Chapter 14: Social Gathering

Chapter 14: Social Mixer

Having not slept well last night, walked so much today, and been scared out of her wits, Lin Zhijin suddenly felt a wave of grievance wash over her.

Why? She was just an ordinary person who had worked hard to buy an apartment and a car in the city, finally getting on her feet—and then she found herself transported to another life, and into this era, of all times?

Tears slid down her cheeks one after another. After a while, Lin Zhijin sat up abruptly and patted her cheeks. "Pull yourself together, Lin Zhijin. You've got a bigger house, a hefty savings account, plenty of clothes and jewelry, and you've landed a secure government job. Most importantly, you're thirteen years younger than in your previous life—seventeen years old, what a great age to be. Your youth is precious; you can't waste the opportunity heaven has handed you."

After crying it out, Lin Zhijin felt the weight on her chest lift, and she was much lighter overall.

Taking a deep breath to recharge her energy, Lin Zhijin boiled some water to soak her feet—otherwise, her feet would be killing her tomorrow.

In the evening, she went back to the same noodle shop she'd visited before. The owner still remembered her. "Back again, dear? The usual shredded pork noodles?"

"I see you have lion's head meatball noodles on the menu—I'll take a bowl of that, plus a plate of soy-sauce cucumbers." Lin Zhijin figured she needed something comforting to calm her frazzled nerves.

"Coming right up! One lion's head meatball noodle, one plate of soy-sauce cucumbers." The owner called out in a cheerful, singsong tone.

Since Lin Zhijin had the afternoon off, she arrived early, and she was the only one eating at the moment. The owner leaned on the counter, chatting with her.

"Are you the new person who moved into Maple Leaf Lane? What's your name? Do you live alone?" Without waiting for an answer, she smiled and went on, "My name is Dai Fengjiao. Folks usually call me Boss Dai or Sister Dai. I'm definitely older than you, so why don't you call me Sister Dai as well?"

"Sister Dai." Lin Zhijin thought, "Wow, this boss lady really knows how to work a room—just like you'd expect from a business owner." "My name is Lin Zhijin. I do live on Maple Leaf Lane. How long has this shop been open?"

"This shop's been around for quite a few years. My husband's great-grandfather started it, and it's been handed down ever since." Dai Fengjiao said proudly.

"No wonder the food's so good—it's a family recipe. So your husband's the cook?" Lin Zhijin asked curiously.

Dai Fengjiao shook her head with a smile. "My brother-in-law does the cooking. My husband had bad luck—he got sick and passed away a few years back."

Lin Zhijin quickly said, "Sorry, I didn't know."

"Oh, it's fine—you didn't know. Besides, he wasn't good to me anyway. Whenever the shop made money, he'd take it to gamble and hit the brothels." Dai Fengjiao leaned in close and whispered, "It's better that he's dead—otherwise I wouldn't be living the good life I have now."

Lin Zhijin gave her a thumbs up. Just then the noodles came, and the two stopped chatting.

While eating, Lin Zhijin noticed Sister Dai's brother-in-law bring her a bowl of noodles. He wasn't tall—around five-foot-three or so—but his features were delicate and handsome. But more importantly, the way he looked at Sister Dai was definitely not innocent.

Lin Zhijin turned to look at Sister Dai and caught her looking a bit bashful as she took the chopsticks he handed her. Well, well—clearly the man was interested, and the woman wasn't exactly uninterested either.

"Enough, I'll eat. Go back inside—people are watching." Dai Fengjiao looked up at Lin Zhijin, and their eyes met. She blushed, quickly looked away, then shot the man a glare.

When it was time to pay, Dai Fengjiao didn't mention what had just happened. Instead, she reminded Lin Zhijin to lock her door at night.

"Maple Leaf Lane is full of rich folks, so it's easy to attract attention—especially for a young woman living alone like you." Dai Fengjiao looked Lin Zhijin up and down. And she was a real looker, too.

"Thank you, Sister Dai." When Lin Zhijin got home, she wedged a wooden stick against the door. Still not convinced, she also put a cleaver by her pillow.

Oddly enough, after putting the cleaver there, her courage swelled, and she wasn't nearly as scared of ghosts anymore.

The next morning, Lin Zhijin arrived at work with a new lunchbox and was met with a wave of concern.

"Xiao Lin, you okay? Don't be scared—stuff like yesterday is rare. When we go out on field trips, we always bring soldiers with us. Most people are like Wang Shoucai—timid and scared to mess with us." Sister Qian looked Lin Zhijin over and said softly, trying to comfort her.

"Yeah, yesterday was a one-off." Li Yue nodded in agreement.

"Xiao Lin, today you'll go with Chunhua to help set up the assembly hall. There's a mixer tonight, so we need to get some people settled in first." Otherwise, we can't keep feeding them for free—the military can't afford it.

Lin Zhijin nodded quickly. She really didn't want to go to the countryside right now, so she was happy to avoid it.

"I changed my name—it's Wang Chunhua now." Wang Chunhua muttered, sounding annoyed.

Setting up the assembly hall turned out to be simple: write a few characters on red paper with a brush, paste them up, and have people clean the place. That was about it.

"Xiao Lin, did you really faint from fright yesterday?" Wang Chunhua had somehow sidled up next to Lin Zhijin.

Lin Zhijin glanced at her. Who had started that rumor this time? "No. Who told you that? Though I was indeed a bit shaken, so the director gave me half a day off."

Wang Chunhua laughed it off. "I forget who said it. But I heard that Master Chen died of a stroke—that's true, right?"

Lin Zhijin knew Li Yue would spread the word, but she hadn't expected it to travel this fast—and by the time it reached Wang Chunhua, Master Chen had already died of a stroke.

