Sold into a ghost marriage? Four-year-old and his thuggish father go on a killing spree.

"Yanqiu, I have some amazing news, but I don't know if you dare to accept it!"

As soon as Gu Yanqiu stepped into the brigade headquarters, Cheng Tiezhu slammed the newspaper in his hand in front of him and got straight to the point.

It was a copy of the Qinghe Daily. In one corner of the newspaper, a job advertisement, about the size of a tofu block, was printed in bold.

"The county agricultural machinery station is recruiting one temporary technician. Requirements: junior high school education or above, knowledge of agricultural machinery repair, veterans preferred..."

Gu Yanqiu's gaze was fixed on the words "county agricultural machinery station" and "temporary technician".

My heart started pounding uncontrollably.

county seat!

Agricultural machinery station!

That's a place where you get a government job!

Although it was only "temporary," for these farmers who toiled in the fields from dawn till dusk,

It's already a paradise I never dared to dream of!

"Uncle Cheng...I..." Gu Yanqiu's lips were dry, and for a moment he couldn't utter a complete sentence.

"Stop with the 'I'!" Cheng Tiezhu waved his hand, took out a pre-written recommendation letter from the drawer, and pushed it in front of him.

"I've already written the letter for you!"

Cheng Tiezhu pointed to the words on the letter and said, word by word:

"I patted my chest to the commune leaders! I said, 'Gu Yanqiu from my Chengjiawan brigade, although he's not very educated, he's quick-witted and skillful! The diesel engine that the mechanic sent from the county couldn't fix, he figured out in one night!'"

"I also said, this kid has impeccable character! He was the one who brought his daughter to expose the work point scandal during the summer harvest! He's a responsible, honest, and upright young man!"

"The commune has read your letter and agreed to give you an interview. Whether you go or not is up to you!"

Gu Yanqiu's eyes welled up with tears as she looked at Cheng Tiezhu's crooked yet powerful handwriting on the recommendation letter.

He knew how important this letter of recommendation was.

This means that Cheng Tiezhu is using his decades-long reputation to vouch for Gu Yanqiu!

This kindness is immense!

"Uncle Cheng..." Gu Yanqiu's voice choked with emotion, a thousand words unspoken, finally culminating in a deep bow, "I...I'll go!"

"Go ahead!" Cheng Tiezhu nodded in satisfaction, then solemnly warned, "But Yanqiu, I have to make this clear beforehand."

"This spot is being watched by quite a few people! All I can do is get you to the door. Whether you get in or not depends on your own abilities!"

"Also, don't tell anyone about this until you receive official notification! Especially... your uncle's family! Understand?"

Gu Yanqiu nodded emphatically: "I understand!"

The interview is scheduled for three days from now.

Gu Yanqiu barely slept for the past three days.

During the day, he still went to work at the brick kiln.

That night, he took apart and reassembled the several half-repaired, dilapidated machines in his house over and over again.

He had gone over the structure of every part and the purpose of every screw countless times in his mind.

Niannian also became nervous.

She found the only shirt in the house without patches, which Gu Yanqiu wore at his wedding.

The clothes have faded from washing, and the collar and cuffs are worn out.

Following Wang Da Niang's example, Niannian found a needle and thread, tore off a piece of cloth of a similar color from her old clothes, and by the light of the oil lamp, mended the torn parts neatly, stitch by stitch.

Although the stitches were crooked, in Gu Yanqiu's eyes, it was more beautiful than any new clothes sold in the county department store.

On the day of the interview, the father and daughter got up before dawn.

Gu Yanqiu changed into the shirt that carried his daughter's heartfelt wishes, combed his hair meticulously, and even shaved off the stubble on his face.

He looked energetic and alert.

He borrowed his neighbor's bicycle, carefully placed Niannian on the front bar, and rode towards the county town, which was more than ten miles away.

For Niannian, the county town was a completely unfamiliar world.

The road was much wider than Chengjiawan's, bicycles came and went, brightly colored fabrics were displayed in shop windows, and the aroma of meat buns wafted in the air...

Everything was new and exciting to her.

The agricultural machinery station is located on the east side of the county town, in a large courtyard with several brand-new, imposing tractors parked inside.

Gu Yanqiu parked the car, told Niannian to wait in the reception room at the entrance, and then, holding the letter of recommendation, took a deep breath and walked into the interview office.

