Chapter 22 Chapter 22 Even in this state, you still want to dance "Red Flag..."

Su Yan was so angry that she almost laughed: "Jiang Dayan, you'd better leave quickly. It's impossible for the two of us to be together." After saying that, she pulled Yan Zi in and closed the door.

The sister-in-law next door laughed and said, "This Yingzi has a really bad temper!"

Jiang Dayan said nothing, but walked out into the rain, holding his lunch box tightly in his hands.

The sister-in-law next door called out, "Dayan, grab an umbrella! It's raining so hard." Then she yelled at Lu Yingzi's family, "Yingzi, you're the same! You didn't even bring out an umbrella, and you let Dayan walk out in the rain."

Su Yan pretended not to hear and went into the kitchen. She took out two small tomatoes she had bought, cut them up, sprinkled some sugar on them, and served them to the two little ones. "There's no gas today. You can just make do with lunch. I'll replace the gas tank after work this afternoon, and I'll make you something delicious tonight."

These tomatoes were bought at the grocery store, using vegetable coupons. However, they were always only a tiny fraction of the available supply, making them unavailable. The tomatoes at this time were only about the size of those from Su Yan's era, and some were still half-green. Worried the two little ones wouldn't have enough, Su Yan pulled out a box of sweet crackers from her space, tore off the packaging, and told the two children to eat them with milk.

Yan Zi squinted her eyes while eating. "Auntie, this is the first time I've eaten this cookie. It's so delicious!"

Su Yan nodded and reminded him again, "Remember, if someone asks you what you eat at home, you should answer that you eat cornmeal steamed buns and green vegetables. Don't say we eat braised pork or tomatoes and eggs at home, okay?"

Xiaogang ate silently and nodded. Yan Zi immediately shouted, "Auntie, I didn't say that. When Uncle Qin asked me, I told him that we eat cornmeal buns and green leaves at home, and I said that green leaves are unpalatable."

Su Yan patted her head and praised her, "That's what you should say. But if others don't ask, don't say it. If they do, just say it. Swallow did a great job. It was great."

After the two little ones finished their meal and fell asleep, Su Yan opened her umbrella and went out. She went to Building 2 and knocked on the door: "Shuanzi, are you home?"

After a while, a boy of about seventeen or eighteen years old came out. Although he was very thin, he was a head taller than Su Yan, making him look like he had a big head and a small body. "Sister Yingzi, what can I do for you?"

Su Yan first asked him how school was going. Shuanzi replied, "I won't be going to school from next month. The factory manager told me to work in the warehouse for now. I only make 28 yuan a month. My sister is still in school, so I'll just earn enough to support my dad."

His father and Lu Yingzi's father were in the same accident, but Lu Yingzi's father died, while his father did not die, but was paralyzed in bed.

Su Yan comforted him and said, "Our gas tank is out of gas. I thought you could help me after work this afternoon. I really can't move it by myself."

Shuanzi agreed immediately: "Okay, when the time comes, Sister Yingzi, just come and call me. I've been staying at home these days and have nothing to do."

Su Yan nodded, thanked him, and handed him the two kilograms of cornmeal she brought with her: "Take this little bit of food as a buffer until you get your salary next month, and you'll be better off."

Shuanzi immediately became happy: "Okay, thank you Sister Yingzi." He wanted to pull Su Yan in to have a cup of tea and sit for a while.

Su Yan visited his father once. He was paralyzed in bed, with no pension from the factory, only three months' salary. He felt he was a burden to his son and daughter, and was threatening suicide every now and then. Su Yan couldn't stand such a scene, so she hurriedly said a few words and left. The youngest sister at home was so hungry that she stole vegetables from Su Yan's neighbor's sister-in-law. She was caught and scolded.

Seeing that their family was really pitiful, Su Yan would send some food over every ten days or half a month. Although it was definitely not enough to eat, at least it made her feel at ease.

I went to work that afternoon. My boss wasn't happy with the draft I'd written at noon, so he sent it back for a rewrite. Some bosses were more lenient, noting exactly what they weren't happy with and what needed to be changed. Others were more fussy, saying nothing but, "Revise it a little more, polish it a little more."

Su Yan almost suspected that the latter leader had not even read the specific content of the manuscript, but just wanted to revise it several times in order to show his ability.

However, Su Yan had written a lot and was more comfortable with it. He revised it immediately and submitted it, and it was approved.

When she returned from the factory secretary's office, Sister Feng placed a pile of documents on her desk. "Yingzi, quickly check your leave records from the past few years. They're going to be checking. Don't hesitate to mark down any absences."

Su Yan sat down and casually picked it up to look at it. "1956, how long will it take to check it? Sister Feng, I have to go to rehearsal after work today. Can we start checking it tomorrow?"

