Chapter 4
The father and daughter chatted while eating. Such scenes were rare in the past. Liu Xu believed in not talking while eating or sleeping. The most common words she said at home were singing and reciting poems.
"Dad, you never told me in detail how Grandpa died, and why he still has a regular job position after so many years."
Su Yuanzheng sighed and said, "Your grandfather used to drive a car in the army. After the tire factory in Ning Town was built, we recruited him to work as a driver. Thirteen years ago, there was a sudden flood, and your grandfather died while trying to protect the warehouse.
Half a year later, your grandmother passed away due to excessive grief. In order to provide relief to our family, the higher-ups said they would approve a quota for a formal job, but there were only so many vacancies and everyone was scrambling for it.
The town first let Dad work as a temporary worker at the watch factory, and then they would take over when a vacancy opened up. We don't have any connections, so we kept waiting and waiting. I thought there was no future for us, but unexpectedly, last month we got news that we could report to the tire factory next month.
Su Miao doesn't care much about the quota for formal employees. It seems to be a stable job now, but many state-owned enterprises have begun to be impacted by the market due to rigid economic concepts and other reasons.
The efficiency of state-owned enterprises has been declining year after year, and the welfare is not as good as before. By the early 1990s, there will be a wave of layoffs.
By then, tens of thousands of unemployed people will flood into the market, while the small group of people who are the boldest and have the sharpest vision and have followed the policies since the early days of reform will have already achieved the original accumulation of capital.
By the time the unemployed army starts fighting each other, that group of people will have already secured a comfortable position.
Su Miao put down her chopsticks and bowl. She was now an 11-year-old primary school student. If she expressed such advanced views, she wondered if her father would think she was possessed by a ghost.
Maybe he'd hold a broom and yell at her, "Back off! Get out of my daughter's body!"
She had to find a way to subtly and tactfully change her father's conservative way of thinking.
"But didn't uncle want this spot? That's why he urged mom to come back and argue with you."
Su Yuanzheng frowned with a headache when he thought of Liu Ming, who was idle and ambitious.
"Your mother and I are divorced and our property has been divided. This quota has nothing to do with their family anymore. He can't take it away."
Su Miao curled her lips and said, "My uncle is not someone who can be easily dealt with. Mom cares about her reputation, but he is shameless. I wonder if he stole Mom's face and grew it on himself when he was in grandma's belly."
Hearing his daughter's description, Su Yuanzheng couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"It's no use for him to make a fuss. Once he feels his efforts are futile, he'll naturally give up."
"How long will this go on? My uncle and aunt are the kind of people who can make people's homes restless. You and mom are divorced, and our family is about to start a new life. It's not a good idea to let them disrupt our good life."
Su Yuanzheng also felt that his daughter was right, but there was no particularly good way to solve the problem. Liu Ming was a notorious scoundrel and it was impossible to convince him with reason.
When it comes to fighting, Liu Ming knows many more second-rate guys than him. Although he is physically strong, he may not be able to gain the upper hand if he encounters more people. Besides, Miaomiao is still young, and he cannot put her in danger.
She was at a loss for a moment. When she looked up and saw her daughter's confident look, she subconsciously asked, "Miaomiao, do you have a good idea?"
Su Miao smiled and nodded, then dropped a bombshell on his father: "We'll sell the spot to him at a high price."
"What! How can this be possible? There are so many people who want this quota but can't find a way to get it!" Su Yuanzheng was so frightened by his daughter's words that he dropped his chopsticks.
"That's right! Such a good thing that's already there must be sold at a high price!"
Su Miao couldn't stop smiling. Oh my! He was able to make his first pot of gold right after his rebirth. He felt wonderful.
But Su Yuanzheng couldn't understand his daughter's idea at all. He was so anxious that he sweated profusely while explaining to his daughter the value of this formal job position.
"Miao Miao! You're still young and don't know how important this position is. A formal job is a stable job with high wages and good benefits. You won't have to worry about food and clothing for the rest of your life, and you can even have your children take over when you retire. Let's put it this way, with this position, no matter how well you study, you'll never have to worry about not having a job!"
Su Miao blinked her big, watery eyes and asked her father, "Dad, I've always been number one in the school, so how could I not be good at studying?"
"Um... Dad was just giving an example. Look, a regular worker at the tire factory gets 70 yuan a month, plus food coupons, cloth coupons, and industrial coupons. Only regular workers get these industrial coupons. With these industrial coupons, Dad can save up money to buy you a TV. Haven't you always wanted to watch TV?"
Su Miao stretched out her little hand and held her father's palm, which was a little sweaty due to anxiety.
Su Yuanzheng looked at his daughter's dark eyes and slowly calmed down. He felt that his daughter seemed to have grown up and he should listen to her ideas.
"Miao Miao, tell Dad what you think."
Su Miao looked back at his father, his eyes showing a composure beyond his years. "Dad, at school we often read newspapers and listen to the news, and we also listen to teachers talk about the outside world. Times are changing."
She took a deep breath. Standing at the crossroads of national rejuvenation, Su Miao felt that the road ahead was full of thorns and sweet fruits.
"Since last year, the Shenzhen Stock Exchange has abolished the use of food coupons and other bills. We are not far from the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, and I believe that the unified purchase system of agricultural products will be abolished soon. Reform and opening up will be further promoted."
Su Yuan was recalling the news he heard from the factory and nodded blankly. It was indeed true.
"Policies are constantly changing, and opportunities are plentiful. Dad, are you really willing to stay in the factory your whole life? Even if you were willing, would the benefits of formal workers really last forever in this surging tide of history? I believe we must closely follow the policies in order to achieve good development."
Because of the special era in which Su Yuan was born, he never went to school. He just learned a few words from his father, which was enough to make him not be blind.
He was thirsty for knowledge, so he attached great importance to his daughter's studies and thought that school was noble and sacred. So when his daughter said that this was learned in school, he believed it without a doubt.
"This...but will your uncle really spend money to buy it? He wants to get it for free."
"For free? Ha! That's impossible. If he doesn't want to buy, we'll sell it to someone else. Then he'll miss the opportunity himself, but we can't be blamed!"
In addition to what he said to his father, Su Miao also had something hidden in his heart. In his previous life, his uncle took over the position of a regular worker, and three years later, a bribery and embezzlement case broke out in the factory.
Her uncle was also implicated and ended up losing everything he had to live to avoid jail. She wanted to see if this life would be the same.
Liu Xu suddenly divorced and returned to her parents' home, which will definitely cause a huge stir in the Liu family tonight, and they will definitely come to the door tomorrow.
The father and daughter discussed the issue of buying the quota for a long time and also made some preparations to deal with the rogue behavior of Liu Ming and his wife.
Su Yuanzheng looked at his little daughter, who spoke coherently and with a gleam in his eyes, and became even more determined to continue supporting his daughter's studies.
As expected, learning can make people progress. He felt that he was no longer as good as his daughter. The only thing he could do was to be a solid backing for his daughter and not hold her back.
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