Chapter 136

Ye Manzhi stared at the four spread-out pieces of letter paper for a long time, feeling mixed emotions.

She said, that day she asked Wu Zhengrong to write a letter to a friend, but he finished it so quickly!

It turns out that there was only one sentence written on the letter paper!

And that bastard Wu Zhengrong didn't even bother to change the content.

Except that Lao Liu was changed into Lao Chen, Lao Ma and Dongzi, the rest of the story is exactly the same!

What a genuine, simple, yet perfunctory comradeship this is...

Ye Manzhi pursed her lips and sulked for a while. The four pieces of letter paper in front of her made her virtuous heart that wanted to show off seem a little redundant.

If she really bought gifts and delivered them to people's homes, these friends might write letters or call to tease Wu Zhengrong.

Staring at the words "This is my wife" on the letter for a while, Ye Manzhi felt angry, amused, and vaguely happy.

She put away the letter and then took out her wallet.

Behind the transparent plastic layer is a photo of their family of three.

She fiddled with the interlayer for a while, and soon pulled out a 2-inch photo from behind the group photo.

The man in the photo is wearing a military uniform, with a serious expression and a firm gaze. The five-pointed star on his shoulder is as dazzling as the military medal on his chest.

When she asked for the photo, the reason she gave was that it was rare to see Wu Zhengrong in a military uniform and tie.

In fact, it is because Dr. Wu in this photo looks young and handsome, and has the unique charm of a mature man.

He has both the dignity of a soldier and the wisdom of an intellectual, which is completely in line with her aesthetic taste.

Ye Manzhi pinched the edge of the photo and looked at the man in it for a moment.

Then she bent her thumb and middle finger and flicked the other person's forehead.

Bastard Wu Zhengrong, wasting her feelings!

Take a slap on the head from your wife!

After looking at the photo for a while, she kissed the lovely face as if to make up for it, took out a handkerchief and wiped the photo, then stuffed it back into the pocket of her wallet as if nothing had happened.

*

The little accident the night before did not affect Ye Manzhi's mood.

The next morning, after breakfast, she accompanied Xia Zhuyun and Director He to the auditorium for the meeting.

The National Industrial Political Work Conference opens at 9 a.m. on Monday.

After nine o'clock, those who remained outside the venue were either reporters or leaders' secretaries.

After watching Xia Zhuyun enter the conference room, Ye Manzhi did not leave immediately.

Where secretaries gather is also where the most news comes from.

It was a rare opportunity for her to meet so many cadres from other provinces and cities, and she wanted to go over and listen to the fun.

Because they often accompanied their leaders to Beijing for meetings and met more often, the secretaries gradually became familiar with each other.

While others were chatting in groups of three or four, Ye Manzhi found a group of people with more lesbians and naturally squeezed in.

Several people were talking about the silk exhibition that the Silk Corporation had just held in Hangzhou.

Among the 20 excellent products, Jiangsu accounted for 8, Shanghai accounted for 4, and in the north, only Beijing and Shandong each had one.

A female cadre from Jiangsu pointed to the silk scarf around her neck and introduced it as an award-winning product of their Wujiang Printing and Dyeing Factory.

Ye Manzhi took a closer look at the scarf and knew it was a good thing at first glance.

"Silk fabrics are indeed Jiangnan's strong point, but the craftsmanship of northern silk has also improved a lot in recent years. I recently got a piece of silk crepe de chine material, which seems to be produced by the Beijing Silk Factory. It is very cool to make summer shirts and skirts."

"You're quite knowledgeable," the older woman from Shanghai said with a smile. "Last year, during the production competition, our city sent a craftsman to the Beijing Silk Factory to provide technical guidance. After adjustments, the Beijing factory's craftsmanship has indeed improved a lot."

Ye Manzhi didn't care whose silk was better. She stood in the crowd and listened for a long time, grasping a key piece of information.

"Director Sun, did you hold a production competition with Beijing last year? What was the result? Who won?" Ye Manzhi asked.

"Well, we organized a competition for light industrial enterprises for half a year, and it just ended before the Spring Festival this year," Director Sun said subtly. "The results were quite good. Seventeen companies each had winners and losers, and nine of our companies achieved excellent results."

