Chapter 125

Xia Qingtang hesitated for a moment and said, "I won't tell you for now, mainly because you might find it funny if I tell you. When I really start doing it, you'll know."

If I tell others now that I want to make a lot of money in the future, I will probably be considered a fool.

Xia Qinghai said: "With your current ability, how could I possibly laugh at you? You are much better than me. Maybe I can't understand what you said."

Xia Qingtang thought about it again and felt that it was no big deal to speak out. In three years at the slowest and one or two years at the fastest, someone in the market would start doing serious business. So he said, "My future plan is to make money. I don't have any hobbies or interests, and I don't have the lofty pursuits like Jinxuan. I just want to make more money in a legal and compliant manner."

"Making money?" Xia Qinghai was stunned. After a few seconds, he laughed, "Look, what did I say? I really can't understand what you said."

Xia Qingtang said: "You are much smarter than me. You may not understand it now, but you will understand it in a few days. Anyway, this is my idea and plan. I know that the gap between husband and wife cannot be too big. Jinxuan's career development is visible to the naked eye, and I will certainly not fall behind. What's more, I have something I want to do, so I will definitely work hard to complete it."

Xia Qinghai pondered for a moment as he walked, and then said: "According to what you mean, there will be ways to make money in the future? As long as we want, we can make money?"

"Of course there are. Even now, aren't there people selling their own vegetables? Who would complain about having too much money?"

"But now these things are sold secretly... I understand, what you mean is that you will sell things openly in the future."

"That's about it. If you look at the policies from above, it's very clear that we need to develop the economy."

"That's true...but I never thought about how economic development has anything to do with ordinary people like us. Qingtang, you are indeed a wise man."

Xia Qingtang smiled and said nothing. She was not very smart. She had only seen it once.

"By the way, if you go out and make a lot of money, won't you have to give up your job in the future? Oh, so that's why you don't want to work in the new electrical appliance factory, because sooner or later one day, you will have to give up your job. So in the past few years, you only want to stay in the cotton mill." Xia Qinghai suddenly realized.

Xia Qingtang said: "It's not necessary to give it up. I've thought about it. If it's appropriate, I can be the boss and hire someone to help. If someone helps me run the business, I can continue to work. It won't delay anything anyway. Of course, if I have to choose one, I will definitely give up my job."

In fact, Xia Qinghai could not fully absorb what she said, but this person was indeed smart. He wrote down everything Xia Qingtang said and planned to find someone he was familiar with after returning to slowly ask and ponder it.

"Okay, since you really have a plan, then I feel relieved. I hope your plan can be successfully implemented and get better and better in the future. This is also a good thing for me."

Xia Qingtang deliberately said: "Are you thinking too much? No matter how well I live in the future, I can't be of any help to you."

"I know, that's not what I meant. I certainly won't ask you for anything or ask you to help me with anything. I just think that you are living a good life, and as your brother, I deserve preferential treatment even if I am not close to you. Just like I am in the factory now, everyone knows that your in-laws are capable, and no one dares to do anything to me. Even when scheduling shifts, they give me preferential treatment." Xia Qinghai said with a smile.

Xia Qingtang heard this and realized that it made sense, so he said, "That's really a bargain for you."

"Don't worry, I will never do anything bad in your name. Besides, seeing that you are doing so well, I will also climb up. My sister is so outstanding, I can't be too embarrassed as a brother, right?" Xia Qinghai pointed at the door and said, "Okay, we are at the door now, you can go back. After that, I'll see you at work."

"Okay, goodbye." Xia Qingtang watched him walk out of the door and turned around to go back.

To be honest, she never thought that one day she would be able to chat with Xia Qinghai so calmly, but it didn't seem to be a bad thing to be just ordinary relatives instead of enemies.

After all, from the very beginning, she was the most cruel to those people in the Kong family. Now that the Kong family has gotten what they deserved, she seems to no longer have such deep hatred towards this world.

However, when it comes to things related to Zhao Meizhen, she still can't get over the hurdle in her heart. Fortunately, she only needs to see Zhao Meizhen once a year, and they have no connection at all at other times, so she can just pretend that this person doesn't exist.

Xia Qingtang ran into Leng Feng and his mother, and hurriedly called out, "Hello, Auntie, hello, Comrade Leng."

Leng Feng's mother said, "Xiao Xia, who was that person you were walking with just now? He's very handsome."

