Chapter 48 Xiaoming Goes to Work! The Wedding Ceremony Ends...
After the wedding ceremony ended and the banquet was over, Mingxi rubbed her stomach and prepared to leave.
I must say, the chef, specially hired by Mr. Huang, truly lived up to his reputation; his skills were exceptional. The Four Happiness Meatballs on the table were particularly excellent. The meatballs were first fried and then boiled, locking in the juices, and each bite was bursting with flavor. The braised pork belly was equally impressive, stewed to perfection—fatty yet not greasy, lean yet not dry. And then there was the braised sea cucumber with scallions…
Mingxi smacked her lips, preparing to ask Huang's father which restaurant's head chef was in charge of preparing today's banquet, so she could take Zhao Sulan there for a meal later.
Just then, a voice came from behind: "Hey, young comrade, Comrade Xiaoming, wait a minute."
Mingxi stopped and turned around. She saw Director Shen from the Women's Federation walking towards her. As the other woman approached, Mingxi's eyes widened and she couldn't help but ask, "Director Shen, did you want to see me?"
Director Shen raised his eyebrows: "Young comrade, do you recognize me?"
"Of course I know you. Director Shen, as the director of the Women's Federation, you have fought for the rights of us women. Your stories of daring to bang your fist on the table and glare at the district leaders have spread far and wide. I have been fortunate enough to hear about it."
Mingxi gave a small compliment and continued, "Besides, Qin Qiaorou and I are friends. Last time when Qin Qiaorou went to the Women's Federation for help, I went with her and met you there."
Who doesn't like to hear compliments? Besides, although Mingxi's words were straightforward, her eyes were sincere, and she didn't look like she was flattering anyone. Instead, it seemed like she was expressing admiration from the bottom of her heart.
Upon hearing this, Director Shen felt extremely refreshed.
Director Shen: "That's quite a coincidence. I also remember you, young comrade."
"Comrade Mingxi, right? You are Zhao Sulan's daughter, and now you've followed in your mother's footsteps, working as a matchmaker?" Director Shen asked curiously, "Usually, this is done by older women. How did you, a young comrade, come up with this idea?"
Mingxi didn't hide anything and said truthfully, "It's not that I want to do this, it's just that I can't find a job."
"I failed my college entrance exam and repeated it for two years, leaving my mother to shoulder the burden of supporting the family. Recently, my mother was hospitalized due to a back injury, and I suddenly realized that I am already twenty years old, a capable adult, and I shouldn't leave the entire responsibility of supporting the family to my mother. In addition, I estimated that I probably wouldn't pass the college entrance exam again this year, so I gave up on taking the exam and planned to work. However, jobs are hard to find, and if I buy a job, I would have to use my mother's retirement savings. Just then, a friend asked me to introduce him to someone, and I thought, since I can't find a job, I might as well become a matchmaker. It's like what you said about women following in their mothers' footsteps, which can be considered a kind of inheritance."
Mingxi picked and chose, and said what she could say.
Director Shen was deeply moved after hearing this. She patted Mingxi on the shoulder and praised him, saying, "Good child, you are so filial. It's no wonder your mother has worked so hard to raise you all these years."
Mingxi smiled obediently and didn't say anything.
Director Shen then asked, "Have you thought about the future? Do you plan to stay in this line of work forever?"
Mingxi thought to herself, "From now on, I'll definitely be doing business."
Mingxi's desire to do business never waned.
However, she certainly couldn't say that to Director Shen. She blinked and said, "I'm not thinking that much right now. I'll just do what I can for the day. As a matchmaker, I'll introduce potential partners to others and try to matchmake as many couples as possible. That's my contribution to our society."
"Young comrade, you're quite conscientious," Chen Zhu said with a smile, then suddenly asked, "Would you consider working for our Women's Federation?"
Mingxi was stunned, her expression blank for a moment, completely failing to grasp the meaning behind Director Shen's words.
Director Shen: "I think you are a young comrade with a high level of ideological awareness and drive, which is suitable for working in our Women's Federation. It just so happens that our Women's Federation is currently working on solving the problem of unmarried single women of advanced age, which is also related to your current work. So I wanted to ask if you would like to work in our Women's Federation."
