Chapter 131 Chapter 131 Strive
Jiang Xi observed her hands. These were the hands of someone who worked all year round. Both of her little fingers had yellow pustules, which were frostbite. Once they had appeared for a year, they would appear again every year. When they hurt, they would itch and burn, which was very painful. In addition to her little fingers, the girl also had frostbite on both of her earlobes.
“Are you Chen Xiaojuan? Where are you from? How old are you?” Jiang Xi asked three questions in a row.
The girl across from me nodded and said softly, "I'm Chen Xiaojuan. I'm from Bazi Village. I'm 16."
Jiang Xi drew a line on his notebook and said to her, "Thank you for coming all the way here for the interview. Chen Xiaojuan, you can leave now."
Chen Xiaojuan suddenly raised her head, trying to see something from Jiang Xi's face, but Jiang Xi's expression remained unchanged. She didn't know whether she was selected or eliminated. She was a little at a loss for a moment and stood there for a long time without moving.
Jiang Xi said softly, "Xiaojuan, go out and wait for the news. The list will be announced soon."
Chen Xiaojuan burst into tears as if she had heard some bad news. Chen Xiaojuan was illiterate and needed Xiufen to help her fill out the registration form. She thought she was at a disadvantage compared to those who could read.
Jiang Xi had just asked her name and left. Chen Xiaojuan felt like the sky had fallen and she had no hope. But she was determined to fight for this job no matter what. She knelt down in front of Jiang Xi and said, "Director, please, give me a chance. I will do my best. I can do anything. Please hire me, even if it means no pay or just two meals. Please, Director."
Xiufen and Liu Daqiang were stunned by Chen Xiaojuan's sudden change. Xiufen supported Chen Xiaojuan with one hand and said, "Don't be like this. Get up quickly. What's wrong with you?"
Chen Xiaojuan remained kneeling on the ground, motionless. "Please, give me a chance, or I'll be beaten to death. I really have nowhere to go. Wuuuuuu, I have no home, wuuuuuu."
Chen Xiaojuan is the youngest daughter in the family, but her birth was just an accident. Her mother found out she was pregnant when she was more than three months pregnant with Chen Xiaojuan. At that time, she couldn't abort the baby, so she could only give birth to Chen Xiaojuan.
Chen Xiaojuan has three older brothers. The Chen family was originally most proud of having three strong laborers. Now that there is one more Chen Xiaojuan, they are not only unhappy, but also feel that she is a burden.
Chen Xiaojuan has been doing housework since she was old enough to understand. She washes all the clothes for her three brothers. During the busy farming season, all the work falls on Chen Xiaojuan, including cooking, cutting grass for pigs, and feeding pigs.
Although Chen Xiaojuan was the one who did the most work at home, she was treated the worst. She didn't have a single new piece of clothing, and all the clothes she wore were unwanted clothes from others. When the family cooked porridge, there were never many grains of rice in Chen Xiaojuan's bowl. Even if they occasionally cooked some meat, Chen Xiaojuan couldn't eat it.
As the brothers grew up, they all started looking for wives. The Chen family was not well off, and they had to go through three rounds of marriage to find a wife. They had no other choice, so they set their sights on Chen Xiaojuan.
In the end, Chen Xiaojuan's parents decided to marry Chen Xiaojuan to a forty-year-old widower from the next village. The old widower had lost two wives and knew their family well, so they were not willing to marry their daughter to his family. However, because the old widower had some money, he promised to give Chen Xiaojuan's parents a betrothal gift of 100 yuan. Chen Xiaojuan's parents were tempted and decided to marry Chen Xiaojuan to the old widower.
Chen Xiaojuan refused to give in and cried and begged them, but they had made up their minds. Chen Xiaojuan wanted to resist, but two fists were no match for four hands. The three brothers tied her up and carried her into the bridal sedan. Chen Xiaojuan was forced to marry the old widower.
