Reborn in '77, I have a job panel!

"The Central People's Broadcasting Station announces that the state has decided to reinstate the college entrance examination, and all eligible workers, farmers, and youths are welcome to apply..."

The distant, somewhat shrill sound of a horn grew clearer and clearer in Qian Cheng's ears as it approached. He opened his eyes in a daze.

where is this?

Qian Cheng looked around and couldn't help but be a little stunned.

The small room was very tidy, with a table placed in the center.

Next to the table was an old-fashioned stove, the fire burning brightly and making crackling sounds.

Newspapers were pasted on the wall. Qian Cheng squinted and noticed that the newspapers were from various years, mostly 72 and 73.

What's going on? Qian Cheng was a little confused.

Just then, the door to the room suddenly opened, and a gust of cold wind rushed in, making Qian Cheng shiver.

A woman opened the door; she was somewhat overweight. Qian Cheng naturally said, "Mom."

The woman paused, turned around quickly, and saw Qian Cheng sitting safely on the kang (a heated brick bed). Excitedly, she ran over.

"You're awake? You're really awake?"

"I'm awake, Mom. Don't worry."

Qian Cheng uttered those words naturally, and after a long while, he realized that he had transmigrated.

He traveled back to 1977 and became the second son in a family whose father had died young in Laowozi Village, SY City, Liaobei Province.

I don't want to time travel... Qian Cheng couldn't help but feel a toothache; he really didn't want to time travel!

Although the most difficult period had passed by 1977, and there was probably no starvation, who would give up the good days of 2026 to suffer in 77?

However, Qian Cheng has always been a very adaptable person.

He quickly composed himself and began to recall his memories from his life.

In this life, he was actually a somewhat cunning and wicked person.

It's just a listless, timid person, you know?

He usually seems introverted, even a bit timid, but he will seize any opportunity that arises.

The last time he displayed this cunning ability was at the home of Zhang Changtian, a carpenter in the village. Zhang Changtian had been a carpenter all his life, and now that he was approaching his forties or fifties, he was thinking about finding an apprentice to inherit his mantle.

Don't underestimate carpentry.

These days, having a skill can support a whole family. In the entire Laowozi Village, more than a dozen young people were vying to sign up, all wanting to show off their talents.

But Qian Cheng is different. While others are thinking about inheriting the skills, he's thinking about how to become someone's son-in-law!

These days, a carpenter's apprenticeship can't be completed in less than seven or eight years, so it's not an exaggeration to say that he's like the master's second son.

So Qian Cheng took a different approach and secretly got engaged to Zhang Changtian's daughter early on. When Zhang Changtian saw this, he said, "Alright, you're the one."

What's truly infuriating is that Qian Cheng doesn't appreciate such a coveted carpentry spot at all!

He didn't learn much carpentry, and spent all his time following the villagers around, going up and down the mountain to hunt birds and catch fish. He was really not doing anything productive. Yesterday, he went up the mountain and it happened to be snowing heavily. It was so smoky that you couldn't see anything. Qian Cheng got lost on the mountain and froze to death.

The next day, Zhang Mingxi cried her eyes out and urged Old Man Zhang to mobilize the whole village to search. Old Man Zhang was also anxious. After searching with hundreds of villagers, they finally found her.

When they brought it back, it was completely frozen solid.

The mother, Hou Yufen, refused to give up. She begged for a bowl of talisman water and poured it into Qiancheng's mouth, which supposedly brought Qiancheng to the future in 2026.

Hou Yufen cried terribly, repeatedly touching Qian Cheng between sobs to see if he was missing any limbs. Once she was certain her son was truly alive, she burst into louder sobs.

"Thank you, Bodhisattva! Thank you for bringing my son back. I haven't let down my ancestors..."

Qian Cheng: "..."

It took Qian Cheng half a day to calm his mother down. He felt hungry and asked, "Mom, is there any food at home? I'm hungry."

"Yes, Mom will make it for you right away," Hou Yufen said quickly.

"Don't let him do it!" Qian Cheng felt a sudden chill and immediately stopped Hou Yufen, forcing a smile: "Mom, let me do it. It's my way of showing filial piety."

"That won't do, you've just recovered from your illness..."

"Let me do it."

Qian Cheng's tone was somewhat pleading: "Can't I just consider this a way for me to get some exercise?"

