Chapter 11: Securing the Job
“How did it go? What did they say over there?”
Grandma Sheng had been on edge all day, unable to focus on anything for fear the plan would fall through. Grandpa Sheng was also watching his granddaughter with a deep frown. If this job fell through, there would be no choice left but to find her a husband immediately.
“Grandma, it’s done.”
Grandma Sheng let out a long, shaky breath. “Thank goodness. As long as it’s done, that’s all that matters.”
“I’m meeting her at the entrance of the building at ten tomorrow morning,” Sheng Wanyan explained. “I’ll hand over the food, and she’ll officially transfer the position to me.”
“Let your mother go with you,” Grandpa Sheng decided.
He felt it was better for his daughter-in-law to be present for such a high-stakes transaction. While Mother Sheng could be a bit impatient, she was far from slow. She was the kind of person who was “wise but appeared foolish”—sharp enough to handle trouble if it arose. In a pinch, she could make the executive decisions Sheng Wanyan might struggle with.
Sheng Wanyan nodded in agreement. She was still getting her bearings in this era, and having Mother Sheng along provided a much-needed sense of security.
“Okay, I’ll tell her when she gets home from work.”
After a quick lunch, Sheng Wanyan slipped out under the guise of going for a walk, but headed straight for the black market. Finding a secluded spot to enter her space, she applied a different set of makeup and prepared her inventory.
She planned to “help” her mother find the grain they needed. She secretly pulled fifty kilograms of rice from her space and packed it into a sturdy sack. On her way to the meeting spot, she managed to sell five kilograms of tobacco to a passerby for a tidy profit. Half an hour later, Mother Sheng appeared in the market.
Mother Sheng had been scouring the stalls since the early morning, desperately looking for a bulk seller. After an entire morning of searching, she had only managed to scrape together five kilograms of rice—nowhere near the fifty kilograms required.
Seeing her mother approaching, Sheng Wanyan quickly added a few more kilograms into her sack for good measure. There was now about sixty kilograms total—plenty to cover the job payment with a remainder to feed her grandparents some refined grains.
As Mother Sheng neared, Sheng Wanyan lowered her voice, perfectly mimicking an older, weary country woman. “Sister, looking for the best rice?”
Mother Sheng stopped in her tracks and turned toward the voice. She didn’t recognize her own daughter at all; the makeup was flawlessly convincing. “Auntie, how much rice do you have?”
Sheng Wanyan opened a corner of the sack just enough for her to see. Mother Sheng’s eyes nearly popped out of her head.
“How are you selling this?”
Sheng Wanyan didn’t want to overcharge her own mother, but she had to avoid suspicion. “Thirty cents a pound. No coupons required.”
Mother Sheng’s heart leaped. Usually, rice sold without coupons went for forty cents a pound on the black market. She wondered if this country woman was new to the city and didn’t know the going rates.
“Can I take the whole lot?”
“Sure,” Sheng Wanyan replied, acting weary. “I just want to sell it all and get back to my village before dark.”
To Mother Sheng, this made perfect sense. It was common for rural families to sell their yearly surplus to make ends meet.
“It’s sixty kilograms,” Sheng Wanyan said. “I can help you carry it to the edge of the market.”
Mother Sheng was wary. While the lady seemed kind, the black market was no place for trust. “No need, I can manage it myself.”
She counted out eighteen yuan, handed it over, and quickly hoisted the heavy sack onto her back.
Sheng Wanyan watched her go, feeling a bit helpless at her mother’s guardedness. She waited until her mother was out of sight before ducking into her space, scrubbing off the makeup, and changing her clothes. She sprinted through the back alleys to beat her mother home.
She caught up to her mother just as she was nearing their building.
“Mom! Let me help you with that.”
Mother Sheng jumped, startled. She was drenched in sweat despite the winter chill. Seeing it was Wanyan, she let out a massive sigh of relief. “You scared me! Help me get this inside, quick.”
It was nearly dinner time, so the communal hallways were relatively empty. They managed to slip the rice into the apartment before the neighbors in the tube building could get a good look at what they were carrying.
When Grandpa and Grandma Sheng saw the mountain of white rice, the final weight lifted from their shoulders. The job was as good as secured.
Father Sheng didn’t make it home until seven that evening. Sheng Wanyan immediately served him a hot bowl of noodles topped with a few slices of meat and an egg. He ate with a frantic hunger, clearly having exhausted his rations hours ago.
“Wife, I only managed to find twenty kilograms today,” Father Sheng mumbled between bites. “If we can’t find the rest by tomorrow, we’ll just have to offer them more cash.”
He looked up, expecting a lecture, but instead found his wife looking at him with a smug, triumphant grin. He knew that look well—she had pulled off a miracle.
“You… you got it?” he asked tentatively.
Mother Sheng raised her chin. “Who do you think you’re talking to?”
Father Sheng grinned, abandoned his noodles, and ran into the kitchen. Seeing the massive sacks of white rice, he felt a joy second only to his wedding day. “Wife, you’re incredible!”
Mother Sheng beamed. After a day of frantic searching, the praise felt well-earned.
“I’m going with Wanyan tomorrow,” Mother Sheng said as she began prepping the final payment. “Is the meeting set?”
“Ten o’clock tomorrow morning,” Father Sheng confirmed. “The lady told her family that Wanyan is her niece by marriage.”
The next morning, Sheng Wanyan and her mother finished a quick breakfast and set out. When they reached the factory residential compound, they found Wu’s daughter-in-law waiting for them.
“I’m Sheng Wanyan,” she introduced herself. “And this is my mother.”
The pregnant woman nodded, her eyes lingering on the heavy sacks they carried. “Follow me. We’ll count the grain at my place, then head straight to the cotton mill.”
Once the grain was verified as a full fifty kilograms, the woman led them on the thirty-minute walk to the mill. They went straight to the logistics department to finalize the transfer.
“And this is…?” the clerk asked.
“My brother-in-law’s niece,” Wu’s wife lied smoothly.
The logistics clerk checked Sheng Wanyan’s credentials. Seeing she was a high school graduate, he was satisfied she could handle the paperwork.
Sheng Wanyan signed the intake forms. She would have tomorrow to prepare and would officially start her new life the day after.
“Your position is a clerk in the Propaganda Department,” the officer explained. “Your salary is 20 yuan a month. You’ll receive 30 pounds of grain coupons, one pound of meat coupons, and half a pound of cotton coupons, payable on the first of every month.”
