country bumpkin

Chapter 317 Going Out to Work and Renting a Room

The next day, Kong Xiangwei actually packed his luggage and prepared to go to town to register for a job at a large factory in another city.

He also told Nie Xianghong about this idea the night before. Although Nie Xianghong was still a child laborer, he could solve the problem by getting a fake ID card.

The two met at the agreed-upon location first, and then tried to get fake ID cards.

After lunch, Kong Xiangwei went to the registration point in town. He registered and waited there for Nie Xianghong to arrive.

Kong Xiangwei slept at the registration point that night, which wasn't actually very far from his village, but he didn't go back.

He wanted everyone in the village to know that he had gone out to work, so that no one would suspect Nie Xianghong or go looking for him when he went out to work.

The night passed quickly, and sure enough, several more people came to sign up the next day at noon. Among them was Nie Xianghong.

Kong Xiangwei ran over with great joy, excitedly took Nie Xianghong's hand, and grinned from ear to ear.

Nie Xianghong had a small backpack at her feet, containing a few pieces of clothing and her saved pocket money.

She was prepared to live with Kong Xiangwei this time, so she brought extra money just in case.

Kong Xiangwei took her to the registration point to register and explained that he would hand over her ID card after settling in a few days.

Fearing the staff wouldn't be accommodating, he slipped them 20 yuan, and the young woman working there immediately beamed with joy and wrote down Nie Xianghong's name.

And so Nie Xianghong was successfully included in the list of workers.

The car departs this afternoon and arrives in Qingdao early tomorrow morning. Qingdao is a coastal city, and because of its convenient sea transportation, it has many large joint venture factories.

Although the wave of layoffs has not yet subsided, many large factories here are recruiting, and the people who come back to the village to recruit are all staff members of the labor bureau.

This is a legitimate organization, and the villagers feel safe working with them. However, they still need to pay a fee of 300 yuan per person.

Kong Xiangwei took over Nie Xianghong's share of the money, and they also planned to rent a house outside after securing jobs at the factory.

If the factory had separate dormitories for men and women, the two would be separated. Nie Xianghong was still young, and he was worried about her.

Besides, the reason the two of them escaped was precisely because they couldn't stay together in front of their elders.

In the afternoon, the car engines slowly started, and two large buses traveled on the highway to Qing City.

On the bus, Kong Xiangwei and Nie Xianghong sat side by side, both nervous and excited.

As the scenery outside the window receded, their hearts drifted towards that distant, unknown city.

After an unknown amount of time, the car suddenly braked sharply, and everyone lurched forward.

Everyone complained, and the driver stood up and said loudly, "The road ahead is blocked by a landslide, we have to take a detour, and we may be a little late."

Although everyone was somewhat annoyed upon hearing this, they had no choice but to accept it.

The car turned onto a secluded path, surrounded by dense trees, and the atmosphere became somewhat eerie.

Nie Xianghong grabbed Kong Xiangwei's hand in fear, and Kong Xiangwei pulled her into his arms, patting her back comfortingly.

Soon the car drove out of the eerie forest and onto the paved road, and many girls breathed a sigh of relief.

As they drove on, it got darker and darker. At 8 p.m., the driver stopped the car at a service point to allow passengers to use the restroom.

Most of the people on the bus were from the village, and no one was willing to buy food at the service point.

When someone got hungry, they would take out the flatbread they had brought, eat it with plain water, and fill their stomachs.

After a 15-minute stop, the journey resumed. The driver counted the number of people to make sure no one was left behind before starting the car.

This time, once you get on the bus, it won't stop halfway; it will drive all the way to the destination.

With nothing to do, the passengers sat chatting, and some had already dozed off.

Nie Xianghong was also sleepy. She yawned and snuggled into Kong Xiangwei's arms, purring like a little kitten as she fell asleep.

Kong Xiangwei tilted his head back and rested his neck on the back cushion of the chair, and dozed off for a while.

The car suddenly fell silent; everyone was asleep, except for the driver who was still driving with his eyelids open.