Hou Yufen hesitated for a while before saying, "Alright then, but please use less lard."

"Okay!"

Qian Cheng dashed into the kitchen; he really didn't dare eat his own mother's cooking.

Hou Yufen's cooking skills are roughly equivalent to Qian Cheng's deskmate in his previous life. His deskmate made a batch of strawberry dumplings, which landed him in the hospital.

That's not just bad, it's absolutely awful.

Upon entering the outer room, Qian Cheng immediately frowned. In rural Liaobei Province, the kitchen is called the outer room.

A jar of sauerkraut and half a bag of potatoes seem like a lot, but in winter there are no fresh vegetables, so this is practically all we have to rely on.

I glanced at the rice bag. The clean white rice was mixed with a lot of bran. Even pigs wouldn't eat this stuff in 2026. My family is going to be poor for life.

It's understandable, really. After all, Old Qian died young, and Hou Yufen raised her two children on her own. Last month, she only managed to give 50 yuan as a bride price for her eldest son's wedding, so there's probably not much left in the family.

"Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice; unfortunately, I'm a genius."

Having spent ten years in Shanghai, Qian Cheng had long since honed his skills in turning the ordinary into the extraordinary.

He immediately chopped a head of sauerkraut into shreds and cut the potatoes into chunks. He then put half a spoonful of lard into the pot and stir-fried the sauerkraut first.

Pickled cabbage is great for stir-frying; the longer it's stir-fried, the more fragrant it becomes. When it starts to wilt a bit, add the potatoes and simmer for half an hour. That's it!

"Son, I'm going to tell your brother you're awake. You stay home and keep an eye on things!"

Hou Yufen was about to go out when she passed by the outer room and smelled a salty, fragrant aroma. She couldn't help but stick her head out and ask, "What smells so good?"

"Your son's cooking is pretty good, isn't it?" Qian Cheng grinned.

"It's alright, I guess."

Hou Yufen looked rather uneasy and quickly went out.

……

Ten minutes later, the eldest brother, Qian Lu, rushed into the house with his sister-in-law in a great hurry, and the cold wind they brought in almost extinguished the fire.

Qian Lu looked at him excitedly: "Are you alright? Are you really alright?"

The sister-in-law was also very excited: "You survived? Chengzi, you're incredibly lucky!"

"Hmm? Why does it smell so good?"

The sister-in-law lifted the pot lid, looked at the oily sauerkraut and potato stew in the iron pot, and exclaimed in surprise, "Chengzi, did you make this? You're skilled at cooking?"

The sister-in-law assumed that it was definitely not made by her mother. She had eaten her mother's cooking when she returned to her parents' home, and she forced herself to swallow it because she was afraid of being accused of being impolite.

"I'm fine now. Let's get ready to eat."

Qian Cheng said with a smile that he felt a sense of warmth when he saw his elder brother and sister-in-law.

The family was overjoyed. When the neighbors heard that Qian Cheng had woken up, they all came over to join in the fun. However, they didn't stay for a meal, but offered their congratulations and left.

A pot of sauerkraut stewed with potatoes—that was the only dish for the meal. The staple food was rice mixed with bran. My sister-in-law wasn't one to stand on ceremony; she took the first bite and her eyes widened immediately: "Wow! This is so delicious?"

Qian Lu hesitated at first, but seeing that his wife seemed to be speaking sincerely, he also picked up a piece of food.

It's so delicious, I feel like crying!

Qian Luzhen cried. Her little brother can cook now, and she won't have to eat her mother's cooking anymore!

Qian Cheng also took a bite.

The crisp pickled cabbage, accompanied by the aroma of lard, stimulated his taste buds with every bite. He found it alright, considering the scarcity of seasonings meant he hadn't quite reached his full potential.

At that moment, a screen of light suddenly appeared in front of him.

Name: Qian Cheng

【Profession:】

【Chef (Newbie) lv.1: 3/10】

Your cooking has received positive reviews within Laowozi Village, but you still need to work harder to achieve recognition throughout the county.

Wrist strength +10%, food sensitivity +20%

……

Carpentry (Weak Foundation) lv.0: 6/10

As a carpenter, it's difficult to create truly satisfactory wooden products; even the most basic tables and chairs are hard to make decent.

[Waist strength +10%, finger strength +20%, finger dexterity +10]