To please others? It's better to please yourself.

On the 4th, Xu Jing'an started her first day of work.

After two weeks, Xu Jing'an had a clear understanding of the people who joined at the same time. No wonder Director Han raised his eyebrows that day: one was the son of the Women's Federation director; another was the niece of the fertilizer factory director; another was the nephew of the wife of the Public Security Bureau chief; and yet another was the son born to the ex-wife of the grain station chief. The last one was the woman of good fortune—Xu Jing'an. Because she told everyone that she was lucky and just happened to hear that they were hiring, so she came.

Xu Jing'an felt like a chicken that had strayed into a flock of cranes, making herself stand out conspicuously.

Every time Brother Zhang saw her, he couldn't help but marvel at the importance of luck!

"Xiao Xu, you're the best!" Zhang Jianjun gave him a thumbs up as usual.

Xu Jing'an could only smile sheepishly. "Brother Zhang, to be honest, I've never found anything in my entire life. I've never bitten into a coin while eating dumplings during Chinese New Year."

"Maybe all the luck we've accumulated over the past decade or so has come together this time!"

Zhang Jianjun burst out laughing as soon as he heard that.

The people in the office joined in the joke. "Xiao Xu, then you should try to save your luck and find a good husband!"

Regardless of whether the words were meant as a joke or a sarcastic remark, Xu Jing'an's expression remained unchanged upon hearing them.

"Thank you all for your kind words!"

Faced with such a cunning and shameless person, everyone had no choice but to stop while they were ahead.

After Xu Jing'an became acquainted with Brother Zhang, she took advantage of her holiday to treat everyone to a meal. On the table were four main dishes: braised pork knuckle, sweet and sour pork ribs, four-happiness meatballs, and beef stew with potatoes, along with three bowls of rice.

"Brother Zhang, please have a seat. I've been running around for days trying to find these dishes. They're only available today!"

Zhang Jianjun was taken aback. "Girl, this is too lavish! Many families don't even have this much food for Chinese New Year."

Most importantly, given the large amount of investment involved, how much return should he expect to satisfy the other party?

Zhang Jianjun refused to eat no matter what. Xu Jing'an had to coax him into sitting down.

"Hey girl, what's up? Tell me properly. What do you want me to do? If you don't tell me, I won't dare to pick up my chopsticks."

Xu Jing'an frankly stated, "Brother Zhang only has two things to say. One is to thank me for taking care of you these past few days, whether it was assigning dorm rooms or telling me about other people's family backgrounds, I remember it all."

Brother Zhang—Zhang Jianjun nodded, "Anything else?"

"And also, bro, when will we be able to get permanent positions at our company?"

"That's it? That's all?" Zhang Jianjun asked Xu Jing'an.

"That's it!" Xu Jing'an looked at Zhang Jianjun speechlessly. "I just wanted to thank you, Brother Zhang, it wasn't like I was making things difficult for you."

Only then did Zhang Jianjun pick up his chopsticks and begin eating.

"There are usually 3-month, 6-month, and 1-year contracts. But there are quotas every year, so it's impossible for many people to be hired and all of them to become permanent in the same year."

Xu Jing'an listened attentively, occasionally adding water to her teacup.

Zhang Jianjun ate one bowl of rice and then picked up a second bowl. "You know the background of your group, they're all tough guys."

He took a sip of water and continued, "There were others who hadn't been officially hired before you. It'll probably be at least a year before it's your turn, and three years would be considered good!"

Hearing this, Xu Jing'an couldn't help but gasp. No wonder the system hadn't given her any rewards yet. If she couldn't become a permanent employee now, it would be even harder later. Temporary workers could be fired so easily, and then she'd have to go back to the countryside.

After finishing the meal, Zhang Jianjun packed up the leftover food and put it in a cloth bag. He then carried the bag out of the private room and went home.

After seeing Zhang Jianjun off, Xu Jing'an turned back to clear the table. The waitress, a woman, was quite surprised to see Xu Jing'an bringing over the bowls and chopsticks.

"Comrade, you don't need to lift a finger, I can handle it."

"What's the point? It's just a casual thing."

Xu Jing'an took a rag and wiped the table clean, then swept the floor. It took her less than five minutes to tidy up.

The waitress was a little embarrassed. "Thank you so much, sir."

Xu Jing'an: "What's the big deal? I've been coming to your shop a lot these days. Haven't I caused you a lot of trouble?"

When they need someone, they shower them with compliments, then turn their backs on them and leave. Who doesn't know this?

Nowadays, people don't move around much, and interpersonal relationships are relatively fixed. Salespeople and restaurant servers, however, often come into contact with all sorts of people.

Thinking you can fool these people with a few nice words is a mistake!

Since they've already crossed paths, they'll naturally build up their interpersonal relationships over time.

Xu Jing'an left the restaurant and returned to her dormitory. After closing the door and drawing the curtains, she entered her spatial dimension.

She quickly cooked some noodles and ate them, then calmed down to think about her future. She knew getting a permanent position wouldn't be easy, but she hadn't expected it to be this difficult. The process had dragged on for too long; anything could go wrong. It seemed she had to choose the second option—a quick and decisive solution.

……

Han Yi was also frowning in his dormitory. He used to be able to smoke a cigarette when he was in a bad mood, but now he could only tidy up his room, wipe windows, sweep the floor, and do laundry…

There was nothing he could do; he was poor.

Han Yi comes from a rural background and previously served in the military. After being wounded, he transferred to a civilian job. Last October, he was demobilized and became the director of the personnel department of the municipal government.

His wife and children are still at the place where he was serving in the army and haven't come with him. It's not that he doesn't want to come; he's all alone now and misses his wife and children.

The family burden is really heavy.

He can't ignore his parents back home, and his siblings are all counting on him for support. Putting everything else aside, he has over 20 nephews, nieces, and cousins ​​getting married; he has to give them a wedding gift, right?

It was agreed upon when the mission began that those who survived would take care of the families of their fallen comrades. Can't we just forget that?

Han Yi sends out half of his salary every month. His wife has given birth to seven sons, and with the social obligations within the military and occasional donations, what's left?

Back in 60, there was a famine, and the local people where their troops were stationed knelt in front of the military camp begging for food.

What could the soldiers do? They could only distribute some of the food from their barracks to the civilians. Otherwise, how could they watch them die in front of the barracks? At that time, the soldiers themselves were so hungry they were practically staggering.

Letters from his hometown were filled with tears and blood. They were in dire straits, but what could Han Yi do?

It was thanks to his wife's salary that the family's children survived. At home, his wife's word carried more weight than his!

Now that Han Yi has transferred to this place, his salary is even lower than when he was in the army. He doesn't even know what savings are; he's living paycheck to paycheck!

Han Yi sometimes didn't dare to think too much. Just the mention of the word "later" gave him a headache.

He suspects that when he was injured and transferred to a civilian position, the bullet did not pass through his thigh, but through his skull.

The military took care of their wives back then, and his wife, who also had a primary school education, found a good job locally. That job wasn't easy to find at the time, and if she came with him now, she'd have to sell her old job.

But her education level is too low here, making it difficult to find a decent job. If she can't find work, how will she eat? Her son is growing up, and he'll need more money, but her wife is reluctant to spend it!

The organization said they could take care of him and arrange a job for him. He's just arrived, practically a newcomer parachuted into the unit; so many eyes are watching him. How could he possibly ask for this at this time? Are they afraid others won't find an excuse to trip him up? Plus, with the current situation, it's hard to say!