Chapter 49
"What did you say? Rent this yard?"
Uncle Feng couldn't help but pick his ears, suspecting that he was hallucinating.
Qu Miao nodded. "Yes, I like this yard. How much is the rent? Let's sign the rental contract quickly."
Uncle Feng was speechless. Is there something wrong with this girl's brain?
Upon hearing this, Pei Xingzhi glanced at Li Xuezhi.
The mockery in his eyes made Li Xuezhi blush. He quickly went over to pull Qu Miao away, "Miao Miao, you're confused. This yard has already been rented to Comrade Pei and his team."
Qu Miao broke free from Li Xuezhi's hand, "You're the one who's confused. I know this yard has been rented out, but it's not like they can't rent it to us."
"Hey, are you okay? We've already rented the house to you and it's already been cleaned. How shameless! Now that you're done, please leave my house."
Meng Wanqiu didn't give Qu Miao any face at all. She didn't even want to talk to this confused person and directly ordered him to leave.
"Hey, how do you talk like that? You're from the countryside, so you speak in a vulgar way. And what do you mean by 'your house'? Is your name on the house? I know you've cleaned the house, and I didn't say I wouldn't pay you, so just consider it as hiring you to clean it."
Qu Miao's face darkened after being humiliated by Meng Wanqiu. After a long chatter, he turned to look at Uncle Feng and said, "Uncle, I'll pay double what they paid, and you can sublet the house to me."
After saying that, he looked at Meng Wanqiu smugly, as if to say, "I'm richer than you, let's see what you can do."
Uncle Feng didn't even glance at Qu Miao. Instead, he turned to the middle-aged woman next to him and said, "Old Zhang, I won't rent it anymore. Don't bring this kind of weirdo in front of me in the future. I'm old and my eyes can't stand the stimulation."
Aunt Zhang: "Oh, I understand." She was also speechless. This girl seemed quite normal before, except that she was a little picky. She didn't expect her to have this kind of personality.
Meng Wanqiu chuckled.
As expected, your uncle is still your uncle, and his words are very lethal.
Pei Xingzhi smiled and scratched Meng Wanqiu's nose. His cold voice was filled with doting, "Precious."
The old man and woman's words made Li Xuezhi blush all the way to his neck and he felt very embarrassed.
He quickly pulled Qu Miao, who was about to yell, aside and said, "Miao Miao, can you please stop being so willful? This house has already been rented out. Let's go out and look at other houses."
Qu Miao struggled, "Why? Li Xuezhi, didn't you hear me? That old man is scolding me. Let me go. I want to argue with him."
Qu Miao struggled to break free. Her face was red and her hair was disheveled. She looked completely different from the delicate woman I saw this morning. She looked like a shrew.
Suddenly, Qu Miao's sharp nails scratched Li Xuezhi's face, leaving a bloody mark. He hissed in pain and finally couldn't help but yell, "I said we should leave, didn't you hear me?"
Meng Wanqiu was startled by Li Xuezhi's sudden outburst.
Pei Xingzhi quickly patted her back soothingly, then turned to face Li Xuezhi and said in a cold voice, "Comrade Li, this is my home. If you're arguing, please leave."
Qu Miao was also frightened by Li Xuezhi. Her pupils were dilated and her lips were slightly open. She seemed to have not expected that the other party would be so mean to her. She was stunned.
Li Xuezhi said to Pei Xingzhi apologetically, "Sorry, Comrade Pei, we will leave immediately."
After saying that, he pulled the dazed Qu Miao out the door.
After the strange couple left, Uncle Feng also said goodbye to Pei Xingzhi and Meng Wanqiu.
After all the strangers had left, Meng Wanqiu slowly let out a breath.
That look of relief made Pei Xingzhi laugh.
It was three in the afternoon, and the house was temporarily packed. Pei Xingzhi planned to go to the factory to check on the situation, while Meng Wanqiu planned to buy some vegetables from the small market that Uncle Feng mentioned.
Pei Xingzhi listened and said, "We are short on time today, so let's not cook. Let's go to the factory cafeteria to eat."
Meng Wanqiu thought about it and agreed, but there was no firewood at home, so she needed to buy honeycomb coal, otherwise she couldn't start a fire.
When he heard that they needed to buy coal, Pei Xingzhi planned to have Meng Wanqiu wait for him at home, and the two of them would go together.
