Chapter 260: Room for Maneuver
“So, I’d like to ask you, Aunt Shen, about my household registration. Would it be possible to transfer my household registration to Daliu Team, and what exactly would we need to do?”
Ning Qingyuan straightforwardly explained the purpose of their visit and the problem they wanted to solve, then elaborated:
“My future workplace is at Daliu Team. If I can transfer over, it will make my work more convenient, I can contribute more to the country’s development, and it will also make it easier for me to take care of my sister.”
He noticed that Shen Qingxia’s face still carried a warm, gentle smile, with no sign of displeasure or annoyance, so he continued:
“I’ve heard before that household registration can change based on work, but I don’t know the details. I thought that since you work at the youth office, you’d understand this better, so we came to ask about it.”
Ning Xiyue, sitting beside him, cooperated:
“I also noticed that the workplace is at our team, and there’s a vacancy in the boys’ dormitory at our youth hostel. I was thinking it would be very convenient if my brother could stay there. He’s a sent-down youth too, and his workplace is nearby. It would be a perfect fit. You’re the expert — what do you think?”
Shen Qingxia’s smile never faltered, her hands still shaping dumpling wrappers without stopping, yet she said nothing. Ning Xiyue felt an unexplainable tension, glanced at her brother, and saw the same nervousness mirrored in his eyes — both anxiously waiting for her response.
Ning Xiyue pulled a letter from her bag and handed it over: “By the way, Aunt Shen, I have a letter here from Aunt Lin for you. She asked me to give it to you.”
Shen Qingxia took the letter, didn’t even look at it, and tucked it into the large pocket of her apron. This made the siblings even more nervous.
Ning Xiyue’s mind raced — would it work or not? A word would suffice, but staying silent was puzzling and nerve-wracking.
Just as the siblings were thinking of something to say to avoid awkwardness, Shen Qingxia suddenly laughed out loud:
“Ha ha, did I scare you?”
Ning Xiyue patted her chest, feigning distress: “Aunt Shen, you really scared me! Please give us some guidance.”
“I was scared,” Ning Qingyuan chimed in, putting on a mock frightened expression. “Aunt Shen, if I said anything wrong just now, please don’t take offense.”
“No offense. I heard everything you said.”
Shen Qingxia no longer teased them. After finishing shaping the dumpling wrapper in her hand, she sat down and seriously addressed their question:
“This is a small matter. There’s room to maneuver; you can transfer your registration. The process is a bit complicated, and there are several people involved.”
Ning Qingyuan pulled out paper and a pen. “Please tell me, I’m listening.”
“First, you need to get a work certificate from the head of the coal mining team where you serve as warehouse manager. It must clearly state your position and work address.”
Shen Qingxia glanced at Ning Xiyue and continued:
“Then, get a certificate from the captain of Daliu Team stating they are willing to accept you. I’ll also give you a personnel transfer form. Fill it out, get your Dahua Team captain’s signature and stamp, and bring the two certificates and the form back to me. Then your household registration can be transferred, and you’ll officially become a sent-down youth at Daliu Team, just like Xiyue.”
Ning Xiyue asked curiously, “After submitting the documents, how long until we get a result?”
“I was going to ask the same thing,” Ning Qingyuan nodded sincerely. “I report in two days. I want to settle this as soon as possible so I can move to Daliu Team and focus fully on work.”
Shen Qingxia held another dumpling wrapper in her hand and didn’t answer immediately. She raised her eyebrows and smiled:
“Aren’t you worried about not getting the certificates or stamps?”
“As long as we’re determined, it’s not difficult.”
Ning Qingyuan was confident. Getting the employment certificate would be easy — he knew the person in charge of personnel records for those selected for the mining team. The two months of following his sister around the mayor’s house in town hadn’t been wasted.
As for getting the captain’s stamp, that was even easier. He had a good relationship with the captain. A little wine and a stamp would be no problem — no one would make things difficult.
Ning Xiyue thought the steps were straightforward too. She could handle her team’s captain. Ever since she helped the team’s sow give birth safely, ensuring both mother and piglets survived, the captain had been extremely fond of her. With Aunt Yangliu’s support, the captain treated her almost like his own daughter.
The remaining matters, she trusted, her brother could handle.
The only potentially difficult step was the youth office. If they refused, everything would be wasted. But as long as the youth office approved, the rest was just a matter of following procedure.
Seeing the children confident, Shen Qingxia smiled approvingly.
She went inside, retrieved a form from her briefcase, and stamped it with the youth office seal. Using a pen, she wrote “Approved” in the designated column, signed her name, and handed it out.
She gave the form to Ning Qingyuan: “Take this form and proceed. I’ll handle the rest.”
“Thank you, Aunt Shen.” Ning Qingyuan took the form, looked down, and filled in his information with a sense of excitement.
Ning Xiyue peeked at the form and saw the official stamp and signature. She was pleasantly surprised — with the youth office’s prior approval, the remaining steps would be easy, even without personal connections.
“Thank you so much, Aunt Shen. You’ve been so good to us,” Ning Xiyue said with a bright smile, picking up a dumpling wrapper to continue making dumplings.
Shen Qingxia, delighted by their respect and energy, waved her hand:
“Alright, keep making them. How many dumplings you get to eat tonight depends on how many you can make. Don’t blame me if it’s not enough — I provided plenty of filling. You’ll have only yourselves to blame if the wrappers aren’t fast enough.”
Ning Xiyue joked, “Then I better work harder and make more. Don’t complain if I eat a lot.”
“You’re such a clever little one, so charming. After you finish making dumplings, I’ll tell you a little secret.”
Shen Qingxia genuinely liked her energy, liveliness, and little playfulness — a child who drew affection easily. She planned to share a small secret with Ning Xiyue; otherwise, how would the child ever know?