After getting married, Chen Xiaojuan found out that the old widower loved to drink and would beat people when he was drunk. Chen Xiaojuan couldn't stand the beatings anymore and went home for help, but her parents said that other people could bear the beatings, so why couldn't she? They also said that if she was more obedient and likable, she wouldn't be beaten.
Chen Xiaojuan burst into tears: "I am also a person, but they treat me as an object, no, not even as good as an object, I am not as good as the enamel pot at home. When the enamel pot falls and gets dented, my parents are heartbroken, but they don't care about me even when I was beaten like that."
"I ran away because I couldn't stand it anymore. I don't want to go back to that kind of life. I'll be beaten to death. Please, give me a chance and let me stay on the chicken farm, even if you don't pay me. I don't want to go back, please."
Xiufen hadn't expected Chen Xiaojuan to have such a tragic experience. She wiped away her tears and said, "You've suffered. They're such bastards!"
Liu Daqiang also felt a little reluctant. Liu Daqiang already had a son, and what he wanted most now was a daughter. He really couldn't imagine how any parents would marry their daughter to an old widower.
Chen Xiaojuan's experience is not an isolated case. In this era, favoring boys over girls is a common phenomenon. Behind these four words are the blood and tears of girls. They will be ignored and have no name in their lives.
Jiang Xi said gently, "You get up first."
Chen Xiaojuan was still unwilling: "Please, please, otherwise I will die."
Jiang Xi helplessly explained: "I have already included you in the list, and it will be posted later. You have been selected, so there is no need for this."
Chen Xiaojuan was overjoyed, her face full of tears as she asked, "Really?"
Jiang Xi said: "Really, I never lie."
Chen Xiaojuan was so grateful that she was about to kowtow to Jiang Xi, but Jiang Xi held her back. "Don't be like that, Xiaojuan. I chose you to join the chicken farm because your abilities meet the farm's standards, not because of anything else. Do you understand?"
Chen Xiaojuan seemed to understand, but Jiang Xi sighed and said, "Chen Xiaojuan, what is your identity in applying for a job at the chicken farm?"
What identity was this? Chen Xiaojuan was somewhat confused. She had been the younger sister of her three brothers, the daughter of the Chen family, and later the wife of a widower. Apart from all that, who was she? Chen Xiaojuan had never considered this question.
Jiang Xi looked at Chen Xiaojuan, a girl who had long lived under oppression and had no sense of self. "You are applying for the job at the chicken farm as Chen Xiaojuan, as an independent person. Therefore, my standards for you are the same as for everyone else. Whether you kneel or not, I will hold you to the same standard because you are an independent person."
An independent person? Chen Xiaojuan understood a little bit but didn't quite understand. Jiang Xi didn't explain any further. Chen Xiaojuan was very brave to be able to leave that environment, but asking her to become sober and independent right away was indeed asking too much.
Jiang Xi only threw out an introduction, and Chen Xiaojuan needed to figure out the rest on her own. Jiang Xi hoped that this statement would open a hole in Chen Xiaojuan's heart, and she would actually escape. She would no longer be someone's wife, someone's daughter, or someone's sister, but herself, Chen Xiaojuan.
"Jiang Xi, the current list has twenty more people than the original one. What should we do?"
After all the interviews were completed, Jiang Xi retained 30 people, although the original plan was to recruit only 10.
Jiang Xi frowned as he looked at the registration form. These thirty people all met the criteria, but thirty people were too many for the current chicken farm.
Jiang Xi, Liu Daqiang, and Xiufen were discussing what to choose. Xiufen was at a loss: "Those people are looking at me with expectant eyes. I can't bear it. Besides, there are too many people who have left today. Sigh."
Liu Daqiang also said: "Yes, many of them came overnight. They walked dozens of miles along the mountain roads, and were just swept away. I couldn't even open my mouth."
Jiang Xi sighed. It seemed that she had to be the evil one.
Jiang Xi screened the list and finally kept fifteen people, five more than the original number of recruits. Jiang Xi copied the names of these fifteen people onto a piece of paper and said, "Post this. There are two or three illiterate people here. Read the list again in case they are confused."
