Chapter 12: Work

Chapter 12: Work

After paying, Lin Zhijin took her time organizing her things by herself. Most of them didn't need to be unpacked—jewelry, fine fabrics, stuff she wouldn't be using anytime soon.

When she opened the wardrobe, Lin Zhijin startled even herself. Without realizing it, she'd made this many clothes?

She did a rough count—over a dozen summer dresses alone, and every single one was gorgeous.

Lin Zhijin pulled one out, held it up to herself, then hung it back up. She needed to get the bed set up first, or she'd have nowhere to sleep tonight.

"Done." Lin Zhijin dusted off her hands, satisfied, and headed to the kitchen to boil some water.

Since she knew she'd be moving here eventually, Lin Zhijin had already had the place cleaned top to bottom, kitchen included. She'd also stocked up on all the essentials: pots, pans, bowls, chopsticks, a stove, and coal briquettes.

After bustling around for a while, Lin Zhijin clutched her growling stomach. The kitchen had everything—rice and flour—but no oil or veggies. Besides, she was too tired to cook, so she decided to just grab something out.

Business was still booming in the 1950s, with restaurants and eateries everywhere. Lin Zhijin found a noodle shop nearby and ordered a bowl of pickled cabbage and shredded pork noodles. It tasted great—mainly because the noodles themselves were superb. Real hand-pulled noodles were always chewier than machine-made ones.

"Oh, I haven't seen you around before, have I?" the proprietress said, clicking away at her abacus while chatting with Lin Zhijin.

"I just moved here, live nearby. Ma'am, your noodles are delicious—I'll definitely be a regular." Lin Zhijin smiled.

"That's right, my shop's a long-standing noodle house. Everyone around here loves it. First time here, right? Have you tried my soy-sauce cucumber? Here, I'll give you a small plate on the house—try it." Without waiting for Lin Zhijin's reply, the proprietress called out for the waiter to bring over the soy-sauce cucumber.

Since it was already brought out, Lin Zhijin didn't hold back. She smiled, thanked her, and took a bite of the soy-sauce cucumber. It really was good.

"Ma'am, this soy-sauce cucumber is really good. How much do you sell it for?" Lin Zhijin wanted to buy some to keep at home.

"Sorry, it's not for sale." The proprietress had sharp eyes from years in the business. Though this young woman was simply dressed, her clothes were fine silk. Not wanting to offend her, she quickly explained with a smile, "Cucumbers aren't in season yet, and I only have a little left. Once they're back in season, you can have as much as you want."

"Ma'am, you really know how to do business. Looks like I'll have to come often just for this soy-sauce cucumber." Lin Zhijin smiled, not thinking much of it.

Before, having Xiaohong around made things feel less lonely. But now that she was alone, Lin Zhijin found the house way too empty—especially after dark. With the old-fashioned house and bed, she couldn't help feeling spooked, a chill running down her spine.

Luckily, she'd had electricity wired in and lights installed. Keeping the lights on helped a bit, but she still couldn't sleep. She let down the bed curtains, then imagined a hand suddenly reaching in, scaring herself so bad she yanked them back open.

She tossed and turned for a long time until dawn started breaking and she heard the rooster crow. Only then did Lin Zhijin finally fall asleep.

When the alarm went off, Lin Zhijin was still dreaming. She sat up with difficulty, her head groggy and heavy. This wouldn't do—she needed to get a dog, or maybe a cat would work too. Anything alive in the house, or she'd really end up a nervous wreck.

She had to go see Director Zhang at the Women's Federation, so she couldn't dress too fancy. She chose a white shirt, black pants, black cloth shoes, and a teal knit cardigan over the top. Her hair was in a simple low ponytail, her face bare of any makeup—fresh, clean, and neat.

Before heading out, Lin Zhijin checked the time: 7:40. Taking a rickshaw from Maple Leaf Lane to the temporary Military Control Office would take about fifteen minutes, so she'd get there around eight. She thought she'd be early, but when she got there, quite a few women were already waiting.

