Starting as a Train Driver to Enter the Ministry
Chapter 15 - The Supreme Status!

Chapter 15: The Supreme Status!

Old Chen, his face livid with anger, grabbed the walking stick from the corner and swung it at Chen Shi: “Chen Shi, you little brat! I gave you money to buy candy and distribute it to the neighbors. Where’s the candy? We’ve all lived together as neighbors for decades, aren’t you afraid people will talk behind your back?”

“Ouch! Mom, save me!”

Caught off guard, Chen Shi leaped up from his chair and scrambled away in panic.

Xu Fugui’s wife stifled a laugh at the commotion. “Chen Shi just got married yesterday, and he’s already getting beaten today!”

Aunt Yi chuckled. “That boy has always been like this since he was little. They say you can tell a man’s future by the time he’s three, he’s always been this reckless, good-for-nothing type. He’ll never change! Chu Chu will have to be careful living with him.”

Shen Youchu’s voice was soft but firm. “Chen Shi is a good man.”

Yang Ruihua grinned. “Oh, Chu Chu, you’re still young. But… given your family’s situation, marrying Chen Shi isn’t bad. Unlike Qin Huairu, just look at her wedding. It’s one of a kind in our entire alley!”

Qin Huairu, triumphant in comparison to Shen Youchu, flashed a proud look in her eyes. After all, she was the belle of Qin Village, virtuous and clever. Even if she just coasted through life, she’d still fare better than the simple-minded Shen Youchu. With a deliberately curious tone, she asked, “Hmm, what’s Uncle Chen shouting about candy? Is everything alright with all this noise?”

Yang Ruihua waved it off. “It’s fine. Old Chen beating his son is nothing new. Haven’t you noticed everyone’s just going about their business? I know why Chen Shi’s getting beaten today. Apparently, Old Chen’s family couldn’t afford a proper wedding, so they planned to buy candy and share it with the neighbors. But Chen Shi pocketed the money and bought Daqianmen cigarettes instead. Just earlier, I heard from Silly Zhu that Chen Shi was smoking at home like there was no tomorrow!”

If anything proved that nothing stayed secret in this courtyard, it was this, if you killed a cockroach in the morning, by afternoon, the whole compound would know whether it was male or female!

Old Chen wasn’t holding back this time. Before long, Chen Shi couldn’t hide in the east courtyard anymore and bolted outside. “Wife, save me!”

Seeing this, Shen Youchu set down her work with a worried expression, stood up, and even angled herself to shield Chen Shi. Despite being terrified, she bit her lip and stepped forward to block Old Chen’s stick.

Chen Shi yelled, “The father-in-law is beating his daughter-in-law to death!”

“You little rascal, what kind of nonsense are you spouting? Do you even care about our family’s reputation?”

Before Old Chen’s stick could land, Tian Xiulan grabbed Chen Shi by the ear and dragged him toward the west courtyard.

Old Chen, still fuming, barked, “Chu Chu, go back inside!”

“Yes!”

Shen Youchu’s heart ached as she watched Chen Shi’s ear being pulled. “Mom, maybe you could pull mine instead?”

Chen Shi quickly agreed. “Yes, yes! Pull your daughter-in-law’s ear! Ouch, Mom, it hurts, it hurts!”

Tian Xiulan scowled. “Oh, so you do feel pain? Get inside! You’ve humiliated this family enough!”

As Chen Shi was hauled into the east courtyard, the entire compound erupted in laughter.

“That family of troublemakers sure knows how to put on a show!”

“Ah, Old Chen really has it rough, working as a boiler operator despite his poor health, and now his son’s turning out useless. Shen Youchu’s future looks bleak, mark my words.”

Qin Huairu’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction. Thank goodness I didn’t just go for looks and pick Chen Shi. Otherwise, life would’ve been miserable. Unlike now, she had a 300,000 yuan dowry and a sewing machine! Even city girls rarely got such conditions.

Just thinking about the envious looks she’d get when returning to Qin Village filled her with delight.

East Courtyard

Chen Shi protested, “Mom, Dad, you know how it is in this courtyard. Everyone’s always scheming, either jealous of those who have more or mocking those who have less. They talk behind our backs all the time, why waste candy on them when we could keep it for ourselves?”

“What do you know? Living in this courtyard, you can’t afford to stand out too much. If you make everyone resent you, it might not matter now, but one day, you’ll get stabbed in the back when you least expect it! You just don’t get it!”

Old Chen sighed. “Never mind that. Here, this is asthma medicine for Chu Chu’s mother. I bought two boxes to try. If it doesn’t work, I’ve already arranged with the factory hospital. You can take your mother-in-law there for a check-up.”

Tears welled up in Shen Youchu’s eyes. She never expected a poor family like hers to be treated with such respect by Old Chen.

She dropped to her knees. “Dad, thank you!”

“Oh, child, get up. You’re part of the Chen family now, no need for formalities. Honestly, with my son being such a troublemaker, your future…” He trailed off.

Tian Xiulan helped Shen Youchu up while Old Chen shot Chen Shi a look. Chen Shi closed the door.

Only then did Old Chen slap a letter of introduction onto the table.

“Dear, what… what is this?” Tian Xiulan’s eyes flickered at the red-stamped document.

Old Chen grinned. “They always say a man should start a family before building a career. Turns out, it was the right call. The organization reviewed my application and, considering our situation, agreed to give Chen Shi a chance to take the exam for the Ministry of Railways!”

“Really? Oh my, this is truly a blessing from the heavens! I’ll have to take Chu Chu to the neighborhood committee for volunteer work, sew some cotton-padded jackets and trousers for our soldiers! Little Shi, do you realize? If you pass this exam, you’ll be a worker!”

Chen Shi felt a surreal rush. Since the founding of the nation, the elite class had always been officials, especially military cadres. Girls dreamed of marrying them because they had stable jobs and iron rice bowls.

But there was a second, equally revered group, the working class, the big brothers of industry!

In the 1950s, as the new nation needed rebuilding, the working class held supreme status. Those from “bad” class backgrounds, children of landlords, rich peasants, counter-revolutionaries, rightists, and other “undesirables”, desperately sought to marry pure-blooded workers to “cleanse” their lineage and elevate their status.

Why did Qin Huairu choose Jia Dongxu without hesitation? Because he was a worker, a big brother of industry!

Why did Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong later become courtyard managers after the neighborhood committee was established? Because they were pure-blooded workers!

Chen Shi had tried everything to become a worker, but his efforts had always gone unanswered. Yet, the very day after his wedding, the door to the Ministry of Railways finally cracked open!

His burning gaze fell on Shen Youchu. For the first time, he truly understood what it meant to have a “fortune-bringing wife”.

This sweet, simple girl had just handed him a job, and not just any job, but one in the iron-clad Ministry of Railways!

Once you entered the railway system, no other department could interfere. Before restructuring, the Ministry of Railways operated under vertical management, promotions were internal, they had their own armed forces, even their own schools.

To put it bluntly, the Ministry of Railways existed outside the standard government framework. The railway system was a world of its own!

And with the ability to travel across the country by train, getting your hands on rare goods would be a piece of cake!

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