Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 272 Chen Xiao is pregnant

The instant noodles haven't been launched yet, the food factory's main products haven't been finalized, and the sales channels haven't been determined. Xiaowei feels it's not suitable to launch this product yet. Once the instant noodles are put into production, more workers will need to be hired. If the production volume is small, it's useless; if the production volume is large, sales will become a problem. So let's wait until after the New Year when everything is on track before doing this.

The restaurant has confirmed that Sister Zhang will be the manager, overseeing all daily operations, and her salary has been increased to 800. Sister Shang will manage the food factory, also earning 800. Huang Laowu and his two colleagues will each earn 500, while the newly hired staff will each earn 300. Aside from the food factory and the pig farm, things in Longcheng can be considered stable.

Li Gengsheng officially became an accountant, earning a monthly salary of 500 yuan. The income and expenses of several stores all required Li Gengsheng's signature for confirmation.

Liu Hongliang leads the motor transport team and the boiler team, earning 600 yuan a month. However, apart from the boiler operator, none of the drivers have arrived yet, so he still has to drive all day long. This guy can do anything as long as he doesn't have to do physical labor. Driving isn't tiring for him, and he's really good at it, so he drives around happily.

The training center's advertising campaign in newspapers throughout Northeast China began on January 1, 1991. Major newspapers in various provinces and cities purchased a quarter or an eighth of the page for the campaign. This was far more impressive than the small advertising space (about the size of a mahjong tile) used by other training classes at the time. It wasn't that Xiao Wei and his friends had money to burn; rather, it was because this had become the Longcheng Labor Bureau's biggest achievement project in 1991, and the advertising expenses were directly funded by the Labor Bureau and the Chuanzhou Municipal Government.

The official announcement, issued in the form of a government notice, directly lists the Labor Bureau of Longcheng City, Liaodong Province, and the People's Government of Chuanzhou City, Longcheng City, Liaodong Province. It boasts 600 square meters of classrooms, 300 square meters of dormitories, and 1200 square meters of training workshops, offering 100% support for opening a business and job recommendations, with formal contracts. The instructors are touted as Lu Mingchun, Liu Jingxian, and Yue Dongli Guoxiong, instantly surpassing all other training programs currently operating in Northeast China.

These days, the government's credibility is off the charts. As soon as GG went out, the phone started ringing off the hook. Xiao Wei had no choice but to have the employees arranged by the Labor Bureau for the training center start work early to answer calls, reply to inquiries, and keep records of the calls.

There are twelve employees registered with the training center by the Labor Bureau. Most of them are actually people with connections, and they were prepared to continue to stay at home with a salary. However, their dreams were shattered and they needed to go to work. Four of them immediately went to work, six went to work, and two others submitted a medical record. These are people with strong connections, as everyone knows.

There were six people, four women and two men, all quite young, the oldest being twenty-five and the youngest nineteen. Sister Li's father-in-law also arrived early, becoming the training center's night watchman, wandering around the building with a large bunch of keys.

Xiaowei's mom's lunch break also expanded, with the number of diners increasing to seventeen. Including family members, there were over twenty people eating lunch, which Xiaowei's mom couldn't handle alone. She asked Sister Li to help her find three more people. Of course, this meant giving Sister Li several favors, as everyone understands. These days, being able to arrange a stable job is a huge favor.

Of the two men who came to work, Xiao Jun was 22 years old. His father was a retired mid-level cadre from the Labor Bureau. He had a son late in life, and his father had used up all his connections to get his son a job in the bureau. So Xiao Jun was the most hardworking of the six. He had a driver's license, and Xiao Wei directly arranged for him to drive the Wanlit car and become Liu Hongliang's subordinate.

The others didn't have particularly strong connections either (those with really strong connections would have gotten permanent positions long ago), but their relatives were still working in the bureau. For example, another man, An Zhonghua, was just waiting for his permanent position to be filled. His uncle was a powerful section chief, so getting a permanent position was only a matter of time. Therefore, he was just coasting along.

Like the food factory workers, these people were also picked up and dropped off by shuttle bus to and from work, and a lunch was provided. This was something none of them had expected. Except for An Zhonghua, the other five thought this job was great, and it seemed like it would be nice to work here in the future. Moreover, girls in this era didn't have as many princess syndromes; their thoughts and behaviors were still relatively traditional, much more stable than boys, and they were also conscientious in their work. The group spent their days laughing and joking, and they were quite happy.

What they don't know is that the happiest thing about working here is not having to scheme and plot against each other.

In this atmosphere, the days passed by one by one, and the New Year drew ever closer.

This is a completely new year for Zhang Wei's family, or rather, for both Zhang Wei and Xiao Hong's families—a year full of hope.

Station Master Wang would call over in the evenings to chat with Xiaowei's dad for a while, and then before they knew it, it would turn into a lively conversation between Aunt Wang and Xiaowei's mom. The two heads of the household would listen in helplessly, and sometimes they would call Xiaohong over to say a few words.

The two heads of the family have already made arrangements for the New Year. Station Chief Wang and Aunt Wang have visited Longcheng. Neither family has any elderly members still alive, so there's no need to go back to the countryside to celebrate the New Year. Xiaohong's maternal grandmother is still alive, but she's an elder on the female side, so according to local tradition, it's enough for her to visit her during the first month of the lunar calendar.

On February 6, 1991, Chen Hui was preparing to drive his cool, bright blue car back to Fengtian.

After spending two months in Longcheng, Chen Hui made significant progress in all aspects. He was already very smart, but he hadn't been able to put his intelligence to use until now. These two months, working with Xiao Wei at restaurants, billiard halls, nightclubs, especially at the food factory and school, allowed him to learn many things he had never encountered before. He has matured considerably.

February 7th is the Little New Year, and according to tradition, he must go home.

Another reason is that Chen Xiao is pregnant. This silly girl has no idea what's going on. It was her brother Chen Peng who found out and told her parents that she realized she wasn't just feeling tired, but was actually suffering from pregnancy.

Although Chen Xiao had been tormenting him on the phone for half an hour with tears and curses, Chen Hui couldn't suppress the excitement in his heart, and all he could do was grin foolishly.

"Don't exceed 60 mph on the road, remember? I'm keeping track of the time. I'll call Chen Xiao to ask her when it's time. If you go too fast, Chen Hui, we're done, and you don't need to contact me again." Xiao Wei said to Chen Hui, who was sitting in the driver's seat, while lying on the roof of Chen Hui's car.

Xiao Hong, standing to the side, said, "Chen Hui, why don't you take the train? It's too worrying."

Chen Hui patted the steering wheel and said, "It's really okay. I've been driving for so many years, I'm not stupid."

Xiao Wei reached in and patted Chen Hui on the shoulder, looking at him and saying, "Xiao Hui, we've known each other for a while now, and I know your personality better than you do. Let me tell you something: if you consider me a buddy, take it slow. I know you're anxious, but you have to think about your baby, who's only two months old and is waiting for you to earn money to buy him formula."

Chen Hui licked his lips, nodded, and said, "I promise, okay? Why are you acting like an old woman?"

(End of this chapter)