A whirlwind marriage with a high-ranking official: Lights out, don't force me to take the initi

The next morning, three rows of long tables were set up in front of the mutual aid society.

Zhang Yunxia left home in the early morning and stood at the entrance of the mutual aid society with Director Zhang and Wang Xiaoling, directing several people to move tables, arrange chairs, and hang banners. The group was already sweating profusely from their busy work.

"Move the table to the left, it's aligned now, hey, right there," Director Zhang gestured.

Wang Xiaoling squatted on the ground, using stones to prop up the bamboo poles supporting the banner, afraid that the wind would blow it away.

Ding Jiahe also arrived, carrying a bag of steamed buns, dumplings, and pickled vegetables, which she placed on the table: "Come on, have a couple of bites first."

Zhang Yunxia grabbed a steamed bun, took a bite, and mumbled as she turned to the others, saying, "Eat quickly, the people should be here soon."

A long banner with red cloth and black lettering read: "The First Mutual Aid Society Skilled Worker Recruitment Fair of the 39th Military Region".

The calligraphy was written by Director Zhang; it was done with a brush, the strokes were vigorous, and the characters were neat and legible, so that they could be read from a distance.

The long table was divided into three rows.

The first row consists of various units within the military region: the logistics department needs electricians, welders, and repairmen; the service station needs barbers; the canteen needs cooks; and the health clinic needs nurses.

The second row is the garment company: sewing technicians, ironing workers, embroidery workers, and design assistants.

The third row is the film crew: production assistants, prop assistants, and costume assistants.

Next to each table stood several signs, clearly stating the job title, skill requirements, and compensation standards in black and white.

Next to the table were several wooden shelves covered with job postings, not from those three companies, but from individual employers.

Taking care of the elderly, picking up and dropping off children, helping with cooking, tutoring... all sorts of things were displayed on the shelf.

In this way, people won't all be clustered together in one place. Those who want to look at the workplace can go to the workplace area, and those who want to find odd jobs can go to the shelf area, so everyone can get what they need.

Director Zhang stood at the door with his hands on his hips, looked around, and seemed quite satisfied.

She dared to say that this kind of spectacle was unprecedented even among military dependents' homes across the entire country.

When Ye Wenxi arrived, the venue was almost set up. Zhang Yunxia was gesturing to a young soldier who was moving a table: "Move it a little over here, yes, right in front of this sign."

"Sister Yunxia, ​​what time did you arrive?" Ye Wenxi walked over.

"Around four o'clock." Zhang Yunxia got up and dusted off her hands. "I was so excited I couldn't sleep."

She suddenly leaned closer and lowered her voice: "Do you remember the family member of that special forces soldier I told you about? Guess who it is?"

"Who is it?" Ye Wenxi asked.

"Fang Ruijun, do you remember him?"

"The one who came to pick up their clothes?"

"Yes, it's him," Zhang Yunxia said. "Xiaoxue told me that they went to his house last night, and his mother made a special trip to check on him beforehand. She was worried that she wouldn't be able to take good care of him, so she came for the interview today."

Ye Wenxi nodded: "He's a very cautious and serious person."

"Hmm, I think it's promising. I'll have Xiao Ding have a good talk with her later." Zhang Yunxia finished speaking and was about to continue setting the table when a familiar voice came from behind her.

"Wenxi~"

Ye Wenxi and Zhang Yunxia turned around and saw Song Xiaotang and Li Qiming walking over.

Song Xiaotang wore a dark gray polyester short-sleeved jacket, and her hair was tied up, making her look capable.

Li Qiming followed beside him, carrying a briefcase.

"Producer Song, Director Li, are you two here today as well?" Ye Wenxi greeted them with a smile.

Song Xiaotang stood at the entrance of the mutual aid society, her eyes lighting up as she glanced at the row of long tables, the red paper banner with black characters, and the signs of various organizations.

She had seen many job fairs, but this was the first time she had ever seen such a large-scale job fair for skilled workers held in a military region or military dependents' compound.

It wasn't organized by the work unit; it was arranged by several military family members themselves.

This event was no less impressive than any job fair she had ever seen at a film studio.

"Comrade Ye, you've made quite a show of force," Song Xiaotang said with a smile, turning her gaze away from the scene.

"It was all arranged by Sister Yunxia." Ye Wenxi stepped aside to make way for her. "We just set up a stage so everyone could put on a show."

