T.N: Here it is, today’s extra chapter!
In front of so many people, Shu Ran did not dare to stare at Xu Shen for too long, otherwise… They might get caught looking at each other, surrounded by a thick atmosphere that could not be dissipated… He had no idea why it was so obvious! Well, at least their friends thought it was obvious.
Shu Ran originally refuted them, but that was because he didn’t know better. It wasn’t until later that he and Xu Shen looked in the mirror together and found out that everything was true. No matter how he looked at Xu Shen or Xu Shen looked at him, their eyes were shining…
“I think I deserve that praise…” Shu Ran remembered that annoying Yuan Jun, and said for Chen Kai’s sake: “Being hit by me means there is still hope.” At least he now knew what he was. After all, it was a good thing for a person to discover their lower limit.
Everyone present was shocked. How could a man talk like that?!
Xu Shen lowered his head and smiled to himself. None of those people had ever experienced Shu Ran’s temperament, and it would probably be difficult to adapt to it for a while.
“…” Yuan Xiaobing was particularly embarrassed. Yuan Jun might have been a bit confused, but at least he was her fourth brother. This friend of Xu Shen’s really dared to pinpoint the problem, leaving her completely speechless.
“How are the recruitment talks going?” Xu Shen coughed lightly and looked at the school leader: “Can we go and see the graduating class? Let’s send out our recruitment flyer.”
“Yes, we might as well take advantage of the big break now and not waste the students’ time.” Shu Ran said.
“Just looking at the flyer cannot reflect the sincerity of our recruitment…”
Xu Shen and Shu Ran sang in harmony.
“Yes, employees and bosses should have a two-way discussion. We want employees to know our entrepreneurial philosophy and original intention.” Shu Ran looked at the school leader and briefly elaborated: “For example, I hope that our unit will give everyone who joins us more meaning than just receiving a salary.”
“Well said!” The school leader looked at them with great admiration and applauded that ideal: “Your entrepreneurial spirit is very good and serious. That’s precisely what I think young entrepreneurs should be like! Let’s go, I’ll take you there.” After that, he said to Yuan Xiaobing: “Teacher Yuan, are you coming as well?”
Yuan Xiaobing was stunned when she heard Shu Ran’s powerful words. She came to her senses and barely managed to mutter: “Oh, okay, then I’ll go take a look too…”
She couldn’t help but think of her eldest brother Yuan Feng, who was also in business, but it seemed that she had never seen such a spiritual pursuit in her eldest brother… Comparing the two, she actually felt that it was the man with lofty ideals in front of her that could be called an outstanding young entrepreneur of the new era!
Her eldest brother just inherited the resources from his father’s generation. In the eyes of her father and eldest brother, a company built with independent employees would never be successful.
The only one who was accustomed to everything was Xu Shen. It was normal for his wife to think like that since every single one of his ideals was lofty. Shu Ran was obviously doing business, but his eyes were clear and pure, and his hands didn’t smell of copper at all.
Xu Shen could understand it, after all, he lived his life following the same principles. Never cared much about money, and just found a way for everyone who followed him to live a good life.
Walking in the school corridor, he whispered to Shu Ran: “You said something that I wanted to say, but I never knew how to summarize it.”
“Then I’ll be your mouth extension.” Shu Ran said.
“Mouth extension?” Xu Shen smacked the new words and smiled.
Shu Ran also smiled: “Yeah.”
It felt so good for the two of them to walk side by side, both walking with the wind in their step, and everyone else left behind, but it was still too close. Shu Ran took a breath, suppressed his desire to get even closer, and pulled away abruptly: “Boss Xu, let’s do business!”
“Okay.” Xu Shen also suppressed his turbulent emotions and held his breath, a few steps behind. It was really refreshing to see his wife’s back from that angle, but it was easy to give birth to different thoughts, so he took a slow breath.
