1994: Starting with unpaid leave

Pickled chicken feet.

The transparent packaging bag reveals white chicken feet, paired with pale green wild chili peppers, and served with a sour and spicy braising sauce...

Just thinking about it makes one's saliva secretion accelerate.

As a national snack, pickled chicken feet swept through major supermarkets and convenience stores as soon as it was introduced.

Anyone who has tasted it can truly feel its irresistible charm.

The perfect combination of the "crisp and bouncy" physical texture and the "sour and spicy" chemical stimulation in the mouth will ensure that you can eat one without making a sound.

In his past life, Dong Jianguo's chain supermarkets in Shenzhen sold plenty of these kinds of high-quality goods!

I thought my wife's cooking skills were pretty good, and she could make a name for herself through her own abilities, so there was no need to take shortcuts.

Looking back now, I realize how foolish and naive I was.

Before I was reborn, I struggled and fought my way through life. Now that I've been reborn, if I still have to struggle step by step, then wasn't my rebirth a complete waste?!

It's a shameful waste to have such a powerful weapon and not use it!

Having figured this out, Dong Jianguo stopped hiding anything, pulled Xiuyun over to find paper and pen, and explained to her step by step what ingredients were needed for pickled chicken feet.

Having figured this out, Dong Jianguo stopped hiding it. He pulled his wife, Zhou Xiuyun, who was busy nearby, over, stared intently at her, and began to dissect the secret recipe for this "weapon of mass destruction" with her step by step.

"First of all, the main ingredient must be top-quality chicken feet, the kind that are thick and chewy," Dong Jianguo said, gesturing as he spoke. "As for the seasonings, wild chili peppers are the soul, small red chili peppers are the framework, and you also need white vinegar, rock sugar, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise..."

"Wild chili peppers? Bird's eye chilies?" Zhou Xiuyun looked at her man suspiciously, her pen hovering in mid-air. "But you don't usually eat spicy food! How can this taste good?"

"Wild mountain peppers? Bird's eye chilies? But you don't usually eat spicy food! How can this taste good?" Xiuyun looked at her man suspiciously.

After Dong Jianguo quit gambling, she had great faith in her husband's judgment.

But... he was talking about a snack that I had never even heard of before.

These days, everyone prefers salty and savory braised dishes. Who would soak chicken feet in spicy water?

"Don't worry, it'll be delicious!"

Dong Jianguo smiled confidently.

Looking into her husband's unquestionable eyes, Zhou Xiuyun nodded, though she still had doubts.

She trusted the man; if he said he could do it, he must have his reasons.

……

The job posting for the food factory was released in the morning, and by noon people had already come for interviews.

Before National Day, the textile factory organized a general meeting for all its employees.

Factory director Gao Yi stood on the platform and solemnly announced that the previous job rotation strategy would be adjusted due to the factory's long-term poor performance.

In order to "sacrifice the small family for the greater good", half of the factory's employees will have to go home and wait for work.

"Workers should think of the factory first, embody the spirit of treating the factory as their home, and sacrifice their own families for the greater good!"

"Being put on standby is not the same as being laid off. You'll come back when the factory's business improves!"

"We shouldn't underestimate ourselves. Let's take this opportunity to go out into society, see the world, and breathe in the fresh air of a market economy!"

These high-sounding words immediately enraged the factory workers. What did they mean by "breathing fresh air"?

For these workers who are used to working nine-to-five and receiving stable wages, losing their jobs is like the sky falling down.

At that moment, some people couldn't hold back and rushed onto the stage to beat up the factory director who only talked empty words.

But anger won't solve the problem of food and clothing.

After the meeting, the cold reality still arrived.

Each workshop distributed the list of workers to be sent home and awaiting their shifts.

Zhou Xiuyun was fortunate to escape this ordeal because she was pregnant.

The factory helped me apply for two years of leave.

Although no salary was paid during this period, I was able to receive a small amount of living expenses each month.

Zhou Xiuyun wasn't too disappointed by this arrangement, since her mind was currently focused on the baby in her belly and her husband's new career.

As for the others...

During the three-day holiday, many employees of the textile factory were filled with sighs and lamentations at home; the phrase "gloomy and desolate" would not be an exaggeration.

Children need to go to school, the elderly need to see a doctor, and every aspect of life—eating, drinking, and relieving oneself—requires money.

Without income, how will we survive?

So when they heard that Dong Jianguo was hiring, many qualified female workers rushed to his door, and even some older women who were clearly over the age limit came over.

By the afternoon, more than a dozen female workers had come here.

They weren't unaware that Dong Jianguo's food factory was only hiring three people, but when people are pushed to the limit, they always hope that a miracle will happen to them.

"Brother Jianguo, we've known each other for a long time, please arrange a job for me... even just sweeping the floor!" A female worker in her forties tugged at Dong Jianguo's sleeve, her eyes reddening.

"Jianguo, I was forced into this situation..." another female worker said, wiping away tears.

"Yes, both of us work in the family. The factory arranged for us to go home. Suddenly..." Another voice rang out, choked with sobs.

"Nation-building..."

Standing at the entrance of the food factory, Dong Jianguo felt as if a heavy stone was pressing on his heart.

Faces and pitiful eyes stared at him without blinking.

They're all familiar faces from the factory, we see each other all the time, and with that kind of gaze, even the most numb heart can be pierced.

Besides, Dong Jianguo is just an ordinary person.

Standing at the entrance of the food factory, looking at my former coworkers, I thought and thought about how to refuse, but I just couldn't bring myself to say it.

There's still no news on how the goods sent to the railway bureau are selling, and even if the factory starts production, it won't need many people.

The only thing I can do now is to curse the factory manager, Gao Yi, in my heart.

Even if it's about sending employees home on standby, there are gentler methods. Why resort to this sudden death approach?!

And they even chose to do it before National Day!

He really wasted his time in this official position!

"Listen up, everyone! My factory is just starting out, and I really don't need that many people right now! But once the factory is up and running, I'll definitely give you priority!"

"I, Dong Jianguo, keep my word! Everyone, please register with Sister Hongmei first. Those who meet the requirements will be hired in the order of registration."

To calm everyone down, Dong Jianguo paused for a moment before announcing:

"But coming here isn't a waste; everyone gets four braised eggs..."

Unable to bear the disappointment in the female workers' eyes, Dong Jianguo arranged for Erzhuzi and Hongmei to maintain order before riding away alone to the train station.

The goods were shipped out before National Day, and should have been sold on the buses traveling between Heicheng and Harbin long ago.

Whether sales are good or bad, a three-day holiday should be enough to tell, but why is there still no definite answer as to whether it's a success or a failure?!

To be fair, Dong Jianguo didn't think that Hezhiwei's two braised eggs were that bad, otherwise he wouldn't have taken them to Harbin.

Even from the perspective of a reborn person, Sister Hongmei's five-spice braised eggs are above average, not to mention the braised eggs with meat gravy made by his wife Xiuyun.

Even if it's slightly inferior to pickled chicken feet, it definitely has the potential to be a small hit!

So... could it be that something went wrong on Director Zhang's end?