Siheyuan, my new life

Xu Damao walked into the house carrying a plate of stewed potatoes in one hand and a bamboo basket full of steamed buns in the other. He put the food on the square table, grinned, and said, "I was just telling my mother about it, but she didn't believe me. Today, everyone in our propaganda department is talking about Hao Aiguo."

Xu Fugui picked up his glass, took a sip of Erguotou liquor, and snorted heavily: "Da Mao, you kid, don't spend all your free time hanging around those women. I'm warning you, almost every woman in our propaganda department has quite a background. Even Sun Xiaohong, who was just assigned here this year, has an uncle who is a powerful section chief in the Ministry of Metallurgy. Those married women are either daughters of leading cadres or daughters-in-law of other cadres. Don't be fooled, kid. We can't afford to mess with any of those women."

Speaking of his son, Xu Fugui had a real headache. He was smart enough, but unfortunately, he didn't focus on studying or researching projection technology. He spent all his time hanging out with those women, gossiping. You know, once women get married, they become unrestrained in their conversations, always talking about matters between men and women. Xu Fugui had repeatedly tried to admonish the boy, but the good-for-nothing would just let it go in one ear and out the other. He would agree verbally, but then turn around and forget everything he said.

To be honest, when Xu Fugui heard the announcement of the punishment for Hao Aiguo over the loudspeaker today, he was very happy, even though he didn't say anything. Last night at the courtyard meeting, that idiot Hao Aiguo dared to bar his teeth at him and Yue Xiangqian, and he was so stupid as to try to take advantage of He Daqing and Guo Yongping. Now he has ended up like this, which can be considered retribution.

Upon hearing his father's words, Xu Damao's eyes darted around rapidly. He was already tired of his father's old clichés, but at this moment, he couldn't help but start making a small calculation in his mind. He chuckled a few times and said, "Dad, since Sun Xiaohong's family has such a powerful background, do you think I could date her? If I could really marry her, then I would have a chance to get a government position in the future."

Hearing her son's words, Liu Lanhua was also tempted. She stared intently at her husband and said, "Old Xu, our Da Mao is almost nineteen years old. Before Liberation, he could have gotten married long ago. If we can really marry Sun Xiaohong, we can ask the Sun family to help us get Da Mao a government position. Look how successful He Daqing is now, but in reality, he's just a cook. Our Da Mao will be a projectionist in the future, a cultural worker after all."

Xu Fugui sighed helplessly: "What kind of good idea are you two thinking? Let's not even talk about the fact that Sun Xiaohong is a vocational school graduate. She's already twenty years old this year, and will be twenty-one after the New Year. I overheard Section Chief Huang mentioning that the Sun family is arranging a blind date for Sun Xiaohong. The man is a twenty-three-year-old deputy section chief from the Ministry of Metallurgy. It's said that the deputy section chief's family has a bureau-level leader. Do you think our Da Mao can compare to that deputy section chief?"

Xu Damao's face flushed red. He gritted his teeth and said in a low voice, "What's so great about a 23-year-old deputy section chief? When I get to that age, I'll definitely be more successful than that bastard. Who knows, I might even become a section chief!"

Xu Fugui glared at his clueless son: "Don't be so ambitious. Don't forget, that guy became a deputy section chief at 23. Besides his own ability, he also has a father who's a bureau-level leader. Your old man is just an ordinary projectionist. Besides, you two don't even know some basic common sense, yet you're full of wild ideas. Let me explain it to you properly today. Nowadays, there are three types of jobs: administrative, technical, and employee. Administrative jobs are also called cadre jobs, ranging from the lowest clerk to leaders at all levels. Technical jobs include engineers, technicians, statisticians, etc., in factories. The projectionists we do are technical jobs, as are cooks. Employee jobs are just ordinary workers in the workshop."

Seeing his wife and son staring intently at him, Xu Fugui took a sip of Erguotou liquor before continuing, "As we all know, those with a vocational school diploma or higher who are assigned to work after graduation are generally placed in administrative or technical positions. For an ordinary worker to be promoted from a staff position to an administrative position, besides making significant contributions, they also need someone to promote and give them important responsibilities, like He Daqing. A vocational school graduate who becomes a regular employee starts as a level 24 clerk, and normally gets promoted one level every two to three years. The deputy section chief level is generally administrative levels 20 to 19, and the section chief level is levels 18 to 17. It would take a vocational school graduate at least ten years to be promoted from a level 24 clerk to a deputy section chief. However, many clerks have worked for seven or eight years and haven't even reached the level of a level 22 to 21 staff member, meaning they haven't even become a small section chief. This isn't necessarily because they don't work hard; it's highly likely that they don't have a leader promoting them."

At this point, Xu Fugui snorted coldly: "You haven't even been officially hired yet, you're just an apprentice, and you still have the audacity to say that you'll be promoted to deputy section chief in five years. Aren't you afraid of biting off more than you can chew?"

After listening to Xu Fugui's story, Xu Damao immediately hung his head in dejection. Only then did he realize how ridiculous his words had been.

Liu Lanhua was still a little unwilling. She hesitated for a moment before asking, "Old Xu, besides working our way up through seniority step by step, doesn't our son have any other options? If all else fails, we can spend more money on gifts."

Xu Fugui grinned helplessly: "Actually, there is another way, but I'm afraid you yourself would not agree to it. That is to let your son join the army. As long as he makes meritorious contributions in the army and gets promoted, he will definitely be a cadre when he is transferred to civilian work in the future. The big leader of the security department of our Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill joined the army at the age of sixteen. He fought the Japanese devils, killed the skinheads, and also participated in the North Korean War. When he was transferred to civilian work due to injury, he was already the division chief of staff and a colonel. Now, he is a vice ministerial-level leader before he is even thirty years old."

As if bitten by a venomous snake, Liu Lanhua hurriedly refused: "No, our Da Mao is the only boy in the Xu family. Joining the army and going to the battlefield is a matter of life and death. I will absolutely not agree to let Da Mao join the army."