Dong Sanmei said, "Go ahead and do your work. Just leave the house to the three of us to take care of."
Setting up a home is not easy; we needed to buy everything when we first moved here.
We can't buy too much right now, otherwise we won't have room to store it when the house is demolished next year. We should just buy some necessities for now.
Li Yuzhu carried her sleeping son into the room, tidied up the bed, put a blanket on the bed, and placed her son on it.
She went into the yard and, together with her third sister and Fang Lin, cleared the snow from the yard. It was impossible to clear the entire yard, which was so big. Snowflakes were still falling from the sky, so clearing all the snow from the yard wouldn't help. At least they could clear a path first.
Then they opened the doors to each room and cleaned all eight rooms. Dong Sanmei and Fang Lin each tidied up a bedroom so that they wouldn't have to squeeze into one bed tonight.
Dong Qing didn't finish buying all the household supplies until noon. Fang Lin found a broken stool in the house and used an axe to chop firewood and start a fire.
Dongqing bought Fang Lin a new set of bedding and, to accommodate her lifestyle, a bag of rice. He said, "Fang Lin, you can cook. Cook according to your Sichuan way of life."
Fang Lin smiled and said, "Okay, I'll treat you to authentic Sichuan home-style cooking for lunch today."
An hour later, Fang Lin finished preparing lunch. She made rice, a plate of braised pork with preserved mustard greens, a plate of braised pork, and half a basin of boiled cabbage, which looked like it wasn't cut with a knife but torn into long strips by hand.
Dong Ermei looked at the boiled cabbage in the pot and laughed, "Fang Lin, is this your Sichuan home-style cooking? You're making us boiled cabbage? I can make this too!"
Fang Lin said, "I haven't served everything yet. Who told you to eat boiled cabbage?"
After Fang Lin finished speaking, she brought four small dishes from the kitchen and placed them on the dining table. The dishes were filled with chili oil, which she had just made. She said, "My mother used to make this dish often when she was alive. It's simple and delicious, and it smells amazing. You should dip your cabbage in chili oil. I guarantee you'll want to eat it again and again!"
Dong Sanmei picked up a bit of cabbage with her chopsticks, dipped it in chili oil, and then put it in her mouth. The cabbage exuded the aroma of chili oil, and the numbing and spicy flavor was just right. It tasted very delicious. This was the most delicious boiled cabbage she had ever eaten in her life.
Fang Lin asked, "Is it delicious?"
Dong Sanmei said, "It's delicious! You can cook cabbage like this?"
Whether this dish is delicious or not depends mainly on the chili oil. Fang Lin's chili oil is fried to perfection, bringing out the aroma of chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns. Just smelling and looking at it makes your mouth water, even before you taste it.
Fang Lin said, "Our hometown cuisine is mainly spicy. As long as you like this flavor, I'll take care of the cooking from now on."
At the dinner table, Dongqing asked, "Fang Lin, what did you study in college?"
Fang Lin said, "I studied business administration."
Upon hearing this, Dong Qing was overjoyed. He knew he would eventually start his own company and would need management talent in this area. He asked, "Would you be willing to work for a private enterprise in the future?"
Fang Lin's answer was straightforward: "I have no intention of working in a private company; I want to work for a state-owned enterprise."
Dong Qing said, "Nowadays, college graduates are assigned jobs, but have you ever thought about it? Without a certain family background and connections, you'll be assigned to work in a small state-owned enterprise in a rural town, where it's very difficult to make a name for yourself."
Fang Lin said, "At least a state-owned enterprise offers job security, while no private enterprise can support me for life. I think you understand what I'm saying."
In this day and age, who wouldn't want a secure job with a fixed salary from their employer and a pension after retirement? This is the kind of secure job that so many people crave.
Dong Qing is someone who has lived a previous life and knows everything. Many college graduates work at the grassroots level in state-owned enterprises their entire lives, and very few can climb up the ranks without social connections.
After the state-owned enterprises were restructured, they gradually transformed into private enterprises. Many state-owned enterprise cadres went to work in private enterprises. Only Dong Qing knew this. How could people in reality know about the later developments?
Dongqing said, "How about this, after you graduate, don't let the local government arrange a job for you. Your hometown can't offer you any good jobs anyway. How about your older sisters use their connections here to get you a good job?"
Fang Lin had also considered this. Not every college student can be assigned to their ideal job. Many people find jobs through their own connections. Their family situation is what it is, and no one will help them find a good job.
After graduating next year, she will definitely be assigned to work in her hometown. It's possible she'll be assigned to a state-owned food processing plant in a mountainous town. Besides, she doesn't want to go back to her hometown. She only hates that family and has no attachment to it. She never wants to go back in her life.
If she lets the local government arrange a job for her after graduation, she won't amount to much in her life, because small state-owned enterprises won't allow her to fully utilize her talents. Those small state-owned enterprises in mountainous towns are, frankly speaking, places that bury talent. Fang Lin said, "Okay, I'll listen to you. I'll come back to work here after I graduate next year!"
Dong Qing had his own reasons for asking this question. He would definitely start his own company in the future, and a company needs reliable management talent. As long as Fang Lin was a genius in management, she might be able to help him in the future. This was his long-term plan.
After lunch, Dongqing said, "Yuzhu, this afternoon, have Fanglin stay home and look after our son. You and Third Sister go to the market and buy three color TVs. Eldest Sister and Second Sister don't have a single black and white TV. Send one to each of them, and we'll keep one for ourselves. That way, we can watch TV at home during the Spring Festival!"
Dong Sanmei laughed and said, "Little brother, something doesn't sound right to me. Your eldest and second sisters are mentioned, but why isn't your third sister mentioned? Am I not your older sister?"
Dongqing laughed and said, "Third sister, you're finding fault with this? You'll be living at home without a TV? When you get married, your brother will give you one, along with a refrigerator and air conditioner. Are you satisfied with this dowry?"
Dong Sanmei laughed and said, "Little brother, you said it all yourself. If you miss even one of these three items in your dowry, your third sister won't agree!"
Li Yuzhu laughed and said, "I didn't expect Third Sister to try and extort us. Don't worry, your brother won't buy things for you or your wife in the future."
They finished their meal amidst laughter and conversation, and Dongqing walked out of her house toward her eldest sister's house.
The eldest sister's family is not as well off as the second sister's family. The second sister and her husband work at a bank, where they have high salaries and stable incomes. The eldest sister and her husband work at a state-owned enterprise, where their salaries are not as high as those of the second sister and her husband.
After graduating from university, my eldest sister was assigned to work at the county machinery factory. Her husband was a truck driver in the army. After being discharged, he returned to the local area and was assigned to work at the county machinery factory. He was a truck driver in the machinery city. They fell in love and got married after they started working.
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