Sister Feng slammed her face: "Yingzi, you are in HR, this is your job. Even if the leader comes, you have to do your job first, and then do other things, right?"

Su Yan looked up at her, then her expression didn't change at all, she still smiled: "Sister Feng is right, I still have to do my own work first."

Su Yan put aside the manuscript she was about to write and carefully and honestly checked the leave records.

Seeing this, Sister Feng's expression softened a bit. She thought to herself, "This young man needs to be tempered. Without tempering, he won't become anything useful. Without tempering, he won't know the immensity of the world, and he won't take the seniors seriously."

Su Yan was checking and taking notes at the same time. When she looked up, everyone had left and the phone rang: "Yingzi, why haven't you arrived yet? Rehearsal is waiting for you! Yes, in the auditorium, hurry up."

Su Yan answered briefly and did not mention that she wanted to check the leave records. She knew that although Sister Wang was kind-hearted, she would never stand up for her.

She hung up the phone, locked the leave record book in her locker, and went to the auditorium with an umbrella.

There weren't many people rehearsing, only about a dozen, but these ten or so, as Sister Wang said, were the best of the best. In reality, there weren't many young women in the factory to begin with, and after eliminating those who were too short or had uncoordinated bodies, only this many could be found.

Sister Wang quickly pulled Su Yan over and said, "Yingzi, come on, come on, after looking around, it seems like you should be the one leading the dance."

Su Yan laughed: "I can't do that. I've never seen such a big scene. When I get on stage, there will be a huge crowd below. I won't know what to do with my hands and feet after just one look. I'd better just follow behind!"

She said this in a funny way, and everyone in the rehearsal laughed at her: "Yingzi, you are really good at talking!"

The dance to be rehearsed this time was "Ode to the Red Flag". Su Yan had never heard of it before, but she had some dance skills. Although not as good as a professional, after teaching for a whole night, she was able to barely remember the movements.

Sister Wang put a lot of effort into this rehearsal. She even asked someone to invite teachers from the city's art troupe to teach. Of course, professionals were dissatisfied with everything when they were teaching amateurs with no foundation.

The teacher was very strict, and only Su Yan caught her eye. "None of your movements are acceptable."

He called Su Yan to the front and said, "Come on, those who forgot the moves, look at her. Your basics are too poor, only this girl is worth watching."

At the end of the practice, she said to Sister Wang, "You guys can't do this. Your hands and feet are so stiff that you can't even straighten your legs. And you still want to dance 'Ode to the Red Flag' in this state?" Perhaps because there were too many people asking her for help, her tone was naturally full of disdain.

Sister Wang smiled and said, "Mrs. Jiang, can you help me?"

The teacher, in her fifties and well-maintained, sighed, "Of course I'll help. Why would I come here if I didn't? You've hired such terrible people, haven't you?" She reviewed the class, railing against them one by one. "That girl in cloth shoes, I've taught her five times, and she only remembers the first three moves. The one in green pants can't even stand on one leg for 30 seconds; she's staggering. Only the one in the plaid shirt can pass. How do you expect me to teach?"

Sister Wang thought for a moment and said, "How about this? Let's memorize this move and practice it for a week, then we'll invite you to watch. What do you think?"

The teacher was finally satisfied and nodded. "That's fine. There's a girl who has memorized it, right? Ask her to teach you a few times so she can get the general movements right."

Sister Wang nodded and walked her out while flattering her.

A coworker at the rehearsal said, "Jiang Dayan's mother really doesn't look like him at all. Jiang Dayan is tall and thin, with a big nose and a big mouth, but his mother has a high nose bridge and a cherry mouth." Then he asked, "Yingzi, have you seen her?"

Su Yan didn't exercise. After dancing for more than an hour, she was sweating all over. She leaned against the wall and shook her head: "I don't know him!"

Someone who was familiar with her whispered to her, "Yingzi, Jiang Dayan's mother has very high standards, so you should be careful."

Su Yan laughed. "Jiang Dayan's mother has high standards, but what does that have to do with me? Honestly, I have nothing to do with Jiang Dayan. He's just like that, and he has no boundaries when it comes to interacting with female comrades. The other day, Sister Wang even asked me to go to a dance party organized by the union. I really have nothing to do with him."

Young girls are not that gossipy, at least they won't ask questions directly. They all nodded and said, "Oh, that's good."

Su Yan was just saying this when someone came in and reported: "Yingzi, Yingzi, go back quickly. Your sister-in-law is here and making a scene at your house. She's smashed your teacups all over the floor."

Seeing it was Shuanzi, he asked, "Shuanzi, what happened?"

Shuanzi ran out of breath: "Your sister-in-law is making a scene at your house, saying that you almost killed Yan Zi and wants to take over the house. Others tried to persuade her, but she just sat on the ground and started crying. She's still crying now."