Chapter 21 021 Eliminating the Four Pests
When Guan Yuehe arrived home, it was lunchtime. Under the ginkgo tree at the entrance of the alley, several middle-aged women were holding bowls and talking amongst themselves, wondering whose family had become the subject of their conversation.
She soon found out.
She's a topic of conversation.
"Yuehe, I heard you're about to be promoted to a cadre position? A cadre in the factory office, that's impressive."
Guan Yuehe was shocked. "Is that so? How come I didn't know?"
Aunt Kong, or rather, Second Aunt Kong, looked completely incredulous. "Who in the whole alley doesn't know this?"
Another older woman next to her nodded in agreement, saying, "Yuehe, now that you've become a cadre, you'll have to take good care of our neighbors in the alley when the garment factory recruits. Don't worry, I'm not the gossipy type. I won't tell outsiders until the appointment is finalized."
The way she put it, it's like she's the only one who keeps her mouth shut? The others glared at her unfriendly and said one after another, "Once we're out of the alley, we won't say anything more."
No one knows who spread the news that she was going to become a cadre, but since everyone is saying it, it must be pretty much true.
Guan Yuehe: "......"
Jiang Guiying, who rushed to her house, was also shocked. Her second daughter was going to become a cadre? She shook her head, no.
Jiang Guiying believed that the story had been exaggerated due to the frequent relaying of it among the people in the alley.
But a sense of anticipation inevitably arises in my heart.
"You've successfully completed this business trip. What are your supervisor's thoughts on your future work?"
Guan Yuehe was helpless. She was just changing jobs to do odd jobs, not going out to do anything important. Besides, she had just arrived home and wouldn't be back at the factory until tomorrow to report back from her leave. She hadn't even seen her superiors or colleagues yet. There was no word of explanation for her situation.
After Guan Yuehe explained it twice, Jiang Guiying finally had a clear understanding of her daughter's current "status" in the factory.
However, her focus shifted to another area.
"We agreed to put you in the typist position, how come you just changed it like that? Some of the leaders in your factory aren't any good either!" Jiang Guiying cursed, not recognizing the person, but she still gave a harsh scolding to the person who changed her daughter's position.
"You didn't even come back to say a word. If you had, your dad and I would have definitely gone to your boss to demand an explanation! Don't be shy about confronting your boss; if they see you're easy to bully once, they'll dare to bully you again next time. Who knows who will get the good opportunities that should be yours..."
She has experience in making a scene with leaders.
It's like the house at home. When they first entered the factory, they were only assigned one room, which was the second room in the left wing of courtyard number three.
Later, her husband's seniority increased, and she also became a permanent employee in the factory. She complained to the leaders and they were given two rooms in the left side room.
When her eldest son also started working at the factory, the family had three car factory workers. They applied for an extra room, but it wasn't approved. She argued with the leaders for several days before they finally got the three main rooms they have now.
If they hadn't made a scene, the leaders would have forgotten about them by now, and they would probably be stuck with three generations of their family crammed into one room.
If you're in the right, you have to speak up even if you've suffered a loss. Otherwise, people will think you're a pushover, easily bullied and easily defeated. Next time something good happens, they won't even hesitate; they'll cross your name off the list first. Why? You'd better be careful!
Guan Yuehe was afraid that her mother would get so angry that she would really go to her boss to demand an explanation, so she quickly said, "We're all doing the work, and the salary is the same for every position. How can being a typist be as good as doing odd jobs in the factory office now? Look at me now, I'm already hanging out with the people in the sales department. Typists don't even get a chance to go on business trips."
"...That's true."
Jiang Guiying thought about it carefully and realized that her second daughter's current job was indeed quite good.
It's great to be in the factory office; you can become a familiar face in every department and workshop, and you can often meet with factory leaders.
The second daughter is still young; she'll have her day.
When Guan Canghai returned and listened to his wife's ramblings, he smiled but remained silent.
If his second daughter had the ambition to become a leader, then she wouldn't be his second daughter.
Guan Aiguo held a piece of pastry in his hand. "Typing or doing odd jobs are all the same. As long as you get paid and have receipts every month, that's fine."
"Eat your food and shut up!"
Jiang Guiying thought to herself, how can they all be the same? Can ordinary workers and cadres receive the same salary? Cadres get more votes every month.
Guan Yuehua carefully checked her watch. Everyone else was talking non-stop, giving her no chance to interject.
When my second sister returned from her business trip, she brought her and her mother an extra gift: the most famous soap from Haishi Daily Chemicals.
