Lin Yueru deliberately took the household register when she left, thinking she could manipulate me with it?
Jiang Si had four words for her: Dream on!
"Officer, my family’s household register, grain purchase book, coal ration book, grain coupons, and oil coupons were all stored together in a box, and they took that too."
"Today is already the 23rd. Tomorrow is the day for issuing rationed grain coupons. Without the grain purchase book, my family will really have nothing to eat next month."
"Also, my younger sister is about to be sent to the countryside, and the Youth Office needs the household register for registration."
The officers initially thought it was something serious.
One of them, who seemed to be a leader, immediately pulled out a pen from his pocket and started writing while speaking.
"I’ll draft a statement for you. Tomorrow morning, go to the household registration office at the police station and look for a clerk named Zhang. He’ll help you reissue the household register first."
"As for the grain and coal ration books, it’s simple. The grain and coal management offices have paper records. Just take the household register there in the afternoon to get them reissued."
"Officers, I can’t thank you enough!"
Jiang Si wasn’t just being polite. Upon learning that the man who had written the statement was none other than the deputy director of the district police bureau, she immediately hatched a plan.
The next morning, she first went to a state-run store and bought a commendation banner.
Then, as soon as she entered the police station, she held the banner and asked around every department.
"Excuse me, could you tell me where Deputy Director Li’s office is?"
Only after inquiring in every single one of the dozen or so departments in the police station did Jiang Si finally, satisfied, head to Deputy Director Li’s office.
The result? Deputy Director Li accepted the banner with a beaming smile and personally escorted Jiang Si to the household registration office.
What he said to Clerk Zhang, Jiang Si didn’t hear.
But from the moment she entered the office to when she walked out with a new household register, it took less than an hour.
Of course, Jiang Si didn’t miss this opportunity.
She had already prepared the disownment papers and an excuse—she was going to use this chance to separate her own household registration!
To her surprise, the moment she brought it up, Clerk Zhang didn’t even ask questions and processed it for her.
Holding the freshly printed household registers, Jiang Si didn’t have time to celebrate. She left the police station and headed straight for the city’s Youth Office.
She was the kind of person who could tolerate anything—except being taken advantage of.
And she had a long memory for grudges!
Her family’s scheme to send her to the countryside? Jiang Si hadn’t forgotten. In fact, she was going to give them a taste of their own medicine—with interest!
"Hello, comrade. I’d like to inquire about the rural resettlement program."
The staff member on duty perked up immediately at the prospect of work. He loved dealing with such "enlightened" young comrades.
"Take a seat. What’s your name? Which year did you graduate?"
"Class of '67. Shen Qingqing."
Jiang Si didn’t bat an eye when she gave the name.
After all, she and Shen Qingqing shared the same father. Even if Shen Qingqing’s features favored Lin Yueru, a closer look would reveal traces of their scumbag dad.
The only difference was that Jiang Si had a more delicate, icy beauty, while Shen Qingqing’s face and figure leaned toward a youthful, almost childlike softness.
Oh, and there was that teardrop mole at the corner of Shen Qingqing’s eye.
To mimic it, Jiang Si had carefully dotted a fake one with ink before leaving home.
Now, she sat there demurely, her eyes downcast.
From the clerk’s angle, the mole was perfectly visible.
But Jiang Si was overthinking it. The staff here dealt with hundreds of students daily—if they had to verify every applicant’s identity, they’d collapse from exhaustion.
They only cared about two things:
First: Was the name on the list?
Second: Did they bring the household register?
The clerk flipped through the roster, confirmed Shen Qingqing’s name, and glanced at the household register Jiang Si handed over.
Perfect. All set!
Seeing Jiang Si sitting there so meekly, the clerk smiled.
"Have you decided where you’d like to go? If not, how about Heilongjiang Province?"
"The land is plentiful, the work isn’t too hard, and you’ll have no trouble supporting yourself."
"In your free time, you can even join the locals in foraging in the mountains."
"Their supply and marketing cooperatives have dedicated purchasing stations. Collecting wild goods can earn you a living just as good as in the city!"
"And if you’re lucky enough to find ginseng or lingzhi mushrooms, you could make a small fortune in a year!"
It sounded tempting.
But Jiang Si was no pushover. If the resettlement options had included the harsh deserts of the northwest, she’d have sent Shen Qingqing there without a second thought—let her eat dust and sand!
"Thank you, comrade. Heilongjiang sounds nice, but I’m terrified of the cold. Could I go somewhere in the south instead?"
No problem at all.
The clerk immediately replied, "We only make suggestions—the final decision is yours. Want the south? Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Anhui, or Yunnan—take your pick."
"Comrade, I choose Yunnan!"
Huh?
The clerk hesitated, wondering if he should warn the girl.
This batch of assignments for Yunnan were all in Xishuang City. The rubber farms there were remote, far from urban centers, with terrible transportation.
Just getting to the county town required five or six hours on a tractor.
And the journey from Shanghai to the farms in Xishuang? Four days and three nights on a train, two days on a bus, half a day on a tractor, and then several hours hiking through mountain paths…
The work wasn’t easy either. Rumor had it that workers had to wake before dawn to tap rubber trees, then carry the collected latex down the mountain themselves.
This girl looked delicate—hardly the type to endure such hardship.
Would she regret it?
"Little comrade, are you sure? Maybe reconsider?"
"No need. My mind’s made up!"
Jiang Si declared resolutely, "As our leaders say, the countryside is a vast world where one can achieve great things!"
"As a youth of the new era, I want to measure our motherland’s magnificent landscapes with my own footsteps! I want to shine where the country needs me most!"
How could the clerk argue with that?
He immediately applauded. "Such high ideological consciousness! I’ll process your application right away!"
Jiang Si nodded, then added, "But my younger brother’s even more devoted than I am. He insists on going with me—for mutual support. He’s from the class of '68. Can he register now too?"
Of course he could!
Even though the policy for the '68 graduates hadn’t been officially announced yet, the general directive was already set.
Unless exempted for special reasons, they were all going.
With someone volunteering, the clerk wasn’t about to refuse.
After confirming that Shen Qingyue’s name was on the '68 roster, the clerk submitted both siblings’ applications along with their household registration details.
At this time, the state provided subsidies for rural resettlement—the amount varied by destination.
Shanghai’s policy for Yunnan was 230 yuan per person in resettlement funds, plus 0.3 cubic meters of timber for building housing.
Though in reality, they’d receive less—60 yuan would be deducted for travel and meals.
The settlement commune would deduct a portion of the funds to cover expenses related to educated youth affairs—here, 10 yuan.
The remaining amount would then allocate another portion to the production teams receiving the educated youth. This included fees for farming tools, daily necessities, and subsidies during the lean season, totaling 90 yuan.
In the end, each person would only receive 70 yuan.
For two people, that made 140 yuan. The staff counted the money and handed it to Jiang Si in an envelope.
Jiang Si accepted it cheerfully. Over the years, they had eaten and lived off the Jiang family, costing them no small sum.
This amount wasn’t even enough to cover the interest.
So, she took the money with a clear conscience!
