Chapter 58 Jinjiang Exclusive Assessment
With a mix of trepidation and excitement, Xu Xiaonan arrived at the Hongxing Hula Hoop distribution center.
Although Xu Dianpeng almost swore on his life that this wasn't a lie, and that his newly recognized boss had agreed to give her a chance, Xu Xiaonan still felt it was unreliable.
Xu Xiaonan knew her younger brother well; he was just a clueless little kid.
He started hanging out with people at a very young age. Although he didn't cause any trouble and played with those people to avoid being bullied, it didn't stop him from being a simple-minded child.
Finding a job is a big deal, and there's a severe shortage of jobs in the county, making it hard for Xu Xiaonan to believe she's so lucky.
However, Xu Xiaonan still came. Before she left, her mother told her that it didn't matter if the matter was false, since the family wouldn't miss her food.
Xu Xiaonan left early, thinking she was already very early. According to Xu Dianpeng, Su Ruyi would start work at nine o'clock, and Li Guangqian would arrive half an hour early to clean.
However, it was only seven o'clock when Xu Xiaonan left home, and it only took her about twenty minutes to walk here from her home.
Unexpectedly, there were even earlier cases than her, and more than one at that.
There were already three people waiting at the door. They were of different ages. The oldest was an aunt who was over fifty years old, and the youngest was twenty-five or twenty-six. The older woman, who was twenty-seven or twenty-eight, had a sleeping child on her back.
This made Xu Xiaonan feel relieved, realizing that she wasn't the one with the worst conditions after all.
The three men greeted her warmly when they saw her.
Although they were wary of each other, since the other was a competitor, they were still very enthusiastic and wouldn't be foolish enough to give each other a cold shoulder at a time like this.
After a brief chat, the group quickly made contact.
“So your younger brother is Xu Dianpeng? That kid is smart, and he often spends time with our Xiaoguang,” said Wang Suyi, the eldest of the group.
Xu Xiaonan was already familiar with her younger brother's friends. "So you're Xiaoguang's mother?"
Wang Suyi quickly waved her hand, "I am Xiaoguang's grandmother. I am an old lady. How could I have such a small child?"
"Wow, you're a grandma already! You look so young, and you have such a big grandson!" Xu Xiaonan exclaimed. Although part of it was an act, Wang Suyi really didn't look like someone who had a teenage grandson.
Although the years have left their mark on her face, she always has a cheerful disposition and is always neatly dressed, giving her a youthful appearance.
Wang Suyi has a round face, and her eyes crinkle when she smiles.
"You're such a smooth talker, young lady."
The other two are named Zhao Guizhi (the one carrying the child) and Zhou Xiang (the one carrying the child).
Zhao Guizhi was introduced by her brother-in-law, while Zhou Xiang was introduced by her own son.
Zhou Xiang said embarrassedly, "My son told me about this, and I didn't believe it. But he mentioned names, so I thought I'd come and give it a try."
When these words were spoken, everyone resonated with them.
On the one hand, he felt those brats were untrustworthy, but on the other hand, he couldn't bear to give up this opportunity.
The hula hoop is so famous that everyone knows those who do business with it have made a lot of money.
Although they knew it was a business opportunity, they couldn't make a profit without capital.
Moreover, none of them had any business experience, and they were afraid of losing money.
Poverty makes people lose their ambition; when they are broke, they are prone to self-doubt.
When Li Guangqian arrived at the storefront, there were already eight or nine people gathered at the entrance.
Two of them had even met Li Guangqian before, so as soon as the storefront opened, they took the initiative to help, not letting Li Guangqian lift a finger.
When Su Ruyi arrived, there were already twelve or thirteen people waiting there, a few fewer than those who registered yesterday.
This is quite normal, after all, many of her underlings don't seem reliable, and her family finds it hard to trust them.
Especially when he went back, he would brag about eating at a fancy restaurant, which was met with even less approval.
After all, in many people's eyes, they are just a bunch of good-for-nothing hooligans. Who would be so foolish as to invite them to dinner? They might even be worried about some kind of conspiracy behind it.
