As long as it works, that is enough.

"Uncle, time is short. Please, notify Shanyao quickly; we'll meet at the village entrance."

"Alright, alright..."

Any expression of gratitude could wait; right now, speed was of the essence. With those words, she left the village assembly with Jiang Ruo and hurried home.

Before long, Jiang Ruo was at the entrance, waiting for her bewildered fourth brother and an excited Shanyao.

"Ruoruo..."

As soon as she arrived, Shanyao hugged her excitedly. "Ruoruo, thank you! How are you so kind? I... I don't even know how to put it into words..."

"Alright, alright... If you don't know how to say it, then don't. Let's get moving; time is tight."

"Mm-hmm..." Hearing that urgency, Shanyao grew nervous too, pulled herself together, and nodded quickly.

A perplexed Jiang Sijun looked from one to the other, then followed his sister's instructions, pedaling his bicycle with his two sisters in tow, his legs pumping furiously.

"Brother, you need to act steady when you register in a moment."

"..." The bike screeched to a sudden halt. If Jiang Sijun hadn't quickly braced his feet, the bike would have flipped over.

"Fourth Brother!" Jiang Ruo clutched her chest, looking at Jiang Sijun with annoyance. Shanyao, sitting behind, was not so lucky; she tumbled onto the ground, tears nearly springing to her eyes from the pain.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I was just too excited for a moment."

"Ruoruo... Shanyao, are you two alright?"

Shanyao, in particular, stood up while rubbing her rear, her eyes wide with shock.

"I'm fine..." Jiang Ruo gave her fourth brother a sidelong glance, ignoring him, and looked worriedly at the wincing Shanyao. "Shanyao, are you hurt?"

Shanyao shook her head. "I'm okay, just a bit sore."

Jiang Sijun looked awkwardly between them, offering more apologies. "I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to. I was just so surprised!"

Hearing this, Shanyao glanced at Jiang Ruo. In that brief exchange of looks, Jiang Ruo understood.

"Fourth Brother, I hadn't had a chance to tell him yet."

Ah, so that was it. No wonder. She withdrew her murderous glare from her fourth brother. She was a magnanimous person, so she would let it slide this time.

Jiang Sijun: "..."

Under his sister's urging gaze, he quickly got back on the bike.

As they rode, Jiang Ruo explained the news about the paper mill's hiring, though she said nothing of Dani. As for how she had heard the news, she naturally blamed her classmates. It was an old trick, but it worked!

Hiring! This news was hard to remain calm about. While Jiang Sijun was excited, his legs moved like they had motors attached; he managed to make the old bicycle feel like it was flying.

Half an hour later, the three of them stood outside the paper mill. After exchanging friendly greetings with the gatekeeper, they followed his directions to the office.

They didn't see the gatekeeper shaking his head, thinking to himself that the little girl was too kind. Opportunities were already scarce, and she had brought two others along. She was still too young!

"Knock, knock, knock..."

"Come in..." The man organizing the registration materials paused his work and spoke.

"Comrade, hello. We are here to register."

Another registration. The man's eyes flickered. He wondered what kind of day it was; no one came for ages, and then they all showed up at once.

"Comrade..." Seemingly ignoring the man's blank expression, Jiang Ruo smiled with a familiar ease and stepped forward, deftly slipping a pack of Da Qianmen cigarettes under the man's documents. "Comrade, we were introduced by Big Brother Liu, the gatekeeper."

"Liu Daqiang?"

"Yes, that's him, Big Brother Liu Daqiang."

"In that case, come over and fill out the forms." Knowing it was a referral, the man's attitude improved significantly. He handed them three forms and followed the standard procedure: "By the way, did you bring your household registration books and graduation certificates?"

"Yes, we did. My household registration isn't at home right now, but our village chief provided a certificate."

Jiang Sijun was quick this time; he cleverly handed over the cigarettes his sister had already pressed into his hand.

"Since Liu Daqiang recommended you, I can make an exception for now, but you must have the household registration book if you are accepted."

The man quickly pocketed the cigarettes, his expression softening further, and a smile appeared on his face.

"Yes, yes..." Jiang Sijun laughed along, nodding repeatedly.

After checking the documents, the man nodded and returned them, his gaze drifting to the only one among the three who hadn't moved. He added, perhaps unnecessarily: "Aren't you registering?"

Jiang Ruo smiled. "Thank you for your concern, Comrade, but I am not registering."

It was just an ordinary smile, yet it left Qian Feng stunned. Bright eyes and white teeth—that was the perfect description. He couldn't help but take another look. This girl was even prettier than the mill's beauty queen. If he hadn't just looked at her registration and seen they were from Banyao Village, he would have thought she was a city girl.

With a regretful glance at her, Qian Feng returned to his official tone: "Come back in three days at eight o'clock for the exam. Don't be late..."

"Thank you, Comrade. We will definitely be on time," Jiang Sijun said, brimming with excitement.

"You're welcome." Qian Feng nodded and stopped speaking, though his gaze lingered on Jiang Ruo for a moment longer.

Until they were outside the office, Jiang Sijun and Jiang Shanyao’s hearts were still pounding with excitement.

"We actually registered," Jiang Sijun looked at his sister in disbelief, feeling as though he were in a dream.

Shanyao pinched herself. "Ouch." It hurt. It wasn't a dream. In her excitement, she looked earnestly at her friend. "Ruoruo, thank you. If I get accepted, my first month's salary will be all yours." She meant it from the bottom of her heart. If she really got the job, not just the first month, but even six months would be worth it.

"Mine will go to my sister too," Jiang Sijun wouldn't be outdone by an outsider.

"Pfft." Jiang Ruo laughed, her bright, radiant smile like the moon in the sky, making it impossible to look away.

"County Magistrate, we have arrived at the paper mill..."

The secretary's voice made Ye Si, who had been slightly distracted, nod. He composed his expression, his face returning to its usual indifference as he withdrew his gaze.

At that moment, Jiang Ruo was thanking the gatekeeper with her fourth brother and Shanyao. Seeing a car approaching from afar, they were sharp enough to leave a handful of candies behind and quickly retreated with her fourth brother and Shanyao before the gatekeeper had to signal them.

In that brief moment, the mill entrance was suddenly filled with leaders, all looking quite tense.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a long leg in a leather shoe stepping out of the car.

"Let's go, Fourth Brother."

As she turned away, she didn't know that the figure who had stepped out of the car had cast a faint, imperceptible glance at her back before walking into the paper mill, surrounded by the crowd.

On the way back, Jiang Sijun was tirelessly excited, riding all the way back to the village in one go.

Once home, he put his graduation certificate away, kept his sister's warning to stay silent in mind, and immediately rushed back to the fields.

Jiang Ruo shook her head and smiled, glanced toward a certain room that showed no signs of life, and went to find her aunt.

"It smells so good! What delicious thing are you making? Auntie, let me help you?"

Before she even reached the kitchen, her pleasant voice had already arrived. Whether she could actually help was another matter, but her attitude was sincere, and Wang Xiaocao’s face beamed with joy.

She stopped her, saying, "No need, no need. This little bit of work isn't enough for me to handle alone. Why don't you go cool some tea? Your grandfather and grandmother will surely be thirsty when they return."