Chapter 124: Chapter 120, The Little Steward
Ricky was surprised.
“How are you… now?”
He wasn’t blind, he could tell that Osenia held a high position here.
“Um… something like a minor manager,” was all Osenia could say.
A clerk who was just about to go out to deliver some materials couldn’t help but laugh.
‘Minor’ manager.
You, Miss, are now the chief officer of the Production Department, directly appointed by the Governor. In the absence of any other civil departments or actual positions, you could be considered the de facto highest civil manager of Revival City at the moment.
And you call that a ‘minor’ manager?
When Osenia heard the laughter, she glared fiercely at the clerk.
The clerk gave her a tittering laugh and quickly scurried away.
Turning back, she gave Ricky an embarrassed smile, “Colleagues don’t really understand…”
“There’s no need to explain further.”
Even if Ricky wasn’t exceedingly shrewd, he had been mixing in the wasteland for a long time and would be too foolish if he couldn’t see through certain things.
His demeanor became a bit more reserved.
The two were acquaintances from the past.
During her flight to Revival City, Osenia had actually traveled in Ricky’s group. She had received quite a bit of help from Ricky during the flight and for a while after arriving at Revival City.
Ricky wasn’t helping her specifically, but he was a rare kind of person who valued fairness and loyalty. On the road to refuge and after settling in a small block of Revival City, having that much support was already a great help to Osenia, a young girl trying to survive with her younger brother.
Of course, since they were not relatives or close friends, the help only went so far. Later on, Osenia left Revival City with her brother.
Ricky said, “I heard someone say they heard you give a speech and that you became an employee under the Governor. I was happy for you. But I didn’t expect that you were more than just an employee.”
“At that time, I heard that you and your brother got taken to the Governor’s Camp after sharing a bowl of porridge with someone. I thought you were tricked since there are no such good deals in this world. But, it seems I was the one with limited knowledge. As long as you’re doing well now, that’s all that matters.”
Osenia smiled wryly, “I wouldn’t say I’m doing too well. I’ve barely slept in two days. And, the reason I asked Uncle Ricky here is that I have serious business.”
“What serious business?” Ricky was very cautious. He was still somewhat afraid of falling into a trap.
But Osenia had already eagerly pulled out a sketch of a planning map from the pile of papers under the table.
“Take a look at this.”
“This is…” Ricky took a quick look and, although he couldn’t understand many of the detailed parameters on the planning map, just by looking at it, he quickly recognized it, “This is our block? But…”
It’s completely transformed!
But how much money would it take to do this?
“Stop with the ‘buts’.” Osenia said, “As I remember, Uncle Ricky is not the kind of person to be indecisive. I’ll be straightforward, I didn’t ask you here just to catch up. You see, my work now is very voluminous, very busy. I asked you to come to help me.”
“What can I possibly do to help you…” Ricky instinctively wanted to refuse.
Everything was too unknown, and he didn’t want to step in without clearing things up first.
However, Osenia waved her hand dismissively.
She was no longer the timid girl of the past, or rather, the tenacity inside her hadn’t changed, but she had learned that sometimes, to achieve her goals, she needed to show that tenacity outwardly.
She said, quite indisputably, “Uncle Ricky, don’t refuse me. Your prestige in the neighborhood and your good reputation can provide me with great help. I’m in dire need of capable people to handle affairs—helpers who are reliable in both character and ability, to help me speed up the work.”
“This matter isn’t just about me, nor is it simply a command from the governor. It’s also for the welfare of the entire city’s people. Even if you don’t consider other aspects, think about our old neighborhood. Do you want to return to our previous life or would you prefer to live in the houses I’ve designed?”
Ricky said helplessly, “Of course, I’d want to live in the houses you’ve designed…”
“Then come help me. I guarantee you’ll be able to move in, just by working for me and serving in the new government. That alone will earn you enough credits for a house. And your work will help many others move in as well. I also assure you that you’ll become an even more respected person.”
“It seems like I don’t have a choice.”
“That’s right, you don’t,” Osenia smiled and extended her hand, continuing toward the man before her, “But I promise you won’t regret it, never.”
“Alright,” Ricky sighed and continued, “What specifically do you want me to do?”
“Find more reliable manpower, organize the teams, follow our planning maps and work more efficiently. We need to make everyone understand and believe that what we’re doing now is for a better life tomorrow. In this respect, our political commissars, those with the red hats, will help you. But our people lack enough knowledge about Revival City, so we need locals like you to organize teams, distribute food, supervise the progress of work…”
She started to explain the specific tasks to Ricky in detail.
Ricky was also listening very carefully.
…
In fact, Ricky wasn’t the only person that Osenia had recruited.
Throughout the process of clearing debris and rebuilding the city, Osenia encountered too many problems.
She had already identified the number of workers needed for the factories and shops within the city getting back into operations and hoped that corresponding workers and clerks would go back to their jobs.
And many people without jobs, or those whose work was ruined by the disaster, were temporarily transitioning to construction workers on site. Through work-for-aid programs, she also meant to handle the city’s infrastructure.
But when it came to the point where more refined management was needed, Osenia realized that her control wasn’t sufficient.
She didn’t have enough people to disseminate her ideas and plans to every construction team and every district. She also lacked the personnel to assist her with a series of plans she was making.
For now, this problem wasn’t particularly noticeable. The army, still maintaining its organizational structure during the disaster relief, was helping her. But this situation obviously couldn’t last forever.
She had to establish an administrative foundation.
Among the poor in the outer city, she actively sought out those with good character and reputation, those with prestige, those with professional capabilities, and then tried to fit them into her administrative framework.
But this was still not enough.
Among the outer city’s poor, people with a relatively good educational background like herself were a minority, while there were many more in the inner city.
And in this regard, she had already approached Lambert.