Although Su Ruyi has a non-threatening appearance, everyone who sees her can't help but tense up and sense her difference.
Li Guangqian quickly ran over and handed him a piece of paper.
"Sister, this is the registration form. I've already written down the names and assigned numbers."
Su Ruyi was extremely satisfied with this younger brother; he was so perceptive and thorough in his work.
Although this was partly due to Su Ruyi's training, who had taught him how to do things, it wasn't Su Ruyi's first time leading people, and not everyone was like this.
Some people are very opinionated and will never do what you say. When things go wrong, they are very good at shifting the blame.
Su Ruyi held the form. Most of the names were familiar; they had all been registered yesterday. However, there was one name that was unfamiliar.
Su Ruyi took out the notebook from her bag and checked it again; there was indeed no name on the list in it.
Looking at the recommender section, the recommender recommended this person yesterday, not today.
Su Ruyi: "Who is Hu Yuqin?"
"It's me!" Hu Yuqin quickly stepped forward.
"Your recommender is Hu Dahai? Who is he to you?"
"Hu Dahai is my younger brother."
"But the person he recommended yesterday wasn't you."
Hu Yuqin's face stiffened slightly, and she said with an awkward smile, "My sister wasn't feeling well today, so it was my turn."
"I don't have that rule here, you should go back."
Hu Yuqin immediately became anxious: "Why can't I? I'm his sister too! Anyway, our family already has one spot..."
"Who told you your family had a spot? Get your facts straight. Do you think that just because you're on my end, I'll take care of your whole family? What a pipe dream. Since you weren't on yesterday's recommendation list, it means you're so ordinary that no one would remember you. So you're not qualified to come here today either."
Hu Yuqin blushed deeply after being scolded, stomped her foot, covered her face, and ran away.
Su Ruyi quickly put away her cold expression and didn't explain anything to the others.
This made everyone treat her with even greater respect, and they dared not look down on her because of her youth.
Turning his back to the person, Li Guangqian asked curiously, "Sister, why do I feel like you're deliberately targeting that woman?"
"I am."
"Huh, why?" Li Guangqian asked, puzzled. Although Su Ruyi was a formidable fighter and could be ruthless when necessary, she was actually quite gentle and wouldn't deliberately make things difficult for anyone.
This isn't a big deal, and changing someone at the last minute isn't a big deal, since the final decision on whether to hire someone still depends on the assessment.
Su Ruyi didn't say she could only recommend one person; she wouldn't mind recommending more if there were suitable candidates.
Su Ruyi said, "You don't know anything about Hu Dahai's family situation?"
“He works under Fang Yongnian. I know him, but we're not very close.”
Li Guangqian and Fang Yongnian didn't actually have any deep-seated hatred; it was just a case of two tigers not being able to share the same mountain, and they simply couldn't stand each other.
There are occasional frictions, but they have never escalated to a group fight. Most of them know each other, and some are even relatives.
"Hu Dahai and Hu Yuqin didn't have the same mother; Hu Yuqin was brought in by her stepmother."
Upon hearing this, Li Guangqian immediately understood what it meant.
Yesterday, Su Ruyi made a point of taking the time to understand everyone's situation, which was comparable to a political vetting. She knew more about the brothers' situation than he and Fang Yongnian did.
Su Ruyi didn't actually intend to find out everything; she just needed to know the general situation and then treat each person according to their individual circumstances.
But everyone trusted her, and she ended up saying a lot without realizing it.
Hu Dahai also confessed voluntarily; otherwise, Su Ruyi would never have known that Hu Yuqin was brought by her stepmother.
The stepmother brought two children with her, both of whom had changed their surnames, so they couldn't be distinguished by their given names alone; one would only assume that there were a lot of children of similar age in the family.
Hu Dahai and his older sister Hu Yufeng did not have a good relationship with their stepmother and the children she brought with her. Hu Dahai's biological father was even more biased towards his stepchildren and belittled his own children.
They thought Hu Dahai and Hu Yufeng were not good-looking, not sweet-talking, and couldn't do anything right.
