My Courtyard Shelter

Chapter 37: Starting the Job

“Are there any positions that are a bit less demanding? I don’t mind if the pay is a little lower,” Xu Dong asked, putting on a brave face. “A less demanding job?” It was the first time Director Su had heard such a blunt request. “Then join the Publicity Department. You’ll spend your days writing and drawing, and you’ll get to tag along with the leadership on outings quite often.” Xu Dong immediately shook his head and explained, “I’m not good with words, and I don’t like running around. I’ll just come out and say it: is there a job that doesn’t require any brainpower?” Director Su’s jaw nearly hit the floor. She hadn’t expected to encounter such an oddball today. The fact that he was so ungrateful made her feel slightly uncomfortable, so she teased him offhandedly: “Being a security guard is pretty easy—would you actually want to do that?” Xu Dong’s eyes lit up—that was exactly what he was looking for! He quickly asked, “Is the guardhouse short-staffed right now?” “You really want to do that?” Director Su’s furrowed brows were so tight they could’ve crushed a fly. “Of course. To be honest, I don’t have any grand ambitions—I’m just looking for a stable job to make ends meet.” “In that case, report to the Security Department tomorrow!” Director Su wore an expression of cold disappointment, as if she were scolding a wayward child. The kind of man with no ambition—who couldn’t even be propped up against a wall—was the very type she despised most in her life. “Thanks!” Xu Dong left the Power Company overjoyed and, on his way home, stopped by the school to pick up the two Ke Ke sisters and take them home together. As soon as he got home, Xu’s mother couldn’t wait to ask about the results: “So, how did it go? Did you get the job?” Yang Lina stood nearby, watching nervously. “I got the job. I’ll report for duty first thing tomorrow morning.” Xu Dong didn’t keep her in suspense; he gave her the answer straight away. Xu’s mother was instantly overjoyed, and soon Xu’s father found out as well and was delighted for Xu Dong. In the eyes of his parents, working at the Power Company meant a “iron rice bowl”—the kind of job you’d never lose for the rest of your life. At lunchtime, the whole family celebrated in style. Mrs. Xu even made a special phone call to Wang Xiujuan to express her gratitude and hinted that a generous gift would follow. The next day, Xu Dong got up early. After breakfast, he watered the vegetable garden, took the twins to school, and finally drove to the Yanjing Power Company. Upon arriving at the Power Company, since it wasn’t yet time to clock in, Xu Dong didn’t report to the Security Department right away; instead, he waited by the parking lot. At 8:25 a. m. , the person he was waiting for finally appeared, and Xu Dong, carrying a gift, walked straight up to him. “Good morning, Director Su.” Director Su opened her car door and recognized Xu Dong after a moment’s thought—after all, he had made such a strong impression on her the day before. “It’s you, Xiao Xu. You’re here to report for duty today, right? What brings you to me?” “Nothing in particular,” Xu Dong quickly shook his head, then explained: “Director Su, you helped me so much yesterday, and I didn’t know how else to thank you, so I just brought you some local specialties. I hope you don’t mind.” Director Su gave Xu Dong a meaningful look. She hadn’t expected him to be such a seasoned veteran of the workplace—he’d actually thought to bring her a gift. “No need. You should take the gift back. I didn’t really do you any favors—you got this job entirely on your own merits.” Director Su maintained a strictly professional demeanor. Xu Dong, however, didn’t hesitate—he simply placed the gift on the driver’s seat, turned, and walked away, ignoring Director Su’s repeated calls. Leaving the parking lot, Xu Dong wasted no time. After asking around, he made his way to the office of the head of the Security Department. “Knock, knock, knock…” “Come in!” “Hello, Section Chief Li. I’m here to report for duty…” Section Chief Li stood up from his seat and interrupted, “Xu Dong, right? Director Su just called me. Come on, I’ll take you to complete your onboarding paperwork.” “Thank you for your help,” Xu Dong said politely. Section Chief Li seemed very approachable. “It’s no trouble at all—I don’t have anything else to do this early in the morning anyway.” After about ten minutes, the onboarding procedures were finally complete. From now on, Xu Dong was a full-time employee of Yanjing Power Company. Back in Section Chief Li’s office, he motioned for Xu Dong to sit down and then began assigning him his duties. “Xu, our Security Department has a total of 13 full-time employees, including you, plus 25 temporary workers. We currently have four duty stations. The first post is in the monitoring room; the second is at the South Gate guardhouse; the third is at the Beimen gate guardhouse; and the last is in the parking lot. So, which post would you like to work at?” Xu Dong scratched his head, unsure which post to choose, and finally mustered the courage to ask, “Section Chief Li…” Section Chief Li waved his hand. “When we’re alone, just call me Uncle Li—that’s what everyone calls me.” “Well… Uncle Li, which post has lighter duties and offers more freedom? To be honest with you, I really hate hassle.” “Then go to the Beimen guardhouse. Beimen is the employee entrance—there aren’t as many rules there, so it should suit you,” Section Chief Li decided. Xu Dong nodded: “Okay, I’ll go to Beimen.” Section Chief Li took a sip of water and continued, “There are four people at Beimen in total. You’ll serve as the deputy team leader there. The team leader is Old Zhu—he’s getting on in years and doesn’t really handle much day-to-day work. From now on, you’ll be in charge of Beimen’s daily operations.” “Thank you, sir, for the promotion!” Xu Dong didn’t refuse. As the saying goes, “It’s easier to deal with the King of Hell than his minions.” Deputy captain it is—at least he wouldn’t have to worry about anyone trying to make his life difficult. Section Chief Li laughed and scolded him, “Don’t try to pull the wool over my eyes. Do your job well and don’t let Director Su or me down.” “Rest assured!” Xu Dong assured him, pounding his chest. “All right, go change your uniform right away. I’ll personally take you over to Beimen in a bit.” Section Chief Li waved his hand, shooing Xu Dong away. Half an hour later, Xu Dong followed Section Chief Li to the Beimen guardhouse. Before they even went inside, they could hear the sound of lively discussion coming from within. Compared to the solemn orderliness of the South Gate, Beimen was indeed much more relaxed and informal. “Have you heard? There’s a luxury Mercedes-Benz worth over 5 million in the parking lot. I wonder which official just got a new ride?” “Who’d dare be so flashy? Aren’t they afraid of getting investigated?” “It’s probably a visitor’s car, right?” “No, the surveillance team checked Company’s internal records—it’s a car belonging to one of our employees. It was just registered this morning.” “I haven’t heard anything about a new executive coming to the Company.” “Who knows!” Hearing this, Section Chief Li’s face darkened. It was one thing for this group to chat during work hours, but to actually gossip about the executives was another matter entirely. “Ahem…” “Section Chief, you’re here!” The guardhouse fell silent instantly. “No chatting during work hours. If you want to chat, do it after work—there’s plenty of time then…” It took a good while before Section Chief Li remembered the matter at hand: “All right, that’s enough for today. Next, I’d like to introduce a new colleague—he’ll be your deputy captain here at Beimen. Please give him a warm welcome with a round of applause.” “Clap, clap, clap…” “Xu Dong, why don’t you introduce yourself?” Section Chief Li said with a smile. Xu Dong cleared his throat: “Hello, everyone. My name is Xu Dong—‘Xu’ as in Xuzhou, and ‘Dong’ as in the East. I’m 34 years old and originally from Luyang. I look forward to your support.” Just as everyone was about to applaud again, Xu Dong blurted out, as if possessed: “Oh, by the way, that Mercedes-Benz you were just talking about—I actually drove it here!