“Resign? No! That’s an iron rice bowl job. Do you know how difficult it is to look for a job right now? What are you going to do after you quit?” Zhang Huafeng’s mother was strongly against that idea. “Besides, why would you want to quit your job as a laborer to go and work for a capitalist? All of your friends and family would make fun of you. Did someone say something? The factory is hitting a bump right now. I am sure the country will figure it out and you will be paid after a while. Mom and dad can support you.”
(T/N: An iron rice bowl job refers to an occupation with guaranteed job security as well as steady income and benefits.)
Wu Xiuyue, who was insinuated in the speech was infuriated. She was too nice. She never should have said anything; Xiuxiu wasn’t her sister after all.
“Mom, don’t say that. We only have Xiuxiu’s best interest in mind. Xiuyue even offered to chip in and help Xiuxiu buy a house as her dowry.” Zheng Huafeng quickly stood up for his wife.
Mother Zhang went quiet. Her daughter, being still single at 28, had also brought upon her a lot of pressure, which caused her to be a little oversensitive on things.
“Go check out the job first. If it’s desirable, then just resign.” Father Zhang could see the big picture better than Mother Zhang could. Many of the country-ran factories had closed down and all the workers were still waiting at home for “arrangements”. Has anyone of them been arranged so far? No, they were still waiting.
“But that’s an iron rice bowl job.” Mother Zhang was still struggling with the idea.
Zhang Huaxiu, who hadn’t said a word this entire time, suddenly chimed in decisively and said, “I have decided on resigning. Better to do it now when they could still give me my final pay. If we wait any longer, I might not even be able to get that. I have saved up some over the last few years as well. I can take out a loan and get a small place for myself. I have been thinking about this for a while now. I’ve just been worried about talking to you about it. I want to thank my sister-in-law for referring me to a job; otherwise, I’d have no idea where to even start.”
Wu Xiuyue lowered her head. She had her own ulterior motive as well. She felt a little shameful after hearing her sister-in-law’s words.
Zhang Mother still resented the idea. Who quit their iron rice bowl job to go work for capitalists?
“Mom, have you seen how many people have been laid off recently? Our factory has not been doing well. I worry that… it won’t be around for much longer.” Zhang Huaxiu had thought about resigning for quite a while now. She only worried that her mom and dad would object, so she was taking this opportunity to share her thoughts.
***
Zhang Huaxiu arrived at West City Nan Road West City Nan Road at 8 AM. She purposefully arrived a little earlier to leave a better impression with Shu Yan. There was only one storefront on the entire West City Nan Road with its sign removed. She figured that must be the one that her sister-in-law had mentioned. Not long thereafter, a man in his thirties carrying a black suitcase had arrived as well. He was a little bit surprised when he saw Zhang Huaxiu, but he nodded at her a little and stood to one side.
When Shu Yan arrived, she saw the two of them each standing to one side and the atmosphere was a little bit awkward. She looked from one to the other then. Smiling, she said, “Are you Zhang Chenghan’s aunt?”
“Yes, I am.” Zhang Huaxiu shook hands with Shu Yan, a little bit reserved.
Shu Yan opened up the door as she said to her, “We are still remodeling right now and the place is a little bit messy. Please take a seat on the couch for now. I have something else to take care of right now, then we can talk?”
“Yes, that is fine. I took the day off today. I have time.” Zhang Huaxiu didn’t get too close to the two of them. In fact, she stood quite a bit away; she wasn’t a nosy person.
“I have shown the design of the light and couch to the designers. This is their price list.” The man who came after her was obviously Chen Fei, the architect. He needed to confirm some details with Shu Yan.
The pricing was a little bit higher than buying finished product from the market, but not by much. Shu Yan felt that the price tag was acceptable. She signed off on a few more details and everything was ready to get started that afternoon.
“If there’s nothing else, I will head back to my office now.” When he walked past Zhang Huaxiu, Chen Fei slowed a little, smiled, and nodded at her before he walked on.
