Chapter 38

What a Terrible Idea

Chen Ji looked at the list, his face full of surprise. “Shen Zhou, not bad, you really made it. Wait, what did you just say?”

It took a moment for Chen Ji to realize something, and he stared at Shen Zhou in disbelief. “You mean, you passed because of my sister’s help?”

Shen Zhou, who had become more casual with Chen Ji, rolled his eyes. “What else could it be?”

Chen Ji angrily rolled up his sleeves and stormed inside. “Damn it, I’m going to find out who’s causing trouble!”

He walked quickly and bumped into a staff member coming out of the building.

The staff member dropped the notice in his hand.

Chen Ji stomped on it.

The white paper now had a shoe print on it.

The staff member yelped, “Oh no, it’s dirty, dirty! What are we going to do?”

The staff member was responsible for this recruitment, and Chen Ji recognized him. His temper flared as he asked, “I want to know, are you in charge of this recruitment?”

The staff member recognized Chen Ji. “Yeah, what’s the matter? If I remember correctly, you didn’t take the exam, right?”

Chen Ji didn’t answer the question. Instead, he pointed at Shen Zhou. “His name is on the list, but why isn’t my sister’s name there? Are you trying to cause trouble?”

The staff member looked confused. “Who is your sister?”

Chen Ji enunciated each word. “Xu Jiayi.”

Upon hearing that name, the staff member almost jumped up. “She’s your sister? When did your mother have another daughter?”

Chen Ji scowled. “That’s my adopted sister. I’m asking you, why isn’t her name on the list?”

The staff member took a deep breath, realizing what had happened. “Xu Jiayi did very well in the exam. The leadership thought someone like her shouldn’t just be a regular employee.

After discussing it, they decided to assign her to the Human Resources department. Actually, I was just about to put the notice up when you came.”

Xu Jianguo understood and turned red with excitement. “The Human Resources department, an office job?”

The staff member nodded. “Yes, her grades are excellent, and this position is a better fit for her.”

Shen Zhou was also excited. “Sis is amazing. She went straight for the top. How much does she get paid a month?”

The staff member answered, “She’ll be considered a junior staff member, earning forty a month, five more than regular employees, and with better benefits.”

Xu Jianguo was so excited he could barely speak. “Good, good…”

Chen Ji slapped his thigh. “I knew my sister would pass, but not only did she pass, she’s got an office job! Oh, this is such good news!”

Xu Jianguo couldn’t stay still for a second and couldn’t wait to go home and tell Xu Laotai this great news.

Xu Jiayi, on the other hand, remained calm. She turned to the staff member. “I’d like to give this job to my father. Is that possible?”

She enjoyed exams but didn’t want to work in an office.

“What? You don’t want the job?” The staff member was shocked. What a great position!

Xu Jianguo understood that Xu Jiayi was going to follow the army in the future, but he hadn’t expected her to give the job to him. “Daughter, little Shen over there doesn’t know when he’ll be able to follow the army. Why don’t you take the position for now, and when we hear back, I can take it then?”

In her past life, Xu Jiayi had worked for a few years before almost being drained by the capitalists. In this life, she just wanted to relax. “I don’t want to deal with the hassle. You can take it now.”

Xu Jianguo was speechless.

Such a wonderful daughter—she was his, Xu Jianguo’s!

Chen Ji, who also didn’t like working, fully understood Xu Jiayi’s reasoning. “My uncle is capable, he can handle the job too.”

The staff member looked troubled. “Comrade, what’s your level of education?”

Xu Jianguo proudly answered, “Middle school.”

He was one of the few in their village with a middle school education.

The staff member was silent for a few seconds before responding, “Well, I need to report this to the leadership. You can come back tomorrow.”

Xu Jianguo worried the job might fall through and quickly said, “I’ll take the position. I’m fine with not being in the office.”

Chen Ji immediately jumped in. “That’s not possible! My sister passed because of her own ability, and she deserves to be in the office. If not, I’ll report you!”

The staff member was almost exasperated. “I can’t make this decision; it has to be approved by the leadership.”

Chen Ji snorted. “Don’t think I don’t know that at the mechanical factory, they have positions for people to take over. Except for technical workers, the finance department, and leadership positions, other jobs are filled by whoever was in the position before.”

The staff member was speechless.

He was from the mechanical factory too—why was he turning against his own?

Chen Ji, knowing the staff member didn’t have the authority, decided to find his father and explain the situation about the position.

After listening, Chen’s father rubbed his temples and said, “I’ll talk to someone in the Human Resources department. You can bring Xu Jiayi and the others to report tomorrow, and make sure they bring a letter of introduction.”

Chen Ji was satisfied. “Everyone who passes the exam is a full employee, right? Do they need to transfer their household registration?”

Chen’s father nodded. “Yes, but they won’t get a house right away. They’ll need to rent for now. You should take them around to look for a place.”

Chen Ji agreed enthusiastically. “Sure!”