"It's my brother. He came here to wish everyone a happy new year." Xia Qingtang said.

"So he's your brother. No wonder he's so handsome. Brothers and sisters are really alike... By the way, do you have any sisters?"

Xia Qingtang said: "No relatives, but there are cousins. Why are you asking this, auntie?"

"I was thinking, you are so pretty, your sisters must be pretty too. If you have sisters, you can introduce them to our Fengfeng. It's hard to find pretty young girls nowadays. If you don't greet them early, they will be snatched away by others." Leng Feng's mother said, and pushed Leng Feng, not caring at all that her son's face had become as black as the bottom of a pot.

This mother is also very powerful. She deliberately stabs Leng Feng in the place he dislikes the most.

Xia Qingtang smiled and said, "What a pity. I don't have any biological sisters. My other sisters are either married or still young. They are not suitable for Comrade Leng."

When Leng Feng heard this, he suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.

Leng Feng's mother looked regretful: "Really? That's such a pity. Oh, our Feng Feng is really something. He's already this age, but he gets angry when I say I want to find him a partner. Tell me, who doesn't need to find a partner to get married when they reach that age?"

"Not everyone needs to get married. Everyone has different ideas, and we can't force them." Xia Qingtang said.

Leng Feng looked at her coldly. After hearing this, Leng Feng's mother said, "Oh, I know this truth, but as parents, we feel sad when we see our children alone. Look, Jinxuan and Fengfeng are good friends and grew up together. Jinxuan has been married for so long, but Fengfeng doesn't even have a girlfriend. How worried should I be?"

"Then there's no need to rush. I think Comrade Leng is still very young. Nowadays, it's not too late to get married at the age of 30. As long as you have the ability, why would you worry about not being able to find a wife?"

Leng Feng's mother laughed: "That's right, you are good at talking, so there is no need to be so anxious. Let's not talk about it for now, Feng Feng and I will go out for a while."

"Okay, goodbye, auntie." Xia Qingtang waved with a smile and passed by them.

After walking a few steps, Xia Qingtang looked back with amusement, but unexpectedly she bumped into Leng Feng who was also looking back at her. She was frightened by his cold and fierce eyes, and then she ran back home.

Xie Jinxuan was picking leeks in the yard. Seeing her running back in a panic, she asked, "What's wrong?"

"Hi, I met Leng Feng and his mother. We talked for a few words. I thought it was funny, so I made faces at their backs, but Leng Feng caught me red-handed."

Xie Jinxuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "You can't blame Leng Feng for not liking you. You always deliberately make him angry."

"I really didn't mean to do that. I just happened to meet them. His mother asked me if I had any sisters to introduce to him. That's what made him angry, right? Everyone knows that Leng Feng hates good-looking people the most. His mother really hurts him."

"Then Leng Feng didn't say anything to my face, right?"

"What can he say? He can only have a stern face, as scary as a stone." Xia Qingtang curled his lips.

Xie Jinxuan smiled and said, "Xiang Qian and I were also worried about his personality. He was too cold when he was out there. Fortunately, he became a policeman after he came back. A criminal police officer should be like him. He really found the right position."

Xia Qingtang said: "When will he go to work? It's already the sixth day of the New Year, and he's still at home wandering around."

"Newcomers report after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month." Xie Jinxuan looked at the clock and said, "I think it's almost time. Shall we make lunch?"

"Okay, let's have a simple lunch at noon. We will start going out to pay New Year's greetings tomorrow, so let's eat lightly today to loosen up our stomachs." Xia Qingtang ran in happily and made a few leek egg pancakes and paired them with shrimp and seaweed soup. It was a very good lunch.

The next day, she and Xie Jinxuan began to visit relatives to wish them a happy new year, including her aunt Zhao Meiyan, and visited six families in total.

They did not have dinner at their relatives' homes, so they visited six relatives in two days. Afterwards, they also paid New Year's greetings to Chairman Qin, Guan Jueming, and several of Xie Jinxuan's teachers and former leaders. After that, they did not have to go out again. Xia Qingtang read books and wrote letters at home, and the New Year holiday was over quickly.

This year's holiday is relatively long, and we will officially go back to work on Monday, the 17th day of the first lunar month.

