allonlinenovel Chapter 460 Work!
Chapter 460 Work!
Silent all night.
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, a crisp, rapid knocking sounded at the bedroom door, accompanied by the little girl's energetic shouts:
"Bang bang bang... Mommy, Daddy, wake up! You lazybones, the sun's already high in the sky! Get up and play with me..."
In bed, Zhong Yuemin and Zhou Xiaobai were still fast asleep when they were startled awake by the sudden alarm clock. Still groggy, they could barely open their eyes.
Then, Chen Yijun's gentle, coaxing voice came from outside the door again:
"Little Ling'er, be good. Go have breakfast with Grandma first, okay? Daddy and Mommy were tired yesterday, let them sleep a little longer. They'll get up after we finish eating."
Chen Yijun knew exactly what was going on. Her son-in-law had just returned yesterday, and the young couple hadn't seen each other for so long, so their desire was burning brightly. She had vaguely heard what was happening last night in the next room. She had let the little girl sleep with them last night, so naturally she had to be considerate and give the young couple more rest time.
In the bedroom, Zhou Xiaobai was indeed sore all over, as if she had been disassembled and reassembled, but her face had a rosy glow of satisfaction, her eyes were moist, and she exuded a languid and captivating charm, full of femininity.
She nudged her man, who was still lying beside her with his eyes closed, her voice hoarse with a hint of coquettishness:
“Get up… It’s all your fault! Mom must have heard everything last night, I’m so embarrassed…”
Zhong Yuemin then barely opened one eye, pulled the person closer to him, and mumbled:
"So what if you heard it... Didn't your mom tell you yesterday to hurry up and have another baby? We're just actively responding to the call and showing our attitude with practical actions. Your mom should be happy..."
"Scoundrel!"
Zhou Xiaobai's face turned even redder, and she lightly slapped him.
"Get up quickly, I have to go to work soon. Go pick up your clothes." Outerwear and underwear were scattered haphazardly on the floor.
He dawdled as he got up, washed up, ate the breakfast his mother-in-law had prepared, then rode his bicycle to take Xiaobai to the hospital before leisurely returning home.
As soon as I entered the courtyard, I saw Zhang Haiyang already waiting there, chatting with his father on a small stool in the yard.
Zhong Shanyue came over, looked at Xiao Ling'er, pointed into the distance and said:
"Ling'er, come to the park with Grandpa, okay? There are slides and goldfish in the park."
The little girl's eyes lit up:
"Grandpa, I want to eat the candied hawthorn from the park entrance!"
"Okay, okay, Grandpa will buy it for you!"
Zhong Shanyue smiled and agreed, picked up his granddaughter, greeted the two of them, and then the old man and the little girl slowly went out.
As soon as the person left, Zhang Haiyang immediately jumped up from the stool and rushed to Zhong Yuemin:
"My goodness, you're finally back! I've been here since early this morning, waiting for you for over an hour. Hurry up, change your clothes, and head to the demobilization and resettlement office!"
His face was etched with anxiety; he paced back and forth, feeling as if a thousand ants were crawling all over him.
"I've heard that with the recent troop reductions and the return of educated youth to the cities, there's a huge shortage of jobs. Now, for a decent position, dozens, even hundreds, of demobilized officers and educated youth are vying for it, fighting tooth and nail. It's harder than getting into university. If you're late, it'll be too late, and there'll be no hope at all..."
Zhong Yuemin, however, looked rather lazy, settling comfortably into a recliner in the yard and pouring himself a cup of iced tea.
"Haiyang, why don't you go by yourself? Didn't I tell you before? I'm not planning to find a stable job."
He took a sip of tea and looked at Zhang Haiyang:
"Why don't you stop making trouble? You're just like me. You can't stay put in one place. Just come here. I'll find you any job in the company, and you'll definitely be well paid."
Zhang Haiyang hesitated for a moment, then shook his head:
"Forget it, Yuemin. I was just joking last time. I, Zhang Haiyang, know my own limitations. I'm simply not cut out for business. If the deal falls through and I end up taking that salary, I'll be too embarrassed to accept it."
I still want to go to the resettlement office and try my luck. If I can't find anything suitable, I'll give up and come back to you then.
"Didn't your father make any arrangements for you in advance?" Zhong Yuemin asked, puzzled.
"arranged."
Zhang Haiyang curled his lip, looking disgusted.
"They said they'd connected me with the head of the security department at a large state-owned factory. The security department wants me to guard the factory gate and keep an eye on petty thugs? I'm not going!"
Zhong Yuemin chuckled and sat up straighter.
"Heh, your father is a retired chief of staff from the military region, and this is the job he gave you? You should at least get a better position in a ministry!"
"When people leave, the tea gets cold."
Zhang Haiyang waved his hand, his tone tinged with a sense of melancholy at the fickleness of human nature.
"My dad's retired now, so his words don't carry as much weight. These days, things are very pragmatic. Beijing is different from other places; the waters run deep. There are tons of people with connections and influence. If you take a brick and throw it in the crowd on Wangfujing Street, you might just hit a few section chiefs or deputy bureau chiefs."
Those truly good positions were already decided long ago. He said getting me a section chief position was quite an achievement, considering how much effort it took.
"So, according to you, these good positions have all been pre-selected. Going to the placement office now is probably useless, so don't bother!"
Zhong Yuemin analyzed.
"I know!"
Zhang Haiyang scratched his hair in frustration.
"But I'll never be satisfied if I don't go and take a look. What if... what if I can find something I like? Come on, come on, stop dawdling, come with me, consider it giving me some advice, okay?"
Zhong Yuemin had no choice but to stand up, knowing he couldn't persuade them otherwise.
"Alright, alright, I'll go with you, but let me make this clear: I'm just here to watch the show."
"Alright, as long as you're willing to go!"
Zhang Haiyang was overjoyed. He grabbed him and the two of them pushed their bicycles and rode towards the district's resettlement office for demobilized soldiers.
Half an hour later, I arrived at the resettlement office. I was startled by the massive crowd at the entrance; the line stretched from inside the office all the way out to the street.
The people in line, both men and women, were holding documents and shared the same anxious expression as Haiyang. They were standing on tiptoe, craning their necks to look ahead, looking worried.
The stalls nearby, selling roasted sweet potatoes and jianbing (Chinese crepes), were doing brisk business, with customers buying from time to time.
Seeing this scene, Zhang Haiyang felt a chill run down his spine.
"Look, look, we're too late. This is a wait of forever."
I knew there would be a lot of people, but I didn't expect there to be this many.
But complaining was useless, so they had no choice but to obediently queue up. After queuing for nearly three hours, it was almost noon, and their legs were aching. Finally, it was their turn.