Liu Daqiang sighed and walked out of the office. There were still many people standing outside. When they saw Liu Daqiang coming out, they all looked at him with expectant and nervous eyes.
Liu Daqiang cleared his throat and announced the final list of selected candidates on the spot.
Everyone who heard their names could not hide their excitement, some even started crying. Those who were not selected were very disappointed, some even covered their mouths and cried, some were happy and some were sad. The people at the scene were infected by the emotions, and they started crying even though they didn't want to cry. The scene suddenly fell into chaos, and everyone burst into tears.
Liu Daqiang's head began to ache. He wasn't good at speaking to begin with, and now he was nervous and anxious. He said dryly, "Don't cry, everyone. There will be a chance next time, there will be a chance."
But his words of comfort were as good as nothing, and everyone cried even harder when they heard them.
"What do you mean by next time? I didn't have a chance this time, so I'm sure there won't be one next time."
"There will definitely be more people coming next time. Do we still have hope? Wow, why is it so hard to find a job?"
"At home, my sister-in-law is always finding fault with me. I couldn't stand it any longer. Now this place doesn't want me either. What should I do? Woo woo woo woo"
"My family is barely making ends meet, and my wife is about to give birth to a baby. What will I feed him? I wish I could just feed him my own blood."
"My mother-in-law said that if I don't make money anymore, she will send me back home."
"I haven't eaten meat for six months. I want to eat meat. Otherwise, I've forgotten what meat tastes like."
Every family has its own problems. One person started to cry, and others also cried and told about their own tragic experiences, and another burst of crying broke out at the scene.
Liu Daqiang...If I had known this, I wouldn't have said anything.
This was the scene Jiang Xi saw when she came out of the office. Liu Daqiang was scratching his head, looking embarrassed, and looked like he was about to cry. Xiufen followed behind Jiang Xi. She was an emotional person, and her tragic early experiences made it easy for her to empathize with these people. After listening to a few words, she wiped her tears silently.
When Liu Daqiang saw that his wife was crying, his face turned even worse. He pursed his lips and wanted to cry too.
Jiang Xi was the only one who remained rational and calm. He said loudly to everyone, "Don't cry, everyone. We will record the information of those who were not selected this time. When the chicken farm expands, we will notify everyone as soon as possible."
But everyone was so lost in their emotions that this statement was clearly useless. The crying didn't stop, and everyone kept talking about their hardships. Some even cried until they hiccuped. Jiang Xi...
Jiang Xi decided to use his trump card: "We will set stricter standards in the future. One of them is that you can't cry easily. After all, we come to the chicken farm to work, and we won't hire crybabies."
This sentence had an immediate effect. As soon as it was spoken, those who wanted to cry stopped crying. Even Xiufen was holding back her tears. She was not a crybaby.
Jiang Xi…wouldn’t it have been better if he had done this earlier: “Those who are selected, follow me in now.”
The fifteen people on the list followed Jiang Xi into the office happily.
Fifteen people stood in a row, and Jiang Xi looked at these newly recruited chicken farm employees.
Of the two people selected as accountants, one was from Changfeng County named Zhao Xiaohua. He had not found a job after graduating from high school. He was the less valued of the two sons in his family, so the job in the factory was given to Zhao Xiaohua's eldest brother. Zhao Xiaohua was not convinced but had no choice. This time he finally waited for an opportunity to give it a try, and unexpectedly he was selected.
Zhao Xiaohua had a happy look on his face. Even if his father didn't love him and his mother didn't care about him, so what? He was not a loser like his elder brother who had to wait for his parents to feed him. He, Zhao Xiaohua, was still capable of finding a job on his own.
The other accountant was an educated youth who went to the countryside. His name was Zhou Peng. He knew that he could not get into university and could not return to the city. Even if he returned to the city, his family could not arrange a job for him, so he planned to stay in Changfeng County and had already married there.
This time, he learned the news that the chicken farm was recruiting people because his wife told him when she went to the county town to buy something.