On the night of the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, fireworks and firecrackers were set off everywhere in the compound. Xie Chengye also asked someone to buy some beautiful fireworks. He found an open space and set them off with Xia Qingtang and Xie Jinyun for a long time.

Xie Jinxuan stood aside and looked at them with a smile. At his feet there was a bucket filled with water.

A neighbor passed by and saw that he brought a bucket of water. He said, "Xiao Xie, you are really thoughtful. You brought a bucket of water with you when setting off fireworks."

Xie Jinxuan smiled and said, "It's better to be cautious during a big festival."

Xia Qingtang set off a lot of fireworks and was very happy. After they were done, he pulled Xie Jinxuan and ran back happily, just like a child.

They ran back home, all smelling of firecrackers. Aunt Six smiled and took out floral water to wipe them off: "Get rid of the smell. Take the clothes out to dry in the sun tomorrow. You're all smelly."

Xia Qingtang smiled and said, "Sixth Aunt, I'm hungry again. Can you cook me another bowl of glutinous rice balls?"

"Let me see. It's almost nine o'clock. We must be hungry after playing so crazy. I'll go ask them to cook more for us to eat together." Aunt Liu said and went to ask Grandma and Xie's mother.

Xie Chengye also came back with Xie Jinyun. He took off his cotton coat and said, "Qingtang ran too fast. We couldn't catch up with him."

"You are young, you have good legs and feet, how can you compare with them?" Xie's mother smiled and said, "Xiao Liu wants to cook glutinous rice balls, do you want to eat some more?"

"Okay, eat a little more. It's so lively tonight, I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep." Xie Chengye rubbed his hands and walked to Xie's mother to watch her play chess with Xie's grandfather.

Xia Qingtang didn't like playing chess. She turned on the radio and sat there listening to the Lantern Festival special program, which also featured famous singers singing songs.

This reminded her of the Spring Festival Gala that she watched later. She didn’t know when it started broadcasting. It must have been broadcast after televisions became widely popular, right?

The dumplings were cooked quickly, and Aunt Six called out from the kitchen, "Everyone, bring the dumplings!"

"Coming!" Xia Qingtang was the first to jump up and ran to the kitchen happily.

Grandma looked at Xia Qingtang's happy expression and said with a smile: "Jinxuan, Qingtang looks particularly happy today, just like a little child."

Xie Jinxuan also smiled and said, "Yes, seeing her happy makes me happy too."

They brought out the dumplings and everyone was about to go to the dining table to eat them when there was a sudden knock at the door.

"I'll go take a look." Xie Jinxuan stood up, put on her coat and went outside.

Xia Qingtang ignored that and sat down to start eating the dumplings.

Aunt Liu’s glutinous rice balls are always fragrant and sweet, and I can eat a whole bowl of them in one go.

Just as they were enjoying their meal, Xie Jinxuan came in with a few people. Everyone was stunned.

Xie Chengye asked: "Who are these people?"

"Hello, leader. We have received reports from the public that some people are gathering to gamble in this compound, so we have come to check every household." The middle-aged man in the lead said cautiously.

Grandpa Xie immediately said, "That's as it should be. Then come in and check. We don't have mahjong or playing cards at home."

A few people looked around the living room and saw a few people sitting at the dining table eating dumplings, and Grandpa Xie and Mother Xie playing chess at the coffee table. There was indeed no sign of them playing mahjong.

Just as the leader was about to speak, a young man following behind him said, "Excuse me, leader, is there anyone else upstairs?"

"No, but you can go up and take a look. It will count only if you check it out yourself." Grandpa Xie smiled kindly, "You can go up and take a look. Our whole family is on the first floor."

The leader glared at the young man fiercely, and the young man lowered his head feeling a little aggrieved.

Grandpa Xie smiled and said, "Young comrade, you are serious and responsible in your work, so you should be praised. Don't be afraid, you all go up and check it out. Since you are here, you should do your job well."

"Yes! Then... who can lead us upstairs?" the leader asked cautiously.

Xie Jinxuan said, "Let me take you up there to have a look. Please follow me."

He took a few people to the second and third floors and took a look around. Seeing that there was indeed no one upstairs, they all came down.

When they got to the first floor, the young man immediately shouted, "I'm sorry, boss, there is really no one upstairs. We have checked."

Grandpa Xie smiled and said, "You are not sorry. You are working hard. This is a manifestation of devotion to duty. It's a big holiday, and you can't rest at night. You are really tired."

