Chapter 149: The four of us writing this essay could easily make a mahjong table. ...

Zhou Aodong hung up the phone, a smile still lingering on her face. She thought to herself that her daughter was becoming more and more amazing.

Nowadays, everyone in Shanghai's textile factories is talking about Qin Xiangxiang, a textile worker's son who came from their factory.

"That's amazing! They made it into the newspapers and even went to the Mawangdui site!"

"Everyone in our factory who's doing well has become someone important!"

"She looks more and more like her mother."

Zhou Aodong returned to her old apartment and told her husband the good news. Qin Wutong was also extremely pleased to hear it. The couple had joyful smiles on their faces. Nothing is more gratifying than their children being successful.

Even Zhou Aodong, who usually doesn't like to show off, stood on the second-floor corridor and shouted, "My son Xiangxiang called me and promised on the phone, 'Mom, I swear I'll be a model worker like you were back then!'"

Qin Wutong: "..."

Qin Wutong could hardly bear to listen, and could only force herself to say, "Alright, our family really has ambition."

When Xu's mother, who was washing vegetables in the kitchen, heard this, she felt as if caterpillars were crawling all over her body, with countless tentacles writhing on her skin. She gasped and opened her mouth repeatedly.

Back home, Mrs. Xu said angrily, "I think Zhou Aodong next door has gone mad!"

"Do you know what she just said? She said that her daughter Qin Xiangxiang swore on the phone that she would become a model worker like her mother!"

"I've watched Qin Xiangxiang grow up since she was a child. She's a model worker? Does this mean the sun has to rise in the west?"

"Keep her pipe dream to herself!"

The Xu family man said, "But her family member became the factory director, made the newspapers, and even went to Mawangdui, saying she was protecting national treasures."

Xu's mother: "Luckily! It must be just luck!"

"That girl has incredible luck!"

Hearing her mother's furious voice, Xu Ruwei felt a mix of emotions. Qin Xiangxiang had been away from Shanghai for three years. She had become the director of a textile factory, a remarkable leader, a model worker, and even made it into the newspapers. She was quite a figure now.

It feels like a dream.

For Xu Ruwei, the past three years seemed to have passed in the blink of an eye, but her "brothers" who used to play in the mud with her since childhood have turned into "founding generals".

How could someone as lazy as Qin Xiangxiang possibly aspire to be a model worker?

Lin Xiuqin, who works at the island's health clinic, saw a special report about Qin Xiangxiang: A textile worker protecting a national treasure? Qin Xiangxiang? Mawangdui?

Lin Xiuqin was incredulous: "Mawangdui? I never wrote about Mawangdui in my book? Mawangdui was excavated recently?"

Lin Xiuqin was unaware that the Mawangdui excavation began in 1972. Most historical novels do not mention the Mawangdui excavation. However, since the autopsy of Lady Xin Zhui, this legendary female corpse that has remained incorrupt for thousands of years has become a hot topic of discussion worldwide.

How did Qin Xiangxiang get involved with Mawangdui? She even went to the Mawangdui archaeological site herself and supported the protection of cultural relics.

The book she originally wrote was a novel about the military era, and it didn't contain any content about the Mawangdui archaeological excavation or the protection of national treasures. What exactly happened?

Since Gao Rong became pregnant, she has rarely contacted Lin Xiuqin, and Lin Xiuqin has lost touch with news about the family compound, only occasionally inquiring about Feiyan Textile Factory.

I heard a while ago that the province was going to support Hongxing Textile Factory in foreign trade, and I was waiting to see what would happen. But Qin Xiangxiang ended up supporting Mawangdui instead?

"Why did Qin Xiangxiang suddenly decide to go to Mawangdui to study cultural relics?"

Qin Xiangxiang was unaware of the shock others were experiencing. The problem she and Li Jianzhi were facing was getting their son, Xiaopang, to write an essay. The homeroom teacher said that Xiaopang would have to go up to the stage and read the essay in front of the whole school, telling the story of his recent expedition to Mawangdui.

Li Qingfeng, the chubby boy, is only seven years old this year. He can manage to write simple compositions, but if you ask him to write about Mawangdui, he'll scratch his butt until he's worn it out and still can't write anything.

"Why doesn't Sui Sui write her essays?!"

"Doesn't Xiaolou write essays either?"

Why do I have to write an essay?!

Li Jianzhi warned him: "This is an essay you're going to read aloud on stage. Don't write about your stinky tofu, braised duck, and vinegar-braised duck in front of the whole school. You're not enthusiastic about writing about other things, but you're particularly enthusiastic about writing about food, aren't you?"

Little Fatty retorted, "Comrade Li! Commander Li! I wrote a descriptive essay! Do you even understand what a descriptive essay is? It's about writing down the most authentic things I saw, heard, and felt! I ate stinky tofu, braised duck with soy sauce, and duck blood in vinegar... Humph, I also ate sugar-coated fried dough sticks!"

Li Jianzhi: "Descriptive writing also needs to focus on key points. Nobody wants to hear you eat stinky tofu. You should write about museums and archaeological excavation sites."

Little Fatty: "They're all dirt slopes."

Li Jianzhi: "...First, you need to carefully recall all the memories related to Mawangdui, then select the key materials from them, string them together, and write them into your essay."

"Writing an essay is such a simple thing, how come you, a seven-year-old child, still can't learn it?"

Qin Xiangxiang: "???"

Little Fatty: "The teacher said we should write something meaningful. We went to the cultural relics preservation office. At first, the auntie in charge wouldn't let us in and her tone was very unpleasant. But after my mother went in, her face changed."