She said, "However, I can only offer you a temporary position right now, but don't worry, even though it's temporary, the pay is the same as a permanent employee. The monthly salary is 25 yuan, with subsidies and other benefits calculated separately. There's a chance to become a permanent employee later. What do you think?"
Mingxi was overjoyed. Even if he was a temporary worker, he was still a temporary worker who sat in an office!
This is no different from a pie falling from the sky.
Mingxi nodded hurriedly: "Yes, yes, Director Shen, I'm willing to work at the Women's Federation!"
She said righteously and firmly, "To be honest, I've had a wish since I was little: to become a women's federation officer and contribute to protecting the rights of women!"
Director Shen laughed and nodded, "Okay, then you can report to the Women's Federation next Monday, and we'll process your onboarding then."
Mingxi nodded in delight, then bowed deeply to Director Shen: "Thank you, Director Shen, thank you..."
Director Shen waved his hand: "There's nothing to thank me for. I'm willing to give you this opportunity because I think you have strong work ability. If you want to thank someone, thank yourself."
After saying that, Director Shen waved his sleeves and left without taking a single cloud with him.
For Director Shen, hiring a temporary worker for the Women's Federation was no big deal; she could make the decision herself without even having to consult anyone. But for Mingxi, it was a truly wonderful thing.
Working as a temporary employee at the Women's Federation means a fixed extra 25 yuan per month, not to mention the benefits and subsidies after starting work. Besides, being a Women's Federation cadre is a prestigious position, even if it's temporary.
Most importantly, this temporary job was offered by Director Shen herself, which shows that she thinks highly of Mingxi. With her superior's approval, how difficult would it be for Mingxi to become a permanent employee?
Mingxi was overjoyed. She really hadn't expected that coming to a banquet would bring her such an unexpected surprise. She happily went to Huang Pingping and told her about it.
I really have to thank Huang Pingping for the invitation. If she hadn't come to the wedding today, I wouldn't have met Director Shen.
After hearing this, Huang Pingping was happy for Mingxi, but she didn't want to take credit.
"Didn't Director Shen already say that she was willing to recruit you into the Women's Federation because she valued your work ability, not for any other reason? Why are you thanking me? I believe that even without me, even if you hadn't met Director Shen today, you would still have been invited to join the Women's Federation by her."
Mingxi smiled, secretly pleased, but feigning modesty, "Oh dear, I'm not as outstanding as you say. I'm just average, third in the world..."
She could only be modest for three seconds before she couldn't help but wag her tail.
Huang Pingping couldn't help but roll her eyes.
She said that being modest is not Mingxi's personality!
After Mingxi finished showing off to Huang Pingping, the first thing she did when she got home was to tell Zhao Sulan the good news.
"Really?!"
Zhao Sulan suddenly stood up, her expression even more excited than Mingxi herself: "This is wonderful news! It's fantastic! I have to tell your dad about this..."
With that, she went into the bedroom.
On the five-cornered cabinet directly opposite the head of Zhao Sulan's bed in her bedroom was a portrait of her deceased father, Ming.
She went into the bedroom, took out an incense burner from the dresser, placed it in front of her father's portrait, then lit three incense sticks and said as she inserted them into the burner.
"Honey, I have great news for you. Our Xibao got a job! She's going to be a staff member at the Women's Federation. The director of the Women's Federation even came to our door to ask her to come. Our Xibao is doing so well! You can rest easy in heaven now..."
After Zhao Sulan finished speaking, she beckoned to Mingxi: "Come here, come over here, you can say a few words to your dad too."
Mingxi steeled herself and stepped forward to stand before her father's portrait.
Ming's father died in a factory accident. He passed away suddenly, and no funeral portrait was taken. The photo used for his funeral portrait was cut from a photo taken when Ming's father, Zhao Sulan, got married.
In the black and white photo, Ming's father looks at the camera with gentle eyes.
Looking at the photo, Mingxi felt a lump in her throat for some reason. She rubbed her nose and spoke, mimicking Zhao Sulan's words: "Dad, don't worry in heaven. I've found a job, so Mom can have an easier time. You don't have to worry about Mom working too hard. Also, Director Shen thinks highly of me, and I estimate I'll be promoted to a permanent position soon. I'll come and tell you when I'm promoted."
