Chapter 248 - 247: First Day at Work
"Alright, let’s eat first. No one is laughing at you."
Xue Yue looked out the window; it was already pitch black.
"Why didn’t you wake me? It’s already dark."
He Lang rubbed her head. "It’s fine. We’ll go back tomorrow."
They stayed at the hotel for two days. The next morning, Xue Yue woke up early. She and He Lang checked out, and when they got home, the children were still asleep.
Mrs. He was up and cooking in the kitchen.
Hearing the noise, she came out and saw it was Xue Yue and He Lang.
"Are you done with work? Your jobs are so tiring you can’t even come home. You must be hungry. The food will be ready in a bit."
Xue Yue froze for a moment before He Lang pulled her along.
"Mom, we’re going to our room first. Call us when the food is ready."
Mrs. He waved at them. "Alright, go on and get some rest."
Once in their room, Xue Yue was still a bit dazed.
"Mom doesn’t know we went to a hotel?"
He Lang smiled. "I told her I was taking you to Lishan City for a business inspection."
Xue Yue breathed a sigh of relief and shot He Lang a sideways glance.
"Then why didn’t you tell me earlier? You let me worry for nothing."
He Lang shrugged. "I didn’t say anything. I just said I called home. You imagined the rest."
Xue Yue rolled her eyes at him, sat on the bed, and turned her head away, ignoring him.
He Lang chuckled, sat down next to Xue Yue, and put his arm around her shoulder.
"Alright, my bad. I just think you’re cute when you’re shy, so I wanted to tease you."
Xue Yue wasn’t actually angry. "I’m going to check on the children."
The whole family was thrilled to hear that Xue Yue had graduated and been assigned a job.
Mrs. He cooked a huge celebratory feast.
Xue Xingzhou and Zhang Qian came over as well.
Xue Xingzhou had reported to the Beijing City Public Security Bureau a month earlier than Xue Yue and the others, an assignment that was practically guaranteed.
Xue Xingzhou had excelled in school, earning top marks in all his subjects. Graduates from his year were highly valued by public sector employers, and recruiters had been keeping a close eye on the performance of students from the Public Security University, eager to snap up the best and brightest.
That’s why Xue Xingzhou had received his orders to report to the Public Security Bureau early, although his official start date was after he received his diploma.
As of today, Xue Xingzhou had officially started working.
"Brother, what’s the difference between the Public Security Bureau in Beijing City and the one back in our hometown?"
Xue Xingzhou said, "Not much difference. The place is bigger and there are more people, but it’s all about serving the people."
Zhang Qian said to Xue Yue, "Don’t mind him. He says that all the time, calling himself a public servant. He’s truly a people’s police officer, through and through."
Xue Yue burst out laughing. Her brother could be quite stubborn sometimes, and he spoke with the air of a veteran cadre.
Zhang Qian had studied literature and was assigned to a news agency after graduation.
"After all those years of university, I just moved from a small-town news agency to one in Beijing City," Zhang Qian sighed.
Xue Yue teased, "Didn’t you say you liked working at a news agency? If you study literature, it’s pretty likely you’ll be assigned to one."
Zhang Qian pouted. "I should have studied photography instead. They didn’t have that major our year, but the university added it the very next year. Such a shame."
"But I was surprised you were assigned to the Ministry of Commerce. I thought it would be the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."
Xue Yue said, "The Ministry of Commerce is great, too. Besides, Uncle Zheng is there. He’ll be my superior."
Zhang Qian nodded. "That’s right, my dad will be your superior. I’m so jealous."
Xue Xingzhou said with a smile, "What’s there to be jealous of? Knowing Dad’s personality, he’ll only be stricter with you at work. Don’t even think about slacking off just because you have his backing."
Xue Yue tilted her head. "I won’t! I’ll definitely work hard."
Today was Xue Yue’s first day reporting to the Ministry of Commerce. She had dressed more formally on purpose.
She met several people at the entrance, all of them also reporting for duty at the Ministry. Xue Yue waited a few minutes before Meng Ye arrived.
Thankfully, he wasn’t late.
The department had staff specifically assigned to receive them.
After verifying their information, they began assigning them to their posts.
Xue Yue was assigned as an assistant under Feng Yujie, who was the deputy group leader of the Disciplinary Inspection and Supervision Group.
She looked to be in her thirties, dressed in a gray women’s suit with her hair tied up in a bun. She had a commanding presence.
Xue Yue had been standing in front of the desk for over ten minutes. Feng Yujie was busy with her work the entire time, only looking up at Xue Yue after she finally put down her documents.
She looked her up and down.
"Introduce yourself again."
Xue Yue stood up straight.
Her voice was clear. "My name is Xue Yue. I’m 29 years old. I’m a recent graduate from the Foreign Language University."
Feng Yujie glanced at her. "Do you know what an assistant does?"
"Carry out the superior’s instructions."
Feng Yujie nodded. "As my assistant, I’ll make one thing clear: confidentiality. Do you know what confidentiality means? It means that whatever you hear or see here, you don’t repeat it to anyone outside, not even your family. Got it?"
Xue Yue nodded.
"Say it out loud. Do you understand?"
Xue Yue raised her voice. "Understood, Leader."
Feng Yujie then tossed a stack of files to Xue Yue.
"You know how to organize and file, right?"
"Yes, I do."
"Good. Sort these files by year and by country, log them properly, and get it done for me as soon as possible."
"Okay."
"You can go now. Keep your ears open. When you hear me call for you, come back in. Hmm, your name is Xue Yue, right?"
"Yes, Leader."
"Don’t call me Leader. You can call me Group Leader Feng, or Sister Feng."
"Sister Feng."
Feng Yujie waved her hand at Xue Yue, dismissing her.
Only after closing the door did Xue Yue take a deep breath.
’My palms are all sweaty. I was so nervous!’
Xue Yue’s workstation was just a short distance from the door. After sitting down, she only glanced around for a moment before immediately starting to organize the files Sister Feng had given her.
At noon, Meng Ye came up to get her.
"Xue Yue, it’s time for lunch. Are you still busy?"
Xue Yue didn’t even look up. "I’m not done yet. You go ahead and eat first."
Meng Ye said, "How about I bring something back for you?"
Xue Yue shook her head. "No, don’t. It’ll make the office smell like food. You go on."
Not long after Meng Ye left, Feng Yujie came out of her office. She saw Xue Yue still hunched over her work.
She walked over and knocked on Xue Yue’s desk.
Xue Yue looked up and saw it was Feng Yujie.
She quickly stood up.
"Sister Feng?"
Feng Yujie looked at her. "Go eat first. You can finish up after lunch. We don’t exploit our subordinates here. Your health is your most important asset."
Xue Yue said, "Okay."
She gathered the files she was holding and followed Feng Yujie out of the office.
At the cafeteria, after getting their food, Feng Yujie glanced around and said to Xue Yue, "Find a place to sit and eat on your own. I have something to attend to."
With that, she carried her tray to one side. Xue Yue glanced over to where Sister Feng was headed and saw Uncle Zheng at a table, along with another middle-aged man. Sister Feng sat down next to them.