Chapter 45: What on earth did the accident involve?

The skills of the canteen chefs are no worse than those of the chefs in state-owned restaurants.

Moreover, the ingredients for the canteen are purchased in bulk every morning, so they are large in quantity and fresh.

The braised spareribs were tender, soft and boneless, and the stir-fried cabbage was the same. Although it was called stir-fried, it actually had lard added to it, making it greasy. Jiang Xueyi was so satisfied with the meal.

After the meal, the plates are collected and you don’t have to wash them yourself.

Xu Shanshan said goodbye to Jiang Xueyi and went home.

Jiang Xueyi returned to the office on the second floor and took a nap in the small cubicle.

The cashmere quilt and pillow had been dried in the sun before being brought in, and they smelled like the sun and were very warm.

After waking up, Jiang Xueyi folded the quilt and locked the door.

Before going to the front desk on the first floor to work, she took paper and pen from the office.

No one came to the front desk yet, so she picked up a pen and wrote on a piece of paper: Go to the town committee building, turn right for 50 meters, walk straight for 100 meters, and when you see a big banyan tree, turn left for another 50 meters.

In case some people didn't understand, she specially drew a simple map with left and right arrows.

Another piece of paper reads:

Publicity Department Guidelines

The first room on the second floor has a blue ribbon tied to the door handle. It's mainly responsible for publicity...

Guidelines on Family and Child Rights

The second room on the second floor, the one with the paper-cuts on the window, is the one responsible for mediation...

Office Guidelines

The third room on the second floor is for getting documents and stamping...

Just a few simple paragraphs clearly list the positions and main responsibilities of the one office and two departments in the Women's Federation.

Finally, stick the two pieces of paper on the door and you’re done.

Jiang Xueyi stood in front of the gate, took a look, and was very satisfied.

When she wrote, she deliberately used the largest font size possible so that anyone who came could see it at a glance.

Sure enough, after I put up the instructions, I felt very relaxed in the afternoon, which was much better than the situation in the morning when I was drooling.

Most people actually went to the town committee. They saw the instructions posted on the door, memorized the way to the town committee, and left without even entering the office building.

People who came to the Women's Federation to do business, when they saw the introduction about one office and two departments in the guide, went straight to the second floor without even asking.

Only those who don’t quite understand will go to the front desk to consult Jiang Xueyi.

Jiang Xueyi took out an enamel pot, put a handful of tea leaves in it, poured in hot water, and took a sip with great pleasure.

Well, I’m living the life of early retirement again.

Director Xie went out to do some work at noon and came back just before getting off work in the afternoon.

As soon as she came in, she saw the instructions posted on the door and raised her eyebrows and asked, "Who did this?"

Xu Shanshan came over skipping and jumping: "Xiao Jiang did it."

"Really?" Director Xie looked at the instructions. The handwriting was neat and it simply and clearly stated the location and responsibilities of each department.

She curved her eyes amiably and praised, "That's good, Xiao Jiang. You did a great job."

Once this guidance was issued, the workload was immediately reduced by half.

I have to say, people who use their brains work differently.

Director Xie is now extremely grateful that he recruited Jiang Xueyi.

Chief You asked from the side: "How did you come up with this?"

Jiang Xueyi paused and said, "Many people come to our Women's Federation for the first time and can't find the place. They are so anxious that they cry. To be honest, I was in the same situation when I came to take the exam. I didn't know where to go, and I was very panicked. At that time, I thought, it would be great if there was a clear guide, so that everyone could understand it at a glance."

Director Xie suddenly spoke up, "You're not writing 'guidance,' you're breaking down 'mental barriers.'" Her tone was a bit serious. "A lot of people are wary before coming to us. But when you clearly spell out 'who to contact for problem resolution,' they feel a bit less anxious. It's more effective than ten things in a successful mediation."

"Making people dare to come is the real skill."

Director Xie is worthy of his name. Even Jiang Xueyi didn't expect that her guidance would be so useful.

Director Xie patted Jiang Xueyi on the shoulder and said, "You're much better than I was back then. You know that work doesn't just have to be done, it also has to make people feel warm." He added, "Do a good job. Our Women's Federation needs people like you who can think from the perspective of the masses."

"Yes." Jiang Xueyi responded with a smile.

