Siheyuan: Starting from 1958

During the lunch break that day, more than a dozen apprentices ran to the workshop director's office to resign.

Although they lost their apprenticeship jobs at the steel mill, each of them received an extra month of apprenticeship work.

With the emergence of a large number of private restaurants and factories, the employment pressure in Beijing is no longer as great as it was a year ago. Unless their requirements are too high, one month is enough for them to find a higher-paying job in Beijing.

Banggeng also wanted to grit his teeth and resign from the steel mill and find a job outside.

But he didn't want to give up such an easy job in the steel mill.

Because there are so many apprentices and regular workers, Banggeng only needs to work two or three hours a day to complete all his work tasks. The rest of the time he just needs to chat with his fellow workers.

After all, working in a steel mill is a stable job, and in the eyes of many people it is a hard-to-come-by job.

Although the wages in private factories in Beijing would be much higher, the work would also be several times harder.

They are not deaf and know more or less about the working conditions in private factories.

They get paid according to the intensity and content of their work.

The higher the work intensity and the more work you do, the higher the salary you get.

This means that if Bang Geng wants to get a higher salary in a private factory, he must work several times harder than he does now.

For Banggeng, who is used to being sneaky and cunning, this is tantamount to asking for his death.

After much deliberation, Banggeng decided to stay in the steel mill for a while.

Perhaps the steel mill's policy of suspending the regularization of apprentices is only temporary.

When more and more apprentices resign and leave the steel mill, the factory leaders will revoke this policy.

So when faced with those workers who went to the workshop director to resign, Banggeng remained calm and had no intention of resigning as well.

…………

A canteen in the back kitchen of a steel rolling mill.

Kuihua is working here in the apprenticeship job she bought from He Yuzhu.

After hearing that the steel mill had suspended the policy of assessing and converting apprentices into regular employees, Kuihua's face was filled with despair.

She is only in her twenties and is full of expectations for the future.

If you really work as an apprentice in the kitchen of a steel mill for your entire life, there will be no future at all.

An apprentice who had a good relationship with Xiaodang suddenly said, "Xiaodang, why don't we just quit the steel mill..."

Xiao Dang quickly shook his head: "No..."

"I spent 500 or 600 yuan to buy this job. If I quit now, the money I spent on buying the job will be wasted..."

The worker really felt sorry for the flowers, and after thinking for a while he replied, "It's better to spend money than to stay in the kitchen of the steel mill and waste time."

"I have a sister who works in a private restaurant. She is also uneducated. She earns more than 30 yuan a month by serving dishes and washing dishes, which is higher than the salary of a regular worker in a steel mill."

"Although it's hard work and we have to work from morning till night, neither of us is lazy and we can definitely do the work well..."

"I've already made up my mind. I'll take the one-month salary that the steel mill compensates us and go work in the kitchen of a private restaurant. I'll start as a vegetable cutter. Maybe one day I can become a chef."

"By then, I can get at least 50 or 60 yuan a month."

"The steel mill does not accept apprentices as regular employees, but there are plenty of opportunities for regular employees in private restaurants outside."

"You can come with me to work in a private restaurant outside, and we can take care of each other." "If you continue to stay in the steel mill as an apprentice, you will have to work for two and a half years to earn back the money you paid for the job."

"If you come with me to work outside, you can earn back the money you paid for the job in a year and a half at most."

"If you're lucky and willing to work hard, you might be able to earn back the money you paid for the job in a year."

"Don't hesitate, I won't harm you..."

Kuihua also wanted to pay off the money she owed Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu as soon as possible, otherwise she could only keep three yuan out of the eighteen yuan salary she received each month, and it would take her forever to save up a hundred yuan.

Looking at her best sister, she asked seriously, "Sister Zhou..."

"Can you really earn more than 30 yuan a month working in a private restaurant?"

The worker whom Guihua called Sister Zhou immediately replied: "More than 30 yuan is considered low."

"Do you know the Dongjun Hotel which is directly opposite our steel mill?"

"After becoming a regular employee, the basic salary is 35 yuan per month, and there is also a bonus of 40 to 50 yuan per month, which adds up to 70 to 80 yuan per month."

"It's a pity that the employees at Dongjun Hotel treasure their jobs and are afraid that their jobs will be taken away by others. They work diligently and no one is willing to resign. Even if they want to work, they don't have the opportunity."

"I heard that Dongjun Restaurant is going to open a branch in Sijiu City, and there are so many people signing up... On average, four or five people are competing for one waiter position."

"There are even many college and high school students who sign up to work at Dongjun Hotel."

"I have a neighbor who works at Dongjun Restaurant across the street... In order to reward old employees, their boss gave my neighbor a job in the branch."

"My neighbor's doorsteps have been broken down these past few days."

"Someone even offered a thousand dollars to buy my neighbor's job, but he refused."

"In the end, the job was given to her younger brother who had just graduated from high school..."

"Since his brother can't get into college, he might as well go to work at Dongjun Hotel. With his high school education, he might be able to get a job as a deputy manager and earn at least 200 yuan a month."

"We can't get into Dongjun Restaurant, but we can get into other smaller restaurants. Although the salary is not as high as Dongjun Restaurant, it's still no problem to get more than 30 yuan a month."

"If we are lucky, we can find a chef to teach us how to cook. One day, we can become a restaurant chef and earn at least 50 or 60 yuan a month."

"By then, you can earn back all the money you spent on buying your workstation in half a year."

Hearing this, Kuihua was completely moved.

On the one hand, it is because of the high salaries in private restaurants outside, and on the other hand, it is because of the Dongjun Restaurant praised by the workers.

Although she had never had any dealings with Wang Dong's family in the front yard, she knew that the owner behind Dongjun Restaurant was Wang Dong.

If I can convince Wang Dong to let me work at Dongjun Hotel for the sake of our neighbor, then my monthly salary will skyrocket to 70 or 80 yuan.

To put it another way, even if you can't get into Dongjun Restaurant, if you go to other private restaurants, the monthly salary you get will be nearly twice as much as being an apprentice in a steel mill.

Thinking of this, Xiao Dang finally couldn't resist the temptation of a high salary and decided to accept his co-worker's suggestion: "Sister Zhou..."

"I'll listen to you. Let's go to the director and resign now..."

"I heard that if I quit now, I can get an extra month's salary. I'd better not give it up..."

The coworker liked Kuihua's character very much and smiled as he replied, "That's right, how can Sister Zhou harm you..."

"Since you are an honest person, I want to help you." (End of this chapter)