"Buyout? No way! That's a secure job. It's so hard to find work these days. What will you do after you buy out your years of service?" Zhang Huafeng's mother firmly disagreed. "Besides, why would you give up being a good worker to sell clothes for capitalists? Your relatives and friends will laugh at you. Did someone say something? The factory is just having a tough time. The government won't abandon you. You'll be paid soon. Your father and mother can support you."
Wu Xiuyue was furious at the pointed remark. She was just too kind-hearted and should have ignored everything; it wasn't like she was her sister.
“Mom, don’t say that. We’re all doing this for Xiuxiu’s own good. Xiuyue even said she’d add some money to buy Xiuxiu a house as her dowry.” Zhang Huafeng quickly stepped forward.
Zhang's mother fell silent. Her daughter was twenty-eight and still unmarried, and she was under considerable pressure, so it was understandable that she was a little sensitive.
"Go check out the jobs first. If they're good, then let's buy them out." Zhang's father saw things more clearly than Zhang's mother. Many state-owned factories close down without warning, and those workers are still waiting at home for reassignment. Have they been reassigned? Nothing at all.
“That’s a secure job.” Zhang Ma was extremely conflicted.
Zhang Huaxiu, who had been silent until now, said firmly, "I've decided to buy out my years of service. I want to get the money while the factory still has some left. If I wait too long, I might not even be able to afford the buyout. I've saved some money over the years, and I'll borrow some to buy a small apartment. I've actually thought about this for a while, but I haven't dared to tell you. I also want to thank my sister-in-law for helping me find a job; otherwise, I wouldn't know where to look."
Wu Xiuyue lowered her head. She wasn't entirely without ulterior motives, and she couldn't help feeling embarrassed after hearing her sister-in-law say that.
Zhang Ma felt this was inappropriate; there's no such thing as a guaranteed job, so why go and work for your own family?
“Mom, you’ve seen how many people are being laid off these days. Our factory isn’t doing well, and I’m afraid… we won’t be able to hold on for much longer.” Zhang Huaxiu had been thinking about quitting her job for a while, but she was worried that her parents wouldn’t agree, so she took this opportunity to bring it up.
Zhang Huaxiu arrived at Chengnan West Road at eight o'clock. She had come early on purpose to make a good impression on Shu Yan. Only one shop on this row of streets had its signboard removed; she guessed it was the one her sister-in-law had recommended. A short while later, a man in his thirties, wearing a black suit and carrying a briefcase, arrived. He paused slightly upon seeing Zhang Huaxiu standing at the door, nodded, and moved to the other side.
When Shu Yan arrived at the store, she saw the two of them standing on opposite sides, the atmosphere extremely awkward. She glanced back and forth and smiled slightly, "Are you Zhang Chenghan's aunt?"
"Yes, it's me." Zhang Huaxiu shook hands with Shu Yan somewhat awkwardly.
Shu Yan opened the door and said, "It's still under renovation, so it's a bit messy. Why don't you sit on the sofa for a while? I have some things to take care of here, and we can talk later, okay?"
"It's okay, I took the day off today, I have time." Zhang Huaxiu didn't approach the two of them and kept a distance; she wasn't a gossipy person.
"I've shown the lamps and sofa to someone; here's their quote." The man who came later was none other than designer Chen Fei. Some minor details still needed to be confirmed with Shu Yan.
The price was slightly higher than buying directly from the market, but not by much, which Shu Yan found acceptable. After confirming some details, they could officially start work that afternoon.
"If there are no other questions, I'll head back to the company now." After passing Zhang Huaxiu, Chen Fei paused, smiled slightly, nodded, and then left.
"Hello, my name is Shu Yan. You must be Hua Xiu? Please have a seat here." Shu Yan sized up Zhang Hua Xiu. She was indeed as Wu Xiu Yue had described—very beautiful, with fair skin, thick eyebrows, and big eyes. She was about 1.65 or 1.67 meters tall, with a great figure and was a perfect clothes hanger. "I heard from your sister-in-law that you work for a state-owned enterprise. That's a secure job. Don't you regret buying it out like this?"
Zhang Huaxiu smiled bitterly. Everyone says that a job with guaranteed employment is good, but given the situation in the factory, is it still a job with guaranteed employment?
"To be honest, the factory hasn't paid wages for six months, and it's questionable whether it can even continue operating. I'm thinking it would be better to buy out my years of service now and get the money first," Zhang Huaxiu said frankly.
Unexpectedly, Wu Xiuyue's sister-in-law was so decisive. In 1992, the year of layoffs, it was a good thing to be able to get out early. Shu Yan stopped trying to persuade her.
“Your appearance is perfectly fine, but if you start working here, it will be a month from now, and being a salesperson requires sales skills and there will be sales pressure. It might be even more tiring than working in a factory. Are you really sure?”
Many people think that making money just by talking is much easier than working in a factory. It's just that there are different kinds of exhaustion. One is physically exhausting, and the other is mentally exhausting. In some ways, sales is more tiring than working in a factory.
"I'm not afraid of pressure the least." Zhang Huaxiu thought about how she had withstood the pressure to get married from all sides over the years. If she could withstand the pressure to get married, why would she be afraid of other pressures?
"We work from 8:30 am to 9 pm here. Meals are provided, but accommodation is not. The salary is a base salary plus commission. The base salary is 200 yuan, and the commission is 1%. The more you sell, the more you earn. If you think it's okay, I'll reserve one of my sales positions for you." Shu Yan explained the working hours and benefits, and waited for Zhang Huaxiu's reply.
