Chapter 151: Don't you want to take inventory?

"Of course it was the person who arranged for you to come here," Director Huang said without hiding anything: "Don't you know him?"

"My friend asked someone to do it for me," An Zhixia shook her head obediently and said honestly.

"Old Yuan praised you every time in his three or five letters this year, but I was envious. Coincidentally, I went to a meeting in the city center that day and heard someone mention your name, so I asked a few questions. It turned out that someone above wanted to arrange a job for you two siblings. It was the end of the year and there were few vacancies, so I shamelessly used the opportunity of being an apprentice to win you over.

By the way, your brother has to work as a kitchen helper in the state-owned restaurant next door.

You don't blame your uncle for blocking your future, do you?" Director Huang scratched his head uncomfortably, and a thin strand of hair fell from his already shiny head.

An Zhixia smiled and said, "It's good that my brother and I can return to the city and have a job. We have to thank Director Huang for his help."

"Although you are just an apprentice, you will be able to become a regular employee in a year. I can guarantee this to you. Don't feel pressured. Just do your best. How can so many people really put all the burden on your shoulders?

However, this is also an opportunity for you." Director Huang said earnestly.

She smiled and nodded, without saying anything more.

After talking for a while, Director Huang looked at the information in her hand and signed two slips, one for the transfer of household registration and the other for the request to include the file. Then he waved his hand and said, "Today is your official start of work. Before the New Year, go and get your household registration and file settled first, and come back tomorrow to get familiar with the work."

An Zhixia thanked him with a smile, took the documents and pushed the cart out, but she didn't expect An Zhiqiu to be waiting for her with the things ready.

"Brother, how come you're here so fast?" An Zhixia told everyone that Director Huang was an old friend of President Yuan, and asked curiously.

"This state-owned restaurant is not big. There are only six people, including the chef, waiter, cashier, kitchen assistant and me, the kitchen assistant apprentice. I went to the state-owned restaurant on the main road two streets away and signed a note. Here, my brother brought a bag of candy to give out. The chef was very easy to talk to. He asked me to do my job today and come back to work tomorrow."

The two of them rode their bikes to the East District Bureau to register their residence. Since they had bought a house and had the property certificate, they were able to register their residence directly under their respective houses and received food and oil and non-staple food certificates. They then went to the archives department of the largest supply and marketing cooperative in the city center and the state-owned restaurant, submitted their documents, and received their work permits.

Now that they had reached the city center, they naturally could not afford to waste food. They first went to a restaurant to eat and drink their fill, and then headed to the department store.

The full name of the supply and marketing cooperative is the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, which was originally an organization for self-service by rural members. It was an independent management and self-financing model that soon flourished in urban and rural areas. It was equivalent to a small shop in later generations. It had a complete range of products, but it could not be compared with the department store, which is one of the four major shopping malls in Kyoto.

A popular saying at the time was: "If you can't buy something in a department store, don't go anywhere else."

Just like the employees of her Dongfeng Shili Supply and Marketing Cooperative looked up to their colleagues at the Shizhong District Supply and Marketing Cooperative headquarters, the employees at the supply and marketing cooperative headquarters also looked up to the sales clerks in the four major shopping malls.

The brother and sister agreed on the decoration of their new home, which was to make it as comfortable and beautiful as possible. They bought so many things, including sewing machines, tape recorders, pots and pans, thermoses, rocking chairs, soaps, cloths, food, etc., that a kind-hearted salesperson couldn't bear it and talked to the manager, who asked the young man who moved the goods to ride an extended tricycle to help the An family brother and sister deliver the things home.

The An siblings thanked them gratefully, and An Zhixia couldn't help but stuff White Rabbit milk candy into their arms.

After returning home, the two of them were so tired that they collapsed on the rattan armchairs they had just bought, ate some fried dough twists, and made a cup of milk powder. They rolled up their sleeves and started to clean up the house. An Zhiqiu was responsible for cleaning and putting things in order, while An Zhixia pedaled the sewing machine to make curtains, bed curtains, wall coverings, tablecloths, cushions, coasters, and towels.

The home immediately became different, warm, elegant, and comfortable, and more importantly, it made them feel concerned and a sense of belonging.

After washing up, they were too excited to sleep. An Zhiqiu took out a piece of letter paper and bent over the desk to write a letter to his new wife, while An Zhixia took a needle and thread to the side and made small toys with scraps of cloth.

She leaned over and said, "Brother, don't forget to write a letter to Brother Hong, the president, and Brother Yuan to let them know you're safe."

"Write it yourself," An Zhiqiu said without looking up, "It's not sincere to ask someone to write for you."

An Zhixia pursed her lips and continued to work on the things in her hands. Various scraps of cloth were pieced together by her deft hands to make cute and adorable thumb-sized zodiac dolls.

"Brother, here's your key ring," An Zhixia handed over a pony. The pony's tail and hair were tied with fine cotton thread. Although it was made of cloth and cotton, the horse's beautiful body shape and leisurely posture were vividly presented.

An Zhiqiu pinched Xiao Ma, his lips trembling and hesitant to speak. Under his sister's worried gaze, he sighed and rubbed her hair, chuckled and said, "If mother were still alive, she would definitely praise you a lot and say that you are better than my teacher."

An Zhixia smiled obediently, but didn't answer. She also leaned over the table, biting the pen cap and frowning as she wrote a letter. She leaned over to check her brother's format and content. How could an unmarried girl read what he wrote to his wife?

With no reference, she simply explained dryly that she and her brother had settled down successfully, and attached the address of their new home. The total was no more than 200 words. She copied it twice without missing a word, put it in an envelope, and asked her brother to mail it out together. Naturally, she also included some newly bought Kyoto specialties.

It was the 29th day of the lunar calendar when they officially went to work. People had already started buying New Year's goods, but the Dongfeng Shili Supply and Marketing Cooperative was still very deserted. Only a few customers came in occasionally to buy matches, salt, soy sauce and vinegar, or a bag of brown sugar. It was no different from usual.

The supply and marketing cooperative was not small, with six storefronts. It needed eight counter clerks alone, plus a cashier, two warehouse managers, two buyers, an old man who burned the boiler and served as a doorman, her, another apprentice who had worked there for half a year, and the director, a total of seventeen employees!

There were few customers, and everyone was busy doing their own things. The men were reading magazines and newspapers, and the women were knitting and making slippers, chatting about the gossips of other people. They were quite busy, and the afternoon passed quickly.

"Sister, don't we need to take inventory at the end of the year?" After An Zhixia and the baby-faced apprentice Mao Xiaohuan finished cleaning, they sat there drinking tea and went to the toilet three or four times because they had nothing to prepare. Seeing that it was almost time to get off work, she couldn't help but ask.

"Hey, little girl, do you know what inventory is?"

(End of this chapter)