"Thank you, leader, we don't have to work hard!"

"By the way, the weather is cold, would you like some hot water?" Grandpa Xie asked gently.

How could a few people dare to drink water? They quickly said they were not thirsty.

Grandpa Xie asked Xie Jinxuan to send them out and gave Xie Chengye a wink.

Xie Chengye took out a bag of crispy candies and stuffed it into the middle-aged man at the entrance of the yard: "If you don't want to drink water, eat some candies. You've worked so hard, and eating something is good for your health."

"How can I accept this?" The man didn't dare to accept it and tried to refuse it quickly.

Xie Chengye pushed them all out, then closed the door with a smile and said, "Hurry up and continue working. Go quickly."

The man in the lead had no choice but to say thank you, and then took the two of them to the next house.

When Xie Jinxuan and the others returned to the house, Xia Qingtang said, "I'm afraid we'll catch a lot of people tonight."

"Yes, during this Chinese New Year, I saw many people playing mahjong, and they all played it to make money." Grandma said, "Fortunately, no one in my family plays it."

Aunt Six said, "I won't come here to gamble. If I win, it's fine. If I lose, I'll be so upset that I'll die."

Everyone laughed. Xie Jinxuan said, "We can't help it. Life was so hard in the past few years. This year, it's obviously better. Food is more abundant than before. We have more energy and want to find something interesting to do. But there are too few interesting things. What else can we do besides playing mahjong and cards? Children can still play with toys and play games, but what can adults do? It's impossible for everyone to play ball, right? Some people don't have athletic talent and can't even play table tennis well."

Grandpa Xie nodded and said, "We should find some entertainment that everyone can participate in."

"What kind of entertainment can get everyone involved?" Xie Jinyun asked curiously.

This question made the room quiet for a moment, and Xia Qingtang said, "Watch TV?"

"Watch TV? That thing isn't very good." Grandma said, "We've watched it over there before. It's just some news, similar to the radio, except you can see people reading the news. Qingtang, you've watched it too. What's so good about it?"

Xia Qingtang said: "There are many things that can be played on TV, not only news, but also movies. Before, when foreign guests came, I chatted with the lady, and they have a rich TV program, including TV series, movies, and various TV programs, which adults and children like to watch. I don't know what programs our current TV stations will broadcast, but if we can broadcast some programs that everyone likes to watch, wouldn't people have something to do after dinner every night? Then everyone can watch TV together and go to bed after watching."

"Sister-in-law, what is a TV series?" Xie Jinyun asked.

"TV series are similar to movies, except that movies are only one or two hours long, but TV series have many episodes, and each episode is nearly an hour long." Xia Qingtang said, "They all tell a complete story, and are played out by actors, so they are very good to watch. Oh, I heard that from Ms. Susan. I am also curious, a movie with many episodes like this must be very good to watch."

"If it's like a movie, then I would also like to watch it. That would mean I could watch movies on TV every day. How wonderful that would be." Xie Jinyun said with a fascinated look on her face.

Xie Chengye said: "But TV sets are very expensive, and few people can afford them."

"Not every household can afford it. Anyone who has a TV can put it in the yard and dozens of people can watch it together." Xia Qingtang said with a smile.

In the previous life, the Kong family bought a TV very early. Xia Qingtang remembered that he watched a very popular imported TV series in the 1980s. An episode was broadcast every night. Grandpa Kong would put the TV in the yard, and many adults and children around would prepare their own small stools to grab a seat.

At that time, people who liked to gamble were too lazy to play mahjong, and everyone was addicted to watching TV dramas.

After watching it in the evening, everyone will discuss it together the next day, which shows that no one doesn’t like watching TV.

After listening to this, Grandpa Xie pondered and said, "Indeed... everyone doesn't like watching movies. If we can watch such stories on TV like watching movies... it will definitely be very attractive. This is a good idea. It would be great if we could report it to the higher-ups. If everyone can watch TV together every night, maybe not so many people will go play mahjong."

Xie Chengye said: "It's not so good to just sit and watch TV. It would be better if there were some activities that can get you moving. It's not too cold or too hot here. You can swim in the summer, but in the winter you can't go ice skating or skiing like in the north. It's boring."

