111 Foreign Trade Department
After receiving all the money from the sale of the house, the Niu family was busy finding Director Ma and the factory union to witness the division of the property. In reality, it was about dividing the money in person and making a written agreement to avoid any future disputes.
This has nothing to do with Guan Yuehe. The contract clearly states that the Niu family will move before New Year's Day, and she and Lin Yiku are not in a hurry to pack up the house.
Lin Yiku knew that she had changed her mind when she saw her put the property certificate in her pocket.
Before leaving, she specifically told everyone to ride their own bicycles, and after the transfer of ownership was completed, they would each return to their respective military units or schools.
"Go home first?" Lin Yiku suggested.
"Anyway, I've already taken the morning off, and it's still early, so I can have lunch at home before leaving."
Guan Yuehe's serious expression lasted no more than three seconds. As soon as she stepped out of the housing management bureau, half of her face was hidden in her scarf, and she was openly giggling.
Guan Yuehe and he walked home hand in hand, pushing the cart together. Her voice was cheerful, "The new house is even more spacious than our current one. We just need to tear down the partition wall. Two rooms will be enough. Next time, let Auntie come and stay for a few more days..."
As Guan Yuehe spoke, she chuckled again, then turned to Lin Yiku and whispered, "Even though I'm penniless again, I'm really happy to have spent this money."
"I'll save up to buy another one later."
Guan Yuehe looked terrified and shook her head violently, "Let's talk about the future later. Let's pay off the debts first. We'll have to tighten our belts this year."
Her pitiful expression was quite amusing, so Lin Yiku deliberately asked, "You've tightened your belts for the New Year, are you going to eat meat buns now?"
"Hehe. Eat! I'm too hungry to ride my bike because I haven't had breakfast, let's go!"
The man who said he would tighten his belt and live frugally brought back another bag of steamed buns and, as usual, sent a portion to Zhou Hongqi's family.
"Brother-in-law Jin, the house is all sorted out now. We'll invite you and Sister Hongqi over for dinner after we move in. Thank you for your help."
"Hey! We'll be neighbors across the street from now on, no need to thank me. By the way, when are you planning to move in?"
Jin Junwei wasn't only helping the Guan family pass on information and negotiate the price because they had been neighbors for many years. He was worried that the people buying the house across the street would be difficult to get along with and cause a lot of trouble later. If Guan Yuehe and Lin Yiku were living across the street, he would feel much more at ease.
"Let's talk about it after the house is cleaned up. I'm still a long way from my vacation."
This year's Spring Festival holiday will likely not start until early February.
"Okay, just let me know if you need help." It would be best if they moved over sooner. His son, Yuanbao, was cheering when he came home from school yesterday after hearing that Guan Yuehe was moving to the opposite side of the street.
They returned to Courtyard No. 3 with the steamed buns and the property certificate. Jiang Guiying and Aunt Fang held the certificate with great interest, carefully flipping through it and looking at it again and again.
"I've been living in the city for almost thirty years, and this is the first time I've ever seen a property certificate." Jiang Guiying looked at the small booklet and sighed, "I used to think it was wonderful enough when I went to the housing management department to sign the housing allocation agreement."
Aunt Fang chimed in, "Who isn't? We used to have a land certificate back in our hometown. But after we came to the city to work, everyone around us was waiting for their work unit to allocate them housing. If your ancestors didn't have some wealth, you wouldn't be able to get such a certificate."
Aunt Fang couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh out loud, then patted Jiang Guiying's thigh, "Our kids are really good. They saved up money to buy a house. It's like our ancestors' graves are emitting auspicious smoke."
Now that you mention it, it's true!
Jiang Guiying stared at the certificate in her hand, her eyes welling up with tears.
She and Lao Guan went from being rural farmers to city workers through job recruitment, and their youngest daughter bought a house in the city, establishing a solid home and business in the city. She almost wanted to rush to the middle of the yard and shout, "Thank you, country!"