Seeing that Jiang Xueyi was praised, the others did not complain, and some of the older ones even smiled with satisfaction.

For a stable job, your salary will increase according to your length of service. When you have enough years of service, your salary will naturally increase.

It doesn’t mean that you can get a promotion and a raise just by being praised by your boss.

There is no competition at all.

Others wished that Jiang Xueyi could work harder and share more of their burden so that they could relax a little.

Take this guideline for example. Everyone has to go to the front desk on duty. With this guideline, their workload will be reduced by half. Who wouldn’t be happy?

"Xiao Jiang, sure."

"The rising star of our Women's Federation."

"Do a good job, do a good job."

Jiang Xueyi happily accepted everyone's praise. At this moment, something was quietly sprouting in her heart.

In the evening, He Chengze returned home and looked at her several times. He saw that the corners of her mouth were always upturned: "What good thing happened?"

"I was praised by my leader." Jiang Xueyi said with a smile.

"Oh, that's not bad." He Chengze said, "You've only been gone for a few days."

Jiang Xueyi raised her chin: "Who made me so capable?"

He Chengze: "You become cocky when you're praised. If you praise me more, you'll be so proud."

Jiang Xueyi: "It's such a great thing to be praised by others. I wish others would praise me every day."

He Chengze took Jiang Xueyi's watering can and followed her into the kitchen. Seeing the crayfish baring its claws in the sink, he raised an eyebrow and asked, "Where did this come from?"

Jiang Xueyi: "On the way back, I saw a few kids carrying some, so I bought some from them. I asked them where they got them, but they didn't answer me."

He Chengze laughed and said, "Of course they won't tell you, they're counting on this to make money." He added, "I guess they go to the rice fields near the commune and use snail meat to catch them."

"Can snail meat be used to catch lobsters?" Jiang Xueyi asked in surprise.

He Chengze: "Why not?" He gestured, "Pick up a few snails, smash them with a stone, pick out the meat inside, hang it on the hook, and cast the fishing rod into the rice field. It won't take long before you're hooked. There's another way. Use bamboo to weave a bamboo cage, put snail meat in it, and leave it in the rice field. Come back after a few hours and you'll find it full of crayfish."

These were the ones he played with as a child.

He Chengze poked the crayfish with his chopsticks: "But the crayfish this month are still a little thin. If you want to eat some, wait until June or July, and I'll take you fishing. The crayfish in that season are full of yellow and creamy, and they taste very fragrant."

"Okay." Jiang Xueyi smiled. "By then, the little one will probably be able to walk. Let's take him and Xiaomi out for a picnic and fly kites."

He Chengze imagined the scene: he and Xiao Baozi were fishing for crayfish by the rice paddies, Xiaomi was running around like crazy, and Jiang Xueyi was wearing a straw hat, sitting on the tablecloth, leisurely and comfortable...

He said happily, "That's settled. I'll definitely ask for leave in advance."

As they were talking, the crayfish had spit out all the sand. He Chengze used an old toothbrush to carefully clean the shrimp shell, then cut off the shrimp head and removed the shrimp intestines.

Jiang Xueyi bought quite a lot of lobsters, and she planned to make two flavors of crayfish, one spicy and the other garlic.

Add crayfish to hot pan and fry until they turn dark red. Remove from heat and set aside.

Add scallions, ginger and garlic into the pot and stir-fry until fragrant. Then add bean paste, star anise, cinnamon, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and other seasonings, and finally chili peppers. Stir-fry over high heat, then add crayfish, pour in appropriate amount of cooking wine, add half a bowl of water, cover the pot and simmer.

When it came out of the pot, the aroma was so fragrant that even Xiaomi stood up and barked twice.

He Chengze leaned against the door frame and said, "This smells delicious, don't make our neighbors jealous."

Jiang Xueyi glared at him and continued making garlic crayfish.

The method of cooking garlic crayfish is similar to that of spicy crayfish, so she made a pot of it in the same way.

The white garlic cloves dotted on the red crayfish are mouth-watering just by looking at them.

Two pots of crayfish were placed side by side on the table. Jiang Xueyi couldn't help but sniff. The smell was so fragrant.

It would be unreasonable not to have some drinks with it. It would be great if there was beer, but unfortunately there is none. However, I have some lemonade at home that I have prepared by boiling it in cold water. It tastes just as good when paired with crayfish.