Zhao Sulan ruffled Mingxi's hair and said, "Honey, we're doing well, and I hope you're doing well in heaven too."
After saying that, she turned to Mingxi and said, "Okay, now that your dad knows you have a job, don't tell anyone else about it. At least not for the next couple of days. Wait until things are settled and you've completed your onboarding process before telling anyone, so that no one will try to sabotage you."
Mingxi nodded.
Although she was recruited into the Women's Federation by Director Shen on her own, unlike the normal recruitment process, if she were to be removed from the list, no one else could take her place. But the problem is that some malicious people can't stand to see others succeed. Such people don't care whether they can take Mingxi's place; they just want Mingxi to lose her job.
If Mingxi were to actually meet someone like that, she would be left speechless and heartbroken.
So Mingxi obediently listened to Zhao Sulan and didn't announce her upcoming job to anyone.
The next day, he went to Luo Huan and Zhu Zhaohui's wedding as if nothing had happened.
Liang Huan and Zhu Zhaohui's wedding was simple, unlike Huang Pingping's extravagant celebration. The guests they invited were relatives, friends, and neighbors from the courtyard.
However, Mingxi's arrival still attracted a lot of attention. After hearing that Mingxi was a matchmaker, and a matchmaker with outstanding results, she was stopped by a group of comrades who wanted her to introduce them to potential partners.
Mingxi welcomes all who come to her. She carefully inquires about the other person's situation and the type of partner they are looking for.
According to Director Shen, the main task of the Women's Federation now is to deal with the unmarried issues of older single women. Those who come to her for matchmaking are all her work material!
Mingxi returned home with a full sheet of notes, feeling very accomplished.
The next day, Monday, Mingxi got up early, quickly washed up, ate breakfast, and went out with Zhao Sulan.
When the neighbors saw Mingxi leaving so early, they asked in surprise, "Xiaoming, do you have something to do today? Why are you leaving so early?"
Mingxi laughed it off, saying, "I do have something to take care of and need to go out for a bit."
No one thought much of it and just watched Mingxi leave.
It was quite a coincidence that Mingxi ran into Director Shen as soon as she arrived at the Women's Federation.
Director Shen looked Mingxi up and down.
Since it was her first day at work, Mingxi dressed up specially. Her long hair, which was past her shoulders, was neatly combed into a high ponytail. She wore a short-sleeved shirt with a Peter Pan collar and a pair of straight-leg trousers, which made her look youthful and beautiful without being too outrageous.
Director Shen chuckled and said, "Not bad, you look quite smart today."
Mingxi chuckled twice.
Director Shen: "I've already given the instructions. Xiao Yu will accompany you to complete the onboarding procedures. After that, you'll stay with Xiao Yu for the next couple of days, and he'll help you get familiar with the work."
"Okay." Mingxi nodded obediently and walked into the office with Director Shen.
Director Shen: "Xiao Yu, come here. Xiao Ming, the one I asked you to arrange for to report today, is here. Take her to complete the formalities."
Xiao Yu, the staff member Mingxi had met at the Women's Federation before, came over and greeted her warmly: "You must be Mingxi! Hello, hello, I'm Yu Xiaomin. How old are you?"
Mingxi: "I was born in the autumn of 1960, at the age of 20."
Xiao Yu, the staff member: "I was also born in 1960, but I was born in the spring, so I'm older than you. You can call me Sister Xiaomin."
As she spoke, the corners of her mouth turned up, revealing two small dimples.
Mingxi called out crisply, "Sister Xiaomin."
Yu Xiaomin: "Hey, okay, you can call me sister, then I'll protect you. Let's go, I'll take you to get the paperwork done."
Mingxi followed Yu Xiaomin to complete the formalities. On the way there, the two chatted, and Mingxi realized why Yu Xiaomin was so enthusiastic towards her.
Originally, Yu Xiaomin was the youngest member of the Women's Federation and had to call everyone "sister." Now that Mingxi has come over, she is happy to be promoted to "sister."
Mingxi: ...
She doesn't care whether she's called "older sister" or not. If calling someone "older sister" makes them take better care of her, then she'll just call them that.
