Chapter 29: Selling the Quota

"The compensation at our No. 1 Cotton Mill is paid according to the payroll register. A first-grade female worker earns thirty-two yuan and fifty cents a month. The daily working hours are from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and from 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM, with one day off every week. Any work outside those hours is compensated with additional subsidies."

Hearing this, Lin Xiang felt a shameful sense of excitement.

Having been a corporate slave for years in her previous life, she never imagined that the jobs her mother’s generation held could be so relaxed!

Who said the post-2000s generation was the one enjoying all the comforts?

The dividends of the era had clearly been reaped by her parents' generation!

After a brief emotional surge, Lin Xiang quickly forced herself to calm down.

"Thank you, Director Chen. I will definitely report for duty within two days!"

As for who the position was actually for, Lin Xiang kept that to herself.

After hanging up the phone, Lin Xiang couldn’t hide her smile.

The team leader noticed her mouth curling up toward her ears and asked curiously, "Lass, what good news did the leader tell you?"

"The leader specifically called to thank me for facilitating the cooperation with the foreign business and said they would reach out to me if they need help in the future."

Lin Xiang reached into her pocket and pulled out a ten-cent coin. "Uncle, this is for the phone call I just made. Please make sure to record it in the ledger for me!"

The team leader huffed and puffed, "The leader was calling you on official business, how could I take your money? Besides, you were the one who helped us get the phone line installed in the first place. Put that money away!"

"Business is business. Making calls costs money, and it’s not cheap. This money has to come out of the team’s account. It’s fine if I use it occasionally, but if it happens too often, not only will the villagers have opinions, but I’ll feel bad about it myself."

She was about to have a large income, and she already had a small fortune of ten yuan in her pocket. This ten-cent coin was nothing to the current Lin Xiang.

Rather than worrying about this coin, she didn't want to give anyone a reason to gossip about her.

Seeing that Lin Xiang was firm, the team leader finally accepted the money.

"You weren't even on the phone for three minutes; it didn't cost much in electricity. I'll note this ten cents down and deduct future calls from it. I’ll let you know when it’s used up."

"Thank you, Uncle. I'm heading home now!"

Just as she stepped out of the team office, Lin Xiang turned back. "Uncle, I’d like to borrow the team’s bicycle. I have some business to take care of in town."

"I can have Old Sun take you on the ox cart."

"No, no need. I’ll be faster on the bike."

"Alright, go ahead!" The team leader waved his hand, urging her to return soon.

Lin Xiang pedaled straight to the state-run restaurant in town.

It was past lunch hours, and there were no customers in the restaurant. Chef Shen was chatting with someone. Seeing Lin Xiang arrive, he waved at her warmly.

"Little Lin, what brings you here?"

"I’m craving your braised pork, Brother Shen, so I came to buy some. Do you have any left at this hour?"

Chef Shen rolled up his sleeves. "If you want to eat it, I’ll make it for you right now!"

Lin Xiang went to the front desk to pay with money and food coupons.

The coupons were ones she had asked for from Mother Lin; they would expire if she didn't use them. She decided to order a serving of braised pork and half a jin of dumplings.

If it were anyone else, Chef Shen wouldn't have bothered, but he liked Lin Xiang. It was just a small favor.

Lin Xiang chatted with Yang Rong for a few moments before slipping into the kitchen.

The dumpling wrappers and filling were already prepared. Chef Shen didn't call for help; he pinched the dumplings himself, almost one per second. The dumplings were thin-skinned and full of filling—they looked delicious.

Lin Xiang glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention before speaking to Chef Shen in a low voice.

"Brother Shen, I actually came to see you today because I have something to discuss. It’s not something that should be widely known, so I had to come and tell you in person."

Upon hearing this, Chef Shen mimicked her, hunching over and asking in a hushed, conspiratorial tone, "What is it?"

"Do you have any relatives—daughters, nieces, or nephews—who want to work at the Cotton Mill? I have a vacancy for a female worker at the No. 1 Cotton Mill. If you need it, I can sell it to you at a lower price, and you can use it to do someone a favor."

In this day and age, jobs were scarce; every position was accounted for. Unless you were from a powerful family, it was very difficult for an ordinary person to get a job opportunity unless they were taking over their parents' position or were extremely lucky.

As a chef at the state-run restaurant, Chef Shen had some connections, but he had already exhausted his efforts getting jobs for his own children. He really couldn't help his nieces or nephews.

If Lin Xiang gave him this spot, he could use it as a favor.

Chef Shen was very tempted.

"Little Lin, how much do you plan to sell this spot for?"

Lin Xiang held up one hand. "I asked Director Chen; a first-grade female worker earns thirty-two yuan and fifty cents a month. If there's overtime, there are additional subsidies. Excluding that and the factory benefits, the annual salary is three hundred and ninety yuan. It would be earned back in fifteen or sixteen months. Is asking for this much unreasonable?"

"Unreasonable? Your asking price is practically a steal!"

Generally, when selling a job, the price was usually a bit more than two years' salary; it was almost never below six hundred yuan.

Chef Shen suspected that Lin Xiang didn't understand the market and just picked a number at random.

"You treat me like a big brother, and you specifically thought of me for such a good opportunity, so I can't let my little sister lose out. How about this: let's agree on a flat price of eight hundred yuan for this job opening. How does that sound?"

Lin Xiang had indeed just picked a number, as five hundred sounded like a nice, round figure.

Who knew Chef Shen would be so generous as to add three hundred yuan on his own?

Lin Xiang rubbed her hands together. "Brother Shen, wouldn't that be a bit too much? Would your relatives be willing? Eight hundred yuan is a lot!"

"Forget eight hundred; even if it were one thousand, they’d pay it! But this spot is for my niece, and I’m keeping a bit of a secret, so I called a lower price. If you think eight hundred is too little, I can add more!"

"That's enough, that's enough." Lin Xiang knew when to stop.

By giving the spot to Chef Shen for eight hundred yuan, she made a profit, Chef Shen could help his relative, and she would gain his favor.

If she pushed for more, the effect wouldn't be as good as it was now.

"However, I have one small request."

"Go ahead!" Chef Shen patted his chest, assuring her, "As long as it's something your Brother Shen can do, I won't refuse!"

"Well, Brother Shen, you know I’m just an ordinary village girl. No one in my family has a job, so naturally, I don't have a source for coupons."