Chapter 246: Seventies Appraisal System (20)

Xie Yang was receiving the Union Chairman and two staff members who had come to visit her.

The news that she had assisted the police in cracking a child abduction case and received a silk banner not only spread throughout the Family Building but also reached the ears of the Mechanical Factory leaders.

A family member of a factory employee had quietly done a great good deed, received commendations from government departments, and been praised in letters from the masses; the entire Mechanical Factory felt honored as well.

That was why the Factory Director had the Union buy some comfort gifts and come over to visit on behalf of the factory leadership.

"Xiao Xie, your spirit of helping others is worthy of study by all our factory employees and their families! The Factory Director also plans to give a special speech about your actions at the upcoming employee meeting; you should come then, too."

The Union Chairman revealed that the factory was going to give her a bonus and prizes.

He added at the end: "The Factory Director originally wanted to arrange a job for you, but you know the situation at the factory; there are truly no vacant positions right now, and even temporary worker positions are in short supply. But don't worry, the next time a department has a vacancy, we will definitely prioritize arranging it for you."

Xie Yang: "..."

There was such a good thing?

She smiled and accepted: "Thank you for the leaders' concern and kindness! Whether it's a temporary worker or a formal worker position, it all depends on the factory's arrangements; any time is fine!"

The Union Chairman was also very happy, thinking to himself that while Qin Zheng's wife might be a bit lazy, she had a good personality and a kind heart; not only was she happy to help others, but she was also very considerate of the factory leaders.

If it were someone else, they would have pressed their advantage and insisted that the factory provide a job right now, but she didn't show the slightest intention of urging them.

Xie Yang: That's because my eldest nephew doesn't graduate until next year.

As for herself, she was busy hunting for antiques.

If she joined the factory and had to leave early and return late every day, where would she find the time to go to the Recycling Station to appraise and scavenge for treasures?

After seeing off the Union leaders, Xie Yang returned to her room and looked at the gifts and comfort items piled up on the table and floor, feeling quite torn between laughter and tears.

When she rescued the little boy, she had only used her super-strong memory to describe the human trafficker's facial features and reported it to the police.

She hadn't expected that by following the clues she provided, the Railway Public Security would crack the case that very day, rescuing over ten boys in one fell swoop who were just an hour or so away from being taken onto a train in batches and sold to other regions.

At the time, she never could have imagined that by saving one child, she would end up pulling out the radish and bringing out the mud, saving a whole group.

The parents of these children were truly polite; not one came to thank her empty-handed.

Rice, flour, grain, oil, tobacco, alcohol, fabric, canned fruit, Malt Extract, fresh fruit, chicken and duck eggs... she estimated they had brought everything valuable from their homes.

A few of the wealthier families even quietly tucked envelopes of money and ration coupons under her thermos or teapot.

Xie Yang thought about it and decided to donate the bulk of it, entrusting the Neighborhood Committee to give it to families in the jurisdiction with extreme financial difficulties.

This included the family of Liang Junze.

He received the notice and went to the Neighborhood Committee to collect one jin of Rice, one jin of Fuqiang flour, two liang of Edible Oil, a jar of canned oranges, half a bunch of bananas, and a bag of peach blossom cakes.

And upon hearing that the donor was none other than the beautiful auntie who had previously given him warmth, his bright black eyes grew even more brilliant.

Throughout the neighborhood, there were actually quite a few families in difficulty like Liang Junze's, and every household received the supplies Xie Yang had donated.

Although the quantity wasn't large, for families struggling financially, the white rice and white flour could be taken to the black market to trade for brown rice and coarse grains, and the canned food and fruit could be traded for daily necessities like oil, salt, sauce, and vinegar, which more or less eased the current financial strain on these families.

Xie Yang hadn't wanted to publicize it, but she couldn't stop it given the large total amount she donated, and a little inquiry was all it took to find out the source of these items.

Out of admiration, the director and staff of the Neighborhood Committee spared no effort to promote Xie Yang, and letters of commendation flew like snowflakes to the Mechanical Factory Union where Xie Yang worked, with some even sent to the County Committee Compound, alarming the county leaders.

Chen Xiaoyu's father was delighted when he saw it; Comrade Xiao Xie was truly warm-hearted, doing good deeds again so quickly?

Thus, with his push, the county leadership team issued a special document commending Xie Yang and called on all citizens of Yongcheng City to learn from Comrade Xie Yang's spirit of helping others.

When the leaders of the Mechanical Factory heard this, they readjusted the content of the employee meeting, modified the originally scheduled bonus amount, invited Xie Yang onto the stage during the meeting, issued her a certificate, presented her with a silk banner, and finally gave her a two-hundred-yuan bonus, two towels, a thermos, and an enamel washbasin as prizes.

The neighbors in the Family Building: "..."

Numb, just numb!

Bai Xiuyuan: "..."

Sour, just sour!

At first, they had whispered behind her back that Qin Zheng's wife was stupid, donating so many things just like that, not knowing what she was thinking.

Even if her own family couldn't finish eating or using it all for a while, it would have been better to keep it to build social connections and favors.

Giving it to those unknown, struggling families—what was the point besides getting a good reputation?

It wasn't until the employee meeting ended that everyone suddenly realized—

How was Qin Zheng's wife stupid? She was the truly smart one!

Donating a batch of supplies in exchange for honor and a bonus!

It was said she even got a promise from the factory leaders: once there was a vacancy in the factory, Xie Yang would be arranged for it with priority.

Hadn't everyone seen the Union Chairman enthusiastically mention it every time he met Xie Yang: "Xiao Xie, don't worry about the job; I'm keeping an eye out for you, and I'll notify you as soon as there is one."

Xie Yang smiled and said: "Thank you, leader, but I know this matter cannot be rushed; I will follow the factory's arrangements in everything."

The Union Chairman nodded with satisfaction.

He thought to himself, what a good child! Why had so many people spoken ill of her behind her back before? A good talent had almost been buried!

No! He had to keep a close watch on every workshop and office; wherever there was a vacancy, he would prioritize arranging it for Xiao Xie.

The neighbors in the Family Building were incredibly envious.

How hard it was to get a formal worker position; even temporary worker positions had become more and more sought after since the Educated Youth were sent to the countryside. Not to mention that buying a job was becoming increasingly expensive, the key was that there were no vacancies.

Now that the factory leaders had openly given Xie Yang a promise, who wouldn't be envious?

"Qin Zheng's wife really does have the good fortune of the lazy."

"How is her luck so good? She just helps someone or does a good deed and gets such a reward."

"You all call her a spendthrift wife all day long; look at the honor and bonuses she's earned. If someone like her is called a spendthrift, what does that make us?"

"..."

Xie Yang didn't yet know the neighbors' new evaluation of her; she still went out for a stroll every day when it wasn't raining, adopting a guerrilla tactic of hitting and running, and managed to scavenge quite a few treasures identified by the Sub-system as having epoch-making significance from the piles of scrap and junk at various Recycling Stations.

She chose to store the high-value ones.

For those with a recycling value under 100 yuan, she sold them to the Appraisal System to exchange for some cash, or topped up her Appraisal Coin balance to pay for storage fees.

As for rainy days, she would just comfortably curl up at home and sleep.

Early that morning, Xie Ang heard the patter of spring rain tapping against the window in a daze; there was no need to go out today, and just as she was about to flop back down to continue sleeping, she was kissed awake by the man who had returned from driving...