◎Second update◎

At noon, Liang Baozhen went to the radio station with ease to report the contents of today's daily newspaper. The latest issue of the newspaper was discussing national affairs.

Many workers in the factory are illiterate, so being able to hear the content of the newspaper is already very good.

The time for Huang Cui'e and I to go to Director Chen's office was set at three o'clock in the afternoon.

Boom boom boom

Before Huang Cui'e entered the factory, she gave the new employee a few words of advice, which were basically telling Liang Baozhen not to be nervous and that Director Chen was a kind person, especially to the workers.

"Come in."

"Director, we are from the factory office and we are here to do an interview for the factory newspaper today."

Chen Yong was busy and forgot about it for a moment. He only remembered it after the secretary next to him reminded him.

"Then you sit and wait for a while."

"Okay, you go ahead."

The factory manager hadn't finished his work yet, so the appointments were useless. Huang Cui'e and Liang Baozhen sat patiently on the sofa and waited.

The office of the factory director Chen Yong is neither big nor small. At the back are two glass cabinets containing various files and documents.

Further ahead was his office desk and chair. The tabletop was neatly tidied. In front of it was a coffee table and three sofas. On the coffee table were a thermos and three enamel cups.

"Xiao Fang, make them a pot of tea."

"Okay, Director."

The tea leaves were rinsed with hot water, and the fragrance of tea filled the air instantly. Huang Cui'e and Liang Baozhen picked up the enamel cup and took a sip. They only felt a faint fragrance in their mouths, and the aftertaste was sweet.

"Your factory has been doing very well recently." After finishing his work, Chen Yong stood up and sat on the sofa. He picked up the third enamel cup, blew away the tea foam, and took a sip.

"Thank you for the compliment, Director. We will continue to work hard and contribute to the factory." Huang Cui'e once again expressed her gratitude for the director's approachable attitude and his lack of condescension towards the employees.

"Xue Lijun has done a good job leading the team. I will have to give him special praise next time. I have also read the recent issues of the factory newspaper and they are well written. However, the motivation of the workers' production enthusiasm needs to be strengthened."

Huang Cui'e nodded and took note, then started talking to the factory manager. Liang Baozhen was a newcomer, so her main job was to learn and listen.

As the two people were talking beside her, Liang Baozhen stared at the tea table in a daze. The look on Chen Yong's face was really different from how she saw it in the plot.

Friendly and approachable, without airs.

I took another sip of tea, which had a light fragrance, less bitter than the tea sold outside, and more to Liang Baozhen's taste. On the tea table was a tea jar, which was well packaged and printed with colorful patterns, very beautiful.

After a few pleasantries, the interview got down to business. This time, the two people mainly wanted to ask the factory director to talk about the development direction of the National Cotton Mill in light of its rapid development in the past year.

The factory newspaper is not only the guiding principle of the factory's ideology and atmosphere, but also the voice of the factory leaders.

Chen Yong spoke eloquently, which was not only a summary of the National Cotton Mill in recent years, but also an opportunity to convey the direction of progress to the nearly 10,000 workers below.

After the interview, Liang Baozhen understood why Huang Cui'e spoke so highly of Chen Yong. This man was not arrogant when facing his employees and was indeed kind.

"Director, we won't bother you anymore. We'll sort out the manuscript when we get back, and Director Xue will send it to you for your review first."

"OK."

After watching the two people leave, Chen Yong looked at the young employee who had been quiet during the interview and called him over, "Comrade Xiao Liang, wait a moment. I have something to tell you."

Huang Cui'e was a little surprised, but didn't say much. She winked at Liang Baozhen and left the office first.

"Factory Director." Liang Baozhen turned around and looked at Chen Yong.

Chen Yong is in his forties, tall and energetic, especially his sharp eyes. He looks dignified and at ease when he is not smiling, and he looks somewhat kind when he smiles.

"Liang Baozhen, right?" Chen Yong stood up and looked at the young girl. "You have some connection with my family."

Liang Baozhen's heart sank, and she tried to hold her breath, but she didn't say anything else.

"Siming is a man who doesn't know his limits and does some unreliable things. I hope you can forgive him."

"Director, I have no relationship with Comrade Chen Siming, so I can't ask whether he forgives me or not."

"That's right." Chen Yong laughed twice, his face full of apology, "In the end, it's our Chen family that let you down. I'll apologize to you on Siming's behalf for that matter."

...After leaving Chen Yong's office and closing the door, Liang Baozhen felt that this man was too scheming. If she didn't know the twists and turns of the Chen family, she might just be grateful to him now.

In response to Huang Cui'e's inquiries, Liang Baozhen gave a vague answer, saying only that the factory manager was concerned about the new employees and asked a few questions casually.

After work, Liang Baozhen went to the supply and marketing cooperative. She planned to go back home before winter. Although Song Chunhua always told her that a daughter-in-law should not think about going back to her parents' home all day long because she would be criticized, Liang Baozhen still missed home.

Xu Shengjie has been working the night shift these days. He will be back at noon tomorrow, Saturday, and take a half-day break. The day after tomorrow, Sunday, the two of them will be able to go back to Damian Village together.

Carrying a box of pastries, a bag of peach cakes, and two pounds of chicken cakes, Liang Baozhen returned home and caught up with her grandmother who was cooking. Today the family was making dumplings, cabbage and pork dumplings. A pound of chopped pork was mixed with chopped cabbage, and the dumpling wrappers were rolled out by her grandmother, who was her specialty.