Shu Ran made some impromptu remarks to several graduating classes. In addition to introducing his work unit, the most important thing he wanted to express was: “Students, if you want to go to college, please continue to take the college entrance examination seriously. Don’t be affected by the noise outside, and don’t be in a hurry to start working. Reading is also useful. If you are hesitating or shrinking, please hold on. Don’t let the difficulties in front of you stop you from flying high. If you get through it, you will win!”
If you really can’t get through it or don’t want to get through it anymore, then you can come to our company, which is also a very good choice!
The teachers often said those words in class, but now that Shu Ran said it again, it was still recognized by the students. Everyone stood up and applauded, and then actively asked for the resume forms.
Even the students who wanted to go to college were aroused by Shu Ran’s enthusiasm and became curious about their unit and wanted to know more about it.
“He is really good at mobilizing people…” Yuan Xiaobing clapped and whispered: “Xu Shen, where did you meet this talented person, and which school did he graduate from?”
He looked like he came from a big city, and had a sense of confidence and boldness that couldn’t be cultivated in a small place.
Xu Shen was also looking at Shu Ran. Others were staring openly, so he had to be more cautious and careful: “He came to my door himself, asking to follow me… To cooperate with me.”
“Then you are really lucky.” Yuan Xiaobing was incredulous.
“Yes.” Xu Shen thought to himself, isn’t that right? His whole life’s luck had been just like that, and he sincerely hoped that his luck could last a little longer.
Shu Ran glanced at him, and Xu Shen immediately went over to help issue the form. The moment the two parties handed over the papers, Xu Shen hooked his finger on Shu Ran’s palm, and Shu Ran responded quickly by also touching him.
The two sides then casually passed each other and went in different directions to express their opinions to the students.
Soon, all the 100 forms prepared for that high school were distributed.
In the end, the two of them answered the students’ questions and then said goodbye to the school leader, saying they still had to go to the next school and advertise their business in the afternoon.
“Just, leaving like this?!” Shu Ran looked back and saw Chen Kai’s childhood sweetheart stupidly standing there.
“Well, what else?” Xu Shen also glanced back and reached out to take the briefcase from his wife’s hand, looking more and more like a competent and capable driver: “Don’t worry, she and I are not as familiar as you think.”
Shu Ran rubbed his cold fingers and muttered: “I didn’t imagine just how familiar you two were…”
“That’s good, I’m afraid you might misunderstand something.” Seeing that there was no one around, Xu Shen whispered: “The look you gave me just now scared me to the core.”
“Just now?”
“Um.”
Shu Ran recalled: “What did I misunderstand?” Wait, Xu Shen must have misunderstood that he was jealous, right?!
He was speechless. “I looked at you like that because you don’t have the eyesight to see the light, okay? It’s not like you are not allowed to talk to the opposite sex!” In Xu Shen’s mind, what kind of person has he become?! He was apparently more blinded by love than everyone else!
“Really?” Xu Shen said.
“Why, you seem quite… Lost?!” Shu Ran’s face was full of disbelief. He really felt that Xu Shen actually wanted him to be jealous and go crazy. “Hey, you are so amazing!”
“Thank you for the compliment!” Xu Shen smiled with the corner of his mouth raised, jogged to the parking lot, and opened the car door for Shu Ran: “Boss Shu, please get in the car.”
“I’m not complimenting you, please understand.” After Shu Ran got in the car, he picked up a blanket and covered his legs. Although he was wearing long johns underneath, his suit was still not as warm as wearing cotton-padded clothes in winter!
Ahh… Cotton padded coats were the best!!!1He is using YYDS here, which apparently is some Chinese Internet slang. YYDS is the acronym of the romanization of the phrase Yong Yuan De Shen (永远的神), meaning “forever god” or “always the god”, and its usage is similar to how GOAT (Greatest of All Time) is used in the English language social media sphere. Like most Chinese Internet slang, YYDS originated from the online gaming community
“Brother Shen.” Shu Ran called out.
“Huh?” Xu Shen walked around the front of the car and sat in the driver’s seat, fastening his seat belt: “What’s the matter, wifey?”
“I really won’t be jealous, so…” Shu Ran continued: “You better tell me honestly if you had a situation with her.” Otherwise, this store won’t be available in the next village!