Just as they were reminiscing, Guan Yuehe seized the opportunity to interject, "Didn't I already say we should buy a house? Why don't you guys also..."
Jiang Guiying and Aunt Fang immediately lost their composure and returned the certificate to her, saying they needed to prepare lunch so they could eat early and return to school and the army.
They think having a property deed is nice, but not having one isn't important. Asking them to come up with several thousand dollars to buy two houses? I don't even want to think about it.
Guan Yuehe clicked her tongue, nudged Lin Yiku with her elbow, and laughed, "Look, just now they were treating this book like a family heirloom, but asking them to buy a house is like digging out a piece of flesh."
She was just joking and didn't mean to persuade them to buy a house together. Her two fathers and Guan Aiguo all work in a car factory, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, they will be car factory workers for the rest of their lives. As long as they can live in the house, it doesn't matter whether they buy one or not.
“The elders have different ideas than us.” To be precise, most of the workers and Yuehe have different ideas. Others think that since they can live in the company’s housing indefinitely, there is no need to buy a house, but she just wants to live in a house with her own name on it.
Just as she was about to get up to help with the cooking, her neighbors from courtyards two and three came to her door, all wanting to see the property certificates she had just received.
"This is what a property certificate looks like?! I've never seen one like this before!" Auntie Er exclaimed in surprise.
"Let me see too." Aunt Ding squeezed in from behind. "Is this certificate issued by the housing management bureau after buying a house?"
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Ding Da T's mother and asked, "Did your fifth son find a house to buy?"
"I was just asking."
When anyone saw Aunt Ding's wrinkled face beaming with joy, they all knew perfectly well that Ding Laowu really wanted to buy a house outside!
It's unclear whether Ding Laowu earned the money himself or Ding Dama used her family's savings accumulated over many years to cover it.
I never thought there was any difference between my house and the company's housing. Look at Aunt Niu's house, she lives in Ginkgo Hutong too, doesn't she? Doesn't she also have to queue for the public toilet every morning and evening? Except for not paying rent to the factory's housing management department, everything else is the same!
Besides, the rent is much lower, so there's no difference at all.
But after seeing Guan Yuehe's green notebook, I saw the real difference.
The company-owned housing might be taken back, but your own house can be passed down indefinitely, and you can rent or sell it as you please.
Guan Yuehe's house purchase once again shocked the residents of Ginkgo Hutong.
But this time, half the number of people who called her and Lin Yiku two big fools decreased.
—
Guan Yuehe brought two meat buns for Lan Yunqin and invited her to eat at the cafeteria together, saying, "I brought vegetables from home, so you can just get rice."
Lan Yunqin wanted to refuse, but she couldn't resist the temptation and followed Guan Yuehe, gritting her teeth and running in the howling cold wind.
Halfway through the meal, Lan Yunqin finally came to her senses. "Why do we have to rush to the front just to get food?"
"Running around makes the food taste even better." Guan Yuehe asked a familiar aunt to help heat up the food. When she brought it over and opened the lunchbox, the aroma attracted many people to look over.
"Doesn't the food taste especially delicious right now?"
Lan Yunqin wasn't fooled by her fallacies and heresies. It was clearly the aroma of the food she brought that had nothing to do with the rice or the running!
"It's delicious!" Lan Yunqin sighed. "I didn't think much when I was dating before, and I ended up with someone who didn't know anything. The four of us eat at the company cafeteria every day."
If they happen to be on a day off, they have to bring their food rations back to their husband's or wife's home to eat together.
"Don't sigh, this meal wasn't cooked by Comrade Lin Yiku." She recalled the three years she spent living in the dormitory at the Zhuoyue Garment Factory. "The canteen food was actually quite good."
Otherwise, she wouldn't have developed that drive to rush to the cafeteria.
"Is there some great news at your home?" She had been beaming ever since she came back in the afternoon, walking with her neck stretched out and her chin held high, a bit like the geese her aunt raised in the countryside.
