Chapter 159: Mechanical Factory Hiring

When Fan Sizhe and Jin Dapeng arrived, Xu An had just finished switching the two rooms.

Fan Sizhe smiled and said, “Xu An, the slots have already been determined this morning, but they haven’t been posted yet. Your name is on the list.”

Xu An happily replied, “Thank you, Sizhe, and Dapeng, my good brothers!”

Hearing the two had arrived, Xu Ning put Tangtang on the kang and came out with a smile. “Sizhe and Dapeng are here! You two shouldn’t head back this morning. After lunch, let Xiao An take you to the mountains to stroll around and pick some wild goods.”

The two brightened up at her words and quickly replied, “Thank you, Sister! We won’t head back for lunch, then. Sorry to trouble you and Xu An!”

Xu An laughed and said, “What’s the trouble? You two can help me cook lunch and keep the fire going.

The spicy pickled cabbage I made a couple of days ago is ready to eat. Today, I’ll let you try some, and if you like it, you can take some home with you.”

During the meal, Fan Sizhe and Jin Dapeng praised Xu An’s spicy pickled cabbage endlessly.

Xu An smiled and said, “I was worried you wouldn’t be used to the taste of this spicy cabbage, but since you like it, I’ll pack some for each of you to take home when you leave.”

The two felt a bit embarrassed and replied, “Is that really okay? We didn’t bring any food with us today, and now we’re taking yours home!”

Xu Ning also laughed and said, “You two are being too polite. Every time you come to play, you bring food. Do you think just having a meal will make us go broke?

This cabbage is homegrown in our village; it’s not a rare item. If you like it, just take some home. No need to be so polite.”

“You and Xiao An are good friends, so just think of this place as your home and feel free to make yourselves at home,” Xu Ning said.

Hearing her say this, the two felt delighted and replied, “Thank you, Sister! Then we won’t be polite.”

After finishing lunch, Xu An first washed Tangtang’s diapers before taking the two of them up the mountain with his backpack.

Tangtang had eaten and fallen asleep. The cotton and fabric that Mother Xu and Aunt Lu had taken were from the last purchase.

Now, there was no need to make shoes or clothes since they had already made plenty before Tangtang was born.

A few days ago, Lu Xiaoran had sent a package containing clothes and shoes for the three children, along with many red dates and some raisins.

The letter said that the clothes and shoes were all made by her mother-in-law. She had given birth to a daughter for her second child, who was still small, and she would be going back to school to teach.

So her mother-in-law had stopped working and stayed at home to take care of the two children and do some sewing.

With some free time on her hands, Xu Ning took out her middle and high school textbooks to study. With only two years until the college entrance exam, she needed to make the most of her time to review!

When the three returned from the mountain, it was already four in the afternoon, and their backpacks were full of wild goods.

Both Xu Ning and Xu An suggested that they leave the next day, but the two refused, probably feeling bad about eating here without bringing any food with them.

Xu An quickly found two burlap sacks for them to fill up and packed some spicy pickled cabbage for each of them before sending them out the door.

In winter, it got dark early. By the time they returned, it would almost be completely dark in the city.

During dinner, Xu An said, “Sister, the mechanical factory is announcing the hiring slots tomorrow. I plan to go to the city with them to check it out.”

Xu Ning said, “You go ahead. There’s not much happening at home, so don’t rush back.

Did Wang Liang go for the interview this time?”

Xu An laughed and replied, “Wang Liang got a job at the grain station. His uncle works there, and this year they happened to be hiring two temporary workers, so he got in.”

“I thought it had been a while since I saw him.”

Early the next morning, Xu An, along with a few male educated youths, Jianhua, and Hongdang, went to the mechanical factory to wait for news.

They didn’t return until it was almost dark.

Xu Ning asked, “Xiao An, didn’t you go to check the announcement today? Why are you coming back now?”

Xu An sighed and said, “Sister, the factory manager had an incident.”

“It seems that this hiring issue was reported by someone. Early this morning, people came to take the factory manager away.

We waited there all day, and only then did someone come out to tell us that this hiring doesn’t count.

In a few days, a new factory manager will come, and we’ll all have to take the exam again. They didn’t say when exactly; they just told us to wait for further notice.”

Xu Ning comforted him, saying, “Xiao An, it’s okay. There will be another opportunity. You have good grades, so we’re not afraid of exams.”

Xu An laughed and replied, “Sister, I’m not worried about that. If I can’t get in, I’ll just stay home and farm.

That’s not any worse than being a temporary worker in the city, and I can still help you take care of Tangtang.”

“I’m just worried about Fan Sizhe and Jin Dapeng. If they can’t get into the mechanical factory this time, they might have to go to the countryside.”

“There’s no need to worry too much. Both Fan Sizhe and Jin Dapeng have good grades.

Even if a new factory manager comes and they have to retake the exam, they still have a chance.

What you should be concerned about are those who have poor grades and rely on connections to get in.”

Xu An remembered this and immediately felt relieved.