Zhou Peng's family didn't have much money, and neither did his wife's family. All expenses had to be covered by the couple's own savings. Although Zhou Peng couldn't get into university, he was better off than many country people and could still be a basic accountant. So when Zhou Peng heard the news, he rushed to Changfeng County overnight.
Zhou Peng stood straight with an unconcealable joy on his face. Before going to the countryside, Zhou Peng believed that he was different from the peasants in the countryside. However, after experiencing reality, Zhou Peng found that even as an educated youth, some people's families were hundreds or thousands of times better off than his.
Although he is a little better than a peasant, he is not much better. So after facing the reality, Zhou Peng has never been so arrogant again. Instead, he has become down-to-earth. Now he is very satisfied to be an accountant in a chicken farm.
Except for Zhao Xiaohua and Zhou Peng, the others were nervous yet excited, and some of them imitated Zhou Peng and stood straight.
Chen Xiaojuan stood at the very edge, staring at Jiang Xi with her eyes. She was very grateful to Jiang Xi for giving her the opportunity. She no longer had to worry about having no place to live or being beaten. She was full of energy and couldn't wait to start working.
Zhao Xiaofen also got the job and became a breeder at a chicken farm. At this time, she also followed the example of the people next to her and puffed out her chest. She was Jiang Xi's friend and could not embarrass Jiang Xi.
Jiang Xi looked at the fifteen people in front of him with a smile: "Everyone is welcome to join the Changfeng County Chicken Farm. Although our chicken farm has just been established, don't worry. Our chicken farm is dedicated to supplying Wu Ji's braised chicken, so we don't have to worry about selling it at all. We produce and sell it ourselves."
"Of course, if the chicken farm does well, the chicken can be sold to other places besides Wu Ji Zao Lu. But at the end of the day, Changfeng County Chicken Farm and Wu Ji Zao Lu are one. We prosper together and suffer together. If the farm does well, I won't treat anyone unfairly, and I will absolutely guarantee fairness. We have a unified standard for everyone's basic salary, there will be gifts during festivals, and year-end bonuses will be distributed based on the business performance if the annual performance meets the target."
Every time Jiang Xi said something, the eyes of the people present brightened up. Although they had attached great importance to this recruitment in the past, it was because there were no jobs available elsewhere. Most of them believed that the treatment at the chicken farm was average and it was just an ordinary job.
After hearing what Jiang Xi said about the conditions, which were no worse than those at the steel plant, everyone became even more excited and said, "We will definitely work hard."
Jiang Xi didn't laugh this time. Instead, he changed the subject: "Of course, you must work hard. Besides the rewards I just mentioned, there are also punishments. Don't think you can slack off once you've joined the factory. Every position has an internship period. I hope everyone will work hard, abide by the factory's regulations, successfully pass the internship period, and be able to do your job well. After all, Changfeng County Chicken Farm doesn't keep idle people, and it treats everyone the same."
Jiang Xi gave everyone a handful of sweet dates at first, and now poured a basin of cold water on them. Everyone who was dizzy just now suddenly returned to reality. Jiang Xi was not joking. Everyone quickly stood up straighter. Only a fool would not cherish such good treatment.
Jiang Xi took in everyone's expressions and said, "From now on, you will listen to Comrade Liu Daqiang and Comrade Xiufen. Comrade Liu Daqiang is in charge of daily management. When I'm not at the chicken farm, you can ask him if you have any questions. Comrade Xiufen is our factory's chief breeding expert. You can ask her if you have any questions."
Liu Daqiang waved his hand awkwardly: "You can come to me if you have any problems in the future."
Xiufen smiled shyly at everyone and said, "I don't know much about other things, but I'm pretty good at raising chickens. If you have anything you want to know, you can ask me."
Fifteen people nodded seriously, and no one looked at Xiufen strangely because she was missing an arm.
Jiang Xi was very satisfied with everyone's reaction. This was also one of her screening criteria. Some applicants would look at Xiufen with contempt when they saw that she was missing an arm. Jiang Xi would screen out such people immediately.
