Reborn in 78, I made my fortune by working in the mountains, supporting three families on my own.

Su Minggui exhaled a puff of smoke: "It's not too hard, just running errands. Don't just be happy, keep an eye on Ma Laosan's matter. I asked a friend in the county town, and he broke a hunter's leg two years ago, and they only settled it by paying him compensation. That kind of person isn't afraid of trouble, so we must be careful!"

Zhao Lei nodded: "I understand that."

After finishing his cigarette, Su Minggui rode away on his bicycle.

Zhao Lei returned to the main room and handed the money to Jiang Xinyue: "Keep this safe. Use this money to get you a job at the factory."

Jiang Xinyue took the money, her fingertips tracing the banknotes, and after a moment of silence, she asked, "Is this enough?"

"If that's not enough, we'll figure something out."

Two days later, Deputy Factory Director Li sent a message through someone.

The finance department of Jinxiu Textile Factory will release a job opening in two weeks, and Zhao Lei is asked to take Jiang Xinyue to register and interview.

That evening, Zhao Lei told Jiang Xinyue the news.

Jiang Xinyue sat in the main room, her fingers stroking the pages of the account book, without turning a single page for a long time.

Zhao Lei stood by the door for a while, observing, and then asked, "What are you worried about?"

Jiang Xinyue looked up at Zhao Lei: "I'm not afraid of interviews."

"Then what are you worried about?"

Jiang Xinyue paused for a moment: "What if the factory finds out about my father's past..."

Zhao Lei stepped forward and snatched the account book from Jiang Xinyue's hand: "Your father is your father, and you are you. You are highly educated and skilled in accounting; you are perfectly capable of handling this position."

Jiang Xinyue simply nodded after listening.

The next morning, Jiang Xinyue had already prepared all the materials needed for registration.

Household registration certificate, identity documents, and two black and white photos were neatly stacked into a kraft paper envelope.

On the day of registration, Zhao Lei accompanied Jiang Xinyue to the town.

The recruitment point for Jinxiu Textile Factory was located on the second floor of the town's supply and marketing cooperative. There were more than a dozen young people in line, most of whom were members of the surrounding brigades.

Jiang Xinyue submitted her application materials and received an interview invitation. The interview is scheduled for next Wednesday.

Zhao Lei did not accompany him on the day of the interview.

Jiang Xinyue borrowed a bicycle and rode it to town alone.

There were already seven or eight people sitting outside the interview room. Jiang Xinyue found a corner to sit down and reviewed her materials again.

When Jiang Xinyue's number was called, it was called twice inside the room before Jiang Xinyue got up and pushed the door open to go in.

Inside the room sat three interviewers. In the middle, Section Chief Zheng from the Finance Department, who was over fifty years old, wore reading glasses and flipped through documents. On either side sat an officer, with paper and pen on the table.

Section Chief Zheng looked up: "Jiang Xinyue?"

"it's me."

"Tell me about the jobs you've done in the past."

Jiang Xinyue sat down and placed the notebook containing the account book template on the table: "I used to keep track of work points in the production team of Heping Brigade, and later I helped manage the accounts for my family. I can use an abacus, read financial ledgers, and also know a little about inventory accounting."

Section Chief Zheng flipped through the application form: "Household registration is handled by the Heping Brigade, but your accent doesn't sound like a local."

Jiang Xinyue paused briefly: "I used to live elsewhere, and later I settled in Heping Brigade."

Section Chief Zheng didn't delve deeper, but handed over a piece of paper: "You have fifteen minutes to sort out the accounts above."

The paper was filled with inventory figures, but there were several calculation errors.

Jiang Xinyue took the paper and began to calculate.

Jiang Xinyue is good at mental arithmetic. She only writes down the results with a pen, checks them line by line, and returns the paper in less than ten minutes.

Section Chief Zheng took the paper, checked the numbers with the staff member next to him, and put it into a folder.

The subsequent rounds of questions all revolved around financial practices.

Jiang Xinyue responded calmly, and when she encountered something she didn't understand, she frankly admitted that she was still learning and did not make up excuses.

After the interview, I walked out of the room, and there were still candidates waiting outside.

