Chapter 79 Taking Stock of the Harvest
As soon as she arrived at the gate, the third brother ran out to greet her, circling around her without making a sound.
Yao Fanghua patted the dog's head. "Good boy, I can't bear to see you stay here and suffer. I'll find a way to get you on the train tomorrow."
She locked the door. Yao Fanghua felt her limbs go weak.
I went back to my room, put my backpack on the bed, took off my down jacket, and went to wash my hands.
Then he poured all the gold bars from the bag into a basin, filled it with water, and washed them. He placed a piece of cotton cloth next to the basin.
Wash one and then place it on the cotton cloth, counting them one by one.
There were a full thirty large strips.
Then she opened the cloth bag, inside were red and green gemstones, mixed with a few of other colors. Yao Fanghua took out a red one and held it up to the light to look at it. How beautiful! If this were made into a ring or set in a hairpin, how dazzling it would be. The dagger left by Wu Peng's father was also set with this kind of gemstone, but the sapphire there was even bigger.
Refill the basin with clean water and rinse all the gemstones thoroughly. As for the cloth bag, throw it in the trash.
Wipe each gemstone clean.
Yao Fanghua went to the workbench in her study and found a palm-sized wooden box. She lined it with a soft cloth, put the gemstones inside, and stored it in the safe.
As for the gold bars, after drying them, half were put into the safe. The remaining fifteen were wrapped in a sweater and put into a suitcase.
Then she packed her change of clothes, toiletries, thermos, lunchbox, bankbook, cash, spare change, and books from the study.
Tomorrow morning, she'll go and intercept Wang Huaizhi. Last time she was on a business trip, she saw him greeting a train attendant. She'll spend some money to see if he can pull some strings to get the third child on the train. Ideally, the procedures shouldn't be too complicated, and the environment should be nice so she can check on him anytime from the train.
After finding Wang Huaizhi, I took the diagnosis certificate that Wu Peng had obtained to my workplace to apply for leave. I'd already made arrangements, so it should be done quickly. I'll try to get to the train station before noon.
Everything was arranged, and Yao Fanghua lay on the bed, unable to even lift her fingers.
Thinking about today's achievements, he grinned and quickly fell asleep.
She slept soundly until dawn, waking up somewhat dazed, as if she had just had a dream. Moving brought on aches and pains all over her body, a reminder that yesterday wasn't a dream. Yao Fanghua grinned.
I cooked some noodles and cracked two eggs. After cooking, I ladled out a bowl of noodles and an egg, and poured the rest into Lao San's bowl.
After eating, go downstairs to wait for Wang Huaizhi.
Upon hearing that Yao Fanghua wanted to take a month's leave, or even longer, Wang Huaizhi immediately retorted, "Were you bullied? Your factory director Yu is quite something, giving you such a long leave."
Wang Huaizhi, speaking from experience, advised, "Don't act impulsively. A small act of impatience can ruin a big plan. As the saying goes, fortunes change. Many people experience ups and downs in their lives, let alone you. Compared to others, you're doing well. Look at another classmate of yours, he's still stuck at the deputy director level. You received an award last time, so you're on the front lines. With your abilities, even without connections, you'll be promoted sooner or later."
"How long? Three years? Five years? Ten years? Twenty years?"
"Sigh, who isn't going through the tough times?" He's still struggling, clinging to all sorts of connections, but his connections aren't strong enough. Wang Huaizhi looked weary. Is it too late for him to divorce and marry someone who can support him financially? He really envied that Zhou son-in-law that Geng Youliang mentioned. How lucky he was! He could catch up with Zhou in just a few words, while Wang Huaizhi couldn't even run his legs off.
"I've learned something. Let's get down to business. I've seen your sister-in-law watching you from upstairs for quite a while now."
"You stupid woman!" Wang Huaizhi stubbed out his cigarette. "I'll go to work to check in first, then wait for you at your doorstep and take you to the train station."
"I'll go to my workplace to complete some paperwork and then come back."
The two parted ways and headed to their respective factories.
Judging from the unfriendly look in Sister Wang's eyes just now, it seems I'll have to invite the couple out for a meal next time Wu Peng comes back. Let Sister Wang know that she's Wu Peng's girlfriend.
I successfully completed the leave application process.
Yao Fanghua returned home, locking the doors one after another. Carrying her suitcase, she took her third son's hand and locked the front door.
Wang Huaizhi was already waiting at the door.
Knowing that he could go out with Yao Fanghua instead of staying at home eating meager meals, Lao San was excited and spun around even though being on a leash was uncomfortable.
The train station ticket hall was packed with people.
Wang Huaizhi led Yao Fanghua through a maze of turns until they found an acquaintance in the dispatch room.
The two whispered to each other, and the train conductor in uniform glanced at Yao Fanghua and her dog, nodding slightly.
Wang Huaizhi handed two large banknotes to the train attendant.
In the end, Yao Fanghua also bought her train ticket from this train conductor, along with Lao San's baggage fee. She paid him the whole thing.
While waiting for the train conductor to collect the tickets, Yao Fanghua slipped three 100-yuan bills to Wang Huaizhi. Wang Huaizhi only took two and returned the remaining one to Yao Fanghua.
"Your Wu Peng has made a fortune, so I won't stand on ceremony with you." Wu Peng had boasted to him during the New Year's drinking session, telling him to wait, that he'd give him a washing machine once his factory started producing them. With Yao Fanghua there, how could they not produce them? It's just a matter of time.
He's poor, and after all these years of hard work, he's spent most of his earnings on gifts or entertaining guests.
He saw Yao Fanghua and her dog, whose tail was wagging happily, off onto the train. Watching the departing train, Wang Huaizhi always felt an urge to head south. He went to Shenzhen and saw Wu Peng changing year after year, soaring higher and higher, while he remained stuck in the same place. He felt like he had wasted his time, and a sense of melancholy lingered in his heart.
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