Chapter 10
As soon as Chen Ying and her group returned to their residence after leaving the Xia family home, they held an online meeting and recounted the entire conversation from the previous day.
After the assistant finished reading the entire conversation, Chen Ying gestured, "Please give your opinions."
The serious man who was with Chen Ying today spoke first.
His name is Li Haiqiang, and he belongs to the Southwest Military Region. He holds the rank of senior colonel. He came from the military to accompany Chen Ying to meet Xia Ke. "Based on today's meeting and conversation, although she has concealed some things, it is clear that Ms. Xia is an upright and sincere person. I know that her small shop selling space rings has posted a notice that she is willing to help the elderly and disabled. This also shows that she is a kind and empathetic person, not the kind of antisocial and dangerous person. I think her first and third requests are not excessive."
"Humans are driven by self-interest. It's understandable that anyone who possesses a spatial ring would want to use it to acquire wealth. It's not the desire to have something that's scary, but the lack of desire."
"As for the third point, it is perfectly reasonable. Ever since Ms. Xia voluntarily exposed her spatial ring, she has no longer been safe. Right now, those people abroad haven't reacted yet. Once they do, do you think they won't make some underhanded moves? A wise person doesn't stand under a dangerous wall. Ms. Xia's initiative to seek help from the country shows that she trusts the country and the organization, and also demonstrates the utmost sincerity, tacitly agreeing that the country can arrange for someone to be by her side to keep track of her movements at any time."
"As for the second requirement, I'm a rough guy and don't know the implications, so I won't offer any advice on that."
Chen Ying nodded, "That makes sense."
As the person who negotiated directly with Xia Ke, she could sense Xia Ke's sincerity, and the concealment was indeed due to unspeakable reasons.
This is something that cannot be explained; they cannot yet fathom it.
"Mr. Ge, what do you think of Ms. Xia's second condition?"
The elderly man with gray hair on the other end of the screen lifted his head from his book. "My suggestion is to agree to her request. The value of the space ring research data is incomparable. If we are lucky enough to develop a new product during the research of the space ring, Xia will also have a share of the credit. Besides, the young lady is not greedy. She only wants civilian applications. She took her research data without spending a penny. The country can't be so stingy. There should always be some return."
The man in the suit on the other end of the video had a different opinion: "But she never revealed the source of the goods, and she also said that there would be similar products in the future. Who among you can guarantee that she won't produce something that endangers people's property someday? We know nothing about where her goods come from; it's a complete blind spot for supervision. If something really happens, it will be too late."
Everyone quieted down.
This is also their concern.
Chen Ying felt they had all missed the point. "I think the key point we should be discussing isn't whether or not to agree to Xia Ke's request. After all, we don't have the initiative right now, do we? We can't resist the temptation of the space ring research data. Even if this sweet candy is coated with a thick layer of poison, the country will grit its teeth and swallow it."
"I think the focus of today's meeting is the country's attitude towards Xia Ke as a person and the Hongqi Piao Company founded by Xia Ke from now on."
"Everyone knows that from the moment Xia Ke took out the space ring, she became special. The country is wary of the source of the space ring behind her, but the space ring data she has now, and the super-tech research and development data she may have in the future, are also tempting everyone."
"So the biggest question now is whether to let her grow up freely or to curb it?"
After Chen Ying finished speaking, the meeting fell silent again.
Just then, one of the black screens in the video conference lit up, and a dignified, aged face appeared in the center of the screen.
He said, “I apologize for being late because the previous meeting was not over. I heard everything you discussed. What I want to tell you is that it is not good to give up your studies because of sleep problems. Only a coward would give up the opportunity in front of them because of the fear of the crisis behind them. As for Huaguo, what storms have we not seen? Why should we be scared by this false crisis?”
Furthermore, I believe that the young comrade who is willing to return to her hometown to start a business and contribute to the development of her hometown is definitely a good person, and the things you are worried about won't happen. We can't hurt her feelings because of a future that hasn't even occurred yet. Minister Chen, please tell Comrade Xia that we agree to her three requests, as long as they are compliant with regulations and laws. The country strongly encourages young people to start businesses and companies. Young people will definitely make some mistakes when starting a business for the first time. The local government has experienced people, and they will help as much as they can. Also, when selecting people to go there, choose people of similar age to Comrade Xia. Young people are always easier to talk to than us.”
......
When Chen Ying came to the Xia family again, Xia Ke was talking to her parents about hiring people.
She plans to hire two people to help with order processing and shipping first. As for the other employees in the company, she can only decide after posting job openings and screening resumes.
Xia's parents know the village well, and they know best where to recruit people.
“Recruiting people to deliver packages is easy, isn’t it? Your great-aunt’s sister Yang Yan got pancreatitis and went home for surgery. She hasn’t gone out to work yet. After dinner, have your dad go to her house and ask her if she’s coming.”
Xia's father nodded, took on the task, and then said, "Do you remember Zhang Fan from the village? You were classmates in junior high school."
"I don't remember, they shouldn't be in our class." Xia Ke shook her head. Back in junior high, she only focused on studying, and she really didn't know much about people from other classes besides her own.
"You could ask her, but I don't know if your job is busy. Her child is still young and can't be left alone for long periods of time. If the working hours are long, she might have to bring the child to work."