A young woman sat in the front row, wearing a slightly worn floral blouse, holding a cloth bag and repeatedly looking through the materials, muttering to herself.

When Jiang Xinyue came out, the girl glanced at her, then looked down at her own things.

The interview list was posted three days later.

Only one person was recruited, and three lists were published, with Jiang Xinyue listed first.

That afternoon, Deputy Factory Director Li asked someone to pass on a message to Zhao Lei.

Congratulations to Jiang Xinyue on being accepted! Report to the factory next Monday for a three-month probationary period.

When the news arrived, Zhao Lei was chopping firewood in the courtyard.

Zhao Lei put down the axe, went into the house, and told Jiang Xinyue the result.

Jiang Xinyue was tending the fire in the kitchen when she heard this and responded, continuing to add firewood to the stove.

The girl in the floral jacket is named Sun Xiaolian, and she is Liu Fang's niece.

Liu Fang is Chen Pangzi's wife. She worked as a cashier in the finance department of Jinxiu Textile Factory for four years.

Sun Xiaolian knew her chances were slim after the interview. When the list was posted, she went to check it and found herself ranked second.

Sun Xiaolian returned home and found Liu Fang, her eyes red-rimmed: "Auntie, I prepared for more than a month, but the spot was taken by someone from outside."

After hearing the description and asking for the name, Liu Fang's face immediately darkened.

Liu Fang had worked in the finance department for four years and had heard that Jiang Xinyue was a candidate in this recruitment.

"What's the background of this Jiang Xinyue?" Liu Fang asked her niece.

Sun Xiaolian shook her head: "All I know is that she's from the Heping Brigade and manages the accounts at home. She answered the interview questions quite fluently, and Section Chief Zheng couldn't find many faults with her."

Liu Fang gave a cold laugh.

The next day during lunch break, Liu Fang went to the personnel department.

Liu Fang had a good relationship with a junior staff member in the personnel department, so she slipped him a piece of candy and asked him to take a look at the new employee application form.

Unable to refuse, the staff member secretly showed the application form to Liu Fang.

Jiang Xinyue's official file has not yet been entered; the registration form is spread out on the table, registering household registration and basic information.

Liu Fang copied all the key information, as well as the rumors she had heard in the village about divorced people still living together, onto a piece of paper before saying goodbye and leaving.

Liu Fang went back and pondered it repeatedly, but she still felt there were some doubts.

That evening, Liu Fang called Sun Xiaolian over, and the two of them compared the information on the registration form they had written down to sort out the clues.

Sun Xiaolian suddenly spoke up: "Aunt, her resume was blank three or four years ago, and her place of origin was also vaguely written. It seems that she is not a native of this area."

Liu Fang squinted and thought, "Take a day off tomorrow and come with me to the Heping Brigade."

The next morning, the aunt and niece rode a bicycle to the Heping Brigade.

Liu Fang didn't know many people in the village, so the best way to find information was to ask the matchmaker Qin Sufeng, who knew everything that happened in the surrounding area.

Qin Sufeng's house is located in the west of the village. The courtyard wall is low, and a clump of gardenias is planted at the entrance of the courtyard.

When Liu Fang arrived, Qin Sufeng was sitting in the courtyard picking vegetables. She first looked at the two strangers and asked, "Who are you looking for?"

Liu Fang smiled and offered her a cigarette: "Auntie, I've come to ask you about someone."

Qin Sufeng tucked a cigarette behind her ear: "Who are you asking about?"

"Are you familiar with Jiangxin Yue from your village?"

Upon hearing the name, Qin Sufeng stopped preparing the vegetables: "Jiang Xinyue? Zhao Lei's second wife. What do you want with her?"

Liu Fang sat down and lowered her voice: "I'm a distant relative of hers. If you need to find her but can't reach her, ask her about her background. How many years has she been in the village?"

Qin Sufeng brushed the vegetable scraps off her hands: "Jiang Xinyue has been in the village for at least three or four years. Back then, she was sent down to the countryside for labor reform and was assigned to our production team. After that, she lived with Zhao Lei and settled down in the village."

Liu Fang's heart skipped a beat: "Sent down to the countryside? What did he do wrong?"