Heading for the Plains - Chapter 7

When Xia Chao set her mind to something, her efficiency was remarkably high.

“Plotting before acting” wasn’t her style, nor did she expect to find a glamorous job. After all, Sister Honghong back home had told her: for people from small places like them, as long as you can feed yourself and have a roof over your head, you’re doing just fine.

With that mindset as her foundation, finding work shouldn’t be too difficult, Xia Chao thought confidently.

She didn’t realize that reality was about to slap her across the face.

As a child of the mountains and a semi-literate girl, Xia Chao didn’t know that job fairs were no longer the primary way to recruit in this day and age. For average small business owners looking for a server or a dishwasher, it simply wasn’t worth the effort to station someone here.

And professional firms looking for technical talent didn’t give Xia Chao a second glance. She tried stopping at a corporate booth where an HR rep, dressed in a shirt and blazer, was looking bored. Seeing a pretty young girl peeking in, the rep called out casually.

“Which position are you interested in? Do you have a resume?”

“A rest-you-may?” Xia Chao didn’t understand the terminology, her big eyes blinking in confusion. “Where do I rest?”

Never mind.

The HR rep complained silently in her head but sent her away with a professional smile: “Sorry, our requirements aren’t quite the right fit.”

And so, Xia Chao was sent on her way. She wandered around several other companies, only to receive more or less the same results. In an era where degrees had depreciated so heavily, let alone jobs with full benefits, even simple labor positions saw college students fighting over them.

Scanning the room, it seemed the only places willing to take “low-education talent” like her were the factories.

To her surprise, even the factories wouldn’t take her. The foreman in charge of hiring squeezed a chuckle through his teeth when she approached: “Oh, little sister, we’re looking for rough guys to do back-breaking labor. Women can’t handle this work.”

His appraising gaze swept over Xia Chao’s face and lingered. “Tell you what, why don’t you go with a buddy of mine? He runs a nightclub. You just host guests and accompany them for some karaoke. Room and board included.”

His smile began to turn greasy. “With looks like yours, you might even find a rich boyfriend to take care of you.”

To hell with him.

Xia Chao rolled her eyes inwardly, a cold sneer on her face as she gave him a sharp middle finger. Then, before he could process it and start cursing, she made a swift escape.

She wasn’t actually intimidated. She had seen too many men with filthy mouths back home. Men who told crude jokes while claiming to be the pillars of their families, constantly saying women “weren’t suited” for this or that, while actually relying on their wives’ wages to survive.

And these factories too. She was fuming. There were women in every industry imaginable, yet they insisted women “weren’t suited” either refusing to hire them or offering docked pay.

Pah. Just bullies. She raised a mental middle finger, regretting that she hadn’t given him a piece of her mind before running.

Regardless, she wouldn’t be seeing them again; the job fair had nothing for her.

A bus arrived just in time. Xia Chao checked her documents, hopped on, and stared blankly out the window.

Off to a bad start… she sighed. It looked like she’d have to keep staying at Ping Yuan’s place.

For some reason, the thought of Ping Yuan brought a delayed surge of self-pity to her heart. It was only after going out into the world that she realized Ping Yuan’s sharp-tongued, soft-hearted nature was actually quite endearing.

If only she really were her sister. If they had truly grown up together, she would have returned home, collapsed onto her sister in a fit of dramatic grievance, wailed like a ghost, and eventually extorted three ice creams out of her.

But they weren’t. They were sisters in name only, essentially strangers who had to maintain a polite distance.

What ice cream? Xia Chao thought gloomily. Someone who couldn’t even find a job should just settle for a four-yuan iced lemonade.

Unfortunately, she didn’t see the familiar red sign with the white snowman after getting off the bus. There was, however, a milk tea shop with a name she had never seen before.

She went in, ordered a lemonade, and sipped it while messaging Ping Yuan to ask if she wanted one.

A moment later, Ping Yuan replied with two brief characters: No need.

Perhaps feeling that her refusal was too blunt, a short voice note popped up five seconds later: Thanks.

Maybe it was because she was at work, but Xia Chao felt there was a slight rasp in her clear voice. The tail end of the words carried a faint, breathy quality that scratched at her eardrum like a tiny sigh.

The cold lemonade slid down her throat, bringing back the image of Ping Yuan tilting her head to drink the night before. A white shirt, black hair, and a face as clean and cold as a handful of snow.

Summer was truly an unfit season for going outdoors. The heat simmered while the AC blasted so hard it made the crushed ice in her cup rattle. With her fingertips chilled to the bone, her heart felt strangely hot and restless, as if something were starting to grow there.

I think I’m getting a cold from the air conditioning.

Better just go home. Xia Chao stood up, swinging the lemonade bag from her finger as she sauntered out, only to stop in her tracks.

A small-to-medium-sized X-stand poster was taped to the storefront. Thick black ink spelled out: “Hiring. No experience required. Salary: 3000–5000.”

That’s so much money!

Xia Chao’s eyes lit up. She made a split-second decision and rushed back inside. “Are you looking for urgent help?”

The busy store manager looked up and locked eyes with her.

A natural-born talent for shaking milk tea! The manager decided instantly: “We are!”

In this line of work, you either ended up with arms like a lumberjack or developed tenosynovitis. Three part-time college students had already quit this month, and summer was peak season. Xia Chao’s eager job-seeking was like a gift from the heavens.

The manager checked her ID and explained the basics, like the pay, hours, and such. Getting an affirmative response, she was delighted and asked Xia Chao to do a physical test.

The “test” was simple. She pointed to a corner and asked Xia Chao to move a crate of supplies to the back kitchen.

It was definitely lighter than Xia Ling. Back when her mother was hospitalized and they couldn’t afford a nurse, Xia Chao had spent every day lifting her and moving her from the bed to the wheelchair all on her own.

The manager was even more pleased by her brisk, efficient movements. “Great, that’ll do. Find time this weekend to get your health certificate, then come by to sign the contract.”

Speaking of the certificate, she gave Xia Chao another once-over. The girl was clean and well-groomed, with neatly trimmed fingernails, perfect for food safety standards.

Both parties were thoroughly satisfied, reaching a friendly “labor-cattle” agreement. Xia Chao waved goodbye to the manager and headed toward the wet market.

She had briefly considered checking other tea shops. After all, shaking tea was the same everywhere but this location was incredibly convenient. It was close to Ping Yuan’s place, which made up for the lack of room and board.

She would still have to trouble Ping Yuan for a while, though. Xia Chao thought about it and decided to use a portion of her future wages to pay Ping Yuan “rent.”

Mhm, she nodded to herself. And I’ll help out with as many chores as I can; like grocery shopping and cooking.

Freeloading wasn’t her style, and besides, Ping Yuan’s cooking was honestly terrible.

That last part was the key thought.

Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh. Humans are strange; she had been ready for a total fallout last night, yet by late afternoon, her heart was much calmer. Perhaps what had hurt her most wasn’t Ping Yuan’s standoffishness, but her own tiny pride and insecurity acting up.

A job earned by one’s own hands grants dignity. Even a common, tiring job was a new beginning; a symbol of independence.

I’ll figure out how to get that health certificate in the next couple of days. She swung her lemonade bag lightly, skipping forward before realizing she looked a bit reckless. She stopped and resumed a more serious walk.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves like shards of green glass. Whenever the wind blew, there was a crisp, rustling sound. The dappled light on the ground danced like children waving shiny candy wrappers. Bobbing her head with her ponytail bouncing, she decided to make dinner tonight and add an extra soup for Ping Yuan.

*****

Author’s Note:

The younger sister is finally going to show off her culinary skills!

Support Heading for the Plains