But Meng Wanqiu disagreed. She could handle this matter. She had followed Pei Xingzhi to leave Qinghe Village and come to this strange town thousands of miles away. She was not afraid of going to buy coal alone.
In the end, Pei Xingzhi was no match for Meng Wanqiu, and the two of them ate a few pieces of peach cakes to fill their stomachs, then went out together and separated halfway.
Pei Xingzhi went to the factory, and Meng Wanqiu walked towards the place that Uncle Feng mentioned.
She didn't worry about not finding a place yet. She took out a handful of sunflower seeds from her pocket. These were the ones Meng Mingxia had given her this morning. She walked around, stuffing a handful of sunflower seeds into the hands of people she met and asking them where the coal was sold.
He smiles first when meeting people, and his posture is lazy. If he were a man, he would hold a handful of melon seeds in his hand and look here and there. Others would think he is a loafer.
But a girl who is as beautiful as a flower, smiles when she sees people, and asks you questions with a smile, this person is also very happy in his heart.
Just then, Meng Wanqiu met several employees from the 715 Factory on the way, some of whom were from the logistics and procurement department, some from the workshop, and even some from the publicity department.
After listening to others, Meng Wanqiu also had a general understanding of the work content of each department in the factory.
First is the workshop. All the people here are technicians. According to their skills, they are ranked from level one to level eight. There are also higher levels, but not in the 715.
Level 1 workers earn 27.5 yuan per month, level 2 workers earn 33.5 yuan, level 3 workers earn 40.5 yuan, level 4 workers earn 47.6 yuan, level 5 workers earn 55.6 yuan, level 6 workers earn 63.8 yuan...
Of course, this is the salary of the workshop technicians. The salary of other office workers cannot compare to that of those who work hard.
After hearing the salary amount, Meng Wanqiu was secretly shocked. No wonder everyone wanted to go to the city to be a worker. The salary was too high.
In rural areas, one work point is worth only a few cents, and what one earns in a whole year is only a fraction of a worker's salary.
Look at the difference. Earning a salary is indeed better than earning work points.
However, considering that she and Pei Xingzhi were new to the company, their wages would definitely be the lowest, and they couldn't even enter the workshop. She wondered if their combined wages could be as high as thirty yuan.
Walking out of the town, Meng Wanqiu saw several large trucks parked in the square in front of the factory, and many people were crowded there.
I heard from the auntie in the factory canteen that this was supplied to the canteen, but a small portion would be provided to family members. Meng Wanqiu came here specifically to buy some vegetables.
Seeing everyone pushing in, Meng Wanqiu followed suit and bought some more vegetables while there were still some left.
I bought two large cabbages, a net bag of potatoes, white radishes, beans and peppers, and waited in line to be weighed.
When it was almost Meng Wanqiu's turn, the two people in front started arguing.
Meng Wanqiu listened for a while and realized that the girl who was counting the bill had made a mistake the first time. She only realized it after the money was paid and asked the buyer to pay again. But the buyer refused, thinking that he had already paid, so why should he pay again? He wanted to cheat and leave, but was stopped by the girl.
"Hey, little girl, don't bully me because I can't read. I've already paid, and you're asking me to pay again. You want to steal my money? No way."
"Whoever stole the money said it was a mistake. You paid too little and you must make up the difference, or you can leave the food behind."
"You miscalculated. It's none of my business. Let me go. If you don't, I'll call for help."
Meng Wanqiu listened to them arguing for a long time, but the matter was still not resolved.
I couldn't help but step forward, snatch the vegetables and money from the two people's hands, and put the money into the hands of the lazy aunt, "Here, your money." Then I poured the vegetables on the stall and said to the girl buying vegetables, "Your vegetables."
"Hey, what are you doing to my vegetables?" The lazy aunt saw her vegetables being thrown back and tried to pull them back, but was stopped by the vegetable girl.
"What are you doing? Grabbing the food? Did I call for help?"
The girl buying vegetables leaned her upper body on the stall to warn the other party.
Hearing that someone was going to be called, Auntie Laipi stopped talking and glared at Meng Wanqiu angrily, "Minding your own business."
Meng Wanqiu didn't care.
The aunt angrily repacked the vegetables. Meng Wanqiu watched the girl using the abacus and frowned slightly, "She made a mistake. One minus nine plus one, two minus eight plus one."
The vegetable girl panicked for a moment, "Oh, I almost made a mistake again, thank you sister."
