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

The courtyard gradually quieted down.

Lin Xiuhe lay in bed, wide awake. She knew in her heart that today's argument was just the beginning.

Wang Xiulan will not give up, nor will Lin Jianguo. They will never stop here.

But so what?

The timidity of her past life has long since vanished; in this life, she is fearless.

Thinking of this, Lin Xiuhe reached out and touched the cloth bag hidden in the kang hole—forty-eight yuan, and the employment notice from the supply and marketing cooperative.

They're all there.

She slowly closed her eyes, but another place appeared in her mind.

Supply and marketing cooperative.

Tomorrow, she will report for duty and solidify her position.

Nobody can take it anymore!

Night was falling.

Lin Xiuhe turned over and finally fell asleep.

Unbeknownst to her, at the same time, in the east room, Wang Xiulan also had her eyes open, having not slept all night.

……

Lin Xiuhe woke up before dawn.

It was quiet outside, with only the occasional crowing of roosters.

She opened her eyes and stared blankly for two seconds.

The habits formed in my past life are still there—the first thing I do every day when I open my eyes is think about who I need to cook for, how many clothes I need to wash, and who I need to worry about.

But she quickly realized what was happening.

Not the same.

She has returned to 1977. In this life, she no longer needs to revolve around others.

Thinking of this, Lin Xiuhe sat up.

It was cold inside. She dressed in the dark, stuffed the job offer into her pocket, and checked the cloth bag in the stove hole one last time.

Forty-eight yuan, not a penny less.

Only after confirming that everything was correct did she push the door open and go out.

The courtyard was still shrouded in morning mist.

The east room was quiet; clearly, Wang Xiulan and Lin Jianguo hadn't gotten up yet.

Lin Xiuhe breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing she wanted to do right now was to have another argument first thing in the morning.

The supply and marketing cooperative was more than ten miles away from the production team, so she had to leave early.

Just as I reached the courtyard gate, a voice suddenly came from behind me.

"sister."

Lin Xiuhe paused and turned around.

Lin Weidong stood under the eaves, not knowing when he had woken up. The morning light was dim, and his face was hidden in shadow.

"Are you really going to work?"

Lin Xiuhe looked at him: "That's a strange question. It's my job, what else would I do if I didn't go to work?"

Lin Weidong gritted his teeth: "Sis, do you really have to do this?"

Here we go again! The familiar rhetoric, as if she were the one who had done something wrong.

"What's wrong with me?"

"You know perfectly well that the Liu family is waiting for news, you know that what I need most right now is a job. But you still won't let me have it. Are you just hoping to see me make a fool of myself?"

Lin Xiuhe suddenly smiled.

"Lin Weidong, you need a job, so I have to provide it? You need a wife, so I have to give in to her? Later, if you need a house, am I supposed to buy it for you too? If you need your children to go to school, am I supposed to pay for it too?"

One sentence after another.

Lin Weidong's expression grew increasingly grim. He realized that his previously foolproof words were now completely useless.

"You've changed." He hesitated for a long time before finally managing to squeeze out the words.

"Yes," Lin Xiuhe nodded. "I've changed, so from now on, you should also learn to grow up on your own."

After saying that, she turned and left without looking back.

Behind him, Lin Weidong stood rooted to the spot, his face terribly grim. He suddenly had a feeling—as if something was slipping further and further away from him, and he couldn't grasp it.

The sky gradually brightened.

Lin Xiuhe walked briskly along the dirt road leading to the commune. Dew clung to the corn leaves by the roadside, and people were already working in the fields in the distance.

Looking at all this, she suddenly felt a long-lost sense of relief.

In her past life, after she gave up her job, every time she opened her eyes, all she saw was endless farm work, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Now, she finally has the opportunity to leave—to leave this place that has trapped her for half her life.

An hour later.

Commune supply and marketing cooperative.

The red brick building stands quietly by the street, with a wooden sign hanging at the door bearing the words: "Red Flag Commune Supply and Marketing Cooperative".

Lin Xiuhe stopped in her tracks, her heart suddenly skipping a beat.

In her past life, she had been here. But not to work; she came to give up her job.

That day, Wang Xiulan held her hand all the way, Lin Weidong was beaming with joy, while she stood at the door, her eyes swollen from crying.

Thinking of this, Lin Xiuhe slowly clenched her fist.

This time, it won't happen again.

She took a deep breath and stepped inside.

Behind the counter, a middle-aged man in his forties was organizing account books. Hearing footsteps, he looked up.

Who are you looking for?

"Hello." Lin Xiuhe quickly handed over the job offer letter. "I'm new here."

The middle-aged man took the notification, glanced at it, and asked, "Lin Xiuhe?"

"Yes."

The man nodded: "I know you, your exam results were good. You were supposed to report for duty a few days ago, why did you wait until today?"

Lin Xiuhe paused slightly. She couldn't very well say that her family was vying for her job, so she simply said, "Something happened at home."

The man didn't ask any further questions: "Okay. My surname is Zhao, call me Director Zhao from now on. Come with me."

Lin Xiuhe quickly followed.

The supply and marketing cooperative wasn't big, but it was more lively than she had imagined. The shelves were stocked with soap, enamel mugs, thermos flasks, needles and thread, as well as candy and snacks—many of which she would never have seen in the production team.

"What are you looking at?" Director Zhao chuckled. "There'll be plenty of time to look later. First, get familiar with the work."

Lin Xiuhe quickly looked away: "Yes."

Director Zhao led her into the back office. As soon as the door opened, several people inside looked up at the same time.

"Oh, new here?"

The speaker was a woman in her early twenties with two braids. She wasn't particularly pretty, but she had sharp eyes.

"This is Lin Xiuhe," Director Zhao introduced. "She will be working here from now on."

The woman looked her up and down, then suddenly smiled: "I know her, the one who passed the exam for the production team. I heard she's quite famous lately."

Lin Xiuhe's heart skipped a beat. Famous? It seems that what happened last night spread faster than she had imagined.

Sure enough, the next second, the woman smiled and asked, "I heard your family wants to give the job to your brother?"

The office fell silent instantly. Everyone looked at her.

Lin Xiuhe suddenly realized that since last night, this matter was no longer just a matter for the Lin family. It was spreading little by little.

But this may not necessarily be a bad thing.

Thinking of this, she raised her head, met everyone's gaze, and smiled gently: "That's true. However, they didn't succeed."

The office was silent for two seconds, then a laugh suddenly broke out.

"Well said!" The woman slammed her hand on the table. "Why should I give my job to someone else?"

Lin Xiuhe looked over and, for the first time, revealed a genuine smile.

At that moment, she suddenly felt that the outside world really was different.

Just then, Director Zhao tapped on the table.

"Alright, stop chatting. Xiuhe, today is your first day at work. Go to the warehouse to take inventory and get to know the people there. Someone will be coming to check the accounts this afternoon."

Audit?

Lin Xiuhe was taken aback. For some reason, a strange feeling suddenly flashed through her mind.

It was as if something was about to happen.