Chapter 418: Chapter 418: Wolf-like Competition
Gu Jiaojiao hadn’t expected Han Jinglin to agree so readily. After all, a secure, life-long government job was incredibly hard to come by these days.
Everyone was scrambling over each other to squeeze into the best state-owned companies, and she had only offered him a suggestion.
And he just agreed so readily?!
’The great wave of layoffs is still at least a few years away, yet this young man’s thinking is so progressive.’
Moreover, his mother was anxiously shooting him glances from the side, yet he had agreed in an instant without a moment’s hesitation.
It was clear he was a man with his own mind, definitely not what later generations would call a "mama’s boy."
A job at the post office was especially sought-after right now. Even in the future, the post office would still exist, which just went to show how stable his position was.
At that moment, Gu Jiaojiao found herself genuinely starting to like the young man before her and couldn’t help but steal a few more glances.
He looked to be about twenty-three or twenty-four, with a tall, slender, and athletic build, dressed in a white shirt and black trousers.
His handsome, refined face featured a pair of jet-black eyes and fine, thin lips that gave him a cool look.
It was obvious that everyone in the Han family had made an effort to dress up today.
"You have a lot of courage, and a bright future," Gu Jiaojiao praised him from the bottom of her heart.
"Thank you for the compliment, Great-Aunt. Great-Uncle is a very capable person. I’ll follow his lead from now on."
"Good. Let us help you soar. I can tell you that by working for us, you’ll definitely learn a lot, and your salary will be much higher than what you’re making now."
Han Jinglin grinned like a blooming sunflower. "Great-Aunt, I’ll do whatever you say.
Heh heh, honestly, I don’t really care about the salary. I just dislike my job at the post office—it requires no technical skill."
"I value that drive of yours. But whether you resign and join us is a decision you still need to discuss with your grandfather and your parents."
Third Aunt Han looked at Gu Jiaojiao, pleasantly surprised. "Your great-aunt is right, Jinglin. Don’t act on impulse. You have to ask your grandfather and your eldest uncle before making a decision."
"Great-Aunt, I want to resign and learn from you, too. Is that okay?" Miss Han Si’s son asked expectantly.
"Anyone with that ambition is welcome. Working with us means joining a private enterprise. Do you know what a private enterprise is?"
"No," everyone said in unison.
"A private enterprise, as the name suggests, is a business founded by private individuals. There are very few of them right now. The Xiao Family’s pharmaceutical factory is one example."
"Great-Aunt, I know that one! It’s really hard to get into that factory. I was actually thinking of asking Grandpa Xiao to pull some strings and get me in."
Gu Jiaojiao cleared her throat, looked at everyone seriously, and began her earnest pitch, "As everyone knows, state-owned enterprises are very stable."
"But because of general laziness, or perhaps for other reasons, it’s possible for state-owned enterprises to go bankrupt."
"Don’t worry, I’m just speaking hypothetically. It’s not a guarantee that they’ll actually go under."
"Suppose one day, some of those factories have to shut down. Won’t the workers there be laid off?"
"Once they’re out of the factory, they’ll be completely lost, with no marketable skills. What other company would hire them then?"
"That’s why it’s important to learn a specialized skill. That way, you can switch to a job you like at any time, and you can earn a high salary."
"Private enterprises have fierce, ’wolf-like’ competition that makes you constantly feel like you’re making progress."
"This year, you’ll look back at last year, and next year you’ll look back at this year, and you’ll feel that you’ve progressed again. As long as you don’t get lazy and complacent, you won’t be cast aside by the company."
"It won’t get to the point where, when the state-owned enterprise doesn’t want you anymore, your only option is manual labor, unable to be accepted by society..."
Gu Jiaojiao’s explanation was simple and easy to understand. More importantly, what she said was the truth; she knew these were challenges they would all be facing soon.
Given the Han family’s status and worldliness, they quickly understood what their great-aunt meant.
Everyone in the living room listened, completely captivated. Their admiration for Gu Jiaojiao was like a torrential river, endless and surging.
Whenever they didn’t understand something, they would eagerly ask questions, and Gu Jiaojiao patiently answered each one.
A few of the shyer girls didn’t dare to ask questions. They just diligently poured tea and offered fruit to Gu Jiaojiao.
The eagerness in everyone’s eyes was practically overflowing.
Gu Jiaojiao smiled faintly and continued, "You’re all still very young. You have long roads ahead of you."
"I think you could all consider trying a job you’re more passionate about. That way, you might be able to reach new heights. However..."
Old Sir Han and the others had been talking in the study for nearly four hours. It was mainly Su Shuochi’s brilliance that had them so engrossed they couldn’t stop.
After discussing one thing, they wanted to know about another, moving from one topic to the next.
At first, Han Chenyu had been a little worried that an argument would break out downstairs.
But he had too many things to discuss with Su Shuochi, and he gradually forgot his concern.
Su Shuochi wasn’t the least bit worried that Gu Jiaojiao would be at a disadvantage. When arguing with her, it was always the other party who lost out.
The most anxious one was Father Xu. He had assumed that with his wife and daughter in the living room, the place would have turned into a battlefield.
His wife and daughter had been ruthless characters since they were young. His daughter was especially rude and domineering; there wasn’t a single neighbor who wasn’t annoyed by her.
The Xu family, in particular, only tolerated her out of respect for the kindness his father-in-law had shown them.
When their discussion ended, Father Xu eagerly opened the study door. To his surprise, the scene downstairs was one of joyful harmony.
Everyone, their faces wreathed in smiles, was gathered around Gu Jiaojiao, chattering away nonstop.
’And his wife and daughter were nowhere to be seen in the living room. Their great-aunt must have sent them off to the next room long ago.’
Old Sir Han’s gaze toward the scene downstairs was profound. After a long moment of silence, he said to Su Shuochi, "Jiaojiao is truly a good child. Shuo Ci, you are very fortunate."
"She is indeed wonderful. I’m the one who’s lucky to have her," Su Shuochi said decisively, a satisfied and proud smile on his face.
"It’s good that you two have such a great relationship. From now on, you must take good care of her. Unlike me... I’m old now. Even if I wanted to take care of someone, she’s already gone. Ai..." Old Sir Han sighed.
Listening to Old Sir Han’s emotional words, Su Shuochi’s heart stirred, but he didn’t know how to comfort him.
He maintained the calm smile on his lips and said, "Mr. Han, I’ll be heading downstairs first."
With that, he unceremoniously bounded down the stairs toward Gu Jiaojiao.
Old Sir Han shook his head and said to his son-in-law beside him, "You need to be a man and properly discipline Mei Zhen and Linlin. Don’t let them become so spoiled and arrogant that they don’t know their place, all because of a small favor we did!"
Father Xu was speechless.
’So Father-in-law can’t stand his wife and daughter’s arrogance either. In that case, I’ll have to discipline them properly when I get home.’
"Father-in-law, Mei Zhen is a bit spoiled because she’s favored, but my father and I are afraid you’ll call us ungrateful curs."
Hearing this, Old Sir Han grew angry. "Foolish! Do you think I’m some old man who can’t tell right from wrong?"
"If it weren’t for Jiaojiao’s sake, I would have slapped them both across the face today to teach them a painful lesson."
"Jiaojiao, should we head to your father’s house now?" Su Shuochi asked, having reached Gu Jiaojiao’s side.