Two hundred plus a 1% commission. If she doesn't sell a single piece of clothing, she'll only have two hundred a month. Zhang Huaxiu hesitated for a moment and said, "No problem, can I come back to work in a month?"
“If you’re not afraid of hard work, you can come to work anytime. You know I have two children to take care of. If you can come to work, you can oversee the renovation here. You might also need to help run errands to the renovation market to buy some things. After the renovation is finished, you’ll need to help me with the inventory and shelving. It’s not without its benefits. If you come with me to inventory, you’ll know all the goods and prices in the store and remember them faster. We haven’t opened yet this month, so there’s no commission. I’ll give you a base salary of 500 yuan. After we open, we’ll calculate your salary based on a base salary plus commission.” Shu Yan has to pick up and drop off her children every morning and evening, and she also has to find suppliers. If Zhang Huaxiu comes, she can get away from this mess. Don’t underestimate the work of overseeing the project. There are many small things to do, and later on, there’s cleaning, sorting, and shelving. I might as well offer a higher salary as compensation.
Five hundred? Zhang Huaxiu didn't expect Shu Yan to offer such a high salary. Did she think that the commission would be higher in the future?
“Sure, I’m not afraid of hard work. When the factory was doing well, we often worked overtime all night to meet orders. This little bit of work is no problem at all.” Zhang Huaxiu really didn’t think it was a big deal. She just wanted to earn more money. She refused to believe that she couldn’t succeed without getting married.
After chatting for a while, Zhang Huaxiu went back to the factory to apply for a buyout of her seniority. This might take a few days, but she would come back to work as soon as it was approved.
Gradually, Zhang Huaxiu became less reserved. Shu Yan discovered that she was a very articulate person, speaking calmly and evenly. She seemed like a promising salesperson, and with some training, she might even become a store manager. Of course, this was just a passing thought. She herself didn't understand clothing and couldn't possibly hire someone who didn't know anything about the industry to be a store manager. Maybe she would open a branch store in the future...
It seems she was thinking too far ahead. Shu Yan tidied up the place herself, ate something simple, and then Boss Zhang brought a team to renovate. Chen Fei was also there. When he arrived at the store, he walked around as if looking for something.
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Shu Yan felt that the discussion had been quite thorough, so there shouldn't be any issues.
"It's alright, I came along to explain the details to them so they don't make a mistake." Chen Fei asked casually, "Boss lady, was the person we met at the door this morning looking for a job?"
“Yes, she’s my daughter’s classmate’s aunt.” Shu Yan’s eyes darted around as she smiled and said, “The factory wasn’t doing well, so she bought out her years of service and came out to find a job. I happened to be short-staffed, so I came to take a look. Although she’s two years older than me, she looks ten years younger. That’s the difference between being married and being single.”
Chen Fei had initially looked disappointed when Shu Yan said she was two years older than him, but his eyes lit up again when he heard her say she was single. "She's not married yet?"
"Yeah, she hasn't met the right person yet. I think her idea is good; marriage is a big deal, and you can't just marry anyone because you've reached a certain age." Shu Yan glanced at Chen Fei. "I remember Designer Chen isn't married either, right? What, you've got your eye on Xiu Xiu?"
Chen Fei's face flushed red. "Nothing's wrong, I was just... asking casually. I have something to do at the company, I'll be going now, I'll come back tomorrow." Just as he was about to leave, Chen Fei turned back and asked, "Is she going to work for you?"
"It's confirmed, but we have to wait until she finishes dealing with things at the factory. I don't know exactly when she'll come." Shu Yan raised an eyebrow. With that kind of attitude, she still says she doesn't like Zhang Huaxiu? You'd be a fool to believe her.
After he left, Shu Yan couldn't help but ask the foreman about what had happened.
"How old is your designer Chen this year? He looks much younger than me." Although it's not a problem for the woman to be older than the man, the older generation and outsiders will gossip. It's better if the man is older than the woman.
"At 29, they're different from other intellectuals. They sit in the office all day drawing blueprints, so of course they look young," the foreman said with a hint of envy. "And they can also get shares, and their dividends alone are more than all of us combined."
"So he's one of your bosses?" Shu Yan really hadn't expected Chen Fei to be a boss.
"Yes, our boss poached him from a big company. In addition to a high salary, I heard he was also given 10% of the company's shares."
“Not just, I heard it’s 20 percent,” the plasterer next to the foreman chimed in.
"I heard it's 30%." This was the electrician.
Sure enough, gossip isn't just for women; men are just as fond of it.
Regardless of the number of shares, it's certain that Chen Fei owns shares in the company, his salary and benefits won't be low, and with his handsome appearance and gentle temperament, he would be a very good match.
"Where is he from? He's so amazing." Shu Yan asked, looking quite gossipy.
"He's from Sichuan Province. Designer Chen doesn't talk much, and that's about all I know." The foreman turned to his coworkers and chatted about how many shares Chen Fei actually owned.
Shu Yan listened for a while, but didn't get any information. She told the foreman and went to pick up her child.
"Mom, I got another red flower today." Tianbao raised his head high so that Shuyan could see the little red flower on his forehead.
"Our Tianbao is so great! He got another little red flower so quickly. I'll buy a notebook for you to stick on your little red flowers later." To encourage Ye Tianbao's enthusiasm, Shu Yan planned to make a little red flower at home too. Hmm, Ye Jingjing will get one too. Oh, and we'll also make a place to draw heights at the new house, as well as a photo wall and a wall of honor. These are all marks of the children's growth. They may not seem like much now, but they will be wonderful memories when the children grow up.
Keep these things in mind, and I'll talk to the craftsman at the Nanfu Mansion tomorrow about making some minor changes to the living room walls.
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