Reborn in 1977, I will no longer be my brother's blood bag.

The dormitory building was noisy from morning till night the day before graduation.

The corridor was piled with rolled-up bedding, tightly bound books, and cardboard boxes of all sizes.

Chen Xiaomei squatted on the ground and searched for a long time before finally pulling out her enamel basin from under the box.

"Who pushed my basin down?"

The people next to them were stuffing clothes into a woven bag.

"You put it there yourself yesterday."

"I was going to put it behind the door."

"Then go ask the door."

The room was filled with laughter.

Just as Lin Xiuhe finished putting the materials from the North City Factory and the East City Factory into file folders, someone rushed in through the door.

"The list has been posted!"

Chen Xiaomei didn't even put the basin down properly before pulling her downstairs.

The bulletin board was crowded with people.

Some people stood on tiptoe to find the names, some copied down the assigned work units on paper, and others ran back to their dormitories after reading them, rushing to pack for their train that day.

Lin Xiuhe waited for the people in front to disperse before she could squeeze through.

Her name is in the middle.

Lin Xiuhe.

Assigned by: Beijing XX Research Institute.

An internship evaluation was attached at the end.

Participated in technical collaborations between the North City Plant and the East City Plant, and performed excellently.

Chen Xiaomei stared at her for a while, then raised her hand and patted her on the shoulder.

"You really came all this way."

Lin Xiuhe was swayed forward half a step by the slap.

"Be gentle."

"I'm happy."

Chen Xiaomei quickly looked for her own name.

Chengnan Machinery Factory.

She read it twice, complaining about how far the place was, but her eyebrows remained raised.

"The factory has dormitories, and it's not too far from my aunt's house. Okay, that's good."

The people in front of the bulletin board slowly dispersed.

Some people went back to pack their bedding, some went straight to the ticket office, and some stood in front of their own names and copied down their assigned work units twice before leaving.

On the way back to the dormitory, Chen Xiaomei asked, "Are you really going to live in the research institute from now on?"

"Stay in the dormitory first."

"I'm coming to find you, will the security guard let me in?"

"No."

"Lin Xiuhe!"

"If you're bringing things, then we'll let you in."

Chen Xiaomei bumped into her.

"Okay. I'll bring you the heaviest part from our factory."

In the afternoon, the class sent the last batch of old drawings to the archives.

Lin Xiuhe carried a stack of rolls, and Li Mingyuan caught up from behind and took the two rolls that were about to slide down from the top.

"So many people and they don't even call out to anyone."

"Didn't you come?"

"Now it's going to be easy for me to order people around."

"I learned it from others."

Li Mingyuan smiled.

He was dressed neatly today, with the cuffs of his white shirt rolled up to his elbows, and a notice tucked between his fingers.

He handed her the notice when he reached the stairwell.

"We've had an interview."

Lin Xiuhe took it.

His name is on the list of joint training programs.

"When do I report for duty?"

"Next month. I'll stay at school to prepare first, then join the project team."

As he spoke, the joy in his eyes was impossible to hide.

"The teacher told me to continue to supplement the foreign language materials, as they will be needed for later projects."

"Good."

"Just one sentence?"

Lin Xiuhe returned the notice to him.

"Comrade Li Mingyuan has a bright future."

He was amused.

"That's more like it."

The two people walked forward, carrying the blueprints.

As they approached the archives room, Li Mingyuan asked, "Is Zhou Zhiyuan back?"

"I'm back."

"Have all the formalities been completed?"

"Um."

Li Mingyuan slowed down.

"Have you made the reservation?"

"It's settled."

The corridor window was open, and the wind blew up the outermost sheet of paper.

Li Mingyuan raised his hand to press it down.

"I was thinking of asking you again after our face-to-face meeting."

Lin Xiuhe looked at him.

"I can't pretend I didn't hear what you said that day."

Li Mingyuan held the blueprints closer to his chest.

"It was my own choice to wait."

After he finished speaking, he pushed open the door to the archives room.

The paper tube hit the counter with a dull thud.

"It just happened a little faster than I expected."

Just as Lin Xiuhe was about to speak, Li Mingyuan handed the blueprints to the data clerk.

Don't apologize.

He turned around, still smiling, but the disappointment in his eyes wasn't completely hidden.

"If you ever encounter any difficulties in the future, remember to come to me."

"Let's understand the joint training program first."

"You wait."

The data clerk peeked out from behind the counter.

"You two, drop off the blueprints and leave. Don't block the door."

Li Mingyuan stepped aside.

"Yes, Researcher Lin."

"Haven't reported for duty yet."

"Tomorrow is it."

The graduation photo session was scheduled for the morning of the following day.

