People who came to work at each window were already seated at their posts, some already started selling tickets, some were still organizing documents on their desks, and others leisurely sipped water while chatting about their new headscarves.
The person responsible for acquainting Shen Meng was a middle-aged woman in her forties. The higher-ups had assigned someone from a military family to work here without special mention of whether or not to give her special attention. So, after inquiring about Shen Meng’s background and finding out she was just from an ordinary military family, she didn’t pay much heed. After all, there were plenty of military families out there, and having such a good job was already a blessing; expecting special treatment would be asking for too much.
"Comrade Shen Meng, hello, I am the head of the ticket office. My surname is Fu, you can call me Fu Meili. Come with me, from now on you will work at window number three, responsible for four bus trips to and from the Provincial City and Ning County. Our office takes turns cleaning, and usually, the newcomer does the cleaning on the first day, but since you arrived late, let’s make it tomorrow. Tomorrow you’ll clean up, Xiao Wei, come here and show the new colleague around. Oh right, first, take her to get her uniform."
"Hey, Director, I got it."
Shen Meng smiled warmly, not at all upset by the informality, assessing her new mentor who came sauntering over with a swaying gait. Hmm, another master of changing faces.
"So you’re the newbie, eh?"
"Eh? I had no clue, did I miss someone standing next to the director just now?" If there were, it’d probably be a ghost.
Wei Jia got a little annoyed by Shen Meng’s smiley response and rolled her eyes at her, leading her off in another direction.
"Auntie, this is the new colleague, the director sent her over to get the necessary items. What’s your name, fill in this form and report your size."
"Got it, my name is Shen Meng. And your name, comrade?"
"Wei Jia, just call me Sister Wei. I’ll tell you about the ticket-selling in a bit, I’ll only explain it once, so if you can’t remember or make a mistake, it’s on you."
"Sure thing!"
After filling in the form and handing it over to the caretaker auntie who grumbled as she went into the storeroom, she soon came out with a bunch of items—a uniform, a cap, a basin, towel, enamel jar, and a bag.
Shen Meng couldn’t be bothered to try and befriend the grumbling auntie handing out the supplies; cursing and swearing during the holidays, she must be down on her luck, and Shen Meng definitely didn’t want to invite trouble!
"Sister Wei, thank you for the help. I’m new here and not sure if there’s anything in particular I should pay attention to. I’d appreciate your guidance."
As she spoke, Shen Meng pulled out a handful of White Rabbit Creamy Candies and stuffed them into Wei Jia’s hand. Her eyes lit up, recognizing Shen Meng as a clever one. While no one was watching, she quickly pocketed the sweets.
"Hey, what’s this about needing guidance? Sister here will tell ya, our director is pretty reasonable, as long as you work diligently, she won’t meddle in our affairs. See, windows one and two are already busy, those two are our office’s workhorses. Those people chatting over there look after windows from five and beyond, fewer buses to deal with, more free time, all backed by connections. It’s good to network with them; if something comes up at home, you might be able to ask for their help. I see you’re sharp, so just think about it."
"Hey, thanks a lot, Sister Wei."
Shen Meng took out a bag of White Rabbit Creamy Candies from her pocket and handed it to Wei Jia.
"Sister Wei, would you mind distributing these among everyone? Consider it a small gesture from me. Keep whatever’s left for yourself. I’m going to tidy up my station now, thanks again!"
"Why don’t you go? It’s a great chance to get to know everyone better, you might even get dragged into some good opportunities later. The people I just told you about really do have connections, don’t you want to make some contacts?"
"Hey, I’m just here to work, what’s there to network for? Thank you, Sister Wei, for being so considerate."
Wei Jia: "..."
I’m not considering for you, I just want a follower!!!
Shen Meng put everything she received today on the ground, took out a small handkerchief from her bag, wiped the desk and chairs, then took out her thermos, pen and paper, lunch box, small mirror, a little box for snacks, and a small extendable trash bin, and arranged everything neatly.
Wei Jia, who had just finished handing out milk candies and came back, looked at the array of items on Shen Meng’s desk and secretly clicked her tongue, wondering if this newcomer also had some connections. Otherwise, why would her things be of such high quality? The director clearly said she was just a rural woman, but just looking at that round little mirror, you could tell the quality was excellent—nothing a rural woman would normally afford to use.
"Wow, Xiao Shen, you’ve really prepared a full setup here!"
"Just a random assortment, Sister Wei. These are from my man’s military buddy. He sent them over, said it’s milk tea, sweet and milky. I brought two small packs, I’ll give you one to try."
"Ah, how could I take so much stuff from you? My pockets... hehe, are stuffed full already, I really can’t."
Shen Meng directly placed the paper-wrapped milk tea into Wei Jia’s hand. "You’re my teacher now. I think it’s about time, Sister Wei, please teach me quickly, how should I handle the tickets."
Initially, Wei Jia was just going through the motions, but now she showed eight parts of sincerity, with two parts reserved for further observation.
Bus tickets from Ning County to and from the Provincial City sold well. Once she finished selling, she just needed to have the driver check the tickets when starting the trip. If anyone was caught without a ticket, they’d be directly kicked off, and those who wanted to ride would still have to buy from her. She was responsible for this one task, and the rest wasn’t her concern.
It was also fortunate that she managed the route between Ning County and the Provincial City. If she had to manage just between Ning County and some other county, or buses passing through rural areas, she would have to check tickets inside the vehicle and occasionally even accompany the bus. That would involve a ton of hassle and be heart-wrenchingly tiresome.
Her assigned bus shifts started selling tickets at 8:30 in the morning. Wei Jia, looking after the milk tea favor, stood by her side to prevent any mistakes. Shen Meng, when it came to work, displayed an earnestness that she never had even in her past life as a corporate drone—working actively, serving with a smile, dutiful and responsible, making the ticket buyers feel much more at ease.
Wei Jia shook her head, feeling that Shen Meng had just arrived and not yet adapted. Looking at the several windows behind her, where people were being yelled at until it hurt the ears and the customers were scolded like dogs, she believed that eventually, Shen Meng would become the same.
Shen Meng was unaware of Wei Jia’s thoughts. The ticket buyers, laden with large and small bags, were all in a hurry, showing a sense of unease in their eyes. Life was hard enough as it was, why should she make things even more difficult for them? If saying a few comforting words could soothe their anxious hearts, she was happy to do that.
Near noon, Shen Meng stretched lazily. This job was quite alright; it was busy just for a while, and after selling tickets for one bus slot, there would be plenty of downtime.
Wei Jia called her over to heat up her lunch. Holding her lunch box, Shen Meng happily followed. Today, her lunch box contained a fragrant pork chop and ham rice, and she was thinking of making another cup of milk tea later, utterly content.
"Comrade Shen Meng, someone is looking for you."
Upon hearing this, everyone in the office looked in the direction of the newcomer.
Hu Biao, holding two lunch boxes, waved at Shen Meng and said, "Sister Meng, Sister Meng, I’ve brought you lunch."