“The 1950s: Starting as an Apprentice Worker”

Xing Baolan is a fifteen-year-old girl living in Hongsha Village in 1955. Her family is poor, and her father, Xing Jiafu, is a village cadre. Her older brother, Xing Baosong, has a physical disability from polio, which makes finding him a wife difficult. Baolan’s parents decide to arrange an exchange marriage: Baolan will marry Chen Yuzhu, the son of a rich peasant family, in exchange for Baosong marrying Chen Yuzhu’s sister. Baolan vehemently opposes this arrangement, viewing it as shameful and forced. She argues with her parents but finds no support from her siblings, who are either compliant or indifferent. Realizing her family will not change their minds, Baolan decides to escape the marriage by seeking employment in the city.

Baolan recalls her cousin, who successfully fled an arranged marriage by moving to the county town and becoming a factory worker. Inspired, Baolan resolves to do the same. She begins secretly saving money by selling wild mushrooms she gathers from the mountains with her friends, Dingqing and Juju. She also asks her friends to help her forge an introduction letter, which is required for travel and employment in the new society. With the forged letter and her savings, Baolan plans to travel to Mingfeng City, a larger industrial center with more job opportunities than the county town. She tells her parents she is visiting her cousin, who is about to give birth, and departs with Dingqing, who insists on accompanying her.

Upon arriving in Mingfeng City, Baolan and Dingqing learn about a recruitment drive at a new food canning factory. The factory is hiring over two hundred production line workers, requiring only basic literacy and hygiene. Baolan and Dingqing register for the exam, which is scheduled for the following day. They stay at a cheap inn and spend their time preparing for the test by reviewing basic arithmetic and characters. On the day of the exam, they join a large crowd of applicants. The screening process includes a hygiene check, which eliminates many candidates with poor personal cleanliness. The written exam tests basic literacy and problem-solving skills. Baolan answers the questions carefully, drawing on her experience with conflict resolution in her village.

Shortly after the exam, the results are posted. Baolan and Dingqing both pass and are hired as apprentices. They receive their employment forms and introduction letters, which allow them to transfer their household registration to the city. Baolan decides to transfer her registration, severing her ties to the village and her family’s control over her. She and Dingqing return to Hongsha Village to pack their belongings. Baolan confronts her parents, informing them of her decision to become a factory worker and her refusal to marry into the Chen family. Her parents are angry but ultimately unable to stop her, as she has already secured her future. Baolan leaves the village with Dingqing, heading back to Mingfeng City to begin her new life as a worker. The story ends with Baolan looking forward to her independence and the opportunities that await her in the city.