“…” Xu Shen felt a variety of emotions in his heart, half sweet and half helpless. “Okay, then I’ll tell you the truth.”
Shu Ran raised his chin proudly and waited.
“To be honest, you look so good today, it makes me want to…” Xu Shen gestured his meaning with his hands.
“I know this, you don’t need to tell me.” Shu Ran clicked his tongue. It’s not like he didn’t look in the mirror. Even outsiders would look at him a few more times when he dressed like that, let alone Xu Shen, that hungry wolf: “Hurry up, you know what kind of truth I want to hear!”
“Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to delay the time.” Xu Shen paused and said honestly: “Actually, you guessed it, right? It’s just that… She did like me, but it was only a very superficial liking. I never responded and she wasn’t persistent.”
Shu Ran nodded, having guessed it, so there was no surprise: “Don’t be nervous, I have heard Aunt Feng tell everyone about your peach blossoms.”
Xu Shen was helpless: “What kind of peach blossoms? Where did I even get one?!” If he really wanted to talk about romantic affairs, there was only one, the one he had with Shu Ran, a peach blossom that was both fragrant and gorgeous.
“She said you went to work at the store and attracted countless admirers. All those little girls still miss you to this day.” Shu Ran curled his lips.
“I didn’t pay attention, and I don’t care!” Xu Shen looked sideways at him, feeling fresh: “You’re not really jealous, are you?”
“I have to swallow it, otherwise it will show that I am nervous about you.” Shu Ran said.
“Okay!” Xu Shen smiled brightly. Regardless of whether it was true or not, he was coaxed anyway.
In the afternoon, the temperature seemed to be getting lower again, so Shu Ran changed into a thicker coat before going back to work. Xu Shen accompanied him to the remaining schools, and the propaganda work came to an end. It was almost dusk, and both of them were too lazy to go back and cook, so they took the opportunity to settle the matter on the street.
They barely managed to sit down when they heard the people next to them discussing that the country had a new policy. People who were now 16 or older needed to apply for ID cards. The process was quite complicated, and everyone was forced to take photos and submit documents.
That was a really important thing. The first generation of ID cards was finally launched that year.
“Didn’t you read the newspaper today? How come you ignored such an important situation?” Shu Ran asked.
“I didn’t read it. I was busy looking at you.” Xu Shen fished out a glutinous rice dumpling for Shu Ran. Actually, that wasn’t really a lie. Yesterday, he was busy discussing today’s recruitment with Shu Ran. When he got up, he didn’t bother to buy a newspaper or turn on the radio either. “Feels like we still have to buy a TV.”
Shu Ran didn’t object. Buying a TV was no longer a pain for their savings, so they could buy whatever they wanted.
“What’s wrong?” Xu Shen kept paying attention to the people around him and instantly noticed Shu Ran’s absent-mindedness. He was very concerned: “Are you bothered about work or…”
“No…” The work was nothing to worry about, since everything went according to plan, step by step. Shu Ran picked up the small handkerchief Xu Shen gave him and wiped the soup from the corner of his mouth: “Brother Shen, it’s time to get an ID card. This is a good opportunity to change my name.”
“Do you want to change your name?” Xu Shen agreed unconditionally. “Then change it, as long as you are happy.”
Shu Ran glanced at him and nodded.
Since he had to get an ID card, he wanted his name to be printed on it. Fortunately, Xu Shen didn’t ask him why he wanted to change his name.
Shu Ran not only wanted to change his name but also wanted to bring his household registration to the city. He discussed his idea with Xu Shen, and the two of them asked Jiang Fan to go to the relevant units and find out what the process was.
“It’s simple.” Jiang Fan thought it was quite simple before he even asked about it. After going back to his brother and sister-in-law, he told Shu Ran and the others the next day: “You can settle down if you have a house in the city. Brother Shen, hurry up and buy a small mansion for Shu Ran.”
Shu Ran immediately refused: “I don’t want a small Western-style house, just buy a shabby old one. The place we live in now is quite good.”
