A Young Woman's Heart

Zhou Yong was a little nervous as he looked for his first job.

However, in reality, the interview process was very simple, even somewhat rough and casual.

"It's two people."

"Yes, that's right, I mentioned it yesterday."

"Okay, do you have any prior work experience?"

“I have it.”

"I do not have……"

"It's okay if you don't have any. The main job is to maintain order. Some kids are particularly naughty, so you'll have to stop them when necessary. There will be more children during the summer vacation, which is why we're hiring temporary workers. They'll work until the end of August. Is that alright?"

“No problem.” Zhou Yong shook his head vigorously.

"The specific work will vary depending on the area you are assigned to. Someone will tell you exactly what to do. If you have no objections, then sign the contract."

"Uh..." Zhou Yong hesitated, but didn't say anything. He just took the contract and looked at it carefully. There weren't many clauses, only thirteen in total, and there were no problems.

Wages are settled weekly, meaning you have to work for more than a week to get paid. The weekly wage is 100 yuan, and you get an extra 50 yuan if you work for four weeks.

That is, a monthly salary of 450.

It's pretty good—for Zhou Yong, a high school student.

Tian Tingchan simply found an extra job, working part-time at the Children's Palace during the day and tutoring Yu Liang's daughter after finishing get off work at 4:30 pm. This brought in more than a thousand yuan a month.

This shows just how expensive and luxurious the apartment that Zuo Ziya paid for for her to live in was.

After they signed their names, they didn't even ask to see their ID cards, as if they trusted them exceptionally much.

In reality, the HR department isn't worried about these temporary workers. They don't need any special skills, and they can always find someone. If you leave on your own, you're the one who suffers.

These contracts actually have no legal effect; they just reassure the workers that they will receive their money.

Such a large youth center would certainly not delay paying its employees' wages. Besides, if they really didn't pay their wages, wouldn't they just run away after a week of work?

This is why salaries are paid week by week, to give employees peace of mind.

The reason for doing this is probably to avoid taxes or evade some legal responsibilities, right?

Stepping out of the office, Zhou Yong let out a long sigh of relief: "Phew—I thought it would be difficult."

"well enough."

"Hmm, I didn't expect it to be this easy. So, it seems we need to start working now?"

"Ah."

"You two come with me. I'll make two staff badges for you. You can wear your own clothes, but remember to wear the badges around your necks." The HR manager glanced at them sideways and walked towards the printing room first.

"Oh, okay..." Zhou Yong quickly followed.

"This job mainly involves interacting with children. I hope you can be patient when you are with the children and avoid getting complaints from parents, otherwise you will not be able to continue working here."

"Okay, okay, I'll be patient!" Zhou Yong immediately agreed, appearing quite eager.

"I didn't realize you were such a sycophant," Tian Tingchan teased him in a low voice as she walked beside him.

"Ahem... Another principle for ordinary people is to try to please others and avoid trouble..." Zhou Yong said with an awkward laugh.

……

Chapter Eleven: Preparations Before Going to the Beach (Part 1)

2000 7 Month 4 Day.

The day officially began the moment Mo Xueyao opened her eyes.

However, she seemed a little sleepy and didn't want to get out of bed.

The most comfortable time of day is probably around this time in the morning. By noon, it gets so hot that it's impossible to stay in bed.

"Yaoyao, get up." Li Wanyan combed her hair in front of the wardrobe mirror, tying it into a high ponytail as usual.

Wearing your hair down in the summer is much hotter than tying it up.

"Lie down a little longer..." Mo Xueyao muttered softly, lying in a starfish position, taking up the entire bed.

Upon reflection, it seems she hasn't slept alone in a long time.

It's been a long time since I've been able to stretch my body so freely.

I wish my bed at home was bigger.

She lay on her back in bed, squinting her eyes, thinking lazily.

Two sparrows landed on the windowsill and preened each other's feathers. When Mo Xueyao sat up and curiously approached them, they fluttered their wings and flew away again.

But it didn't fly far; it was as if deliberately teasing her, flying to a place just out of her reach.

The cicadas began a new round of chorus, adding to the heat in the air.

"Oh well, never mind, I'd better get up." Mo Xueyao yawned widely and rolled out of bed.

Li Wanyan, who had already combed her hair and put on her clothes, came over and smoothed out the bedding on the bed.

Even though it's already the height of summer, you still need to cover yourself with a light blanket. If you don't have a blanket at night, it can get a bit chilly, so you should at least cover your stomach.

After washing up, Mo Xueyao put on a casual short skirt and short-sleeved shirt. In summer, short skirts are indeed cooler, although there is a slight risk of accidentally exposing herself.

She was originally going to wear shorts, but her mother had only washed the clothes she changed out of yesterday this morning, and they weren't dry yet. The other shorts she wore were all below the knee. After experiencing the coolness of short skirts, she really couldn't get used to wearing shorts that didn't go past the knee in such hot weather.

After leaving the house, the two did not take a car, but walked to the Lotus Supermarket, which was only one stop away.