Everyone who came here was either an orphan or had parents who couldn't support them. Lin Zhijin glanced around—some were servants, some were concubines of wealthy households, and more were women from brothels.

Though they said everyone was equal, the groups kept to themselves. Concubines clustered with concubines, servants with servants, and the brothel women... were busy cozying up to the staff.

"Which household were you a concubine for?" A woman with a sweet, delicate face sidled up to Lin Zhijin.

Hearing the voice, Lin Zhijin turned her head. The woman wore a pomegranate-red qipao with a white shawl draped over her shoulders. She had few accessories, but every piece was exquisite—clearly a well-favored concubine.

"How did you guess I was a concubine?" Lin Zhijin asked, confused.

The charming woman rolled her eyes. "With looks like yours, what man wouldn't have his eye on you? Your clothes are simple, but the fabric isn't something a servant could afford. Mainly, you've got good bearing. So who's your man? With you this pretty, how could he bear to let you go?"

"Lin Zhijin. What's your name?" Lin Zhijin didn't really want to bring up the Chen family.

"Oh! You're a Lin too? I'm also a Lin—Lin Shishu. Lin Zhijin? What a pretty name! Did your master give it to you? Mine was given by ours. There's also Shiqin, Shiqi, Shihua, Shimeng—aren't they pretty?" Lin Shishu's eyes lit up as if she'd found her long-lost sister.

Lin Zhijin tried to pull her hand away but couldn't. She shook her head. "No, I picked it myself."

"You can read? My master tried to teach me reading and writing too, but I was too dumb to learn." Lin Shishu pouted, then her eyes reddened, glistening with tears. "And my belly's useless—I was with my master for seven or eight years and never once got pregnant. Not like the other sisters who had kids and didn't have to leave him."

Seeing her genuinely upset, Lin Zhijin asked curiously, "Isn't it supposed to be voluntary? If you don't want to leave your master, you don't have to."

"Really? But the madam said all the ones without kids have to leave." Lin Shishu seemed to think of something and stomped her foot in a sudden fury. "I knew that old woman was up to no good—trying to kick me out while the master's away. Hmph, I won't let her have her way. Sister, thanks for telling me. I'm out of here."

Watching Lin Shishu storm off in a huff, Lin Zhijin blinked and turned to go find Director Zhang.

"Comrade Lin, have a seat." Director Zhang heard the knock, looked up, and saw Lin Zhijin. He rose happily to welcome her in and poured her a cup of tea. "Why so early?"

"Not that early—I saw it was already packed outside." Lin Zhijin held the tea and smiled.

"Oh, they were told to gather at eight. I purposely had you come an hour later." Director Zhang was quite pleased that Lin Zhijin had arrived early. Chuckling, he handed her a document from his desk. "Since you're here, let's get this taken care of ahead of time."

"What's this?" Lin Zhijin reminded herself that she was supposed to be illiterate.

"This is a donation contract. Since you can't read, I'll read it to you." Director Zhang didn't have her sign immediately. Instead, he read the contents of the contract to her word by word.

The gist was that Lin Pandi was willing to donate her one hundred mu of land and Gold Stone Mountain to the state unconditionally, mainly to support the troops fighting up north.

"There's also a three-courtyard house—I'll donate that to the state too." Lin Zhijin felt it was too hot to keep; better to give it away.

"Are you sure you want to donate it? I'd suggest keeping it for yourself. When you marry and have kids later, you'll never have too many houses." Director Zhang spoke earnestly.

"No need. I have a place to live now." Lin Zhijin insisted on donating the house too.

Director Zhang patted Lin Zhijin on the shoulder, drafted a new contract, and had her press her fingerprint. Her property was now donated to the state.

"Xiao Lin, do you have any plans for the future?" Director Zhang was very kind to patriotic people like Lin Zhijin.

"I was just about to ask you—can the state arrange a job for me? I'd prefer something with a lighter workload. Salary can be low, that's fine. I never went to school, so I'd like to work and study at the same time." Lin Zhijin looked at Director Zhang hopefully.