Now that Xu Shen had money, he really wanted to buy a small Western-style building for Shu Ran. He kept imagining Shu Ran wearing a suit and fancy coat, walking inside a mansion… The scene was very eye-catching, but Shu Ran had to agree to it first.
“We are going to build four or five new factories soon. How can we waste money?” Shu Ran shattered Xu Shen’s good wishes: “Listen to me now, and the buildings we’ll buy in the future will be better.”
He didn’t want a mansion, and Xu Shen couldn’t forcefully buy it: “Okay, it’s up to you.”
Then he immediately started looking for a suitable old and poor house to settle down. That process reminded Shu Ran that demolition was also a profitable business.
“Instead of spending money to buy a new Western-style building, it’s better to spend money to buy an old house in the city.” Shu Ran said: “Buy as much as you can, you can buy it with your eyes closed!”
“Okay, I’ll listen to you.” Xu Shen continued to sing the same tune.
He went out early and came back late for a few days, looking for old houses that were cheap and in good locations. Among them, the neighborhood where Dr. Hu, the one who treated Shu Ran lived, had a few houses for sale.
Shu Ran walked around and compared the prices. He was so excited that he just had to write the word “buy, buy, buy!” on his face: “Brother Shen, this is a big deal. We need to buy all these old houses. It will definitely be valuable in the future, trust me!”
“Okay.” Xu Shen looked at his wife’s radiant face. He didn’t know if it was a big deal or not. In short, it was enough if Shu Ran was happy: “By the way, Dr. Hu also wants to sell an old house. His children work outside, so the house was left empty and in ruins.”
“Let him… Keep it for now. Don’t sell it.” Shu Ran advised. “Anyway, it’s not worth much money if they sell it now. It’s better to leave something for the future generations.” Old Doctor Hu’s grandchildren would be grateful for that decision in the future!
“Then I’ll advise him.” Xu Shen said.
Jiang Fan and the others were a little confused when they heard that Shu Ran wanted to buy so many old houses. There was no need to actually settle down…
“It’s an investment!” Shu Ran said. “The city will expand in the future. Don’t look at the location now. Sooner or later, everyone will come to build here. We will definitely not lose money.”
“Anyway, it’s not expensive now. I think it’s a good long-term investment.” Xu Shen helped his wife.
Everyone thought: Of course you can, you are only thinking about your wife, and what you said has no reference value at all!
“That’s actually true.” Chen Sen said: “The development trend in various places is getting closer to the concept of a big city. In the future, if cities absorb more people, the map will expand and houses will definitely be more expensive.”
“That’s right!” Shu Ran praised Chen Sen and explained his forward-looking thinking: “We often go to the coast. That’s how the city develops there, right, Brother Shen?”
“Yes.” Xu Shen was determined to protect his wife.
Anyway, there was no risk in investing in real estate. It was in fact less risky than opening a factory, and there was no need to cheat their brothers.
In the end, everyone thought about it and chose to believe in Shu Ran’s unique vision. After all, the money in their hands came from Shu Ran, so why not be reckless again?
So everyone pooled their money together and bought all the old houses in that area. After completing the procedures, Shu Ran could go and change his household registration.
Xu Shen accompanied Shu Ran back to the village to get his papers, saying that he had moved to a work unit. His family agreed, and he was not hindered in any way. They were even envious. Back in those days, having an urban household registration was more valuable than a rural one, and everyone wanted to move to the city.
“Can the second girl’s household registration also be transferred to the work unit?” Zhou Guodong wished he could move his entire family’s household registrations to the city, and even moving them one by one made him proud.
Shu Ran was startled: “Of course, she can.” In fact, he had no idea if it was possible. He still had to go back and ask about it.
Anyway, it was a certainty that his household registration was about to change. When the time came, he could also change his name, making him feel like his relationship with the Zhou family was finally gone. In the future, whether he looked back or not depended on himself, rather than being morally kidnapped by his relatives. Everything was suddenly so much easier, and even Zhou Guodong’s face looked much more pleasing to the eye.
