Chapter 77

Looking at the steaming, green-glowing cup of Taiping Houkui in front of him, Wei Sheng couldn’t help falling silent.

Why did all the leaders love drinking Houkui tea?

Was there some kind of secret culture behind this, too?

“Xiao Wei? Xiao Wei?” Jin Yannan called out to him gently as she pulled out her little snack basket from the cabinet and cheerfully pushed it toward him. “Here, have some snacks! Let’s talk while we eat!”

Alright, so there was a bit of a difference. Unlike the typical tea-drinking habit, female leaders also had their stash of little snacks.

But snacks from a leader weren’t given freely. After feeding him a bit, Director Jin — now very much in “zookeeper mode” — fixed her eyes on her little lucky star, Comrade Wei Sheng, like a hen watching over an egg. Her tone grew even more tender than a mother’s.

“Xiao Wei, today Vice Governor Sun called me over and said a lot of the provincial leaders have been watching our show…”

“Pfft—” Wei Sheng sprayed a mouthful of Houkui tea.

What the hell? His goofy antics on the show… even provincial-level leaders had seen that?

Was he still supposed to sign up for the civil service exam?

If he didn’t register, he had no chance of getting into the system.

But if he did, and somehow made it to the interview, what if one of the interviewers had seen the show?

Emmm… He’d probably just die of secondhand embarrassment on the spot.

After some initial chaos, Jin Yannan finally explained the thoughts of the provincial leadership and her own stance to Wei Sheng.

Of course, the province wanted to capitalize on the show’s current popularity and find a way to help other struggling industries, thereby driving employment and helping the unemployed find work again. This had been a provincial priority for years.

To put it bluntly, a stable society isn’t built on strict control. You need to ensure people have work, income, and food on the table.

When people have homes, jobs, and happy families, who the hell would want to lash out at society?

The provincial leadership understood this cause-and-effect chain very well. That’s why, for years, they’d been working hard to resolve the issue of reemployment.

But — let’s be real — the bigger picture is harsh. The global economy is shrinking, and little J Province isn’t even considered first-tier. It doesn’t have any standout high-tech or advanced industries. Just yelling “stimulate consumption” from the top? Please. That doesn’t work.

People don’t have money. You can scream until your throat breaks or hand out endless coupons — if folks are broke, they’re not spending. Period.

Sure, a coupon that saves you 15 bucks on a 100-yuan purchase sounds great, but plenty of people can’t even pull together that initial 100.

And yet, the sudden success of “Working” show and their feat of reviving the biggest ghost project in J City gave provincial leaders a glimpse of hope.

Just goes to show — the real experts are among the people.

A problem that had stumped the entire provincial system for years was turned around by a TV crew in just two weeks. That ghost project, once lifeless, suddenly looked like it could be restarted.

What shocked the leaders even more was this: in the past, the toughest part of dealing with these dead-end real estate projects was always the furious anger of the buyers.

And who could blame them? After saving for decades to buy a home and settle down, they ended up with nothing. They still had to pay interest on a mortgage for a house they didn’t even have. Anyone would be furious.

But in reality, that fury and aggression often made it even harder to revive the project.

Think about it — developers are in it for profit. If the original homeowners are too troublesome, who would want to sink money into a headache? With plenty of other investment opportunities out there, why choose chaos?

But Jin Yannan and the “Working” crew found a way to solve that — they opened a night market in the ghost neighborhood, providing reemployment for the residents and nearly eliminating all that negativity.

Take the Mingzhu Garden case. The homeowners used to file complaints to the city and provincial offices every other day, demanding the project be resolved so they could finally move into their homes.

But now? Word was, these folks didn’t even want to move in anymore.

Why? Simple: rough-finished apartments may lack some comforts, but if you’re not picky, they’re livable — and there’s no property fee.

Once the project restarts, though, the night market will be demolished, and everyone who’s earning a living there will be thrown back into the unemployment pool…

So yeah — the house keys can wait. But this kind of job opportunity? Hard to come by. And as long as the night market stays open, the residents get a little dividend every month. Once the project restarts, that bonus disappears!

Nobody had ever seen homeowners crying and begging not to receive their property so soon. It was absurd — and yet, it made perfect sense.

Bottom line: this show’s think tank was just too brilliant.