"Hehe, great news!"
Lan Yunqin waited for a while, and seeing that Guan Yuehe didn't seem inclined to say anything, she didn't ask. "Congratulations, Guan Yuehe."
Two days later, Lan Yunqin learned what Guan Yuehe's joyous occasion was.
He ran all the way back to the dormitory, staring at Guan Yuehe in shock: "Yuehe, you were selected by the Foreign Trade Department?!"
This is truly a momentous and joyous occasion!
The other roommates in the dorm immediately looked over, "Really?"
Lan Yunqin affirmed, "Of course it's true. The department head gave a lecture to the second-year students and specifically mentioned Yuehe, saying that Yuehe had been asked to study under Yuehe by the Ministry of Foreign Trade before she even graduated. Everyone in the Spanish Department knows about it. I just came back from the department."
"Foreign Trade Department! Yuehe, you've secretly launched a huge surprise!"
Guan Yuehe scratched her face shyly; she thought everyone wouldn't find out until she was about to graduate.
Sigh! She had been secretly laughing to herself earlier, even feeling regretful that she couldn't wag her tail.
Lan Yunqin could tell from her expression that she must have already heard the news, and she rushed over with a mixture of envy and joy, "Ahhh, how could you keep quiet?"
She couldn't manage to pounce on her, but luckily, the students from the Spanish Department in the next dormitory heard the news and came over to help Lan Yunqin. Together, they managed to pounce on Guan Yuehe and pin her to the bed.
"No wonder you suddenly hid behind your books and chuckled when you went to study!"
Upon hearing this, Lan Yunqin added, "She even giggles in her sleep at night!"
Put yourself in their shoes; if they were specifically requested by the Ministry of Foreign Trade before they even graduated, they would be laughing in their sleep.
Guan Yuehe joked around with her roommates and classmates for a while before saying, "I'll graduate after next semester, that's why they came to ask for me early. Maybe we'll even be colleagues in the future."
The others, of course, also hoped to join the Ministry of Foreign Trade in the future, and said half-jokingly and half-seriously, "Okay, you go in first and pave the way for us. Once we're in, Comrade Guan Yuehe must give us lots of guidance."
Only the youngest student raised his hand, "You should all go to the Ministry of Foreign Trade, I want to be a translator in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."
"Hey, I'm also thinking about going to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs." Someone suddenly changed their mind.
"Go wherever you want, go wherever you want."
Laughter rang out from the dormitory, and passersby from other dormitories couldn't help but stop and look inside, wondering what the group was discussing around the lower bunk at the very back.
The news that Guan Yuehe had been selected by the Ministry of Foreign Trade before she even graduated spread quickly.
Not only her classmates, but also graduate students from other majors in the Spanish department, congratulated her many times.
I also asked her for advice: should I ask a teacher for a recommendation, or should I apply to the foreign trade department myself?
Guan Yuehe didn't hide anything and told everyone she knew.
"You used to work as a translator at the Canton Fair?" a classmate asked in surprise. "Didn't you work at Zhuoyue Garment Factory?"
This classmate is also a local of Beijing, so naturally he knows about the Zhuoyue brand sportswear and shoes, and knows that Guan Yuehe came from this factory. He even asked her if there were any internal tickets available for purchase.
"It's a long story."
Guan Yuehe mentioned that she was the daughter of a factory worker at the Five Star Automobile Factory. The factory was short of translators at the time, so they lent her over to help out for a period of time.
Under persistent questioning from his classmates, he revealed quite a few previously unmentioned secrets.
Another classmate summarized, "So, you caught a criminal in a heroic act, got a recommendation to the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University, and studied English. After graduation, you were seconded by a car factory to work as a translator at the Canton Fair, where you were spotted by leaders from the Ministry of Foreign Trade. When the leaders from the Ministry of Foreign Trade came to our school to select people, they happened to know you, and that's how you got selected?"
"That's about it." Guan Yuehe nodded.
