Chapter 83

Lu Nong was unaware of Director Leng’s thoughts and replied, “Yes, Pei Zheng will be here for the New Year, and there aren’t many days left.”

Before leaving the capital, Pei Ji’an had promised Pei Zheng that he would bring him to the south for the New Year.

Now that Pei Ji’an was away on a mission, she wasn’t sure if he had remembered to send someone to pick up Pei Zheng.

However, judging by the frequency of the letters Pei Zheng sent every month, even if no one came to pick him up, he could probably find his way here on his own.

Lu Nong had confidence in Pei Zheng’s independence.

Director Leng smiled and nodded as if suddenly remembering something. “By the way, Xiao Lu, I remember your job hasn’t been assigned yet. The military district elementary school just lost a vice teacher, creating an opening. Are you interested?”

As soon as she finished speaking, Hu Mei shot a look at Director Leng. She had been vying for the elementary teacher position for a long time and had previously mentioned it to Director Leng, who hadn’t offered her the same consideration as Lu Nong.

What did this mean?

Was Director Leng planning to bypass her and give the job to Lu Nong, who had just arrived a few days ago?

Hu Mei felt a wave of discontent rising in her chest, and Liu Erniu noticed. She nudged Hu Mei, signaling her to hold back her feelings.

Lu Nong noticed the silent exchange between the two. For her, the elementary teacher position was important, but not overly so.

In the military district in the mountains, job opportunities were limited, and the position of elementary teacher was quite valuable. However, this was mainly for military wives like Hu Mei, who had attended school for a few years but had limited education and faced significant competition.

Of course, military wives like Wang Xiuzhi and Liu Erniu, who couldn’t read and couldn’t hold clerical jobs, sought to supplement their household income through physical labor, like working in the fields to earn work points.

But Lu Nong was different. The military district was in need of talented individuals. With her higher education and real skills, she had many job options beyond just an elementary teacher, including roles in the labor union, publicity department, women’s rescue association, and hospitals, among others.

It was only natural for Lu Nong to feel reluctant to refuse Director Leng’s good intentions, so she responded, “Director Leng, you can rest assured. I will carefully consider this job opportunity.”

Director Leng observed Lu Nong’s expression. Although her tone was humble, there was no hint of uncertainty or reluctance when she agreed. A smile spread across Director Leng’s face, indicating that she had indeed chosen the right person for the position.

“Alright, I will inform Principal Sun later. Once you’ve made your decision, please go see him. But let me be clear, I am just a recommender. It is Principal Sun who will decide whether to hire you. If he feels you are not suitable, I cannot do anything about it.”

Director Leng’s caution came from her own considerations. In case she misjudged Lu Nong and found that she was not suited to be a teacher, or if she was merely a pretty façade, Principal Sun, as the head of the school, was ultimately the last line of defense.

Lu Nong nodded, “Of course. Thank you, Director Leng, for introducing me to this job.”

“You are welcome,” Director Leng replied with a smile.

The two shared a harmonious interaction, while Hu Mei, standing nearby, felt her eyes reddening. She was not typically an impulsive or hot-tempered person, but seeing a job opportunity she had long awaited being taken away made it impossible for her to hold back any longer.

“Director Leng, you can’t just reserve the good jobs for the newly arrived Comrade Lu. We old-timers need them too,” she said.

Director Leng’s expression remained gentle. “Don’t worry, Comrade Hu Mei. Supporting military wives is part of my job, and I treat everyone equally.”

“You came to me before for the job of a teacher. I remember that my reply to you was similar to what I said to Comrade Lu Nong today. I asked you to attend the interview with Principal Sun and also greeted Principal Sun on your behalf. However, the feedback from Principal Sun was that you are not currently suitable for the teaching position.”

Hu Mei’s face darkened, feeling that Director Leng’s words were empty. If she truly treated everyone equally, how could she give Lu Nong the job opportunity that belonged to her?

Why not just assign the job directly instead of going through the interview process?

Yes, Principal Sun had mentioned that she was not suitable last time, but one rejection does not mean she will always be unsuitable. After the last interview, Hu Mei had a good grasp of Principal Sun’s assessment criteria. She was confident that with another attempt, she would be very likely to succeed.

Just as Hu Mei planned to approach Director Leng again, she was surprised to see Director Leng introduce the job to Lu Nong instead.

It was clear that favoritism was at play, and for what reason? Simply because Pei Ji’an was the deputy division commander and a key trainee for the division commander!

Poor Old Song from their family lost his chance for promotion, and his wife was being bullied at home.

Indeed, those who are good-natured are often taken advantage of. If she didn’t fight for herself, she wouldn’t get any good opportunities.

“Director Leng, I have already realized where my shortcomings lie, and I have been preparing for a long time. What do you think?” Hu Mei said, feeling uneasy.

Director Leng pondered for a moment. “It wouldn’t be fair to let you waste an opportunity. How about this? I will speak to Principal Sun again. Let’s turn this into a test and see who scores higher.”

“Since this is about teaching students, the teacher’s competence is crucial. Hiring teachers through a test would be the fairest method. Then, whoever gets hired cannot complain if they don’t succeed.”

Before Director Leng could finish, Hu Mei felt a surge of joy. This was fantastic. She was sure to win.

In fact, Director Leng’s idea aligned with Principal Sun’s. During Hu Mei’s previous interview, Principal Sun had given her a test to complete on the spot.

Before attempting the test, Hu Mei had a pleasant conversation with Principal Sun and sensed he was satisfied with her. However, the test caused her to lose the opportunity.

The problem was that she couldn’t understand most of the questions due to her lack of cultural knowledge.

Now that Director Leng wanted to select candidates based on the test results, it was no wonder Hu Mei was delighted. In this matter, she had several advantages.

Firstly, she had already taken the test once, gaining valuable experience. Secondly, she had spent the last three months practicing test questions at home. While she might not be 100% certain about what Principal Sun would ask, she was at least 80% confident.

Given the circumstances, it was clear to any discerning observer that this situation favored Hu Mei. Not only Hu Mei but also Liu Erniu and Wang Xiuzhi felt a bit anxious for Lu Nong. They somewhat understood Director Leng’s thinking: if she intended to introduce the job to Lu Nong, why make her compete with Hu Mei?

If she wanted to give the job to Hu Mei, why involve Comrade Lu at all?

Only Hu Mei was gleefully on the verge of laughter, no longer minding Director Leng’s apparent bias as she looked at Lu Nong with a smug expression.

Lu Nong: “…”

Lu Nong’s face showed signs of difficulty. It wasn’t that she lacked confidence; she had never lost in a competition. Her main concern was fairness to Hu Mei.

However, Hu Mei misinterpreted her hesitation as fear of the challenge. She pretended to comfort Lu Nong, saying, “Comrade Lu Nong, if you’re scared, you don’t have to participate. You can practice more at home, and when another vacancy opens up at the elementary school, you can try again.”

Lu Nong: “…” Sister, I’m not afraid. I’m worried about you.