Chapter 14: No Rules

At eight o’clock in the morning, a crowd of young people had already gathered outside the Personnel Department’s Human Resources Section in Huangyuan County. Some were dressed fairly normally, while others wore suits and ties, looking as sharp and spirited as possible.

They were all there to collect their job assignment notices.

However, no one from the Human Resources Section had arrived yet, so everyone stood outside waiting. The group sized each other up but few took the initiative to speak.

Although they would all be working in the same county from now on and were part of the same cohort entering the workforce, they didn’t know each other beforehand. None had started working yet, and lacking social experience, the atmosphere was rather cold.

Occasionally, a brief exchange occurred.

“Which department did you get assigned to?”

“Such-and-such department. How about you?”

“I’m with so-and-so…”

Then the conversation would fizzle out. Their awkwardness made it clear none had workplace experience yet.

As time passed and the wait grew long, impatience spread, sparking murmurs about why no one from the Personnel Department had arrived.

At 8:40 a.m., a middle-aged woman finally appeared, and the complaints ceased as everyone surged toward the office.

“Enough pushing! One at a time. What’s the rush? You’re all about to start working—this crowding is unbecoming. If anyone squeezes again, you won’t get your job notice here. I’ll have your supervisors come get it instead,” Deng Hong, a middle-aged woman from the Personnel Section, barked sharply.

Her face wore a trace of impatience and subtle arrogance. In her eyes, these young people, even once employed, were novices compared to her seasoned self.

Some even came from rural areas, making them greenhorns next to a veteran like her. The hierarchy of disdain was everywhere: those who passed the civil service exam looked down on those who didn’t; among those who passed, urban youth looked down on rural youth; among the urban, those in better departments looked down on those in lesser ones. Within the same department, senior employees looked down on newcomers…

Deng Hong’s authoritative and threatening words silenced the inexperienced youths instantly. Without that job notice, how could they explain themselves to their supervisors? Starting with a bad impression before even beginning work would make survival in the office difficult indeed.

Once the crowd quieted, Deng Hong nodded approvingly. “Everyone stay outside and wait. When your name is called, come in to collect your job notice. If your name isn’t called, keep waiting.”

She entered the office and began calling names one by one. Some newcomers, unaware of protocol, blundered in prematurely and were promptly scolded by Deng Hong and sent back outside to wait.

However, those accompanied by the section chief or other personnel bureau staff were treated with leniency—Deng Hong even bowed and smiled as she escorted them out. Before officially starting work, these young people entering the system had already received a lesson.

There were those who passed the civil service exam and those who didn’t; among those who succeeded, some had connections and some did not—two very different groups.

Li Xiuyuan arrived just after nine in the morning. At the entrance, he asked the elderly security guard where to collect the job notices.

Upon entering the building, he found a crowd waiting outside the Human Resources Section.

“Zhang Jun,” a voice called from inside. Someone in the crowd pushed open the door and went in. Li Xiuyuan, not knowing the situation, followed.

He was new and uncertain about the process. Although he guessed they were there to get their notices, he wanted to ask whether he should wait there or register first, to avoid aimlessly waiting only to find out later that registration was required.

Seeing Li Xiuyuan enter, those waiting outside smirked in anticipation.

After a long wait, they understood that those with connections arrived accompanied by bureau leaders or colleagues, bypassing the queue to collect their notices immediately.

But those who came alone and blundered in soon found themselves reprimanded by the middle-aged woman inside.

“Here comes another clueless rookie,” someone chuckled lightly, drawing agreement from those around, anticipating a scolding any moment.

At that moment, Deng Hong was inside processing Zhang Jun’s job notice.

“Zhang Jun, right? You’re assigned to the Water Conservancy Bureau? Here’s your job notice. Take this notice…” Deng Hong was speaking when suddenly the door was pushed open, and a young man walked in.

“Hello, may I ask if the job notices for those who passed this year’s provincial exam are collected here? Is registration or signing in required?” Li Xiuyuan asked politely, looking at Deng Hong seated behind the desk.

Deng Hong’s brow furrowed sharply. “Who let you in? Don’t you see everyone else is waiting outside in line? You’re so special? When it’s your turn, you’ll be called. What’s the rush?”

Her words came rapid-fire like a machine gun. Zhang Jun, standing nearby handling his paperwork, looked at Li Xiuyuan with sympathy.

“Well, I just…” Li Xiuyuan tried to explain. Who knew there was a queue outside? It was noisy and crowded. Besides, the notice hadn’t mentioned anything before. He was only asking a question—was such a fiery reaction necessary?

“What’s wrong with you? Are young people these days so disrespectful? Get out!” Deng Hong continued berating him.

“No, you misunderstand. I just came in to ask if this is where we collect the job notices. No other intention. That can’t be considered disrespect, can it?” Li Xiuyuan was growing annoyed. He only said a few words—was this going to go on forever?

There’s an old saying: it’s easier to meet the king of hell than to deal with a petty official. Those with a little power often try to wield it to the extreme. It was just handing out job notices—not approving billion-yuan projects. Was it really necessary? As if she had the final say on which unit he would go to!

Zhang Jun quickly gave Li Xiuyuan a warning glance. He knew how bad the Personnel Section staff’s temper was. Saying too much might even cost the notice.

Hearing this, Deng Hong grew even angrier. She didn’t expect the young man to refuse to apologize and actually talk back.

Slamming the desk, she stood up. “Alright! These young people today are something else—already so bold before even starting work, refusing to obey authority. Tell me, which unit did you apply for? Fine, I won’t give you your notice today. I’ll call your unit’s leader and have them come personally to collect it for you…”