Chapter 631: Changed Plans
Chapter 631: Changed Plans
Zhao Cheng Lei returned to the room and placed the file bag down. He had signed the contract this afternoon.
Jiang Xia poured him a glass of water. "Did you sign the contract?"
"Yes. Second Brother and Zhang Rui will be coming over for dinner later."
He and Zhang Rong each held a 20% stake, while the largest shareholder held 30%. The remaining 30% was split among three technical shareholders.
Zhao Cheng Lei and Zhang Rong were only investors and did not participate in management, but they retained voting rights.
After washing his hands and face, Zhao Cheng Lei took the glass and drank it in one go. "So, you're thinking of getting your classmate to help sell clothes?"
"That's right."
"Will you be paying her a salary or something else?"
Jiang Xia had a good impression of Liu Weizhen and didn't mind earning a bit less herself. "I'll give her the same price I sell at the factory, and she'll cover the shipping and other costs. How she sells them is up to her."
Zhao Cheng Lei nodded. "That's a good idea. Everyone wins."
As long as Jiang Xia didn't have to sell the clothes herself, it would save her a lot of trouble.
"Right, this way, the profit margin is higher, and she'll be more motivated. She can also have more room to maneuver."
With a larger profit margin, if she can't sell everything herself, she can hire others to help, which will increase sales.
It's a virtuous cycle.
Jiang Xia was essentially finding herself a general distributor.
She would see how this distributor performed and look for others if needed.
Li Qiufeng, listening to their conversation, also wanted to try selling clothes. She found the life here too idle.
Moreover, she wanted to explore what kind of work she could do in the future.
Now that she spent more time with her cousin's wife and others, she felt the difference between herself and them. Their conversations and the issues they discussed were different from those in the village. She realized the gap between them, and her mindset had changed.
She also wanted to enroll in a night school to attend classes in the evening without affecting her daytime childcare duties.
However, with her mother away, only her grandparents were around, and she was worried they might struggle. It would be easier if the three of them could take care of the children together.
Besides, she was still not familiar with the capital city. She decided to wait until her mother returned before discussing it with her cousin's wife.
Jiang Xia had noticed Li Qiufeng's interest and asked directly, "Cousin, do you want to sell clothes too?"
Zhao Cheng Lei also turned to look at her.
Li Qiufeng was taken aback, not expecting Jiang Xia to have noticed.
She nodded. "A bit, but I'm not sure if I can do it. I'm not familiar with the capital city and a bit scared of doing a bad job."
Jiang Xia replied, "You can follow my classmate around for a while to get familiar with the business. Once you learn how she does it, you can try on your own."
Li Qiufeng had come to broaden her horizons and learn new things. She couldn't keep helping with childcare forever; at her age, she needed to find a proper job.
She shook her head. "I'll wait until my mom comes back before trying."
Jiang Xia said, "There's no need to wait for Auntie. In a few days, we'll be going to Sui City. You can stay here and learn from my classmate how to sell clothes. We need someone to look after the house here."
Three people were enough to take care of the children. Most of the time, they were well-behaved, especially when they woke up and had their bellies full. They could play for about an hour in their cribs, and they would play longer if an adult sat with them and talked.
However, they needed to go out for walks in the morning and evening, either in the yard or outside, but not confined indoors.
Over the past month, Jiang Xia had noticed that Li Qiufeng, though quiet, was very meticulous and organized. She was also smart.
Jiang Xia also thought about the upcoming announcement in April next year about the start of the "mini junior college" admissions for junior high school graduates. This was a crucial path for rural children to improve their lives.
The benefits for junior college students were excellent in this era. Not only did they not have to pay tuition, but they also received food and oil subsidies and a stipend. After graduation, they were guaranteed a job.
Moreover, they could transfer their rural household registration to an urban one, which provided more secure access to goods. Urban household registration was much more desirable than a rural one in this era!
In those days, vocational schools were highly sought after. After just two or three years of study, students could be assigned jobs, so who wouldn't want to attend?
