Chapter 26: Probation, Meritocracy in Action

Jiang Qin had worked at the factory for over twenty years, but this was the first time she had ever written a letter of recommendation for anyone.

She had been deeply impressed by Tian Xiang’s tenacity when the girl relentlessly pursued Lu Feng. The way Tian Xiang handled the Lu Feng situation—showing both courage and strategy by uncovering his secrets in just over ten days—was quite clever. Since the factory was about to establish a new internal administrative team and needed such a person, she decided to write the recommendation.

In the five major factories, the standard practice was to post job openings publicly for large-scale recruitment, while small-scale hiring was handled internally. After all, with more people than jobs, one had to look after their own whenever an opportunity arose.

There were only two positions in this newly formed group. Before writing the letter for Tian Xiang, the matter had been discussed privately, with the plan to hire one man and one woman. The candidates were to be selected from the unemployed children of factory employees, following the order of their waitlist.

That day, Jiang Qin had received the list from her subordinates. Before she could even sign it, Tian Xiang had come to see her. In the end, things changed: she signed off on Chen Yong’s name, but the other name was struck through, and the spot was given to Tian Xiang.

Jiang Qin’s actions were not against the rules. According to official regulations, hiring was supposed to be open to society at large, but it had been an unspoken custom for years that some spots were reserved for one’s own people. She had specifically mentioned to Director Li that she had found a candidate of her own choosing and would only be selecting one person from the employee-family list this time.

However, Li Huai had not expected Jiang Qin to personally write a letter of recommendation for someone else. He had assumed she gave the spot to the factory committee for other reasons. Who would have guessed that a snag would occur?

Jiang Qin pointed to the recommendation letter written by Vice Factory Director Zeng. "Is this Comrade Tao related to Director Tao of the Factory Committee's Production Section?"

Li Huai nodded. "His youngest daughter."

So that was it! Jiang Qin now understood what was going on.

Last time, when there were two job openings in the trade union, Director Tao had approached her privately, hoping to get his youngest daughter in. At that time, Jiang Qin had refused, citing the seniority of the waitlist. In recent years, social development had stagnated, and the factory rarely hired, leaving many children of employees waiting for job assignments. There were still people who had graduated a year or two ago waiting in line; she had no reason to let someone who had only graduated a few months ago cut the line right under her nose.

Moreover, the factory headquarters had far more job opportunities than their department. If he wanted to take a shortcut, he should have arranged it in his own department instead of trying to corrupt her! Jiang Qin had been quite blunt at the time, and she likely offended him.

Now that the union was forming a new team, Director Tao, for some reason, had learned that Jiang Qin had recommended her own candidate. Instead of letting his daughter wait in the queue, he had forced her into the position and had Vice Factory Director Zeng write a letter of recommendation. Jiang Qin understood his intent. If he wanted fairness and justice, then so be it—they would abandon the old customs and hold an open, competitive recruitment process.

***

Jiang Qin sat at her desk, organizing her thoughts.

Li Huai waited anxiously. "Chairwoman, how should we handle this?"

Jiang Qin sighed. "In that case, let’s make it a competitive selection."

Downstairs, the three candidates had been waiting for nearly twenty minutes without seeing Director Li return. Even Chen Yong realized something was off. What was going on? Did a routine interview really require consulting the leadership? Chen Yong was a pre-selected candidate; when the union notified him to come for an interview, they hadn't given specific details, so he had no idea the position was over-capacity. He grew impatient and wanted to find a place to sit, but remembering this was an interview, he held back.

Tao Huilan had sat down long ago, even moving her chair to a spot by the window for comfort. Tian Xiang, however, had stood in her original spot from the beginning, her back straight as an arrow, not moving an inch.

When Li Huai arrived, this was the scene he saw: Chen Yong standing sloppily, Tao Huilan acting spoiled, and Tian Xiang standing with discipline and decorum. As expected of someone Chairwoman Jiang had her eye on—her attitude alone was worth extra points.

Li Huai cleared his throat, returned to his desk, and beckoned the three of them to step forward. "For this open recruitment, we have received three letters of recommendation so far. The union’s position is this: first, a trial period; second, a selection process; and finally, the official hiring."

A trial period? Tian Xiang chuckled to herself. So it really was over-capacity. She didn't know if this had been planned or if an accident had occurred, but it didn't matter. She had confidence in herself.

Chen Yong frowned. Wasn't it already decided? Why a trial period? He couldn't ask directly, so he decided to wait until he got home to have his parents look into it.

Tao Huilan was prepared. She asked, "Director Li, how does this trial work? What are the criteria for selection? The union office wouldn't be using public office for private gain, would it?"

Before the trial had even begun, she was already mentioning corruption. Li Huai smiled. "Comrade Tao Huilan, what are you worried about?"

Tao Huilan pursed her lips. "I’m just afraid that the leaders will ignore the trial results and simply hire the people they recommended."

Her meaning was clear; she was talking about Chairwoman Jiang. Of the three letters, Chen Yong’s had been written by a retired cadre from their residential compound after his family was notified—someone also connected to the factory committee. Tao Huilan’s letter was written by the Vice Factory Director; although Vice Director Zeng served as the Vice Chair of the Union, it was purely a titular role, and he was firmly part of the factory committee. Only Tian Xiang was recommended by Chairwoman Jiang, representing the union itself.

Tian Xiang didn't know these details, so she kept quiet.

Li Huai, out of courtesy to Director Tao and Vice Director Zeng, didn't want to make things too ugly. He said sternly, "Since it is a trial period, we will naturally ensure fairness and justice. Comrade Tao Huilan, our factory union is a mass organization, a representative of the workers. If we cannot be fair and incorruptible, where can our workers look for light? Instead of wasting your energy questioning our work style here, you should focus on your performance. The eyes of the people are sharp; everyone has their own scale to measure whether you are doing a good job or not."

Tao Huilan pursed her lips. "I'm just a bit worried."

Li Huai replied, "Enough. Let's not talk about that. Let me explain the work outline for the newly established administrative team."

Li Huai had them find seats, took a sip of tea, and adopted a professional demeanor. "This administrative team belongs to the internal affairs department. Its main duties are to understand the workers' needs and difficulties, help struggling families overcome their hardships, resolve conflicts in the factory and the residential quarters, and coordinate daily work between departments... In short, wherever you are needed, that is where you will be."

What? That was just a janitorial job! Not only did they have to work in the factory, but they also had to mediate conflicts in the residential quarters. It sounded a lot like the work of the neighborhood committee ladies!

Tian Xiang was currently unemployed and struggling to find work. As long as there was work to be done and she could get an official worker status, she didn't care if it was menial labor. Tao Huilan’s goal was just to get into the union; she hadn't thought much about the actual work. Chen Yong scratched his head; it sounded complicated, but if he didn't find something to do, his old man would kick him out of the house, so he had no choice.

Seeing that none of the three had any objections, Li Huai issued three temporary work permits and continued, "The trial period is two months, starting tomorrow. The wage is twenty-two yuan, with a two-yuan meal subsidy. We will discuss permanent status after the two months are up. You may go now; report here tomorrow morning at eight."