Xia Qingtang thought of roller skating, which had been popular for many years. It seemed that in a few years, it would become popular in the provincial capital. Until the 1990s, it was still loved by young people.

In addition to roller skating, there are also popular entertainment activities such as billiards and bowling. When pop songs become popular, everyone starts singing karaoke.

But these are things that will happen later. However, roller skating seems to be a feasible recreational activity. I don’t know if it can be promoted in the province.

Xia Qingtang said, "I've also heard from foreign friends that when they were young, they would skate on a kind of ice on flat ground. They didn't need frozen water. They had special shoes with wheels. As long as there was ground, they could skate. It was very popular among young people. I don't know what that is. After all, I've never even seen ice skating, so I can't imagine it at all."

Xie Chengye said with great interest: "Really? Skating on flat ground with wheels? If there really are such shoes, I would really like to learn how to do it."

Grandpa Xie looked at Xia Qingtang and said with a smile: "Qingtang is really different after learning a foreign language. Chatting with foreign friends, he can learn so many things that we don't know. It seems that when foreign friends come again, I will have a good chat with them. I will ask about the shoes for skating on flat ground. If they can be introduced, young people will have another activity."

Grandma said, "It's not fun just like this. Think about how we had so many things to play with when we were young. It's a pity that we can't do that now."

Xie Jinyun said: "Grandma, what did you play when you were young?"

"There are many things to do. When we were young, we could watch plays, dance performances, live singing, and dance parties. It was all very lively. At that time, even if you didn't sleep all night, you could still have a lot of fun." said grandma.

Xie's mother said, "Mom, these are not things that children can play with."

"Children can go to the night market. I haven't seen a night market in years. Back then, with some money in hand, you could walk from east to west in the night market, buy snacks, calligraphy and paintings, and even fortune tellers and draw lots. I can't blame people for wanting to play cards now, because there's nothing else to do."

Grandpa Xie smiled and said, "Other things may not be possible, but as for watching a play, we can discuss it."

"Really? You're not kidding. If I could really watch a play, I would dress up beautifully." Grandma was very excited.

Xia Qingtang also said, "Grandpa, if we can watch big plays, then can we also watch other performances? For example, if we hold a small performance in the square in the city center every Sunday, and let singers and dancers perform a few programs, wouldn't everyone have a serious activity to participate in?"

"Yes, this is a good idea. The weather is about to get warmer, so if we hold some performances regularly in the square, everyone will be very happy." Grandpa Xie nodded repeatedly and looked at Xia Qingtang with admiration.

That night, a lot of gamblers were indeed caught in the compound. Not only were many people caught here, but many were caught in almost the entire city.

Because there were too many people, and many of them were ordinary people who were usually honest, the superiors later spoke and gave them a verbal warning and then released them all.

Grandpa Xie is a very proactive person. Although it was not yet time to go to work the next day, he had already called his secretary and some other people to go directly to the unit for a meeting to discuss these matters.

In Xie Jinxuan's words, as long as Grandpa Xie wants to get this done, everyone will be able to watch the show within half a month.

Xia Qingtang lay at home for another whole day. The next day was Monday, and he finally went to work.

It was already March, the weather was gradually getting warmer, and the sun was shining brightly. Xia Qingtang rode his bike to the cotton mill and saw colleagues he hadn't seen for a long time.

My colleagues in the office were all wearing new clothes and new shoes. Everyone had a beaming look on their face and looked very happy.

Especially Li Yue, when she went out of town to play, the clothes she wore were also bought out of town. She looked very proud and whenever she met a colleague she would introduce where she bought her clothes and how much she spent on them.

On the first day of work, everyone was in a good mood, so everyone praised Li Yue's new clothes.

Li Yue was in a good mood and even her cleaning movements became much faster.

On the first day of work, the main task in the morning was cleaning. In the afternoon, all office staff held a meeting. The factory director, deputy director and others took turns to speak, and of course some personnel changes for this year were also announced.

For example, Wu Jinfeng was transferred to the office, and the person who replaced her in that office position was her spouse Xia Qinghai.

Many people looked unhappy about this matter, but no one expressed any opinion.

After all, everyone knows that Wu Jinfeng is a relative of Wu Jinfeng, so Xia Qinghai, who married Wu Jinfeng, is also a relative of Wu Jinfeng. What's more, Xia Qinghai has a brother-in-law named Xie, who is a prominent figure. Others are too busy trying to please him to question anything.