Zhang Yunxia chimed in from the side, "Producer Song, we've set up your table. You can sit there in a bit. People will be arriving in waves, so take your time to choose."

Song Xiaotang smiled and nodded: "Okay, we're here to find some bargains today, you guys go first."

Ye Wenxi laughed heartily: "We can't say that. Since several companies are now looking for the same job, the choice is in the hands of the skilled workers themselves. That's the advantage of having skills; with more job openings, these skilled workers have more options."

Around 7 a.m., people started arriving one after another.

First came the military dependents, in twos and threes. Some, genuinely looking for work, clutched registration forms and stood in front of the table carefully reading the job requirements.

Some onlookers gathered around, discussing and pointing.

Two men in their early sixties stood in front of the military recruitment sign, bending over to study it.

One was wearing blue overalls with a frayed edge at the back of the collar, and the other was wearing a gray short-sleeved shirt and a straw hat.

"Old Feng, look, why is the film crew hiring an electrician?" The old man in the gray shirt pointed to a sign not far away.

Hearing the sound, Lao Feng walked over and approached the film crew's sign.

The label reads: Electrician (lighting electrician), responsible for connecting electricity, wiring, installing lights, adjusting voltage, changing light bulbs, ensuring power supply for the entire site, and ensuring the safety of equipment using electricity.

The fee is 3.5 to 4 yuan per day. The working hours depend on the film crew. There is an extra allowance for working at night.

After reading it, Lao Feng took a step back and whispered to the old man in overalls, "The film crew is paying more than the military region."

"But the military region has a long working hours, while the film crew only works for a few months." The old man in the gray shirt also lowered his voice.

"A few months is fine too. We can find a military region after we finish this job."

"Shall we talk about everything then?"

The two old men looked at each other and nodded.

Old Feng turned around and walked to the table at the military region's office, where the officer in charge of recruitment was busy organizing forms.

Old Feng tapped on the table: "Comrade, are you still hiring an electrician?"

The officer looked up: "Sir. What's your rank?"

"Intermediate level technician. I used to work in a local motor factory for over 20 years. I have no problem with three-phase electricity, wiring, installing lights, and maintenance." As he spoke, Old Feng took out a small red booklet from his pocket, opened it, and inside was his electrician's operating certificate, stamped with a large red seal.

The clerk took it, looked at it, and handed it back: "Okay, please register first. We'll arrange a practical exam later."

Old Feng nodded and turned to walk to the film crew's table.

The head of the film crew was a young man in his early thirties, wearing glasses, and looking at a form.

Old Feng repeated what he had just said, and the young man's eyes lit up: "You have a certificate?"

"Yes." Old Feng took out the red book again.

The young man took it, looked at it, and smiled: "Sir, we'd love to have your terms. But our work hours are irregular; sometimes we film night scenes. Are you physically capable of handling that?"

"I can handle it, I'm in good health." Old Feng patted his chest. "I'm retired, I'm just killing time anyway."

The young man turned to look at Song Xiaotang: "Producer Song, this gentleman has a professional operating certificate. Why don't we have our electrician talk to him?"

Song Xiaotang leaned over to take a look at the small booklet stamped with a red seal, and nodded: "Okay, arrange it as soon as possible."

The young man stood up and waved to Old Feng: "Grandpa, do you see that guy in the blue plaid shirt over there? That's our film crew's electrician. Come with me, I'll take you to talk to him. If it goes well, we can finalize things right now."

Old Feng followed him that way.

The officer at the military region's table saw this, stood up, and called out, "Sir, are you still going to look at what we have here?"

Old Feng turned around and smiled: "Sorry, if they want me, I'll work for them for now."

The clerk sat back down and crossed out a name on the form.

Another officer nearby whispered, "Another one ran away."

The clerk sighed, picked up a calligraphy brush, and wrote the word "urgent" next to "electrician" in the recruitment section.

An older woman passing by, carrying a shopping basket, recognized Old Feng: "Hey, Old Feng, you're something else! Both sides are fighting over you?"

Several military dependents gathered around, chattering amongst themselves.

"Old Feng is amazing! The military region wants him, and the film crew wants him too."

"Of course, they have the skills and the certifications. Look at us, we've been squatting here for half a day and haven't even seen a single manual labor job."

"The general workers aren't here. Today is a special session for skilled workers, so the general workers have to watch Xiaoling update the boards this morning and wait for their shift rotation."

"Oh dear, I should have learned a trade back then."

"Now you can't learn it even if you want to, who's going to teach you?"

"you do not say..."