Chapter 86
Once it was confirmed that Ye Fenghua's job was real and that she would be reporting to the paper mill in the county town in a few days, the whole family was overjoyed for her.
The children bombarded them with questions: "Mom, what's your job? What do you do?"
"By the way, how long does it take to get to Huanshan County from here?"
"Dad, should we buy Mom a bicycle so it will be easier for her to commute to and from get off work?"
Will the military vehicles pass through Huanshan County? When we have time off, can we go with them to the county town to see Mom?
"..."
A barrage of questions came crashing down on Ye Fenghua, leaving her dizzy and overwhelmed. She quickly said, "Take your time, answer one by one." She replied, "The job details are still unclear. We'll find out after we report to the factory in the county town. After all, it's a position assigned by higher-ups, so we'll have to see if we can do it. If we can't, we'll be transferred to a position that we can."
These days, jobs are very specific, with each position clearly defined. Even if someone can't do a particular job, they'll find a suitable one.
Just like the jobs in the military, in order to take care of the families, some jobs are divided into very detailed categories.
Take the military guesthouse as an example. There are registration staff, people who change the sheets in the rooms, people who clean, people who prepare water for the hot water room, etc. Because the job is divided into many positions, some of the pay is not much. It is like dividing a job into several people and then sharing the pay among several people.
For those from impoverished families, even just sweeping the floor only earns them about five yuan a month, which is enough to supplement their household income.
Ye Fenghua continued, "I asked around, and it takes about an hour and a half to cycle from here to Huanshan County at a normal speed." She thought for a moment and said, "I can't ride a bicycle, and even if I wanted to learn, I'd need to have the money to buy one first. I'll probably stay in the factory dormitory for now and come back to see you on the weekend. But I heard there are buses from the town to the county seat, so I could take one..."
She had never learned to ride a bicycle before because she didn't need to, nor did she have the means to do so.
However, buying a bicycle was too expensive; it required not only money but also industrial vouchers, which were difficult to obtain. She decided to stay in the factory dormitory and return on the weekend.
Hearing this, the children were reluctant, but they didn't say they wouldn't let their mother go to work.
No one would be foolish enough to refuse such a rare job. It's just that I don't see my mother at home during the week, but she'll be back on the weekend anyway.
Miao Cuini said sweetly, "Mom, don't worry about going to work. I'll come home earlier after school and cook."
“I will help too,” Miao Cuiyu added.
When Miao Jianguo and Miao Jianshe saw that they both said so, they quickly followed suit and expressed their support, saying that they would go home to help with the work and that they were very supportive of her going to work.
Ye Fenghua was very pleased to hear this, and Commander Miao also had a smile on his face.
The children are all good kids. Although they love their son more, the couple tries to treat them all equally and doesn't discriminate. As a result, the four children get along quite well. The two daughters are well-behaved and considerate, always helping with chores and sharing the burden of housework with Ye Fenghua. But if the sons see this, they feel embarrassed to run away and will come home to help as well.
That evening, when the couple were resting, they brought up work again.
Commander Miao asked, "Are you sure Commander Shen's wife really wants to give up her job to you?"
He still felt it was all too real. His wife had suddenly gotten such a good job. Even if she wasn't highly educated and couldn't do the technical work in the factory, she could still earn around twenty yuan a month if she became a permanent employee. That was a lot of money.
"Could there be fakes?" Ye Fenghua looked at him speechlessly. "You suspect I'm lying to you?"
Commander Miao quickly replied, "Of course not. I just think that since this job was specifically requested by the higher-ups to be given to Commander Shen's wife, it's such a rare opportunity. How could she be willing to give it away?" He then asked, "Did she make any demands?"
For some reason, he just couldn't feel at ease. He felt that his wife wasn't good enough for someone to give up such a good job for her. What did that person want from his wife?
That means she'll be working in a factory! Once Ye Fenghua transfers her household registration to her workplace, she'll be a city dweller.
This is something that so many country folk dream of.
Ye Fenghua shook her head and said, "Actually, Gu Xi gave this job to me because she's not in good health. I heard she can't go out to work or do strenuous exercise..."
Commander Miao asked in surprise, "It's that serious?"
He had heard that Commander Shen's wife was not in good health, but he only thought she was a little weaker than the average woman, since she looked quite frail. He never expected that she couldn't even go out to work.
Ye Fenghua nodded, feeling sorry for Gu Xi: "Yes, she said she is currently recuperating, so she gave up her job to me."
"She didn't make any requests?"
“There’s nothing there.” Ye Fenghua said, then snorted at him. “You don’t know how good Gu Xi is. She gave it to me when she said she would, without mentioning any conditions.”
She was so excited at the time that she just left without thinking much about it.
Commander Miao was shocked and muttered, "These are her job openings. If she wanted to sell her jobs, there would be plenty of people willing to buy them."
These days, buying a job isn't uncommon, but you have to actually be able to buy one. Sometimes, even money can't buy a job, or the price is too high for you to afford.
A regular job in a factory costs a lot of money to buy.