What's more, the matter has already been decided. Even if these staff members say something, they will not change these personnel transfers. So instead of questioning it, it is better to congratulate Xia Qinghai and try to make a good impression.

After the meeting, everyone congratulated Xia Qinghai.

After the meeting, Li Yue returned to the big office. She had a lot to say, "Xiao Xia, your brother is actually a clerk. What's going on? Clerks are very popular nowadays. How could he become one?"

Xia Qingtang said: "Isn't it normal for him to take over his lover's job?"

"That's true, but your brother only graduated from high school. Now, without a technical secondary school degree, he can't be a clerk." Li Yue said.

Feng Xinhui said: "We are basically all high school graduates. In fact, except for accounting, everyone can do these office jobs."

"Yeah... I still find it a bit... strange that your brother... is also a capable person." Li Yue said.

Just as she finished speaking, Xia Qinghai walked to the front door and knocked. Feng Xinhui immediately said, "Hello, are you looking for Xiao Xia?"

"Oh, no." Xia Qinghai walked in and said with a smile: "I'm here to say hello to the staff. I'm Xia Qinghai, Xia Qingtang's brother. I'll be working in the office from now on, and I'll meet you all often."

"Hello, hello, I'm Feng Xinhui." Feng Xinhui walked over and shook hands with Xia Qinghai.

The others also greeted and introduced their names.

Xia Qinghai shook hands with them one by one, and finally placed several paper bags on the tables of several people, then said with a smile: "These are some fruit candies. Everyone works too hard, and eating some candies is good for your health."

"Oh, thank you, Xiaoxia, you are such a nice person." Li Yue said with a smile.

"It's just a little thing, no need to thank me. I won't disturb you all from working, I'll go back first." Xia Qinghai walked out with a smile.

After he left, Li Yue smiled and said, "Xiao Xia, your brother is completely different from you. He is much more enthusiastic and cheerful than you look."

Xia Qingtang said: "Yes, he is a very likable young man. Naturally, he and I are different."

"How can that be? You are his sister, you should not give up on yourself, you should learn from him."

Xia Qingtang was about to speak when she saw Chairman Qin walking towards her from the corridor. She immediately shut up and took out her notebook from the drawer.

As expected, Chairman Qin came over to hold a small meeting with them. It’s a new year and a new atmosphere, and Chairman Qin looked more energetic.

She held a small meeting with everyone, talked about the work arrangements after the New Year, and then chatted with everyone about family matters and asked about everyone's New Year celebrations.

These were the only things that happened on the first day, so everyone was happily chatting with Chairman Qin about family matters.

After finishing the chat, Chairman Qin said, "Okay, I'll go over first, you guys clean up. Also, Xiao Xia, come with me."

"Yes." Xia Qingtang followed him to the small office with a notebook and a pen in hand. "Chairman Qin, what do you want to talk to me about?"

"Sit down and talk." Chairman Qin pointed to the chair opposite.

Xia Qingtang sat down, and Chairman Qin said, "There is something I want to talk to you about."

"Okay, go ahead."

"The electrical appliance factory will start recruiting workers later this month. Did you know about this?"

"I know, many of my acquaintances are waiting for this recruitment." Xia Qingtang said.

A foreign-funded electrical appliance factory was going to recruit workers on a large scale, and the entire provincial capital was excited about it. A large number of educated youth who had returned to their hometowns and could not find jobs were waiting for this opportunity.

The city also attaches great importance to this matter and has already arranged special staff to do their best to recruit people for the electrical appliance factory.

This recruitment is divided into two parts, written test and interview. Except for the leadership team and technical personnel who have been arranged long ago, all other candidates will be selected through recruitment.

Hu Yanhui hasn't made peanut cakes for a while. He stopped taking all orders and concentrated on preparing for the written recruitment test at home.

Of course, no one knows what kind of questions will be in this written test, so everyone can only do some electrical appliance-related preparations based on their feelings.

Chairman Qin said: "This time, the city attaches great importance to the new electrical appliance factory, so we have selected some outstanding backbones from the city and want to place them there to work."

Xia Qingtang didn't say anything. She didn't understand why Chairman Qin told her all this. Xie Jinxuan had clearly asked Grandpa Xie to pass on the message through someone, so why was he asking her about these things now?

