Chapter 215: Bringing People In for Employment (Part 2)

Zhou Dafa’s face turned bright red in an instant.

He hadn’t expected his stomach to growl so loudly at a time like this. But there was nothing he could do—he hadn’t had a full meal in a long time. This morning, even though he’d technically had breakfast, it had only been a single bowl of porridge.

He couldn’t eat too much; otherwise, his parents and his wife would go hungry. So he had no choice but to cut back on his own meals.

Zhou Yimin pulled out some money and ration tickets, then said directly, “Bring a bowl of soy milk and two sticks of fried dough for each person.”

“Hurry up and sit down. What, do you want me to go grab chairs for each of you?”

Zhou Dafa and the others quickly sat down. Since Uncle Sixteen had spoken, it would be bad to keep pushing back and risk upsetting him. At most, once they got their salaries, they could treat him to breakfast sometime—wasn’t that good enough?

Zhou Xiaoying also sat down. She wasn’t really hungry, but she’d never eaten at the Hongxin Commune’s breakfast stall before, so she asked, “Uncle Sixteen, is breakfast here expensive?”

“It’s alright. A big bowl of soy milk costs one cent, and a fried dough stick costs two cents,” Zhou Yimin replied.

That price was practically a steal. Not like back in the 21st century, where a casual breakfast could cost over ten yuan and didn’t even taste as good.

Zhou Dafa blurted out, “That expensive?”

He worked hard all day in the countryside and only earned eight cents. Was a single breakfast about to eat up an entire day’s earnings?

Zhou Yimin didn’t know how to respond for a moment. For people of this era, it was a bit expensive, so he quickly changed the subject. “Let’s treat this as a little celebration, courtesy of me.”

Soon, the soy milk and fried dough were served. Everyone was starving, so there wasn’t much talking—they dug in right away.

In less than ten minutes, everyone was full.

Zhou Dafa sighed, “These fried dough sticks are so good.”

The others nodded in agreement. In the village, being able to have a bowl of thick porridge was already considered decent. With how scarce grain was now, this breakfast felt almost extravagant.

Zhou Yimin said, “Alright, let’s move on!”

Then, he led them to catch the bus.

Along the way, Zhou Xiaoying and the others occasionally asked questions about what to watch out for. It was their first time entering the city, and they didn’t know anything—offending someone by accident would be bad.

Zhou Yimin didn’t hold anything back and told them everything they needed to know.

“Uncle Sixteen, how much will we earn each month?” Zhou Xiaoying couldn’t help but ask.

Actually, everyone was wondering the same thing—they just hadn’t dared to ask.

Zhou Yimin told them, “You’re all going in as apprentices right now. The monthly salary is eighteen yuan. Once you get your pay each month, you’ll pay me back five yuan. After you’re officially hired, it’ll be twenty-four yuan a month, and you’ll pay back ten yuan each month until the debt is cleared.”

He’d thought this through. Leaving them with more than ten yuan a month meant that, if they were frugal, they could still save a good portion. Besides, it wasn’t like he needed the money right away.

He wasn’t like that Third Grandpa from the Siheyuan courtyard who made his son hand over most of his salary every month, leaving the kid with just two or three yuan. Sure, if he did that, Zhou Xiaoying and the others wouldn’t dare to complain, but word would get out and hurt his reputation.

Zhou Xiaoying and the others were stunned. Even apprentices made eighteen yuan a month?

You had to understand, in the village, a household might not be able to save eighteen yuan in two months. And the official salary was even higher—a full twenty-four yuan!

“Uncle Sixteen, isn’t five yuan a month a bit too little? At this rate, we won’t finish paying you back for years,” Zhou Dafa said.

People were still honest in those days. Owing someone something made them feel inferior, like they couldn’t hold their heads up.

Zhou Yimin waved it off. “Don’t worry. Just follow the plan I gave you. You’ve got elders and kids at home, so no need to rush.”

“Uncle Sixteen, how long will it take to get officially hired?” Zhou Xiaoying asked.

Six yuan more per month wasn’t a small amount—she wanted to know what the requirements were.

Zhou Yimin replied, “Normally it takes about a year. If you’re quick to pick things up, it might be sooner.”

Soon, they arrived at the gates of the instant noodle factory. Two guards from the security department stood watch.

When they saw strangers approaching, they immediately became alert. “Who are you?”

Enemy agents were still a real concern back then. To ensure safety, most factory security guards were retired soldiers—and they were armed. Some higher-level factories even had mortars. A small-scale battle wouldn’t be a problem.

Zhou Xiaoying and the others were startled, raising their hands instinctively, afraid they might get shot by accident.

Zhou Yimin hurriedly said, “We’re here to report for work. We have a letter of introduction, and Supervisor Zhao Zhiguo asked us to come today.”

As he spoke, he handed over the letter.

One of the guards took it, read it carefully, and seeing nothing amiss, said, “Please wait a moment while we inform Supervisor Zhao.”

The other guard immediately went in to notify him.

These two were new, and Zhou Yimin rarely came to the noodle factory, so they didn’t recognize him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been stopped.

About ten minutes later, two people came walking over quickly.

When Zhao Zhiguo saw Zhou Yimin, he stepped forward. “Yimin, these are the new hires you brought?”

Just one look at them and he could tell they’d come straight from the countryside.

“Yes,” Zhou Yimin said. “I’ll leave the rest in your hands, Brother Zhao.”

“What are you talking about? Your business is my business,” Zhao Zhiguo replied.

Then, he sternly told the security guards, “Next time you see Zhou Yimin, let him in directly. No need to question him.”

Zhou Yimin asked, “Brother Zhao, they’re all from Zhoujiazhuang, and there’s no place for them to stay. Does the factory have dorms?”

“Yimin, to be honest with you, the dorms are already full. There’s no space. The new ones are still under construction, and it’ll be a while before they’re ready,” Zhao Zhiguo said with a troubled expression.

“How about this—after we finish the onboarding process, you go to the subdistrict office and ask your aunt if she can help arrange something.”

If it were just one or two people, he might be able to manage, but ten people? That was beyond his capabilities.

Thanks to Zhao Zhiguo’s personal involvement, the onboarding process was quick. In less than half an hour, all the paperwork was completed.

They received a bunch of items, including towels, soap, and other living necessities—as well as the coveted work uniforms that rural folks so admired.

“I’ll give you one day to sort out your housing. Just come to work tomorrow,” Zhao Zhiguo told Zhou Xiaoying and the others.

“Yes, Supervisor!”

At this time, Zhao Zhiguo was still just a Supervisor, but before long, he’d be promoted.

(End of Chapter)