Hmph, at least she has a conscience. Otherwise, she definitely wouldn't lend her the watch again next time.
Just as I picked up my bowl, Grandpa Lin came over to announce that there would be a meeting that evening.
Zhang Desheng from the west wing suggested that they hold the meeting while eating, which was supported by most people. Men, women, and children from courtyard number three gathered in the backyard with their bowls and chopsticks.
The moment they met, the meeting was forgotten. Everyone was secretly observing what the other family was eating.
Ha! The Guan family is having meat again today!
It's definitely true that Yuehe is going to be promoted to a cadre position! Otherwise, how could her family be eating meat again during holidays?
If the Guan family knew what their neighbors were thinking, they'd all roll their eyes: It's the beginning of the month! We just received our cash ration coupons; don't we usually buy meat to replenish our energy at the beginning of the month?!
Zhou Hongqi tried to coax Jin Junwei in a low voice, "We're having meat tomorrow too. Do you want ribs or pork belly?"
Jin Junwei considerately said, "Anything is fine with me. What do you want to eat? I'll go queue up tomorrow morning."
Zhou Hongqi couldn't stop smiling as he was coaxed.
Aunt Xie, who was sitting next to them, wanted to call Jin Junwei a "pretty boy," but she was afraid that Zhou Hongqi would throw a punch on the spot, so she swallowed her words.
Adults can keep their thoughts to themselves, but children don't think about so many things.
The other children had meat in their bowls but not in theirs, and they were about to cry when they opened their mouths. But a slap silenced them, and they sobbed, their lips trembling.
With so many people gathered together, talking and crying, the sounds transformed from the buzzing of mosquitoes into the crackling noise of a loudspeaker.
Before speaking, Grandpa Lin took a deep breath. He tried calling out twice but couldn't suppress his voice, and the veins on his forehead throbbed several times.
Zhang Desheng frowned, stood up, walked to the center, and said in a deep voice, "Everyone, quiet down! Listen to what Grandpa Lin has to say!"
Xie Zhenhua, the only one not holding a rice bowl and sitting at the back of the crowd, twitched the corner of his mouth.
The courtyard finally quieted down.
Just as Grandpa Lin was about to speak, Auntie Er called out from courtyard number two, "Yuehe! Come back for the meeting!"
Guan Yuehe then realized that the meeting at No. 3 Courtyard had nothing to do with her. She picked up her rice bowl and jogged back, saying, "Coming!"
The courtyard, which had finally quieted down, started buzzing again.
Grandpa Lin: "......"
Another day where I don't want to be the boss.
Zhang Desheng stepped forward again to quiet everyone down. Xie Zhenhua sneered once more.
The neighboring No. 2 courtyard is much quieter.
Grandpa Chang is a skilled level-six fitter, and Grandpa Zhang is a senior employee with experience; everyone respects them as soon as they open their mouths.
Guan Yuehe felt that each courtyard should have two stewards. In courtyard number three, Sister Hongqi should be the stewardess; Uncle Lin couldn't get a word in edgewise, but Sister Hongqi's fists could.
Oh, I almost forgot, there's a police officer named Song maintaining order in courtyard number two, which is nothing like courtyard number three.
Since Song Gong'an moved here, No. 2 Courtyard has almost become the Ginkgo Hutong branch of the Changhu Police Station.
Grandpa Chang didn't waste any words; as soon as everyone was present, he took out his notebook and read from it.
The hot summer is the peak breeding season for pests such as flies and mosquitoes, and the spread of diseases is more serious than in other seasons. Every year in June, the neighborhood office begins to organize residents to carry out activities to eliminate the four pests.
The elderly men and women in charge of each courtyard were called to the street office for a mobilization meeting. Then, the elderly men in charge conveyed the contents of the meeting to the residents of the courtyard and assigned each household a responsible area.
Each family was responsible for their own house, and a separate common area was designated for them. Guan Yuehe's assigned tasks were her own house and the backyard ditch.
The group activity is tentatively scheduled for this Sunday.
The next day at work, the factory broadcast a notice about "eliminating the four pests," which was coordinated by the logistics department and assigned to various departments. Everyone in the factory was required to take action.
One good thing about garment factories is that they don't need to submit tails as proof of ownership.
The situation is different in car factories. Individuals and departments alike have to submit a certain number of rat tails to complete their tasks.
Guan Yuehe had been instructed many times to bring home the rats she caught at the factory, as her father needed to exceed his quota to increase his chances of being recognized as an "advanced worker" this year.
