Siheyuan: Starting from 1958

"Honey, I actually have someone in mind?" Wang Dong thought for a moment before answering.

"As you know, I have almost no relatives in Beijing, let alone any elders who can help take care of my children."

"My parents are going to help us take care of our eldest child in Beijing, but we don't seem to have any relatives there."

"We want to find some reliable people: we can only look among those we know and are very familiar with... our first choice is the courtyard house where we've lived for decades..."

Upon hearing the words "courtyard house," Chen Jun's brows furrowed instinctively, clearly indicating that the courtyard house had left a very bad impression on her.

Wang Dong immediately understood what his wife was thinking and quickly explained, "Wife..."

"Although the courtyard house is full of intrigue and backstabbing, it's not without good people..."

"For example, our family, Dashan's family, Zhuzi's family, and Zhang Linbao's family in the backyard..."

Chen Jun himself grew up in a courtyard house, so of course he knows there are good people in the courtyard house.

Seeing her husband begin to list the good people in the neighborhood one by one, Chen Jun immediately interrupted, "Husband..."

"Just tell me who you plan to ask to come and help us take care of the kids..."

"Aunt Zhang from the backyard?" Wang Dong hesitated before answering.

“I heard Dad say that Aunt Zhang is a decent person, not a bad person at all…”

Even after marrying Yi Zhonghai, she never did anything bad in the yard.

"After divorcing Yi Zhonghai, he became a great person in the neighborhood. He would take the initiative to help anyone in need. He also raised Zhang Linbao, an orphan, and raised him to become a college student."

"Aunt Zhang hasn't worked at the steel rolling mill since Zhang Linbao went to university..."

“I heard from my dad that Aunt Zhang, despite her age, tries her best to earn money every day so as not to increase Zhang Linbao’s burden and to leave him more money.”

"Either go outside to haul away recyclables, or do odd jobs outside, every penny counts..."

“I want her to help us take care of the child and cook for us when we’re both busy. It won’t be too tiring. We can pay her 30 yuan a month, which should be more than she earns by collecting recyclables and doing odd jobs outside. Plus, she won’t have to work in the sun and wind.”

At this point, Wang Dong seemed to remember something and spoke again: "Zhang Linbao is also a good young man..."

"I heard he studied mechanical engineering in university..."

"He's graduating tomorrow, honey, do you have any way to get him a job in the technical department of the steel rolling mill...?"

Chen Jun was having trouble keeping up with Wang Dong's train of thought.

We were just talking about finding a nanny for the family, how did we suddenly start talking about Zhang Linbao's job, and even asked him to use his connections to get Zhang Linbao a job at the steel rolling mill.

It's important to understand that today's steel rolling mills are not the same as those of a decade or so ago; they not only have poor profitability but also very low wages.

Sending Zhang Linbao, a college graduate, to work in a steel rolling mill is a waste of talent.

Besides, Zhang Linbao is a genuine college graduate, guaranteed a job after graduation, and even gets a management position while working...

Why would someone choose a steel rolling mill when there are so many good jobs available? Isn't that just pushing them into a fire pit?

Chen Jun couldn't understand, so she frowned and asked with a dissatisfied expression, "Honey, what are you up to now?"

“Zhang Linbao is a genuine college graduate; he could easily become a government official. Why would he choose to work in a stagnant place like a steel mill…”

"Moreover……"

"Which unit Zhang Linbao works for depends on two things: his superiors' assignment and Zhang Linbao's own wishes..."

"You haven't even talked to them or asked about their wishes, so why are you telling them to work at the steel mill?" "You have to explain this clearly today."

"Zhang Linbao worked hard to get into university, you can't take advantage of him, can you?"

An awkward smile quickly flashed across Wang Dong's face; he did indeed have some ulterior motives behind this matter.

Seeing his wife staring intently at him, fearing he might be plotting against Zhang Linbao, he could only bite the bullet and explain, "Wife..."

"I have indeed taken a liking to Zhang Linbao..."

"I wanted to bring him under my control, but I absolutely had no intention of plotting against him."

“He studied mechanical engineering in university. It would be a waste of his skills to work for the government. Only by working in a machine processing plant like a steel rolling mill can he put his skills to good use.”

"Didn't I want to buy the steel rolling mill?"

"Although I used to work in a steel rolling mill, I didn't study mechanical engineering and I don't know anything about production."

"I can't let such a big steel rolling mill be ruined now that it's in my hands, so I'm looking for someone to come and help me..."

"Of all the people I know, Zhang Linbao is the most suitable."

"I was thinking of letting him work at the steel rolling mill for two or three years to get familiar with everything there. If he could get a position on the production line or in the technical department, that would be even better."

"As long as I have the opportunity to take over the steel rolling mill in the future, I can immediately appoint him as the plant manager and help me manage the steel rolling mill."

Chen Jun never expected her husband to be so calculating. He had already arranged Zhang Linbao's future before he even graduated. This was too much.

Besides, Zhang Linbao might not be willing to follow her husband, even if he were the factory manager at the steel rolling mill.

Without hesitation, he refused, saying, "I don't agree to do that."

“Zhang Linbao has his own path to follow, why should he listen to your arrangements? Unless you get his consent, I absolutely will not agree to assigning him to the steel rolling mill…”

Wang Dong hadn't expected his wife to react so strongly, and quickly explained, "Wife..."

“I’ll definitely discuss this with Zhang Linbao…”

"We were just talking about the steel rolling mill and Aunt Zhang, and I was just asking..."

"I'll talk to him about this during the Chinese New Year this year..."

"Although you can become a government official after graduating from university, even the highest-ranking officials don't earn much."

"If you're willing to work with me as the factory manager of a steel rolling mill, you can definitely earn 10,000 yuan a year."

"At the current salary level for cadres, they won't earn 10,000 yuan in three or four years."

“If he does well, I will not only pay him a high salary, but also give him some shares in the steel rolling mill. His income will be even higher, and earning 20,000 to 30,000 yuan a year will not be a problem.”

"I believe that Zhang Linbao will make the wisest choice."

After listening to Wang Dong's explanation, Chen Jun's serious expression gradually relaxed, and he sighed in relief, replying, "Anyway, I don't care..."

"This matter must be approved by Zhang Linbao..."

“If he wants to work at the steel mill and agrees to work for you in the future, I still have a way to get him into the steel mill.”

“My former mentor was the deputy director of the steel rolling mill. Although he didn’t have much real power, he could definitely arrange a job for a college graduate.”

"As long as Zhang Linbao is capable, with his university degree, he could easily become the head of the technical department within two or three years." (End of Chapter)