Although many students have started their summer vacation, some schools have not yet started their vacation. In addition, students prefer to stay at home during the vacation, so both squares and supermarkets appear somewhat deserted.

Only a few elderly people who usually have nothing to do were wandering around. When they saw some discounted or promotional items, they would pick up a magnifying glass or reading glasses to carefully calculate the prices. Only after confirming that the items were affordable enough and that they could use them would they put them in their shopping carts.

"Are we leaving tomorrow?" As Mo Xueyao walked through the supermarket's main entrance, she picked up a Wangzhongwang ham sausage displayed prominently on the promotional shelf. The advertisement claimed it contained pork that could be tasted inside, but Mo Xueyao felt it only had a faint pork flavor at most...

Mo Xueyao had never tasted sausages that could compare to meatballs. You know, even meatballs aren't all meat.

"The teacher hasn't called to inform us yet, so we don't know," Li Wanyan shook her head. "If things go according to plan, it should be tomorrow."

"If it weren't for tomorrow, I'm afraid I would have eaten half of these snacks by tomorrow..." Mo Xueyao wiped her mouth. The dazzling array of snacks displayed on the promotional shelf was very tempting to her.

Both of them brought money with them today. They had saved up all the scholarships they had received before, and there was still a lot left unused. Now was the perfect time to use it and indulge in a rare luxury.

Although she had a 'huge sum' in her pocket, Mo Xueyao was still secretly astonished when she saw the unit price of many of the items.

"Let's buy something more affordable," Mo Xueyao muttered. "Even if we have money, we can't just spend it recklessly..."

"Okay, let's buy the snacks in bulk, they're cheaper that way."

"Hmm, right, but the variety of loose goods seems limited." Mo Xueyao muttered, grabbing a few plastic bags and starting to browse the loose goods section.

There aren't many types of snacks sold in bulk. Most big-brand snacks aren't available in bulk.

However, some alternatives are available.

For example, cookies that look like Oreos, but aren't actually called Oreos...

Or it might look like a 'country bumpkin' hard-boiled egg at first glance, but upon closer inspection, it turns out to be a 'country bumpkin'.

There's no need to question why supermarkets sell counterfeit goods; these are all from legitimate brands, so they're not counterfeit, at most they're knockoffs.

In addition, the price is affordable, so many people like to buy it.

In those days, the control of goods in supermarkets was not so strict, and it was common to buy counterfeit goods with the exact same name.

Once, when Mo Xueyao was getting change at a supermarket, she even received a fake twenty-yuan note!

If her parents hadn't been nearby and gone to argue with the staff, she probably would have left with that counterfeit bill.

Even now, she still can't quite tell the difference between real and counterfeit banknotes...

"Oh, right, don't we also need to buy sunscreen?" Mo Xueyao put a bag full of loose snacks of the same price on the weighing platform and turned to ask Li Wanyan.

"Ah."

So Mo Xueyao turned to the staff member who was weighing her and asked, "Excuse me, do you sell sunscreen here?"

"Upstairs, in the cosmetics section."

"Oh, thank you."

The supermarket is quite large. Mo Xueyao comes with her parents almost every time she comes, and it seems that she rarely explores every corner of the place carefully.

Since they weren't in a hurry, she and Li Wanyan strolled around the shelves one by one. They found the place quite large, and it took them a long time to walk around.

After exploring this floor, we went up to the third floor.

The first floor is the fresh produce section, which is usually frequented by older men and women.

The third floor sells daily necessities, cosmetics, toys, and stationery, and it was completely empty at this time of day. It seemed that apart from the staff, there wasn't a single customer.

However, when you turn a corner and walk into the clothing section, you can see seven or eight people picking out clothes.

On the other side of the book section, a group of children were sitting cross-legged, enjoying the air conditioning in the supermarket while browsing the books on sale.

Mo Xueyao remembered that when she was a child, she never seemed to buy these kinds of books like "100,000 Whys". She always read them directly in the library or the book section of the supermarket.

As a result, I read it somewhat hastily and forgot most of it before long.

But this is also a good thing, because the next time I come, even if I flip through a book I've read before, I will still enjoy it and won't feel bored.

Next to the book section is a shelf selling DVDs. During the summer vacation, to cater to children's preferences, the television next to it plays tokusatsu (special effects) films that children love.

The 'Ultraman' movie is playing right now, and a few kids who don't like reading are standing there watching. Even when their parents come to call them home, they all look very reluctant.

Mo Xueyao and Li Wanyan circled around but still couldn't find where to buy sunscreen. Meanwhile, a salesperson who had been watching them for a long time came up to them with a big smile.

To be honest, if possible, Mo Xueyao would prefer to choose all the products herself. The reason she went to the supermarket to buy sunscreen was because she didn't want to be bothered by salespeople.

Having someone next to you constantly nagging and recommending various other products is a real headache.

"Excuse me, what would you two young ladies like to buy? Are you having trouble finding where it is?"

“…Uh.” Mo Xueyao hesitated for a moment, but still answered, “Buy sunscreen.”