Not only was her "rat tail" arranged, but she was also asked to take her colleague's "rat tail" back with her.
Guan Yuehe first ordered rat tails from her colleagues in the factory office, and then went to the sales department, purchasing department, housing management department and labor union, and even the workshop where she had worked for three years.
So, for two consecutive days after get off work, Guan Yuehe brought home a brown paper bag full of fresh rat tails to report her work. For the first time, she felt that she was well-liked in the factory.
Xu Cheng, who was traveling with him: "......"
Gifting a rat's tail brings good fortune.
It was rare for them to bump into each other at the factory gate after work, and they chatted as they walked. Most of the factory workers were walking in another direction, making their way home seem exceptionally wide.
Have you found a place to rent yet?
Xu Cheng nodded, then shook his head. "I did find one, but my mom doesn't agree to me moving out."
Aunt Xu has a very low profile at home and in courtyard number three; the person with the most presence in her family is Sister-in-law Xu.
"Your sister-in-law doesn't agree either?"
"Yeah. It's fine to just squeeze in at home; renting a place outside is a waste of money."
"So what do you think?"
Xu Cheng sighed, "I've applied for a dormitory at the housing management department. I'll be moving into the factory next week."
As for what his family thought, that was none of his business. Lin Sitian was right; if he worried about this and that, he would only end up hurting himself.
His father favored his eldest brother, his mother doted on his youngest sister, and his second brother was nowhere to be seen—nobody knew how he was doing in Xinjiang, and there was no news of him. His third brother got incredibly lucky; his sister-in-law took a liking to him, and her family got him a job as a projectionist at the car factory's movie theater. He was the most unlucky one, stuck in the middle, and in the end, he only got his current job thanks to his childhood friend.
Let's not even talk about the three years he spent as an apprentice; his meager wages were barely enough to support his master. Later, when he joined a garment factory, he initially handed over most of his wages. His sister-in-law and third sister-in-law had a falling out over living expenses, so his father decided that each family should contribute fifteen yuan so that he could have some extra money to save.
Thanks to the factory's heavy production workload in the first three months of this year, he worked a lot of overtime and saved up a small amount of money, which was more than enough for him to buy household items and live alone.
Although he could simply rent a house and move out, the house he found was close to the car factory. What if his older brother used the house as a place to stay and went there every day?
If he moves out without being married or receiving an apartment, he'll definitely be the subject of gossip. He might be in the wrong, and everyone will have something to say about him.
Moving to the factory dormitory was a different story. He simply said that his home was too small, so he made room for his nephews and could work more overtime. Nobody could find fault with that!
Xu Cheng regretted not moving to the factory dormitory sooner, like Yuehe, who took such good care of herself after moving out!
“You should have moved out a long time ago.” Guan Yuehe understood Xu Chengcai very well and, fearing he might waver, immediately did the math for him.
"You only pay fifteen yuan, while your eldest and third brothers, who all have wives and children, also only pay fifteen yuan. Your youngest sister pays fifteen yuan, and your mother gives her an extra fifteen yuan. You're the only sucker out of this world."
“Now that you’ve moved out, you can give your parents a few yuan every month as a token of your filial piety. Don’t worry, I’ll spread the word for you in the alley every day. Even though you don’t live at home or eat at their place, you’re the most filial son in Ginkgo Alley. You think of your parents every month and start giving them money for their retirement before they even retire. How about that? Isn’t my way of spreading the word pretty good?”
Xu Cheng gave her a thumbs up and praised, "Comrade Guan Yuehe, you must be the talented person from the propaganda department who has been left out here!"
"hey-hey."
She had heard Xie Dongxue talk a lot about the various family conflicts that the union helped mediate, such as what to do if the elderly in the family were biased. She could also come up with a number of solutions.
Halfway there, Chang Zhengyi caught up from behind on his bicycle, got off, and walked with them.
Chang Zhengyi received his high school diploma a few days ago and went to the epidemic prevention station to start his job. He has been working for three days now.
The epidemic prevention station is just a short distance in front of the garment factory, very close by.
Guan Yuehe looked at his bicycle, her envy barely concealed.
For such a short commute to work, Grandpa Chang and Grandma Zhao actually bought Chang Zhengyi a new bicycle for his commute!
Chang Zhengyi's new bicycle was more expensive than her older brother's, and it caused quite a stir in Ginkgo Alley. Her older brother had been making sarcastic remarks about it for two days straight.
