Chapter 83: Fair and Square – The Daily Gossip Life of a Sickly Young Woman in the Compound

Chapter 83: Fair and Square - The Daily Gossip Life of a Sickly Young Woman in the Compound

Lin Qing wasn't very familiar with the four of them, but as she had told Cen Xi, having someone tag along was better than going solo, so she didn't refuse.

Lin Qing smiled and greeted them!

"Hello! My name is Lin Qing."

The other four were surprised by Lin Qing's friendly attitude.

They had expected her to be the aloof type, but that icy aura vanished the moment she smiled!

First, Mother Li's two daughters-in-law introduced themselves.

"My name is Yu Xiaowan, I'm Li Lao Da's wife."

"My name is Feng Xiaoli, I'm Li Lao Er's wife."

After they introduced themselves, Mother Sui's daughters-in-law took their turn.

"My name is Wang Ping, I'm Sui Lao Er's wife, and this is my sister-in-law, Wu Daya."

When introduced, Sui Lao Da's wife just smiled shyly, and when Lin Qing looked over, she had already lowered her head.

Well, it was clear now—she was a very shy and reserved woman!

"Don't mind her; my sister-in-law is pretty shy."

"No worries, let's go!" Lin Qing said with a smile.

After introductions, they didn't waste any time and headed straight for the factory!

Yu Xiaowan and the others weren't the competitive type. Mother Li and Mother Sui had done a good job picking their daughters-in-law. At least, as Lin Qing walked with them to the factory, nothing unpleasant happened!

After signing in at the entrance, the five of them walked into the factory!

Wang Ping was pretty outgoing and straightforward. As they walked, she asked, "Which job are you aiming for?"

Yu Xiaowan complained, "We wanted to go for the cadre job, but our education isn't up to par, so we're stuck with the workshop!"

Their father-in-law was a seventh-level fitter at the factory and also Jiang Yang's master. According to the notice, they were eligible to run for the cadre position, but since they didn't have a high school diploma, they could only take the workshop exam!

But there were some perks to taking the workshop exam. Their father-in-law and husbands would show them the ropes.

Even though they hadn't practiced, they knew a bit more than the rest, so their chances of passing the workshop exam were higher!

The workshop test required them to make a specific item by hand, and then they'd be chosen based on how well the finished product turned out.

Wang Ping said with some surprise, "We sisters-in-law are also aiming for the workshop exam."

Yu Xiaowan nodded, "I know, Mother Sui even asked my father-in-law to teach you, right?"

"Yes, he taught us some simple operations!" Wang Ping nodded, "I feel like I've got the hang of it, but without practice, I'm not sure how it'll turn out." Honestly, she wasn't very confident.

Yu Xiaowan and Feng Xiaoli weren't too upset about their in-laws agreeing to teach others. After all, there were more than just the two of them competing. All the kids in the factory who didn't want to go to the countryside wanted a piece of the pie. The workshop exam didn't have high requirements, so they thought passing or not was one thing, but their in-laws had taken the opportunity to exchange some meat with the Sui family!

Just teaching a few simple operations in exchange for such a large piece of meat was quite a good deal!

Lin Qing was very quiet the whole way, smiling as she listened to them talk. Suddenly, she noticed they were all looking at her, "What's wrong?"

"So, Lin Qing, what position did you pick?" Wang Ping asked.

"I went for the finance department!" Lin Qing had nothing to hide; they’d find out when the exam started anyway.

"Wait, a *cadre* position in finance?" The four of them were shocked.

Once the shock wore off, they realized it actually made sense.

Lin Qing, the famously delicate beauty in their courtyard, had decided to apply for a job. Naturally, she wouldn’t compete for the physically demanding temporary positions in the workshop. She’d go for a cushy, low-stress cadre job!

But they hadn’t expected her to choose the finance department. That position really puts your skills to the test!

Lately, besides brushing up on some practical skills, they’d also asked around about the requirements and assessment criteria for various cadre positions.

They found out the toughest spots to land were in finance and propaganda. Finance needed you to be good with numbers, while propaganda demanded personal talents. In short, these weren’t your average jobs.

"Lin Qing, can you do accounting?" Yu Xiaowan asked.

"I know a bit," Lin Qing said humbly.

"That’s still pretty awesome!" Feng Xiaoli exclaimed.

They, though, had always struggled with math, even back in school. They might *think* about aiming for propaganda, but they wouldn’t dare to go for finance!

"That’s great!" If she could pass the exam, she’d become a cadre!

Who wouldn’t want a desk job like that?

Unfortunately, they didn’t meet the qualifications.

"Hey, I heard some folks in your front yard are gunning for cadre jobs too, right?" Wang Ping mentioned, recalling what she’d heard.

"Really? I have no idea!" Lin Qing frowned a little, thought for a moment, and then shook her head.

Lin Qing really didn’t know. She’d been holed up at home, cramming for days, and hadn’t paid much attention to what others in the courtyard were up to.

Seeing how clueless Lin Qing looked, Wang Ping and the others believed her.

"No worries if you don’t know. You’ll find out once the results are out," Wang Ping said.

Wang Ping added, "I bet it’s tough for you all going for those cadre spots. I heard a bunch of big shots’ kids are in the mix too!" At this point, her voice dropped to a whisper. "Who knows, maybe those bigwigs will pull some strings for their kids!"

Lin Qing’s eyes widened. "Really?"

Wang Ping: "It’s hard to say!" Who knows if those leaders might manipulate things behind the scenes?

At this point, the usually quiet Feng Xiaoli spoke up, "Relax, you’ll be fine! If you ace the test, Cen Gong’s got your back!"

Lin Qing was puzzled. Why did she say that too?

Seeing her confusion, Feng Xiaoli explained, "Didn’t you hear? The test was made by engineers and bosses with no skin in the game. It’s all to keep things fair and square. The papers are also graded by them."

"So that’s how it is!" No wonder Brother Nan said if she aced it, no one could mess with her score.

Feng Xiaoli added in a low voice, "Actually, it’s because many children of leaders are participating, but there are only so many cadre positions. Not every leader’s kid can get a spot, so they decided to have the fairest and most impartial assessment possible. They made sure the exam questions wouldn’t leak, and it all depends on individual performance. Whoever scores the highest gets the job." Finally, she added mysteriously, "I heard they only locked in the test questions last night! And the people who prepared the papers didn’t go home; they all stayed in the factory!"

Wow! So strict?

Everyone was stunned. They never thought the hiring process would be so tight!