In other words, in the production competition between Beijing and Shanghai, Shanghai has a slight advantage with a score of 9:8.

Ye Manzhi had a bad feeling in his heart.

These two cities have just organized a large-scale production competition. Will they participate in other competitions again this year?

…

The leaders' meeting lasts a whole day, so the secretaries don't have to stand outside the venue all the time. They just get together and chat for a while, and then the meeting ends quickly.

When Ye Manzhi went out, she did not bring the letter that Wu Zhengrong wrote to his friend in her bag.

The relationship between the other party and his comrades was very close, so it seemed that there was no need for her to do anything unnecessary. Besides, she was really embarrassed to hand such a letter to the other party.

So, she simply decided not to deliver the letter, saving time to visit more attractions.

The asphalt roads in the capital are wide and flat, the sun shines on my body and I feel warm. I walk alone on Chang'an Avenue in early summer with a camera slung over my shoulder, and leaves all over the branches.

Stroll all the way from the venue to West Chang'an Avenue, where there are crowds of people and many shops.

When she saw the sign of "Dadi Western Restaurant", she hesitated for a while at the door.

Coming to Beijing alone to eat Western food seems a bit of a luxury.

However, no one around knew her anyway, and she had 300 yuan in cash in her wallet because she was "poor at home but rich on the road", so it should be okay to be extravagant for once, right?

Adhering to the principle that no matter how hard it is, one must not suffer oneself, Ye Manzhi did not hesitate for too long and pushed the door open and walked into the "Dadi Western Restaurant".

She had breakfast at the Beijing Office that morning, but she wasn't actually hungry. She ordered a plate of grilled mixed salad with sourdough bread, and at the waitress's suggestion, added a cup of coffee and returned the menu.

There were not many customers coming to the Western restaurant for dinner in the morning. Apart from her, a guest from outside the city, there were only two female comrades sitting at the next table.

"You should rehearse whatever the captain tells you to do. Going against him won't do you any good."

"I just can't stand his aggressive attitude," said the younger girl. "My 'Silang Visits His Mother' was rehearsing well, but he just changed it and insisted on staging some modern play. Look at those modern plays, how many are good?"

Another person advised, "Someone in the newspaper said 'Silang Visits His Mother' vilified the Yang family generals and glorified the traitor Yang Silang. How can we continue with this play? The captain's words make sense. Let's stage a modern play and promote the 'one cent' spirit. It would actually be very meaningful."

Don't listen to anything indecent.

Ye Manzhi didn't want to eavesdrop on other people's conversation, but their two tables were side by side next to the glass window, and the conversation behind them came into her ears.

Not far from the Dadi Western Restaurant, there is a Chang'an Grand Theater. Ye Manzhi guessed that the two people next door might be Peking Opera actors.

She imitated others and took a sip of coffee, but the bitter taste, like medicine, made her cough.

I carefully added two spoonfuls of sugar and poured the remaining half cup of milk into the coffee. After a lot of trouble, it was finally not so bitter anymore.

Ye Manzhi secretly complained that he had spent money to suffer foreign hardships, and opened the Beijing Daily at hand, and found the report "Talking about the "One Cent" Spirit" that he had quickly glanced at in the morning.

I read the report carefully while drinking coffee with sugar and milk.

The so-called one-cent spirit is actually about building the country through diligence and thrift, increasing production and saving.

The first company to come up with this slogan was the Beijing Ink Factory, which started by saving one cent on each piece of packaging material and turned losses into profits.

Then other factories followed suit, changing their approach from saving a cent to saving a minute or a match.

Judging from the conversation between the two girls, this is not the first time that the "one cent" spirit has been promoted in newspapers. This issue must be quite popular in Beijing, otherwise their team leader would not have specially staged a modern drama to promote the one cent spirit.

Promoting the one-cent spirit is indeed more meaningful than "Silang Visits His Mother".

If the theater really had this play, she would be willing to pay to go in and see it.

Ye Manzhi ate the grilled salad she ordered, and then finished reading a daily newspaper with the cup of coffee.

Finally, I was willing to leave the quiet western restaurant and head to the next stop.

It was quite appropriate to watch a Peking Opera in Beijing. When she passed by the Chang'an Grand Theater, she deliberately glanced at the program list at the door.

