Niu Neng is an unemployed worker in Chishui County.
He used to be a porter at the supply and marketing cooperative.
Since the reforms, various private shopping malls and convenience stores have sprung up like mushrooms after rain.
These individual sellers offer much better service than supply and marketing cooperatives.
The goods were still complete, and the people gradually distanced themselves from the supply and marketing cooperative.
Now, supply and marketing cooperatives only have a place in rural areas.
Inside the city, the once crowded supply and marketing cooperatives have become deserted.
This is not the fault of ordinary people.
During the planned economy era, supply and marketing cooperatives were incredibly powerful and influential.
Apart from this place, the locals have nowhere else to buy salt.
The employees of the supply and marketing cooperatives were even more incredibly powerful.
Forget about the service attitude; if you're picking and choosing things or taking too long to buy them, they'll just kick you out.
The customer experience was extremely poor!
With the reform and opening up, private individuals sought to acquire customers and complete transactions.
Everyone who comes is greeted with a smile.
They enthusiastically introduce whatever you want to buy.
It's much better than the supply and marketing cooperatives that have to beg and plead.
As a result, the supply and marketing cooperatives had no choice but to lay off employees and reduce expenses.
They struggle to stay afloat, waiting to be eliminated by the times.
Unfortunately, Niu was laid off.
It's called a layoff, but it's actually a temporary layoff, with each person receiving a living allowance of a dozen or so yuan.
But that's not enough to live on.
Especially after signs of currency inflation emerged, the prices of various daily necessities began to rise.
In Wu Changfeng's opinion, this is nothing!
When the hammer of European sanctions comes down, inflation will rise even higher.
What followed was a fierce battle among local companies.
During this period, many companies died quietly, while a generation of legendary companies rose.
That's a story for another time.
Having no other choice, Niu had to go out and find work.
The whole family is relying on this meager living allowance; they can't even afford to eat the northwest wind or have a decent meal.
He goes out to do odd jobs every day.
However, at this stage, finding odd jobs is a matter of luck.
In most families, neighbors help with chores.
We hardly need any outsiders.
It's rare to encounter a situation like this where Granny Cao is fixing water pipes, so the welder naturally chose money over the widow Cao's beauty.
Even though cattle toil hard to make a living, they can't earn much money.
He was so worried that he got so angry that even his urine turned yellowish-brown.
On this day, Niu Neng came out again and squatted on the street waiting to do odd jobs.
There's a printing shop across the street.
The owner of the printing shop is a very kind person; he doesn't mind if anyone needs to use the restroom.
Niu Neng greeted the boss, "Boss, can I use the restroom?"
The boss waved his hand dismissively: "Just go by yourselves, no need to be polite or say hello. It's easy for you too."
"By the way, when you come out, cut the poster off the printer for me. I'm swamped."
Niu Neng nodded: "No problem."
After coming out, Niu Neng searched for a while on the printer in the back room.
He found the poster the boss had mentioned and cut it off with a razor blade.
The posters are divided into ten parts.
It is a job posting from a private company.
Niu Neng graduated from primary school and knows most of the characters.
He glanced at it and was immediately stunned; the base salary was a whopping 150 yuan!
While it can't compare to public institutions, it's on par with local enterprises.
But it's still better than doing odd jobs!
The only downside is that it's a privately owned business.
Although it says on it: Qingyang Town Enterprise.
But Niu Neng still knows the truth; it's just a case of false advertising.
The cow seemed somewhat disgusted.
But considering my current situation, I've already reduced myself to doing odd jobs, so why should I be picky?
Niu was able to put away the poster and give it to the boss instead.
The shopkeeper laid out the long poster and asked, "Are you alright? Could you cut it up for me and then send it to the Qimingxing Factory in Qingyang Town? I'll give you three yuan for the delivery."
"Okay." Niu Neng chuckled. Three yuan is quite a lot.
Although the journey there is not short.
But taking a car wouldn't be worth it.
The owner of the printing shop said, "It's not good for you to do odd jobs. If you can't, you can work for this company."
Niu Neng asked, "This belongs to a private owner."
"I'm not a private business owner, am I? You do the work, and people pay you, right? Isn't that how it works in a public institution, to put it bluntly?"
The boss got angry whenever he heard people look down on private business owners, and continued, "What, you work for the government and you think you can just live off the northwest?"
"A private business owner is feeding you, and you're not going to take it?"
"Brother, times have changed! People laugh at poverty but not prostitution anymore!"
The cow choked up a little.
Social attitudes have indeed changed.
In the past, everyone was about the same, so there was nothing to compare.
At most, it's just someone having a nice meal, and that'll be talked about for a while.
Everyone lives together; there's no difference between them.
Even the top leaders of the unit rode bicycles back to live in bungalows, and in winter they had to shovel coal for heating.
Things are different now.
The quality of clothes, the number of household appliances, women wearing gold and silver, how much money men earn, and what toys children have bought.
They all became objects of comparison and rivalry.
Niu Neng said, "I'd better take a look. What if the supply and marketing cooperative is restored to its former glory?"
"Bullshit!" the boss said. "Give me a break. I have a feeling that if the supply and marketing cooperative doesn't go under, I'll eat shit upside down!"
"Putting everything else aside, if I want to buy a bottle of wine, the convenience store has to deliver it to me."
"Supply and marketing cooperative? Who delivers to you? Whether you can even buy it is another matter."
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