"Do you guys smell something strange?" Chang Zhengyi sniffed and couldn't help but gag. But the other two didn't react, so he suspected there was something wrong with his nose.
Could it be because I smelled too much rat poison at the epidemic prevention station today?
Guan Yuehe held up the bulging brown paper bag in her hand, "My dad's quota."
"What?" Chang Zhengyi didn't understand.
"Didn't your epidemic prevention station set any quotas? Do we have to hand in rat tails? Our factory didn't have this task, so we gave away all the rat tails we had. They were in high demand."
"..." Chang Zhengyi looked like he had swallowed a fly, took two steps back from Guan Yuehe, and bent over to vomit twice.
Watching Chang Zhengyi quickly ride away on his bicycle, Guan Yuehe and Xu Chengcai simultaneously exclaimed in disdain, "Ugh~"
It's just a rat's tail, right? Who didn't catch rats as a kid to complete a task?
Catching mice is better than catching cockroaches, right? She hates cockroaches the most.
Halfway there, the two spotted someone wearing a red armband in the distance. Guan Yuehe immediately took a few steps back to distance herself from Xu Chengcai, who also quickened his pace to move forward.
In the past two years, relationships between men and women have been under closer scrutiny. If you get caught getting too close, you'll at least be criticized.
Once, Guan Yuehe and her older brother went to move cabbages for the winter. She twisted her ankle while walking and her brother helped her up, but someone stopped him and gave him a scathing lecture, then made them write a self-criticism.
Fortunately, her mother arrived in time and asked what was wrong with her siblings helping each other up. She also made them write a self-criticism before they could leave.
When she was a child, men and women who had just met could put their arms around each other's shoulders and waists and dance. Now, even holding hands is considered a sin.
—
Thanks to his second daughter's "good connections," Guan Canghai completed his personal tasks twice as many times, and Guan Yuehe finally no longer had to chase after her colleagues for rat tails.
I wonder when everyone will forget the title of "Rat King" she won in the factory.
Xie Dongxue laughed so hard she couldn't stand up straight, and finally offered a half-hearted consolation: "When everyone has some free time in September and October, you'll become the 'new beauty queen of the garment factory' again."
That's right, Comrade Guan Yuehe has been voted the new factory beauty because she owns a house and has savings (the number of people participating in the selection is unknown).
To put it bluntly, he is the best candidate for marriage.
When everyone has some free time and nothing to do, they'll start thinking about introducing her to potential partners again.
Guan Yuehe pouted. Just because someone introduced her to someone, does that mean she has to go and meet them? Humph.
—
On Sunday, each household went to the steward to collect 666 powder, changed into old clothes, put on homemade gauze masks, and enthusiastically started this year's campaign to eliminate the four pests.
"There's a mouse hole here! Bring me a bucket of water!"
"Aunt Sun! How many times have I told you not to dump excrement and urine into the ditch? Look at this... I... I... I'll clean it up right now! If it happens again, you'll be punished by having to clean public toilets!"
"That's incredibly rude! They must be punished! Heavily punished!"
Guan Yuehe was glad that her family lived in the backyard, and felt sorry for the Zhou family who lived next to the Sun family.
Every corner inside and outside the house was sprayed with pesticide. The smell was so pungent that after we finished, everyone went outside to get some fresh air.
This Sunday saw the largest turnout; even young people who are rarely seen usually showed up.
The two siblings from the Bai family, who were still unemployed, were also working hard.
"Xiang Hong, hurry up and help your Aunt Zhao." Aunt Bai nudged Bai Xiang Hong, gave her a wink, and when she didn't move, she anxiously pulled her aside and whispered a few words to her.
Aunt Zhao waved her hand, saying it wasn't necessary, and quickly finished the last bit of work. Seeing that Bai Xianghong hadn't moved, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Aunt Zhao's feelings were rather complicated.
She has taken a liking to Yuehe and has been trying to get closer to Jiang Guiying by chatting with her lately, but Jiang Guiying has been ignoring her, saying that Yuehe is still young and they should wait a couple of years.
She also felt that getting married at eighteen or nineteen was a bit early, but wasn't Yuehe just too popular...?
While she was waiting for Jiang Guiying to give her approval, Aunt Bai was already eyeing her family's righteousness.
It's not easy to find a job in the city now. If you can't get in through recruitment, you can only buy it from someone else.
But finding a job is never easy. Her husband and eldest son searched for nearly a year and used a lot of connections to find their youngest son a job at the epidemic prevention station.
