Chapter 13: Going to the Countryside

Chapter 13 Going Down to the Countryside

This kind of identity verification, understanding a person's strengths and weaknesses, and assessing their survival ability—isn't this just the HR interview process?

Lin Zhijin was familiar with this. In her previous life, she had worked her way up to HR manager, so she had it down pat.

Staying in character, Lin Zhijin first shyly demurred, but finally, encouraged by Director Zhang, she sat down in the seat she had just been sitting in.

"First, briefly introduce yourself." Lin Zhijin deliberately took a deep breath, sat up straight, and looked at the woman across from her with slight nervousness.

Wu Cuihua was even more nervous than Lin Zhijin was. Her hands were tightly clutching the hem of her clothes, and she kept blinking. When she heard Lin Zhijin's question, she didn't answer immediately but looked around first. If anyone made eye contact with her, she would immediately shrink back.

Seeing this, Lin Zhijin looked at her file. Wu Cuihua, 16 years old, from Silicun, Shiba Township, Yongjiang County. She was sold by her biological father to a flesh peddler at age five, then resold to the brothel's madam. She started servicing clients at age ten and continued until the People's Liberation Army entered the city.

Lin Zhijin felt a chill shoot up from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, and every hair on her body stood on end. She pressed her lips together, not daring to look at Wu Cuihua across from her.

Ten years old—the age of a third or fourth grader—servicing clients? Those goddamn bastards deserved to die!

Lin Zhijin pressed her lips together, swallowing the lump of bitterness in her throat, and said as calmly as she could, "Maybe we could find a more private spot?"

After a moment, Wu Cuihua asked timidly, "Is that okay?"

Lin Zhijin turned to ask Director Zhang, "Director, is there an empty office here?"

Director Zhang's eyes shone with approval. People shouldn't think women's federation work was easy—the more vulnerable the group they faced, the more kindness and patience the staff needed. Xiao Lin had done this very well, noticing the other person's discomfort and promptly changing her approach. She hadn't been wrong about her after all.

"Yes, I'll take you there." Director Zhang led them to a private room with just a desk and a few chairs.

"Can you give a brief self-introduction now? It doesn't need to be detailed; we mainly want to confirm your identity." The truth was, there were too many spies these days, so they needed to repeatedly verify identities to keep the enemy from slipping in their own people. Otherwise, Lin Zhijin really didn't want Wu Cuihua to pick at her own scars.

"My name is Wu Cuihua, I'm 16 years old, from Silicun, Shiba Township, Yongjiang County. When I left home, there were eight people in my family—grandfather, grandmother, parents, an older sister, and two younger brothers. I don't know how many are in my family now. After I went to the Spring Breeze Pavilion, I never went back. Normally the madam didn't let us go out, but quite a few people should know me. Leader, am I really free now? I really don't have to take clients anymore?" Wu Cuihua wrung her hands, asking uncertainly.

"Of course. Do you have any useful skills? Like embroidery or cooking?" Lin Zhijin asked gently.

"I only know simple embroidery... I don't know anything else." Wu Cuihua shook her head, her face as white as a sheet.

Brothels and high-end pleasure houses were different. The men who came to these low-end brothels were men without much money, so the girls only had to learn how to please people. The madam would never shell out money to hire teachers for them, nor would she allow them to waste time learning things.

Lin Zhijin asked a few more simple questions, but then she was at a loss for what to do next. After all, this wasn't a real interview. She called out to the director and waited for her to take the lead.

"Mm, that'll do." Director Zhang nodded, acknowledging Lin Zhijin's work. She looked at Wu Cuihua. "This is your ID. Take your ID and this slip and wait outside. Someone will take you for a physical shortly."

"Physical? I just saw a doctor a while back. I'm not sick." Wu Cuihua said quickly.

"Nobody's saying you're sick. It's just a standard physical, and it's free." Director Zhang handed the form to Wu Cuihua. "Don't be scared. You're not the only one—everyone needs a physical."

Wu Cuihua glanced at Lin Zhijin, then clutched the form and walked out.

"So, what do you think? Do you believe everything Wu Cuihua said?" Director Zhang suddenly asked Lin Zhijin.

"It should be true. But the enemy is sly and cunning, so we should be more careful and can observe her a bit longer." Lin Zhijin didn't dare compare her own experience to that of revolutionary workers like Director Zhang, so she didn't want to speak too definitively.

Director Zhang nodded with a smile. "It's good to be cautious. Some enemy agents will go to any lengths to hide who they really are."

