When She Stops Being Dramatic

Chapter 381: Chapter 139: The Green Tea Supporting Female Character in the Period Novel (26)

"Last year, one hundred thirty-six new people came in, while two hundred twenty-seven were transferred, retired, or moved to different positions. The turnover for temporary workers is even higher, so the numbers are definitely off. We need to do a new count, and there are some detailed items to add..."

Liu pushed a yellowed, slightly modified blank form forward, smiled, and pointed to a thick stack of files beside her. "Ms. Chi, you’ll be responsible for collecting the information, and I’ll handle organizing and compiling it. We’ll divide and conquer."

At this, she shrugged and said helplessly, "This is the trial by fire every newcomer has to go through. So, Ms. Chi, good luck..."

Chi Yun’er just smiled and nodded, unconcerned.

Liu had openly declared it a rookie task, so no one could argue. This way, no one would hold it against her, and the newcomer would have no choice but to accept the job of chasing everyone down for their forms.

"Oh, right, Ms. Chi, the information on the forms must be accurate. It’s best if you can verify it yourself. The things on these forms are tied to a lot of benefits, so some people will try to get clever and fudge the details!"

Liu added in a low voice, recounting all the problems she had encountered the last time she did the count.

In short, Chi Yun’er was responsible for verifying everything. The work after that would proceed as usual, but if any problems arose, she would be the one held accountable.

Finally, she patted Chi Yun’er’s shoulder with considerable sympathy. "Chi, just grit your teeth and hang in there. You’re the only newcomer in our department this year."

"If you’re lucky, it’ll be like it was for me. Endure it for a year, a new person will come in, and then you can gloriously pass the torch..."

Chi Yun’er nodded, her eyes shifting slightly as she asked with a light laugh, "Sister Liu, is it almost time for our summer heat relief bonus to be distributed?"

"Yes, in about a week or so. It’s always around this time of year." Liu hummed in agreement, still looking at her sympathetically. "But, Chi, everyone already knows about it. You’re not thinking of using this to make everyone cooperate, are you?"

"It won’t work. Everyone knows the benefits are a sure thing. If you try to hold it over their heads to get them to fill out the forms, they’ll absolutely report you to our director or even the hospital president."

"The higher-ups will think you can’t even handle a small task like this. They might even dock your bonus or give you a demerit. Anyway, it’s a thankless job. I’d advise you not to get any funny ideas."

"Besides," Liu said with a sigh, "the hospital just hands out stuff like Huoxiang Zhengqi Shui and Rendan pills. Guaranteed to work and super cheap. Most families haven’t even used up last year’s supply. Who even cares about this stuff?"

Chi Yun’er just smiled and shook her head. ’She already had a plan.’

She looked down at the form. The employee information required was incredibly detailed, covering not only the employees themselves but also their family members.

’Chi Yun’er found herself missing the technology of the future. Back then, they had computers. A single machine could handle such massive and tedious work.’

She chuckled softly as she confirmed with her colleagues what benefits each piece of information was tied to, then meticulously listed out ways to avoid errors in her notebook.

For example, some basic information could be verified by checking the household registration booklet, while other items required official certificates or certain issued documents and pamphlets.

Chi Yun’er checked everything over and over again. Once she was sure that every piece of information could be effectively verified, she grabbed her bag and headed to the finance department.

"Chi Yun’er? When did you get back to the Capital City?"

It was almost closing time, and everyone had started to wind down, chatting over cups of tea, reading the newspaper, and watching the clock as they waited out the final minutes.

The deputy director of finance, Hu Yueru, was on good terms with the Jiang Family. Having heard about the marriage alliance between the Jiang Family and the Chi Family, she had a good impression of the young woman and smilingly welcomed her in.

"Hello, Aunt Hu," Chi Yun’er said with a light laugh as she walked in. She then greeted the others in the office openly. "It’s my first day working in the Human Resources Department, and I came to ask you about something."

Hu Yueru offered to pour her some water, but Chi Yun’er stopped her.

They would be leaving for dinner soon, and it wasn’t good to drink too much water anyway, so Hu Yueru took out some walnut crisps she had just bought the day before.

Her enthusiasm was impossible to refuse.