Even provincial leaders were itching to poach them into the system. Maybe they could set up some targeted positions to recruit this show’s brains into government. That’s where they could truly shine and serve the people!

Of course, they didn’t know the real mastermind behind “Working” was actually the show’s regular guest. Jin Yannan wasn’t about to go around blabbing about it either — she still needed Wei Sheng’s help to come up with ideas.

That said, once this season ended, it would be around the time civil service registration opened. If Wei Sheng wanted to apply, Jin Yannan would definitely lend him a hand.

But for now, the more urgent task wasn’t the civil service — it was picking an industry from the ones mentioned by the provincial leaders. One that wasn’t too hard and could show quick results for the next episode.

“How would I know? I don’t know the first thing about any of these industries!” Wei Sheng felt like Director Jin was grasping at straws.

If he were that capable — able to fix any industry — why would he even bother with the TV station? He could just take the national civil service exam and be done with it!

“No, I don’t mean for you to study them,” Jin Yannan clarified. “Think about it, Xiao Wei. In this current job market, is there any group for whom reemployment might be easier?”

“Isn’t it obvious? If we’re talking about people who are tough, resilient, and most eager to reenter the workforce, it’s definitely moms who just had kids.” Wei Sheng pointed at one of the struggling groups listed on her laptop.

Jin Yannan was intrigued, but then frowned. “But… stay-at-home moms aren’t really part of the high-unemployment industries the province is focusing on right now…”

Wei Sheng didn’t like that answer.

“But Jin-jie, have you thought about this? In today’s world, a mom isn’t just a mother — she’s the anchor of the household.”

“When a mom has a job and a steady income, her mood stabilizes. That means the kid’s mood stabilizes. The family’s basic needs are met. Even if the husband is out of work for a while, the household can hold together.”

“And who says helping moms get back to work isn’t connected to the industries the province cares about?” Wei Sheng grabbed a pen from the desk, took an A4 sheet from her printer, and started writing line by line:

“Why are we so focused on saving industries that have already been left behind by the times? Jin-jie, have you ever thought about why there are so many freelancers now?”

“Is it possible that the common folks at the grassroots have already figured out emerging industry demands on their own, but the higher-ups haven’t noticed yet?”

“I feel like we shouldn’t just follow the line of thinking our superiors lay out for us. No offense, but if the ideas coming from the provincial and municipal leadership could really solve the employment issues of ordinary people, why would they be turning to our tiny variety show crew for help? Don’t repeat that, by the way. If it leaks, I’ll deny ever saying it!”

“Pfft~ You sly thing, you even know how to dodge responsibility in a crisis,” Jin Yannan chuckled at him.

But then she thought about it, and realized Wei Sheng’s suggestion had actually cut through the fog in her head like a ray of light.

Right—why should she be stuck thinking within the box drawn by the higher-ups?

Wei Sheng made a good point! If the conventional methods of the upper departments could solve the employment crisis, they would’ve been implemented already. Why would they be coming to ask for advice from a reality TV team?

Isn’t it because everyone’s out of ideas that they’re grasping at straws—so much so that even a variety show director like her is being brought in to help brainstorm?

“Keep going!” Jin Yannan urged eagerly.

Wei Sheng just looked at her, saying nothing.

“I’ll make sure our whole department gives you full marks in this year’s end-of-year review!” Jin Yannan put her bargaining chips on the table.

Wei Sheng smiled innocently at her.

Jin Yannan gave up: “Spill it! Just don’t ask me to scale the walls of the testing center and steal you an exam paper—anything else, we’ll work something out!”

Wei Sheng smiled shyly: “Honestly, it’s nothing big. I just need to prep for next year’s provincial civil service exam in the second half of this year. Sis Jin, could I get a private room while we’re filming the show at your place? That way I can do more practice tests at night without disturbing anyone else.”

That’s it?

Jin Yannan laughed out of sheer exasperation. “Fine! As long as you help me get through this project, not only will I get you a private room, I’ll even arrange two extra days off after each shoot so you can focus on studying at home!”

“Wow! Sis Jin, you really are the kind-hearted big sister of all civil service exam takers!” Wei Sheng was thrilled at how quick Jin Yannan caught on, and didn’t hold back anymore—he quickly started scribbling on paper.