Jiang Xueyi put some crayfish into Xiaomi's bowl. When she looked up, she saw a few more pieces of peeled lobster meat in her own bowl.

She smiled and said, "Don't just peel it for me, eat it too."

"Okay." He Chengze agreed, peeled several pieces of lobster meat for her, and then started eating.

Jiang Xueyi picked up a piece of red and white lobster meat, wrapped it in the soup and put it into her mouth. The chewy meat was wrapped in the fresh, spicy juice, which burst with a "pop" sound, so delicious that people squinted their eyes.

Don't even miss the shrimp claws. Use your teeth to bite open the hard shell. The tender meat inside is firmer than crab meat and is full of the aroma of star anise and cinnamon. Chew it carefully and you can taste the layers of flavor that have been absorbed during the slow cooking.

Jiang Xueyi ate a few pieces of shrimp and then peeled them herself.

The fun of eating crayfish lies in peeling it yourself.

Soon, a small mountain of lobster shells was piled up on the table.

Looking at He Chengze again, he was even more exaggerated, having piled up two small hills.

His mouth was red from the spiciness, but he said happily, "I haven't tasted this for a long time."

By the end of the meal, Jiang Xueyi's fingers were already dyed shiny with red oil, and even the gaps between her nails were stained with the aroma of soy sauce.

The two pots of crayfish were eaten up, leaving only the salty and fragrant soup.

Jiang Xueyi put the blanched noodles into the pot, coated them with soup and mixed them, and gave each person a bowl.

Each noodle is coated with a bright red sheen. When you scoop it into your mouth, the fresh, fragrant, numb and spicy taste creates a warm feeling in your stomach. The fine sweat on your forehead is filled with satisfaction that makes you reluctant to put down your chopsticks.

"I'm full." He Chengze slumped in the chair and touched his stomach.

"I'm full." Jiang Xueyi drank lemonade in big gulps.

Looking at Xiaomi again, his mouth hair was covered with shrimp oil.

The two looked at each other and burst out laughing.

After He Chengze finished washing the dishes, he saw Jiang Xueyi sitting on a bench with her knees hugged and a booklet in her hand.

He leaned over and asked: "What are you looking at?"

Jiang Xueyi showed him the title of the book.

He Chengze raised his eyebrows: "A brief history of the Women's Federation?"

"That's right." Jiang Xueyi said.

She found the booklet in the office and asked Chief You about it, who told her she could take it home and read it.

She had only been in the Women's Federation for a short time and there were many things she didn't understand. It would be very helpful for her to read a brief history of the Women's Federation and understand how it was established.

"Do you want to join us?" Jiang Xueyi extended an invitation to study together.

He Chengze was of course happy to join.

He took an anthology from the bookshelf, and the two of them snuggled together and started reading.

The incandescent light shone on the two of them, as if they were coated with a layer of glory.

He Chengze turned a page, but his eyes involuntarily fell on Jiang Xueyi.

She looked focused and serious.

His heartstrings moved slightly. Perhaps, this was the day he wanted.

As she watched, Jiang Xueyi's head slowly leaned on He Chengze's shoulder.

He Chengze curled his lips, picked her up by the waist and put her on the bed.

He leaned over and kissed her forehead.

On Thursday, as soon as Jiang Xueyi arrived at the office, Han Yan came to see her.

She knocked on the door with a smile and said to Chief You, "I want to borrow someone from you."

Section Chief You knitted his sweater and said without looking up: "Borrow Xiao Jiang, right?"

"You are really a worm in my stomach." Han Yan said with a smile.

Section Chief You turned around and said, "Xiao Jiang, go with Director Han."

Ever since Jiang Xueyi did a great job on the front desk duty, many people from the office and two departments came to her for help.

Jiang Xueyi is used to it. It's just a small thing within her ability.

She picked up the water cup and drank slowly before getting up and following Han Yan. She asked, "Chief Han, what do you want to talk to me about?"

Han Yan took her to the office and said, "I just want to ask you how to organize our archives. Do you have any ideas?"

As soon as Jiang Xueyi entered the room, she saw a pile of information.

Someone who knew me asked, "Xiao Jiang, why are you here?"

