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

The afternoon sun at two o'clock made the wooden windowsill of the supply and marketing cooperative scorching hot, and the dirt road outside the door was baked until it turned a dry white color.

The villagers on their way walked along the shady walls, while the shop was in a quiet moment during the day when they were checking the ledgers. Footsteps could be heard coming from the courtyard gate.

The auditors have arrived.

The person who came was none other than Zhou, the clerk from the commune office.

Director Zhao placed the enamel mug on the wooden table, the bottom of the mug making a soft tapping sound, and quickly stepped out the door to greet the guests;

Several employees at the counter stopped counting grain coupons and bundling packaging paper, stood up straight, faced the door, and looked at the customers.

Lin Xiuhe lay on the inside of the counter, the nib of her pen slowly sliding along the grid of the order form, recording the number of goods entering and leaving line by line. The edges of the paper were soaked with a thin layer of dampness from being pressed against her palm for a long time.

Hearing the noise, I looked up.

The next second, she pressed the tip of her pen against the paper, and ink splattered into tiny dots.

She knew him because of this person.

We knew each other in a past life.

Zhou Zhiyuan.

At this time, Zhou Zhiyuan was not yet the county leader he would later become, but rather a staff member in the commune office.

Young and composed, he wore a military green cadre uniform that had been washed until the fabric was light-colored, with soft frayed edges at the hem. The lines of his clothes were neatly ironed, and he stood upright. Every move he made carried the discipline and demeanor honed through years of public service.

"Director Zhao, routine inspection."

The man's voice was calm.

Director Zhao nodded with a smile: "It's nothing. We'll do our best to cooperate, even though it's so hot. The supply and marketing cooperative just got a new employee today, the girl who was recruited last time. Today is her first day on the job."

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: ①⓪①ⓚⓚⓢ.ⓒⓞⓜ]

As he spoke, he raised his hand and waved towards Lin Xiuhe: "Xiuhe, come here."

Lin Xiuhe put the pen cap back on, stood up, and walked towards the two people.

Their gazes met briefly in mid-air. Zhou Zhiyuan's eyes lingered on her face for half a second before he turned to look at Director Zhao.

"New here?"

"Yes, today is my first day."

Director Zhao smiled.

Zhou Zhiyuan opened the black leather notebook tucked under his arm, his fingertip hovering over a page with handwritten text, and uttered a prediction: "I rushed over today just in time to deal with a troublesome matter that has surfaced ahead of schedule."

The work being done by everyone inside slowed down slightly, and the previously quiet sounds of turning over papers and tidying up objects all faded away.

Director Zhao's brow furrowed slowly, and he leaned forward slightly, looking at the person opposite him: "What do you mean?"

Zhou Zhiyuan opened the notebook in his hand and said in a calm tone, "Someone went to the commune yesterday to ask if they could transfer their job opening to a family member."

Lin Xiuhe's pupils contracted slightly.

Director Zhao's expression changed as well: "What? Who asked that?"

"A middle-aged woman," Zhou Zhiyuan looked up. "Her surname was Wang, and she said she was the mother of a new employee."

The other employees in the room stopped what they were doing and looked at Lin Xiuhe, following the direction Zhou Zhiyuan was speaking.

Some people were holding hemp ropes that were hanging in mid-air, while others were putting the oil and salt packages they were about to sort back onto the shipping container.

At that moment, everyone finally understood—the rumors were actually true.

Lin Xiuhe glanced at the expressions of the people around her, then reached out and neatly stacked the scattered documents on the table.

Sure enough, the "other methods" that Wang Xiulan mentioned last night have already begun.

The office fell silent.

Director Zhao frowned: "And then?"

All eyes were on Zhou Zhiyuan.

Zhou Zhiyuan turned a page of his notebook and said calmly, "I told her that the supply and marketing cooperative's hiring list has been finalized, and the job cannot be transferred."

Director Zhao's shoulders slumped, he adjusted his cloth hat, and let out a long sigh: "That's settled then, isn't it? What else can she possibly cause trouble for?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Zhiyuan looked up and said, "It might not work in theory, but it's not necessarily true in reality."

The office suddenly fell silent.

Director Zhao's expression changed slightly: "What do you mean?"

Zhou Zhiyuan didn't answer immediately, but looked at Lin Xiuhe: "Do your family members know that you've officially reported for duty?"

Lin Xiuhe tilted her head slightly, her gaze falling on the sun-drenched dirt road outside the window. After a moment, she turned back and gently shook her head: "I don't know yet."

"That's troublesome."

One sentence made everyone in the office frown.

"What exactly happened?" Director Zhao asked, taking another half step forward.

Zhou Zhiyuan closed his notebook: "I've seen this kind of situation before. They can't transfer jobs, but they can drag it out—dragging out their reporting, their personnel files, their paperwork, and even coming to make trouble every day until the company finds it too much trouble."

The office fell completely silent.

Director Zhao slammed his hand heavily on the solid wood countertop, causing the enamel mug on the table to bounce and make a crisp sound as it struck the glass. He knew that such things really did happen, and quite often. Some organizations, to save trouble, would rather not hire new staff than deal with domestic disputes every day.

"Outrageous!" Director Zhao slammed his fist on the table. "Why should she turn down the job she got?"

"Director Zhao," Zhou Zhiyuan said calmly, "a reasonable person wouldn't do this. A person who would do this is inherently unreasonable."

One sentence silenced Director Zhao.

Because that's absolutely right.

Lin Xiuhe stood to the side, silent. But she already understood in her heart where she had lost in her past life. It wasn't that she lacked ability, but that she had given in.

If she takes a step back, the Lin family will take ten steps forward until they corner her.

"What should we do then?" someone in the office couldn't help but ask.

Zhou Zhiyuan paused for two seconds, then gave his answer: "Record it."

As soon as the two words were spoken, everyone looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

"Go to the commune and register the employment relationship. Record the personnel file, job position, and salary details, keep a copy, and stamp it. Once the procedures are completed, it won't matter who makes trouble later."

Director Zhao's eyes lit up, and he slapped his forehead, suddenly realizing, "That's right! How could I have forgotten that!"

After saying that, he looked directly at Lin Xiuhe and said, "Don't do the inventory this afternoon. Come with me to the commune. Let's get the paperwork done today!"

Lin Xiuhe pinched the corner of the receipt on the table with her fingertips, slowly folded a stack of papers, looked up and agreed, "Okay."

Just then, Zhou Zhiyuan put away his notebook and turned to leave.

As they passed each other, he paused for a moment, then said casually, "Let's get this done sooner rather than later, lest something goes wrong."

After saying that, he left.

The office is bustling again.

But Lin Xiuhe frowned slightly as she watched his retreating figure.

For some reason, she felt that this Zhou clerk, whom she was meeting for the first time, seemed to know far too much about her family's affairs.