Unlike Hu Yuqin and her younger brother, who are smart, well-behaved, and good-looking, making them particularly likable and a source of pride when taken out.
Hu Dahai and his sister Hu Yufeng are like the contrasting pair of siblings, feeling suffocated by the pressure at home.
Under these circumstances, Hu Dahai would never give up his spot to Hu Yuqin, not even if it meant being thrown into the water.
Li Guangqian sneered, "No wonder, they're really shameless. They actually had the nerve to impersonate someone else and try to fool us like fools."
Su Ruyi gives these people opportunities partly because she needs them, and partly to keep these underlings in check.
These people are young, but they are honest and straightforward, and can be taken advantage of.
These days, it's normal for teenagers to start working. The jobs Su Ruyi asked them to do weren't particularly difficult; they needed people like that who dared to take risks and didn't have many worries.
Therefore, she definitely wouldn't accept Hu Yuqin.
She must have used some underhanded methods to get the job; I wouldn't feel comfortable using someone like that.
Su Ruyi conducted interviews one by one, gaining a deeper understanding of these people.
"Come with me next door and try out the sewing machine. I want to see your skills."
Su Ruyi selected a few people who could make clothes, borrowed a sewing machine from next door, and also got some of Xiao Bao's old clothes from Old Li, as well as some old clothes and flawed fabrics that she had brought with her, so that they could try making clothes.
The Li family used to own a sewing machine, but they sold it to their next-door neighbor to pay for Li Xiaobao's medical treatment.
If Su Ruyi gives them some money, they will easily lend it to her.
Not only that, but he also joined Su Ruyi in rating the skills of those people.
Everyone passed. People nowadays are very skillful, and anyone who stepped forward was confident in their skills.
Xu Xiaonan actually knows how to do it too, but she doesn't usually do it; her mother does it all, so she hasn't dared to sign up.
Zhou Xiang had the best craftsmanship; she even altered two pieces of clothing into one on the spot, making it something Li Xiaobao could wear right now.
She is clearly very talented; not only does she not waste any fabric, but she also has a great sense of style, making it impossible to tell that two pieces of clothing were put together.
The elderly neighbor praised her highly: "With your skills, you could totally open a tailor shop!"
Zhou Xiang quickly waved her hand: "I don't have that ability, I just figured it out by myself."
Su Ruyi also felt that she had struck gold. It was truly amazing that she could design and produce such clothes so quickly in such a short time with extremely limited fabric.
It has to be said that Su Ruyi's underlings are quite reliable. Those who came for the assessment today are all of good quality and kind.
"I understand your situation. I don't have any work on my end right now, so you'll have to wait a while. I'll let you know when that happens."
When people hear this, it would be a lie to say they aren't disappointed; they all feel it's just an excuse.
Su Ruyi felt even more guilty for not being selected, especially since she kept Zhou Xiang, Zhao Guizhi, Wang Suyi, and Xu Xiaonan.
The four who were left behind were very excited, never expecting to be selected so easily.
They just looked at the others, and their conditions were also quite good.
The early bird catches the worm!
Su Ruyi looked at Zhao Guizhi and asked, "What will happen to the child if you go to work in the future?"
Zhao Guizhi quickly replied, "I can send my child to kindergarten, but I didn't have a job before, so I couldn't bear to spend the money to send him to kindergarten."
Her child is not even a year old. Ordinary kindergartens don't accept children that young; only the textile factory kindergarten does.
But she wasn't a factory employee, so she would have to spend extra money to get in, and the tuition was quite high. It was very likely that she would invest most of her earnings into it, but Zhao Guizhi still didn't want to lose this opportunity.
Children will always grow up, but jobs are not always available.
"So, do you want to do an office job or sales? Office work is more stable, and if you're not too busy, you can bring your child along, as long as they don't cause trouble. Otherwise, you'll be fired too. Sales is more demanding, and you might have to go door-to-door, but there are commissions, and if you do well, the salary will be much higher than office work."
Zhao Guizhi replied without hesitation, "Sales! I can do sales."
Su Ruyi nodded: "Okay, then starting tomorrow you'll go help sell hula hoops at the entrance of the steamed bun shop. Once you're familiar with it, you'll be in charge of that stall."