“Didn’t we previously collaborate with the public-run elderly care center in the neighborhood? Sis Jin, just think about it: our country’s aging population is only going to keep growing, and more and more elderly folks will need in-home care.”

“Moms who usually stay home to take care of their kids are already more detail-oriented and patient than men. They’re perfectly suited for many positions in home-based elder care.”

“Besides the basic roles in public elder care centers, what if we could attract some private investment to offer premium home-based eldercare service packages?”

“For example, we could take a page out of the fitness industry and set different pricing tiers like one-on-one, one-on-three, or one-on-five services. Those who can afford it can go for dedicated one-on-one care, while those with tighter budgets can split the cost and share a caregiver.”

“If that happens, moms entering the workforce would need professional training first, right? So we’d need to set up training centers—covering areas like in-home medical care, rehabilitation, psychological counseling, and so on. That alone would provide work for training institutions and create reemployment opportunities for out-of-work instructors.”

“And in terms of home-based eldercare, most current home layouts aren’t really elder-friendly. Doesn’t that mean the traditional renovation industry could pivot a bit—taking bulk orders and offering low-cost home modifications to suit elderly needs?”

“And if we’re talking about installing a large number of home-based eldercare facilities, doesn’t that also create a fresh demand in traditional manufacturing—getting those old factories running again and absorbing more of the unemployed?”

Wei Sheng laid it all out in a mind map so big it couldn’t even fit on an A4 sheet—he had to switch to an oversized sheet of printing paper to barely get it all down. Then he presented it to Jin Yannan, showing how supporting moms in reentering the workforce could spark a massive employment market.

To put it simply, why do traditional industries disappear in waves? Isn’t it because of overproduction, or because the products they make have become irrelevant?

Like now—do you see any phone company stupid enough to produce those bulky, brick-sized cell phones from decades ago?

It’s not that those phones don’t work. It’s that society just doesn’t need them anymore.

The generation holding a large chunk of the pension funds is slowly aging. If we want to make money from this group, we need to produce things they actually need.

Things like smartphones tailored to seniors.

Toilets with support bars and one-touch emergency buttons, multifunctional canes that help pick things up without bending over, voice-controlled navigation electric wheelchairs…

In short, society works in cycles. When young people had the money, all industries revolved around them—think electronics, fashion, houses, cars.

Now that retired seniors have more wealth and spending power than the younger generation, you want to make money from them? Then stop acting all high and mighty and stop ignoring the elderly as a target group when designing products.

When you’re developing new products, how about expanding your customer base first? Stop obsessing over young people!

Why do we keep seeing questions like “Why aren’t young people buying homes anymore,” “Why don’t they upgrade their phones,” “Why aren’t they having kids,” or “Why don’t they order takeout as much”?

Why? Because young people are broke!

So who actually has money in today’s society?

Of course—it’s the retirees with monthly pensions of five, six, even seven or eight thousand yuan!

Wei Sheng proposed prioritizing reemployment of stay-at-home moms because bridging the gap between the elderly and the young in eldercare requires the perfect link.

And in today’s social structure, no one fits that role better than moms.

Wei Sheng even offered a brand new angle—

“The main reason a lot of moms struggle to find work is because they’ve got kids to look after. But honestly, when I was little, my mom would just keep me in sight while she did chores and let me play on my own. Once kids are a bit older, they don’t need constant supervision.”

“So, could we develop a new kind of job that lets moms bring their kids while they care for elderly clients at home? That way, the moms can work more, and also, Sis Jin, think about it—many seniors who live alone get really lonely. Having a little kid babbling in the house might actually lift their spirits!”

“Of course, this would all have to be voluntary. Some elders prefer peace and quiet, so obviously not every situation would work with kids involved. That’s why we’d need a service app where seniors list their needs and caregivers take jobs based on what suits them—kind of like a job-matching platform.”

“Oh, and that would mean we’d need more customer service staff for the app. With service work, complaints are bound to happen. Isn’t that another batch of jobs created?”

Wei Sheng explained everything with enthusiasm.

Jin Yannan gazed thoughtfully at the now almost completely covered print paper.

She didn’t know why, but for some reason, her steady, secure job at the TV station suddenly felt less appealing.

She wanted to start a business. This home-based eldercare platform… sounded like it could make real money.

(End of this chapter)