"No, he was given a potent aphrodisiac." Seeing Wang Chunhua's eyes light up, Lin Zhijin gave a brief explanation.

Wang Chunhua nodded. "Then you should thank that chamber maid who drugged him. If Master Chen had recovered, you would have been ruined."

Lin Zhijin sighed helplessly. "Sister Wang, it looks like Division Chief Yang is calling for you."

Wang Chunhua turned to look—he was indeed waving at her. She grinned and hurried over. "Division Chief Yang, what do you need?"

"Old Xie called and said he needs to talk to you. Go give him a call back." Division Chief Yang glanced at Lin Zhijin, gave her a slight nod, and turned to leave.

The people of this era were full of energy. Director Zhang and the others had been running around all day, yet they still had the vigor to attend the mixer in high spirits.

"Director Zhang wrote these characters, didn't he?" Sister Qian looked at the calligraphy on the wall with a smile. "Xiao Lin, you can look around at tonight's mixer too. If you find someone suitable, tell me, and I'll play matchmaker for you."

Lin Zhijin was taken aback—she hadn't expected to be part of this.

"No, no, I'm still young. No rush." She was only seventeen, high school age. Why would she be getting married?

"Xiao Lin's not in a hurry—she's only seventeen this year. She should focus on her studies first and get her elementary school certificate later." Director Zhang didn't elaborate further, but the implication was clear: with a diploma, she could find a better match.

Lin Zhijin felt a touch of emotion. Whatever the reason, Director Zhang genuinely had her best interests at heart—something even her biological father had never done, let alone the original body's parents who favored sons over daughters.

"I understand, Director. I'll study hard and earn my elementary school certificate." Saying this, Lin Zhijin felt a bit embarrassed—she was a college graduate, after all, and now she was passionately vowing to earn an elementary school diploma.

She should at least aim for a middle school certificate. A high school diploma would be even better. As for college—she'd see. She'd already been to university, so she didn't yearn for it. A diploma that sufficed was enough.

Most of the soldiers at tonight's mixer were young men, and a few had minor disabilities. But judging by their shoulder insignia, they were all officers. Lin Zhijin couldn't tell the specific ranks—she didn't understand the rank markings on the epaulettes.

"Lin Zhijin? I didn't misremember, did I?" A woman in a dark green qipao with a white shawl draped over her shoulders walked over with graceful elegance. Before she even got close, a fragrant breeze drifted over first. "It's me—Lin Shishu."

"I remember you. Didn't you go back?" Lin Zhijin had a fairly strong impression of her—a very socially bold concubine.

"Don't even mention it." Lin Shishu's face fell, and she said with displeasure, "It was my master's idea. And here I thought he was a loyal and devoted man—turns out all crows are equally black."

Lin Zhijin tugged at Lin Shishu's arm, signaling her to mind the occasion.

This was a mixer tonight—people were here to meet potential partners. If she went on about all crows being equally black, how could anything succeed?

Even if Lin Shishu didn't want to find someone today, she'd have to eventually. If word got around about her having a bad reputation, it wouldn't do her any favors.

Lin Shishu caught on and hastily lowered her head. After a moment, she whispered, "Thank you, Lin Zhijin. By the way, have you seen anyone you like?"

Lin Zhijin only then remembered she hadn't introduced herself. "I'm a staff member of the Women's Federation. I'm not here for the mixer."

"So you work at the Women's Federation?" Lin Shishu covered her mouth, then pulled her to a corner nearby. "How did you get in? What are the requirements? Can I join the Women's Federation?"

"Probably not. I got in through a connection, and the Federation happened to be short-staffed at the time, but now they're fully staffed." Lin Zhijin shook her head, then glanced at an officer not far away—tall and imposing, with sharp, rugged features—and changed the subject. "What do you think of him? He's a deputy regiment commander, thirty-two years old. His ex-wife passed away in an accident, and he has no parents or children. If you marry him, you'd be running the household from day one."

Lin Shishu looked him up and down, her eyes lingering on his back and waist for a good while before she said shyly, "I think he's fine, but I'm afraid he might not fancy me."

Lin Zhijin raised an eyebrow. She was just fuming that all men were the same, and now she's already interested?

As if sensing Lin Zhijin's confusion, Lin Shishu sighed softly. "I'm a woman with no family to rely on. Without a man to protect me, I can't make it on my own. You don't know—during the few days I've been staying at the hotel, several men have already harassed me. Right now, the PLA is still patrolling the city, but once they leave, it won't just be harassment anymore. Zhijin, you're lucky—you've got the Federation backing you now. I have to find a man, or else..."

Lin Zhijin nodded. "Wait here, I'll go ask."

Having worked as a personnel manager, Lin Zhijin was hardly socially anxious—on the contrary, her interpersonal skills were quite strong.

"Hello, I'm a staff member of the Women's Federation, Xiao Lin. Can I ask what you're looking for in a spouse?" Lin Zhijin noticed his intense gaze fixed on her but wasn't intimidated. What, was he going to hit her? She was here to help him with a major life matter. "There's a lady who's taken a liking to you—the one over there in the dark green cheongsam. She used to be a concubine, but she's a good person. If you think she might be suitable, you could get to know her, have a chat, and see how it goes."

The man narrowed his eyes, giving Lin Zhijin a long, deep look. "Alright."

Watching the man walk toward Lin Shishu, Lin Zhijin made an encouraging gesture at her, then turned to find Li Yue and the others to see if any help was needed.

Author's note:

Sorry, I'm late again. Also, this story will be going paid tomorrow. I hope my dear readers will continue to support me. Love you all, mwah (づ￣3￣)づ╭?～