Chapter 352
But that wasn't all; two of the women were actually acquaintances.
After looking around, the younger-looking woman immediately sneered, "Sister-in-law, see? I told you that you're too old for this. It's not suitable. They only want to hire young people. If it were me, I'd still have a chance. If they actually pick you, they must be blind."
After saying that, she critically eyed the shabby office.
"Such a huge pig farm, yet I didn't expect it to be so remote. Mom and Dad didn't want you to suffer this hardship, which is why they asked me to take this job instead of you. But you just wanted to keep it all to yourself. Well, look at us now. If I can't get it, don't even think you will either."
She stared at Si Nian, vigilance in her eyes.
Although the surrounding work environment wasn't great.
Despite her complaints, she was still very envious of this job.
A starting salary of 80 a month.
That was more than double what she made at her old factory.
With such high pay, a little hardship was manageable.
Since she had been laid off, her parents had tried to persuade her sister-in-law to give her this opportunity, but who knew her sister-in-law would refuse.
The two of them had never really seen eye to eye to begin with.
Now that they were competitors, the jealousy was even more intense.
Seeing that there was another young and beautiful woman in the office, she was initially surprised. In her panic, she couldn't help but mock her sister-in-law.
Seeing how young the other applicants were, how could a thirty-five-year-old woman like her have any chance?
She herself was only 29.
The woman she called sister-in-law didn't look too good.
Originally, this job was introduced to her by the son of the boss at the restaurant where her husband worked, because she already did sales and business work.
She hadn't expected the news to reach her mother-in-law's family.
They even insisted she give the job to her younger sister-in-law.
Her husband was an apprentice at the restaurant and didn't make much. They had three children to raise, and her previous job didn't pay well either, so their current financial pressure was immense.
She had finally gotten this opportunity, but now not only was her younger sister-in-law fighting her for it, there were also so many other competitors.
They were older, which made doing sales difficult, so it was easy to get laid off as you aged.
Her sister-in-law had already been laid off, and who knew when it would be her turn.
Companies only wanted young, pretty, and educated women, as it made socializing and negotiating business much easier.
Hearing her sister-in-law's words now, her heart went cold.
She said with a bitter face, "Don't talk about people like that."
The other two men disdained bickering with women, but when their eyes fell on Si Nian, they couldn't help but take a few extra glances.
It was simply because this woman was too stunning.
As a competitor, she gave them a huge sense of crisis.
However, the job requirements stated that the applicant needed to be educated.
This girl was still young, looking about eighteen or nineteen.
She definitely hadn't gone to college.
How much education could she have?
Thinking of their own qualifications, they breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Si Nian quietly observed everyone's expressions.
She found it quite interesting.
She took the initiative to strike up a conversation. "Are you all experienced veterans?"
The first woman who spoke was named Li Yanhong. She immediately raised her chin and said disdainfully, "Nonsense. When I was out doing sales, you were probably still in elementary school. My performance at my previous company was top-notch!"
Wearing a suit, she did have somewhat of a white-collar aura.
Si Nian glanced at her.
Unexpectedly, the two men nearby laughed. "What kind of proper woman shows her face in public all day long? Everyone knows what that means. 'Top-notch'? You aren't even afraid of being laughed at for saying that!"
"If she were my wife, I would absolutely never let her do this kind of work outside..." The other man also shook his head, his face full of disapproval.
The two exchanged a glance, revealing a knowing and disgusting smile.
In this era, mindsets were still feudal. They still believed that women belonged inside the home and men belonged outside. If a woman came out to do business, run sales, and drink with clients, what was the difference between her and a prostitute?
If their own women did this kind of work, they would be too ashamed to face anyone.
From the very beginning, they hadn't taken these two older women seriously.
Because everyone knew that at this age, many companies wouldn't hire them.
Sales required young and pretty people, otherwise they would quickly be eliminated.
After all, no client wanted to sit and drink with a wrinkled, aging face.
The two men sneered. Even though they were born of women themselves, they still looked down on them.
Li Yanhong's face flushed red with anger at their words.
Her sister-in-law awkwardly lowered her head.
They both knew exactly what the two men meant, but it was rarely pointed out so explicitly to their faces. To them, this was a deep insult.
"Filthy! It's because of filthy-minded, stinking men like you that so many people point fingers at women!"
Li Yanhong said angrily, "We earn money with our own skills. What's so shameful about that?"
"Whatever you men can do, we women can do just as well."
"We are not the kind of people who make illicit trades just for business."
The two men scoffed and laughed out loud. "That sure sounds nice."
"Even if someone like you wanted to make illicit trades, the boss probably wouldn't even look twice at you."
"Women are better off staying at home to serve their husbands and raise their children."
Hearing the two sides arguing endlessly, Si Nian slightly shook her head.
Li Yanhong happened to catch this.
She immediately flared up, "What are you shaking your head for? Don't think that just because you're young and pretty, I'll lose to you!"
Si Nian: "Thanks for the compliment."
Li Yanhong: "..."
Seeing that she was about to start arguing again, her sister-in-law hurriedly pulled her back and whispered, "Stop talking. Don't fight with them."
Li Yanhong swatted her hand away, her face full of anger, finding everyone displeasing to the eye.
"Miss, don't mind her. Yanhong just has this kind of temper. Those of us in sales inevitably get gossiped about by a man or two behind our backs. You just have to get used to it."
Hearing this, Li Yanhong rolled her eyes at her.
After listening, Si Nian asked in return, "Why should you get used to being insulted?"
Wang Qiaomei let out a confused sound. When she reacted, she couldn't give a clear reason, so she said gently, "We can't stop other people's mouths. It's best to just live our own lives. If you take everything too seriously, life becomes too hard."
Si Nian looked at her and observed her for a moment.
Wang Qiaomei was the oldest person present, and her face showed the weathering of time. She was indeed older, and doing sales might not make her very popular unless she was extremely capable or very eloquent.
However, she looked honest and sincere; she wasn't a bad person.
Si Nian casually picked up the old man's cup from the table, poured herself some tea, took a sip, and said, "I actually think cursing back is quite nice."
"Rather than being unhappy all by yourself, it's better to make everyone unhappy together."
She put down the cup and smiled at Wang Qiaomei. "Don't you agree?"
Wang Qiaomei froze.
Li Yanhong gave her a stunned look.
Wang Qiaomei then sighed and said, "You are still young. My sister-in-law is just like that. She offended too many people over the years, which is why she was laid off."
"You're still young and naive, but when you get older, you'll know just how hard it is to find a job."
Hearing this, Li Yanhong's face darkened.