country bumpkin

Since last year, various cities in China have experienced varying degrees of layoffs.

This year is 1994, and this craze has reached City B.

Lin Junhui lost his job; the Yicheng Garment Factory has already shut down intermittently several times. Every now and then, unemployed workers gather at the factory gate or the office entrance.

The factory manager and all the workshop directors were extremely anxious, like ants on a hot pan, and they all gathered together for a meeting to discuss solutions.

Wages have been owed for several months, and some employees have already left, resigning to look for other job opportunities.

Those who remained were mostly older employees and honest people who lacked technical skills and preferred a comfortable life.

Some young, intelligent, and technically skilled people have started their own businesses.

The government also supports and encourages laid-off workers to find new jobs, giving them many options.

This includes work quotas assigned by neighborhood committees and communities.

Middle-aged men and women were assigned to traffic assistance duties, standing guard and keeping watch. There were also city sanitation workers, and for a time, the streets and alleys were full of sanitation workers wearing yellow vests.

Lin Junhui also wanted to start his own business, but he didn't have much capital or any special skills, so he could only pin his hopes on the work assigned to him in the community.

That day, community workers approached Lin Junhui and told him about a traffic auxiliary posting job, asking if he would be willing to do it.

Lin Junhui agreed without hesitation; having a job is better than having no job at all.

Meanwhile, middle-aged women in the community also received the same task.

At first, everyone was somewhat reluctant, feeling that the job was both tiring and embarrassing.

But the thought of having a stable income every month made them grit their teeth and accept it.

Lin Junhui and the middle-aged women were assigned to the same intersection. At first, everyone was not used to it, their movements were not skilled, and they made quite a few jokes.

But as time went on, they gradually mastered the essentials of the job and became more and more adept at standing guard and keeping watch.

During this process, everyone helped and encouraged each other, and their relationships grew stronger.

This seemingly insignificant job allowed them to rediscover the direction and meaning of their lives.

The good times didn't last long. After a month, some of the women started to complain.

They used to work for various organizations, and their salaries were much higher than those of traffic assistants.

The salary for this job is barely enough to cover the most basic living expenses, so some people's work attitude is just to get through the work hours and leave as soon as it's time, showing no sense of responsibility whatsoever.

The same goes for those who do cleaning work. They drift through each day in a daze, just trying to appease the inspectors from above, completely unaware of what their superiors have sacrificed to relocate laid-off workers.

Lin Junhui couldn't stand their attitude. He felt that since he had accepted the job, he should do it well.

That day, while he was diligently directing traffic, a middle-aged woman started complaining about her low wages again and deliberately slacked off by hiding to the side.

Lin Junhui walked over and said seriously, "Everyone has their difficulties. This job is an opportunity given to us by the higher-ups. If everyone is like you, who will arrange jobs for us in the future?"

The woman rolled her eyes at him and said disdainfully, "Oh, you're so eager. What can you do with this little bit of money?"

Lin Junhui ignored her and continued working diligently. Soon after, community leaders came to inspect the work and saw that traffic was orderly in Lin Junhui's area, while other areas were in disarray.

The leader praised Lin Junhui and said that he would consider arranging a better job for him.

Those who had been slacking off blushed upon seeing this and began to reflect on their behavior. They wondered if they should be given a better job if they worked diligently.

Lin Junhui understood that as long as he worked hard, life would gradually get better. He wouldn't complain or blame others; he was using this job to toughen himself up for now, and he would wait for a better opportunity to make money.

As expected, hard work pays off, and the opportunity came soon.

The government has introduced some favorable policies: 1. Re-employment services and job support. The government helps laid-off workers find new jobs through targeted recruitment and vocational training, with some positions eligible for enterprise subsidies.

2. Start-up Loans and Interest Subsidies. Registered unemployed individuals and those facing employment difficulties (including people with disabilities) can apply for a guaranteed start-up loan of up to 20 yuan, with interest subsidized by special funds. Those starting micro and small enterprises can apply for loans of up to 300 million yuan.

3. Tax reductions and exemptions. Unemployed individuals of working age who have been registered as unemployed for more than six months, from zero-employment households, or from low-income households can deduct up to 1.2 yuan per year from value-added tax, urban construction tax, and other taxes and fees when engaging in self-employment.

Individuals facing employment difficulties who start their own business for the first time and operate normally for more than one year are eligible for a one-time start-up subsidy. (The above information is from online search results.)

Lin Junhui and Kong Xiufang have discussed it and are planning to take out a loan to open a clothing store.

Both of them were workers from a garment factory and had a special passion for the clothing industry.

Kong Xiufang is a seasoned technician and is full of confidence in designing new styles and creating a unique clothing store.

Having made the decision, the two began to get to work.

The first step was to apply for loans. They were all laid-off workers. They found their former workshop director, obtained a layoff certificate, and then applied for re-entrepreneurship assistance funds from the community.

I submitted the documents and waited about a week. Then I took all the documents and certificates to the bank, and it still took a month to get it done.

During the month they waited, neither of them was idle; they searched everywhere for storefronts to rent and applied for business licenses.

I've been to many places, but the place with the best business is still the city center street.

However, the rent there was too high. The amount of the loan they took out was not large, and they still needed to purchase goods and renovate. There were too many places to spend money, so in the end they could only choose a place on a small street at a crossroads 300 meters away from the main street.

This place is a forked street surrounded by shops. The main street is also bustling with people.

However, the price of storefronts on main roads is twice as high as that of storefronts on side streets.

After renting the house, Lin Junhui started looking for someone to renovate it. He also found a place that makes advertising signs and commissioned a custom-made signboard for his clothing store.

The name of the clothing store was agreed upon by the two of them: "Trendy Clothing Store".

Their clothing stores mainly design their own styles, but also sell ready-made clothes.

They will also import some special fabrics to create clothing styles that don't exist now.

Of course, we also cater to customers who need custom-made clothing. These custom-made garments are all high-end, so the prices are naturally higher, and the profit margin is larger.

When the two returned home that evening, they quickly finished their dinner and went to their bedroom, exhausted, and fell asleep immediately.

The child has always been cared for by the mother-in-law, Song Shiyue, so the couple doesn't have to worry about anything. With such a supportive mother-in-law, they can focus entirely on their careers without any concerns.