Chapter 043: Salary Payment
Although they had to work overtime on Sunday to do a legal education lecture, fortunately it was only one lecture and the two of them were back before noon.
As soon as they entered the family compound, they saw a crowd of elderly people gathered around the bulletin board. Old Lady Liu, seeing them, waved and asked, "Xiao Nan, Xiao Xing, can you tell me? Did Qian Dadan really die in the shower? That sounds so scary."
"That's right, someone could die in the shower. Could he have been murdered? That money isn't Fan Taohua's... Could it be the Wu family kid..."
"Don't talk nonsense." Old Wu, whose facial wound had healed, joined the crowd to watch the fun. He became unhappy when he heard this. "My Dachui was home that day. Don't accuse me like that. The police have already investigated the matter. You can't talk nonsense."
Seeing that everyone was about to start arguing, Jiang Nan quickly interrupted, "Grandma Liu, where's your bulletin board? What's written on it?"
"Oh, you ask her? She can't read. I'm telling you about Xiaonan..." After a night of reflection, Old Lady Cao returned to her usual vegetable-picking pose, basket in hand, reading the bulletin board. There's a reason why this old lady became building supervisor: she knows how to read. Though she's only just emerged from illiteracy, for a woman of her age, that's no mean feat. She held her head high and read the bulletin board content, word for word, to her grandchildren and their wives. Finally, she asked, "Xiaoxing, have you read the cause of Qian Dadan's death? Did he really die from running and then taking a cold shower?"
The old men and women all pricked up their ears. At their age, they care particularly about life and death.
Seeing that the oilfield publicity department was so helpful, Jiang Nan and Zhou Zhixing drew up blackboard posters early on for publicity, and of course cooperated in explaining the situation.
Weekends always fly by, and Monday was here in a flash. But this Monday was a happy one, because it was payday. Who wouldn't be happy to get paid? So, early in the morning, everyone lined up at the police station. By the time Jiang Nan and Zhou Zhixing arrived, the line was already quite long. However, the police station wasn't crowded, so they arrived quickly.
Since Jiang Nan and Zhou Zhixing only started working in the middle of the month, they had not worked for half a month at most. However, the calculation was not too detailed at that time, so they still received half a month's salary.
Because Jiang Nan had made a significant contribution, particularly one as significant as catching a spy, he was officially hired and received the salary of an eighth-level police officer, thirty yuan a month and fifteen yuan a fortnight. Zhou Zhixing, who had participated in combat, was a sixth-level police officer after his demobilization, earning fifty yuan. Today, he'll receive a total of twenty-five yuan, a full ten yuan more than Jiang Nan!
She curled her lips, and Zhou Zhixing smiled: "After all, I served in the army for two years, and my rank is higher than yours, so it's normal that my salary is a little higher."
He looked around and whispered, "The original body has military merits, so this salary is not too much."
Jiang Nan asked curiously, "Whose salary is higher, yours or Team Leader Guan's?"
It wasn't that she was gossiping; it was that salaries at that time were generally transparent, unlike later generations, where how much a family earned was a secret. Nowadays, as long as one's position and rank were mentioned, anyone with a clear memory would be able to accurately state their salary, including their monthly food and cloth coupons, without making any mistakes.
"We're about the same," Zhou Zhixing said proudly. "He's been a police officer for many years, and I'm based on merit. We're different."
Jiang Nan happily put the money into his pocket, then sat back at his desk, poured water and wiped the table, and started his day's office life.
Although every family compound had held meetings to persuade relatives to return, the effect was evidently limited, and there were still many idlers in the oil fields. This was understandable, however. These days, jobs are so hard to come by. Even if it rained knives, as long as there was a job, some people would be willing to stick with it.
This is tough for junior officers like Jiang Nan and Zhou Zhixing. Their days are filled with trivial cases: in the morning, your nephew beat up my grandson, and in the afternoon, an old woman from the countryside pried open the tiles in the park. It's truly bizarre.
The old lady who pried the tiles off was taken to the police station and still held on to them, refusing to let go. She kept shouting, "It's such a waste to leave them out here. You city people just don't know how to live. I pried them off and laid them out in my yard. I will take good care of them and clean them every day. Police officer, how can you arrest me? I'm trying to protect state assets..."
Blah blah blah, the old lady was also one who had heard the radio in the oil field, and her words were quite well-written. When the family came to pick her up, everyone realized, wow, this is the old lady of the leader's family. And she's not just anyone else, Secretary Tu's chief secretary, Jing Zhiyuan, who is also 32 years old this year and can be called a young and promising talent.
