Hu Bei suppressed his excitement, his eyes reddening, and said happily, "Grandpa, Mom and Dad, Big Brother and Sister-in-law, Xiaoxi, I have a job! I passed the exam for the city's transportation team!"
"What? Are you serious?" Zhang Yuezhen was the first to ask.
The old man, Hu Qingling, and Hu Dong all looked at Hu Bei in shock. Even Xu Cuicui was happy for her brother-in-law. He was promising and would be able to take care of her children in the future. She was not like those short-sighted old women in the village who couldn't stand to see others doing well.
"It's true, Ruyu asked me to go there for this matter. I got this done through Ruyu's boyfriend, Zheng Yang. He's a driver for the transport team and has been doing it for several years. When their transport team was recruiting, he told Ruyu and then introduced me to the team."
"Wait a minute, Ruyu's boyfriend, when did Ruyu get a boyfriend? Who is he? Have you met him? Is he reliable?" Old Master Hu Jun's eyes narrowed.
Hu Bei quickly explained, "Grandpa, Zheng Yang is from the same compound as Ru Yu. Ru Yu is two years older than him, has a good appearance, and is about the same height as me. From what I've heard of him, he's a very good person and is quite respected in the transport team. He and Ru Yu have only recently started dating."
The old man was slightly relieved: "Oh, is that so? Um, when are you going to report for work? I'll go with you."
Hu Bei laughed and said, "I'll go tomorrow. My company has assigned me a dormitory. It's a six-person room with bunk beds and a canteen. I'll follow the experienced driver a few times first, and if there are no problems, I'll be able to drive the car on my own."
"What about the salary?" Zhang Yuezhen asked the question that concerned her the most.
"Twenty a month, that's my apprentice's salary. If I learn quickly, I'll get forty a month after I become a full-time employee, plus a long-distance allowance, and all sorts of receipts every month." He didn't care about the salary; he was just happy that one day he could finally go out and see the world. It was wonderful.
"Great! Do a good job, do a good job!" Hu Qingling was so happy that all he could say was that.
Zhang Yuezhen immediately went back into the house to pack her son's things to take with him. Hu Xiaoxi looked at her second brother with a bit of envy, then she walked closer and asked, "Second brother, is the city nice? It must be great, right? When can I go to work in the city?"
Hu Bei smiled and patted his sister's head: "I'll keep an eye on things for you when I get to the city. Once I've established myself, I'll take you to the city to check things out. If there are any job openings, I'll definitely let you know. Don't forget to study at home either. No matter what, opportunities are always reserved for those who are prepared."
"Yes, Second Brother, I'll listen to you."
The next day, Hu Bei and his grandfather walked out of the village together. On the way, they encountered villagers who were surprised to see the two of them carrying things and heading out of the village: "Old Party Secretary, where are you going?"
Hu Jun chuckled and said, "My son Hu Bei is quite successful. He passed the exam for the city's transportation team. I'm going to go and see him."
The villagers were shocked: "Wow, he's really going to be successful! He'll be a city dweller from now on, and he'll be eating government-supplied food! What a capable young man!"
Hu Bei scratched his head and laughed along. Hu Jun chatted with the villagers for a few minutes and then left. Before long, the members of Qingshan Brigade all knew that the grandson of the old Party Secretary, who usually worked silently and never spoke, had passed the exam for the transportation team in the city and had become a city dweller.
The news swept through the entire brigade like a whirlwind. In no time, the women went to Zhang Yuezhen to verify it, the men went to Hu Qingling to ask how he raised such a promising son, the young wives went to ask Xu Cuicui for her thoughts, and the young girls all looked at Hu Xiaoxi with envy, envying her for having a brother from the city.
Even the urban educated youth who came to the countryside had their minds startled. Seeing that there was no future in the countryside, they thought it would be better to find a way to marry Hu Bei, who had a job in the city. At least they would have a chance to return to the city in the future.
The old man had expected this matter to cause a stir in the village, but he didn't know that in just a short while, his grandson's marriage would be the focus of a large group of people's attention. At this moment, he couldn't care less about such things.
Since his little daughter passed away, he hadn't walked this road for many years. Sitting in the car, Hu Jun looked at the scenery outside the window with a complicated expression. All sorts of memories flashed through his mind, and in the end, they all turned into a silent sigh. The most heartbreaking thing in the world is for a parent to bury their child.
After a slightly bumpy dirt road, the car finally became much smoother on the main road in the city. Hu Jun and his grandson got out of the car at the road sign near their in-laws' house. Instead of going directly there, they went into the supply and marketing cooperative and bought a bag of fruit and a bag of peach shortbread. Thinking that bringing vegetables from home was not impolite, the old man then walked towards his daughter's house, which he remembered.
While listening to gossip in the alley, Old Mrs. Jiang was exchanging glances with her old friends when she turned around and saw her in-laws whom she hadn't seen for many years. The old lady stood up in surprise: "We have guests. I'll go back first. You two continue chatting."
Grandma Jiang quickly walked a few steps to greet her father-in-law. Before she could even speak, her eyes reddened: "Oh dear, what brings you here? Come on, come on, let's go home."
Hu Jun's eyes also reddened with emotion: "Alas, mother-in-law, please don't blame me for not visiting for so many years, it's just that, alas."
"No, no, I understand, I understand."
The two in-laws hadn't seen each other for many years and were quite excited. Hu Bei knew that his aunt's early death had been a great blow to his grandfather, which was why he hadn't left the village for many years, not wanting to be reminded of the tragedy.
The old lady took out the fine tea leaves given to her by her granddaughter and brewed a pot of tea for her in-laws. The two elderly people, who were about the same age, sat in the living room and chatted.
Hu Bei listened quietly. The two old people became a little sad as they talked, and tears welled up in their eyes. After a while, Hu Jun remembered the purpose of his visit and asked directly without beating around the bush, "I heard from my husband Hu Bei that Ruyu has a boyfriend?"
Grandma Jiang sighed as she looked at her in-laws's bald hair, then smiled and said, "Yes, look, that's their son, Zheng Yang. He's twenty-one this year. He's a capable young man. He's been working in the transport team for three years. He doesn't have a mother, only a father and a younger sister. His father works at the coal shop in our neighborhood, and his sister graduated from high school this year. I heard from Ruyu the other day that Zheng Yang got his sister an office job in the transport team. Now the whole family has jobs. Ask Ruyu to call him over at lunchtime so you can take a look."
The old man could sense the satisfaction the young man was in his in-laws' tone, which put his mind at ease. He couldn't help but transfer some of his affection for his daughter to this granddaughter who looked just like her, and he was always worried about her.
At lunchtime, Jiang Hui and Jiang Lin came home from school and were surprised to see their grandfather. They didn't remember him ever visiting their house before. After learning why their grandfather had come, Jiang Lin ran to the alley entrance to wait for his sister.
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