Chapter 30

After answering the call, Qin Yan's gentle and melodious voice came through.

"Yefeng, it's so late, I guess you must have finished dinner with your former colleagues and friends. Where are you now? I'll come and pick you up."

Yefeng hurriedly replied, "No need, Lawyer Qin, don't trouble yourself to drive out. Just tell me your address, and I can take the bus to find you. There are many night buses in Mingzhu, it's quite convenient."

"Alright, stop being so polite. You're in the Changjiang District, and I'm in the Xiahui District, which is quite far. You'd have to take several buses. Quickly give me a location, I'll come over right away. It's so late, don't you worry about your aunt?"

Hearing this, Yefeng couldn't refuse anymore and immediately told her the address of the villa area.

"Alright, isn't it where you used to work? I've been there a few times. Besides, I have a good friend living in that area. Her home is right across from the villa area in Hongding Community. I know the area very well. Just wait for me at the entrance of Hongding Community. I'll be there in no more than forty minutes."

After hanging up, Yefeng thought that Qin Yan would take about forty minutes to arrive. With nothing else to do, he found a cold drink stall across the street from the villa area, about ten meters away at the entrance of Hongding Community. He ordered a soda, bought a copy of the Mingzhu Evening News, and started reading while waiting for Qin Yan.

The reason he bought a newspaper wasn't to read gossip or major news, but to look at the job ads to see if there were any suitable jobs for him. Although he wasn't in a hurry to find a job, he thought it was better to prepare in advance. Moreover, Yefeng had already decided not to work on construction sites anymore and wanted to try a new job and a new environment.

For someone like Yefeng, who had only a high school education, the requirements for finding a job were not high, and he didn't have any unrealistic expectations. His principle was simple: he didn't mind if the job was hard or tiring, as long as it was relatively stable. He also didn't mind if the pay was low, as long as the salary was paid on time.

After looking through the entire page of ads, Yefeng felt a bit disappointed. Most of the jobs were not suitable for him. First, they required at least a college degree, which was a hurdle he couldn't clear. Second, many of the jobs were for clerical staff, salespeople, insurance agents, and promoters, which required good communication skills, a good image, and experience. As someone who had been working on construction sites for years, he would find it hard to adapt to becoming a suit-wearing urban white-collar worker in a short time.

Moreover, most of these jobs had a three-month probationary period with very low pay. Yefeng felt that working for these companies would mean working for free for three months, which was not a good deal. He wondered why those elites from ivory towers always flocked to these companies.

Yefeng's thoughts might be a bit biased, but to him, they were correct. He was very self-aware, which was not a sign of inferiority or pretentiousness. He was just a worker, and he didn't have any high expectations for his job. Even if he did, it would be a long time before he could pursue them, at least until he had the time to obtain a higher education.

Yefeng's requirements were simple: a job was just a job, and as long as he was paid on time, it was fine. He had a large family to support, and the annual living and medical expenses for his parents and grandparents were a huge burden. He had to work day and night to earn money to fill this gap, and he didn't have the luxury to be picky.

After looking through the ads, he found only one job that seemed suitable for him. It was a water delivery job with a company called Miaoyuan Water. The company name was fitting and symbolic. From the job ad, it seemed that Miaoyuan Water's business covered the entire Changjiang District and part of the Xiahui District, indicating that the company had a significant business reach.

The job ad in the evening news clearly stated that Miaoyuan Water was hiring 12 water delivery workers. The age requirement was for healthy males between 20 and 40 years old, with a high school education or above. As long as they were legal citizens of the Huaxia Republic, they could apply, with no other restrictions.

The salary and benefits were straightforward. Delivering 400 barrels of water per month would earn a base salary of 2000 yuan. This salary level was relatively low in Mingzhu City, but it was just the base salary. The company also stipulated that for every barrel of water delivered beyond 400, an additional 3 yuan would be paid. This meant that if Yefeng delivered 100 more barrels, he would earn an additional 300 yuan, and if he delivered 1000 more barrels, he would earn an additional 3000 yuan.

In essence, Miaoyuan Water was hiring piece-rate water delivery workers. The base salary was 2000 yuan for delivering 400 barrels of water per month, and for every additional barrel, 3 yuan would be added. The more barrels delivered, the more money earned.

This kind of job was essentially manual labor, and most young people were either unwilling or unable to do such physically demanding work. Older people, on the other hand, lacked the strength.

But even such a hard and seemingly undignified job would be highly sought after by many people. In this society, there were too many people like him, living at the bottom of society and bearing various pressures.

Seeing this job ad, Yefeng felt a sense of relief. Yes, this job might be hard and tiring and not very dignified for others, but for him, it was a simple and straightforward task. With his current abilities, delivering 400 barrels of water a month would be no problem, and he could probably complete this quota in less than a day.

This kind of piece-rate job was perfect for him. He could even use the extra time after completing his daily tasks to practice and gather the Four Values.

From any perspective, this job was a good one that would allow him to achieve both his goals.

Yefeng recorded Miaoyuan Water's phone number in his phone and memorized the company's address. Checking the time on his phone, he estimated that Qin Yan would arrive in about twenty minutes.

Yefeng was considering whether to go to Miaoyuan Water the next day to apply, to avoid missing the opportunity. He planned to take a couple of days to rest, rent a place, send his mother back to her hometown in Jisheng Province, and then start working officially.

While he was thinking, Yefeng picked up the empty soda bottle to return it to the owner and asked for another soda. But as he stepped out, he didn't lift his head and suddenly felt his calf tighten. A figure fell past his legs, followed by a scream.

Lifting his head, Yefeng realized that he had tripped someone with his leg. With his current sensory and reaction abilities, he could have easily avoided it, but his mind had been completely focused on the water delivery job, and he had subconsciously stepped out without noticing his surroundings.

Moreover, it was so late, and Yefeng hadn't expected anyone to rush toward the soda stall.

Yefeng quickly put down the soda bottle and walked a few steps to the person he had tripped, intending to help them up.

At this moment, he realized that the person he had tripped was a woman. She was wearing a light blue short-sleeved round-neck top, which was tight-fitting, and a light blue knee-length skirt. She was lying on the ground, and perhaps because she had fallen hard, her skirt had flipped up, revealing a pair of long, tender white legs. The hem of her skirt had flipped up to her thighs, and when Yefeng squatted down to help her, he could even see the corner of her pink underwear, which was quite distracting under the streetlights, making his breathing quicken and his eyes avoid the sight.

As for the woman's face, he couldn't see it clearly. Her long hair covered most of her face, and he could only see that her face, like her legs, was very white and tender.

After crying out in pain a couple of times, the woman used her right hand to support herself on the ground and her left hand to rub her left buttock as she slowly stood up.

Yefeng quickly reached out to help her, saying, "Ma'am, I'm really sorry. I didn't see you and tripped you. Are you okay?"

Just as his hand touched her arm, she pushed it away, looked up at Yefeng, and said, "You really...," but then suddenly stopped and looked behind Yefeng.

Her next actions surprised Yefeng and made him feel a bit uncomfortable.