Han Yan: "I was the one who found her."

Jiang Xueyi was also surprised: "Are you going to organize all this information?"

It’s a bit too much indeed.

"That's right." Han Yan said, "This is the information we have from the Women's Federation since its establishment. There's a lot of it."

"Sister Han asked us to take it out and sort it out. I think some of it is moldy."

Han Yan: "It's useless to just organize. It will still be a mess when you try to find it next time. It takes time and effort."

She looked at Jiang Xueyi: "Xiao Jiang, do you have any ideas?"

Jiang Xueyi thought for a moment and said, "How about this, we can just register and make a list. If we want to find any information, we can just look it up in the directory."

"It's useless." Han Yan sighed. "It's still very troublesome to look through the catalog to find the information I'm looking for."

Jiang Xueyi smiled and said, "Then, how about classifying them by the first letter of the pinyin?"

"Initial?" Han Yan was stunned.

Jiang Xueyi: "Yes."

She picked up a book titled "March 8th Red Flag Bearer Advanced Deeds Data." "For example, in this book, the first letter of the number three is 'S,' so it should be categorized under 'S.' Once it's categorized from 'A' to 'Z,' when you want to find information, you can just look at the first letter and search accordingly."

"To go even further, we can categorize by the first two or three characters, and then create a list."

Han Yan's eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands, saying, "That's a good idea." Then she said, "Xiao Jiang, how did you come up with this idea?"

What can you come up with? The search method has been overused by later generations.

Jiang Xueyi said calmly, "I also saw the library staff categorize it this way. I'm just offering my appreciation."

She helped the people in the office organize the piles of documents.

After receiving some praise, he returned to his office.

As soon as she entered the room, Section Chief You saw her smiling face and asked, "Is the problem solved?"

"Yeah, it's solved."

Section Chief You also laughed and said, "Not bad, you really give our section chief face."

Jiang Xueyi can help other departments solve problems, which means that their department has produced a capable person. Not bad, not bad.

Xu Shanshan walked in with an angry look on her face.

Section Chief You raised his eyebrows and said, "Aren't you on duty at the front desk? Who has offended you again?"

"It has nothing to do with the front desk." Xu Shanshan pouted, "That woman, she's here again."

"You mean Hao Fang?" Section Chief You understood immediately.

Seeing Jiang Xueyi's puzzled look, Section Chief You explained to her: "You have been in our department for a while, and you will know in time. Hao Fang is considered a difficult case in our department."

Jiang Xueyi asked: "Did she encounter any problems?"

Xu Shanshan held her face in her hands and said, "I want to know too, but every time she comes, she doesn't say anything and just cries. No matter how I ask her, she won't tell me. I'm so fed up with her crying."

"Today, she saw me on duty at the front desk and ran away without saying a word, without even entering the door."

"Alas." Section Chief You sighed deeply. "Xiao Xu, you should be nicer to her. If she came to our Women's Federation, she must have encountered something."

Xu Shanshan's expression became serious: "Sister You, I understand."

Section Chief You looked at Jiang Xueyi again: "Xiao Jiang, you too."

"I understand, Sister You." Jiang Xueyi said.

Section Chief You nodded with satisfaction. Although Jiang Xueyi and Xu Shanshan were both from their department and Xu Shanshan had been there longer than Jiang Xueyi, it had to be said that from personal ability to ability to get things done, and even personality, Jiang Xueyi was more stable than Xu Shanshan.

Before she knew it, she had become the backbone of their department.

It's just a few words of advice.

Section Chief You took out two envelopes from the drawer, one for Xu Shanshan and one for Jiang Xueyi: "Count them and see if the amount is correct."

Xu Shanshan took it happily: "Yeah, finally got paid."

Pay wages?

Jiang Xueyi was stunned for a moment and didn't even react.

For her, getting paid was a thing of the past life.

Even when Chief You took her to the office to make connections and talked about the issue of salary, she didn't feel it was real.

Section Chief You said with a smile, "Xiao Jiang, why are you just standing there? Hurry up and open the envelope and take a look."

Jiang Xueyi said "Oh", reacted, and opened the envelope.

I counted the money inside, there were twenty yuan and eighty cents, some in small lots and some in whole lots, plus some meat and sugar coupons.

She said, “That’s the number.”