Shu Ran basked in an inexplicably good mood. After coming out of the house, he took a deep breath of the country air, and the fragrance of freedom filled his chest. The day he transmigrated, Shu Ran never thought that he had the potential to be a winner in life, but now it seemed that money, fame, and love were all at his fingertips.
“We are going to get ID photos tomorrow. Do you want to get a haircut?” Xu Shen glanced at himself in the rear mirror. In the past two years, young people from the mainland preferred longer hairstyles, popular with the stars from Hong Kong and Taiwan. But in Shu Ran’s eyes, it was called an auntie’s hairstyle, and he hated it. Every two months, he and Xu Shen would get haircuts that were so fashionable that all their friends wanted to abandon them. They were simply the most fashionable pair of husbands in the entire province!
Chen Kai said that Shu Ran was partial since he obviously only had eyes for Xu Shen’s head. However, Shu Ran felt extremely wronged. How was he partial?! It was obviously a difference in hardware conditions!
“I don’t think it’s necessary, I’m not tired of seeing this yet.” Shu Ran said. At night, Xu Shen loved him regardless of his trendy image, and he still liked his current hairstyle very much, thinking it was very cool: “I’ll change it after I don’t feel it anymore.”
“Okay, then change it when you don’t feel it anymore.” After Xu Shen said that, he felt something was wrong so he quickly emphasized: “You can change your hairstyle, but don’t change the person.”
“Of course, I won’t change!” Shu Ran rolled his eyes at him: “Only you can get this. Or… Do you want me to roleplay as someone else?”
“Hey, stop talking.” Xu Shen hissed and stopped the topic.
“Are you starting to feel it?” Shu Ran giggled.
Xu Shen was a little embarrassed to be laughed at, making him look like a man who had dirty thoughts all day long. In fact, he was not such a person to begin with!
It was time to plow the fields in the spring, and everything outside was green. After making fun of Xu Shen, Shu Ran looked at the pastoral scenery outside the window to rest his eyes. For the rich, the countryside was a paradise away from the hustle and bustle, but with no money in their pockets, it was a constraint for many people.
“Let’s take a photo at the photo studio?” Xu Shen looked over and asked Shu Ran.
“Okay.” Shu Ran thought for a while. Now that the Government was urging people to get an ID, the photo studio might be… A little crowded.
…………
He had guessed the situation but never expected it to be that crowded! It looked like a sea of people, making Shu Ran feel completely frightened. “How about…”
“We only have three months to comply, and half a month is already gone…” Xu Shen was also frightened. It was really crowded, and it was easy to guess that the other photo studios were in the same situation. He sighed: “Otherwise, everyone wouldn’t have come here.”
Shu Ran smiled bitterly: “Then let’s squeeze.”
As for the photographer who was taking one picture every five seconds, Xu Shen was thinking about the fate of his wife’s beautiful picture… Tsk tsk tsk, as long as the collar was not crooked!
“You squeeze in front of me.” Xu Shen pulled Shu Ran into his arms, hugging his beloved baby with peace of mind and occasionally placing his chin on the back of his head.
“Want to show off how tall you are?” Shu Ran pinched the fingers that were often intertwined in the big pocket of his cotton-padded coat.
“What?” The crowd was huge and they didn’t dare to speak loudly, so Xu Shen didn’t hear clearly. He lowered his head and came closer, but Shu Ran quickly pushed him away. That gesture was too ambiguous, and everyone around them was instantly blinded!
Xu Shen smiled and queued up honestly.
After waiting for about half an hour, they were finally in line. The two of them took turns to go in and take photos. A week later, they could go to the police station and apply for new IDs, and then wait again. The cycle was so long that there was no need to rush it.
“Let’s go back and organize everyone to take turns taking their photos. Be sure to submit all the information within a month.” Shu Ran said.
Xu Shen nodded: “Okay.”
Their brothers were not highly educated and not sensitive to those new policies. Without someone to take the lead, they were at a loss and didn’t know what to do.
Shu Ran was always very considerate, and being with him directly increased Xu Shen’s favorable impression of cultural people.