He quickly pulled the beads back, but after a while, he made another mistake in the calculation, so Meng Wanqiu reminded him.
As a result, the aunt who was buying vegetables sneered and said sarcastically: "I said you can do it, don't waste my time."
When the vegetable girl heard this, her face turned red and her hands moved more and more chaotically. Meng Wanqiu sighed.
He took the abacus from the girl and said, "You weigh it, and I'll do the calculation."
The stalls were filled with a multitude of dishes, each priced differently, and the variety was vast. The girl, looking only fifteen or sixteen, younger than Meng Wanqiu, was already unskilled at using the abacus, and after being provoked by the aunt's words, she became even more flustered, making frequent mistakes.
Seeing the beautiful sister in front of her helping her, the little girl looked at Meng Wanqiu with gratitude.
Meng Wanqiu began to calculate skillfully, "Cabbage is two cents for three pounds, potatoes are one cent for five pounds...a total of three yuan and forty-four cents."
The woman buying groceries snorted, threw down the money and left.
After calculating the bill, Meng Wanqiu was about to settle her own account. When she looked up, she saw that there was still a long queue and was stunned for a moment.
"Sister..." The vegetable girl looked at her with pleading eyes.
Meng Wanqiu sighed, lifted her foot and pulled a long bench from behind to sit down, "You continue to weigh, I'll calculate."
The girl nodded quickly.
She had only been away from the abacus for a few days when she started using it again. It seemed that her fate with the abacus was inseparable in this life.
As soon as Meng Wanqiu got involved, her face turned cold. She sat on a stool, her fingers flying on the abacus, scaring off many people who were planning to bargain and refuse to pay.
The people who came later didn’t know and thought Meng Wanqiu was the stall owner.
It wasn't dinner time yet, and many people stayed around after buying food to join in the fun.
"Hey, this is better than the accountant in our village."
"That's right, she calculated it so accurately and quickly. The girl just finished saying the weight, and before I could react, she already gave the price."
"He's a nice guy. I was a little short, but he said he'd give me a few cloves of garlic."
People were talking in groups of three or four nearby, but Meng Wanqiu was not disturbed at all.
The situation here has also caught the attention of those who are interested.
"Where did this girl come from? She looks unfamiliar. With her abacus skills, she should be in our accounting department."
Tian Qianjin, the head of the accounting department, asked Su Weiguang next to him, and they found out that their department was short of such talents.
Su Weiguang is from the factory's transport team. This time he is helping the factory canteen to transport food. The girl selling vegetables is his daughter Su Lili. Knowing that his daughter's ability is average, he asked his old friend Tian Qianjin from the accounting department for help.
Unexpectedly, someone else helped Su Lili first.
"I don't know him either. He should be one of the new employees recruited this time."
Tian Qianjin touched his chin, watching Meng Wanqiu's martial arts skills, the light in his eyes became brighter and brighter, "No, I have to find out which department this girl is in, and ask her to come to our department."
If someone knows how to use an abacus, he should be from their accounting department.
Thanks to Meng Wanqiu's help, the vegetables at this stall were sold out quickly. Only after the last person left did Meng Wanqiu start to count her own bill.
"No need, sister. This dish is your thank you for helping me today. If it weren't for you, I don't know how many mistakes I would have made today."
Su Lili pushed the dish back to Meng Wanqiu and put a few handfuls of onions and garlic in it.
"No, you still have to reconcile the accounts when you go back, right?" Meng Wanqiu declined.
"It's okay, there are always battle losses, so just take it, sis."
Su Lili patted her chest and made the promise.
After hearing this, Meng Wanqiu agreed.
The sun had already set by now, and Meng Wanqiu was planning to leave.
Just then, Tian Qianjin and Su Weiguang came over and called out to Meng Wanqiu.
"Who are you?" Meng Wanqiu looked at the two of them.
"Dad, Uncle Tian." Su Lili walked over and took Su Weiguang's arm, then turned around and introduced him to Meng Wanqiu, "Sister, this is Section Chief Tian Qianjin. He's the head of our 715 Finance and Accounting Department. This is my dad, the captain of the transport team."
Oh, they are all leaders of the factory.
"Hello, Chief Tian and Captain Su, my name is Meng Wanqiu." Meng Wanqiu greeted politely.