Lin Zhijin followed Director Zhang to the main hall and found that the maidservants and concubines had already left. Only the brothel women remained.

"Director, what arrangements will they have in the future?" Lin Zhijin saw most of the brothel girls rolling their eyes while standing in line, looking like they'd rather be anywhere else.

"Among them, some were forced into it, some were driven to it, and some chose it willingly. Walking that path, many lost the ability to earn an honest living. So they need labor reform and ideological education to learn to be self-reliant again." Director Zhang said with heartfelt sincerity as she looked at them.

The brothel girls were taken by Li Yue for their physicals. A few who refused were forcibly taken anyway. Seeing Lin Zhijin's look of distress, Director Zhang patiently taught her, "Work with women requires gentleness and patience, but you have to be tough when the situation calls for it. Otherwise, you can't get the work done. Some people are set in their ways and hard to reason with."

Lin Zhijin carefully noted this. This era was different from later generations. She couldn't use the social skills from her past life here, nor could she rest on her laurels just because she'd been an HR manager. She still needed to learn well from Director Zhang.

"Come on, let me get you set up as a new employee." Seeing her eagerness to learn, Director Zhang was in a very good mood. She took her back to the office to fill out paperwork. After Director Liu approved it, she could officially start tomorrow.

"Director, I want to change my name." Lin Zhijin took the opportunity to change it—there was no way she was keeping the name Lin Pandi. "I picked a name for myself: Lin Zhijin. Zhi from knowledge, Jin from the hibiscus flower. Nothing deep behind it—I just admire knowledgeable people and love hibiscus flowers, so I named myself Lin Zhijin."

Director Zhang glanced at the hibiscus flowers embroidered on the coat Lin Zhijin was wearing. She really did love them, even wanting to include the character jin in her name.

"The meaning is pretty on the nose, but when it comes to a name, what matters most is that you like it yourself. Lin Pandi's meaning isn't good indeed. We women are just as good as men, always have been. Lin Zhijin? It sounds lovely. Well then, welcome to the Women's Federation, Comrade Lin Zhijin." Director Zhang stood up, extended her hand, and said solemnly.

"Thank you to the country and to you, Director, for this opportunity. I will not let down your expectations. I will study hard, work diligently, and help more women like me liberate their thinking and become new women of New China." Lin Zhijin took Director Zhang's hand and said with fierce determination.

Nancheng had just been freed, so the Women's Federation's work hadn't really gotten off the ground yet. The reason they were moving so fast was entirely because of Lin Zhijin. Apart from the forcibly liberated women—maidservants, concubines, and brothel girls—no one else had come seeking help.

But Lin Zhijin wasn't idle either. She was studying the literacy booklet Director Zhang had given her. Director Zhang had said she needed to learn at least ten characters a day—recognizing them and writing them—and there would be a test later. If she failed, there would be consequences.

As for what consequences, Director Zhang didn't say, and Lin Zhijin didn't dare ask.

Actually, although she had been a college student in her previous life, she couldn't read more than a handful of characters.

Of course, she had a foundation, so she could learn faster than others. For example, she could recognize the traditional characters for one through ten. But she couldn't appear too impressive, so she pretended to be studying diligently.

"Xiao Lin, studying? Come on, the director asked me to take you to the cafeteria for lunch." Li Yue walked over with a lunchbox, smiling.

"Sister Li Yue." Lin Zhijin closed her book and looked at her awkwardly. "I didn't bring a lunchbox."

She hadn't expected Director Zhang to keep her at the Women's Federation, nor had she expected to start working today, so naturally she hadn't brought a lunchbox.

Actually, she didn't even own one. It looked like she'd need to buy one after work.

"No worries. The cafeteria has bowls and chopsticks you can borrow. Just remember to bring your own next time." Li Yue took Lin Zhijin to the cafeteria, spoke to the head of the cooking squad, and borrowed a set of utensils for her.

Lin Zhijin looked around. The cafeteria was very clean and tidy. The food was simple but smelled delicious.

Each person got two coarse flour buns, a scoop of pickled cabbage with sweet potato noodles, and a scoop of braised potatoes. Lin Zhijin took a bite of the bun—it was a bit rough going down. She swallowed it without changing her expression. Being able to eat your fill at a time like this was already good enough. How could she complain? Besides, everyone ate the same.

Midway through the meal, Director Liu and Director Zhang walked in, chatting as they came, each carrying a lunchbox.

