Cannon Fodder Husband Ch.11-12

Chapter 11 – Reasons

Upon hearing Director Wang’s question, Lu Xia knew that she had only one chance, so she wasted no time and spoke directly, “Director Wang, hello, my name is Lu Xia, and I am one of the people hired by the light bulb factory.”

“Oh?” Director Wang raised an eyebrow. Although the positions for this recruitment at the factory were all good, they had strict requirements, and even his niece didn’t get accepted. He didn’t expect that this young girl, who seemed to have unfavorable conditions, would be selected.

However, he was still unclear about her intentions, but he gave her a friendly smile and said, “Comrade Lu, hello. So, do you have any specific business with me?”

Lu Xia didn’t beat around the bush and took a deep breath, saying, “I heard that Director Wang’s niece is still unemployed. I wonder if she needs this job.”

“Oh?” Director Wang understood her intentions from what she said.

He raised an eyebrow and thought, although their light bulb factory was not as popular as the steel or clothing factories, it was still a large factory. Moreover, this job was an office job. He couldn’t imagine why someone would not want it.

Furthermore, this young girl in front of him seemed to have unfavorable conditions, so she should be thrilled to have such a good job. What could be the reason for her giving it up?

Director Wang’s initial thought was that she was teasing him.

But now, seeing the sincerity in her eyes, he realized that she must have made up her mind.

So, he became genuinely interested.

His niece was the only girl in their Wang family, and they had many workers in their family, so finding a job wasn’t troublesome. However, it was a bit difficult to find an office job. After all, in the current job market, most positions were filled by children replacing their parents or relatives replacing each other. It was rare to sell a position to an outsider. Therefore, he wanted to ask about the reasons in detail before making any decisions.

He got up and led Lu Xia to the living room sofa to have a conversation.

Director Wang held a high position, and his house was much larger than Lu Xia’s, so the room was spacious. Even with the sofa, there was still plenty of space in the living room.

But at this moment, Lu Xia wasn’t paying attention to these details. After sitting down, she heard Director Wang speak, “May I ask Comrade Lu for the reason?”

Lu Xia nodded after hearing him, “There’s nothing to hide. After I got the job, my family signed me up to be a sent-down youth. I will go to the countryside in a few days.”

Director Wang raised an eyebrow in surprise and then seemed to understand. It seemed that this comrade’s family situation was more complicated.

However, that was not his concern. He just needed to confirm the situation.

He asked directly, “So, Comrade Lu, how much do you want for this job?”

Lu Xia directly stated the price she had prepared, “800 yuan.”

“Hmm?” Director Wang raised an eyebrow again. “Comrade Lu, are you serious? Or are you not aware of the market? You are getting an office job, which pays much more than the average worker.”

Lu Xia sighed bitterly after hearing that. Of course, she knew that this was the capital city and the work of normal workshop workers probably cost more than 800 yuan, but she couldn’t help it.

“To be honest, my family originally wanted me to give this job to my older sister, so there might be some trouble ahead…”

As she said this, she hesitated. The job couldn’t be sold or bought casually; it was usually taken over by family members or relatives. Regardless of whether they knew each other or not, they would find a reason on the surface.

But Mother Lu and Lu Chun would probably not be easily convinced. If they found out that she sold the job, they would likely cause a scene at the factory. So, she would have to bear a significant responsibility afterward.

*

Chapter 12 – Black Market

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Upon hearing all this, Director Wang understood. He smiled and said, “Don’t worry, as long as you agree to sell it, you don’t need to worry about the consequences. I will handle it.”

Hearing him say this, Lu Xia finally felt relieved. This was the reason she sought out Director Wang. It was said that he had extensive connections, and he should be able to handle her family.

In the end, Director Wang raised the price to 1,200 yuan, and Lu Xia settled for 1,000 yuan, along with some favors. They agreed to meet at the factory the next day to complete the transfer, and then she left.

After leaving the residential area of the light bulb factory, Lu Xia finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Since she still had time, she planned to explore the surrounding area and see if she could find the black market.

After walking for about two hours, she finally saw some suspicious figures sneaking in and out of an alley near the hospital.

She was sure that it was the black market.

However, her current appearance was not suitable to go there.

She needed to disguise herself a little. Unfortunately, she didn’t have anything at hand, so she took out a sack from her storage space, which was used for storing rice, and used it as a headscarf to cover half of her face, leaving only her eyes visible. Then, she quietly entered the black market.

But before she could enter, she was stopped. Lu Xia was startled, thinking that they were going to arrest her. Just as she was about to run away, she heard the person ask in a hushed voice, “What are you here for?”

Lu Xia carefully examined him and realized that he didn’t look like someone who would arrest her. Only then did she feel a bit relieved and replied, “I want to buy something.”

“Oh,” the person responded, “Five cents.”

“Huh?” Lu Xia was taken aback and saw him extend his hand. Understanding the situation, she took out five cents and handed it to him.

After taking the money, the person stepped aside and let her pass. Lu Xia then understood that he was probably a lookout, which meant that the black market should be safe.

However, she immediately felt regretful.

Five cents!

The original host’s entire savings were only 63 cents, and she had spent five cents just to enter.

However, they had their own rules, and at least this way, she felt secure, so she didn’t say anything.

After entering, she discovered that the place was actually quite spacious, and the items for sale were quite comprehensive. It wasn’t as secretive and cautious as she had imagined, with things openly displayed. Although people spoke softly, it seemed lively.

Thinking about the guards outside, Lu Xia speculated that this place must have some organization and background, which eased her mind slightly.

Afterward, she inquired about the prices one by one, gaining some understanding of the market here.

In general, the prices were not high, but that was compared to the 21st century. In this era, goods on the black market were much more expensive than those in the public distribution system.

Having assessed the situation, Lu Xia bought a large basket from a vendor and went outside.

When she returned, the basket was already half-filled with rice.

The same guard as before asked, “What are you up to?”

“Selling things!” Lu Xia replied.

“One dime.”

Lu Xia: “…” How did the price go up just like that?

However, she had already guessed that buying and selling had different price ranges.

Not dwelling on it, she reluctantly handed over one dime, then found a spot to squat down, placing the basket in front of her.

Since she had covered the basket before, no one else knew what was inside.

After arranging the basket, she opened the bag of grain slightly, revealing enough to let people see what it was.

The rice Lu Xia took out was different from others’. Theirs was polished rice with a slightly yellowish color, but hers was pure white. Upon approaching, a fragrant aroma of rice could be detected, clearly indicating its quality.

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**TN

Black Market – private buying and selling at that time was illegal so black markets existed in hidden alleys. All businesses were state-owned (factories, shops, restaurants, etc.), and capitalists, landlords, and those people who had foreign friends were arrested, some were killed (a lot!), some were sent to factories to do hard labor, and some were sent to the countryside to live in cowsheds. It’s a sin to be rich!

Sent-down youths – 1960s-1970s, College was shut down, I don’t really understand the logic behind this, cough, but anyway, unemployed youths from the cities were required to go to the countryside to “help” farmers and also learn from them. IDK. They said it was for population control cause there were too many people in the cities and a lot of them didn’t have jobs? And also because the country’s leader was from the countryside that’s why he wanted youths from the city to experience life there…?