There are two plays today, "The Orphan of Zhao" and the modern play "One Cent".

Ye Manzhi was cheered up and bought a ticket without hesitation and went into the theater to watch "The Orphan of Zhao".

It’s not that she doesn’t support the One Li Yuan spirit, but when it comes to Beijing to appreciate Peking Opera, traditional repertoires are still more charming!

*

The leaders were busy in meetings from morning to night. Ye Manzhi was like picking up and dropping off her own daughter Wu Yuzhuo. She would send people to the venue in the morning and pick them up at the door in the evening. She was free to move around during the day.

In two days, she went to Tiananmen, the Forbidden City, and Wangfujing, and spent a huge amount of money on roast duck, noodles with soybean paste, and braised pork and steamed buns. She originally wanted to invite her sister-in-law Wu Xiulan to eat old Beijing hot pot together, but no one answered the phone, so she had to give up.

According to her plan, she could take a bus to visit the Temple of Heaven or the Summer Palace on the third day.

However, on the night of the second meeting, Xia Zhuyun suddenly encountered an emergency and began to vomit and have diarrhea without any warning.

Ye Manzhi was worried that she had accidentally eaten seafood. Seeing that the antidiarrheal medicine was not working, she quickly contacted her colleagues in the Beijing Office and sent her to the hospital emergency room overnight.

Fortunately, Xia Zhuyun was not allergic to seafood, but was just suffering from acclimatization problems and needed to get an IV drip in the hospital.

"Xiao Ye, go back and rest. Come back tomorrow morning." Xia Zhujun lay on the hospital bed, urging Ye Manyi to go back.

"I asked the nurse, and there's no one in the bed next to you. I'll stay here with you. If you need to go to the bathroom again, just call me."

Of course Ye Manzhi couldn't leave at this time. Being sick in a foreign land was the most vulnerable time. Not to mention that Xia Ting was her leader, even if he was just an ordinary friend, she couldn't leave him alone!

"I brought a pound of rice from Binjiang. My mother said that eating rice from home can cure acclimatization. Tomorrow morning I will go back and make you some rice porridge. You will feel better after eating it."

Xia Zhujun's face was pale from all the torment. She smiled weakly and said, "You're quite well prepared."

"This is my first time in Beijing, so just in case."

Ye Manzhi was fine with eating and drinking to her heart's content, but she gave the pound of rice to Xia Zhuyun, who was often on business trips.

Xia Ting was the backbone of the team. After she fell, Ye Manzhi and Director He had to act separately.

She was responsible for taking care of the leader, and Director He went to attend the last day's meeting.

Xia Zhujun attached great importance to this meeting and called Director He to the bedside and gave him instructions for a long time.

She doesn't focus on the content of the meeting, but on the participants.

This conference was national, and representatives from the industrial departments and bureaus of all provinces and cities attended.

Two days before the meeting, she had contacted the leaders of the Industrial Bureaus of Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin, and expressed her intention to organize a product competition within the light industry system.

However, apart from a deputy director in Tianjin who expressed obvious interest, the other two cities did not give in.

She wanted Director He to find another opportunity to talk to the comrades in Beijing.

Compared with Shanghai, Beijing is closer to Binjiang. If both sides send personnel to study with each other, they can save travel expenses and time.

However, after the last day of the meeting, Director He was unable to bring back any definite news.

"Deputy Director Zhang didn't directly refuse, but what he meant was that Beijing and Shanghai had already held a production competition last year. If any Beijing companies wanted to participate, they should contact each other directly, and our Industry Department and Industry Bureau should not interfere."

Although it was not an explicit rejection, it was almost the same as a rejection.

In order to stimulate the production vitality of most enterprises, Xia Zhuyun wanted to do things on a larger scale.

Without the leadership and guidance of the competent authorities, a few scattered enterprises would simply not be able to carry out large-scale socialist competition.

Xia Zhujun frowned, glanced at the IV drip above her and said, "I'll go to their Industrial Bureau tomorrow and talk to Director Zhao in person."

Ye Manzhi advised, "You haven't recovered yet, so you should take care of yourself first. I don't think even if you go to the Municipal Industry Bureau in person, it might not make them relent."

"In fact, if Director Xia takes action personally, it would be more effective than me," said Director He.

