a certain alley
This is a two-courtyard house, where more than a dozen families live.
Inside the general store in the courtyard, the Zuo family mother and son depended on each other for survival.
The Zuo family was not a wealthy family. Zuo's father passed away around the time of the liberation, leaving Zuo's mother to raise Zuo Yan alone.
Although Zuo Yan wasn't exactly ambitious, he was quite filial. The only problem was that he couldn't find a good job. During the time he was sent to the countryside, he was recruited and sent there, but luckily, the policy changed in recent years, and he was fortunate enough to be discharged because the countryside no longer needed educated youth like him. The local government also considered that he had an elderly mother at home; otherwise, he really wouldn't have been able to return.
I'm back now, and it's a real headache. I don't have a job, so I can only take on odd jobs.
Adding to the worry is the recent continuous rise in prices, which has caused Zuo's mother's hair to turn even whiter.
Zuo Yan pushed open the door and walked in, covered in sweat.
Seeing his mother hunched over, doing housework, he felt a pang of sadness.
Hearing the noise behind him, Zuo's mother stood up, looked at him and smiled: "Xiao Yan, dinner's ready, let's go."
The two sat down at the table. There wasn't much good food; it was just cornbread made from cornmeal that made your throat feel dry. Perhaps because he was starving, he ate too quickly and choked. He pounded his chest a couple of times, his face turning bright red.
"Slow down, you're so impatient. When will you ever get married?" Mother Zuo handed her a glass of water.
Zuo Yan took it and drank a mouthful.
After finally swallowing it down, he said, "If all else fails, I'll just go hang out with Big Head Brother."
Upon hearing this, Zuo's mother's face darkened: "No! Absolutely not! As long as I am alive, you cannot go."
Seeing Zuo Yan's unpleasant expression, his mother's voice lowered again: "Son, I know you're tired and suffering, and I know Da Tou means well. But he's doing a deadly job, you can't go. You're our only son..."
Zuo Yan gave a wry smile: "I understand, Mother. I'll look for a job again tomorrow and see if I can find a good one."
In reality, many of Kui Datou's former underlings no longer followed him. They used to follow him because he guarded the black market, which was essentially collecting protection money. If they were caught, it wasn't a big deal, since they weren't involved in the buying and selling. Besides, when the authorities came, they were usually the first to run, so the risk was minimal.
But later, Kui Datou got involved himself, and the matter escalated.
I heard they've already sourced the goods from the south.
However, speculation and profiteering are punishable by death!
And so, many brothers are gone. Those left are either all alone or ridiculously audacious. Do they really think business is easy these days? They're all risking their lives. Forget about speculation and profiteering; there are plenty of bandits on the streets too.
There are quite a few people like Zuo Yan in Da Tou's team.
"Zuo Yan, Zuo Yan!"
Upon hearing the familiar voice, Zuo Yan paused for a moment before immediately jumping up to open the door.
Zuo's mother sighed. She knew who had come, and she knew that Kui Datou was a good man, but she really couldn't let Zuo Yan take this risk.
"Big Head Brother, what brings you here!" Zuo Yan greeted Kui Datou with a cheerful smile.
Kui Datou didn't waste any words: "I'm here today because of some good news. There's a motorcycle factory to the east, not far from here, that's hiring. Bring your documents tomorrow and go there. Look for me, and you'll get in."
"Wh...what?" Zuo Yan asked blankly, completely stunned by this unexpected good news.
Zuo's mother was also stunned, but she immediately reacted, grabbed Da Tou's hand, and asked excitedly, "Is it a legitimate factory?"
“It’s legitimate, I… know the boss.” Kui Datou originally wanted to say that he was his boss, but after thinking about it, he changed his words: “The higher-ups said they wanted to try the public-private partnership model. The factory’s sales weren’t good before. They found a capable person to take over. Now, the factory is expanding, so they need to hire another batch of people.”
"Then... is it a formal position?" Zuo Yan's eyes lit up.
"What are you thinking? If there's a permanent position, you're guaranteed a spot." Kui Datou rolled his eyes. "But this recruitment is long-term; you have to work for at least a year. You're sure you're okay with that?"
"Huh?" Zuo Yan was stunned. There was such a good thing.
"What are you joking about? Hurry up and agree! Temporary workers are hard to find outside, what more do you want!" Mother Zuo slapped Zuo Yan, then looked at Kui Datou: "Datou, about what happened before, it was Auntie who wouldn't let Xiao Yan go. Don't blame him, he's always wanted to go with you..."
"Auntie, I understand, I understand. We're all brothers, there's no need for such formalities." Kui Datou scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed.
How could he not know what his brothers were thinking?
He wanted to go, but what about his elderly mother at home? What if something really happened to her? These were things he had to consider. That's why he immediately came to inform his former brothers as soon as there was good news.
"Alright, alright, I have nothing else to say. Zuo Yan, hurry up and thank Brother Kui Datou." Zuo's mother held onto Kui Datou's hand tightly.
She was worried about those things from before, but when it came to getting them into the factory, Kui Datou still thought of them. How could she not be grateful?
"No, no, no." Kui Datou waved his hands repeatedly, unable to bear Zuo's mother's excitement.
He understood. After all, his son was getting on in years, and without a stable job, he wasn't attracting many girls. Everyone wants stability, and now he had a stable job. And if it lasted a year, his mother would have a lot more room to maneuver. The daughter-in-law issue would then be easily resolved.
This is why Dai Wu was so excited when Wang Shouren asked them to recruit people.
These days, any opening up of a position, big or small, temporary or permanent, is met with fierce competition. It's a completely different story from doing odd jobs elsewhere. Here, temporary workers have the potential to become permanent employees!
"That's all for today. Remember to come tomorrow. I have other places to go..." The three brothers, Kui Datou, went door to door to inform them.
Almost everyone who was notified by them was as grateful as Zuo's mother, wishing they could kneel down before Kui Datou. These families were all carefully selected by them; they were all relatively poor families.
Watching Kui Datou's hurried departure, Zuo's mother couldn't help but sigh, "That Datou is such a good person." Then she turned to Zuo Yan and said, "You must work hard for him and not try to cheat or shirk your duties."
"Mom, I haven't even asked how much money they're giving me yet..." Zuo Yan said, somewhat annoyed.
Are you stupid?
"ah?"
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