There might be something missing. The leaders of the Ministry of Foreign Trade are extremely busy; how could they possibly remember her all the time?
When Wuxing Automobile Factory discussed joint ventures with foreign automakers at the beginning of the year, the leaders of the Foreign Trade Department also participated in the joint venture working group, and Zhang Xinbi and Guo Xusheng were also members of the group. During a break, when the Foreign Trade Department was short-staffed, the two teachers mentioned her, essentially recommending her. This reminded the leader of Comrade Xiao Guan, who had worked as a translator for other factories at the Canton Fair a few years earlier, which led to the Foreign Trade Department's subsequent search for personnel at the Department of Western Languages at Peking University.
She only found out about this when Zhang Xinbi wrote to her last month asking if the Ministry of Foreign Trade had spoken to her.
As for why there was no interview step, it's probably because almost everyone now believes that this first batch of graduate students should go wherever the country needs them after graduation. The Ministry of Foreign Trade needed people, so she was assigned there after graduation, obeying organizational arrangements; there was nothing to talk about.
It's also possible that they plan to talk to her again later.
The local student from Beijing blinked and suddenly said, "I remember now! At the end of 1970, the daily newspaper reported a news story about a female comrade from a garment factory who fought off an armed thug with her bare hands, ridding the people of a menace. Was that you?"
Guan Yuehe's cheeks flushed; she felt embarrassed by the bright, staring eyes of her classmates.
But whenever someone mentions that she caught a fugitive and made it to the front page of the newspaper, she stands tall with pride.
"Hey! It's me!"
Later, she and Lin Yiku continued to make contributions, and the things that were originally under the public toilet were dug up and handed over.
"You're amazing! That was a fugitive carrying a gun!" He was a local from Beijing. Back then, the military mobilized to catch the fugitive, and his entire neighborhood was thoroughly searched.
The classmates surrounding him looked shocked.
Now he couldn't even be envious of Guan Yuehe anymore. There was no way he could learn her skills; she was both scholarly and martial.
Students from other majors were initially puzzled: The Ministry of Foreign Trade is an important national department, so why don't they consult with teachers and classmates to understand the situation and conduct a political review?
Upon hearing that the person was a military dependent and had even received commendations, there was nothing more to say.
After expressing their envy and admiration, some people began to worry, "Do we still have a chance to get into the Ministry of Foreign Trade?"
This question was asked directly to the teachers.
"Of course. Don't our teachers always say that the country is short of talent everywhere? As long as you are a gem, you don't have to worry about not having anyone eager to hire you?"
Guan Yuehe then resorted to her usual encouraging words: "Director Zheng said that opportunity favors the prepared mind!"
This made everyone's hearts burn with excitement, and they clenched their fists, ready to put their skills to use in their respective fields.
But, "Who is Factory Director Zheng?"
"Comrade Zheng Xingmin, the factory director of Zhuoyue Garment Factory." Guan Yuehe never missed an opportunity to promote Zhuoyue Garment Factory, no matter where she went. "Zhuoyue brand sportswear and sports shoes are of top-notch quality!"
Others: "......"
—
"I've heard so much about you at law school, you must have made quite a splash, right?"
It was a rare sight for the two sisters to meet in the library, and they finally managed to find an empty seat to sit next to each other. As soon as they sat down, Guan Yuehua couldn't help but speak.
Guan Yuehe shook her head smugly. If they weren't in the library, she would have given her sister a good laugh.
"You law students are such gossips."
Guan Yuehua rolled her eyes at her.
It's not that people in their college are gossiping; very few students are pre-selected by important national departments before graduation. One graduate student in the Spanish Department was selected by the Ministry of Foreign Trade more than half a year in advance. This news spread like wildfire.
When her roommates heard about it, they all asked her to confirm: Yuehua, is your sister really selected by the Ministry of Foreign Trade?
Some people were even envious, saying that graduating early is good because it puts you ahead of the crowd and increases your chances of getting a good job.