Over the following week, workers in the factory went to take photos in batches without affecting the working hours. Xu Shen took care of everyone and also picked up his ID photo on the last day. Since he told the photo studio that they were brothers, Xu Shen also got Shu Ran’s ID photo and couldn’t wait to take it out for a look.
It was a very small photo in black and white, but it didn’t detract from his wife’s style. In the photo, Shu Ran looked as confident as ever, with a smile on his lips and looking very handsome.
The black and white photo also covered up the “flaws” of his tender face, making Xu Shen catch a glimpse of a slightly more mature Shu Ran, a future heroic and dazzling man in his twenties.
Xu Shen found an opportunity when no one was around, kissed the photo, and then carefully put it into his pocket. He didn’t even look at his own photo much.
After returning home, Shu Ran wanted to see his husband’s ID photo immediately, and then just like him, he held the small photo and admired it endlessly. “Why didn’t you smile at that time? You are so serious!” Shu Ran was moved upon seeing the finished product. What kind of handsome man was that, full of the style of the Republic of China? His features were so handsome, and even his temperament revealed a taste of someone who would rather die than surrender. “Look at those pursed lips! Who stole your sweets?!”
“No…” Xu Shen also took a look and recalled: “I wasn’t even ready at the time, but the photographer just said it was okay. I was shocked.”
“Hahaha!” Shu Ran understood that it was a snapshot. It seemed that the photographer was a master, a real soul photographer, and someone who could capture such a touching picture: “It’s fine, not smiling is not smiling, but it looks like…”
“What does it look like?” Xu Shen was not a narcissist. He didn’t even look at his picture. Instead, he took Shu Ran’s and said: “I’ll keep one with me.”
“It looks like I want to knock you down.” Shu Ran clicked his tongue. “I want to see what this straight face looks like when it’s rough.”
Xu Shen smiled: “It’s not like you haven’t seen it before.”
After saying that, he put the small photo of Shu Ran into his wallet, touched it through the transparent soft plastic, and kissed it again.
Shu Ran really couldn’t stand him: “Are you here to marry me again?! After posting my photo, how can you take out your wallet in the future?! Use a coin to block it!”
“Don’t want to block it.” Xu Shen said. “I’ll just not let people see.”
“Then I want one too.” Shu Ran confiscated the picture in his hand and planned to place it in a pocket watch to play with the retro style.
The two sorted out the photos and information and went to the police station the next day to apply for the new IDs. By the way, they also asked if the rural household registration could be transferred to the collective household registration of the work unit, and the answer was yes.
Shu Ran: “Then let’s move it to the work unit first…Whether she gets married later or buys her own house and settles down, it’s just a formality.”
“Yes.” Xu Shen agreed, but then remembered: “Our sister didn’t move hers either, let’s do both this time.”
“Yeah, let’s do it all.” Shu Ran always felt that in such a patriarchal society, women having their own independent household registration would actually increase their sense of security.
And so, with Shu Ran’s help, both Zhou Hui and Zhou Lan moved their household registrations to the city, and Shu Ran also moved his. On paper, everyone stayed in one of the old and shabby houses, becoming neighbors with old Dr. Hu.
Under Xu Shen’s persuasion, Dr. Hu’s children did not sell the old house in their hands. Anyway, that small amount of money would not improve their current life for the time being, so they might as well keep it for later.
Shu Ran was quite pleased to hear that news.
…………
By the time the new ID card reform came to an end, it was already April. Around the Qingming Festival, everyone had the habit of worshiping their ancestors, so the factory also issued a three-day holiday.
The Zhou family also wanted to worship their ancestors, but Shu Ran didn’t plan on going, just asking Zhou Lan to bring his share. Since Xu Shen had no ancestors, he continued to run around opening new factories while the others were on holiday. Jiang Fan’s wings were also stiff and he was about to bully his masters and destroy his ancestors, with no plans to go back no matter how hard the Capital called him.
On the other side, the Chen brothers chose to go to the prison in the next city and visit their father.