"Grandma, let me help you."

"You just got back from get off work, go back to your room and rest. We'll be cooking soon." White and plump dumplings were floating in the boiling pot.

Xiaowei was playing with Fang Zhibin and the others, but Xiaoya was nowhere to be seen. When Liang Baozhen asked, she found out that she had gone to Chen Yulian's house to play with the widow Chen's daughter.

"Today I saw a pair of small hairpins, they were two small cherries, so I bought a pair and prepared to give one each to Xiaoya and Baoling."

"Let me see." Zhou Yun was still interested in these things despite his age. He leaned over to take a look. Wow, there were two red cherries on the steel hairpin, small and cute. "Xiao Ya will definitely like it! Go and ask her to come back for dinner. The dumplings will be ready soon."

"Okay." Liang Baozhen put down her things and drank another cup of water before going out.

Widow Chen's house was in the back house. Liang Baozhen went out and saw that her door was not locked. She stood outside and called out, but did not go in. Chen Yulian had never been very close to the people in the courtyard. It was hard to say whether they were good or bad. In short, they were not very close.

"Sister-in-law, I'm here~" Xu Shengya's voice came from inside the house, "Wait a minute, we haven't finished this rope-flipping game yet."

Several little girls gathered in the room. They were Chen Yulian's two daughters. The elder one, Song Xinhe, was eight years old this year, and the younger one, Song Xinmiao, was five years old this year. Liang Baozhen had seen the two little girls before. They looked like Chen Yulian, smart and cute, like dolls in New Year pictures.

Song Xinhe was tall and thin, and ran out with two thin legs. "Aunt Liang, Xiaoya is still playing. My mother asked you to come in and sit down."

Chen Yulian let me in to sit down? How strange.

The Chen family's house was a little dark. It was Liang Baozhen's first time stepping into Chen Yulian's house. She felt that it was decorated exquisitely. The tables, chairs and cabinets were all made of yellow wood and were kept clean and tidy. A plaid scarf was lying on the sofa, and Chen Yulian sat on it and pushed the tea in front of her.

"Comrade Liang, please sit down for a while."

There were five little girls nearby, tumbling around with ropes and making a lot of noise. Xu Shengya saw her sister-in-law come into the room and call out loudly, and the other children followed suit and called out "Auntie".

"Xiaoya, now that you're done, come home and have dinner. Grandma has prepared everything."

"Got it." Xu Shengya didn't even turn her head, her eyes fixed on the turning rope.

"Comrade Liang, I heard that Liu Nianhua asked you to accompany him to capture Zhou Guohua that day?" Chen Yulian started chatting with others when she had nothing to do.

Liang Baozhen didn't know where this person got the story from. Not many people should know about what happened that day. Could it be that Sister Hua told others? But she and Chen Yulian probably weren't familiar with each other.

"I don't mean anything else, I'm just asking." Chen Yulian felt that this neighbor was quite nosy and looked at them a few times. "Have some tea, they'll be done playing soon."

Liang Baozhen always felt that Chen Yulian was a mysterious person. She seemed to be in the yard all day long, but she lived a good life. Her clothes were all made of good and fashionable fabrics. She picked up the teacup and took a sip. What was this taste like?

Somewhat familiar!

"Sister-in-law, I'm fine, let's go home!" Xu Shengya ended the fight, but the other four children continued.

"Okay, Sister Chen, we'll leave first." Liang Baozhen looked at the four little girls and asked Xiaoya to say goodbye to her friends.

Before leaving, I glanced at the closet in Chen Yulian's house and saw a colorful jar on it. It seemed to be a tea jar and looked familiar.

The dumplings at home are out of the pot, big dumplings with thin skin and rich meat filling. The chopped meat and the fragrant cabbage are mixed together. Dip them in the aged vinegar and take a bite. There is even some oil in it. Your stomach is full.

Zhou Yun took a bowl and filled it up for his grandson. Xu Shengjie was working the night shift and would not be back until tomorrow afternoon.

Liang Baozhen was lying in bed. It had been three nights since anyone had warmed her bed. Without Xu Shengjie, the bed was cold. Fortunately, the quilt was thick and made of new cotton that she had bought this year, so she was much warmer.

Burying herself in the quilt, Liang Baozhen thought of the tea jar she saw in Chen Yong's office this afternoon and the one in Chen Yulian's house. She sensed something was wrong. Could it be that the man outside Chen Yulian was...

Boom!

There was a sound like something hitting the window. Liang Baozhen, who was originally drowsy, was suddenly awakened. It was pitch black all around. She pulled the quilt, held her breath and listened for a while, but it seemed like there was no sound again.

Xu Shengjie was not at home and everyone in the family was asleep. Liang Baozhen looked at the window blocked by the curtain, tiptoed out of bed, gently lifted the curtain and looked outside. The moonlight outside was just right, with some light flickering, but there was no one in sight.

When I woke up the next day, the whole courtyard was in an uproar!

There's a thief in the yard! A lot of the cabbages that everyone had planted in the yard are missing!

The author has something to say:

I am Nuwa, and I am dying of thirst. Can any kindhearted person pour some nutrient solution on me? I will give you a tall and long-legged boyfriend or girlfriend.