However, the admission rate was only five percent.
Because of the difficulty in getting in, the students who did manage to enroll in these vocational schools were considered the cream of the crop.
Jiang Xia suggested, "Do you want to learn something? You could enroll in a night school, or I could lend you some books to study on your own. If you have any questions, you can ask me. Next year, you can take the entrance exam and enroll in a vocational school. After graduation, you'll be guaranteed a job."
"Aren't vocational schools only accessible through the National College Entrance Exam? I only have a junior high school diploma."
Their village was nestled deep in the mountains. To attend junior high school, they had to trek over hills to the town center. Senior high school was even further, located in the county town.
Most people in the village only completed primary school, and even those who finished junior high school were few.
Her junior high school classmates had quickly married and started families after graduation. She was reluctant to follow the same path and wanted to see the world. That's why, when her cousin's wife mentioned taking her to the capital city to help with the children, she decided to come along.
After finishing junior high school, she hadn't really wanted to continue to senior high school, preferring to start working and earning money. But her time in the capital city changed her mind.
"I heard that starting next year, junior high school graduates can also take the vocational school entrance exam. It's called a mini vocational school. After two or three years of study, you can start working, and they guarantee job placement."
Li Qiufeng's eyes lit up. "Really?"
Jiang Xia nodded. "That's what I heard. You can start preparing now. If you start preparing earlier than others, it might be easier for you. Once the news is out that junior high school graduates can attend and get a job after two or three years, many people will apply, so the competition will be fierce."
Li Qiufeng felt a glimmer of hope. "Could you help me borrow some books, Cousin Sister-in-Law?"
Jiang Xia nodded. "Sure, I'll look for them tomorrow."
"Thank you, Cousin Sister-in-Law."
At that moment, Zhang Rui and Zhang Rong walked in.
Zhang Rui, curious, asked, "What are you looking for?"
Jiang Xia explained, "My cousin wants to continue her studies and take the vocational school entrance exam. I'm helping her find some books."
Zhang Rui immediately offered, "I can help you find them! Sister-in-law's school library might not have the books you need."
Jiang Xia agreed. "Sure, thank you." The review materials she used for the National College Entrance Exam were also found by Zhang Rui in the capital city at Zhao Chenglei's request.
At that moment, the baby woke up and started crying. Jiang Xia heard the cries and went to fetch the baby.
Zhang Rui, who had also heard the news about the junior high school entrance exam for vocational schools, sat next to Li Qiufeng. "Cousin, if you want to attend a vocational school, have you thought about what kind of job you want to do?"
During the National Day holiday, Zhang Rui had taken her to the National Day Ceremony, an evening gala, and a movie. They had grown a bit more familiar, and Li Qiufeng was less afraid of him. She replied, "I'm not sure what kind of job I could get after graduating from a vocational school."
Zhang Rui knew a bit about the situation. Currently, there was a shortage of mid-level technical and highly educated professionals in industries like agriculture and forestry, hydropower, commerce, economics and finance, health, and teacher training, which is why mini vocational schools were established.
"If you study teacher training, you'll become a teacher. If you study healthcare, you'll join the health system as a doctor or nurse. If you study finance or business, you'll likely be assigned to the industry and commerce, finance and taxation, or supply and marketing systems..."
Li Qiufeng asked, "Is it hard to get into a teacher training program?"
"Hard, but not for you. You're smart, have a good memory, and enjoy quiet study. It shouldn't be too difficult for you. It's too hard for me! I can't sit still..."
Zhang Rui then told her about his struggles with studying in the military.
Zhang Rui had no natural talent for studying. He preferred martial arts to literature and couldn't focus on his books. He would fall asleep as soon as he started reading, finding studying incredibly difficult.
But to progress further, he needed to be educated.
He only managed to pass the university entrance exam in the military because Zhao Chenglei pushed him!
Studying was painful, but even more painful were the hellish training sessions from his older brother.
(End of Chapter)
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