Knowing that Yu Xiaomin was susceptible to this, Mingxi kept calling her "sister," which made the other woman extremely happy.
Yu Xiaomin happily helped Mingxi complete her onboarding process and then shared a lot of little secrets about the Women's Federation with her.
For example, when getting food in the cafeteria, look for Chef Wang at the third window. He's the best cook; his braised pork with vermicelli is absolutely divine, and he never shakes his ladle when serving. Unlike Chef Li at the first window, whose hands tremble as if he can't even hold a big ladle properly.
For example, the colleagues in the Women's Federation office, including Director Shen, are all easy to get along with, except for one person named Liu Wenhong who is difficult to get along with, so Mingxi should be careful with her.
Taking advantage of her age and seniority, Liu Wenhong obediently ordered the newcomers to do her work. Moreover, she originally wanted to arrange for her niece to work in the Women's Federation, but Director Shen did not agree. Now that Mingxi has entered through Director Shen's connections, Liu Wenhong might take her anger out on Mingxi.
Upon hearing Yu Xiaomin's words, Mingxi secretly made a mental note of Liu Wenhong.
She doesn't cause trouble, but she's not afraid of trouble either. If Liu Wenhong really targets her for no reason, then she's not someone to be trifled with!
At this moment, the two had already walked back to the office door. Yu Xiaomin took the lead and pushed the door open to go in. She excitedly put her hand to her mouth and shouted in a megaphone shape, "Comrades, comrades, come and see our new colleague! Comrade Ming Ximing!"
The attention of everyone in the office was drawn over.
“Let’s give our new colleague a round of applause and let her introduce herself, shall we?” Yu Xiaomin said, and then clapped first, followed by the other colleagues in the office.
Mingxi: "Hello everyone, my name is Mingxi. Ming means tomorrow and Xi means light. I'm new here, so please give me your guidance."
"Mingxi? Hey, aren't you the Mingxi who introduces people to each other? I heard you're really good at it, you can make every couple you introduce work, there's no one you can't introduce."
What a coincidence! There was someone in the office who knew Mingxi.
Mingxi smiled modestly: "It's not that exaggerated, I was just lucky."
"You're too modest, Comrade Ming. We've heard about your deeds long ago!"
"I heard you even mediated a conflict between Aunt Zheng and Aunt Fu. If you ask me, you're just born to work at our Women's Federation."
"Hey Xiaoming, you're so good at introducing people to each other outside, so you can't neglect the guys in our office, right? Do you know any guys you could introduce me to?"
Everyone was talking at once, having a lively discussion, when suddenly a cold snort broke the harmonious atmosphere.
"Hmph, is it really that powerful?"
Mingxi looked in the direction of the voice and saw a middle-aged woman with willow-leaf eyebrows and triangular eyes who looked extremely difficult to get along with.
Upon hearing this, Yu Xiaomin tugged at Mingxi's sleeve and whispered, "This is the Liu Wenhong I told you about."
Mingxi said "Oh".
As expected of Yu Xiaomin's special reminder, Liu Wenhong certainly seemed to have ill intentions.
Mingxi didn't stand on ceremony. She stepped forward and said directly, "Logically, I should be more humble and say a few polite words, but if I say I'm not capable, then I would be letting down Director Shen, who specially recruited me. So I think I'm quite capable. What do you think, ma'am?"
Everyone in the office was stunned when he said that.
Mingxi looked like a fair-skinned, well-behaved little girl, and everyone thought she probably wouldn't have much of a temper and wouldn't be able to say anything in this situation, so she could only be bullied by Liu Wenhong.
Unexpectedly, Mingxi not only retorted, but also left Liu Wenhong speechless.
Liu Wenhong was speechless at this moment. Mingxi had already brought up Director Shen, so what could she say? Could she say that Director Shen had poor judgment in hiring Mingxi?
Although she is senior, can she be more powerful than Director Shen and dare to question his decisions?
Liu Wenhong certainly didn't dare to question it; she could only glare fiercely at Mingxi with a dark face to express her dissatisfaction.
Mingxi didn't care about Liu Wenhong's gaze. Let her glare; after all, she wasn't the one whose eyes would twitch into cross-eyedness.