He was there when the commendation letter was delivered, and later when Jiang Nan was specially recruited to the police station. Even Jiang Nan felt that he looked familiar, not to mention Lan Qingshan, who often interacted with Secretary Tu and his colleagues.
He went up to Jing Zhiyuan and shook hands with him, saying with a smile, "This is truly a flood that has washed away the Dragon King Temple. Secretary Jing, please forgive me."
Jing Zhiyuan, dressed neatly in a Mao suit, wore a wry smile. Coming from a rural background, he owed his life to his mother, who had pressured his two older brothers to support him through college. Now that his mother had come to ask for a job for her eldest grandson, he couldn't bring himself to refuse. He looked at his mother, still clutching the tile in the corner, and said, "I'm sorry to trouble you, Chief Lan. Just tell me how to handle this matter. I'll do whatever you say."
Lan Qingshan was also good at talking. Everyone has poor relatives, not to mention that this is someone's mother. He waved his hands and said, "I'm not embarrassed. It's no big deal. Just put the tiles down and we'll lay them back up. You see, the old lady has been holding..."
Jing Zhiyuan nodded, walked over, knelt on one knee, and whispered something to his mother. The old lady must be old and her mind was a little confused. But she finally listened to her youngest son's words. Putting down the tile, Jing Zhiyuan signed again, and the matter was settled.
In the afternoon, everyone was studying documents together. Group 5 next door hurried out. Jiang Nan vaguely heard words like "black market" and "good stuff".
[Host, Tang Xi sold two bags of flour two days ago. Coincidentally, there was a police ambush at the black market yesterday. Everyone fled in a hurry, and some of the flour was spilled. Because it was so fine, it aroused the police's suspicion. Group 5 is going to the black market to check it out.]
Jiang Nan understood that their group six would be preparing to welcome the publicity team and the investigation team in the middle of the month, so they really had no time to investigate the black market.
"Is Tang Xi okay? Why did she suddenly sell so much flour?"
[No, she's the heroine, and she's in disguise. According to the original book, she's supposed to be treating the hero's father. After this, she'll stay out of the spotlight for a while before heading to the black market.]
"I'm glad you're okay." Jiang Nan was no longer worried about the heroine. Tang Xi was protected by a mysterious power, so she would be safe. She should worry about herself.
Zhou Zhixing's ears twitched slightly, and he looked up at Jiang Nan. After work, he whispered, "What original plot? What are you talking about?"
When Zhou Zhixing heard that this world was a book, he felt for the first time that he was so shallow. It was truly too shallow. This living world was actually derived from a book?
"Is the plot fixed or can it be changed?" he asked the question that concerned him most.
"It's possible to go astray. There was no system and no me in the original plot." Jiang Nan said in a low voice when he saw that there was no one around.
Zhou Zhixing finally felt relieved: "That's good. As long as it can be changed, it doesn't really matter what book it is."
Seeing Jiang Nan looking at him, Zhou Zhixing smiled and said, "Don't worry too much about the original plot. Since our mission has little to do with the original, let's just live our own lives. Look, this derivative world is no different from the real world, both are full of uncertainty, so there's no need to worry about the original plot."
"You accepted it quite quickly." Jiang Nan was surprised.
"My easygoing nature is just the smallest of my many strengths. As you get to know me more, you'll find I'm basically flawless." Zhou Zhixing raised an eyebrow and began counting on his fingers, "I'm humorous, handsome, and in great health..."
Jiang Nan quickly hopped on her bike and sped off. Was Zhou Zhixing the type to give in so easily? He was. He followed behind, calling out, "Hey, Xiaonan, wait for me! Slow down, or I'll tell Aunt Chen you're riding too fast and not paying attention to safety."
Jiang Nan stopped pedaling, turned around and glared at the complainer: "Why are you acting like a child and complaining?"
Zhou Zhixing took the opportunity to stand side by side, holding his head high, not feeling looked down upon at all. He said, "I'm cultivating a relationship with my mother-in-law. Aunt Chen told me to supervise you. When we catch thieves, you can't act arrogantly. You have to follow behind me. No matter how strong a woman is, she is not as strong as a man. You can't just act impulsively..."
Jiang Nan's eyes were full of stars. How could she not know when her mother had become so close to Zhou Zhixing? Was she still her mother's favorite daughter?
The two of them rode their bikes back to the staff quarters. Before they even went upstairs, they saw Sun Qiaolian hurrying down. Seeing them, her eyes flickered, and she slowed down her pace. She said to Jiang Nan, "Xiao Nan, are you off work? Did you get paid today? Didn't you buy something delicious to celebrate?"
