job. She wanted to show everyone who had ever looked down on them.
While Feng Damei daydreamed about the future, Jiang Yong and Jiang Hongbing were no different. Living in such close quarters, their neighbors hadn't been overtly cruel to the men, but the constant, prying questions about whether he had found work yet had been unbearable. Especially over the last two years, as Jiang Hongbing reached the age for marriage, several potential matches had fallen through solely because of his employment status, leaving the family feeling deeply stifled.
By the time everyone calmed down, over ten minutes had passed. In that short time, the Jiang family had transformed from a gloomy, suffocating household into one brimming with jubilation. Even Jiang Yun and the second and third children wore expressions of joy; they knew well that only when the family prospered could they prosper, too.
Ever since hearing that her eldest brother would have a formal job, a hidden sense of superiority began to surface in Jiang Yun. Growing up, she had watched Feng Qingqing eat well and dress well while her own family had to swallow their pride and beg for handouts. The jealousy in her heart had nearly spilled over. But now? Feng Qingqing was an orphan with no job and no house. Seeing her fall into the dust, how could Jiang Yun not start feeling superior?
With this thought, a smile slowly spread across her lips. If she could only get her hands on Feng Qingqing's spatial dimension, her future would be one that Feng Qingqing could only look up to from afar. A surge of boundless ambition welled up in Jiang Yun; perhaps she was simply born for greatness, and Feng Qingqing was destined to be nothing more than her stepping stone.
Watching this family, old and young alike, immersed in their joy, Feng Qingqing thought to herself: *Let you be happy for a few more days. Let you taste the feeling of falling from heaven into hell.*
Once the family had thoroughly settled down, Feng Qingqing returned to her room. She decided to leave them a little time to fantasize about their wonderful future. A cold sneer played on her lips.
After she left, the atmosphere at the dinner table became even more animated. Jiang Yun seized the opportunity to ask her mother, Feng Damei, for more things; she had always been good at calculating for herself. She knew that if she didn't grab some benefits now, once her brother started working, his wages would first go toward paying off the 600-yuan debt the family had racked up. Furthermore, her brother wasn't young anymore, and his own wedding would soon require significant funds. In short, there were many places for money to go in this house, and only what she held in her own hands was truly hers.
That night, the Jiang family slept soundly, especially Feng Damei, who was so excited she couldn't sleep until the middle of the night and woke up with two massive dark circles under her eyes. But that hardly affected her high spirits.
Early the next morning, before Feng Qingqing had even risen, she heard Feng Damei’s noisy voice in the courtyard—talk of "Yes, an official job," and "The child really has ambition." Her tone was thick with unconcealed pride. It was only natural; after being stifled for so many years, one good turn was enough to make her want the whole street to know. She wanted everyone to see that the Jiang family was doing just fine and would do even better in the future—the timing and luck just hadn't been right before.
Just like that, thanks to Feng Damei’s enthusiastic broadcasting, by the end of the morning, the entire street knew that Jiang Hongbing from the Jiang family had found a job—a formal position at the machine factory—and would be heading in to process his employment in a few days. The paperwork was already in hand.
There were those who envied them, those who were jealous, and some even ran over to ask how the job had been secured, hoping to try their own luck. After all, everyone was desperate for work in these times. The Jiang house remained bustling all morning long. It was fortunate that Feng Damei didn't have a formal job—though even if she did, she likely would have taken the day off. After all, saving face like this in front of the neighbors hadn't happened many times since she married into the Jiang family.
Feng Qingqing paid no mind to the commotion or Feng Damei’s showing off. With her departure to the countryside just two days away, her spatial dimension’s farming area still only held a single hen. Although she had harvested one egg that morning, it only made her more determined to scale up her production.
She returned to the black market she had visited the day before and spent a high price on daily necessities that didn't require ration coupons. She also traded for some nationwide grain coupons; although her storage room was full of food, she still needed to be prepared with the proper documentation. After circling around, she used a piece of candy to bribe a lookout into telling her where she could buy chicks and ducklings. She finally got the information she needed.
Following the directions, she walked toward the edge of the suburbs and finally found the family rumored to be trading chicks and ducklings. Since no coupons were required, Feng Qingqing spent five yuan to acquire four chicks and four ducklings. Once out of sight, she tucked them into her spatial dimension. Watching the little creatures move around and eat freely, she seemed to see baskets full of eggs in her future, and her mouth curved into a wide smile.
On the way back, Feng Qingqing thought it over and stopped at the State-run Restaurant to buy some steamed buns that would keep for a couple of days. She wasn't sure if Feng Damei would bother preparing food for her train ride, so she had to at least have something visible on hand.
When she arrived home, it was already dusk. Today, Feng Damei showed a rare sense of anticipation for her return, even saying she had specifically made braised potatoes with meat for her. Feng Qingqing knew it was because the day’s events had put them in the spotlight, and they had finally remembered her.
Dinner was indeed much richer than usual: braised potatoes with meat, steamed eggplant, vinegar-braised cabbage, a plate of pickled vegetables, and steamed buns made from a mixture of flours. The family gobbled it all up, and once finished, they remained seated at the table. Feng Qingqing knew they had something to say.
Sure enough, Feng Damei spoke up. Despite having spent the entire day gloating over her eldest son’s job, the thought of her other children heading off to endure hardship in the countryside the next day left her feeling quite uneasy.
"You are all going to the countryside together, so you must help each other. Especially you two, the second and third children. Yunyun and Qingqing are girls, so you must look after them more."
She feigned a cough, then added, "Qingqing, Yunyun, you both know the household has been emptied out, and your two brothers haven't saved much money. When you get to the countryside, the two of you will still have your relocation subsidies. When the time comes, you must not abandon your brothers!"
The words were spoken with great sentiment, but it all boiled down to wanting her hands on that subsidy. *Well,* Feng Qingqing thought, *if you want it, you’ll have to wait.*
Jiang Yun nodded helplessly; after all, they were her own brothers. Could she really just watch them suffer if they hit rock bottom? Feng Qingqing nodded vaguely, neither agreeing nor refusing. She knew that in a few days, when Jiang Hongbing went to report for duty, the truth would come out. By then, they likely wouldn't be counting on each other for help at all.
Meanwhile, Feng Damei reiterated the family’s hardships, the core message being that they should behave themselves in the countryside, and that once the family had spare money, they would certainly mail things to them.
After Feng Damei finished her long-winded, one-woman show, everyone returned to their rooms to sleep. The next day, Feng Qingqing went out after breakfast as usual. It was her last day in the city, and she needed to see if there was anything else she needed to buy. The day slipped by in a blur.
Just like that, the morning of her departure to the countryside arrived.