035 Advanced Workers
On the last day before the end of the 70th anniversary, various organizations held employee meetings. The main agenda items included: reporting on the organization's work achievements over the past year and awarding certificates of merit to outstanding employees.
Some were recognized as advanced individuals, and others received model worker medals.
Some were awarded collective awards, such as Workshop 1 of Zhuoyue Garment Factory, which has won the Advanced Collective Award for four consecutive years.
"Xiao Guan! Hurry, hurry, we're calling your name!" Sister Zhu urged excitedly.
Not every workshop or department can have someone selected as an advanced worker or model worker. After the list is submitted, the leaders have to vote to decide which comrades will receive the award.
Last year, no one in their factory office was recognized as an advanced worker or model worker. This year, Xiao Guan joined the factory office and performed outstandingly, bringing honor to their factory office.
As Guan Yuehe walked awkwardly onto the stage, she thought to herself, "The factory office is truly a wonderful place that brings me good fortune!"
"Congratulations, Comrade Guan Yuehe! Keep up the good work!"
"Yes!" Guan Yuehe stood up straight, her eyes crinkling into crescents as she smiled, and accepted the certificate and an enamel mug with the words "Outstanding Worker of the Excellent Garment Factory" printed on it from the factory director.
She hadn't thought about striving for excellence before, but now she felt that one enamel mug wasn't enough. She wanted to try to get another enamel mug for being an advanced worker, one to put in the most prominent place at home, and the other in the center of her office.
Factory director Zheng Xingmin patted her arm with satisfaction. The little girl who was thin and small back then was now half a head taller than her and had grown strong and healthy. That's great!
Moving on to present certificates and prizes to the next outstanding worker, the sense of accomplishment grew even stronger: This was the older woman who, back then, was so hungry with two children that she could only drink water to fill her stomach. Now she is clean and presentable, and you can hardly tell that she was in dire straits back then.
The auditorium, still under construction and quite simple, was chilled by a biting wind, but the workers inside were so enthusiastic that they felt no cold at all. The applause grew louder and louder with each passing moment, and the slogans were shouted with ever greater intensity.
At almost the same time, at the Five Star Automobile Factory, the applause was so loud it was like thunder, because of the large number of people present.
Guan Canghai, with his outstanding barbering skills and doubled his performance in meeting all the factory's targets, was once again recognized as an advanced worker in the factory.
It is gratifying that Guan Yuehua has been recognized as an advanced worker again after a year.
Comrade Guan Yuehua received special praise from the factory leaders, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, she will be firmly in charge of the announcer position at the automobile factory.
The father and daughter were both holding their certificates of merit and the Hero brand fountain pen awarded by the factory. Guan Canghai's old friend, Uncle Ming, couldn't help but say sourly, "Old Guan, you're really doing well this year."
From the beginning to the end of the year, Uncle Ming was often stopped by Guan Canghai who would tell him about all the good things that had happened in his family.
First, the youngest daughter was allocated a house at a young age. Then, the eldest daughter was praised by the leaders and her adopted son was about to get married. Then, the youngest daughter caught a fugitive with her bare hands, which made the newspaper and earned her a place in college. Now, she and the eldest daughter have been recognized as advanced workers!
Grandpa Ming snorted and asked him, "You said you'd treat me to two drinks, how many drinks are you talking about? You might as well just buy me a bottle and deliver it to my house!"
Guan Canghai quickly said, "In a couple of days! I'll invite you in a couple of days. You can prepare some snacks to go with your drinks."
"Don't even think about trying to trick me into giving you some snacks with my drinks!" Old Master Ming was so angry that his beard was blown to one side, and he turned his head away, ignoring him.
"My Yuehe might be recognized as an advanced worker this year too, and the little donkey that pulls the millstone is eating carrots. Hey! Lao Ming, I have to have a couple of drinks with you."
Grandpa Ming got even angrier, got up, put his hands behind his back, and walked away quickly.
