Tang Cuiju's process of changing her status from an agricultural to an urban resident went too smoothly, which made Xiaojiu a little uneasy. After all, in this day and age, obtaining such a quota is harder than climbing to heaven. Sure enough, Tang Cuiju's next words proved her thoughts.
"Jiu'er, I'm afraid my household registration problem is a bit tricky. My boss said that I need to find a way to get a professional certificate of intermediate level or above, otherwise I'm afraid I won't pass the household registration review, and I will only be able to become a temporary worker."
Just what I feared most has come to pass, and Xiao Jiu was somewhat confused.
"We've already registered under our employer's collective household registration, so how can we go back to our original household registration?"
Tang Cuiju gently shook her head. "Perhaps it's not the right time for them to review our application? Maybe it will be rejected during the review process?"
Seeing that Tang Cuiju only half understood and looked worried, Xiao Jiu quickly comforted her.
"It's okay, sis. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Here's what we'll do: I'll go and ask around later. If we really need a diploma, we'll study hard and take the exam. Even if we fail, it's okay. We'll just become temporary workers. If we pass the exam, we'll get our permanent jobs back, right?"
Despite saying that, she was actually unsure. After Tang Cuiju left, Xiaojiu thought about it again and again, and still felt uneasy.
She took a special day off and went to the police station's family compound to visit Aunt Cao's family, bringing cigarettes and alcohol. This time, she met her husband.
"I'm so sorry, Uncle and Aunt, for coming here so abruptly. It's because of this household registration issue that I'm a little scared, so I thought I'd come and ask to clarify things. Logically speaking, since we've successfully changed our rural household registration to urban and obtained urban household registration, we shouldn't be worried."
But when my sister came, she said that if it doesn't pass the later review, we'll have to go back to where we came from. So I want to ask, what exactly is going on?
Aunt Cao thought for a moment, then decided not to hide anything: "Child, do you know how difficult it is to change your rural household registration to an urban household registration?"
Xiao Jiu nodded vigorously, "I know, it's very difficult, and there are very few slots available. You have to queue up and get a number. So when my sister's household registration was transferred, I thought we got incredibly lucky."
"I didn't lie to you. Your household registration has indeed been settled here. As for those who were screened out later because they didn't meet the requirements, that's because you didn't meet the policy requirements, and it has nothing to do with me."
Xiao Jiu hadn't expected this person to play tricks on her like this. She frowned and looked at the couple.
"You mean, my sister's household registration can't actually be transferred at all?"
"You can transfer, as long as you have a high school diploma or above, as long as you're on the waiting list at the household registration office, as long as you have a second-class or third-class merit award, or you have money. A household registration costs about a thousand yuan, but that thousand yuan isn't something you can buy in your situation. In our city alone, the quota is probably no more than a hundred people per year."
She was careless; why didn't she ask the question in detail back then?
They've managed to play this game with them for so long, and yet you can't even question them.
Because they have indeed obtained urban household registration, and this family has racked their brains to obtain this temporary urban household registration.
People can play at such a high level now?
Xiao Jiu was speechless. So, all this time, they had only bought a temporary worker?
"According to national regulations, rural youth can only be hired as contract workers or temporary workers. Only urban youth can be hired as either state employees or employees of collective enterprises. I thought you knew this. In the current situation, the only option is for your second sister to try to get into a vocational school or higher. If she can't, she can only work as a temporary worker."
Finally, she added, "I reckon all the paperwork your sister is handling will be sent back at the beginning of the month or after the new year."
Xiao Jiu looked up in shock, only to find that the couple showed no remorse whatsoever, acting as if it were perfectly normal.
She wanted to question them: if that was the case, why didn't they just sell them as temporary workers in the first place?
But then I thought, they were already permanent employees; they were only made temporary workers because of their rural household registration.
Xiao Jiu was somewhat angry, but she gritted her teeth and held back. Who told her to be so naive? She dared to hand over money and food without doing any research first.
Even with the Ye family's connection, it's too presumptuous to assume this, but I don't want to give up just like that.
"Then... is there any way to remedy this?"
Deputy Director Wang carefully observed the changes in Xiao Jiu's expression, and then said slowly and deliberately.
"Yes, it's the beginning of the year now. Last year's quotas have already been distributed, but this year's quotas are still pending and haven't been fully allocated."
If you are sincere in wanting this and are willing to trust us, we can help you with this connection.
But this fee..."
“Their qualifications are fine; a normal review process would cost a thousand yuan. But in your case, it would cost at least double. In that case, we can forgo the money, but we need the grain.”
Xiao Jiu raised an eyebrow. "How much do you want?"
When the couple held up five fingers, Xiao Jiu shook her head.
