Chapter 336: Position
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Chief captain Zhou Fang pulled Jiang Chuan to sit down on the brick bed. Wan Fang served them two cups of hot tea. “It’s getting colder. Have some hot water to warm up first.”
After expressing his gratitude, Jiang Chuan took the hot water. Steam was still rising from the cup. Although he had been carrying stuff and walking for a while, he wasn’t cold. Nevertheless, he gently blew the steam away and took a sip.
Wan Fang sat nearby, listening intently to their conversation.
Black markets were, after all, not allowed by the government. So Jiang Chuan didn’t say that he had found the seeds on the black market. Instead, he mentioned that he met a wealthy individual in the county town who had stocked up on a lot of seeds and was now worried about not being able to sell them.
Chief captain was intrigued. The government had allowed private land use recently, but seeds and seedlings hadn’t been distributed. In contrast, neighboring villages had already started sowing. The delay in the seed distribution was due to the previous village chief’s reluctance to hand over the grains to ensure villagers had food. As a result, the higher-ups were displeased and had given seeds to other villages first. Chief Captain was anxious and distressed, but Jiang Chuan’s suggestion seemed like a great solution to him.
“When can these seeds be delivered?” Chief captain asked immediately.
Jiang Chuan pretended to be troubled and replied, “They should arrive in the village in three days. Captain, I’ve agreed with that person to pay him in grains once the seeds mature, which will take at least three months. We should give him a deposit to reassure him.”
In truth, Jiang Chuan and Su Zhen had already agreed on terms, but Jiang Chuan wasn’t naive. He wasn’t going to simply give away his house for the village’s benefit. Since he had found the seeds for the villagers, it was only right that the collective should pay the deposit.
“Fair point,” Chief captain nodded in agreement. “However, as you know about our village’s situation, we currently don’t have an accountant. Without a professional to record the seed transactions and deposits, there might be errors.”
Chief captain had invited Jiang Chuan over with a job offer in mind. He had prepared an employment letter stamped with an official seal. It was momentarily sidelined by the seed discussion. Giving Wan Fang a meaningful look, she quickly retrieved the employment letter from the study.
Chief captain presented the letter to Jiang Chuan. “Jiang Chuan, everyone saw how well you handled the grain distribution. I trust your abilities. We have an opening for an accountant, and 1 think you’re perfect for it. Would you be interested?”
This was precisely what Jiang Chuan had hoped for.
Seeing Chief captain straightforward approach, Jiang Chuan didn’t hesitate. “If you trust me, I’m more than willing to contribute to the village!” As he spoke, he signed the employment letter.
Once Jiang Chuan had signed, Chief captain said, “Get ready to start work tomorrow. The accountant’s position has been vacant for a month; the books are a mess. You’ll have your work cut out for you.”
Jiang Chuan took his leave shortly after.
As soon as Jiang Chuan left, the phone in Chief captain house rang.
In those days, not every household had a phone. A village typically had only one public phone in the collective office. Although Chief captain had a phone because of his position, installing one wasn’t simple and cost a fair amount of money. This highlighted that Chief captain was wealthier than the average villager.
Answering the call, Chief captain found out it was Tian Zao, the person set to replace him soon.
Tian Zao got straight to the point, “Captain, I heard there’s an accountant vacancy in Pushan village. I have someone suitable for the role.”
Chief captain looked troubled. How did the previously overlooked accountant position become so sought after all of a sudden?
Chief captain responded, “Director Tian, your timing isn’t great. We did have a vacancy, but I’ve just offered it to Jiang Chuan from our village.”
Tian Zao persisted, “He was just offered the job and hasn’t started yet, so there’s still time to switch. My candidate can start work tomorrow..”