Nancheng had just been liberated—everything was waiting to be rebuilt. If she could get a cushy job like warehouse keeper, that would be perfect.

"The fact that you're thinking about studying is excellent. People must keep learning to improve. Coincidentally, our Women's Federation needs people. Xiao Lin, would you like to stay and help out here?" Director Zhang looked at her with a smile.

Lin Zhijin's eyes went wide. She hadn't expected Director Zhang to ask her to stay.

At this time, the cadres at the Women's Federation were either battle-hardened veterans or officials' wives. If she stayed, she'd have a natural shield—the Chen family would have to think twice before causing her trouble. Plus, Director Zhang liked her. As long as she didn't do anything stupid, her days ahead wouldn't be hard.

"Really? Thank you, Director Zhang. I'll study hard and won't hold the organization back." Lin Zhijin sat up straight and said cheerfully.

"Good. Are you free today? If so, come work with me—it's a good chance to learn and get ready to work on your own." Director Zhang smiled and led Lin Zhijin out.

The staff outside were already busy, mainly checking identities and determining whether people had somewhere to go. Those without anywhere to go were temporarily housed by the Women's Federation, then arrangements were made based on individual circumstances—jobs for those who needed them, marriage for those who wanted it. Either way, no one was allowed to go back to their old trades.

Former servants were the easiest to place—they were obedient, quick with their hands, and not afraid of hard work.

Former concubines were manageable too—they were pretty and had savings, so finding them husbands wasn't too hard.

For these two groups, the Women's Federation planned to organize a matchmaking event. There were plenty of single men in the military, and if matches were made, it would solve their personal problems while also helping national development.

If no match was found, that was fine too. The state was taking over several major factories and needed large numbers of workers—these women could be put to work in factories.

The hardest case was the brothel women. Many of them didn't want to work hard, and as for marriage, they couldn't find decent men.

"Why are you so stubborn? I've told you many times—prostitution is illegal. The brothels have been disbanded, so you can't go back." A woman cadre's tone grew harsher.

"Li Yue, what's going on?" Director Zhang walked over with Lin Zhijin.

"Director, this woman, Sun Fengxian, insists on going back to the brothel," Li Yue said helplessly.

Director Zhang looked at Sun Fengxian, who seemed flustered and lost, and knew she had grown up in the brothel, considering it her home. Now that the brothel had suddenly disappeared, it was as if she'd lost her home, which was why she kept longing to return.

"Comrade Sun, I'm the Director of the Women's Federation. Whatever difficulties you have, just tell me, and I'll do my best to help you," Director Zhang sat down beside her, holding her hand and speaking gently.

Sun Fengxian hadn't expected Director Zhang to hold her hand, and she suddenly felt a lump in her throat. The past two days had felt like a dream—first the People's Liberation Army entered the city, then they talked about equality for all and liberating women like her.

Of course, it would be good not to be a woman of the brothel anymore, but she had grown up there. With the brothel gone, she felt like a child without a home, truly not knowing where to go or what to do.

Moreover, after leaving the brothel, many people avoided them like they were the plague, as if they were contaminated. Yet here was Director Zhang, such an important official, holding her hand and gently asking what she thought.

"I... I just have nowhere to go and don't know what I can do," Sun Fengxian felt the warmth of Director Zhang's palm. "Could I go back to my place and think it over first?"

"Of course. Where are you staying now? A hotel? Oh, that's too expensive. A girl should hold onto some money. Here, I'll arrange a dormitory for you. You can stay there first, and come back to me once you've made up your mind," Director Zhang assigned her a single room, and kept her separate from the former servants and concubines to avoid unnecessary conflicts.

Lin Zhijin watched Director Zhang handle several cases and got a rough idea of the process.

"Xiao Lin, how's the learning going? The next one's yours to arrange," Director Zhang stood up and gave up her seat.

Lin Zhijin's eyes widened. Seriously? She was already being thrown into the work?

Author's note:

None