"I'm sorry, we can't do it. The 500 yuan and 100 jin of grain we had already spent all our money."
Currently, local grain coupons are three yuan per jin on the black market, and national grain coupons are five yuan per jin. Whether it's coarse or refined grain, the price is above that. You want me to get you 500 jin of grain? How much would that cost? Starting at five yuan, you'd need to prepare at least three thousand yuan, right?
Although I am young, I cannot allow myself to be repeatedly mocked by you.
Xiao Jiu stood up, deciding that she would no longer work with this cunning couple who were like foxes.
"Little girl, don't be angry. I thought you knew all along, but I didn't expect you didn't."
Zhenzhen probably didn't think that much before reminding you. In a way, I also bear some responsibility for this.
However, considering how readily you provided the food before, I think I should give you a heads-up.
"Your sister transferred her household registration and grain ration to the village. Everyone in the family knows about it, right? The village issued a letter of introduction, so it must have been spread around too, right?"
If we slink back now, wouldn't it be incredibly embarrassing? Wouldn't that be beneath us?
What does it mean to "poke someone's lungs"? This guy surnamed Cao is saying something like that that really hits someone's lungs.
You think that's all?
No, it's not over yet.
"Your sister is still unmarried. If she had a permanent job, wouldn't she be able to settle down in the city?"
Nowadays, children's household registration is all with their mothers. In other words, if your sister's household registration cannot be transferred, she will not be able to find a husband in the city at all.
Furthermore, our city's household registration policy is about to be reformed. From then on, regardless of which parent has a rural household registration, all children born will have rural household registration. Compared to urban household registration, which grants access to government-subsidized grain rations, you should understand just how significant the impact of rural household registration is.
"You're putting in a lot more effort now, but the returns later will be high!"
...
After patiently listening to them finish speaking, Xiao Jiu suddenly looked up at Deputy Director Wang.
"How do I know if you're lying to a child like me?"
Deputy Director Wang was amused by her words: "A little kid? A little girl, do you think we'd argue with a child for so long?"
Aunt Cao laughed along, "You're the boss in your family, aren't you? You got into high school at ten, and you have so many older brothers and sisters who went to university. How can you be a real little kid?"
"But my family doesn't have that much food either?"
"If we really can't get the grain, we can use money, but it will have to be at least two thousand. Let me tell you, we're not asking for more. This quota isn't something Old Wang can decide on his own; it requires connections."
"Don't worry, because of the extra grain you gave us last time, and because of our connection with the Ye family, we'll definitely make sure this quota is met for you."
Xiao Jiu feels like he's swallowed a fly; if he quits halfway through, all the money and effort he's put in will be wasted.
But she wasn't comfortable giving out so much food and money, so in the end, she thought of something.
Five hundred catties of grain, converted to warehouse prices, with rice at three yuan per catty, would amount to 1,500 yuan.
If we consider the current black market price of refined white rice, it would cost at least seven or eight yuan, or even ten yuan per kilogram.
This is no exaggeration, because many people have starved to death this winter.
If you think grain coupons can be sold for three to five yuan each, imagine how much more valuable grains can be sold.
So the money they want is at least two thousand yuan, but if you calculate based on the current food prices, it would be three to five thousand yuan.
She can't give them any more food; if she does, the problem will be exposed.
Since they can't give money, that leaves only—
Meat!
"I'm curious, what makes you think that I, a student, can produce what you want?"
Or to put it more bluntly, were you all just waiting for me to come to you from the very beginning?
Upon hearing this, Deputy Director Wang leaned back on the sofa with a relaxed expression, his gaze towards Xiao Jiu filled with the confidence of someone in a superior position.
"If you didn't have it, you would have left long ago. Why would you be listening to our nonsense here?"
Xiao Jiu shifted her feet and answered earnestly, "I was trying to walk!"
Aunt Cao was amused by her actions. "But you still haven't left, have you? You still can't bear to give up like this, right?"
Xiao Jiu sighed, "This feeling of being stuck in the middle is really terrible. You guys used to play psychological warfare, didn't you?"
Why do you grasp people's psychology so perfectly? I won't go into any more tangential talk; let's get straight to the point.
"I have no money, and I have no food, but if you can really get this done, I can get half a frozen pork carcass."
Before she could finish speaking, the couple walked towards her at the same time.
"What did you just say? Half a carcass of pork? Is it reliable where it came from?"
"Of course it's reliable. This is fresh pork with the skin on, frozen right after slaughter."
You two know the current black market price of pork, don't you?
There's a price, but you can't find the meat. My half-pig weighs about seventy pounds.
If you can accept this, then our deal is done.
If you can't accept that, then just pretend I didn't say anything. At worst, we'll find another city person, sell this job, and go back to the countryside!
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