When Su Jianguo heard this, it was absolutely huge news!
Su Xiangdong graduated from High School last year and has been working in agriculture at home ever since.
Actually, he had looked for a Job in the County, but at that time, because he had no connections at the Machinery Factory, even though he passed the exam, someone else ended up taking the spot.
Later, the Textile Factory in the County was recruiting maintenance worker Apprentices, and Su Xiangdong signed up for that too.
His Written test score was first place!
But what did that matter?
They were only recruiting two Apprentices; one was the Factory Director's nephew, and the other was a relative of the Revolutionary Committee Director, so Su Xiangdong was rejected again.
After these two times, Su Xiangdong lost much interest in working at a factory, so he simply worked at home, earning Full Work Points every day.
Although he was capable, in the eyes of the villagers, everyone said the Su Family was foolish for spending so much money to send Su Xiangdong to school, only for him to return to farming in the end.
Although no one said these words to the Su family members' faces, how could a secret be kept?
Because of this, Su Xiangdong usually stayed home except when he went to work, at most chatting with a few Cousins, and he didn't like moving around the Village.
"Brother, are you serious? Is there an inside track for this Clerk position?"
It wasn't that Su Jianguo was malicious; he was genuinely scared by what had happened.
Su Guoan punched him lightly: "What are you thinking? Xiangdong was just unlucky those two times. Besides, if you were willing to find someone to grease the wheels, Xiangdong might have had a chance. Alright, let's talk about this Clerk position first."
"There are two Clerks in the Commune; their main job is to relay tasks or notices from the Secretary to the various Production Brigades, and some tasks require writing. Our Commune's Xiao Liu can no longer hold the position because his family members were implicated, so he has to be arranged to Go to the countryside elsewhere, which is how this spot opened up."
Su Jianguo nodded: "That works. Brother, what do I need to prepare? Is this a proper Exam, or does it require some maneuvering?"
Su Guoan smiled: "You've finally awakened! Go back and tell Xiangdong to prepare; I'll take him to the Commune tomorrow to try."
"Okay, deal! You really are my own brother!"
Su Guoan looked disgusted: "Get lost! When there's a benefit, you call me your own brother, but when there's nothing, you call me Gou Dan. Do you think I'm stupid?"
Gou Dan was Su Guoan's childhood name, which generally no one dared to use, especially since he was now the Brigade Leader.
Su Jianguo smiled and quickly bowed: "Brother, I was wrong. Don't hold it against me. Come over to my place at Noon for a couple of drinks?"
Su Guoan initially wanted to decline, but then he remembered the Braised Dish he ate last Evening; it was truly too delicious.
"Is there any more Braised Dish?"
Su Jianguo was a shrewd person and immediately said, "Brother, if you come to eat, there must be some!"
Su Guoan cursed him playfully a couple more times, then turned and left.
Su Jianguo knew that Su Guoan would come over at Noon to discuss the Clerk position in detail, so he checked the time, quickly told Su Xiangdong to finish his share of the work, and hurried home.
This was different from eating with his Cousins normally; this time, he had good news to share with Xiangdong, so he couldn't be careless about the food.
As soon as Su Jianguo arrived home, he smelled the fragrance.
"Mother, Gou Dan is coming over to eat later; should we make something good?"
Grandma Su looked puzzled: "Why is he coming to eat at our house?"
Su Jianguo slapped his forehead: "I invited him. He said there's an opening for a Clerk position at the Commune—a Formal worker position—and he wants to recommend our Xiangdong to try out."
Grandma Su realized this was wonderful news!
"Fine, you handle it. Go Wash hands first, then go to the Brigade Supply and Marketing Cooperative to buy some salt."
"Understood, Mother."
Su Xiaoruan, who was in the Kitchen, had also heard their conversation and was very happy inside.
If her Eldest Brother became a Formal worker, the family's conditions could improve significantly. Then, she could openly take out the good Things from her Supermarket without always worrying about people watching their family.
"Ruan Bao, what delicious things did your Grandpa leave you?"
Su Xiaoruan thought for a moment; she had already taken out a small piece of Braised Beef. This item wasn't really suitable for eating at Noon today, so with a thought, she retracted the sliced Braised Beef back into storage.
"Grandma, there's a large block of Meat Jelly. This thing smells good, but it doesn't have much meat, though it is quite oily."
"Good, take it out, and I'll slice it up."
Su Xiaoruan took out about a pound and a half of Meat Jelly, and Grandma Su's eyes lit up when she saw it.
This thing, in the Village, would definitely make everyone envious.
This Meat Jelly could only be bought at a State-run Restaurant.
Moreover, looking at its color and the meat faintly visible inside, she felt it was even better than what was sold at the State-run Restaurant.
Su Xiaoruan pondered for a while, then took out a bottle of Baijiu from the Supermarket, tearing off all the packaging so no one could recognize it.
The family already had a small basin of Braised Dish at home, and adding this Meat Jelly made the meal quite substantial.
Su Xiaoruan quietly took out five catties of handmade Noodles. When they were done drinking, she would boil the Noodles and make a sauce with Wild Vegetables and Eggs.
Grandma Su thought that was fine; with meat and White Flour, the sincerity of the meal was certainly there.
Su Guoan, who enjoyed drinking, took a small sip and immediately concluded this must have been sent back by Su Jianguo.
Their small place couldn't brew liquor this good.
There was no need to be secretive at the dinner table, and soon, the matter of Su Xiangdong going to the Commune tomorrow was settled.
Su Guoan reminded him to dress cleanly and neatly, and it would be best to carry a pen and notebook so people could see he wasn't completely unprepared.
Su Xiangdong was already good-looking, and he was tall too; having someone like him working at the Commune would add to the Commune's image.
In the Evening, Su Xiaoruan and her Brothers sat in the Courtyard watching the stars.
"Eldest Brother, you will definitely pass the interview tomorrow. The Secretary of our Commune is a practical person; following him in the future will surely benefit you greatly."
Su Xiangdong patted her head, his face full of affection: "How do you know? Are you very familiar with the Secretary?"
Su Xiaoruan pouted. She wasn't familiar, but the point was she knew this Secretary Geng would have a prosperous official career in the future.
"Second Brother, Third Brother, you two must study hard. Look at these Leaders or people who accomplish great things—which one of them isn't literate? Besides, for Eldest Brother's opportunity this time, if he hadn't graduated from High School, Uncle wouldn't have recommended him to try."
Su Xiangbei strongly agreed with this point.
Su Xiangdong, however, wasn't as optimistic, as he had been passed over the previous two times due to his lack of connections.
"I'm not holding out much hope either. I'll give it a try; if it works out, that's best, but if not, it will prevent me from being too disappointed."