Chapter 51
In a short time, the news spread throughout the small town like the wind.
Even though the establishment of the special administrative region has been announced, the gap between the two sides is huge. The monthly salary here is 50 yuan, while the monthly salary there is at least 600 or 700 yuan. Naturally, there are many people who are tempted.
When the store was about to close, a clerk walked up to Chen Lanjun, rubbed his hands together, and his face was full of anxiety.
"Mr. Chen... Can I... take my salary first? I have something to worry about at home."
Chen Lanjun stopped placing the plates, turned around and looked at the waiter named A Tao.
Tao was one of the first employees to be confirmed. She lived in an alley on the street. Her uncle and aunt Jing were from the same village, so they were from the same hometown. She had a baby face, which made people feel close to her. She was smart and serious, but she didn't like to talk much. Apart from a few routine conversations during the recruitment, Chen Lanjun didn't talk much with her. It was extremely rare for her to take the initiative to talk to her this time.
There were no customers in the restaurant. One or two other employees were walking out. Ah Jing and Zhao Hong were taking inventory of ingredients in the small warehouse. The orange-red light was dim, illuminating only the shadows of Chen Lanjun and Ah Tao.
Chen Lanjun put the plate away and asked, "Don't worry about the salary. I will pay you for the days you work. But - can I ask, what are your plans?"
Ah Tao looked around and counted her fingers nervously, wondering whether to tell the truth or not.
After a while, Ah Tao said softly, "Mr. Chen, you have also heard about the opening of the Xiangjiang River, right? I...I want to be a supervisor! As long as I give it a try and pass this test, my life will be completely different!"
The so-called "Du Zu" is a local code word. Zu is a pawn in chess. Once it crosses the river, it has no way back. I don't know who first used this word to describe the journey from the mainland to Hong Kong, but it is strangely fitting.
Ah Tao continued, "Just like Mr. Chen, when I return home in glory, I will definitely not forget Mr. Chen's kindness! Mr. Chen, don't you think I am right?"
The girl's eyes were flashing with longing. She wanted me to affirm her, Chen Lanjun thought.
However, Chen Lanjun had nothing to say. She was a little confused. She was silent for a moment, but frowned slightly and said, "Everyone has their own fate. It's hard to say."
Ah Tao was slightly disappointed: "Then... Mr. Chen, you won't report me, right?"
Chen Lanjun shook her head: "This is not my obligation."
She took out a pen and paper from the drawer, calculated the salary that A Tao deserved according to the time, counted out the 37-yuan bill and handed it over.
"Count them and see if you made any mistakes."
Ah Tao held the banknotes tightly and said repeatedly, "Thank you, thank you."
She turned around and was about to leave, but Chen Lanjun gently stopped her: "I hope you have a good future, and you must pay attention to safety."
A smile spread across Ah Tao's baby face, and she nodded vigorously: "Yes, I remember it."
The next day, A Tao didn't come to work.
Ah Jing waited for a long time but no one showed up. Her expression changed slightly and she whispered to Chen Lanjun, "Did Ah Tao die?"
Chen Lanjun glanced outside. It was gloomy and windy today.
"It's going to rain, and my mother is going to get married." Chen Lanjun answered the question irrelevantly.
Ah Jing also looked out the window, slightly dazed.
Chen Lanjun suddenly said: "If you have any ideas, please tell me."
Ah Jing sighed: "My grandma is here."
Chen Lanjun nodded and went to ask Zhao Hong some more questions. She had no right to control other people, but she had brought these two people here, so she had to have a firm grasp of their thoughts.
Zhao Hong was also very frank: "If I really wanted to leave, I would have gone with your sister. But my mother... I can't implicate her anyway."
For some reason, after hearing Ajing and Zhao Hong's answers, Chen Lanjun felt slightly relieved.
Perhaps because of the news of the "catch-and-release" policy in Hong Kong, or perhaps because of the bad weather, there were not many customers in Wutong Restaurant today. It could be said to be very few.
Chen Lanjun left Zhao Hong in the store to look after the other employees, and she and Ajing rode their monthly rented bicycles to Nanfeng Village, where Ajing's aunt lived.
*** ***
"I'm afraid it's not the right time to talk about setting up a factory these two days." Aunt Jing brought two bowls of sweet potato soup and said hesitantly, "Have you heard about the news in Xiangjiang?"
Chen Lanjun nodded.
Aunt Jing sat down and said, "If you had mentioned building a factory in the village a few days ago, everyone would have welcomed it. But because of that news, everyone is still a little... well, uneasy. I personally feel that now is not a good time to mention building a factory."
Ah Jing listened and nodded in agreement: "Indeed, do you remember Ah Tao from our restaurant, Auntie?"
"Is she the granddaughter of the old Zhong family?"
"Yes, that's her."
Ah Jing said: "She didn't come to work today! She didn't ask for leave either. I wonder if she is sick."
"That's possible. I'll go back to Old Zhong's house and ask."
The aunt and niece chatted, and Chen Lanjun took a sip of the sweet potato soup, which tasted lightly sweet. She looked up and said, "I'd like to trouble my aunt to take me to ask where is suitable to set up a factory and what the conditions are."
She had an appointment with President Cai of the bank, so she had to get this done first. Chen Lanjun was going to make a more detailed business plan to describe her plans after the loan.
Aunt Ajing naturally agreed. After drinking the sweet soup, she took Chen Lanjun to see the village chief.
"Oh, you want to set up a factory, right? We naturally welcome this." The village chief had obviously considered the issue of attracting investment, so he skillfully told which place was suitable for building a factory.
"There are three or four rooms over there. They are quite spacious. I'll show you."
On the way there, a villager greeted the village chief. When he heard that Chen Lanjun and his party wanted to consult about setting up a factory here, he asked hastily, "Will they really build a factory? Will they recruit workers? How much will the salary be?"
Chen Lanjun was not sure about answering this series of questions immediately. She just smiled and said, "It's still in preparation."
A villager walked over and said loudly: "Even if it is really built, what will happen? It's still only a few dozen yuan a month, which is no match for the hundreds of yuan others make."
It's obvious what he said is meaningful.
Auntie Ajing whispered in Chen Lanjun's ear: "This is someone from Atao's family."
The village chief glared at me and said, "What are you talking about? I advise you not to have any bad ideas. There are many times more people patrolling the mountainside now."
The man said "Oh", still not convinced, and said sarcastically: "Hey, some people are lucky, born in a place with a gold mountain. We are not like that, we will never catch up in our lifetime."
Chen Lanjun glanced at him calmly and said, "Thirty years in the east, thirty years in the west. Nothing is absolute."
The man muttered something like "crazy" and walked away shaking his head.
Chen Lanjun didn't care and continued to do what she was supposed to do. She checked the venues one by one, recorded the conditions, and finally compiled them into a business plan.
She leaned over the table, writing neatly, stroke by stroke.
Finally, I stared at the project plan in a daze.
I remembered a few lines of poetry that I saw in textbooks or some miscellaneous books.
"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and I took the one less traveled by"
“From that moment on, all the differences were made.”
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