Ye Fenghua realized what was happening and hurriedly asked, "This... Gu Xi didn't mention this, so should we give her the money?" She mentally calculated the family's savings, "We don't have much money right now. Last month, my mother-in-law broke her leg and went to the hospital, which cost a lot of money..."
Commander Miao roughly knew how much money his family had, and said, "How about this, you give it to her after you get your salary. You can go and discuss it with her and see how much is appropriate to give her."
He still felt that Gu Xi was giving his wife a job opportunity, and he couldn't just accept it for nothing.
Moreover, Gu Xi has Commander Shen behind him, so he wouldn't dare to take advantage of his wife.
**
The family members' employment placement office is very efficient; they assigned jobs within just two days.
Those who got jobs were overjoyed, while those who didn't put on a brave face. Because the resettlement office had made preparations in advance, those who got jobs were all well-known impoverished households in the family compound, so there was no opposition.
It wasn't until everyone discovered that Ye Fenghua had also been given a job opportunity.
This immediately angered the families of those who were not selected, who rushed to the resettlement office to protest, asking why Ye Fenghua's family, which was clearly not in dire need, had received a job offer.
Some family members in similar circumstances to Ye Fenghua also felt resentful.
Seeing so many family members protesting, the clerk at the resettlement office had no choice but to explain to everyone why Ye Fenghua had gotten the job.
This surprised everyone.
It turns out that Gu Xi was also a reason for this job assignment.
What's even more surprising is that she was foolish enough to give up her job to someone else. Even if Commander Shen's salary was not low and their family's burden was not heavy, who would complain about having a job?
If you can have a job and earn your own money, you'll feel more confident in your husband's family.
However, no matter how surprised everyone was, Gu Xi did indeed give her job to someone else; that's what she did.
Many people envied Ye Fenghua's luck, wondering why Gu Xi would be so generous as to give her this job. Why? The two families weren't even related, and Gu Xi had only been with the army for a few months. He wasn't that close to Ye Fenghua, was he?
In the family compound, everyone gathered together to talk about this matter, and their feelings towards Gu Xi were very complicated.
"Why was Gu Xi so foolish as to give the job to Ye Fenghua? What was she thinking?"
"Who knows what she's thinking? Maybe she's just a young, naive woman who's been fooled by Ye Fenghua."
Someone couldn't stand it anymore and said, "She was tricked by Ye Fenghua? Wan Cuihua, don't talk nonsense. Ye Fenghua doesn't have that kind of ability. If she did, she would have gotten the job long ago, right? Why would she wait until now?"
Wan Cuihua said unhappily, "Otherwise, why would Gu Xi give her the job? No normal person would do something so stupid."
She definitely won't do it.
Like Ye Fenghua, Wan Cuihua came from the countryside, and her husband was also a soldier from the countryside. Their situations were actually quite similar. However, because Wan Cuihua's family had fewer children than Ye Fenghua's and one of her daughters was already married, her family's situation was actually better than Ye Fenghua's.
Moreover, no one dislikes having too much money; having a job means you can earn money, and everyone wants a job.
Wan Cuihua was one of those who were unemployed. She had been hoping that the army would one day arrange a job for her that would pay a lot of money, but unfortunately, she hadn't gotten one after all these years.
If it were someone else who got the job, she could let it go even if she felt jealous, but since it was Ye Fenghua who got the job, she couldn't stay calm.
In fact, the two women were in very similar situations. They were the same batch of military wives who accompanied their husbands to the army. They compared themselves to each other openly and secretly. Because their situations were similar, Wan Cuihua always paid attention to Ye Fenghua. Sometimes the two would quarrel or even fight.
At this moment, she couldn't help but wonder, if Gu Xi could give the job to Ye Fenghua, why couldn't she give it to herself?
It must have been that woman Ye Fenghua who coaxed Gu Xi.
Commander Shen's wife is so delicate and looks like she's easy to fool. Maybe she really has been tricked by Ye Fenghua.
Wan Cuihua became increasingly unwilling to accept it, so she turned and left.
The military wives who were chatting suddenly realized she was gone, but they didn't pay any attention and continued to sit together, chatting and warming themselves by the fire.
**
Gu Xi was sitting in his study, writing a story titled "Comrade Gu's Battle Against Human Traffickers," which was based on his own experiences.
After writing and failing more than a dozen beginnings, I finally settled on a story beginning today and can now continue writing smoothly.
As the saying goes, everything is difficult at the beginning, but once you get off to a good start, the rest is much easier.
Just as Gu Xi was experiencing a rare burst of inspiration, writing with divine inspiration, and about to finish writing in one go, her younger sister ran over and said, "Big sister, someone is looking for you."
Gu Xi was a little unhappy about being interrupted, but she didn't get angry.
She rubbed her cold hands together, then got up and left the study.
When Gu Xi saw the guest who had come to her door, she was speechless and asked, "Sister-in-law Wan, what do you need me for?"