Chairman Qin continued, "What the higher-ups mean is that they want you to go there as well."

Xia Qingtang said: "I am not a key member. I only have a high school education and I worked in a workshop before. Besides, we are not from the electrical appliance factory."

"What they mean is that you can speak foreign languages and you are smart. There will be many foreigners coming to the new electrical appliance factory to be leaders, and the technical staff will also come from there. Young people like you who can speak foreign languages are the staff they need. From my point of view, of course I don't want you to go there. If you work under me, I can worry less. When I retire, I believe you will be a good helper to Xiao Feng. I also know that your family has sent you a message saying that you don't want to go to the new electrical appliance factory, you just want to stay with us."

Xia Qingtang said: "If that's the case, then what is this?"

"The higher-ups want to fight for it again. After all, you know the current situation in the city. There are not many people who have work experience and can speak foreign languages. There are quite a few college graduates, but it will take two or three years for them to graduate, which is too late. So the higher-ups want me to talk to you, just as if I were there to help out in an emergency. I would like you to go there to work for a while. If you don't like it or don't want to, you can be transferred back after half a year. Do you think this is okay?" Chairman Qin said earnestly, "I know that it is quite far from where you live to the new electrical appliance factory, and it will take a lot of time to go to and from get off work in the future, but the new factory has a shuttle bus to pick you up, and there will be cars to pick you up throughout the city. You just need to wait for the shuttle bus where you live in the morning, and you don't need to ride a bicycle yourself. Moreover, the new factory offers high treatment. After you go there, your salary will increase by one level. I heard that if you work overtime, you will get overtime pay. You are a very outstanding young person. I believe you can learn more there. After that, whether you want to come back or not, I think such a work experience will be good for you."

Xia Qingtang was silent for a while, then whispered, "Is the city really so short of people?"

"Yes, if you think about it, after those ten years, there has been a long gap in knowledge. People who know foreign languages are either too old or have long since passed away. Among the young people, many are said to have graduated from high school, but the books they actually read are not comparable to those in high schools today. Those foreigners have very high requirements. Although the city has recommended you, they still have to interview you, and you may not be able to stay. Of course, I have great confidence in you. You are so outstanding that you will definitely be retained."

As soon as these words were spoken, Xia Qingtang's rebellious psychology suddenly came up.

After all this time, do people recommended by the city still need to be screened?

Just screen her, is it possible that she will be eliminated?

Thinking of this, Xia Qingtang said, "If I work there for half a year and I don't like it, can I really be transferred back?"

If she is given a way out and can come back anytime if she doesn't like it, then what is she worried about?

"Yes, the city has given a guarantee. I have also told the higher-ups what kind of family your in-laws are, and they will absolutely not dare to deceive you. They also said that if you don't want to stay in the new electrical appliance factory, you can go back to the cotton mill or go to the Municipal Federation of Trade Unions. After all, the Municipal Federation of Trade Unions wants you very much, too. Right now, talent is being snatched up everywhere," said Chairman Qin.

"Okay, I'll go over and give it a try." Xia Qingtang said, "If I can stay, I will study the advanced work experience there and teach others after I learn it."

"That's right! That's what young people should do!" Chairman Qin stood up happily. "Xiao Xia, I'm very optimistic about you. I believe you will have a bright future."

Xia Qingtang said: "Thank you, Chairman Qin. I will try my best to live up to your expectations."

"Then you can prepare this week. Here are some materials compiled by others. Take a look. Next week, foreigners and city leaders will personally conduct one-on-one interviews with those you recommend. If you pass, you will start working with them. At that time, you will follow the recruitment work throughout the process, which should be very hard. Of course, you can rest assured that I will keep this matter confidential for you. Next week, if you pass the interview, I will tell other people in the factory."

"Okay, I understand. I will read these materials carefully and make full preparations." Xia Qingtang was not scared at all. Anyway, she had no thoughts about her past work.

Moreover, she was very confident in herself and felt that she could definitely pass the interview.

Chairman Qin handed her a hardcover notebook with a smile: "Work hard, I believe in you!"

There was nothing written on the cover of the notebook. Xia Qingtang took it and put it under his own notebook, then said, "Then I'll go back to the office first."

"Go back. If they ask you what I asked you to do, just say that I came to you to ask about something personal and wanted your help. Then they won't ask any further questions." Chairman Qin advised considerately.