Year 1983: I was a carpenter in Northeast China

Because it was already very late when they got home, the mother and her two children quickly washed up and went back to their rooms.

But with the movie still lingering in my mind, it was impossible to fall asleep so quickly.

Xu Bei crawled between the kang (heated brick bed) and the mattress, enjoying the warm heat on his back while manipulating the game system with his mind.

The third plot of land has now been developed, and it can be harvested twice a day, yielding six trees.

Although the number of trees that need to be planted increases as new plots are unlocked, he is not in a hurry at all.

After all, even if more trees could be planted and more wood products could be produced on the assembly line, there simply aren't that many channels to sell them in reality.

Moreover, he vaguely remembered that the crackdown started this summer.

The crackdown on speculation and profiteering was very severe, and the penalties were extremely harsh.

Sometimes the line between what works and what doesn't isn't so clear.

Therefore, there's no need to knowingly venture into dangerous territory.

There's nothing shameful about playing it safe and avoiding direct confrontation.

Anyway, it's a business with no initial investment, and you can make money every day.

night, deeper.

Xu Bei yawned, feeling sleepy, but could still faintly hear voices coming from the east room.

He guessed that his mother and sister were getting more and more excited as they talked, smiled, and closed his eyes.

Because I went to bed late, I unsurprisingly woke up late as well.

When Xu Dashan returned from his night shift, shivering from the cold, only Zhao Fengying was bustling about quietly in the misty kitchen.

Xu Bei and Xu Juan, the brother and sister, were still fast asleep on the kang (heated brick bed) in the east and west rooms.

Zhao Fengying wiped her hands on her apron. "You're back, Lao Xu. Quickly take off your cotton shoes and put them next to the stove to warm up."

Xu Dashan hummed in agreement, peeked at the small square windows above the doors of the two rooms, then unbuttoned his coat and sat down on the stool.

"These two kids are really lucky; it's so late and they're still sleeping."

Zhao Fengying squatted down to help untie her shoelaces and said softly, "It's nothing, the food isn't ready yet, let them go to sleep. Don't cause trouble so early in the morning."

Xu Dashan was glared at, but dared not utter a word of anger.

After all, we had just appeased the person, and their family from their hometown was about to arrive; we couldn't afford to cause any more trouble.

"Oh, right, we've made our expenses."

Zhao Fengying immediately beamed and looked up at her, "Really? How much did you get this month?"

"A little over sixty." As Xu Dashan spoke, he pulled an envelope from the inside pocket of his cotton-padded coat. "Check it yourself."

Zhao Fengying happily accepted the envelope, opened it without sealing it, and quickly counted out her pay slips and some coins.

"Sixty-four yuan and eighty cents. How should we arrange it?"

Xu Dashan scratched his prickly scalp. "Since the old ladies are coming, let's not transfer the money yet. Let's just give it to them in person. Here's your sixty yuan, and give me four yuan and eighty cents for pocket money."

Zhao Fengying earns a decent amount of commission every day now, so she doesn't meticulously calculate household expenses like she used to. "Fine, I'm just passing through anyway, I'll just skim off the top of the list. By the way, why don't you bring your son's car back with you?"

Xu Dashan took the money, snorted coldly, and said, "Even if I don't have his signature, the cashier can't do it."

Zhao Fengying nodded. "That's true. Let him go by himself."

In the west room.

Xu Bei, who was lying on his side, had actually been awake for a few minutes, but he kept his eyes closed and didn't make a sound.

My father was a worker who earned a total of over sixty yuan, while I was a temporary worker and only earned about thirty yuan.

However, in the 1980s, this money had strong purchasing power and could buy a lot of good things.

Many educated youth who returned to the city were unemployed and still jobless. Compared to them, he was much luckier.

Later that evening, after having breakfast at home, Xu Bei rode his bicycle out the door.

A few days passed in the blink of an eye. This was only the second time he had stepped into the workplace he had worked at for so long since his rebirth, and he couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions.

Upon entering the timber processing plant, one can smell a familiar aroma that blends the scent of pine, machine oil, and coal smoke throughout the factory area.

Huge stacks of logs, piled up like small mountains, lay on the open ground, covered by the thick snow that had fallen a couple of days earlier, with some areas revealing the dark brown bark.

In the distance, the buzzing of machinery echoed from the band saw workshop; it was the heart of the factory, beating ceaselessly day and night.

Xu Bei walked through the yard piled with timber and arrived at the two-story red brick building at the far east end of the factory area—that was the factory's office building.

The red paint on the sign outside the building is already a bit faded, and the words "wood processing factory" have also faded a bit, but it still looks quite impressive.

He rode to the bicycle shed, found a spot, put his bicycle inside, and locked it.

Then, he walked into the office building with light steps.

The stairwell was dark, and the cement steps were worn smooth and shiny by countless pairs of work shoes covered in sawdust and grease.

Not only Xu Bei, but also other people's footsteps echoed in the corridor.

On the east side of the second-floor corridor, at the door with the words "Finance Office" written on a wooden sign, a line of more than ten people had already formed, most of them with anticipation and joy on their faces.

Xu Bei's appearance immediately attracted a lot of attention.

Many people know that he had argued with his supervisor in the workshop and threatened to quit, and that he never came back to work.

Xu Dashan, being a veteran in his workplace, has had his son a subject of much gossip, both openly and secretly.

Xu Bei didn't care about the strange looks and stares from others.

He joined the queue directly behind the last person.

The payroll was paid quickly, and in no time, Xu Bei followed the team to the entrance of the finance office.

The door to the finance office was open, and a mixture of the smells of heating, paper, ink, and money wafted out.

The room wasn't big, but it felt incredibly cramped.

Against the wall was a row of tall metal filing cabinets, the tops of which were piled high with ledgers and reports.

In the center of the room stood several old desks, piled with abacuses, seals, and various documents.

Thick frost flowers covered the windowpanes, isolating the outside world into a blurry expanse of light and shadow.

The liveliest corner in the room was the desk against the inner wall—that was the cashier's seat.

The cashier was a middle-aged woman in her forties.

He wore a blue cloth overcoat over his cotton-padded jacket, and his hair was neatly combed.

She held a pen and a pay sheet in her hand, and on the table in front of her were some envelopes, each with the names of the workshop and team members written on it.

Xu Bei remembered that the other person's surname was Ma.

After the person in front of him left with the envelope and a big smile, it was Xu Bei's turn.

"Xu Bei, thirty-six yuan exactly."

The other party read out his name and the amount.

Xu Bei stepped forward, dipped his hand stamp (engraved with his name) into the open red inkpad box, and stamped it on the payroll next to the column with his name.

Then, he took the envelope from her hand.

Accountant Ma gave the young man, who was well-known in the factory, a serious look. "Count it carefully, and don't go back and say you've counted too little."

Xu Bei smiled calmly and ordered right there in front of him.

During this time, I also glanced at the pay slip tucked inside the envelope.

The seal on the top was stamped with red ink and read "Timber Processing Plant Finance Department Seal," while the handwritten actual wage was thirty-six yuan...