Guan Yuehua, who was not far away, sighed helplessly. Her father and Uncle Ming were just like two old children, very childish.
"Congratulations, Comrade Guan Yuehua."
Guan Yuehua turned around and saw Cheng Peng, the male announcer who had partnered with her at the National Day performance.
Seeing that Guan Yuehua only nodded slightly and didn't seem to want to talk to him, Cheng Peng took the initiative and said, "Did you make any plans with friends for New Year's Day? If not... how about going ice skating?"
But before he could finish speaking, Guan Yuehua replied, "We're going back to our hometown for New Year's Day. We won't be going ice skating; I just went with my friends last week."
"Ah, I've been there." Cheng Peng thought for a long time but couldn't think of anything else to say. He was usually quite eloquent, otherwise he wouldn't have been chosen as the announcer. But every time he met Guan Yuehua's eyes, he couldn't help but get nervous.
Many young men in the factory said that Guan Yuehua was difficult to approach, but he thought she was alright. When they worked together as announcers, they always discussed things and spoke in a gentle tone.
That's why he wanted to try his luck; what if Comrade Guan Yuehua might take a liking to him?
Comrade Guan Yuehua, who was usually "gentle in tone," was almost out of patience. Seeing that her father had finally finished bragging to his old friends, she hurried over to find someone.
The staff meeting was over, and she still had to go to collect her New Year's gifts. If she went too late, she didn't know when she would get a turn. She had an appointment with someone and was in a hurry to get back.
Cheng Peng was too embarrassed to chase after him, so he stood there scratching his head and sighing. Suddenly, someone patted his shoulder; it was his childhood friend who lived in the same courtyard.
My childhood friend gloated and mocked, "I told you our factory's prettiest girl has high standards, didn't I? You can forget about it, even the boss's son was pursuing her and she didn't even like him."
Cheng Peng frowned and retorted, "Doesn't this just prove that Comrade Guan Yuehua isn't particularly discerning? So what if he's the son of a leader? Just because they're all working class doesn't mean he's superior to others."
My childhood friend was speechless, inwardly cursing him for having gone to such lengths in his studies that he'd become stupid.
The Guan family has three workers who work at the car factory. When they receive gifts during holidays, the total amount they receive is the largest.
Guan Jianguo's bicycle was loaded to the brim, with Guan Yuehua even carrying a net bag of apples in front of her.
With a year's worth of harvest, Guan Canghai, along with his son and daughter, joined the wave of workers leaving get off work.
I don't know who started singing "We workers have power..."
As they hummed along, everyone joined in with a powerful and resonant voice: "Skyscrapers were built, railways and coal mines were constructed, and the world was transformed..."
After finishing the song, Guan Yuehua became excited and took on the role of announcer, "Fellow workers, let's gather together and sing 'We Are Walking on the Great Road,' I'll start!"
"good!"
"We march on the main road, full of vigor and high spirits!"
The Guangming Road outside the gate of the Wuxing Automobile Factory was transformed into a grand stage for the New Year's Day performance by the factory's workers.
As they were about to pass the Zhuoyue Garment Factory on their way home, Guan Yuehua hurriedly said, "Dad, let's stop at the garment factory ahead. I need to talk to Yuehe. We'll go back later."
Guan Canghai stopped the car and turned to look at his eldest daughter, who had a calm expression. "At this hour? You're going to the garment factory to find your sister?"
His incredulous tone almost screamed, "Young lady, have you lost your mind?"
The garment factory and the car factory usually close at 5 pm. His little daughter runs home as soon as she gets off work, so it would be strange to find her at the garment factory at this time.
"Find Yuehe's friend. Dad, are you hard of hearing?" Guan Yuehua corrected her father without changing her expression.
"Huh? Did I miss something?" Guan Canghai thought back and realized he hadn't missed anything, but his eldest daughter wouldn't lie to him.
"Okay, head back soon. It's not safe to be out after dark... Or should I wait for you?"