Perhaps hearing the commotion outside, Director Shen, who had a private office, pushed open the door and came out: "It's working hours, what are you talking about if you're not doing work? Get back to work, we can talk after get off work."
Everyone obediently returned to their desks and sat down. Director Shen's expression softened a bit, and she turned to look at Mingxi: "Mingxi, you can sit at the desk opposite Xiaoyu and work with Xiaoyu to handle the party arrangements for next month."
Mingxi nodded: "Okay!"
After finishing his speech, Director Shen returned to his office.
Mingxi took her small bag and sat down opposite Yu Xiaomin, then asked curiously, "Sister Xiaomin, what was that party that Director Shen mentioned earlier?"
Yu Xiaomin: "Isn't it because there are too many older unmarried young men and women in this city? At the beginning of the year, when the higher-ups held a meeting, they decided to hold a large-scale party, which can also be considered a matchmaking event. They hope that single men and women can find their other half through the party."
Mingxi was quite surprised that the Women's Federation would organize such an event.
She craned her neck and asked with great interest, "So what are we responsible for?"
"Should we contact a venue, seek sponsorship from a factory, or coordinate with other departments?"
Yu Xiaomin sighed and said, "As expected of a newcomer, you're very motivated. But, none of the things you just mentioned are things that the two of us can do."
This party is the biggest event the Women's Federation has planned so far this year. Director Shen has given a strict order that the event must not go wrong in the slightest, and everyone in the Women's Federation is on high alert.
Under such circumstances, how could such an important task be entrusted to Mingxi and Yu Xiaomin, two inexperienced newcomers?
Yu Xiaomin slapped a stack of documents onto Mingxi and said, "Our task is to organize the information on single comrades submitted by the women's federations of several factories. We need to compile the information from each factory and figure out how many comrades will be attending this party, how many are male and how many are female, how many are over thirty, how many are between twenty-five and thirty, and how many are between twenty and twenty-five..."
Mingxi: "Ah—"
Yu Xiaomin: "Didn't you expect the work of the Women's Federation to be so boring and tedious?"
Mingxi nodded.
Yu Xiaomin tilted her head and gave a wry smile, saying, "You'll get used to it after a while."
“No, that’s not right.” Yu Xiaomin said as if she suddenly realized something. “You’ll know after a while that this kind of boring and tedious work is the happiest.”
In addition to regular clerical work, women in the Women's Federation often help mediate family and neighborhood conflicts.
If your child misbehaves, you'll come to them; if your husband is never home, you'll come to them; if you get into a fight with the neighbor, you'll come to them...
It's fine if they come to them with all sorts of problems, but what's most infuriating is that some women come to them because of domestic violence by their husbands or abuse by their mothers-in-law. When they seriously try to arrest the husbands or mothers-in-law according to the rules, the women then refuse.
She said something like, "I still want to continue living with him. I came to the Women's Federation not so that you would target my family. I just want you to criticize him and let him know that he is good to me."
They really treat the Women's Federation as part of their efforts to mediate marital problems.
Yu Xiaomin sighed deeply, thinking of the infuriating things she had encountered at work, and looked at Mingxi with eyes full of sympathy.
Mingxi, having become a member of the Women's Federation, will inevitably experience those unpleasant things sooner or later.
Mingxi was confused and didn't understand what Yu Xiaomin meant.
However, instead of pressing for details, she accepted the materials sent to her and began to organize them carefully.
Mingxi's first day at work went smoothly; she spent the entire day dealing with documents.
During the lunch break, Liu Wenhong started causing trouble. When she saw Mingxi and Yu Xiaomin going to eat, she turned around, put the lunchbox on Mingxi's desk, and said in a bossy manner.
"You guys are going to eat, right? Then could you get me some food while you're at it? You can get whatever you want, just remember, I'm allergic to seafood, I can't eat any seafood at all, not even shrimp. Please be careful."
After saying that, she didn't even look at Mingxi, turned her head away, and pretended to be busy with work and didn't have time to talk.
Mingxi smirked. "Has Liu Wenhong really lost all sense of shame?"
They said they were asking her to get food, but they didn't give her any meal tickets or money. They just threw a lunchbox at her empty-handed and told her to get food like they were ordering a little maid.
So, does she owe Liu Wenhong something?