Because of the kite-making incident, Gu Xi felt that she and Wan Cuihua had incompatible values and couldn't have a normal relationship; keeping their distance would be fine. Fortunately, there were so many people in the residential compound that she didn't need to befriend everyone; if their values didn't align, they could simply avoid each other, and that wouldn't be a big deal.
Hearing the commotion, Xu Yuansheng came out of the house and understood what was going on from her sister's tone.
It seems that her sister and this Sister-in-law Wan don't get along very well.
Wan Cuihua forced a smile and said warmly, "Comrade Gu, I heard that you also have a job opening this time, which the Mo family specifically requested for you. If you don't want to do it, could you give this job opening to me?"
The Xu sisters were both stunned.
Didn't her sister's job opportunity go to the neighbor, Sister Ye? Doesn't Sister Ye know about this?
Gu Xi understood that Ye Fenghua had come for a job opportunity. It seemed that the news of Ye Fenghua having a job had already spread in the family compound, and everyone knew that it was Ye Fenghua who had given her the job.
She said directly, "Sorry, I've already given the job to Sister Ye from the Miao family next door."
Wan Cuihua stepped forward and said urgently, "I know! Gu Xi, actually my family is also quite poor, much worse off than Ye Fenghua's. Could you give me this job?"
She assumed that Gu Xi had been coaxed away by Ye Fenghua, and the reason given was nothing more than that her family was in trouble.
She felt that her family was much worse off than Ye Fenghua's.
Gu Xi said, "Sister Wan, I remember that you only have two children. Your eldest daughter is already married, and only your son is with you. It shouldn't be considered difficult."
In an era when most couples have four or five children, it's quite unusual for Wan Cuihua and her husband, Deputy Regiment Commander Sun, to have only two. However, there's a reason for this: it's said that after Wan Cuihua gave birth to their son, Deputy Regiment Commander Sun was injured during a disaster relief operation and could no longer have children.
Wan Cuihua's face fell: "My family is really struggling. My husband, Lao Sun, is only a deputy regimental commander, his salary isn't as high as Commander Miao's. We still have my mother-in-law and brother-in-law to support back in the countryside. My daughter got pregnant recently, and her in-laws asked us to send her some tonics to help her recover, which also costs money. And then there's my son, he's the only son in our Lao Sun family, he needs to eat and dress well, that costs money too..."
Upon hearing this, both Xu Yuansheng and her sister wanted to roll their eyes.
Wan Cuihua's words reminded them of Xu Dagui and his wife, whose son wanted to eat and dress well, regardless of the family's circumstances, and always prioritized his needs.
I imagine her daughter must have had a very difficult time at home before she got married.
“Gu Xi, my family's situation is much worse than Ye Fenghua's. Please give me this job; I really need it. I know you're a kind person, but please don't let Ye Fenghua fool you. She needs the job more than I do; I still have a son to support…”
Wan Cuihua kept playing the victim, saying that her son hadn't eaten white flour and meat for days and had lost a lot of weight.
Xu Yuansheng finally couldn't hold back and said with a forced smile, "Sister-in-law, if your son doesn't have white flour and meat to eat, shouldn't you blame it on your incompetence as parents for not being able to buy it for him? What does it have to do with my sister? My sister would never buy it for your son."
Wan Cuihua was speaking enthusiastically when she heard this and became somewhat annoyed. When she turned her head and saw Xu Yuansheng, she instantly became wary. This girl looked shrewd and was not as easily fooled as Gu Xi.
She said angrily, "Who do you think you are, comrade? I'm talking to Comrade Gu, don't interrupt!"
"I can't stand you bullying my sister!" Xu Yuansheng said righteously. "If you want a job, go to the family employment placement office. What's the use of coming to my sister to cry and complain? My sister's job has already been given to Sister Ye, and she won't change her mind. You can leave now!"
Wan Cuihua was a little embarrassed. This girl's words were too rude. She turned to Gu Xi and said, "Comrade Gu, is this your sister? Why is she talking so rudely? Aren't you going to do anything about it? Be careful she won't be able to get married in the future."
Xu Yuansheng, hands on hips, said, "Even if I can't get married, I won't cling to your family. Your son is so unwanted, no one would want him even if you paid him!"
Wan Cuihua: "You, you, you—"
Wan Cuihua was almost furious. She never expected that this young woman would be so sharp-tongued and quick to criticize.
She gritted her teeth, remembering her purpose for today, and held back for the time being, continuing to ask Gu Xi for a job.
Gu Xi reiterated, "I've already given the job to Sister-in-law Ye; I can't go back on my word."
"How is this going back on your word? It's clearly about taking care of those who deserve it more! Gu Xi, let me tell you..."
Gu Xi grew impatient and didn't want to hear her repeating how difficult her family's situation was or how pitiful her son was, so she went straight up to her and picked her up.
Wan Cuihua: "..."
Xu Yuansheng: "..."
Xu Huaisheng: "..."
Gu Xi carried the person to the door, and then saw that the neighbors next door and across the street had opened their doors and were looking this way.
Seeing this, they were also speechless.
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