"What? Baby? How old is she, and she's already married?"
"You're twenty-three, the perfect age to get married. In this village, you're the ones who go to college and get married late."
Xia Ke became curious, "Which family in the village did she marry into? Where is her husband? How can you let her go out to work with such a young child?"
"She married your cousin Cheng Cai. You should still call her your cousin's wife. Your cousin Cheng Cai went to work in Dong Province, and she stayed home to take care of the elderly and the children. What can she do if she's worried? It's not enough for your cousin Cheng Cai to earn enough to support the whole family. If she could earn some money, she could buy the children some clothes and treats during holidays."
Xia Ke nodded without saying anything. There were indeed many left-behind women, children, and elderly people in their village. Before she returned home, her parents were also left-behind elderly people.
There was no other way; if it weren't for those two taels of silver for survival, who would want to be separated from their loved ones?
"Mom and Dad, could you please ask them if they'd be willing to come? The main job is to process online orders and ship them, and also work part-time as customer service for the online store. It might be a bit tiring. Let's start with a salary of 5,000 yuan, and we can increase it if the workload increases later."
Xia's mother felt sorry that Xia Ke's salary was too high. She stopped what she was about to do and sat down on the stool again. "Ke Ke, this salary is too high. It's not worth so much money just for delivering packages. Before, when the village's tomato greenhouses hired people to work, they only got a hundred yuan a day even though they worked themselves to the bone."
"Mom, it's not as simple as you say. They not only have to deliver packages but also act as customer service representatives to answer customer questions. They're doing the work of two people, which is very tiring. Besides, if the salary is higher, they'll work even harder for me, so I can focus on doing other things."
Xia's parents couldn't persuade Xia Ke otherwise, so they got up and went to ask people if they were willing to come and work.
As soon as the two left their house, they encountered Chen Ying and others getting out of their car and walking towards their house.
The elderly couple felt a headache whenever they saw Chen Ying.
That brat Coco, after all that commotion yesterday, she absolutely refused to say who those people were or what they were doing, only keeping reassuring the old couple that everything was alright.
But judging from their demeanor and pomp, how could nothing happen to them?
The two of them stopped and beckoned Chen Ying to return to the courtyard.
"Minister Chen, you've arrived."
"I apologize for bothering you. I'm here today to let you know that the organization has granted your request from yesterday."
"It will take time to coordinate the personnel. You should be able to see them tonight. They are all young comrades around your age, and you should be able to have some conversations with them."
"Thank you for your help."
Chen Ying came and went quickly. Xia's parents only saw that the person spoke a few words to their daughter in a cryptic manner, then go into the house, give her something, and leave.
Xia Ke spent the entire day registering on recruitment software and posting job information. Worried that her exposure wouldn't be high enough, she also pasted the job posting links to her shop's homepage.
By the time we finished the recruitment work, the sun was almost setting.
Just as Xia Ke was rubbing her temples and preparing to cook, her parents returned home.
“I asked your sister Yang Yan, and she said she’ll be over tomorrow morning. Your job is just in time. She’s almost fully recovered and is planning to go out to work next month. Your aunt’s family is very happy that she can find a job close to home.”
“Zhang Fan can also come, but he’s worried that the working hours are too long and there’s no one to take care of his child. He wanted to ask if you could bring his child to work.”
"How old is her child? Does he usually cause trouble?" She can't stand the sound of a child crying and screaming.
"She doesn't fuss. A little girl who's just over a year old can play by herself for half a day in her walker."
"Let her bring it then, but let me make this clear: if she neglects her work because of the child, I will fire her."
No sooner had she spoken than Xia's mother slapped her on the back. "Why are you saying this when we're all neighbors? She's living a pitiful life. We're helping her out. Do you really think she'd have the nerve to just take money and not do any work?"
Xia Ke quickly begged for forgiveness, "I know, I know, I won't say it in front of others."
Thus, the matter of recruiting people in the village was temporarily settled.
The people Chen Ying agreed to knock on the Xia family's door around 7 p.m. There were four people in total, three women and one man.
Chen Ying did not assign these people to any specific groups. Xia Ke let the only boy stay with her father, the one who was good at cooking stay with her mother, and the other two stay with her.
"Your sister, Xia An, is also being protected by the organization. Minister Chen, you can rest assured."
Xia's parents have two children, Xia Ke and her older sister Xia An. Xia An is currently working as a director in Yue City. She has already agreed with her older sister that once things are stable, Xia An will quit her job to help her with publicity work.
"Thanks."
When arranging accommodations for the four people that evening, Xia's parents cornered Xia Ke in her room.
"Coco, who are they?"
"The person sent by Minister Chen Ying today is mainly responsible for protecting the safety of my family."
“What do I, an old farmer, have to protect? You should send them back quickly. I’m not used to having people following me around.”
"Yeah, yeah, he's not some big shot, why would he need someone to protect him?"
Xia Ke sighed and carefully explained the reasons to her parents.
She didn't think she didn't need protection right now. Not only her, but her family also needed protection. Her parents didn't understand the principle of "possessing a treasure is a crime," but she did. Moreover, sending someone over was a way to reassure the organization in a different way.
She didn't want to make a mistake that could lead to her being kidnapped overseas and whipped to reveal the system—a truly tragic event.
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