"Auntie Sun." Jiang Nan called out. She hadn't forgotten that this person had spread rumors about her liking Fang Nanshan. Jiang Nan, feeling dissatisfied, turned a deaf ear to the subsequent questions and went straight upstairs.
Sun Qiaolian frowned slightly, but continued to follow with a smile. She said, "Xiao Nan, do you have any misunderstandings about Aunt Sun? If there are any misunderstandings, they must be resolved. Otherwise, as a police officer, if you suspect me of something out of prejudice again, I won't be able to clear my name even if I jump into the Yellow River, right?"
Jiang Nan stopped and said sternly, "Auntie Sun, you can't say that. I didn't misunderstand you, and I wouldn't bring personal feelings into work. You're disrespecting not only me but also my work by saying that. I'm going to be angry."
"Oh, Auntie Sun apologizes to you then." Sun Qiaolian smiled sweetly and said, "I'm glad you didn't misunderstand me. Auntie Sun is just worried. After all, I'm a widow and I'm used to hearing everyone's gossip. I'm also worried that you might have some opinions about me if you hear it."
"Auntie Sun, if you have nothing else to do, I'll go home." Jiang Nan lost his patience when he saw Sun Qiaolian repeating the same things over and over again and not getting to the point.
The three of them happened to stop on the third floor. Normally, Zhou Zhixing should have gone back to the Cao family in the east, but he just stood there, smiling and refusing to leave.
Sun Qiaolian cursed him inwardly, calling him a little bastard. She gritted her teeth, smiled bitterly, and said, "Xiao Nan, Auntie Sun shouldn't talk to someone younger than you, but Auntie Sun really has no choice. Look, Nanshan went to the well for duty and hasn't even returned for pay today. Our family is really struggling to make ends meet. You just got paid today, and you have three workers in your family, so you're doing well. Why don't you lend me some money? I'll pay you back when Nanshan returns from the well."
Despite her sweet words, Sun Qiaolian had no intention of repaying the money. She borrowed it with her own ability, so why should she repay it? The Jiang family was doing so well, and the three workers only earned over 100 yuan a month, so how could they spend it all? Since her family was in such a difficult situation, she had to help them.
She used to be able to get money out of Lin Bing, but now that Lin Youliang was ruthless, Lin Bing was penniless. She had originally planned to go to the grove to block Cheng Dazhu; he must have gotten his paycheck today and could at least get a few dollars. But then she ran into Jiang Nan downstairs. She thought, considering her a junior, and since Sun Qiaolian had already been so humble, Jiang Nan would definitely have to lend her some money, right? Once he borrowed it, he wouldn't ask her to pay it back.
Jiang Nan had seen enough of Sun Qiaolian's tricks of borrowing money and not paying it back to get her back. She smiled and said, "Auntie Sun, since you're an elder and have asked for it, I, a junior, can't refuse. But unfortunately, I've already pledged my salary for this month. I'm planning to treat my parents and Brother Zhou to a meal at a state-owned restaurant with my first month's pay. It's also a way for me to show my filial piety. I also want to buy a gift for my parents, grandpa, grandma, uncle, and uncle. Auntie Sun, can you fulfill my filial piety? After all, being filial to one's parents and elders is a virtue, isn't it?"
"Sun Qiaolian." Chen Jinhua and Jiang Mancheng had also finished get off work and had been listening in from behind for a while. Chen Jinhua was so angry that she said, "Stop talking nonsense here. Nanshan went to the well, but you were the one who collected the money. Sister Tang from our office saw it. What's going on? You don't know that you're bullying my Xiaonan, right?"
She pinched her waist and raised her voice, "You haven't lost your temper for several days. Do you think I, Chen Jinhua, am easy to bully?! You just received the money and you're saying you can't make ends meet. Everyone, please judge. How can you live like this? If you were so incompetent, would Granny Fang still let you be the head of the family? I'm afraid she would have kicked you out eight hundred years ago. I think it's your Nansheng and Nanhai who want to eat meat. Are you going to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some meat?"
Granny Fang was listening at the door of the Fang family, feeling furious. This daughter-in-law couldn't even tell a lie. She went to collect her salary today, it was such an obvious thing, so many people saw it, and she still wanted to hide it? What a pig brain, she threw down the curtain and simply ignored this shit. She whispered to Nan Sheng and Nan Hai, "Don't talk about eating meat today, talk about it tomorrow, understand? Otherwise, people will gossip about the family."
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