Mingxi squinted at the lunchbox in front of her. She originally wanted to throw it back at Liu Wenhong's face, but a good idea suddenly popped into her mind.
She blinked, put Liu Wenhong's lunchbox in her pocket, and walked out with Yu Xiaomin.
Liu Wenhong caught a glimpse of Mingxi's departing figure and smiled smugly.
Hmph, she knew it. Don't let Mingxi's tough talk this morning fool you; she's just a new girl, young and shy, too embarrassed to refuse a request from an older person like her. Even if she didn't pay, the other person would still obediently go get their food.
Liu Wenhong used this tactic for many years. Taking advantage of the fact that young people who had just started working were shy and dared not offend anyone, she would deliberately have new employees serve her meals whenever they came to the company. As long as the new employees didn't ask for money, she wouldn't give them any.
If the other party brings it up, she pretends to have forgotten and makes up for it with the meal payment for that day. Usually, young people like this are too embarrassed to ask her for money since she only pays for the meal payment for that day and not for previous meals.
Even if someone insists on demanding the money for the meals from before, she can just give it to them.
Of course, every time Liu Wenhong was given money, she would mutter behind her back that the other party was stingy and petty, haggling over a few cents for a meal, and not caring about the elderly at all.
Almost every newcomer in the office has suffered from this, and Yu Xiaomin is no exception.
Seeing Mingxi obediently pick up her lunchbox, she said anxiously, "Oh dear, Mingxi, why did you really agree to get food for Liu Wenhong? She didn't even give you any money; you have to pay for it yourself. And you don't know, she's such a mean person. Even if you pay for it and then ask her for the money back, she won't give it to you. You have to ask her three or four times before she'll give you the money like it's a favor, and even then, she'll say that you're being petty about such a small amount of money."
Yu Xiaomin was furious when she talked about it.
Her family was poor; only her father had a job, her mother needed medication year-round, and she had a younger sister who was still in school. When she first started working, her monthly salary was only twenty-five yuan, but she spent fifteen yuan of it just on Liu Wenhong's meals.
But at that time, she didn't dare offend anyone, fearing that offending a senior colleague would lead to retaliation and make it impossible for her to stay at work. So she endured it until the second month before finally asking the other party for the money.
Liu Wenhong pretended not to know anything about it and said, "Didn't I give you any money before? Oh dear, look at my memory, I completely forgot about it! Tell me, why didn't you remind me when I forgot about it? It makes it seem like I deliberately asked you to treat me to a meal. But then again, are you really not just trying to curry favor with an old comrade like me by deliberately finding an opportunity to treat me to a meal?"
Yu Xiaomin was furious.
So, was it her fault that she didn't ask Liu Wenhong for the money? Or was it because she was mean-spirited and deliberately wanted to curry favor with the older comrade by not asking for the money?
She refused to believe that Liu Wenhong would eat her meals for free for a whole month without knowing it!
Later, Yu Xiaomin felt extremely aggrieved and took the matter to Director Shen. Director Shen ordered Liu Wenhong to return the money, and only then did Liu Wenhong return it.
Remembering what happened back then, Yu Xiaomin grabbed Mingxi's hand and started to walk back: "Listen to me, we can't give food to Liu Wenhong. Let's return the lunchbox now."
Mingxi grabbed Yu Xiaomin: "Wait, Xiaomin, don't be in such a hurry. I didn't say I promised to get food for Liu Wenhong."
Yu Xiaomin was taken aback: "Huh? You didn't agree, then what are you doing...?"
Mingxi blinked innocently: "I did take out the lunchbox, but when Liu Wenhong was talking to me just now, I didn't nod, didn't agree, and didn't say a word."
"So Liu Wenhong shouldn't be angry if I take the empty lunchbox back like this later, right?"
After a moment of reflection, Yu Xiaomin finally understood what Mingxi meant.
Her pupils dilated, and then she couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Hahaha, Mingxi, you're so naughty!"
"But I like it!"
By the time they finish eating and return to the office, lunchtime will be over, and the cafeteria windows will be closed. Liu Wenhong won't be able to get food herself and will have to go hungry.
Thinking of Liu Wenhong's stomach growling with hunger but having no other choice, Yu Xiaomin felt relieved.