Ye Manzhi quickly explained, "It doesn't matter who's representing you. I don't think you two have heard the results of last year's competition between the two cities, have you?"

“…”

"A total of 17 companies participated in the competition, and nine from Shanghai achieved excellent results. The result was 9:8, with Shanghai slightly ahead."

Xia Zhujun asked: "Where did you hear the news?"

She has been dealing with comrades in Beijing these days, and has never heard them mention the results of the competition.

If we lost the last game, it would be reasonable to avoid talking about it.

"I heard this from a secretary in Shanghai while I was waiting for you and Director He outside the venue."

Xia Zhujun leaned back on the hospital bed and sighed, "If that's the case, then competing with us will only bring limited benefits to Beijing. Winning is a given, but losing would be a laughing stock. After all, they've already fallen once."

Yes, that’s why Ye Manzhi advised her not to go to the Beijing Industrial Bureau.

It would be a waste of time to go if you are sick.

Director He smiled and said, "I don't think there's no way out. Perhaps they still want to use us to redeem themselves and avenge their previous humiliation."

He must have some extraordinary qualities to be brought on a business trip by Xia Zhuyun.

Director He is also a very enterprising person. He immediately said that he would go to the Beijing Industrial Bureau on behalf of Xia Zhuyun tomorrow.

Xia Zhujun didn't pour cold water on him and encouraged him in person, but sighed after everyone left the ward.

Small minions like Ye Manzhi are helpless in dealing with high-level decisions.

Even Xia Zhujun's appearance didn't work, let alone a small secretary like her.

All she could do was take good care of her leader and help him recover soon.

Xia Zhujun had something on her mind and couldn't fall asleep until very late that night.

The other patients in the ward had been discharged. Secretary Ye diligently chatted with the leader to relieve his boredom, and selectively talked about his experiences in Beijing over the past few days.

He also mentioned the recently popular "one cent" spirit.

"Several local Beijing newspapers have reported on the One Cent Spirit. The publicity has been incredibly effective. Even the Chang'an Grand Theater staged a modern play promoting the One Cent Spirit..."

Having said that, Ye Manzhi sat up from his hospital bed and looked at Xia Zhuyun opposite him.

"Leader, what do you say about us leveraging the power of the media?"

"Well, how can I borrow it?"

"Let's have the newspapers report that we want to have a production competition with Beijing companies," Ye Manzhi said whimsically. "We can publish a notice in the newspaper similar to a declaration of war, issuing a call for heroes to Beijing companies on behalf of the provincial companies. We'll list the companies that are interested in participating in the socialist production competition, and anyone in Beijing who is interested in competing with the same products can sign up."

Xia Zhuyun didn't comment on her bold idea, but calmly said, "Local newspapers will be reviewed by the relevant departments before publication. If they don't want to hold this competition, your invitation to participate will likely not be published."

Ye Manzhi: “…”

Why.

She lay back on the pillow dejectedly.

After two days of sharing the same ward, Ye Manzhi and Xia Zhuyun have become very familiar with each other.

Now he felt less hesitant and asked directly, "Leader, if there's a newspaper that can publish a 'hero post', should we publish it?"

Xia Zhujun was silent for a long time. After weighing the pros and cons, she said readily, "Okay. But it's definitely not okay to challenge someone so bluntly like you did. You need to think carefully and be more tactful with your words."

"Then I'll think of a way tomorrow to find a newspaper that's not regulated by the local authorities."

Xia Zhujun stayed in the hospital for two days on IV drip, and then she was discharged and allowed to go home to recuperate.

After returning to the Beijing Office, Ye Manzhi sent her back to the room, then ran downstairs to find Director Huang at the Beijing Office's reception desk.

"Director Huang, can our Beijing office contact a reporter from a major newspaper like the People's Daily or the Youth Daily?"

Director Huang said, "I've been in touch with a reporter from the People's Daily, but there are several major events happening in the city right now, and he's busy covering the news, so I'm not sure if I can get him an appointment. Xia Ting should be leaving for Binjiang in three days, right?"

Ye Manzhi nodded.

Their trip to Beijing lasted a total of six days, with the first three days spent in meetings and the last three days dealing with matters related to socialist competition.

I had plenty of time, but I didn't expect to encounter an accident.

