1970s: A hot-tempered wife who accompanied a soldier to the military compound and made a fortune.

Chapter 372 You'll all be so drooling!
The eldest son's family was eating when Qiu Shaomei brought in a watermelon. Their eyes lit up; after a long day's work, being able to eat watermelon was such a pleasant thing.

Seeing the looks in her family's eyes, Qiu's mother became even angrier: "It's like you haven't eaten this in ages, you're all so hungry."

Seeing that she was making a fuss over nothing, Grandma Qiu slammed her chopsticks on the table: "What you're saying is that you don't want to eat, right?"

Aunt Qiu froze for a moment: "Great-Grandma, it's me."

Before she could say anything, Grandma Qiu made the final decision: "Alright, since you don't like it, you don't need to eat it later. Everyone has had a long day, so don't cause any more trouble."

When Uncle Qiu saw that his great-grandmother was angry, he glared at his wife and said, "Your wife is away today, and you're only cooking now. Don't be ungrateful."

Seeing that her husband was also complaining about her, she felt so bitter inside.

*
Soon it was time for the exam at the city's steel rolling mill, and Chu Xue got a letter of introduction from the Party Secretary a day in advance.

The Party Secretary didn't make things difficult for her, but when handing her the letter of introduction, he casually remarked, "Be sure to be careful when you go out."

Chu Xue didn't mention the steel mill exam to the Party Secretary. She thought it was better to avoid trouble and wait until the results were in before making a decision.

She got up before dawn on the first snow of the morning. Her mother gave her a bowl of porridge and an egg: "Eat first. I also baked a leftover two-ingredient steamed bun from yesterday. Take it and eat it on the way."

Chu Xue took it: "Mom, it's still early, don't worry."

Mother Liu gently wiped the fine sweat from her forehead: "Mom isn't in a hurry, I'm just a little nervous."

As Chu Xue peeled an egg, she said, "Mom, let's just do our best. If we don't pass the exam, that's fate." Mother Liu was also afraid that the higher the expectations, the more pressure Chu Xue would feel: "You're right, I was being too attached to it."

After finishing the porridge and the egg, he took the fragrant baked buns and walked out, saying, "Mom, I'm leaving. Wait for my good news at home."

Liu's mother quickly chased after her, saying, "Be careful on the road and come back soon."

As soon as she left the village after the first snowfall, she quickened her pace. When she arrived at the bus stop, there were already quite a few people waiting for the bus.

The car arrived shortly after she left.

Luckily, after boarding the bus, she found there was still one seat available, paid the fare, and quickly sat down.

The car bumped along all the way into the city. Chu Xue got off the car right by the roadside and ran to the steel mill, afraid of missing the time.

To her surprise, there was a large, dark crowd standing at the factory gate. She wondered: Could it be that all these people were here to take the exam?
But thinking about it, it makes sense. After all, it was only 1975. If people who graduated from junior or senior high school in the city didn't have a job, they would face being sent to the countryside. There were only enough jobs in the city, so it's normal for so many people to apply.

She had only been there a short while when she heard someone standing on the high platform at the front with a megaphone: "Everyone, please be quiet. Those taking the exam, please move in. Family members accompanying you, please move back and clear the way. The exam will start promptly at 8:30."

Let me make this clear again: please do not disrupt the order of the event. If you are caught doing so, no matter how well your relatives or friends did on the exam, our steel rolling mill will not hire them. Do you understand?

Jobs are hard to find these days, and some people have gone to great lengths to ensure their relatives can pass the exams, causing those who come later to take the exams to miss their turn. This has happened before, so it's worth mentioning.

(End of this chapter)