Li Jianzhi: "Yes, because your mother protected the national treasure and cleared up the misunderstanding of the custodian, because people from other units had accidentally damaged the cultural relic when they came to visit."

"In this regard, we should highlight your mother's contributions and hard work."

Little Fatty: "My mother spent the next few days working tirelessly to repair the cultural relics. During those days, her originally beautiful rosy cheeks looked like she had aged twenty years from the hard work!"

Li Jianzhi: "..." Holy crap, this son's writing skills are beyond saving.

Qin Xiangxiang shouted, "That's not true!"

"I'm definitely not twenty years older!"

Little Fatty: "The teacher said it's okay to exaggerate a bit when writing an essay, and Dad said we should highlight Mom's hard work."

Li Jianzhi: "...You can highlight your mother's hard work from other aspects, but you can't say that your mother is getting old."

Qin Xiangxiang covered her forehead: "You should tutor our son in writing his essays. Luckily, I still have you, my good wife and husband."

"You and your son have finished writing your essays and handed them to me for signature and inspection."

Li Jianzhi couldn't help but chuckle: "I'll follow your orders, Commander."

Little Fatty shouted, "Following the commander's orders!"

"My mom was so tired that she ate three sugar-coated glutinous rice cakes in one go."

Li Jianzhi: "..."

Sui Sui: "I like ghost men!"

Qin Xiangxiang: "..."

Back at the textile factory, Master Li, who had been on a long annual leave, also returned. This time, Master Li brought a surprise to her good apprentice, Qin Xiangxiang, when she heard that her apprentice Xiangxiang was going to make high-count yarn fabrics. She called over all her retired old friends, old colleagues, and senior colleagues.

These veteran workers, like Master Li, were passionate and energetic in the factory when they were young. After retiring, they can only stay at home to enjoy their retirement, never to regain the glory they once had in the factory.

When Master Li returned to Shanghai to visit these veteran employees, he talked about his apprentice Qin Xiangxiang and the newly established Feiyan Textile Factory. He also mentioned that the factory was going to improve its technology to produce high-count yarn fabrics, and these veteran women were beginning to regain their vitality.

Master Li originally came to see Meng Qiaoyun, who had just retired. Meng Qiaoyun was gentle, quiet, and skillful. She loved to come up with new patterns and was proficient in various fabric structures and weaving techniques. Even after retirement, she was unwilling to be idle and worked as a volunteer weaving teacher in the neighborhood, giving classes to people to relieve their boredom.

Master Li went to her house to find her: "Sister Qiaoyun, my apprentice Qin Xiangxiang is now the director of a textile factory. Their factory wants to try high-count yarn fabrics and would like to ask you to provide technical guidance for six months. The factory will give you a consultant allowance... What do you think of this?"

Meng Qiaoyun was very interested after hearing this. Street weaving was just a small-scale operation, and she was invited to the factory to provide guidance. She heard that there were imported machines and polyester fabrics. She was full of curiosity and wanted to go back to the textile factory to take a look.

"Money doesn't matter, the main thing is that this job is interesting."

Master Li: "It's interesting, it's definitely interesting. The fabric we make into shirts and we can participate in the Canton Fair to broaden the horizons of foreigners."

So Meng Qiaoyun agreed to come and provide technical guidance for six months. Who knew that after inviting such a person, it would lead to a whole host of other people. Meng Qiaoyun's old friends couldn't stay idle, and one of them, Rong Jinye, volunteered.

When Rong Jinye was young, she was a top quality inspector in the factory. After retiring, she seemed anxious at home. She also had a cleanliness obsession and was very good at finding fault. She deeply hated the phrase "good enough".

The daughters-in-law were particularly tormented by her. When they heard that the old lady was in a new year and wanted to go to the textile factory on the island to teach, the daughters-in-law almost prayed to Master Li to be Guanyin Bodhisattva: Please take my mother-in-law away!

Rong Jinye is a sharp-tongued and picky person, but she is really skilled. Even now, she can tell the yarn count of a piece of fabric just by touching it with her eyes closed, and she is almost right. To use a line from "The Oil Vendor," it is simply because she is skilled.

No one can get away with anything under her thumb.

Meng Qiaoyun, who was skilled in weaving, and Rong Jinye, the quality inspector, were summoned. Then Liao Yumei came to the door. Liao Yumei said quickly, "Is this Zhou Aodong's daughter? Qin Xiangxiang! I have to go and see what the textile factory that Aodong's daughter manages is like!"

Just by hearing their names, you can tell that Liao Yumei and Zhou Aodong are "birds of a feather," both possessing a proud and unyielding nature. In her youth, Liao Yumei was fiery, straightforward, decisive, and a textile worker who valued speed above all else.

Liao Yumei disliked people who were slow and indecisive. When she was young, she operated machines with incredible speed and precision. At her peak, she could operate machines two or three times faster than ordinary female machine operators, which was astonishing.

Master Li brought three elderly women from Shanghai to the island by boat; the four of them could easily make a mahjong table.

Upon arriving at Feiyan Textile Factory, I was surrounded by young, vibrant people, which made me feel as if I had returned to my own youth. It was so refreshing and exciting.

"This factory, full of young people, exudes a vibrant energy, like flowers in spring."

"There's even an imported water-jet loom here. Wow, this is something new. And an imported buttonhole machine? It's so efficient. When I was young, I loved playing with buttonholes when I had nothing to do."

...

"This is Master Meng, this is Master Liao, and this is Master Rong... These are all honorably retired seniors."

"Hello, experienced workers!"

When Qin Xiangxiang arrived at the factory and saw the three senior employees, she had a bad feeling. Especially when she saw Liao Yumei, who looked exactly like her mother, she felt a wave of dizziness.

Oh my god!