She's been pouring cold water on those who are envious these past few days: Mind your own business, anyway, the foreign trade department doesn't care about you.
"Nobody's jealous of you?"
"Probably." It's not a big deal to be envious. She was envious when Ding Xuewen became a big spender and bought a house. If she knew her classmates were selected by the Ministry of Foreign Trade while she wasn't, she'd secretly be jealous for a while too.
Seeing Guan Yuehua frown, Guan Yuehe whispered again, "I didn't graduate at the same time as them, so we're not in competition. If they're jealous, so be it. I'll leave in six months."
Not only did she not compete with her classmates, but they might also have hoped that she would join the foreign trade department a year earlier so they could get information about recruitment from her in advance.
Guan Yuehua felt much relieved, but still cautioned, "You can never be too careful; always be vigilant."
Guan Yuehe wanted to banter, but she was afraid that her sister would get so angry that she would start cursing. This was a library, and making a lot of noise would provoke everyone's anger.
He immediately started showing off something else: "I bought a house."
Guan Yuehua's eyes widened, and she held back her voice, "So fast? Where did you buy it?"
"The house in the No. 1 courtyard, owned by Aunt Niu, cost six thousand. It emptied my savings, and I still owe three hundred." Guan Yuehe said casually, "After self-study, you treat me to dinner."
Guan Yuehua had a lot to say but couldn't, so she took a deep breath and said, "Stop talking and study."
Guan Yuehe took it as her tacit agreement to treat him to dinner, and even the rustling sound of her turning the pages of her book conveyed her joy.
When it was time to eat, she would call out to people, "Let's go eat!"
Two weeks later, when Gu Mannian came to school again, he brought her a net bag of food, saying, "Your sister said you study hard, so she's giving you some brain-boosting food."
He ran away after saying that.
Guan Yuehua's exact words to him were: "Tell her to fix her tail; she's always showing off."
But Guan Yuehe didn't know that, and when she rummaged through her pocket, she found a small bag of walnuts, thinking that it was really a gift to help her brain.
She really did have a brain injury from writing her graduation thesis.
It wasn't that her writing was bad; it was just that Teacher Qin had extremely high standards, so she could only grit her teeth and keep writing and revising.
Through writing papers, she realized that she was only good at languages, and that academic research was not a path she could take.
This makes Cheng Shuang seem even more impressive in her eyes.
"How could that be?!" Cheng Shuang waved her hands repeatedly. "You're amazing. I knew the unit you were assigned to couldn't be bad."
"Foreign Trade Department, Yuehe, you're really amazing!" Cheng Shuang praised her with particular sincerity.
Some praised it so highly it was almost sour.
It was no secret that Guan Yuehe had been selected by the Ministry of Foreign Trade ahead of schedule. Gu Mannian came to the school to visit Guan Yuehua and heard about it from her roommates. Guan Yuehua told him not to tell his family for the time being.
But what wall is truly airtight?
On an ordinary day, Guan Canghai came home from get off work beaming. "Yuehe has been assigned to the foreign trade department!"
Jiang Guiying first asked what the Ministry of Foreign Trade was, then touched Guan Canghai's forehead, "Your fever's gone down, huh? What nonsense are you spouting? Yuehe hasn't even graduated yet, what kind of assignment is she going to get? You're just listening to these rumors..."
They even said before that Yuehe would be a translator for national leaders on their overseas visits. That's utter nonsense.
When word got out, her brother and sister-in-law came to her door to verify the story, and she had to explain for a long time before she could send them away.
"Oh my! Really!" Guan Canghai exclaimed excitedly, "Bai, the engineer in the technical department, had his daughter admitted to the Department of Western Languages at Peking University last year. The professors in her class said it themselves. Guan Yuehe, a graduate student in the Department of Western Languages, was selected by the Ministry of Foreign Trade before she even graduated. Bai's daughter used to work in the publicity department, and when she came back, she asked Bai if Yuehua had a younger sister named Guan Yuehe. You tell me, isn't that our Yuehe?"