The campus was filled with students dressed neatly.

Some students had red flowers pinned to their chests, some were carrying books given to them by their teachers, and others were chasing after their classmates to copy new addresses.

The photographer stood in front waving.

"Squeeze from the back row to the middle! Taller people, stand on the sides!"

Lin Xiuhe was pulled to change her position twice.

Just after the first photo was taken, Chen Xiaomei suddenly tugged at her sleeve.

"Your partner is here."

Zhou Zhiyuan stood under the tree, holding a net bag in his hand.

It contained two lunchboxes and a bottle of soda.

He looked like he had rushed here; his forehead was covered in sweat, but his collar was neatly straightened.

The photographer started urging for the second shot.

Zhou Zhiyuan lifted the net bag towards her.

Lin Xiuhe had no choice but to stand back down.

As soon as the second photo was taken and the crowd dispersed, Chen Xiaomei ran up to Zhou Zhiyuan.

"You're Zhou Zhiyuan?"

"Yes."

"Lin Xiuhe's boyfriend?"

Several people around turned to look at them.

Zhou Zhiyuan, still holding the wire from the soda bottle, also looked at her.

Lin Xiuhe walked over and took the lunchbox.

"Yes."

Zhou Zhiyuan paused for a moment.

Then he untied the wire and handed her the soda.

"Drink first. Otherwise, you won't have time to eat later."

Chen Xiaomei clicked her tongue in disapproval.

"All you do is eat?"

Zhou Zhiyuan handed over another lunchbox.

"I brought some for you too."

Chen Xiaomei caught it immediately.

"That's alright then."

Lin Xiuhe took a sip of soda.

"Didn't you report for duty this morning?"

"It's done."

"Where are we going?"

"First, I'll work with the on-site team at the training center. Next week, I'll go to Tianjin to oversee the transportation and handover of a batch of equipment."

"Another business trip?"

"Two or three days."

Lin Xiuhe nodded.

Zhou Zhiyuan took the book from her arms.

"Are you going to the research institute again this afternoon?"

"Officially reporting for duty."

"I send you."

In the afternoon, Lin Xiuhe took the stamped materials into the research institute.

The personnel department checked her information and handed her a work ID.

The photo was taken a few days ago as part of a group photo.

He was dressed in black and white, with neatly combed hair and a serious expression.

The staff then handed over a small key.

"The drawer of the desk at the very back of the equipment application group's office. Engineer Zheng said you can use it first."

Lin Xiuhe put away her keys and work ID and went to the office.

Engineer Zheng is sorting through the materials delivered by the cannery.

When he saw her come in, he reached out his hand first.

"Where's the certificate?"

Lin Xiuhe handed it over.

After Zheng finished reading it, he returned it to her.

"Keep it safe. It'll be a hassle to replace it if you lose it."

He pushed the cannery materials in front of her.

"The factory's car will come to pick you up at seven o'clock tomorrow morning."

"So early?"

"Too early?"

"no."

"Then go to bed early."

Engineer Zheng then pulled out another on-site arrangement.

"You follow along and observe. When you get to the factory, the records and the actual situation must match. If there's anything you're unsure about, we'll discuss it when we get back."

"understood."

Lin Xiuhe walked to the table at the very back.

The desktop is small, the paint on the edges is chipped, and the drawers are a bit stiff when pulled out.

It's empty inside.

She put her work ID inside and then arranged the materials from the North City Factory and East City Factory.

Someone came in from outside carrying several brown paper bags.

"Engineer Zheng, you've sent over a few more applications."

Place the paper bag on the table.

Food factory.

Textile factory.

Agricultural machinery factory.

There are also two small factories from other places.

Engineer Zheng casually flipped through the materials and handed the topmost cannery material to Lin Xiuhe.

"Let's look at this one first."

He pushed the remaining paper bags to the corner of the table.

"We'll talk about the rest when you get back."

Zhou Zhiyuan stood at the door, still holding the books she had brought from school in his arms.

He looked at the table, then at the paper bags.

"That's all for your first day at work?"

"It's not my turn yet."

Engineer Zheng snorted from the side.

"soon."

Lin Xiuhe packed the cannery's records into a cloth bag.

Zhou Zhiyuan picked up the books for her.

"What time tomorrow morning?"

"Seven o'clock."

"Let's go eat first."

The two people walked out of the office.

Behind him, Engineer Zheng opened another kraft paper bag.

"Lin Xiuhe".

She turned around.

Engineer Zheng gestured with his chin toward the documents on the corner of the table.

"When you come back, you can have all of these too."

Lin Xiuhe responded.

She closed the drawer and put the key into her cloth bag.

At the very top, there are three days' worth of records from the cannery.