She looked at Mingxi as if she were a precious treasure: "Oh my, Mingxi, how did you grow such a clever head?"
If she were as clever as Mingxi, she would have thought of this trick back then, and wouldn't have served Liu Wenhong as free labor for half a month.
So, after Mingxi finished eating, she took the empty lunchbox back to Liu Wenhong in the office.
When Liu Wenhong took the lunchbox, she felt the weight was off. She opened it and found it empty. She immediately flew into a rage: "Mingxi, what do you mean?! Didn't you promise to get me food? Where's my food?! Are you deliberately starving me?"
Mingxi blinked innocently, her expression pure and guileless. She deliberately spoke loudly, "Huh? Sister Wenhong, did you let me get food? Don't joke around. You didn't give me any money or tickets. Who asks someone to get food for them without paying or giving them tickets? You know what I mean?"
Everyone in the office understood what was going on after hearing this.
Liu Wenhong is using her old tricks to scam the newcomers again.
Unfortunately, the newcomer was a real pain. Not only did he not serve Liu Wenhong any food, but he also deliberately put her in a difficult position, intending to make her go hungry.
There were quite a few people in the office who had been tricked before, and everyone felt that Mingxi's actions were satisfying enough. They all looked at Liu Wenhong with expectant eyes.
Liu Wenhong's expression froze for a moment, but she had done this kind of thing many times and already had a set of skilled words.
"No, Mingxi, what's wrong with you, the new guy? I just forgot to give you the money, couldn't you have reminded me? Do you think I, Liu Wenhong, am the kind of person who would deliberately take advantage of others?"
She became more and more self-righteous as she spoke: "Our Women's Federation is a big family, and we all believe in helping each other. Before, when I asked other comrades to bring me something, even if I forgot to pay, they would pay for it for me. I have never seen anyone like you, who promised me but then didn't get me food and deliberately wanted to make me go hungry! You are really too mean. I have to report this to Director Shen. Our Women's Federation cannot accept comrades like you working here."
Liu Wenhong unleashed a barrage of intimidation and threats, expecting Mingxi to be frightened.
Unexpectedly, Mingxi's expression didn't even change.
When Liu Wenhong remained silent, Mingxi feigned confusion and asked, "Huh? Sister Wenhong, what are you talking about? I don't remember agreeing to get you food."
Liu Wenhong: !!!
Her eyes widened as she realized that Mingxi hadn't agreed to her request; he hadn't even nodded.
She panicked: "You...you didn't promise me, but you took my lunchbox!"
"Yes, you took my lunchbox!" Liu Wenhong said anxiously, as if she had seized fatal evidence. "You took my lunchbox, so you promised to get me food, didn't you?"
Mingxi continued to play dumb: "Huh? So Sister Wenhong, you gave me the lunchbox because you wanted me to get food for you. I thought you were lending me your lunchbox because it was my first day at work and I didn't bring one.
She chuckled and scratched her cheek: "I was just about to tell you that the cafeteria has trays, so I didn't use your lunchbox."
Liu Wenhong was furious.
This act of feigning ignorance was clearly her usual tactic, and now that Mingxi was using it against her, she had absolutely no idea what to say!
What's most infuriating is that even though Liu Wenhong was so angry, Mingxi still smiled and reminded her, "Sister Wenhong, next time you ask someone to help you get food, don't do it like today. Remember to give them the money, and remember to wait for their agreement before giving them the lunchbox."
"Otherwise, if you encounter someone who has the same misunderstanding as me, you'll go hungry again."
Liu Wenhong was both angry and hungry, feeling her stomach cramping. She didn't have the energy to argue with Mingxi, so she rolled her eyes, picked up her water glass, and prepared to go to the water room to get some hot water to fill her stomach.
It was rare to see someone who could go toe-to-toe with Liu Wenhong and win, and everyone in the office looked at Mingxi with admiration.
Mingxi said: It's nothing!
Mingxi finished get off work at five o'clock in the evening, packed her things, carried her small bag and walked out of the office building. She immediately saw Zhao Sulan waiting at the gate.
She waved to Zhao Sulan, then, like a bird returning to its nest, fluttered and flew into Zhao Sulan's arms.
