Though she thought this way, her expression remained unchanged on the surface. She even put on a grateful look. “Director Gao, I promise to pass on your message.”
Director Gao waved his hand in satisfaction and sent Miao Yunwei out to work.
As soon as she stepped out of the office, Miao Yunwei’s face darkened. Thinking of her older brother’s current situation, her expression grew even more troubled. Since Zhang Xiuqing was unwilling to partner with her brother, others might not be willing either. Those who were kept in the dark might agree at first, but once they learned the truth, they would surely hold resentment. By then, her brother wouldn’t even have peace at work.
In that case, there was no choice but to burn the boats behind her.
With this thought, she turned her attention to the aunties responsible for cleaning in the fleet’s logistics department. Seizing an opportunity during a bathroom break, she discreetly revealed Miao Pingkang’s situation. Afterward, she went back to work as if nothing had happened.
Early the next morning, as soon as Director Gao arrived at the office, he saw Xue Feng with a dark expression, gulping down water. He hurried over and asked quietly, “What did they say? Are they willing to switch?”
Xue Feng put down the enamel mug. “Don’t even mention it! Some blabbermouth spilled the beans about Miao Pingkang’s condition. Now the whole fleet knows he can drive but can’t handle heavy labor. Those ticket sellers are all old hands—they knew what I was going to ask before I even opened my mouth. They shut me down with their words and even reminded me not to pull any capitalist tricks, to be fair and just, and to let things take their course. It’s infuriating!”
Director Gao’s face fell. He set down his briefcase, his mind racing. “If this approach doesn’t work, we’ll have to recruit someone new. One of the fleet’s ticket sellers will need to be promoted.”
Xue Feng’s eyes widened instantly. “Director, what do you mean? Are there new instructions from above?”
Director Gao shook his head gloomily. “No, it’s all because of Zhang Xiuqing’s fuss! Her brother-in-law will definitely have to help find a solution. I’ll go out for a bit and talk about it when I get back.”
Hearing this, Xue Feng’s chaotic mind instantly settled. She flattered him enthusiastically before returning to her workstation to get back to work.
At noon, when Director Gao returned, Xue Feng could tell from his expression that the matter had been resolved. She quickly approached him. “Director, what did they say?”
Director Gao curled the corner of his mouth and sat down calmly. “What else could they say? Even if they’re not happy, they have to find a solution. The higher-ups said we need to add another ticket-selling window in our ticket hall. The person for it will be selected from the fleet’s ticket sellers. I’ll ask Zhang Xiuqing in a bit. If she’s willing to go, that would be perfect. If not, we’ll choose someone else.”
Xue Feng nodded repeatedly and asked again, “What about the ticket seller partnering with Miao Pingkang?”
Director Gao replied casually, “If others aren’t willing, his own sister surely will be. Comrade Xiao Miao’s performance recently has been seen by everyone. She’s also a high school graduate—educated and capable. She can definitely handle selling tickets on the bus and moving small luggage without complaint.
Most importantly, a while ago, Ke Youzhi came to see me and mentioned that Comrade Xiao Miao isn’t in good health. He even asked me to find an opportunity to transfer her to another position. I originally thought this kid had too many issues and was considering observing her for a while. If it didn’t work out, I’d let her go. But now there’s actually a suitable opportunity to help her transfer. In a bit, call her over, along with Old Zhang and a few others, and give Comrade Xiao Miao a written test. If she passes, she’ll take up the position.”
“Oh! This is no small matter, Director. How about we arrange it after work? I’ll go inform Comrade Miao.”
Director Gao agreed.
Xue Feng hurriedly left the office, found Miao Yunwei in the parking lot, and secretly told her about the situation. “Comrade Miao, the opportunity is right in front of you. You must seize it well. Take every chance you can to glance at the materials during lunch break. After clocking out, come to the office to take the exam. If you pass, you’ll be transferred.”
Miao Yunwei suppressed her inner elation, her dark eyes shining brightly. “Comrade Xue! You’re like a second parent to me. Don’t worry, I’ll work hard and won’t let you down.”
Xue Feng offered a few more words of encouragement before leaving.
From then on, Miao Yunwei worked with even more enthusiasm. When buses arrived at the station, she would take the opportunity to chat with a few ticket sellers, inquiring about the exam content for train attendants and ticket sellers.
Everyone thought Miao Yunwei was preparing for next year’s exam, so they didn’t say much and told her the general content they knew.
Afterward, Miao Yunwei also chatted with some of the older women in logistics. Surprisingly, they knew quite a bit too.
After piecing together information from various sources, she had a rough idea.
In those days, the exam for train attendants and ticket sellers mainly covered core job elements, behavioral guidelines for ticket sellers, the regulations of the bus passenger transport company, quotes from great leaders, and some moral and legal knowledge. Most of it was multiple-choice, with only two or three subjective questions, all with standard answers.
During her lunch break, she wandered around the station’s bulletin boards, memorizing most of the content. The moral and legal knowledge questions weren’t designed to trap people like they would be twenty or thirty years later—the correct answers were quite obvious. She was confident she could choose correctly.
As soon as the end-of-work bell rang, she clocked out and ran to the office to find Xue Feng.
Once inside, she realized all the office staff were present, seemingly acting as examiners.
Facing such a formal setup, it was impossible not to feel nervous. Fortunately, having lived a second life, she could quickly adjust her mindset.
When the exam paper was handed out, Miao Yunwei noticed the ink was still fresh, clearly indicating it had been prepared on short notice. Besides knowledge related to the bus passenger transport company, it included many questions on conversational skills and even a dozen or so math problems.
The knowledge tested wasn’t particularly deep—anyone who had attended school properly should be able to answer.
She spent an hour on the exam, while the leaders quietly watched her the entire time.
After finishing the last question, she carefully reviewed it twice, confirming there were no changes needed before handing it in.
At Director Gao’s signal, Miao Yunwei obediently left.
The group of leaders immediately huddled together.
“Old Zhang, you came up with these math problems. What are the standard answers? Xue Feng, you handle the laws and regulations. Old Peng, you’re in charge of the company’s rules and regulations.”
Director Gao kept everyone busy while he quietly waited for the results.
Twenty minutes later, Deputy Director Peng Yonghuai presented the graded exam paper to Director Gao, his eyes filled with admiration.
“Director, who would have thought this girl is such a talent! She scored ninety-nine out of a hundred on the exam. If we graded more leniently, she could have gotten a perfect score! Tsk tsk tsk, who would have thought Miao Jianguo’s daughter would be so outstanding! Such talent is truly wasted as a loader.”
Xue Feng followed with admiration, “I also didn’t expect this girl to be so capable. Her foundational knowledge is solid, and what’s even more impressive is that she remembers all of our company’s rules and regulations clearly. I even threw in an obscure question, and she still answered it correctly.”
With the results laid out before them, Old Zhang also agreed.
Director Gao pondered for a moment and said, “Alright! Comrade Miao Yunwei’s job transfer is settled then. Tomorrow, we’ll finalize the candidate for the ticket window clerk, and we should be able to make the public announcement soon.”