“Um, is it really appropriate to visit uncle… On the Qingming Festival2The Qingming Festival or Ching Ming Festival, also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day in English (sometimes also called Chinese Memorial Day, Ancestors’ Day, the Clear Brightness Festival, or the Pure Brightness Festival), is a traditional Chinese festival observed by ethnic Chinese in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. A celebration of spring, it falls on the first day of the fifth solar term (also called Qingming) of the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar. This makes it the 15th day after the Spring Equinox, either 4, 5 or 6 April in a given year. During Qingming, Chinese families visit the tombs of their ancestors to clean the gravesites and make ritual offerings to their ancestors. Offerings would typically include traditional food dishes and the burning of joss sticks and joss paper. The holiday recognizes the traditional reverence of one’s ancestors in Chinese culture?!” Shu Ran heard their plan and was worried that reality would slap them in the mouth if they went.
“It’s okay. We were as busy as spinning tops everyday. There is no free time except for the Qingming Festival.” Chen Kai shook his legs and continued: “My dad doesn’t care about this. When he finds out that we are now successful, he might be happy enough to eat two more bowls of rice!”
Shu Ran laughed. Thinking about it, it was really possible. He heard that father Chen was also a fun-loving person, just like the upgraded version of his two sons. A man who was both brave and resourceful.
Of course, it was Chen Kai who boasted about it. His brother stayed on the sidelines.
Everyone had some sort of arrangement and only Shu Ran was left.
With so much free time in hand, he made another trip to the school and said that the new factory building was ready, and workers could receive pre-job training as soon as they arrived. He also visited the job recruitment markets, hoping to find a few clerks to do easy jobs such as cashiering and order-documenting.
In Shu Ran’s impression, those types of jobs were more suitable for girls, but when he came to the job market to ask, the agents only recommended men, which was easy to understand.
But what he didn’t understand was the weird look in the agent’s eyes when he asked for female employees. What… What happened?!
Shu Ran proceeded to ignore him: “Please show me the resumes of the female job seekers.”
And the agent had no choice but to show him the information.
The construction of three new factories started in late April, so they needed at least nine more employees. Therefore, Shu Ran was not limited in his search for people. If he saw someone good, he would ask the agency to contact them. If that person was successful in applying, he could wait to get familiar with the job first and then later continue to open new factories and transfer them there.
Seeing that he was recruiting so many people at once, the agent almost thought he had met a scammer, although he didn’t look like one, dressed in a fresh style and wearing a valuable-looking watch on his wrist.
On his birthday back in March, Xu Shen gave him a good watch, which he never took off. The agent’s eyes were very discerning. According to the consumption level of that era, it was indeed a luxury product.
After Shu Ran finished selecting people, he went back and waited. Those job seekers were notified that they could come to the unit for interviews after the holiday. The competition for free positions was very fierce back in those days, and everyone selected by Shu Ran was very excited to receive the notice, rushing to see them as soon as possible after the holiday. But when they saw so many people, their hearts dropped. Fortunately, the boss quickly told them that there were many positions, so there was no need to worry.
After the interviews, most of the job seekers stayed. Shu Ran personally trained them to familiarize themselves with the work, so the scene looked like… A bunch of girls surrounding him every day.
Seeing that, Chen Kai immediately volunteered: “Brother Shen, how about I come over every day and help you keep an eye on it?”
Xu Shen looked at him without smiling: “Are you helping me or yourself?”
“Okay, it’s a win-win situation!” Chen Kai whispered shamelessly: “Don’t take it lightly. Without me to help you keep an eye on the situation, don’t be surprised if there’s a fire in your backyard3Traditionally, I believe Emperors and other powerful men would keep their wives/concubines in the backyard, or at least in a house that was not close to the street since no other man should catch a glimpse of them 🙄 By implying that there’s a fire in a man’s backyard, one is basically saying that the wife is cheating on her husband/ setting fire to his backyard. Here, Chen Kai’s meaning is that if he doesn’t keep an eye on it, Shu Ran might find himself a girl…”
“If there really is a fire in my backyard, even a hundred Chen Kai will not be able to do anything.” Xu Shen glared at him: “Just take care of yourself and don’t cause any trouble, or your brother will kill you.”