"Is that Lin Pandi? Looks like you really like her." Division Chief Yang glanced at Lin Zhijin eating and said with a smile.

"She's not called Lin Pandi anymore. Her name is Lin Zhijin now. Don't get it wrong later." Director Zhang carried her lunchbox and walked toward Lin Zhijin. "Xiao Lin, how is it? Is the food to your liking?"

Lin Zhijin quickly nodded. "It's good. The chef here is skilled—it's fragrant and delicious."

Director Zhang looked at her with a smile. They all knew what life in the Chen family had been like. The fact that Lin Zhijin could keep her integrity after living a life of wealth was truly commendable. That was one of the things Director Zhang valued about her—her firm will and the virtue of a Party member.

Lin Zhijin had no idea Director Zhang thought so highly of her. She simply had never truly suffered hardship. In her previous life, even at her most frugal, the worst she experienced was eating at the company cafeteria and living in company housing. As HR, she'd gotten a small advantage—a single room with air conditioning and a bathroom. Honestly, even those dorm conditions were better than the Chen family home.

Besides, her current house had been renovated with a toilet, electric lights, and underfloor heating. For food, she made do at the cafeteria during the day and cooked something nice at home in the evening. As for clothes, she'd had a whole wardrobe made at the Chen family's expense, plus a decent savings. Naturally, she felt at peace and had nothing to complain about.

"Eat up. If it's not enough, go get more." Division Chief Yang thought of the news from Jinshi Mountain and looked at Lin Zhijin with extraordinary kindness.

Lin Zhijin had actually been right—there really might be a gold mine on Jinshi Mountain. They had already called Beijing, and experts were on their way. No matter how much gold they could extract, Lin Zhijin had rendered great service.

"Enough, enough. I can't eat that much." Lin Zhijin couldn't even finish the other coarse flour bun and ended up giving it to Division Chief Yang.

"Xiao Lin, that won't do. You're all skin and bones—how will you have children in the future?" On the way back, Li Yue couldn't help saying.

Lin Zhijin lowered her head to glance at her own body. In her two months at the Chen estate, she'd been drinking traditional Chinese medicine the whole time, plus nourishing foods like bird's nest and cordyceps. Her body had been fully restored, and she'd put on over ten pounds. She was neither too skinny nor too plump—just right, and she was quite satisfied with it.

"I'm not really that thin." Besides, she was only seventeen this year—why would she be having kids?

"You call that not thin? Honestly, a strong gust of wind could blow you away." Li Yue looked Lin Zhijin up and down. "You're really pretty. So where are you staying now? Is it safe?"

"I'm staying in the east part of town. It's pretty safe." Lin Zhijin didn't say much—they'd just met, and who knew what kind of person this woman was.

In the afternoon when work resumed, the Women's Federation folks trickled back in, and Li Yue introduced Lin Zhijin to each of them.

"This is Sister Qian. Sister Qian, this is our new colleague, Lin Zhijin." A moment later, Li Yue leaned in and whispered, "Sister Qian is Deputy Director Li's wife."

"This is Sister Wang. Sister Wang, this is our new colleague, Lin Zhijin." After Sister Wang stepped out, Li Yue quietly told her, "Sister Wang's husband commands the Twenty-Seventh Division."

"This is Sister Li. Sister Li, this is our new colleague, Lin Zhijin." Then, when no one was looking, she added, "Sister Li is remarkable—she's seen combat, killed Japs, and got sidelined to a desk job after getting wounded."

Wow—five people in the office including her, and everyone else had serious credentials.

"So you're Xiao Lin? Director Zhang mentioned you—you're the one who married into the Chen family to ward off bad luck, right? What kind of era are we in, still pulling that feudal superstition crap? Poor thing, so young and forced to marry some old geezer on his deathbed. So did you two actually do it?" Sister Wang came over with her tea mug, asking curiously.

Lin Zhijin's face dropped. Did this woman have no filter? Saying something like that to someone she just met.

"Wang Chunhua, if you can't talk right, shut your trap." Sister Li shot Wang Chunhua a dirty look, then turned to Lin Zhijin and said, dead serious, "What's done is done. What matters is looking ahead. You're still young—don't waste your prime."

"Thank you, Sister Li." Lin Zhijin flat-out ignored Sister Wang, thanked Sister Li, and went back to writing.

Wang Chunhua pursed her lips. She was just asking, no big deal—what was wrong with that? That Li woman was way too nosy.