Chi Yun’er took one piece symbolically and, with a light laugh, got straight to the point. "Aunt Hu, what kind of summer heat relief items does our hospital usually give to employees?"

Hu Yueru raised an eyebrow, assuming the young lady was just asking about employee benefits. She smiled and said, "Chi, you grew up in the general hospital’s family compound. How could you not know about our summer benefits?"

"Sigh, we’re a hospital. We prioritize things that are economical and effective. What’s more effective than Huoxiang Zhengqi Shui? Everyone gets a big case, enough for a whole family for the entire summer. The stuff isn’t valuable, but it’s guaranteed to work."

So, while outsiders might think the hospital had great benefits, that was just their assumption.

The hospital was always bustling, sometimes even overflowing with patients, and its profitability was plain to see. However, doctors also had their own occupational hazards, which were very specific. Thus, the benefits distributed were mainly focused on being economical and practical.

Chi Yun’er asked in a low voice, "Aunt Hu, what if another organization was willing to trade us for the Huoxiang Zhengqi Shui? Would we do it?"

An older woman nearby, who had been listening in, couldn’t help but lean over. "Young lady, newcomers always like to stir things up, unlike us old-timers who just stick to the routine."

"Someone’s already asked about your idea before, but no one’s ever managed to pull it off."

"Even the hospital president has said it: a hospital has more medicine than anything else. If we didn’t hand out these effective remedies and gave out something else instead, wouldn’t that be like a slap in our own face? But he also said if anyone has the ability to trade the Huoxiang Zhengqi Shui and Rendan pills for other summer relief items, they’re free to do it. No one’s stopping them."

"But this stuff is dirt cheap and you only use it for heatstroke. What could you possibly trade it for? Who would be foolish enough to trade with us?"

Chi Yun’er just smiled without saying anything. After chatting for a little while longer, she slung her bag over her shoulder and followed the stream of people leaving work.

After eating dinner, she picked up her bicycle from the gatehouse, grabbed the work manual her cousin-aunt had left for her, and went home to rest for a bit.

Back at the office, Chi Yun’er continued to scribble and sketch in her notebook, designing her trade-in plan.

Huoxiang Zhengqi Shui was cheap, and summers in the north were only so hot. Every organization with outdoor, high-temperature work already kept some in stock to prevent heatstroke.

So, from an emergency preparedness standpoint, there wasn’t a huge demand for it.

The stuff worked well, but it tasted awful. People would rather drink a bowl of mung bean soup, rest for a bit to cool down, or just tough out the discomfort than go to a hospital to get a prescription for it.

A single vial of Huoxiang Zhengqi Shui cost six fen. A box of ten cost sixty fen, and a case of thirty boxes sold for roughly eighteen yuan. But the hospital staff knew very well that its wholesale price was low—the actual cost was only about ten yuan.

When neighbors, relatives, or friends came asking for a vial or two, they were too embarrassed to ask for money.

Outsiders assumed they got it for free, and they started thinking that way themselves. They didn’t consider it a big deal, yet they still complained that their work unit wasn’t giving them enough.

So, Chi Yun’er pursed her lips into a smile. ’She felt she could use her position at the hospital to trade this Huoxiang Zhengqi Shui for a mountain of gold for everyone!’

When it was time for work to start, Chi Yun’er wrote out an off-site work request and handed it to Gu Nianchi. "Director Gu, I’d like to do some legwork for the employees’ benefits and see if I can arrange for a different kind of summer relief item for everyone this year."

Gu Nianchi took the request and glanced at the young woman, who was smiling like a sly fox. "You can go, but you can’t escape the work that’s already assigned to you."

Chi Yun’er nodded. "I know. In fact, this is precisely to help me complete my main task. I’m planning to besiege Wei to rescue Zhao!"

Gu Nianchi signed the request form and stamped it. "You’re a young woman going out on your own, so be careful. Try to go to places with fewer strangers, and remember to have a companion, alright?"

Chi Yun’er obediently agreed. Clutching the request form, she said goodbye to Liu and took a bus to the station.

She was a graduate of the city’s No. 1 High School. Students at that school either had exceptionally outstanding grades or an incredibly powerful background.

And as it happened, one of her classmates was the younger brother of a deputy station director!