Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 289 was better than expected.

Yu Qiu turned to look at Xiao Wei and asked, "Omega A?"

Xiao Wei nodded, and Yu Qiu said, "Awesome. This is the first time I've seen this color. I've driven blue and gray ones before."

Xiao Wei asked, "What did you do before?"

Yu Qiu said, "I just retired from the army. I drove a car for the army for two years before."

Xiao Wei said, "Then why don't you keep driving? Driving is a good job, isn't it?"

Yu Qiu scratched his head and said, "Driving is fine, but you need a car to drive. I can't even find a job. There are too many veterans. My place is small, and there are too many people waiting for job assignments. I was thinking I might as well find something to do on my own. I looked at a few training courses in northern Jilin, but they were just ways to make money. I happened to see you guys the other day, and I thought a government-run job would be okay, so I came here."

Xiao Wei laughed and said, "So when we got here, it turned out to be a private place, right? Let's go inside." The two of them went into the dining room.

Old Guan was almost finished eating when Xiao Wei's mother gave him a bowl of hot soup.

Everyone sat down to eat.

Yu Qiu said to Xiao Wei, "After looking around, it's better than I imagined. Even a government agency might not be able to do it as well as you."

Xiao Wei ate heartily and asked Yu Qiu, "What do you want to learn?"

Yu Qiu said, "I originally thought of learning to be a chef before I came here, and then opening a small restaurant or something. But now I'm a bit conflicted. I think the pastry class would also work, but the key is that there's nothing like that where I am now. It's not very likely that I'll be doing something that's not available to everyone."

Xiao Wei said, "There really aren't any. There are very few people doing this in the whole of Northeast China now, and almost none of them are decent. But this stuff is a bit expensive. Can your local consumer spending power keep up?"

Yu Qiu said, "Our area is alright. There are many troops stationed there, it's right next to Jibei City, and not far from Huanglong Prefecture. The city itself seems to be a bit stronger than Longcheng." Jiaohe isn't very famous, but it's considered a large city in Jibei Province, right next to Jibei City. Jibei City is the origin of the name Jibei Province and was its original capital city. Jiaohe has a large military presence, with tank regiments, artillery brigades, and field units filling the entire city area.

Xiao Wei said, "That's fine then. You should learn this. It's a new skill, and business will be easier. If you want to open a shop later, we'll provide people to help you open it. You just need to pay a service fee. Like you said, if it's close to Huanglong in Jibei, you can open the shop there in the future."

Yu Qiu nodded and said, "Okay, I'll do as you say. I'll learn this. Um, well, I wasn't prepared before coming, I didn't bring enough money, and my bankbook is useless here. Could you pay part of it first, and then I'll transfer the rest to you when I get back?"

Xiao Wei said, "Okay, I'll trust you just because you're a veteran. You don't need to go back to pay. Let's sign an agreement. You can work for me for a while after you finish your training. It'll be a good internship. You can practice your skills before going back. The salary will cover your tuition."

Yu Qiu thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll sign the agreement. I trust you."

Shan Hongmei curled her lip and looked at Yu Qiu sideways, saying, "Your name is Yu Qiu, and you're just like a loach. You clearly got the better deal but act like you suffered a loss. You gave me so much face, didn't you? Don't make things difficult for yourself. Why don't you go back to Jibei to get the money? You can have your family wire it to you."

Xiao Wei's mother gently patted Shan Hongmei and said with a smile, "You talk too much. Eat your food."

Shan Hongmei glared at Yu Qiu and muttered, "That's how it is." Then she lowered her head and ate her food.

Yu Qiu said, "That's not what I meant."

Xiao Wei said, "Alright, that's settled then. Zuo Hong, is everything settled at the dormitory?"

Zuo Hong nodded and said, "Yes, it's safe to stay here now."

Xiao Wei said to Qiu, "After you finish eating, complete the formalities and pay the money. Then you can stay at the factory and do some odd jobs to get acquainted. On the 25th, you'll go with me to pick up the new trainees, and then you'll be my dormitory head. The boys' dormitory is your responsibility. It's not convenient for Zuo Hong and the others who are all girls. Keep it clean and don't fight."

Yu Qiu nodded and said, "Okay."

After finishing their meal, Yu Qiu returned to the main building with Shan Hongmei and the other three. He filled out the forms, paid 5,000 yuan, and kept 2,000 yuan on him. He had only brought 7,000 yuan with him; the rest was in his bankbook. These days, bankbooks can't be used outside the city, let alone in another province.

Yu Qiu showed the bankbook to Shan Hongmei to show that she was telling the truth. Shan Hongmei took the bankbook, flipped through it, and said, "Wow, that's impressive. Tens of thousands of yuan. Is it really that lucrative to be a soldier?"

Yu Qiu put down his bankbook and said, "I served in the army for six years, and I only received a little over 20,000 yuan when I was discharged. That's not enough for anything."

Shan Hongmei counted on her fingers and said, "Food is free, clothes are provided, housing is free, there's a monthly allowance, and after discharge, we get tens of thousands. What more do you want? When we're working, we live, eat, wear, and get transportation all by ourselves. We only get a little bit of salary each month, and if we quit, we won't get a single penny. Aren't you satisfied?"

An Lihua laughed and said, "You're really something, Hongmei. How can you compare like that? Being a soldier is tough. You have to train every day and always be on top of the game. And it's only for a few years. When you come back, you can't even get a job."

Shan Hongmei stuck out her tongue and handed the money to Liu Shangyue. Liu Shangyue took the money, filled out the receipt, and handed it to Yu Qiu, saying, "Keep this safe. Just go upstairs with Zuo Hong." Zuo Hong took the keys, stood up, and said, "Let's go. It's on the third floor."

Yu Qiu picked up the package, and Shan Hongmei asked, "What did you bring? It's such a big bag."

Yu Qiu said, "The clothes and some food were all brought by my family. My mom would be unhappy if I didn't bring them. I'll get you some food after I'm settled." She then went upstairs with Zuo Hong.

On the third floor, in the boys' dormitory, Zuo Hong opened the door, came in, turned on the light, and said, "This is it. Just find anywhere. The toilets and water dispensers are at the end of the corridor. Take a thermos to the boiler room to get hot water. You can't drink the hot water from the boiler room. There's a water dispenser for drinking; just fill it with tap water when it's empty. It has a filter."

Yu Qiu put down her package, looked around, and asked, "Where's my luggage?"

Zuo Hong kicked the floor under the bed and said, "There's a cabinet for each of you. Everything in the cabinets is for you. Just lock it up yourselves. You can pack it up yourself. I'm going downstairs now." She turned and left.

Zuo Qiu took out a cigarette, lit it, and looked around the room. It was a large wooden platform bed covered with a linoleum, and it was quite clean. The room was very warm, and he figured he wouldn't be too cold even if he wore only an undershirt. There was a fresh scent of wood in the air.

He squatted down to look, a cigarette dangling from his lips. Underneath the bed was a row of drawers, completely sealed off. He pulled one out and saw that it was quite long, divided into two sections. The front section contained towels, toothbrushes, and a toothbrush cup, while the back section held bedding, all in military style, giving Yu Qiu a strong sense of familiarity.

Looking up, Yu Qiu decided to stay in the first room. She took out her luggage, laid it out, and then took out the clothes she had brought and put them in the drawer. After tidying up, she lay down on the bed and stretched.

(End of this chapter)