She opened her mouth, then muttered after a moment, "I changed my name. It's Wang Chunhua now—the hua from China."

Too bad nobody in the office gave a damn.

Lin Zhijin looked around and got it right away—Wang Chunhua probably ran her mouth all the time and had already ticked off everyone in the office, so nobody batted an eye and just ignored her.

"Wang Chunhua, come to my office for a moment." Director Zhang walked by Wang Chunhua's desk with a stack of papers and tapped her desk, his voice low.

"Oh, Director, I go by Wang Chunhua now—the hua from China." Wang Chunhua explained as she followed Director Zhang into the office.

"Xiao Lin, don't take it to heart. Sister Wang isn't a bad person at heart—she just doesn't know how to talk. She wasn't deliberately targeting you; she talks to everyone like that." Once the office door shut, Li Yue dragged her chair over to Lin Zhijin and whispered.

"Mm, it's fine. It's not like it's some big secret. I really did go to the Chen family to ward off bad luck for Master Chen. He was already on his last legs—could barely even sip water—so we never even touched." Lin Zhijin took the opportunity to explain.

Li Yue glanced around. "Wasn't there a chambermaid who got knocked up with his posthumous kid?"

Lin Zhijin did the same, glancing around, then dropped her voice. "You wanna know why Master Chen kicked the bucket so suddenly? One of the chambermaids slipped him some love potion, and he was a goner by the next day."

"Whoa, a love potion? That strong? Was it the pregnant one?" Li Yue pressed on with great interest.

"No, it was another one—a woman Master Chen had apparently snatched up by force. She'd been holding a grudge the whole time. When she saw him getting better, she couldn't stand it and just drugged him." Lin Zhijin grabbed Li Yue's arm. "Seriously, don't tell anyone about this."

"Don't worry, my lips are sealed. Not a word to anyone." Li Yue vowed solemnly.

Lin Zhijin acted like she didn't believe her—the more someone swore they could keep a secret, the bigger their mouth usually was. But her real goal was to get the story out there anyway, so people wouldn't start making up their own rumors.

After writing all afternoon, Lin Zhijin packed up and left with everyone else.

"Um, Xiao Lin, I'm sorry about this afternoon. I didn't mean to ask that. I've just got a quick mouth—I speak before I think." Wang Chunhua had just gotten chewed out by Director Zhang, and now she shuffled over with her head down to apologize.

"Fine, water under the bridge." Lin Zhijin couldn't be bothered to make a fuss.

It was still light out, and since going home meant being by herself anyway, Lin Zhijin decided to walk back slowly, taking in the current Nan City.

Various shops, street vendors, rickshaws racing by, the occasional bicycle passing—though the war had ended not long ago, Nan City had a vibrant, thriving energy.

Along the way, she passed a restaurant that looked decent and walked straight in. She ordered one dish, one soup, and a bowl of white rice for herself—enough to eat her fill.

By the time she got home, dusk was falling. Public security wasn't what it would be in later years, so Lin Zhijin didn't dare linger outside. She boiled water, took a bath, and, taking advantage of the voices still outside, quickly turned off the lights and went to bed. But when she got up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, she couldn't bring herself to go back to sleep.

She had always been timid, and after experiencing the crossing, she was certain that souls really existed. That made her even more afraid of such things. Her mind couldn't help replaying horror movies she'd watched and horror stories she'd heard. She even started wondering—would Master Chen come looking for her?

"Stop thinking. Lin Zhijin, you need to stop. Don't scare yourself." Lin Zhijin pulled the blanket tighter, not even daring to face outward, or she'd feel a chill creeping up her back.

The next day, she arrived at the Women's Federation looking somewhat exhausted. Li Yue eyed her suspiciously. "Were you out thieving last night? You look like you didn't sleep at all."

"I'm just not used to the new place—takes me a while to adjust to the bed." The woman was an old Party member—she couldn't exactly say she couldn't sleep because she was afraid of ghosts, could she?

Director Zhang asked about it too when he saw her. Hearing her explanation about the bed, he didn't press further and instead told her to get ready—they were going out on a field assignment today.

"Today we're heading to a landlord's estate in the suburbs. These people may have prepared in advance, so there's going to be a tough fight ahead. Although we're bringing soldiers along, you all still need to be careful and avoid acting alone." Director Zhang was mainly addressing Lin Zhijin.

"Understood, Director." Lin Zhijin nodded seriously.