"Hey, hello, Comrade Xiao Meng. Um, I'd like to ask, which department are you from?" Tian Qianjin's face was gentle and his voice was very soft, as if he was afraid of scaring people.
Not to mention, although Tian Qianjin is the head of the accounting department and does a clerical job, he has a rough appearance and a burly build. If you don't know him, you might mistake him for someone who swings a sledgehammer in the workshop.
In the past, because of his appearance that could scare children to tears, Tian Qianjin had difficulty finding a wife. He was in his thirties before he finally found a wife who did not despise him.
However, this time Tian Qianjin was overthinking. Meng Wanqiu was no ordinary person. She didn't even blink when she saw Tian Qianjin. "Well, I just reported in today, and I haven't decided which department I'll be assigned to yet."
"It hasn't been divided yet, haha, it hasn't been divided well." Tian Qianjin was so happy to hear Meng Wanqiu's answer. This way he didn't need to snatch people away anymore.
Su Lili looked embarrassed. What Uncle Tian said sounded so strange.
"Ahem, Xiao Meng, do you want to come to our accounting department? We all saw how good you were at using the abacus just now. We're in need of people like you in our accounting department."
Accounting Department?
Meng Wanqiu tilted her head and fell into deep thought.
The name of the Finance and Accounting Department sounds like financial accounting, which feels like the same job she did in the organization in her previous life.
"What does the accounting department mainly do?"
Tian Qianjin explained, "Our department's responsibilities are mainly divided into three parts: first, we are responsible for the accounting and management of the 715's economic accounts; second, we coordinate the accounting transactions between various departments within our factory and with external units; and third, we plan the use of funds within the factory and ensure their reasonable allocation."
"Of course, because our department is small, and there are not many people who can use an abacus, let alone those who are proficient in it, so I invited Comrade Xiao Meng to come to our department."
As she listened to Tian Qianjin's explanation, Meng Wanqiu's mind raced. The accounting department was an office setting, sheltered from the elements, and her current physical condition suited her to such a place. The extensive accounting involved constant use of an abacus, which could be exhausting for someone not proficient in it.
But this is exactly what Meng Wanqiu is best at.
"Okay, I'll join."
Meng Wanqiu arranged her own work, and Pei Xingzhi was not willing to fall behind.
After separating from Meng Wanqiu, Pei Xingzhi came to the factory office building.
In addition to the production workshop, factory office building, one dormitory for male and female employees, the 715 now has two buildings for family members.
These two family buildings are occupied by factory leaders and senior working couples.
The square and the conference hall outside the factory are still under construction, and it may take two or three months for them to be completed.
Pei Xingzhi entered the factory office building and went to the office on the first floor first, which is usually the reception room.
Pei Xingzhi explained his background and that he was going to visit the deputy factory director who had vouched for him, and told the receptionist his name.
"Pei Xingzhi!"
The receptionist's attitude was a bit perfunctory at first, but when he heard the name, he immediately raised his head and looked at Pei Xingzhi, and his expression became serious at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Is there any problem?" Pei Xingzhi asked.
The receptionist was a young man. He shook his head quickly when he heard this. "No, no, it's just that the deputy director told me about you."
Speaking of him?
Pei Xingzhi was puzzled. Could it be that Uncle Song asked the other party to take care of him?
While Pei Xingzhi was still pondering, the receptionist had already completed the registration. "The deputy director's office is on the fourth floor, on the far left. There's a sign on the door."
Pei Xingzhi suppressed the doubts in his heart, thanked the other party, and went upstairs.
After reaching the fourth floor and coming to the door of the innermost room on the left, Pei Xingzhi confirmed the door number, exhaled, raised his hand and knocked three times.
"Come in."
After a few seconds, a voice that was extremely familiar to Pei Xingzhi was heard from inside.
Pei Xingzhi's body froze, his pupils shrank, and the corners of his lips were pursed into a straight line. An unbelievable guess arose in his heart.
After a pause, Pei Xingzhi suppressed this guess again.
How could that person be here? It must just be that their voice is similar.
After calming down, Pei Xingzhi pressed the door handle and pushed the door open with a little force. The scene inside the door appeared in his eyes.
Seeing the man behind the desk clearly, Pei Xingzhi's mind went blank, and his lips trembled slightly, "Master, Master."
Hearing the voice, Bai Fengyao looked away from the blueprint and raised his eyes to look at the person who came. After seeing the other person clearly, he pushed his glasses on the bridge of his nose and smiled elegantly, "Oh, Xingzhi is here."
