Chapter 36: There Really Are Idiots!

Li Xiangdong said, “Look at what you’re saying, Sister Sun. I will definitely give my full support to your work.”

Sister Sun said happily, “It’s good that you can understand your big sister’s work. Of the two one-inch photos you brought, one will be used to make your work ID, and the other will be pasted on the employee registration form.”

“After you are hired, your file will also be transferred to our passenger transport section. This registration form will follow your file and be archived in the archives department. But you don’t have to worry about these things. Your big sister’s job is to do this.”

Sister Sun briefly explained a few things, took out an employee registration form from her desk drawer, and handed him the pen in her hand.

“If you don’t know how to fill it out, just ask me. This is going into the file, so you can’t write carelessly.”

“Okay, Sister Sun. I’ll ask you if there’s anything I don’t understand.”

Li Xiangdong looked at the employee registration form in front of him. It was similar to those in later generations, just some basic information.

“Brother Li, have some water.”

The young man named Xiao Wang placed a teacup by his hand.

Li Xiangdong stood up and said, “Thank you, Comrade Xiao Wang.”

“Brother Li, you don’t have to be so polite with me. Go ahead and fill out the form. I won’t disturb you. If you need more water, just let me know.”

Li Xiangdong smiled and nodded. He sat down, drank the hot water poured by Comrade Xiao Wang, and began to fill out the employee registration form.

The form was easy to fill out. Sister Sun took the completed registration form, checked it, and saw no problems. She stamped it and then took out a physical examination form.

“The infirmary is behind our building. I still have to make your work ID, so I won’t take you there. Can you find it yourself? If not, I’ll have Xiao Wang take you.”

“I can find it. No need to trouble you and Comrade Xiao Wang.”

“Brother Li, I don’t have anything to do right now. Why don’t I take you there?”

Comrade Xiao Wang had been very proactive since Li Xiangdong entered the office. He was just an ordinary clerk and usually couldn’t get close to Section Chief Hou. This time, he finally caught a relative of Section Chief Hou coming to handle procedures. He definitely had to perform well and strive to make an impression in front of the leader.

“Really, no need. Thank you, Comrade Xiao Wang. I’ll go by myself. I can’t trouble you with everything.”

Li Xiangdong saw that Comrade Xiao Wang was a little disappointed, but he still politely declined their kindness. Mainly, he felt that dealing with these old hands in the workplace was not only uncomfortable but also mentally tiring.

He had just come out of the building with the physical examination form when a person ran over in a hurry. The two almost collided face to face.

“Damn! Why is it you?!”

Li Xiangdong, who had dodged to the side, saw that the person was his childhood friend, Ah Zhe. He quickly asked, “What are you doing in such a hurry?”

Ah Zhe wiped the sweat from his face and said breathlessly, “Dong… Dongzi… I…”

“Don’t be anxious. Take a breath and then talk.”

Li Xiangdong pulled Ah Zhe to the side. It wasn’t right for the two of them to stand at the main entrance.

The two came to the flower bed at the entrance of the building.

Ah Zhe sat on the steps of the flower bed to catch his breath, slapped his thigh, and said with a face full of annoyance, “Don’t mention it. I’m here to report for duty. I went to the wrong place just now. I just ran over from the train station building in front!”

Hearing Ah Zhe’s words, Li Xiangdong’s first reaction was that Uncle Hou was not lying to him. There really were idiots!

“So what if you’re a little late? What’s the rush?”

“I was just afraid of being given a long face by the clerk for being late. I won’t talk to you anymore. I have to hurry and get my onboarding procedures done!”

Ah Zhe said as he got up to leave. Li Xiangdong quickly followed.

He said with a smile, “Don’t worry. I’ll go with you to report for duty. No one will make things difficult for you.”

“Alright, Dongzi, stop bragging. We’ve grown up together. Who doesn’t know who? You have that much face?”

Ah Zhe didn’t believe it at all.

Regardless of the size of the unit, which clerk in the labor and capital department wasn’t arrogant?

They looked at people with their nostrils. Unless you were their relative or the child of a unit leader, they wouldn’t even give you a smile.

“You don’t believe me, right? Just follow me. I’ll open your eyes today!”

Li Xiangdong led the way, with Ah Zhe following behind with a puzzled look on his face. He wasn’t sure if Li Xiangdong was teasing him.

But today was the last day for him to report for duty. Whether what Li Xiangdong said was true or not, he had to bite the bullet!

Li Xiangdong led Ah Zhe to the large office of the labor and capital department with familiarity.

There was no need to find Section Chief Hou. For normal onboarding procedures, you could just go directly to the clerk.

“Dongzi, you finished the physical examination so quickly?”

“Dongzi, you’re fast!”

“Brother Li is back. Are you still thirsty? Do you need me to pour you another cup of water? I have some jasmine tea here. You can try it and see if the taste is right.”

“I haven’t gone to the infirmary for the physical examination yet. I just ran into a friend as soon as I came downstairs. He’s also here to report for duty, so I brought him over.”

“Thank you, Comrade Xiao Wang. I’d really like to try your good tea.”

Ah Zhe looked at Li Xiangdong with a dazed expression. Seeing his childhood friend chatting and laughing with the people in the office, his head was spinning.

Why were the clerks in the labor and capital department different from what he had imagined?

Were they so enthusiastic?

You get to drink jasmine tea when you report for duty?

Li Xiangdong went over and patted Ah Zhe, who was still in a daze, and pulled him to Sister Sun’s workstation.

“What are you dazed for? Hurry up and give your introduction letter to Sister Sun.”

“Oh, hello, Sister Sun. This is my introduction letter.”

Ah Zhe put on a smile and quickly placed the introduction letter on the table.

It is worth mentioning that Ah Zhe was also assigned to the crew team at Beijing Railway Station and was not assigned to other train stations in Beijing.

…

Li Xiangdong and the other man came out of the office and walked towards the infirmary together.

Ah Zhe was now completely in awe of Li Xiangdong!

He had never seen or heard of a new employee reporting for duty where the clerks in the labor and capital department would proactively serve tea and water!

He asked with a flattering expression, “Dongzi, no, I should call you Brother Dong from now on. Brother Dong, tell me the truth. Does your family have a relative who is a leader in the railway department? I’ll be counting on you from now on!”

“Aren’t we brothers? Why are you being so formal? How could I not look out for you?”

Li Xiangdong made a guarantee, with an expression that said, “If you have any difficulties in the future, your big brother will help you.”

He could fool the clerks in the labor and capital department, so fooling the muddle-headed Ah Zhe was even less of a problem!

He patted Ah Zhe’s shoulder, “Didn’t you say the day before yesterday that you didn’t plan to come and report for duty? Did you suddenly figure it out?”

“Sigh, don’t mention it. After I sobered up yesterday morning, my dad had a chat with me. We both thought what you said made sense.”

“It’s just that my mom only left an address back then, not even a phone number. My dad plans to write a letter to my mom first to ask about the situation. Who knows how long that will take?”

“I thought I couldn’t just stay at home and do nothing during this time, so I came here to report for duty. Besides, didn’t you say the day before yesterday that you were also coming to work at the passenger transport section? We can keep each other company.”

As Ah Zhe spoke, the expression on his face gradually became a little lonely.

“To be honest, Dongzi, since my mom could leave without saying goodbye back then, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if she remarried someone else after she left. It’s just that my dad is still a little unwilling to give up.”

After hearing Ah Zhe’s words, Li Xiangdong didn’t know how to comfort him.

He couldn’t just tell Ah Zhe, “You’re right. Not only did your mom remarry, but you also have several half-siblings!”