There is only one train from Beijing to Binjiang per week.

If the train tickets were rescheduled, they would be delayed for another week, and Xia Zhuyun couldn't stay outside for such a long time.

Ye Manzhi quickly reviewed his network of contacts in his mind.

Two of her senior classmates were assigned to large units in Beijing, but they had only been in Beijing for two years and might not be able to contact newspaper reporters.

Apart from that, she only knew five people in Beijing, one of whom was her sister-in-law Wu Xiulan, and the other four were Wu Zhengrong's friends.

Compared to the four friends I have never met, it is obviously more reliable to find my sister-in-law Wu Xiulan.

After graduating from Xiulan University, he worked at the Institute of Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, where he might have some high-level connections.

If her sister-in-law can't help her, she will look for Wu Zhengrong's friends.

Ye Manzhi made up her mind and called Xiu Lan. This time the call went through to her laboratory.

The aunt and sister-in-law agreed to meet opposite the research institute and then go to eat Old Beijing hot pot together.

Ye Manzhi said hello to Xia Zhuyun and took a car to the Institute of Chemistry.

She arrived a quarter of an hour early and stood across the street waiting for her sister-in-law.

Looking at the sign of the Chinese Academy of Sciences at the entrance of the institute, Ye Manzhi couldn't help but sigh that Wu Zhengrong and Wu Xiulan were indeed siblings.

The only two college graduates of this generation in the Wu family are now both working in research institutes.

And what’s a coincidence is that both the brother and sister have difficulties in marriage.

At the time, Wu Zhengrong was 26 years old and still unmarried, and was already an outsider in the family.

Wu Xiulan is now 26 years old and still unmarried, following the same path as her brother.

Wu's parents and elders are not in Beijing, so they are powerless to urge her to get married.

Ye Manzhi was thinking about her sister-in-law's marriage, and then looked towards the gate of the research institute. After a while, she saw a pretty figure in a blue dress walking out from inside.

Just as she was about to wave, she saw a tall young man suddenly approaching her at the gate.

Ye Manzhi roared in his heart.

It seems that her parents-in-law don’t have to worry about their daughter’s marriage anymore. There is obviously something going on!

She was standing across the street and tactfully didn't go up to disturb him.

However, the development of things seems to have nothing to do with the stirring of love, romance or anything like that.

Faced with the man who suddenly appeared, Wu Xiulan's face showed impatience. After talking to him for a few words, she wanted to walk around him and leave.

The young man relied on his height to stand in front of her, blocking her way.

Wu Xiulan tried several times to get away but failed. Her face became uglier and uglier. She frowned and said something to the young man.

It was just time to get off work, and familiar colleagues kept coming out of the institute's gate, always looking around curiously when passing by the two people who were entangled.

Ye Manzhi originally didn't want to interfere in her sister-in-law's emotional issues, but when she saw this scene, she subconsciously frowned.

Why can't we talk about it somewhere else? Why do we have to block the entrance to the office? This is damaging the reputation of female comrades!

Wu Xiulan was already an older, unmarried woman and a bit of a celebrity in her workplace. After today's incident, who knew how many rumors would circulate.

Ye Manzhi avoided the passing vehicles and crossed the road quickly.

When he came behind them, he not only saw the sister-in-law's flushed face and fiery eyes, but also heard the tall man in front of him say in a teasing tone: "You are either hanging out in the lab or staying at home. Who can you date? Your brother said you don't have a partner..."

Ye Manzhi stepped forward and patted the other man on the shoulder. "Comrade, what can't you say somewhere else? Why do you have to block the entrance of the institute? With so many people staring at you, how can you not feel ashamed?"

"Who are you?" the young man said in a stern tone, embarrassed. "What does it have to do with you where we're talking?"

Ye Manzhi took a few steps forward, standing in front of her sister-in-law, and said in a very elder sister-in-law style: "Have you heard any of her brothers say that she has no partner? I am Xiulan's biological sister-in-law. An elder sister-in-law is like a mother. If you want to talk to her, you have to get my permission first!"

“…”

Wu Xiulan looked at Ye Manzhi, who was protecting her chicks like a hen, with complicated eyes.

This person is one year younger than her, and is obviously her second sister-in-law...