Xu Jianguo walked out of the mechanical factory, feeling like he was in a dream. It didn’t feel real. “Jiayi, does this mean I’m a worker now?”

Xu Jiayi smiled. “Yes, not only will you have a salary, but also benefits. You won’t have to work in the fields anymore.”

Xu Jianguo laughed foolishly. “Wow, I’ve made it! I never thought I’d be a worker in my lifetime. Hahaha… I’m so happy…”

Xu Jiayi felt a pang of sorrow.

In this era, jobs were scarce.

Hundreds of people would apply for one position, and only two or three would get in.

The mechanical factory only hired three people this time.

She and Shen Zhou each took one spot, and the other went to a worker’s child.

Others said the third person had taken the exam twice before passing.

After Xu Jianguo finished laughing, Chen Ji spoke up. “Uncle, let’s go look for a house.”

Still caught up in his excitement, Xu Jianguo finally remembered. “Right, right, we need to rent a house.”

Xu Jiayi had accompanied Xu Xiaoyao to look around before, so she knew the situation. She wasn’t too hopeful. “If we can’t rent a house, it’s fine. We can just buy a bike.”

Xu Jianguo shook his head. “That won’t do. A bike is expensive and requires a ticket. We don’t have the money, nor can we get the ticket.”

Before Xu Jiayi could respond, Chen Ji immediately spoke up. “I have a way to get a bike without needing a ticket.”

Xu Jiayi became interested. “Are you buying it from the black market?”

Chen Ji shook his head. “No, my friend knows how to fix bikes. We’ll buy a second-hand one, and it won’t cost much.”

Xu Jiayi made a decision. “Buy it.”

Xu Jianguo was concerned about the price. “How much for a second-hand bike?”

Chen Ji replied, “Around thirty to forty yuan.”

Xu Jianguo thought it was expensive, but Xu Jiayi thought it was reasonable. “Buy it.”

Chen Ji took them to look at some bikes.

Xu Jiayi liked a second-hand two-eight style bike that was about 50% new.

Chen Ji’s friend wanted 50 yuan for it.

He managed to negotiate the price down to 35 yuan.

His friend was so angry he nearly wanted to slap him. “You really are my good brother. Every time you open your mouth, you drive the price down, not letting me make a cent!”

Chen Ji patted his friend’s shoulder. “She’s my sister, even closer than my real sister. Are you really going to charge for that? Don’t worry, next time I’ll send people your way.”

His friend crossed his arms in front of his chest. “No, no. Every time you bring someone, I don’t make any money.”

Chen Ji winked. “Is that so?”

The friend gave him a glance with a hint of annoyance: “What else?”

Chen Ji: “……”

There was a lot of resentment there!

After buying the car, Chen Ji took a few people for a tour around the town.

As Xu Jia Jia had predicted, it was difficult to rent a house.

Xu Jianguo was glad to have bought the car. He lovingly touched the handlebar: “This car was the right choice, daughter. Whatever you do in the future, your dad will support you.”

The car was bought, but no one knew how to ride it.

Xu Jianguo thought of a playground next to the machinery factory and said, “Daughter, how about we go practice riding at the playground before heading back?”

Xu Jia Jia had no problem with that: “Sure!”

Chen Ji excitedly said, “I’ll go too.”

Shen Zhou, who still needed to handle his leave of absence from school, didn’t go along.

The machinery factory recruits students, usually those with a high school diploma.

Someone like Shen Zhou, who didn’t have a graduation certificate, wasn’t supposed to be eligible.

But since this time it was Deputy Director Chen himself who enrolled him, even if someone had objections, they could only swallow them.

When Shen Zhou’s homeroom teacher learned he had been accepted by the machinery factory, she was so excited that her eyes turned red: “Good, good, I knew you could do it.”

Shen Zhou told her the purpose of his visit to school: “Teacher, I want to apply for a leave of absence.”

The homeroom teacher waved her hand: “No need, absolutely no need. Just study at home, and come to take the exam when the time comes.”

Shen Zhou was stunned. It could be done like this? However, this was the best outcome for him.

He bent down and bowed: “Thank you, thank you, teacher!”

The homeroom teacher helped him up: “No need to thank me.”

……

On the other side.

Xu Jianguo was sitting on the bicycle, his feet on the ground, too afraid to place them on the pedals.

Chen Ji, who was beside him, was anxious: “Uncle, this won’t work. You need to put your feet on the pedals, or how will you learn?”

Xu Jianguo was too afraid of falling, too embarrassed: “Wait a minute, I… I’m not mentally prepared yet.”

Xu Jia Jia couldn’t stand watching anymore. She walked over and grabbed the handlebars: “Let me try.”

Xu Jianguo worried that Xu Jia Jia might fall: “Daughter, falling hurts.”

Xu Jia Jia had ridden a donkey in her past life, so she felt it would be fine: “Let me try.”

Xu Jianguo stepped aside.

Xu Jia Jia swung one leg over and sat properly.