Hearing this familiar name, Pei Xingzhi couldn't help but recall that unforgettable time.
When Pei Xingzhi was thirteen years old, his grandparents had passed away, his father had been missing for five years, his mother had remarried for five years, and this was also the second year he lived alone.
In the winter of that year, the Pei family's house was coveted by someone with ulterior motives. Pei Xingzhi had no power to fight back and his house was taken away. He was driven out of the house and ended up on the streets.
It was also in this year that Pei Xingzhi, who almost became a beggar, met Bai Fengyao, who went from being a university professor to sweeping public toilets.
One is a descendant of left-wing politics, the other is an intellectual who returned from studying abroad. Both are targets of severe attacks by the rebels and the red armbands.
At least Bai Fengyao still had a place to stay, but Pei Xingzhi's only home was taken away. Bai Fengyao knew Pei Xingzhi's grandparents and they were close friends regardless of age difference. Of course, he couldn't bear to see Pei Xingzhi end up like this, so he took him back.
During those agonizing days, Bai Fengyao taught Pei Xingzhi everything he had learned. Pei Xingzhi was a gifted man who not only absorbed Bai Fengyao's knowledge completely but also applied it to other situations.
The two even collaborated to design a blueprint for a harvester, which was later purchased by Yao Jin's farm.
During this period, the two of them called each other master and apprentice, but in addition to the master-apprentice relationship, there was also a strong father-son relationship between them.
Bai Fengyao is a lonely man without a wife or children. Pei Xingzhi once had a family, but now he is also alone.
The two lived together for three years, until Pei Xingzhi was sixteen years old, when his mother Xu Huizhu came to the house and wanted to take Pei Xingzhi away.
Although Bai Fengyao was reluctant, he still insisted on letting Pei Xingzhi leave, because only by following his mother could Pei Xingzhi have a future.
Pei Xingzhi still had expectations for his mother at that time, and the family of Xu Huizhu's remarriage was also in the capital, so it was very convenient for him to come and see Bai Fengyao.
So Pei Xingzhi followed Xu Huizhu away and separated from his master Bai Fengyao, who had taught him for three years.
But what awaited Pei Xingzhi was not a bright future. Instead, the heartless Xu Huizhu replaced her stepson's name with Pei Xingzhi's on the list of people going to the countryside.
It turned out that Xu Huizhu's real purpose in bringing Pei Xingzhi back was to let him go to the countryside as an educated youth instead of his stepson.
This time, Xu Huizhu's actions completely made him realize the nature of human beings, and he gradually transformed into the cold-hearted educated youth who was detached from reality before he met Meng Wanqiu.
After Pei Xingzhi left, Bai Fengyao went to find Xu Huizhu, who said that she had sent Pei Xingzhi to the army. Bai Fengyao did not suspect anything of her.
Because he always believed that as a mother, it was impossible for her to harm her own son.
And the facts prove that there are such people who are willing to sacrifice their own children in order to please their current husband and stepson.
It was not until a year later that Bai Fengyao learned the truth from Sun Hanhai (Sun Yating's father and a student of Pei Xingzhi's grandparents). It turned out that Pei Xingzhi did not go to the army at all, but was sent to the countryside as an educated youth by Xu Huizhu instead of his stepson.
At that time, Bai Fengyao went to Xu Huizhu to argue, but was blocked outside by the other party, who also refused to tell him where Pei Xingzhi was assigned.
It was not easy for the educated youth who went to the countryside to return to the city. Moreover, Bai Fengyao had no ability at that time and could hardly protect himself.
Not long after, Bai Fengyao was invited by his former classmates to do research in a secret base. He was isolated from the outside world for three years. After regaining his freedom, he was assigned to the 715th Factory and became the deputy director.
Only at this time did Bai Fengyao have time to look for Pei Xingzhi's whereabouts, but Xu Huizhu's husband had been promoted in recent years. Xu Huizhu did not take the initiative to tell him, and Bai Fengyao had no way to deal with her.
In the vast sea of people, Bai Fengyao still couldn't find Pei Xingzhi's whereabouts.
It was not until a few months ago that Commander Song Zhen from the nearby garrison base came to Bai Fengyao and asked him to help guarantee someone. Only then did Bai Fengyao learn about Pei Xingzhi again.
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