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

"It's too late."

Lin Xiuhe's tone was casual, yet it was like a knife, piercing straight into Wang Xiulan's heart.

"What do you mean it's late!" Wang Xiulan exploded. "I'm your mother! I don't agree! This paperwork doesn't count!"

The office was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Wang Guifen was stunned. She had worked in the commune for so many years and had seen people clamoring for household registration and homesteads, but she had never seen anyone come here to harass their daughter for a job.

"Comrade," Wang Guifen put down her pen, "please calm down."

"Calm down?" Wang Xiulan's voice became even shriller. "She's my daughter! Why shouldn't she discuss her job with the family? Why should she make decisions on her own?"

The people in the office looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

Finally, Director Zhao couldn't hold back any longer: "Why? Because she passed the exam on her own merit! Where was your son during the exam?"

One sentence left Wang Xiulan speechless, her face turning pale. But she quickly retorted, "She's the older sister! An older sister should help her younger brother! Besides, a girl like her will get married sooner or later! What use is a job to her?"

The air suddenly became quiet.

The next second, Wang Guifen sneered: "According to you, all the girls in the world should quit their jobs and just give them to the guys?"

A few suppressed laughs suddenly rang out in the office.

Wang Xiulan's face flushed red and then turned pale: "That's not what I meant..."

"Then what do you mean?" Wang Guifen interrupted directly. "Did the national recruitment exam put your son's name on it? No. Did the acceptance letter put your son's name on it? No. Who stamped the file?"

As she spoke, she snapped the file open.

A bright red seal is prominently displayed on it.

Name: Lin Xiuhe.

Wang Xiulan stared intently at those words, as if she wanted to pierce through the paper.

"No! This can't happen! What about Weidong? He still needs to get married!"

That's his business.

Suddenly, a voice rang out.

Everyone was stunned for a moment.

Because the person speaking was Lin Xiuhe.

From the moment Wang Xiulan stormed in, she remained remarkably calm. Calm beyond what one would expect from an eighteen-year-old girl.

"Mother," she looked at Wang Xiulan, "if Weidong wants to get married, does that mean I have to give up my job? What about when he needs to buy a house? What about raising children? Am I supposed to be responsible for all of that?"

The questions, one after another, left Wang Xiulan speechless.

"You are the older sister!" She could only repeat this sentence over and over again, as if it were the greatest truth in the world.

"Sister," Lin Xiuhe repeated softly, then smiled, "From childhood to adulthood, I've given him eggs to eat, new clothes to wear, and money to pay for his schooling. Now I even give him my job. And what about me?"

The office fell silent again.

No one spoke.

Because this isn't reasoning, it's favoritism—blatant favoritism.

"I don't care!" Wang Xiulan suddenly slammed onto the table. "I just don't agree! Give me the file! Void the official seal!"

She reached out and grabbed the file.

"Stop!" Director Zhao's expression changed drastically.

Wang Guifen was also startled.

Before they could even get there, another hand had already pressed down on the file.

Slender, stable, with distinct joints.

The office fell silent instantly.

Lin Xiuhe raised her head.

Zhou Zhiyuan returned at some point. He stood by the table, his palm resting on the file, his expression calm.

"The commune archives are off-limits."

The voice wasn't loud, but it carried a strange sense of oppression.

Wang Xiulan froze: "Who are you?"

"Zhou Zhiyuan, commune office." He spoke calmly, "According to regulations, damaging archives constitutes disrupting office order, and serious cases can be reported and dealt with."

In short, Wang Xiulan's face turned deathly pale.

She didn't understand the rules, but she understood the last four words—"report for processing." That was no joke.

"I...I didn't mean to..."

The sound weakened noticeably.

Zhou Zhiyuan didn't look at her again, but handed the file to Wang Guifen: "Keep it safe, don't let it cause any more problems."

"Okay." Wang Guifen quickly took it and locked it in the cabinet.

Click.

The copper lock fell.

The sound was very soft, yet it was like a gate being completely shut down.

The color drained from Wang Xiulan's face little by little.

She knew it was over. It was truly over. She was going to lose her job.

"Mother," Lin Xiuhe suddenly spoke.

Wang Xiulan raised her head, and for the first time, panic appeared in her eyes.

"I'm saying this for the last time. This job is mine. Don't even think about it again, and don't cause trouble at the supply and marketing cooperative again. Otherwise—" She glanced at the locked file, "I won't be the one who loses face."

The air grew quiet.

No one spoke in the office.

But everyone understands that this tug-of-war has come to a conclusion.

Wang Xiulan stood there, suddenly feeling the gazes around her like needles pricking her. She opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

In the end, all I could do was turn around and walk away.

His back view was hurried and he looked extremely disheveled.

There was a few seconds of silence in the office.

Suddenly, Wang Guifen let out a long sigh of relief: "They're finally gone. This is the first time I've ever seen anything like this."

Director Zhao also shook his head: "Xiuhe, if you have any problems in the future, come directly to the unit. Don't try to handle things on your own."

Lin Xiuhe nodded: "Thank you, Director."

Just then, Zhou Zhiyuan turned and walked away, as if everything that had just happened had nothing to do with him.

But as he passed Lin Xiuhe, he paused slightly.

"Some people, if you take a step back, they'll take ten steps forward. Remember that today."

After saying that, he left without looking back.

Lin Xiuhe stood there, her heart suddenly skipping a beat.

For some reason, something about that sentence always felt off to her.

It's as if—he went through the same thing.