Chapter Twenty-Five: The First Part-Time Job

“…Let me have a try first, Station Master. As long as I can load the newspapers onto my bicycle, it’ll be fine. I may not be very strong, but I’m fast at sorting the newspapers, and I guarantee I’ll work diligently. Why don’t you let me do a trial for two days? If you’re satisfied, then you can hire me. I only need someone to show me the delivery route on the first day, and it won’t cause you any trouble at all.” Dong Yanyan sat confidently across from him as she spoke.

The station master’s expression softened a little at her words and he asked, “Have you done this before?”

Dong Yanyan smiled and nodded. “Of course, so I already have some work experience.”

“All right, then. Come and give it a try tomorrow. Be here at four in the morning, sharp!” the station master said with a smile.

Dong Yanyan thanked him and, cheering, ran back to school. The first thing she did was borrow a bicycle. Yang Xiaohai had one and agreed right away, even treating her to an ice cream without a second thought.

Her second task was to set her alarm and go to bed early. The next day, before dawn, she had already finished washing up and was ready to go! The school gates were still locked, so she climbed over them, found the bicycle parked out front, and rode off energetically toward the newspaper office.

The newspaper office was bustling in the early morning. Both rooms, inside and out, were stacked with freshly delivered newspaper sheets. A young clerk in the office pointed to several piles of newspapers on the floor. “Dong Yanyan, these are yours. Sort them quickly. When Sister Liu gets here, she’ll show you the ropes.”

At this time, the papers were still in single sheets and had to be assembled manually into complete editions. Dong Yanyan lined the piles up in order, then swiftly pulled out one sheet from each pile and combined them into full newspapers.

Half an hour later, Sister Liu arrived on her bicycle, helped her fasten the newspaper bags to the rear seat, and led her out. Dong Yanyan was assigned over a hundred households near her school, both in apartment buildings and houses. Her job was to deliver the newspapers accurately and quickly into the recipients’ mailboxes. In the residential area with single-story houses, the bicycle barely stopped; as she rode past a mailbox, she’d pull out a paper from behind and slip it in. This was tiring for Dong Yanyan, who hadn’t ridden a bike in a long time. The apartment buildings were more scattered: sometimes she had to climb six or seven flights of stairs just to deliver two papers, and she had to memorize the routes carefully. Fortunately, at her age, her memory was at its best, and she managed to remember most of the way. She also borrowed the customer list from Sister Liu, who was eager to hand over her route and leave, and was happy to help.

By seven in the morning, the two of them finally finished delivering all the newspapers. Dong Yanyan had just enough time to wipe the sweat from her forehead; her clothes were soaked through, her throat was dry, even breathing hurt, and her legs trembled with exhaustion—she was more tired than after running five kilometers. She knew this was normal; the first couple of days doing such intense physical labor are always tough, but after a few days, the body slowly adapts.

In the stage of primitive capital accumulation, hardship for a meager income is unavoidable. She was simply starting down the road ahead of time, so when others were just beginning, perhaps she would already be flying and wouldn’t have to struggle just to make ends meet.

This was the conclusion she’d reached during the six months she’d spent obsessively playing Plants vs. Zombies. At the beginning, every plant and weapon had to be earned level by level, little by little. Gold and silver coins were few and far between, just like her penniless self now. With limited resources, she could only do basic jobs to gradually accumulate capital for her future endeavors. Along the way, she could plant flowers in the Zen Garden and play mini-games for extra coins. Once she cleared all the levels, she’d have more choices—pick her favorite mini-games to earn coins, then use those coins to keep buying equipment and tackle endless mode. She remembered pounding zombies until her hands went numb and her eyes ached. When the coins—the capital—piled up enough, quantity turned into quality: wealth began to multiply effortlessly, the Zen Garden plants produced a steady stream of coins, and buying a snail would have it collect the money for you. All her weapons and equipment were upgraded to devastating items like the corn cannon and doom-shroom. The opponents that once gave her headaches became mere cannon fodder, and the Wisdom Tree would reveal shortcuts she’d never known as a novice. At that point, she was already at boss level—capital, experience, and connections all in hand. As long as her luck held and the system didn’t crash, a successful career and a good life were just around the corner.

Ambition is so important, and even more so are long-term goals and vision. “When Heaven is about to entrust a person with a great mission, it must first test their resolve and temper their body and spirit.” She was still young and unafraid of hard work!

With this resolve and hope, she bade Sister Liu a hasty farewell, rode her bicycle back to school, and arrived just as the bell signaled the start of morning study. She napped on her desk during the session and was still a bit groggy when the first period teacher walked in.

After three days of probation, Station Master Li was very satisfied. He had Sister Liu hand over her route to Dong Yanyan, then said, “Dong Yanyan, you’ve passed your trial period and we’ve decided to keep you. However, since you’re still a student, we’ll need a letter from your school authorizing you for work-study. Will that be a problem?”

“No problem!” Dong Yanyan agreed readily.

But when she returned to school and found Teacher Chen, she realized the real problem had just begun.

“You’re not eighteen yet; I can’t give you that letter,” Teacher Chen refused outright. Seeing her disappointment, he added, “If you’re really having financial difficulties, I can apply for a subsidy for you.”

“Teacher, I have hands and feet—I don’t want the school’s subsidy. I just want to rely on my own ability to live a little better. Please, just write me the letter,” Dong Yanyan said with a pleading smile.

“A student’s main responsibility is to study. We’re a proper school. If everyone went out to make money like you, what would become of us?” Teacher Chen replied, clearly displeased.

“I’m only using my free time, and I promise it won’t affect my studies. Isn’t that enough?” Dong Yanyan trailed after him, step for step.

“That’s not up to me. Go ask the head of your year if he agrees,” Teacher Chen said.

Dong Yanyan had no choice but to head to the office to find Director Tang. Director Tang was known for making a big deal of everything, so she knew she’d have to speak with ambition and ideals if she wanted to get his approval. As she pondered her approach, she knocked on the office door.

Inside, Director Tang was alone, leisurely sipping tea. He glanced up and waved her in, asking what she wanted.

“Sir, I’ve found a part-time job delivering newspapers at the newspaper office. The station master needs a letter from the school approving my work-study before he’ll sign a contract with me, so I’m here to ask for your help,” Dong Yanyan said with a smile.

“Go to your homeroom teacher,” Director Tang dismissed her with a single sentence.

“I did, but he said it’s not up to him. You’re the one who can make the decision,” Dong Yanyan replied with a smile. “Sir, I just know you’ll agree! This is my very first job, and I’m counting on you!”