Zhao Sulan asked with concern, "How was Xibao's first day at work? Did it go smoothly? Was the work difficult? How are your colleagues? Did no one bully you? If anyone does, tell Mom, and Mom will stand up for you!"
Mingxi shook her head: "No, Mom, don't worry. My colleagues are all very nice. Nobody bullies me."
"There's only one, she has a bad habit, but I estimate that after today, her bad habit will be corrected."
Zhao Sulan: "Oh? What happened?"
Mingxi briefly recounted what had happened at noon to Zhao Sulan, who exclaimed, "Serves her right! People who try to take advantage of others deserve to be taught a lesson like this!"
However, she was somewhat worried: "Isn't Liu Wenhong a senior colleague in your unit? Won't she team up with other people in your unit to make things difficult for you?"
Mingxi waved her hand: "Mom, don't worry, it won't happen. All my colleagues at work have been tricked by her, and they hate her even more than I do. When they saw me dealing with her at lunchtime, they cheered me on."
Hearing this, Zhao Sulan felt relieved.
The mother and daughter walked home hand in hand. When they passed the state-run restaurant, they saw the roast duck hanging in the glass. Mingxi's eyes lit up and she said, "Mom, today is my first day at work. Shouldn't we have something nice to celebrate?"
As she spoke, her eyes kept glancing at the roast ducks in the hanging oven by the roadside.
Zhao Sulan had no questions. She waved her hand and said, "Want to eat roast duck? Then let's eat!"
First day at work, it's time to celebrate!
And so, Mingxi and Zhao Sulan had a meal at the roast duck restaurant before going home.
The duck they ordered was quite large, and the remaining duck carcass was huge. The two of them packed it up to take home and use it to make soup or noodles the next day.
Carrying the remaining duck carcasses back to the courtyard, I bumped into Aunt He.
Aunt He: "Oh, roast duck! Where did you two get so rich? It's not a holiday or anything special, why are you eating so well?"
Zhao Sulan: "Who says today isn't a special day? Today is my daughter's first day at work, so we have to celebrate!"
After Mingxi completed her onboarding procedures, she was no longer afraid to tell outsiders about her work.
Aunt He's eyes widened: "What?! Going to work?"
Her eyes bulged out of their sockets as she looked Mingxi up and down: "Xiaoming, you went to work?"
"Yes, I didn't see you in the yard during the day. I was wondering where you went. Turns out you went to work!"
After muttering to herself, she added, "Wait a minute, when did Mingxi get a job? Where does she work? After you start working, will you still be doing matchmaking for people?"
Mingxi answered the questions one by one with great patience and a smile: "I just reported for duty today. I work at the Women's Federation and also help people find partners."
At this point, she winked playfully and said, "Aunt He, if you have any relatives or friends who want to be introduced to potential partners, you can ask them to come to me."
Aunt He nodded subconsciously: "Okay, okay."
"Wait, something's not right!"
After processing Mingxi's words, Aunt He finally realized, "Oh, wait, you work at the Women's Federation? That place is so hard to get into, how did you get in?"
The Women's Federation is different from a factory. You can't just get in by being recruited. You either need connections or good grades to get in.
Since they all lived in the same courtyard, Aunt He naturally knew that the Ming family had no relatives working at the Women's Federation. The Women's Federation hadn't been recruiting or holding exams recently, so how did Mingxi end up working there?
Mingxi smiled and said, "It was Director Shen from the Women's Federation who gave me this job opportunity. I ran into her a few days ago, and she said she saw my drive and that since the Women's Federation's main task recently is to solve the problem of older single people in our city, she felt that I had the experience and expertise to fill the gap, so she hired me as a temporary worker."
"Oh, I see."
Aunt He understood after hearing this.
She wasn't jealous at all; upon hearing this, she was only happy for Mingxi.
"You're amazing! You're so capable that Director Shen from the Women's Federation has taken a liking to you!"
Mingxi touched her nose and said modestly, "It's nothing~"
Aunt He: "Oh, how can you say it's nothing? You becoming a staff member at the Women's Federation is a great thing. Everyone in our compound will be proud of you!"
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Author's Note: Let's give a big round of applause! Xiao Ming has a job! [Cat emoji][Cat emoji]
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