Chapter 261 – Street Recruitment

That morning, Zhou Dafu got up early. He had spent the night with Zhou Dazhong—he knew better than to freeload at Zhou Yimin’s place.

“Dazhong, how did you become a proud member of the working class? It’s this late and you’re still not up for work.”

Zhou Dazhong glanced out the window and saw that it was still pitch black outside. He grumbled impatiently, “Zhou Dafu, are you out of your mind? What are you doing up this early? The factory isn’t even open yet.”

But with the noises coming from outside, he couldn’t sleep either. So he got up, washed up a bit, and went out to see what was going on.

Not long after, Zhou Dazhong stepped out of the courtyard and found a long line stretching down the street, visible from head to tail.

“Comrade, what’s going on here?” he couldn’t help but ask.

A young man replied with a question of his own, “Comrade, you don’t know the street office’s factory starts recruitment today?”

Word of the recruitment had spread quickly through the neighborhood thanks to the street office and the residents. The entire street was buzzing. There were countless unemployed youths around, and jobs were hard to come by.

Even odd jobs were scarce—too many people chasing too few opportunities. So many had gotten up early to line up, afraid the spots would be snatched up in the blink of an eye. A job these days could easily be worth five or six hundred yuan.

“Oh, I see. I’ve heard something about it, but I work at the steel factory, so I didn’t pay it much attention,” Zhou Dazhong said.

The young man looked on with deep envy. The steel factory was one of the top employers in all of Forty-Nine City in terms of benefits—far better than any small processing factory.

Once Zhou Dazhong understood what was going on, he stopped paying attention. It had nothing to do with him anyway. Why get involved?

Zhou Dafu, who had followed behind, heard everything as well. He felt lucky that Uncle Sixteen had helped him get into the steel factory early on. Only now did he realize just how hard it was to land a factory job.

A young man nearby muttered, “I came super early, but I still ended up so far back in the line. What if the recruitment slots are all gone by the time it’s my turn?”

“You think that’s bad? I started lining up last night and still ended up here,” someone else chimed in.

And it wasn’t just a few people like that—some had taken it even further, lining up right after dinner the night before, just to get ahead.

Just then, someone spotted Xu Jianguo and asked curiously, “Xu Jianguo, what are you doing in line too?”

“Mo Hui, why wouldn’t I be here? Why are you so nosy?” Xu Jianguo shot back.

Mo Hui and Xu Jianguo lived in the same courtyard. Neither of them had steady jobs, but Mo Hui would take on anything—sweeping the streets, cleaning toilets, even carrying manure. He knew his family situation all too well: if he didn’t work, he didn’t eat.

He also knew that Xu Jianguo was a notorious street loafer. He hadn’t gotten into high school or vocational school after middle school, and with no family connections, he never landed a formal job. He picked up odd jobs now and then, made a bit of money, and hung out with his good-for-nothing friends. Eventually, he even stopped doing that.

Xu Jianguo’s parents had watched him grow older without securing even a single job—how could he ever get married? So when they heard the street office factory was hiring, they urged him to sign up.

But Xu Jianguo flat-out refused, saying he was perfectly happy with his current lifestyle—no work, just asking his parents for a bit of cash now and then, living carefree.

When his father heard that, he was so furious he grabbed the rolling pin and asked coldly, “Are you signing up or not?”

“Nope,” Xu Jianguo replied defiantly.

Getting a job meant taking orders from others. He hadn’t worked for six or seven years, spending most days eating, drinking, and playing around. Why would he want to work?

His father didn’t coddle him. He raised the rolling pin and started whacking him.

Within moments, Xu Jianguo was running for his life, dodging swings while yelling, “Dad! Am I even your real son? If you beat me to death, who’s going to take care of you when you’re old?”

“Look at you, you little bastard—talking about taking care of me?” his father retorted without hesitation.

If he weren’t already old, he’d consider having another child.

His eldest son had been hardworking and filial, but he joined the volunteer army and never returned. That’s how they ended up with Xu Jianguo. The job his father currently held had only been secured thanks to his eldest son’s sacrifices. He had planned to pass it on to Xu Jianguo once he was older. But seeing how worthless he had become—it was like trying to mold mud into a pillar.

With that thought, his strikes became even harder. If he didn’t beat some sense into his son today, he didn’t know what the future held.

Xu Jianguo hadn’t expected his father to actually go this far. If this kept up, he might not survive it. He quickly gave in. “Dad, I’ll go! I’ll go, alright?”

“If I find out you’re still hanging around with those good-for-nothing friends, I’ll break your legs,” his father warned sternly.

Xu Jianguo could tell his father wasn’t bluffing this time. For the sake of his future, he could only accept his fate. “Don’t worry, Dad. I won’t hang out with them anymore.”

“Good. Remember what you said. If you stick to it, your mom and I will find you a wife,” his father said, using both the stick and the carrot approach.

His son wasn’t young anymore. Back when he was Xu Jianguo’s age, he’d already gotten married.

Upon hearing that, Xu Jianguo began to daydream. Who wouldn’t want a cozy life with a wife, kids, and a warm bed?

“Dad, you really mean that?” he asked earnestly.

“Of course I do,” his father replied.

He also wanted a grandchild. His coworkers, all around his age, already had grandkids old enough to run errands. He was insanely jealous, but what could he do? His own son was hopeless—no decent girl would want him.

“Alright! I’ll line up first thing tomorrow morning. I’ll definitely make it in,” Xu Jianguo said with confidence.

All he wanted now was to become a factory worker, let his dad find him a wife, and live that blissful family life.

He had originally planned to go hang out with his friends that night, but now he had no interest in that.

After all, how could friends compare to the scent of a wife?

Seeing his son so determined, his father didn’t have the heart to crush his confidence. He just nodded along.

(End of Chapter)