Zhao Guizhi never expected such a good thing to happen. "I'm in charge of that place?!"
Everyone knows how popular that place is. It's in a great location, and it was the first place to sell hula hoops, so everyone loves to buy them there. She bought one there too and gave it to her little nephew.
"Yes, someone will guide you through the areas you're familiar with."
"But if I take responsibility, what about the people who were in charge before?"
Zhao Guizhi knew Su Ruyi and was aware of her family situation. The person selling hula hoops at the entrance of the steamed bun shop was Su Ruyi's stepmother.
Although many families have a bad relationship between stepmothers and stepdaughters, it's different in their family.
Did she misjudge them? Did they actually have a bad relationship, or have they finally fallen out?
"She has other things to do."
Li Mei has decided to set up a food stall. Although she may not earn as much as she does now, she still wants to give it a try.
During the time Su Ruyi was away, Li Mei discussed with Grandma Sun that she would borrow her kitchen to make braised food, and she would pay rent every month.
Their house is too small; the balcony is simply not big enough to do all that, otherwise it would be difficult to even turn around.
It's also very inconvenient. If she wants to do anything, she has to go to the public tap downstairs. Normally, you can use it however you want, and no one will say anything. At most, they'll complain a little behind your back.
But if you make things and sell them, the nature of the business changes.
Now that the Li family has running water, everything is much more convenient.
Li Mei has already modified the bicycle and bought various tools. Although it's only a few items, it cost her quite a bit of money.
She was just waiting for Su Ruyi to come back so she could find someone to replace her in her current position, and then they would prepare to start selling.
Everyone's encouragement made her willing to take this step.
While Li Mei was practicing at her house, some neighbors who were drooling from the aroma came over to ask what she was making. When they learned that Li Mei was going to sell braised food, they all said they would come and patronize her shop, saying that the food tasted amazing.
If I can't afford meat, can't I have vegetarian food?
This greatly boosted Li Mei's confidence, unlike before when she was always worried about losing money.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Guizhi was speechless; to her, it was like a windfall.
She decided to go back later and buy her brother-in-law a big chicken leg.
Su Ruyi then looked at Wang Suyi, "From now on, you will follow Li Guangqian and cooperate with him. Sometimes you will also be needed to watch the shop."
Although Wang Suyi is not young, she is educated and has beautiful handwriting. Her family was well-off when she was a child.
Her family was originally in business. Although she was a girl, there were no rules in her family that prevented girls from learning. She learned a lot from them and became quite good at using abacuses.
However, her fate has been rather tortuous, and she is also someone who can't sit still; even at her age, she is still looking for work.
Wang Suyi's grandson, Xiaoguang, didn't want his grandmother to go to the countryside to grow vegetables and farm every day. He also thought his grandmother was very smart. His grandmother had tutored him in his studies since he was a child. His parents couldn't teach him anymore after the second grade of elementary school, so he enrolled his grandson in school by her name.
Working under Su Ruyi is much better than doing farm work; it's not as hard.
Li Guangqian's eyes widened: "Huh? I can do it all by myself!"
"We've heard from the post office that they'll be installing a telephone in a couple of days, which will make your work even busier. I won't have much time to come over anymore, so we'll need someone to help you. Grandma Wang knows how to use an abacus and keep accounts, so she'll be in charge of that from now on."
From now on, Su Ruyi will mostly hand over the hula hoop business to Li Guangqian, while her focus will shift to the leggings business. Li Guangqian can't handle everything, so he'll need to hire an accountant to assist him.
Su Ruyi has a hard time finding people who specialize in accounting. Nowadays, vocational school graduates are all guaranteed job placement and won't work for her, a private boss. Anyway, her accounts aren't that complicated, and Wang Suyi can handle it perfectly well.
"Great! We're finally getting a telephone installed!" Li Guangqian was overjoyed.
With more business now, it's very inconvenient not having a phone.