Aunt Bai only has one job, and only one of Bai Yuejin and Bai Xianghong can take over. The other one either gets married/marries into another family or goes to the countryside.
It's always easier for a girl to get married than for a boy to marry into her family. So, Aunt Bai set her sights on Zhengyi, who lived in the same compound.
Having lived half their lives, Aunt Bai naturally understood Aunt Zhao's unspoken meaning. She pursed her lips and pulled Bai Xianghong outside to whisper to her.
"You stubborn fool, you'll realize your mistake when you go to the countryside and suffer!" Aunt Bai poked her daughter's forehead in exasperation.
Bai Xianghong remained silent, looking down at her toes, waiting to be scolded.
"Chang Zhengyi is such a good catch, he's handsome, and his older brother is so successful. Won't all three rooms in the family house be his in the future?"
“She’s a good catch, but she doesn’t like me,” Bai Xianghong said. She’s not stupid.
Besides, while others may not know, she has seen Chang Zhengyi and his female classmates secretly going to the movies.
"If I don't like you, why don't you take the initiative? A woman pursuing a man is like piercing a thin veil. Take two steps forward, and the veil will tear..."
Annoyed by her words, Bai Xianghong snapped, "All you care about is getting me married off, why don't you suggest having my second brother marry into the family?"
"You think I don't want to? You brat! If your brother were even half as handsome as Jin Junwei, no, if he were even half as handsome as Xie Zhenhua, I'd send him away immediately... And you two are so useless. If either of you could get into high school, I wouldn't be urging you to find a partner right now..."
Bai Xianghong's anger vanished instantly.
Her mother raised her and her siblings all by herself, which was not easy, and now she has to worry about them.
Guan Yuehe was trapped in the toilet and couldn't get out, but she didn't want to stay in the toilet and smell the stench.
She really doesn't understand. Can't she find a clean place to say what she wants?
It was half an hour later when Guan Yuehe returned to Courtyard No. 2. The courtyard smelled strongly of medicine, and she couldn't tell if she smelled of toilet odor on herself.
The collective campaign to eliminate the four pests lasted for two weeks. When the campaign ended, half of June had already passed.
During this time, as Guan Yuehe walked around the factory, many people turned pale upon seeing her, exclaiming before she could even greet them, "There isn't a single rat left! Not even a cockroach or fly!"
There are flies, but who would bother catching them in the toilet?! It's easiest to just put in some powder and kill them all.
In addition to this, she was also praised by the director of the factory office, who said that she did a meticulous and conscientious job when she went on a business trip with her colleagues from the sales department. Out of a total of six people who went to cooperate with the sales department, the head of the sales department only praised her.
He received high praise, but no substantial reward. He was even entrusted with important tasks and seconded to the sales department to help answer phones.
She didn't return to the factory office until a new female colleague was hired in the sales department to answer the phone. Her daily routine included getting newspapers and organizing documents. She also made sure to rush to the canteen on time.
Two days later, she went to the purchasing department to deliver some documents and saw a new face there. Upon asking, she learned he was also a recent hire.
Taking advantage of the fact that no one else was in the office, Guan Yuehe approached Sister Zhu and asked her if the factory was recruiting workers.
She didn't become a cadre, but she didn't forget her neighbors in Ginkgo Hutong, and she would still remind them when there were job openings.
"That's not true."
"Huh? New people have joined the sales and purchasing departments. They weren't hired through recruitment?"
"I know them. They both took over their family jobs. The sales and purchasing departments were short-staffed, so they were transferred there. Who in your family is looking for work? Tell them to wait. The factory is building two workshops in the second half of the year, and they'll probably be hiring over a hundred people."
It's good that the factory is hiring, but her neighbors probably won't be able to find workers in time.
When she got off work that day, she was surprised to see Director Ma from the neighborhood committee and another man she had never seen before in her own yard.
July is approaching, and those who are 16 years old, failed the high school entrance exam, or are unemployed must respond to the policy and go to the countryside.
The educated youth office and the street office began to go door-to-door in each courtyard to mobilize the youth.
The Ding family in courtyard number three and the Bai family in courtyard number two both happened to have members who were going to the countryside.
In front of the leaders from the neighborhood committee and the educated youth office, everyone said they would actively respond to the policy. But as soon as the leaders left, everyone was busy pulling strings and finding matchmakers.
Even Guan Yuehe was pulled aside and asked, "Yuehe, are you looking for a son-in-law to live with you?"
Guan Yuehe shook her head frantically and ran away as if a raging flood was chasing her.
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