Chapter 17 Selling Jobs

Mother Wei took the stir-fry spatula from Hongyan’s hand. "Yunyi, come in and sit with Hongyan. It’s perfect timing; you can have dinner at our house tonight." Every household was tightening their belts these days, so how could Yunyi really stay? "Auntie Wei," Yunyi said, "I have something to tell you and Hongyan." Seeing the expression on Yunyi’s face, Mother Wei knew it was something serious. If it hadn’t been for Old Master Chu back then, her husband’s leg might not have been saved. Their family had always remembered this debt of gratitude. She just assumed Yunyi needed their help with something. So, she didn’t delay any further, handing the spatula to her younger son. "Hong Guo, stir-fry it a few more times and then serve the dish." Then, she pulled Yunyi into the house. "What is it? Tell me." Yunyi didn’t mention the Sun Family’s scheming; after all, she didn’t want to make it common knowledge. "Auntie Wei, Hongyan," she said, "after my grandfather passed away, that house holds too many memories. I want a temporary change of environment, so I’ve signed up to go to the countryside." Upon hearing this, Mother Wei’s eyes widened. "What? You signed up to go to the countryside?" Yunyi nodded. "Yes." Mother Wei became anxious. "Do you have any idea how hard life is in the countryside?" Yunyi quickly explained, "Auntie Wei, I just want a temporary change of scenery. I’ll come back sooner or later." Hearing Yunyi say this, Mother Wei calmed down somewhat. "Well, since you’ve already signed up, I suppose that’s how it has to be. Fortunately, you can come back anytime." After saying this, she even poked Yunyi’s forehead. She genuinely treated Yunyi with the affection one would have for a younger relative. "So, what brings you here today?" Yunyi looked at Wei Hongyan, who was beside her. "Auntie Wei, according to policy, if Hongyan can’t find a job, she’ll also have to go to the countryside." At the mention of this, both mother and daughter looked worried. "Yes," Mother Wei said with a sigh, "if she can’t find a job by the end of this month, she’ll have to go to the countryside too." Yunyi didn’t beat around the bush. "I have a job opening. I was wondering if you two might be interested?" Both mother and daughter looked at Yunyi simultaneously. They knew Yunyi’s adoptive mother had left a job for her, which was why Mother Wei had previously said Yunyi could come back anytime. When Mother Wei realized what Yunyi was offering, she quickly waved her hands. "No, absolutely not! You can’t give up that job. Without that job slot, how will you ever return to the city?" Yunyi patted her hand reassuringly. "Auntie Wei, to be honest, quite a few people are eyeing my job, but I don’t want to let some undeserving person benefit from it. When I decide to return to the city in the future, my grandfather’s and father’s friends won’t ignore me." Now that Yunyi had said so much, Mother Wei and Hongyan felt a little uneasy about accepting. Still, given the choice between staying in the city and going to the countryside to suffer, who would choose the latter? Seeing the excitement in her daughter’s eyes, Mother Wei asked for confirmation again, "Yunyi, you’re not deceiving your auntie, are you?" Yunyi smiled faintly. "Auntie Wei, you were helping out in the courtyard during my grandfather’s funeral, weren’t you? You’ve seen those people." Mother Wei naturally knew those people were not ordinary, so she stopped being hesitant. "Alright, we’ll take the job. And Auntie will remember this favor." Yunyi said with a playful pout, "Oh, Auntie Wei, listen to you, talking about favors. You and Hongyan have helped me out plenty of times too, haven’t you?" Mother Wei, grateful in her heart, replied readily, "In that case, Auntie won’t stand on ceremony with you. What do you think about eight hundred yuan?" It wasn’t that she didn’t want to give more; it was just that she would have to borrow some money to scrape that amount together. Besides, the current going rate for a permanent job was indeed around seven hundred yuan. Of course, Yunyi hadn’t intended to give the job away for free. Knowing the price was indeed fair, she nodded in agreement. Yunyi also mentioned that Sun Xiaoyan was temporarily covering the position, so they should be psychologically prepared. After all, Sun Xiaoyan would surely be furious when the duck that was practically in her mouth flew away.