There were three people sitting in the office.

The man in the middle is an elderly cadre with gray hair and glasses; he looks very serious.

On the left is a middle-aged man wearing blue overalls, who is probably a technician.

On the right is a young woman who is in charge of taking notes.

"You're Gu Yanqiu?" The middle-aged cadre pushed up his glasses and sized him up.

"Yes, sir." Gu Yanqiu stood ramrod straight, his palms sweating with nervousness.

"Tell me, why do you want to come to our agricultural machinery station?"

The question is straightforward.

Countless prepared answers flashed through Gu Yanqiu's mind—"To better serve the people," "To learn more advanced technology," "To serve the country"...

But when he looked out the window at the small figure quietly waiting at the gatehouse entrance, holding a book, all the words he had prepared vanished.

He pursed his dry lips and said in an almost clumsy but incredibly sincere tone:

"Boss, I...I want to make money."

The office was quiet.

The young woman in charge of taking notes couldn't help but chuckle.

Even the serious-looking veteran cadre raised an eyebrow in surprise.

My daughter is five years old this year.

Gu Yanqiu ignored their reactions and continued speaking to himself, his voice trembling slightly.

"She has never had a full meal since she was born."

He has never worn a new piece of clothing.

"She's very smart, smarter than anyone else. I want her to go to school, I want her to have a good life."

"I'm not capable, I'm just from the countryside, but I'm strong, I'm not clumsy, I can fix machines. I'll do anything to give my daughter a better life!"

He didn't make any grand pronouncements.

He was simply expressing a father's most basic and profound wish.

A long silence fell over the office once again.

The bespectacled senior cadre stared at him quietly for a long time, then slowly said to the technician beside him:

"Old Han, why don't you ask about the technical issues?"

The next hour became Gu Yanqiu's solo performance.

Based on the working principle of diesel engines

Cleaning methods for carburetors

Next, troubleshooting the transmission...

The technician named Lao Han asked increasingly tricky and probing questions.

Gu Yanqiu, however, answered fluently.

He wasn't talking about textbook knowledge, but rather the most practical experience he had gained through repeated practice.

Finally, Old Han tossed him a completely clogged fuel injector: "You have ten minutes. Can you clear this?"

Without saying a word, Gu Yanqiu picked up the tools and in less than five minutes, he had disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled the delicate part.

When he handed over the shiny new fuel injector, for the first time, genuine appreciation appeared in Old Han's eyes.

The interview is over.

When Gu Yanqiu walked out of the office, the back of her shirt was already soaked with sweat.

Niannian immediately jumped off the stool, ran to his side, looked up at him with her little face, and asked nervously, "Daddy, how is it?"

Looking at her daughter's worried eyes, Gu Yanqiu grinned, revealing a smile that was more like a grimace.

"have no idea."

They waited for another long hour at the gatehouse.

Just when Gu Yanqiu was about to give up, the technician named Lao Han came out of the yard and handed him a piece of paper stamped with a red seal.

"Gu Yanqiu, right? Come and report for duty next Monday at eight o'clock in the morning, bringing your luggage."

"One-month probation period, salary of eighteen yuan, lunch provided."

"Work hard, don't let Secretary Cheng, who recommended you, down!"

Become!

It really did!

Holding the thin yet incredibly heavy registration notice, Gu Yanqiu trembled with excitement.

He picked Niannian up and gave her a big kiss on her little face!

"Niannian! Daddy has a job! Daddy can earn money in the county town now!"

On the way back, Gu Yanqiu rode her bicycle very fast.

The setting sun cast long, long shadows of the father and daughter.

However, when they turned into the village and saw the figure leaning against the crooked tree with a forced smile, Gu Yanqiu's heart sank.

It is Gu Yanchun.

"Hey, Second Brother, you've gone to town to make your fortune?"

Gu Yanchun spat out the grass root in his mouth and slowly walked over, his eyes scanning the registration notice in Gu Yanqiu's hand like a venomous snake.

Congratulations!

He patted Gu Yanqiu on the shoulder, leaned close to his ear, and said in a chilling voice that only the two of them could hear:

"However, I must remind you of something."

"A job in the county town is much more precious than one in the village. And... it's also more fragile."

"You'd better... hold on tight."