Married to a man in Northwest China, the delicate wife with a soft waist is spoiled rotten by the ro

Chapter 46: Hold it in hand
The sky above changed along with the outside world; it was pitch black outside the glass window, with no moon or stars, and a thick fog below.

Ji Sisi sat at her desk flipping through newspapers. Two hours passed, and she had accumulated a pile of newspapers she had read.

Leaning back in my chair to rest, I closed my eyes and thought back to a few years later when China would enter a new phase. After the first state-owned factory announced its bankruptcy in the newspaper, more and more state-owned factories were poorly managed and went bankrupt one after another, and China was hit by a wave of layoffs.

In just a few years, the private economy will spring up like mushrooms after rain and flourish. That will be the time for a true change of dynasty, and the era of ration coupons and state-owned enterprises will be over.

Ji Sisi fell asleep while thinking about it. When she woke up again, it was the first half of the night. She walked back to her room in a daze and fell asleep as soon as she lay down.
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After having breakfast, Ji Sisi arrived at the examination venue, which was the same dam as before.

The dam area is well-located and spacious, and a pavilion has been built next to it. Movie screenings and meetings are usually held here.

It was called an exam room, but there were no preparations at all. Everyone was waiting for Huang Qiaomei to ask questions. Anyone who couldn't answer more than three questions would be eliminated. Each person only had three chances. A point system was used, and whoever had the highest score would win.

"This is Jiang Qing, a colleague from our unit. She is serving as the referee for this event."

Jiang Qing was wearing a white floral short-sleeved shirt and black trousers. Two small braids hung down behind her shoulders. She had delicate features and exuded a pure and clean aura.

Huang Qiaomei handed the list to Jiang Qing, indicating that she could take attendance.

"Hello ladies, this is Xiao Qing. I'm going to start calling roll. Please respond when your name is called. If you don't respond after more than five times, you'll be considered to have forfeited the competition."

Jiang Qing began calling roll, her voice loud and clear.

The onlookers started speculating, "Who do you think will win?"

"It must be Ji Sisi. She has connections and she's from the city."

"I don't think so. I saw that Xiaolan's lights were still on when I got up last night. Besides, Xiaolan is from the city. I heard that many college students came from her high school."

"Don't forget, Gu Xinyi is a primary school teacher back in her hometown, so she's definitely going to win."

Ji Sisi couldn't help but feel nervous, and her palms started to sweat slightly.

She's been out of college for five years, and she's forgotten most of what she learned in high school.

Facing so many formidable opponents, she wasn't sure if she could win.

Huang Qiaomei cleared her throat. "Before we begin, I have something to make clear. This job is not a permanent position and it's not a secure job. It's just that the higher-ups can't transfer people right now, so it's just a temporary job. In the end, it's not like you can start working just by passing the exam. The specifics will depend on the leadership's decision. If you can accept it, you can continue to take the exam. If you can't accept it, you can leave now."

Huang Qiaomei had already made these points clear when she registered, but she was still worried and repeated them again.

Seeing that no one wanted to quit, Huang Qiaomei continued with the final step, "Then let's start the test. The first question will test knowledge from junior and senior high school."

You will be given two classical Chinese texts, "The Teacher's Saying" and "Chapter Twelve of the Analects," to memorize. You will then recite and translate the original text with me and Comrade Jiang Qing. "The Teacher's Saying" is worth 20 points, and "Chapter Twelve of the Analects" is worth 15 points. You will only have one opportunity to reread or choose a different text.

Ji Sisi was stunned. Wasn't this like having her completely shut down?

The more painful it was to memorize those classical Chinese texts in high school, the more joy I feel now. These texts are etched into my bones, knowledge flowing in my blood.

I remember that my Chinese teacher was also my homeroom teacher. She would deliberately wait for us during holidays and block the classroom door, carrying us out one by one. She would also conduct several spot checks each semester.

Ji Sisi never imagined that, besides the college entrance examination, it would come in handy again.

To avoid suspicion, Ji Sisi walked straight towards Jiang Qing, saying, "My choice of teacher is based on the saying that in ancient times, scholars always had teachers. A teacher is one who imparts knowledge, instructs in skills, and resolves doubts..."

The entire room fell silent; the space, which could hold thirty people, was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Three minutes later, Ji Sisi finished speaking, "I admire his ability to follow the ways of the ancients, and I will write 'On Teachers' to give to him."

As Jiang Qing listened to Ji Sisi's original explanation and compared it with the list, she found that Ji Sisi's explanation was closer to the original meaning than the list's translation, and much better.

Jiang Qing's eyes shone with admiration as she nodded excitedly, "Passed! 20 points!"

Although the other onlookers didn't understand the meaning, they saw that Ji Sisi recited fluently, with almost no pauses throughout the entire piece, demonstrating that the obscure and difficult classical Chinese was a piece of cake for her.

For the rest of the time, Ji Sisi watched the others recite.

Gu Xinyi and Guo Xiaolan also passed, but Guo Xiaolan got stuck while reciting, and after that she became more and more anxious. In the end, she could only choose the twelve chapters of the Analects, and got 15 points.

Of the fifteen people, nine were eliminated in the first round, leaving only six.

Ji Sisi genuinely admired the few people besides herself, Guo Xiaolan, and Gu Xinyi. They were all married with children, and after nearly ten years away from school, they could still remember junior high school knowledge, which was admirable.

With so many talented people around, she has to be serious and meet them in the best possible condition.

The next question asked the six people to share what they had recently read in the newspaper and their thoughts. Everyone's scores were similar, but Ji Sisi, who had just crammed last night, scored higher than the others.

The final question, worth fifty points, was posed by Huang Qiaomei: If you were the village secretary, how would you balance the industrial development of each team, how would you lead the commune to progress, and how would you become an advanced commune?

The question shocked everyone present.

This is not a problem they should even be considering.

Huang Qiaomei knew the question was tricky, and she didn't expect them to give perfect answers. She just wanted to see if anyone was quick-witted.

As the secretary's liaison, the job is simple, but it requires quick thinking and good communication skills. These two qualities are crucial.

Ji Sisi was also stumped and started thinking.

There are 30 minutes to think and prepare. When the time is up, you have to answer one by one. This time, you don't have to separate people. Just answer in front of everyone. Huang Qiaomei also said that the louder you speak, the more points you get.

When the time was up, Huang Qiaomei saw that no one was willing to be the first, so she started answering according to the order drawn by lot.

Ji Sisi drew third place, and she drooped her aching legs.

It's really not easy to find a job, especially since this is just a temporary one.

When Ji Sisi was little, her grandmother mentioned that in their time, jobs were obtained through examinations. Once you had a job, you would never have to worry about food and drink for the rest of your life, and even the jobs of the next generation could be secured.

The welfare benefits were no worse than those of the later Gong Zhi.

Soon it was Ji Sisi's turn. She took a deep breath and decided to just do her best. Her only way out was the cordyceps on that mountain.

Ji Sisi took the stage, and her presentation lasted less than anyone else's, only five minutes. After she finished speaking, she bowed and left the stage.

Huang Qiaomei smiled and listened quietly to the next person's suggestion.

After everyone had finished speaking, Huang Qiaomei held up the score sheet and said, "The results are in. Before we announce them, I'd like to ask everyone, who do you think gave the best speech?"

(End of this chapter)