My hometown is far away in Moscow.

Chapter 256 Large Enterprises

"where?"

"Over there." Hu Yi walked a few steps towards the group of people gathered ahead, and looked at the large sign erected beside the stall, reading aloud: "Seeking Sales Representatives, Unlimited Income. No high education required, no experience needed, just a willingness to work hard. Three to five thousand is the starting point, seven to eight thousand is easily achievable. Get rich through hard work. Damn, that's pretty funny, but the salary level is decent. Hey, what exactly does a sales representative do?"

"It's a sales job, just a fancy name. Business manager, sales representative—they used to all call them salespeople. This kind of slang, it doesn't sound like a respectable job." My friend muttered as he came over to take a look: "Look, it's an insurance company. You only see the 8,000 or 10,000, but did you see the fine print below? A base salary of 300 yuan plus commission, and you can become a full-time employee if you meet the performance targets during the assessment period."

"What does 'no-responsibility base salary' mean? Why is it only 300? What do you do after becoming a full-time employee?" Hu Yi was completely confused by these new terms.

"To put it simply, you get 300 yuan a month, and the rest is based on how much work you do. You're not a formal employee, there's no contract, and you get nothing except commission. Only if your performance stays above a certain level can you become a formal employee."

"What? There are different types of employees, formal and informal?"

"You don't know anything, so don't get involved in this mess. Besides, selling insurance requires a really thick skin and a knack for persuasion. Are you capable of that? I don't think your personality is suited for it." His friend, too lazy to explain in detail, practically dragged him away, saying, "Similar positions exist in banks, I know that all too well. Stop thinking about it, go look at other options."

Hu Yi was somewhat disappointed after finally finding a job with an attractive salary, only to be met with such negative comments from his friend. He wandered around aimlessly for a while longer before his father called: "Come home early this afternoon; we'll go out for dinner together tonight."

"Okay, who are we eating with?"

"I asked a friend to find someone for you regarding your job."

Just as Hu Yi was getting tired of browsing the job fair, he heard that there was some news about a job opportunity, and his spirits lifted immediately. He took a taxi home right away.

Dinner was arranged at the highest-end seafood restaurant in the area, hosted by Hu Yi's entire family, with a friend of his father accompanying them. The guest was a mid-level manager from a large construction machinery company outside the province, who served as the deputy general manager of a department within the company.

The company has little business dealings with Russia, but it exports engineering machinery and components to Central Asian countries year-round, hence the presence of Russian-speaking positions. The vice president happened to be in the area on a business trip; a friend of his father knew him and, knowing Hu Yi was looking for work, proactively arranged this dinner.

The vice president was chatting and laughing with everyone at the table, and he was very eloquent. However, as soon as someone steered the conversation towards Hu Yi's work, he would immediately start humming and hawing, and although his expression wasn't exactly aloof, it was certainly quite distant.

My father had worked in a government office for a long time and was no stranger to the etiquette of drinking at the dinner table. Seeing this, he was not in a hurry. He simply toasted one glass after another, leaving the pace of creating a lively atmosphere and building rapport to his friends.

Although Hu Yi was somewhat clueless about interpersonal relationships and workplace culture in China, he had spent two years in the market and seen all sorts of people, so he had a good eye for people. He disliked the vice president's affected and boastful manner, and he could tell that his parents also disliked him, but were only putting up with him and flattering him because they needed his help.

Having formed a prejudice in his heart, Hu Yi became less enthusiastic about the job and his conversations with the vice president were lukewarm, prompting his anxious mother to give him meaningful glances.

After several rounds of drinks, the vice president, slightly tipsy from being toasted by everyone at the table, became more relaxed and casual in his speech. Sensing the situation was right, the father's friend steered the conversation to Hu Yi: "President Wang, my nephew is a genuine Russian returnee, speaks fluent Russian, exactly the kind of talent your company needs! As a high-ranking leader, could you please help introduce him? I'm counting on you for this!"

"We can discuss it. I think our nephew is quite a handsome young man." This time, the vice president surnamed Wang didn't beat around the bush. He picked up a tissue, wiped his mouth lightly, and looked at Hu Yi with a smile, tilting his head: "Young man, you studied in Russia for so many years, your Russian should be no problem, right?"

"Most communication is fine," Hu Yi replied earnestly as he got to the main topic. "However, I'm not very familiar with the specialized terminology related to import and export, but I can learn that."

Do you know anything about foreign trade?

"I don't understand." Hu Yi blushed slightly. "I know a few terms, like FOB and CIF, that's all."

"Well, just having a basic understanding is enough for the beginning; the main thing is your Russian language proficiency. As for your situation… I've got a preliminary grasp of it, and it should meet the company's requirements." General Manager Wang nodded seriously. "However, large companies like ours have very strict regulations when it comes to recruiting talent. How about this, I'll go back and talk to the hiring department to see what they think, and try to get your child a meeting."

"Yes, yes, okay." The mother was overjoyed. "Thank you so much, Mr. Wang!"

"Mr. Wang, you've gone to so much trouble. We're counting on you for the child's needs." The father's tone was cautious: "Is there anything else we need to prepare in advance?"

"We'll talk about other things later," Mr. Wang laughed. "I can only make a suggestion and arrange for the child to have an interview. Whether he'll make it or not is still uncertain. But... if the child does well and gets the job, would your parents be willing to let him leave?"

"What's there to be reluctant about?" the father laughed heartily. "He's been abroad for five or six years and hasn't been around much. Now that he's back, why would we care if he works in another city?"

"Yes, even if your company is far away, it's still much closer than Moscow, right?" His mother chimed in with a smile. "When you miss home, you can just come back on a weekend. It just takes a little more time on the road. You agree, Hu Yi?"

Hu Yi nodded slightly, then subconsciously glanced at Natasha beside him. Natasha was very quiet tonight; she couldn't understand what the people at the table were saying, and aside from occasionally exchanging a few whispered words with Hu Yi, she mostly sat silently. However, she maintained her patience and politeness, always wearing an elegant smile.

"Oh, it's not just about going to other places." General Manager Wang waved his hand lightly: "These positions require long-term overseas assignments, mainly in our offices in countries like Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan."

"Oh? You're going to be stationed abroad?" The mother was initially worried, then turned to look at Hu Yi, before exclaiming happily, "That's good news! I've heard that employees of large companies stationed abroad receive very high salaries and benefits. Our company must be no exception!"

"Of course, that's why overseas assignments are so sought after." Mr. Wang tossed his hair smugly. "Especially for regional industry leaders like us, young people are practically scrambling to get in!"

(End of this chapter)