Because everyone was asleep, time seemed to fly by. By the time everyone woke up, it was already daylight.

After everyone got off the car, they saw that there was a large factory in front of them.

There are security guards standing guard at the main gate. Looking into the yard, there are more than a dozen workshops of various sizes, each with a space of five or six hundred square meters.

To the south of the main gate is a small park with artificial hills and a pond. To the north of the park is a five-story office building, the ground floor of which serves as a canteen for ordinary workers and team leaders.

The second floor is where class leaders, directors, or managers above the director level eat.

There is a path running from east to west north of the cafeteria, separated by a high wall on the north side, where the girls' dormitory is located.

The girls' dormitory is to the north of the boys' dormitory, separated by two high walls to ensure the girls' safety.

Opposite to the west, from south to north, are all workshops, with one workshop separated from another by a narrow path more than 10 meters wide.

The group disembarked and, led by staff, lined up to enter the factory gate. They proceeded to the office building and completed their onboarding procedures.

Kong Xiangwei and Nie Xianghong clung to each other, their hearts filled with both anticipation and trepidation. After completing the formalities, they were assigned to different workshops for their internships.

Kong Xiangwei was assigned to the machining workshop, while Nie Xianghong went to the packaging workshop.

At the beginning of their jobs, both of them were a bit flustered. But fortunately, the experienced employees were very helpful and patiently taught them.

Kong Xiangwei quickly got the hang of it, thanks to his experience doing some manual labor in the village.

Although Nie Xianghong is young, she studies diligently and has gradually adapted to the work rhythm.

After get off work, they met at the rockery in the small garden south of the factory. The two sat on a stone bench and shared the interesting things that happened at work that day, as well as the difficulties they encountered.

The night breeze gently blew by as they nestled together, gazing at the factory lights, as if they saw a glimmer of hope for the future.

Next, they plan to find a suitable house nearby and start their new life.

I'll have to stay in a hotel tonight. There are small hotels right across the street from the factory gate, and they're all run by locals.

When they arrived at the store, Kong Xiangwei took out his ID card and registered for a room.

The female boss didn't ask Nie Xianghong for her ID card, and there's no one checking now. Bosses only turn away customers when business comes in.

After checking into the room, Kong Xiangwei didn't leave but asked the owner if there were any houses nearby for rent.

The female shop owner was very enthusiastic and happily recommended, "Oh! You've come to the right person. Go into this alley and the last house there rents out rooms."

Kong Xiangwei was overjoyed, not expecting to find a house so easily, but he remained calm and indifferent on the surface.

He was afraid the boss would overcharge him, which is why he acted that way.

He asked, "Boss, is this the only house around here available for rent? Are there any other houses? I feel the alley is too deep, and it's not safe for my wife to be home alone after get off work."

The female boss looked at Nie Xianghong suspiciously, thinking to herself, "I thought she was his lover. This girl must be more than ten years younger than this man, how could she be his wife?"

They're probably not married! They're not old enough to register for a marriage certificate.

The female boss snapped out of her thoughts and asked Kong Xiangwei, "Why don't you go take a look at that house first? It belongs to my sister. It's a small courtyard house."

It's quite clean inside, with two rooms, one bedroom and one living room. The kitchen and toilet are both in the yard. It's perfect for two people, and the price is cheap.

Kong Xiangwei was genuinely tempted and said, "Does the boss have time now? We could go take a look first."

The female boss was pleased, and her smile became more genuine. She first picked up the phone on the table and called her sister. Then she led the two of them into the alley.

The three walked side by side and arrived at the small courtyard in a few minutes. The female owner took out her key from her pocket, opened the door, and went inside.

Kong Xiangwei, holding Nie Xianghong's hand, followed them into the courtyard. As they were looking around the layout of the courtyard, a plump woman who looked similar to the female boss hurriedly walked in.

They immediately guessed that the visitor was the female boss's sister. However, she looked a bit older than her boss, who was quite slim. Perhaps being overweight makes one appear older.