Xu Shanshan was so happy that she nudged Jiang Xueyi with her shoulder: "I got my salary. What do you want to buy?"

What to buy? Jiang Xueyi really hadn't decided yet. The family had everything they needed, and He Chengze had already prepared everything.

She smiled and said, "Buy two skirts."

"Isn't it?" Xu Shanshan was even happier. "I should buy a skirt when I get my salary. What style of blouse do you like?"

"Go away! Stop encouraging Xiao Jiang to spend money recklessly," Chief You said. "You too, you're already grown up, and you still don't know how to save more money. If you need it, you'll just cry."

Xu Shanshan: "I'm not married and I don't have children, so why would I need to spend money?"

The three of them chatted and laughed. When it was half past four, Jiang Xueyi said goodbye to Section Chief You and Xu Shanshan, then rode her bike back home.

I passed by the vegetable market and bought some vegetables.

Since she started working, her work and rest schedule has been quite regular. Except for Sundays, she goes between the office and home every day.

She likes this kind of orderly life, which makes her feel at ease.

The basket was filled with meat and vegetables. Now that I had received my salary, I naturally had to celebrate.

Jiang Xueyi returned home carrying two large bags of vegetables, humming a tune.

The first thing I do when I get home is to stew the ribs I bought in a pot.

As soon as I walked into the kitchen, I smelled an unpleasant smell of Chinese medicine.

The smell was so bad that Jiang Xueyi couldn't help but wrinkle her nose.

I don’t know whose family is cooking the Chinese medicine. The residents of the section chief’s building are all permanent, and I haven’t heard anyone say that there are new people moving in recently, and they still need to cook Chinese medicine.

Jiang Xueyi stood there for a while. The smell of Chinese medicine became stronger and stronger, as if it came from Room 207 next door.

Remembering that Liu Lu had taken a leave of absence from work today, for some reason, her heart began to pound.

She knocked on the door of room 207 next door: "Liu Lu, Liu Lu, are you home?"

"Yes, Xueyi, the door is not closed, come in." Liu Lu shouted from inside the room.

Jiang Xueyi pushed the door open and went in. The unpleasant smell of Chinese medicine became even stronger.

Liu Lu was sitting on a stool, holding a white porcelain bowl in her hand and drinking from it in small sips. The smell of medicine came from the bowl.

Jiang Xueyi frowned and asked, "What are you drinking?"

"Medicine." Liu Lu said, "My pregnancy has been unstable recently, so my mother-in-law consulted a Chinese doctor and prescribed me medicine to maintain my pregnancy."

She stuck out her tongue and whispered, "It's so bitter, it doesn't taste good at all."

"Why do you suddenly believe in traditional Chinese medicine? You are pregnant, how can you drink anything you want?" Jiang Xueyi said.

Liu Lu curled her lips and said, "I don't want to drink it either. It's bitter and smelly. It smells terrible."

Kong Hongfang came out of the kitchen and said disapprovingly, "What do you know? Good medicine tastes bitter but it cures the disease. I went through so much trouble to find this prescription from an old doctor. I promise that your pregnancy will go smoothly and you'll give me a big fat grandson."

Old miracle doctor?

Hearing these three words, Jiang Xueyi felt something was wrong. She frowned and asked, "Auntie Kong, have you checked this prescription with a doctor in the hospital?"

Kong Hongfang's eyes flashed: "Why go see a doctor? Hospitals are all scams, they are just trying to cheat you out of your money. But old doctors are different. They have been practicing medicine for many years and have a good reputation."

Seeing Liu Lu stopped drinking, Kong Hongfang urged: "Drink it quickly, don't spill it, I'll get this pair."

Seeing her expression, Jiang Xueyi was even more certain that something was wrong.

She snatched the bowl from Liu Lu's hand and said, "That's what you say, but you can't eat anything you want when you're pregnant. Aunt Kong, you should let the doctor check this prescription first before giving it to Liu Lu."

How could Kong Hongfang be happy about this? She started fighting with Jiang Xueyi: "Let go quickly, I tell you, she has to drink this medicine today."

Liu Lu looked at Kong Hongfang, then at Jiang Xueyi. Even if she was stupid, she could tell that something was wrong.

She said, "Mom, what on earth did you give me to drink?"