Chapter 23: The Bonus

As for whether the letter was written by the leader himself, Lin Xiang figured it most likely was not.

The leader had so many pressing matters to worry about every day; he would hardly have the spare time to write a letter to a nobody like her.

Lin Xiang happily tore open the envelope and read through it word for word. Just as she finished, her mother returned.

"Niu-zi, you're back early today? Did you stir-fry the river shrimp?"

"Yes, I did. And not just river shrimp—there’s braised pork with potatoes, too."

"There’s meat?" Mother Lin’s small eyes widened. "Did you buy it? How much did it cost? We don’t even have any meat coupons!"

"It was given to me by Chef Shen. It was only three taels, so I braised it with potatoes. You should eat plenty later."

Mother Lin curled her lip. "How stingy! Giving only three taels—hardly enough for anyone to eat!"

"Mom!" Lin Xiang straightened her face, correcting her mother's attitude. "Chef Shen pays me a salary and even allowed me to use the kitchen's seasonings to cook the shrimp for you; he’s already done more than his duty. Giving me the pork was an act of kindness, not an obligation. Your words are really quite unpleasant to hear."

Rarely seeing Lin Xiang look so stern, Mother Lin muttered a weak defense: "I was just saying it, I didn't mean anything by it."

"Even if you were just saying it, that won't do! Mom, we need to know how to be grateful, otherwise, we’ll become truly unbearable."

"But hasn’t it always been like this before..."

"You said it yourself—that was before. Do you have any idea what kind of reputation we two had in the village? Now that we’ve finally gained some favor by helping with the telephone lines, don't go offending people again just because you can't hold your tongue."

Mother Lin understood the logic, but she had lived this way for decades; she couldn't change overnight. Nor, for that matter, did she really intend to.

They say no one knows a mother like her daughter. Seeing the expression on her mother’s face, Lin Xiang knew exactly what she was thinking. She had no choice but to use her marriage prospects as leverage once again.

"Mom, have you forgotten what I told you the other day? I’ve made a good impression on the town leadership; there’s a high probability I can find a good match. If I ruin my reputation over these trivial matters, what decent family would want to marry me? Do you want me to just find anyone to marry?"

"That won't do!" Mother Lin pouted. "Fine, fine, I understand. I’ll be more careful with what I say from now on, I’ll try to avoid such talk, alright?"

Lin Xiang finally smiled. "Alright, let's go eat."

It wasn't that Lin Xiang wanted to make a mountain out of a molehill, but her mother was so used to being loose-lipped that if she didn't keep her in check, it would only be a matter of time before her words caused trouble. By constantly reminding her, even if she wanted to say something inappropriate in the future, the memory of Lin Xiang’s nagging might make her hold her tongue.

Three taels of meat was indeed not much. Mixed with the potatoes, the chunks of pork were pitifully sparse. Mother Lin took two bowls and picked out the largest pieces for Lin Xiang. Looking at the few remaining chunks in the pot, she looked pained. "I suppose giving one piece to Lin Yun is enough for today, right? The pieces are cut large, so one should be plenty for him!"

Lin Xiang had just "educated" her mother; if she went against her now, it might trigger a rebellious reaction. "One piece is fine. Giving him more potatoes is the same thing."

Lin Xiang then took the two pieces of meat from her own bowl and placed them into her mother’s. "You eat more."

"You aren't going to eat?"

"I ate quite a bit in the kitchen today; I'm not hungry right now. You eat."

Mother Lin didn't stand on ceremony, picking up a piece of pork and enjoying it with delight. "It’s delicious!"

Seeing her mother so satisfied, Lin Xiang asked, "Mom, let me tell you something."

"Go ahead," Mother Lin said, her mouth full of meat.

Lin Xiang adjusted her posture to lean closer to her mother. "The foreign guests signed the order with the textile factory today. Although the first order is only worth a little over twenty thousand dollars, for Mianyang Town, it's a qualitative breakthrough. The leader said my translation work was excellent and that I played a significant role in making this cooperation happen, so he decided to give me a reward."

Mother Lin’s eyes sparkled. "A reward? How much money is it?"

Lin Xiang held up two fingers.

Mother Lin gasped. "Two hundred? We’re rich, we’re rich! With two hundred yuan, we won’t be short of money anymore. When you get married, I can even provide you with a generous dowry!"

Lin Xiang twitched the corner of her mouth. "Is there a possibility that it’s twenty?"

Mother Lin’s face fell immediately. The difference between two hundred and twenty was just too vast.

She wanted to blurt out that the leader was too stingy to give only a twenty-yuan reward for such a large order, but remembering Lin Xiang’s warning, she swallowed the words down hard.

"That's good, twenty yuan is quite a lot too. Our family savings only amount to two yuan." The daughter's dowry would just have to be simple.

"The bonus is secondary. The important thing is that the leader gave me a choice."

Still mourning the two hundred yuan that had flown away, Mother Lin asked listlessly, "What kind of choice?"

"One option is a position as a female worker at the textile factory. The other..."

"Take that one! Choose that one!" Before Lin Xiang could finish, Mother Lin made the decision impatiently. "Niu-zi, if you become a factory worker with a formal job, the kind of person you can marry will be from a leadership family!"

Lin Xiang sighed helplessly. Her mother was truly worried about her marriage prospects every waking moment!

"Mom, I haven't even told you the second option yet."

"Can it be better than a spot at the textile factory?"

"The leader said that if I’m willing, I can return to school to attend classes. Given my age, I can start from the second year of high school."

Although the first national college entrance exam since its restoration would be held this December, Lin Xiang had never touched the textbooks of the 1970s and didn't know how much they differed from what she had learned in her previous life. Furthermore, she had been away from the classroom for many years and had returned much of her knowledge to her teachers; she needed time to settle down and consolidate, so starting from the second year of high school was the most appropriate choice.

After hearing this, Mother Lin looked at her as if she were a fool.

"Is this even a choice? You obviously pick the factory job! You go report for duty tomorrow, and by next month, or the month after at the latest, you’ll have a salary! If you go to school, not to mention whether you can actually learn anything, just the tuition for a year costs a fortune. If you don't get into university, that's one thing, but even if you do, you have to study for several more years. It’ll be years before you start earning money!"

"It’s not that Mom isn't willing to spend the money on you, but think about it—you’re turning eighteen soon. Many girls your age are already married and even have children. If you go to university for a few years and come back, you’ll be in your twenties! At such an old age, will a good family still be willing to marry you?"