Except for Wang Chunhua, who stayed behind, the group set off toward the suburbs with two squads of soldiers.

That's right—on foot, purely on their own two legs.

The office had vehicles, but those iron machines guzzled fuel, and the country was short on oil. No one was willing to waste it.

Lin Zhijin silently followed the group, but halfway there, her legs started giving out.

Actually, this body was used to farm labor, but she'd spent the past two months in the Chen estate living in luxury. And Master Chen, wanting her skin to stay smooth, had even arranged medicinal soaks for her hands and feet—her calluses had all soaked away.

"Can you keep going? Hang in there—we're almost there." Li Yue supported Lin Zhijin, asking with concern.

"I'm fine, I can walk." Noticing several people glancing at her openly or covertly, Lin Zhijin gritted her teeth and kept going. She couldn't hold everyone back.

After walking for over forty minutes, they finally reached the first household.

Lin Zhijin had to thank the fact that the city was relatively small back then. If this were the Nan City of later years, they probably wouldn't have covered even a third of the distance.

She froze for a moment, looking around—wasn't this near where the future Yintai shopping area would be?

The very ground she was standing on would one day become residential developments selling for forty to fifty thousand yuan per square meter. She never would have guessed this was still the suburbs now.

The country really did develop fast. Looking at these mud-brick houses, open sewers, and muddy ponds, it was impossible to connect them with the towering buildings of the future.

After 1980, she could buy a plot of land here and build a big courtyard. When demolition came around, three generations could live comfortably off the compensation.

"Xiao Lin, still not recovered?" Li Yue offered her canteen.

"No need—I brought my own water bottle." Lin Zhijin waved it off. That little mental detour had actually made her feel less tired.

Director Zhang glanced at Lin Zhijin, then signaled the squad leader. "Knock."

"Yes, sir." The squad leader saluted and stepped up to knock.

They waited quite a while before the door opened. Lin Zhijin followed Director Zhang inside and found the landlord's house completely bare—you could even call it destitute. The family of nine, dressed in rags, huddled together, staring at them pitifully.

"Honored soldiers, we have no money and no grain. Please, have mercy and spare us." Landlord Wang bent over, speaking in a pitiful tone.

“Wang Shoucai, you truly live up to your name—money is your life. It seems you’d rather die than part with it,” the team leader said in a stern voice.

Wang Shoucai’s legs immediately went weak. Wiping the cold sweat that wasn’t there, he stammered, “No, no, I really have no money.”

Director Zhang waved his hand, signaling the team leader to step aside. “Enough. We’re from the [redacted]—we’re not here to take your money. But we do demand that you free your concubines and servants. Everyone is equal now; exploiting others is what capitalists do, and it’s against the law. Understand?”

“This… I don’t understand, sir. I have two wives. This is my first wife—we’ve been married ten years and she’s given me four daughters. I was forced to take a second wife, and she bore me a son and a daughter. My son is already ten, about to marry and start a family. I can’t just send his birth mother away,” Wang Shoucai said, looking troubled.

“Those who have borne children are subject to the principle of voluntariness—if she doesn’t wish to leave, she may stay. But the servants must be freed. That’s an order, and there’s no room for negotiation. Landlord Wang, you’re a smart man—you know what happens to those who defy the state,” Director Zhang stated directly.

“Yes, yes, I’ll go get the indentures right away.” Wang Shoucai reluctantly burned the contracts. These had cost him real money—he should have sold them off earlier. Such a waste of money.

The first household went smoothly, but at the second one, the residents had guns. Both sides exchanged fire, and one of the opponents was killed.

It was Lin Zhijin’s first time seeing combat, and she turned pale with fear. She got another firsthand look at what the work was like in the early days of the nation.

“Are you alright? You’ll get used to it in a few days.” Director Zhang patted Lin Zhijin’s arm and glanced at his watch. “This is taking too long. Let’s head back—this afternoon, we’ll bring a full company. Hmph, they don’t know what’s good for them. Xiao Lin, you don’t need to come this afternoon. Take the afternoon off, get some rest, and come back when you’re feeling better.”

“Thank you, Director,” Lin Zhijin said without putting up a fight.

When Lin Zhijin got home, she collapsed onto the arhat bed (a traditional wooden daybed), not even bothering about whether it was clean. What a day—what a thrill.

Author’s note:

Sorry, I wasn’t in the right state yesterday. Making it up today. Love you all, mwah (づ￣3￣)づ╭❤～