Su Ruyi then looked at Zhou Xiang, "Do you have a sewing machine at home? I'll bring you the leggings later, and you can try to make something similar. If you have any ideas for modifications, feel free to try them out. I initially gave you ordinary fabric, but once the textile factory sends you some news, they'll provide you with stretchy material."
Zhou Xiang readily agreed.
Finally, it was Xu Xiaonan's turn. Xu Xiaonan was very nervous. Everyone else had obvious special skills, but she didn't know anything.
"Xiaonan, right? Can you accept traveling with me everywhere for work in the future? Even when we're in the same city, we might have to travel all over the place."
Xu Xiaonan quickly replied, "I can do it! I'm fine with anything."
Su Ruyi smiled and said, "Okay, you'll work for me from now on, like my assistant."
Xu Xiaonan nodded emphatically, feeling very happy.
As for the salary issue, Su Ruyi negotiated with each person individually, since everyone's situation was different.
Apart from Zhao Guizhi, the base salaries of the others are not much different.
Zhao Guizhi's base salary is much lower, only eighty yuan a month, and her commission is not as high as Li Mei's, but if she does a good job, her salary is not low, definitely much higher than that of ordinary workers.
The other three have a base salary starting at 200, and a three-month probationary period. After passing the probationary period, their official base salary will start at 300.
In fact, they earn far more than that.
Because Xu Xiaonan has travel expenses, and Wang Suyi will also be in charge of the fitness pants workshop's accounts in the future, which will also be paid extra, and as a technician, Zhou Xiang will not be treated unfairly by Su Ruyi.
Without those promises, everyone was very satisfied with their wages and left beaming with joy.
Thank goodness they made it!
When Zhao Guizhi returned home, before she had even stepped inside, she heard a mocking voice.
"Oh, third sister-in-law, you're back? Where did you go so early this morning? You didn't really listen to fifth brother and go for the job interview, did you? You're really getting more and more childish, believing a little kid like that. Fifth brother is really getting more and more outrageous, spouting all sorts of nonsense. If you ask me, he's not a child anymore, and his grades aren't good either, what's the point of him studying? It's a complete waste!"
Zhao Guizhi frowned. She had originally planned to come back, put the child down, and then go to the steamed bun shop to sell hula hoops.
It's always better to get involved in something like this as early as possible; who knows if this good thing will slip away at the last minute?
Before he even entered the house, his second sister-in-law started criticizing him. It was impossible for him not to be angry.
Zhao Guizhi's in-laws are considered well-off in the county, with their own independent courtyard. However, there are too many people, and the place is always packed, leading to constant friction.
Especially after she gave birth to her daughter, she felt that since there was no son in their branch of the family, everything in the family had nothing to do with them.
Aside from her younger brother who is still in school, the family often bullies her, hoping to drive the three of them away.
After her father-in-law passed away, what was originally just a hint has now turned into a desire to simply sweep them away with a broom.
The mother-in-law dared not utter a word, as she still had to support her youngest child's education, and this had caused countless arguments.
My mother-in-law is easy to talk to about everything else, but she absolutely refuses to budge on this point.
My in-laws are very insistent on my education.
"Fifth brother is fine, second sister-in-law, don't talk nonsense."
Only then did Fan Ersao see Zhao Guizhi's beaming face, and her heart skipped a beat.
"You didn't actually find a job, did you?"
Zhao Guizhi was in a good mood, which she couldn't hide on her face.
"Yes, I'll go to work in a bit. From now on, I'll be in charge of selling hula hoops in front of the steamed bun shop."
Fan Ersao stared wide-eyed in disbelief. What that street hustler Lao Wu said was actually true!
At this moment, Su Ruyi was discussing matters related to the production of fabric with the factory director and other leaders.
Upon entering the textile factory again, Su Ruyi felt it was even more desolate than before, which explained why the factory leaders had come up with such an idea.
In the past, if textile factory leaders dared to do this, the employees would have protested to the death.
Moreover, Su Ruyi's factory isn't a big one; it can't accommodate many people, so all this trouble is just too much of a hassle.
Although Su Ruyi was relatively mild-mannered in front of Zeng Guoqin and had no objection to the decision, she was a different story in front of the factory leaders, and was very assertive.
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