The dried shrimp laid out at the door formed a golden expanse. This was the third day of drying, and much of it was nearly ready. Chen Haichao tasted one: the flesh had shrunk and firmed up, becoming much smaller, and the shell was already hollow.
They varied in size, though, and some of the bigger ones weren't quite ready. They needed another turn and a night in the air.
Once they had spent a little time in the morning sun, they could be rolled over with a rolling pin to break the shells and get the meat out.
He made another circuit of the threshing ground and checked how dry the shrimp were. The shrimp here had been laid out over two days, so some were drier than others, but they were separated by location, so there was no chance of mixing them up.
"Brother! Brother! Dad told you to come home! Fourth Sister passed! Fourth Sister's going to be a worker!" Chen Xiaoqi ran over, shouting across the threshing ground, out of breath.
"Huh? She passed?" Delight lit up Chen Haichao's face. He hurried over, picked him up and held him in his arms. "Your fourth sister passed?"
"Yeah, yeah! Dad was so happy he could die, and he told me to hurry and get you home. Xiao Liu went to get Mom."
"That's my sister! From now on, your fourth sister will be eating delicacies and drinking the good stuff."
"Really? I just want sweets. Can she buy me some ding ding candy?"
"Sure. From now on, you'll have to watch your fourth sister's mood, coax her, praise her more, and be sweet and well-behaved to get on her good side. If she's in a good mood, she might just reward you."
Chen Haichao laughed and spouted nonsense to tease him as he carried him home.
Chen Xiaoqi took it to heart and grew a little excited himself. "Fourth Sister said she came in second. Third Sister didn't pass. Isn't being a worker really glamorous?"
"Once you're a worker, you get paid wages and don't have to toil in the fields for work points anymore."
"Fourth Sister's amazing! Brother, when are you going to be a worker?"
"Don't go spoiling the mood when we're celebrating!"
Chen Haichao glared at him and raced home with him in his arms.
Mother Chen had already beaten him home. Her voice was loud enough to be heard a hundred meters away, and the laughter in it was impossible to hide.
"My fourth daughter passed the worker exam! She's starting at the freezing plant tomorrow!"
"Hohoho, she was just lucky. She happened to go to town with her dad when she changed her name, saw the notice, and signed up. Who would've thought she'd actually pass? Hohoho..."
"All those years the girl spent in school weren't for nothing. Now, at least, she can be a worker instead of toiling in the fields for work points..."
A crowd had already gathered at the door: neighbors, relatives, and friends, all offering congratulations and looking on with envy.
"That girl Sidi..."
Mother Chen cut in at once. "She's called Sitian now. You have to start using her new name. Don't call her by the old one anymore."
"Yes, yes, she's changed it. The new name is nice..."
"Sitian's been clever since she was little, and she worked harder at school than the other children..."
"Good thing she wasn't held back. She's really done the family proud, passing the worker exam! Does this mean she can get state-supplied grain now?"
Mother Chen explained with a broad smile, "She's only a temporary worker for now, so she can't get state-supplied grain. Her household registration and grain ration registration won't be transferred. Once she's worked there longer, if she does well, we'll see whether she has a chance to become permanent. It'll probably be hard."
"That's still impressive. Temporary workers get wages too. Getting paid every month is better than working in the fields or going out to sea to fish like us."
Father Chen was beaming too. "It's a bit better than earning work points in the village, anyway."
"Changing their names did them good. As soon as they changed them, their luck came rolling in."
"Isn't that the truth? Good thing Haichao reminded me to change their names, or we'd never have come across such good fortune. And the fourth girl did us proud too."
"How much can she earn a month as a temporary worker? It must be more than ten yuan, right?"
"Twenty-two yuan..."
"Ah! That much! My goodness, that's incredible! Your fourth girl is amazing..."
"Wouldn't that be more than two hundred a year? All by herself, a young girl like her... heavens..."
"Your family's bitter days are over, and the sweet ones have come."
Father and Mother Chen, both beaming, entertained the crowd gathered at their door to see the excitement.
Chen Sitian sat smiling at the door for everyone to look at, playing the lucky mascot while whispering with Lin Zhiyu.
Chen Haichao went around the crowd to her side and gave her a thumbs-up. "Impressive, Sis. You really passed?"
