My Courtyard Shelter

Chapter 36: The Power Company

After the birthday party, Xu’s dad was the first to present a smartwatch; Xu’s mom gave a pair of gloves she’d knitted herself; and Yang Lina gave a pretty dress. As for the triplets, guided by everyone, each of them said in turn: “Happy… Birthday!” Finally, Xu Dong also brought out the birthday gifts he had prepared: a pair of substantial gold bracelets for each child, along with a tablet. The gold bracelets were adult-sized, so they would have to wait until they grew up to wear them—a precaution taken for the girls’ safety. Meanwhile, after Wang Xiujuan and Zheng Yan—mother-in-law and daughter-in-law—returned home, they were rummaging through the special gifts they’d just brought back. “Two dried chickens, two dried rabbits, two dried geese—and there are even ten buckets of formula! What a generous gift! Mom, why did Auntie give our family so many presents?” Zheng Yan asked curiously. Wang Xiujuan replied irritably, “What other reason could there be? She’s obviously asking for a favor!” “Their family seems to be doing pretty well. What could they possibly need Old Zhang’s help with? Is it something business-related?” Zheng Yan asked , frowning. “That’s not the kind of favor you want to do!” At the same time, she couldn’t bear to part with these gifts. “It’s not a business matter—otherwise, I wouldn’t have accepted them,” Wang Xiujuan shook her head. “Then what is it exactly?” “It’s really no big deal—just helping their son, Xu Dong, find a job within the government system. It doesn’t matter if it’s a permanent position or not,” Wang Xiujuan replied, ruffling her granddaughter’s hair. Zheng Yan was taken aback and asked in surprise, “Her son is already quite old—if he joins the civil service now, he’ll have virtually no prospects for advancement. What on earth are they hoping to gain from this?” “Stability, of course!” Wang Xiujuan continued her explanation: “According to Aunt Zhang, ever since Xiao Xu quit his job, he’s either been hanging around aimlessly or holed up at home all day. If this keeps up, he’ll end up a total waste of a person.” “No way. He seems pretty energetic to me. It’s not as bad as you guys make it out to be, is it?” Zheng Yan couldn’t see any signs of decline in Xu Dong. “He might seem fine now, but it won’t last. Over time, he’ll get lazier and lazier—he’ll lie down whenever he can instead of sitting up—and by then, it’ll be hard to set him straight.” Wang Xiujuan spoke with the air of someone who’d been there before. Seeing that her mother-in-law had talked herself hoarse, Zheng Yan poured her a glass of water, then gritted her teeth and said: “I’ll give Old Zhang a call in a bit and have him just set him up with any job. It shouldn’t be too hard.” Wang Xiujuan took a sip of water and objected, explaining: “Aunt Zhang’s family isn’t just any ordinary family. Even though she says her standards aren’t high, she’s just saying that—don’t take it seriously, or you’ll end up offending people. In my opinion, it’s just a job—it doesn’t have to be a top-tier position, since her family isn’t short on money. But it has to be at a major organization. That’s what will save face. Old Zhang cares about face more than anything—let’s play to his strengths, and we can’t go wrong.” Zheng Yan thought her mother-in-law made a lot of sense, so she nodded and said, “I know what to say now.” Early the next morning, Mrs. Xu received a call from Wang Xiujuan. It turned out there was already a lead on the job, and she asked Xu Dong to go in for an interview that morning—it was basically just a formality. After hanging up, Xu’s mom walked out into the courtyard and hurriedly pulled Xu Dong up from his lounge chair. “Mom, what are you doing?” “Hurry up and put on some proper clothes. Aunt Wang has found you a job—they’re just waiting for you to go in for the interview,” Mrs. Xu replied. Xu Dong almost thought he’d heard wrong. When had he ever said he was looking for a job? And who was this “Aunt Wang”? No wonder Mom had been so determined to give that gift yesterday. “Can’t I just… not go?” Xu Dong asked tentatively. In his previous life, he’d had no choice—he’d worked himself to the bone for nearly a decade, only to be practically worked to death in the end. In this life, he never wanted to work hard again. He’d just scrape by in the Siheyuan—after all, he had plenty to eat and drink, and he could live out his days in comfort. Xu’s mom’s tone was unwavering: “No, you have to go—unless you no longer recognize me and your dad as your parents. If that’s really how you feel, then your dad and I will head back to Luyang tomorrow.” Xu Dong shook his head with a wry smile. He really couldn’t refuse that—he owed his parents too much in his past life, and he had to make it up to them in this one. Besides, his parents were only looking out for his best interests. “And don’t even think about sabotaging this. If it doesn’t work out this time, there’ll be a next time, and the time after that—until you finally land the job,” Mrs. Xu hurriedly added. “Fine, I’ll go,” Xu Dong said helplessly. “By the way, which Company did Aunt Wang recommend?” Mrs. Xu’s face immediately lit up with joy: “Your Aunt Wang really is one of a kind. This time, she’s set you up with the Power Company—so many people would kill to get in there!” Xu Dong was somewhat surprised. If it was a Power Company, getting in wouldn’t be half bad—it would be like having a “good-luck charm” attached to him. After all, Power Companies have always been “guardian pillars of the nation,” and their importance will only grow in the future. So he pressed further, “Is it the Daxia Power Grid or the Xia Electric Group?” Of the two companies, the former sells electricity and is a monopoly; its benefits are said to rank second among state-owned enterprises, second only to Daxia Tobacco. the latter generates electricity, and its status is set to rise even further in the future—though the downside is that power plants are mostly located in the suburbs, making the commute rather inconvenient. “It doesn’t seem to be either of those.” Xu’s mom was a bit unsure, so she quickly pulled up the text message she’d just received and confirmed, “It’s the Yanjing City Power Company.” Xu Dong pulled out his phone to look up the Company’s profile and discovered it was actually a subsidiary of the Daxia Power Grid in Yanjing—and, crucially, it was close to home, just a half-hour drive away. It seemed like a decent option, so he decided to go check it out first. An hour later, Xu Dong, dressed in a suit, arrived at the headquarters of the Yanjing City Power Company. The headquarters building had a distinctive design, featuring a typical large-eave architectural style; it appeared to be an old building from the early 20th century. Since he had made an appointment in advance, Xu Dong filled out his resume and was ushered into an office in less than ten minutes. The interviewer was a female executive in her forties. She wore glasses, had her hair pulled back into a bun, and maintained a serious expression; her every gesture exuded shrewdness and competence. “Hello, I’m Xu Dong, here for the interview.” Xu Dong seemed a bit nervous—after all, it was his first time interviewing at a large state-owned enterprise like this. The female executive nodded, motioned for Xu Dong to sit down, and then introduced herself: “My surname is Su. I’m the Director of the Company’s Human Resources Department. You can call me Director Su.” “Hello, Director Su!” “I’ve reviewed your resume, and you generally meet our hiring requirements. As it happens, Company is actively expanding in accordance with instructions from higher-ups, so there are plenty of job opportunities,” Director Su explained. “Looks like I’m in luck.” Next, Director Su asked a few routine interview questions, and Xu Dong answered honestly, giving straightforward, unremarkable responses. His answers weren’t particularly outstanding, but there was nothing to fault either. Although Director Su didn’t say so explicitly at the end, he gave a clear hint that Xu Dong would definitely be hired. Xu Dong quickly thanked him: “Thank you so much!” “You’re welcome. I’d like to hear what your expectations are for the position first.” After all, the person before him had been referred by an old acquaintance, Zhang Kai, who was reportedly about to be promoted again, so Director Su was willing to go the extra mile.