"No need, no need, you go back first. I have something important to tell someone." If Cheng Peng hadn't asked her, she would have forgotten to tell him that her whole family was going back to their hometown tomorrow. She was afraid that if she didn't see him today, someone would go to the skating rink tomorrow and wait for nothing.
After much persuasion, Guan Yuehua finally convinced her father to leave, turning back to look at her every few steps.
I ran to the guardhouse and knocked on the door. The old guard, who was warming himself by the fire inside, asked, "Comrade, who are you looking for?"
"Oh, you're looking for Comrade Gu Mannian from the purchasing department? You wait here, I'll have someone call him for you." After sending someone from the security department to the purchasing department, the gatekeeper returned, warming himself by the fire, and said, "I was wondering why Xiao Gu went home after get off work today but came back to the factory to work overtime. So he was waiting for his girlfriend to come looking for him. By the way, which unit are you from?"
"Not even your boyfriend yet, sir," Guan Yuehua replied, adding that she was a worker at the Five Star Automobile Factory.
"Five-Star Automobile Factory? You live in Ginkgo Alley up ahead, right? That area is full of your factory's workers." What the gatekeeper really wanted to say was: The families of your factory's workers are really too idle, running to their factory every day, asking when the factory is hiring.
Before they could exchange more than a few words, Gu Mannian had already run out, grinning happily, "Comrade Yuehua!"
The gatekeeper suddenly felt that the scene was familiar, slapped his forehead, and remembered!
Hey! Isn't this lady Comrade Xiao Guan's older sister?
—
On his way back alone, Guan Canghai grew increasingly worried. It was getting dark, and it wasn't safe for a woman to walk alone. They had just caught a major fugitive not long ago; who knew if there were still bad guys hiding and hadn't shown up yet?
"Yuehe! Perfect timing, you take your things back, I'll go pick up your sister." Meeting his little girl at the alley entrance, Guan Canghai decided he had to turn around.
"By the way, your sister said she's looking for your friend. Which friend?"
Guan Yuehe was about to reach for the fruit in the back seat when she heard her father's question, so she withdrew her hand.
“My friend, you wouldn’t know her even if I told you. Dad, you take your things back and give me the car, I’ll go pick her up.”
"No, it's not safe after dark. I'll go pick her up. You stay home."
"Alright, you're an old man, what can you do if you run into bad guys?" Guan Yuehe shoved all the things on the front and back seats of the car to her father, grabbed the bicycle, took a few quick steps, and hopped on with a sweeping kick.
"Who are you calling an old man? You little brat!"
Guan Aiguo, who was running out to pick up his father and holiday gifts, thought: I didn't do anything wrong, why are you scolding me again?
When Guan Yuehe arrived at the factory gate, Gu Mannian was still grinning foolishly; it was truly unbearable to look at!
She rang the bicycle bell several times, making it ring loudly, which made the gatekeeper want to come out and yell at her.
Gu Mannian said goodbye with reluctance, and specifically told Guan Yuehe: "Little Guan, ride slowly."
Ride slowly.
Guan Yuehe repeated the sentence in her mind, mimicking his tone, and couldn't help but add a mental exclamation of disgust: Ugh...
The two sisters were silent for a while, then Guan Yuehe suddenly mimicked in a high-pitched voice: "That guy surnamed Gu? Next time he comes to you, just turn him down."
Before the person in the back seat could get angry, she made herself laugh out loud.
Guan Yuehua repeatedly murmured to herself: "My younger sister was born to the same parents."
In the end, he couldn't resist and reached out to pinch Guan Yuehe's waist... Her clothes were too thick, and Guan Yuehe's flesh was firm, so he couldn't pinch her flesh at all.
The commotion stopped at the alley entrance, where it was seen by Aunt Niu from Courtyard No. 1. She clicked her tongue several times and said, "Those two troublesome daughters of Jiang Guiying!"
