Chapter 123: Returning to the Village to Visit the Brigade Leader and His Family

Following the assessment, Lin Xiaodou officially began her new job. Coincidentally, her assigned workstation was right next to Sister Chen’s, so the two women began traveling to work together almost every day.

After just a few days on the job, Lin Xiaodou noticed a problem. She discovered that the supervisor, who always wore a kind and smiling face, was secretly skimming food rations meant for the laborers. These laborers were already underfed, and this exploitation left them in a state of chronic, agonizing hunger. Over time, their health deteriorated, and they spent their days listless and exhausted. Without physical strength, they naturally couldn't put their hearts into their work. Consequently, the pigs were poorly cared for; the pig fodder was a mess, and the pigsties were filthy and foul-smelling. Compared to the area managed by Sister Chen, the two sections were worlds apart.

Hygiene in the pigsties was crucial. With thousands of pigs being raised there, such filthy conditions could easily lead to illness or the spread of disease among the herd. Lin Xiaodou refused to let that happen, so she went directly to Director Hu to report the situation. Upon hearing the news, Director Hu was incensed and immediately summoned the supervisor for a confrontation. The supervisor initially tried to play dumb, but after a brutal thrashing from Lin Xiaodou, he confessed everything.

Director Hu had never expected Lin Xiaodou to resolve problems with such violence. He had heard rumors about her beating up Auntie Wu but had dismissed them as gossip. Seeing her skills firsthand, however, left him stunned. He felt a secret sense of relief that he had kept her on staff—if he had sent her away, would he have been beaten up too? With this thought, he looked at Lin Xiaodou with a hint of trepidation. She was so young, yet her temper was so volatile. Still, since Old Liu had entrusted her to his care, he felt obliged to offer some guidance.

"Little Lin, you should temper your temperament. If you keep this up, you'll scare off any interested men, and you'll have trouble getting married," Director Hu advised with well-meaning concern.

Lin Xiaodou: "?"

"Don't worry, Director Hu. I already have a partner, so I don't need to worry about marriage." Her reply was a slick, all-purpose lie.

"Oh, well, you're a good-looking girl; it’s only natural you’d have someone." Director Hu nodded, silently lighting a candle for the unfortunate fellow in his heart. *Young man, you’d better start working out and make sure you’re tough enough to take a beating.*

[The fictional partner at some point in the future: Received!]

...

In the days that followed, Lin Xiaodou’s life was fulfilling. The greedy supervisor was dismissed, and Director Hu appointed a new manager who was not only honest and diligent but also fully cooperative. The laborers in that section visibly perked up. Once they regained their strength, their work became efficient; the filthy pigsties were cleaned up, and the care of the herd improved significantly. Lin Xiaodou found her work becoming increasingly smooth.

Unlike other units that rested one day a week, the pig farm operated on a rotation where each person took three consecutive days off per month. Lin Xiaodou’s first break happened to fall at the end of April. On her first day off, she went to town to meet Brother Cheng, the head of the black market. Their last transaction had been during the New Year; it had been two months since they last met.

The moment Brother Cheng saw her, he invited her to sit with great enthusiasm. "Little brother, come have some tea! I specifically had some good tea prepared just for you!" His attitude was much better than before. The batch of goods Lin Xiaodou had provided last time were of such high quality that he had made a killing, and he was naturally delighted. "Little brother, I’ll take whatever stock you have this time! Money is no object!"

Lin Xiaodou replied, "I have 30,000 catties of brown rice, 20,000 catties of white flour, 10,000 catties each of brown sugar, soybean oil, and eggs, and 5,000 catties each of fresh fruit and pork. Are you sure you can take it all?"

Hearing the volume of goods, Brother Cheng couldn't stop grinning. "Yes, yes, I'll take it all!" If the town's black market couldn't absorb it all, he could ship the surplus to the county seat, where the person in charge was his good buddy.

Brother Cheng continued, "A few of these items are new. How about 1.7 yuan per catty for soybean oil, 2 yuan for fruit, and 2.6 yuan for pork? Does that work for you?" The prices were fair, so Lin Xiaodou agreed. They arranged to meet at 2:00 AM in the small woods outside town for the trade. After leaving Brother Cheng, Lin Xiaodou stopped by the supply and marketing cooperative to buy a few items before returning to Heishi Village.

When she arrived, the Captain and his wife were overjoyed. "Godfather, I bought you a pair of liberation shoes. Try them on and see if they fit." Lin Xiaodou handed over a pair of brand-new, military-green canvas shoes. She had noticed his old shoes were washed thin and had holes in the front, exposing his toes. In this era, everyone seemed to dress like that—mending and patching for years without a second thought.

The Captain was an honest man and immediately tried to decline. "Why buy these? You’ve only just started working and don't have much money. Don't waste it."

Lin Xiaodou replied, "That’s not right. If you hadn't recommended me for this job, I’d still be stuck in the countryside farming. I have to thank you."

The Captain’s wife laughed from the side, "Old man, it's Xiaodou’s kind heart. Just accept it." After spending so much time together, she had figured out the girl’s personality: once she made up her mind to do something, there was no refusing her. Since that was the case, they might as well accept it happily and look for ways to compensate her later.

Hearing his wife, the Captain accepted the shoes. Once he held them, he stroked them repeatedly, unable to put them down. The last time he had worn new shoes was two years ago—the very pair that was now falling apart. After raising his own son for so many years, the boy had never once bought him a pair of shoes and had only ever caused trouble for the family. It was truly better to have a daughter. His own daughter, Yan’er, was a joy, and Lin was a sensible girl too. With these two girls showing him such filial piety, he felt his life had been worth it.

Seeing the Captain so happy, Lin Xiaodou felt pleased as well. She took a tin of vanishing cream from her pocket and handed it to the Captain's wife. "Godmother, this is for you. You can apply it to your face after washing it morning and night."

"I'm just an old woman whose best days are behind her. What do I need this for?" Despite her words, the Captain's wife’s eyes crinkled into slits, showing how much she liked it.

Lin Xiaodou hugged her arm and teased with a smile, "That’s not true at all! You look so young. If we went out together, people would probably think we were sisters."

"Pfft!" The Captain’s wife burst into laughter. "You girl, you have such a sweet tongue! Come on, let's go to the kitchen; Godmother will make you something delicious!"

Lin Xiaodou’s eyes curved into crescents. "Okay!"