“Oh, okay.” Chen Kai felt pity. But he knew that he must not have anything to do with his female subordinates, otherwise his brother might really kill him!
Xu Shen kicked Chen Kai away and changed his sitting position to continue reading the newspaper in the corner. There were only so few channels for obtaining information. Apart from newspapers and TV news, it was just gossip from everywhere.
Because they had Jiang Fan, everyone was relatively well-informed. In terms of policy and finances, they could get information relatively quickly. Xu Shen noticed that every time Jiang Fan told them new news, Shu Ran would understand it clearly before they could even react, and then explain it to them in a simple and logical manner.
A Shu Ran like that, who was glowing all over, made Xu Shen feel very proud, and at the same time, inspired him. It was time to input some more knowledge, even if it was not about literature, at least it should be related to business.
After Shu Ran finished talking to the new employees, he realized that Xu Shen was there and had been sitting aside waiting for him for a long time. He felt a little guilty for a moment. After all, he also knew that he was surrounded by a bunch of little girls.
“Let’s stop here today. It’s time to get off work.” Shu Ran clapped his hands, then picked up the thin windbreaker on the chair and put it on.
It’s warm indoors now, but still cold outside.
“Brother Shen, have you been waiting for me for a long time?” Shu Ran’s voice turned sweet.
“It’s okay, I’m reading the newspaper.” Xu Shen smiled, put away the newspaper, and stood up: “How was your teaching?”
“It’s great!” Shu Ran said. “Everyone is smart, there is no difficulty.” After the last employee in the room left, Shu Ran went over to close the door, turned around, and hung his arms on Xu Shen’s shoulders: “Are you angry? Let me kiss you.”
Xu Shen’s hands were hidden in his windbreaker as he rubbed Shu Ran’s waist so hard that even a dog wouldn’t believe it if he said he wasn’t angry.
Shu Ran grunted twice and grabbed the roots of Xu Shen’s hair with his fingers, never polite when the other party caused him pain. After competing with each other for a while, they kissed until the desire to fight finally dissipated a little bit.
“Brother Shen…” Shu Ran lost his strength and changed from grabbing his hair harshly to brushing his fingers gently around Xu Shen’s hair. Xu Shen, who originally wanted to let him go, hugged his wife for a long time because of that little sound.
“It’s all your fault, I can’t get out now.” Xu Shen sighed. It was time to leave, but he still had to wait for a while and cool down.
“I’m fine.” Shu Ran said.
“You’re fine…” Xu Shen grabbed a handful, which immediately caused Shu Ran’s crazy counterattack: “What are you doing?! I said I’m fine since I’m wearing a windbreaker!”
“Oh…” Xu Shen misunderstood, smiling and apologizing, but he did not regret groping his wife.
“Speechless.” Shu Ran gathered his windbreaker, leaving Xu Shen with a full view of his chic back: “Take your time, see you in the car!”
Shu Ran stayed in the car for more than ten minutes before Xu Shen also got in: “I’m going to the bookstore today.”
“What?” Shu Ran turned his face and looked at him: “Finally! You’ve realized that you are outrageous! Do you want to buy some books on self-cultivation?”
“That’s not true…” Xu Shen said. “I want to buy some books, but not books about self-cultivation. Do I even need that?”
Shu Ran glanced at him with a smile: “Don’t you need it?”
Who just stayed inside for more than ten minutes before daring to come out?!
“No need!” Xu Shen said firmly.
“Believe me, you do.” Shu Ran said.
“I just need you.” Xu Shen said while backing up the car with one hand and touching Shu Ran’s earlobe with the other: “I just feel that my knowledge reserve is not enough. It’s not bad if I read more books. As you said, people who don’t read will be left behind…”
Shu Ran was startled and immediately smelled the opportunity to take advantage of him: “Call me Teacher Shu and I will teach you whatever you want to learn!”
The author has something to say:
Teacher Shu will take you to fly!