After a brief introduction, the two sides were familiar with each other. Jiang Xi got down to business: "Our chicken farm will officially open tomorrow. County Magistrate Zhao and Director Liu will both attend our ribbon-cutting ceremony, so we need to set up the venue today."
"Daqiang, please distribute our factory uniforms later." Liu Daqiang nodded hurriedly.
When Liu Daqiang heard the news for the first time, he was shocked. County Magistrate Zhao and Director Liu were both able to come and cut the ribbon for their chicken farm. How great must Jiang Xi's reputation be?
Hearing this news again, Liu Daqiang was not only excited but also more nervous. What if he embarrassed himself in front of County Magistrate Zhao and Director Liu tomorrow?
The others agreed with Liu Daqiang's idea. The Changfeng County chicken farm gave them so many surprises. They thought it was just an ordinary job, but they didn't expect the salary to be so good. Moreover, County Magistrate Zhao and Director Liu were both coming. This chicken farm was amazing.
Everyone's expression was startled. They had already made up their minds to work hard at the chicken farm, but they would be meeting County Magistrate Zhao and Director Liu tomorrow, so why were they so nervous?
Jiang Xi had deliberately revealed this information. These people had just joined the chicken farm and didn't feel a strong sense of belonging. This was a good opportunity for them to get some practice together and to show these new employees the strength of the chicken farm. Jiang Xi arranged things in an orderly manner. Tomorrow was very important. While urging others to do their best, he couldn't be careless himself.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony began soon, and everyone at the chicken farm was busy early that morning.
Liu Daqiang directed everyone to pull up the banner: "County Magistrate Zhao and Director Liu will be here soon. Everyone must not slack off and perform well. Let them see the demeanor of our chicken farm employees."
Everyone felt a little unreal. Zhao Xiaofen couldn't help but whisper to Chen Xiaojuan. Chen Xiaojuan was taciturn and would not talk if she could. Among the new employees, Zhao Xiaofen was the only one of similar age to Chen Xiaojuan. Zhao Xiaofen had even less to talk to with the others, so she could only whisper to Chen Xiaojuan.
"Xiaojuan, are you nervous?"
Chen Xiaojuan was adjusting her trouser legs. This was the first time she wore such nice clothes, and they were brand new. Although they were work clothes, they were warm and beautiful. Chen Xiaojuan took good care of them.
When she was helping out just now, some dust had gotten on her trouser legs. Chen Xiaojuan gently patted away the dust, but didn't dare use too much force for fear of damaging her trousers. Hearing Zhao Xiaofen's words, Chen Xiaojuan replied with two words: "Nervous."
Zhao Xiaofen knew Chen Xiaojuan's personality well, so she didn't feel disappointed. Instead, she continued, "I haven't even met the county magistrate yet. I don't know what he's like. Is he fierce and serious? I'm really worried. What if I make a fool of myself in front of him? Wouldn't that bring shame to the chicken farm? Are you worried?"
Chen Xiaojuan had already dusted off the dust on her trouser legs: "I'm worried."
"Zhao Xiaofen!"
Zhao Xiaofen wanted to say a few more words when she heard someone calling her. She turned around and saw that it was Xie Xiaoju. Zhao Xiaofen was so excited. Xie Xiaoju talked as much as she did and they could talk to each other. With Xie Xiaoju, Zhao Xiaofen immediately abandoned Chen Xiaojuan.
"What brings you here?"
Xie Xiaoju looked proud: "Of course I came. Today is a big day. Not only me, but everyone in the store is here."
The chicken farm opened for business. Xie Xiaoju, Liu Hongxia, Kunzi, Wu Yaqin, Chen Xiulian, Wu Youli and others were all our own people and employees of Wu Ji Zao Lu. Today was such an important day, so of course everyone came.
They were wearing Wu Ji Zao Lu clothes and stood in a row with the chicken farm employees, forming a beautiful scene. Someone shouted, "County Magistrate Zhao and Director Liu are at the door!"
Xie Xiaoju and Zhao Xiaofen didn't bother to talk anymore. They were both waiting nervously for the two important leaders to come to the chicken farm.
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