All afternoon, Lin Xia seemed busy with her tasks, yet her mind was actively churning.
At this time, if you wanted to use connections and give gifts, it wasn't appropriate to give money; usually, it was all about giving items.
To buy something, you also had to go to the supply and marketing cooperative, and many items still required coupons for purchase.
For some popular or big-ticket items, those coupons were especially precious.
Of course, there were also some items that didn't require coupons.
Therefore, at this time, if a family had a relative who worked at the supply and marketing cooperative, that was definitely considered a very good job.
Because many items were hard to buy and required asking favors, there were quite a few perks.
Lin Xia had less than twenty yuan in her pocket, which was not an insignificant amount, but she still had to carefully consider what to buy.
She didn't just have to give Liu Lanying something presentable; she also had to take good care of her mother-in-law so that Xiaoqiu would have someone looking out for him when he actually started working at the clothing factory.
After work, Lin Xia hopped on her bicycle and headed straight for the supply and marketing cooperative.
Spring City's supply and marketing cooperative was on North Road, diagonally opposite the Spring City Cinema, now one of the busiest areas.
The string of red-brick bungalows was not small in size, with green window frames and doors, appearing different from those in other places.
As soon as she entered, Lin Xia sniffed the air, a mixture of various seasonings, food products, and fabric aromas hitting her face.
Lin Xia looked around. There were several glass and metal display cases with various goods inside, and shelves against the wall also had items on them, but many spaces were empty, which made her suspect that they were out of stock.
Two female sales clerks were chattering together, their hands busy knitting.
Noticing Lin Xia looking around aimlessly, one of them asked brusquely, "What do you want to buy?"
Lin Xia knew that the attitude of the staff at the supply and marketing cooperative was like this, not just towards her, but towards everyone, so she didn't take it to heart.
She counted her money and bought two cans of hawthorn, two cans of meat, and two boxes of sponge cakes.
Thinking of the kids in Liu Lanying's family, she also bought two jin of fruit candy.
This cost her quite a bit of money. She walked around the supply and marketing cooperative and finally decided on the last scarf left, which had a white base and purple flowers.
Nowadays, scarves were fashionable, but the styles in the county were limited and not particularly attractive.
If someone came back from a big city after a business trip, they usually brought back some nice scarves for people.
A sudden idea crossed Lin Xia's mind: What if she went somewhere to buy a batch of scarves to sell back home, could that work?
Women's love for beauty is innate; no matter whether they are young ladies or young wives, they all love to follow the latest trends.
Things were now different compared to the seventies. She could tell from the clothes of the people riding bikes on the street that there was a lot more color, but to her eyes, having returned from the future, it still looked quite unsophisticated.
This was actually to her advantage!
Her eye for goods would definitely be ahead of the curve if she went to stock up!
Lin Xia felt waves of excitement, but she quickly calmed down. Her idea was only a fleeting inspiration and not yet fully mature. Where to source goods was one issue, and she didn't have the initial capital either.
This single scarf was now selling for more than a yuan, and the wholesale price would certainly be more than a yuan as well. To make her trip cost-effective, she'd have to bring back more goods, otherwise, the travel expenses would be a waste.
Moreover, it was 1981; though trade was allowed, in many people's eyes, setting up a stall was still seen as speculative and underhanded.
Lin Xia shook her head, pushing aside those thoughts. Her most important task at the moment was to secure Lin Qiu's job. She could always think about other things later.
Lin Xia went to Liu Lanying's home, which was easy to find, located diagonally across from the noodle factory.
Gazing at the dark wood door, Lin Xia reached out and hesitated several times. It was her first time doing this kind of thing, and she was not only nervous but also a mess inside, unsure of how to speak once she entered.
But, thinking of the events that had happened during noon today, Lin Xia gritted her teeth and knocked on the door.
No sooner had she knocked a few times than Liu Lanying came out from inside.
"Who is it?"
Lin Xia hurriedly replied, "Sister Liu! It's me! Lin Xia!"
"Ah! You've come!" Liu Lanying hurried over to open the door, and when she saw Lin Xia holding a net bag filled with various items, her smile grew even broader, but she still had to say the polite words, "Xiaolin, what are you doing? If you come to visit, you don't need to bring anything! Take it back when you leave!"
Lin Xia tried to relax and act natural, "Sister Liu! I was just thinking of checking on auntie and your kid! It's all just some food, nothing much! Let's not be so formal between us sisters!"
Liu Lanying's mother-in-law saw Lin Xia carrying things and received her with polite hospitality.
After sitting down and chatting briefly, they got straight to the point.
After listening to Lin Xia's reason for her visit, she asked in detail about Lin Qiu's situation, then told Lin Qiu to go fill out a form at the unit first thing in the morning.
Lin Xia sincerely expressed many words of gratitude. When Lin Qiu got the job at the garment factory, it meant more than just having a job – it also changed a small part of her fate from her previous life.
Later, while Liu Lanying was escorting her out of the house, Lin Xia managed to present the scarf to her.
From the look in Liu Lanying's eyes, Lin Xia could tell she liked it, and felt a weight lift off her heart.
When Lin Xia left Liu Lanying's house and got on her bicycle, the wind on her face felt so soothing, as if the air was filled with beautiful scents.
Lin Xia really wanted to shout out loud, but with people constantly passing by as they finished their workday rides, she turned her excitement into pedaling her bike hard, feeling as if she had endless energy!
"Sister, I'm not dreaming, am I?" Lin Qiu covered her mouth excitedly, her eyes shimmering with tears. She was finally going to work, but why did it feel so surreal, as if she was walking on cotton?
Ever since she graduated, getting a job had been a long and winding road, never being able to catch the right opportunity.
In fact, she was aware that her father wasn't earnestly looking for her. If he had really tried, wouldn't he have found something?
Her elder brother and sister didn't know the right people, and they couldn't count on others even more.
Lin Dong teased with a hearty laugh, "Second Sister! Just pinch yourself, and you'll know!"
He was genuinely happy for his second sister, who would finally start working and not have to toil at home all day, not getting any recognition, let alone having to put up with people's nastiness.
Lin Qiu pretended to pinch Lin Dong, "You little scamp! If I'm going to pinch anyone, it would be you! Let's see if you feel pain!"
Lin Dong ran behind Lin Xia to hide, still daring to poke his head out and make faces at Lin Qiu.
Lin Qiu stopped teasing Lin Dong and grabbed Lin Xia's hand, expressing her feelings, "Sister! I just feel that it's so unreal! I didn't expect it to happen so quickly!"
Lin Xia's heart was also filled with many emotions. In her past life, she had only learned later on that Liu Lanying's mother-in-law worked at the garment factory, but by then, Lin Qiu had already taken a job at the soy sauce factory.
Back then, who could have imagined all the things that would happen, so it was too late to change anything!
Joining the garment factory instead of the soy sauce factory this time, would she avoid meeting that man? Would her destiny start to change from now on?
Despite these thoughts, Lin Xia didn't want to show her concerns on her face. It was a happy occasion, after all, why dwell on those thoughts?
She patted Lin Qiu's shoulder with a chuckle, her tone light, "Silly girl, what's not real about it? Tomorrow morning you're going to the garment factory to fill out the form, and then you can start the onboarding process."
Lin Qiu nodded resolutely, showing her determination, "Sister! You all just wait and see, I'll definitely do a good job! I'll strive to become a regular employee in the future!"