She held the handlebars with both hands, pushing the bike with her feet to slowly glide, finding her balance before placing her feet on the pedals.

Her mindset was calm, not nervous at all.

Once her feet were on the pedals, she rode perfectly.

Xu Jianguo was stunned: “We’re both humans, why is the difference so big?”

Chen Ji was also feeling sour: “I practiced for three or four days before learning, and fell a few times.”

Xu Jia Jia circled around. When she entered the second lap, the handlebars suddenly wobbled and fell to one side, causing both the bike and Xu Jia Jia to tumble to the ground.

Xu Jianguo, as if his feet were on fire, rushed over and helped her up: “Daughter, did you hurt yourself?”

Xu Jia Jia dusted off her clothes: “It’s fine.”

Chen Ji noticed a cut on her knee and frowned slightly: “Sis, is your knee scraped?”

Xu Jia Jia rolled up her pant leg and saw a small cut on her knee, but it wasn’t serious: “It’s fine, it’ll be healed by tomorrow.”

Xu Jianguo was heartbroken: “Daughter, go to the hospital and get some medicine, it’ll heal faster.”

Xu Jia Jia shook her head: “No need.”

She handed the bike back to Xu Jianguo.

Initially, he hadn’t dared to ride.

But after seeing Xu Jia Jia fall, he became braver.

He imitated what Xu Jia Jia did, first pushing the bike with his feet, and only placing both feet on the pedals after finding his balance.

Learning to ride the bike involved some falls, but after a few tries, Xu Jianguo finally managed to learn.

He wiped the sweat off his forehead: “That wasn’t easy.”

The bike was learned.

However, when it came time to actually ride on the road, Xu Jianguo became nervous again: “Daughter, I don’t think I’m ready yet, I still need to practice for a few more days.”

Xu Jia Jia: “……”

Chen Ji patted the back seat of the bike: “Sis, get on, I’ll take you home.”

This bike belonged to Chen’s father.

He borrowed it for use.

Xu Jianguo stared at him: “What about me?”

Chen Ji grinned: “I’ll ride in the front, and Uncle will chase from behind. After chasing a while, you’ll get the hang of it.”

Xu Jianguo kicked out: “What a terrible idea!”

Chen Ji dodged quickly and didn’t get kicked: “Uncle, it’s not a terrible idea, it’s a good idea. You ride well, you’re just too nervous.

If you ride with more confidence, you’ll be fine.”

Xu Jia Jia tilted her head and looked at Xu Jianguo: “How about this, Chen Ji can take you back, and I’ll ride the bike home?”

Xu Jianguo, fearing Xu Jia Jia would fall again, didn’t dare let her ride: “No, I’ll ride, I’ll take it slow.”

At first, Xu Jianguo was very nervous and couldn’t relax, riding in zigzags.

But it got much better after a while.

However, when a car came, he would stop.

The ride was bumpy, but eventually, they arrived at the village entrance.

The villagers, seeing him riding the bike back, were shocked and opened their mouths: “Jianguo, when did you learn to ride a bike?”

Xu Jianguo raised his chin proudly: “Just today, I bought the bike today, I’m making progress!”

The villagers raised their voices dramatically: “What? You bought a bike?”

Xu Jianguo nodded: “Yeah, it’s second-hand.”

A villager carefully touched the handlebars: “Second-hand, that still costs a lot.

I really envy you. Your daughter doesn’t have to work, and she still gets paid.

Now, you even bought a bike. This is the second bike in our village, how rare!”

The first bike was the team leader’s.

Xu Jianguo smiled: “What’s so special about the bike? I’m still a worker!”

The villager grabbed his hand: “What do you mean?”

Xu Jianguo proudly smiled: “My daughter took an exam at the machinery factory yesterday, hundreds of people, and only three were accepted. My daughter was one of them, the other two are regular workers, but my daughter is a small official.”

The villagers were extremely envious: “Your daughter gave you the job?”

Look at the daughter some people have—one can outdo ten sons.

No, with her skills, ten sons couldn’t compare to her!

Xu Jianguo nodded: “Yeah, my daughter is going to join the military in the future, this job suits me.”

At that moment, the villagers felt that Xu Jianguo was right not to remarry.

If he married again and had more children, he would be distracted.

How could he treat his daughter so well?

“Jianguo, your good days are coming!”

Xu Jianguo was extremely pleased: “Of course.”

When Xu Jia Jia arrived home, Xu Jianguo was still chatting with the villagers.

Xu Laotai put down the basket in her hand and looked at Xu Jia Jia: “Did you pass the exam?”

Xu Jia Jia walked over and hugged Xu Laotai: “Yes, I got a job in the office, forty yuan a month. This job, dad can do.”

Xu Laotai was overjoyed: “Oh, this is such good news! Jia Jia, I’m going to tell the neighbors!”

She ran next door and shouted: “Old sister, old sister, come out, I have good news to share!”

Old Lady Liu didn’t come out, but her eldest daughter-in-law did. She sarcastically said, “What good news can a widow have?”