Jiang Guiying's breath caught in her throat, her mouth agape. She heard Guan Canghai pacing excitedly back and forth in the room, repeatedly muttering, "Should we tell our elder brother to check if there's any auspicious smoke rising from our parents' graves?"
Jiang Guiying snapped out of her daze and slapped him irritably, "Don't spout nonsense about feudal superstition! Don't let it affect Yuehe!"
After saying that, she nervously confirmed with him, "Bai Gong's daughter didn't say the wrong name, right? Is it really our Yuehe?"
“There’s only one department. Yuehe said that her graduate students were few this year, only thirty people in the whole department, so it’s impossible for anyone to have the same name. If there were, she would have said it as a joke long ago.”
"Old Guan! Guiying! Did your Yuehe really get assigned to the Ministry of Foreign Trade?"
Bai Gong first asked Grandpa Lin if Guan Yuehe was a graduate student in the Department of Western Languages at Peking University. After getting the answer, he shared the news with many people in his workshop and Grandpa Lin's workshop.
And so, Comrade Guan Yuehe became famous once again at the Five Star Automobile Factory.
The last time she was this famous was when she caught a fugitive and made the newspaper.
Sure enough, the neighbors who heard the news all came to verify its authenticity.
Some people, without even verifying the facts, would go home and immediately tell their family and neighbors, "Guan Yuehe from courtyard number two has been assigned to the Ministry of Foreign Trade!"
Haha!
These words were like a bombshell, startling many people.
Although many people don't know what the Ministry of Foreign Trade is, since it has the word "Ministry" in its name, it must be an important national department.
As a result, many people went to Courtyard No. 3 to inquire about Guan Canghai and Jiang Guiying.
Jiang Guiying had just learned the news and was recovering from a mix of shock, doubt, and elation, but she was still relatively rational. She subconsciously waved her hand and said, "Yuehe didn't tell us either, so this news can't be taken seriously."
"Right, right." Guan Canghai quickly realized as well. "If there were really good news, wouldn't Yuehe tell her family? It's so late, everyone should go back and cook."
At this time, we must keep a low profile!
I'm afraid that showing off will ruin Yuehe's plans.
“I wouldn’t be surprised which unit your Yuehe was assigned to; this girl has been capable since she was little.”
"Yuehe's position will be much higher than her previous one, right? Oh my, no wonder everyone says that college students are so precious these days."
"Old Guan, you should quickly send a telegram to Yuehe to ask about the situation."
"Yuehe is going to the foreign trade department, so Yuehua will probably do just as well, right? Lao Guan, your daughter is quite promising."
The neighbors asked questions and praised the place, and a strong sour smell filled the backyard of No. 3 Courtyard.
Grandpa Lin came over to disperse the crowd, saying, "It's all just news from the middle of nowhere, so just take it with a grain of salt. Aren't you going to eat tonight? Go home, go home."
After seeing off several groups of people, the two families quickly closed the door while no one was outside.
Guan Aiguo saw his parents pacing around inside, covering their mouths, and didn't want to spoil the mood, so he reminded them about cooking.
To be honest, he was also happy for his second sister. She was truly amazing; she had quietly gotten into a government department. His second sister had really gotten ahead of everyone else, step by step.
Just a few days ago, everyone was saying that she would own a house in the future, and today they're saying that she's going to be assigned to a government department.
Parents were right; all the good brains in the Guan family have been put into their daughter.
The next morning, Gu Mannian brought Gu Yu over and heard his mother-in-law say that she was going to send a telegram to Yue He. He wondered, "Is there an emergency at home?"
Upon hearing that she was asking Yuehe if it was true that she had been assigned to the foreign trade department, Gu Mannian, seeing that the news had already spread, gave her the answer: "It's true."
Jiang Guiying was so happy that she forgot to ask Gu Mannian when he found out.
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