Chen Sitian raised her chin proudly. "Of course. Dozens of people were competing for the weighing recorder position."
"That's pretty fair, then. It all came down to scores. So you start tomorrow?"
"Right. After the list was posted this afternoon, I went straight over to report and register. I officially start work tomorrow morning."
"When you grow rich and prosperous, don't forget me!"
"Hahaha... I should thank you. If you hadn't told Mom and Dad to let us change our names, I wouldn't have gone to town or had the chance to come across this."
"Don't mention it. You'll have even better opportunities and better luck from now on. Get yourself into a university through this summer's college entrance exam, and we'll be counting on you to bring glory to the family."
Chen Sitian grinned even wider, but lowered her voice still further. "Shh. Don't talk about it before there's even a shadow of it."
"I know. I'll wait for you to astonish everyone with a single brilliant feat!"
"If I don't get in, then we'll pretend the college entrance exam never happened and I never took it." She pulled faces, her expression full of life.
Lin Zhiyu listened and laughed too.
Seeing the crowd gathered at the door for the excitement, the few of them went inside first, leaving Mom and Dad to entertain them and chat outside.
Chen Panpan was all smiles. "We'll have to tell Mom to finish your new clothes first. Tomorrow's your first day at work; you can't go looking too shabby."
Chen Sitian happily hugged her. "Thanks, Sis. It's just that if I go to work tomorrow morning, there's still all that shrimp at home that needs shelling..."
"We're here, aren't we? There are plenty of people in this house who can work. You just focus on your job."
"When I get my wages, I'll give them all to Mom."
"Let's see what Mom and Dad say later. We should help cook first. Mom's probably too happy to have time to make dinner."
Chen Haichao watched the two of them with his foot propped up, looking immensely gratified, just like an old father watching his daughters.
Lin Zhiyu leaned close and whispered, "You really did it. You persuaded your parents to let them change their names, and you got Sitian to take the college entrance exam too."
"That's because my parents are open-minded."
"Your parents are good people."
"When does your school term start?"
"On the sixteenth day of the first lunar month. My eldest brother will take me back to school after the New Year."
"University students have it good."
"Who told you not to study hard?"
"You can still do great things without studying!"
"Braggart!"
After chatting with him for a bit, Lin Zhiyu went back first to collect the fabric and cotton for Mother Chen and bring them over.
When Mother Chen had heard the news earlier, she had been so delighted she'd forgotten everything else and run straight home. She was still happily chatting outside now, and probably hadn't remembered the fabric and cotton yet.
By the time they finally saw the onlookers off, dinner was ready.
Father and Mother Chen were glowing as though they'd each drunk two jin of liquor. This made them even happier than receiving a big gold bracelet.
Mother Chen had been grinning from ear to ear all afternoon. "I never thought Sitian would actually pass. Sending you to school really wasn't a waste."
Father Chen also looked at her with satisfaction. "Work hard, be diligent and attentive, and speak sweetly to people."
"I know."
Father Chen went on, "Work there for a month first and see how it goes. Do your best and try to keep the temporary job, but don't forget to study hard for the college entrance exam in a few months."
She nodded eagerly, delighted.
Mother Chen said, "If you're earning twenty-two yuan a month, then give half to the family for household expenses and food. You don't mind, do you? You won't be working for work points, but the family will still be earning your grain for you."
Chen Sitian looked pleasantly surprised. "I only have to give half? Not all of it?"
"Do you want to give it all?"
"Ah..." She hurriedly shook her head. Mom had already said she only had to give half; she'd have to be a fool to nod and hand over everything.
Mother Chen said with a smile, "You're a grown girl now, and you can earn your own money, so you should keep a little in your pocket to buy yourself food and clothes and make yourself look nice. You're a worker now and don't have to labor in the fields, so you should dress a little better too."
"That's wonderful! Thanks, Mom! I'm so happy. I even get to keep some of my own wages."
"You earned this job through your own hard work too. The family didn't do much to help you. Your luck has come, and nothing can hold it back."
"Hehe."
P.S.: The dried shrimp will be sold in the next chapter. Mainly, I can't post too many chapters during the new-book period. Otherwise, if I updated ten thousand characters a day, I'd have finished posting it long ago. I'll definitely release a flood of chapters when it goes premium.