—
Three of the four workers in the Guan family were recognized as outstanding employees, causing a sensation in Ginkgo Alley.
When Aunt Xie saw that they were eating coarse flour buns, she exclaimed loudly, "You've had three advanced workers, and this is what you're eating today?"
Guan Yuehua took a leisurely sip of egg drop soup, stood up and said, "I'll go see what kind of refined grains your family eats."
"I want to see too! Aunt Xie, are you having dragon meat today?" Guan Yuehe hadn't even finished speaking when she had already darted to the Xie family's doorstep.
Aunt Xie: "......"
Normally, the Guan family would definitely cook a nice meal.
But Jiang Guiying quietly took Lin Yufeng and Weiwei back to their hometown yesterday. They hitched a ride on a truck from the car factory to their hometown commune, and then found an oxcart or tractor that could go there. By paying some fare, they didn't have to ride bicycles in the wind all the way, and they could go back early to lend a hand.
If not everyone is present, it's definitely not possible to enjoy a good meal alone.
Moreover, there were still some leftover coarse flour buns at home, just enough for them to share.
Guan Yuehe went to bed early because she had to get up early tomorrow, and the noise from the front yard didn't wake her up.
On New Year's Day, while it was still dark, Guan Canghai set off with his son and daughter.
I borrowed the Lin family's bicycle again this time.
Guan Aiguo hunched his neck against his older brother's back, regretting that he hadn't gone back with his mother and sister-in-law yesterday. He shouldn't have been so greedy and waited for the good food.
Braving the cold wind, even Guan Yuehe, with all her strength, couldn't keep up. Just then, a tractor drove by in the distance, and Guan Yuehe quickly stopped and waved.
"Driver, where are you going? We're going to Fengshou Production Team. Could you give us a ride if it's on your way?"
There was space behind the tractor, so the driver nodded and Guan Yuehe and the others quickly carried the vehicle up.
There were two older men in the truck bed. Guan Canghai made room for them, offered them cigarettes, and they quickly became acquainted and started chatting.
Two wheels can't outrun four wheels, they're much faster, and they save your hands and feet from suffering.
Jiang Guiying was stunned to see that they had arrived more than an hour earlier than expected, and asked them if they had set off at four or five o'clock. After learning that they had hitched a ride, she said, "No wonder."
The elders were in charge of the banquet and receiving guests, while the group of them rode their bicycles to accompany Guan Weiguo to the wedding.
These days, being able to put together a bicycle wedding procession is quite impressive.
Whether in the city or the countryside, it's fashionable to wear military green or red clothes for weddings these days. Relatives, friends, and leaders are invited to the home, and the newlyweds are led by cadres from their work unit or brigade to read quotations.
Some people don't realize they need to get a marriage certificate, but even without that certificate, the people around them and the law recognize the marital relationship. When registering a household, as long as the employer or production team issues a certificate, the couple can still be officially registered as husband and wife.
Guan Weiguo and Li Qiuyue got their marriage certificate at the commune more than a month earlier, but they are only now getting together to live together.
Guan Yuehe also changed her address, from "Sister Qiuyue" to "Second Sister-in-law".
Looking at the older woman next to me, I couldn't help but feel that time flies by.
If all goes well, she'll soon have another brother-in-law. Her family will have quite a few more relatives.
"Don't just look at me. Didn't you say you prepared something for your second sister-in-law? Hurry up and take it out," Guan Yuehua reminded her.
"Oh, oh." Guan Yuehe snapped out of her daze and handed over the new sneakers she had brought.
She exceeded her internal purchase quota for the entire year last year, and she had to borrow the quota to buy these shoes from Gu Mannian.
Gu Mannian was initially reluctant to lend the money, stammering that he needed it as a gift. Guan Yuehe could easily guess who he wanted to give it to. She resisted rolling her eyes and explained that she had recently gotten her sister a pair of sneakers from the factory, and giving them away would be redundant. Only then did she manage to borrow it.
When Li Qiuyue and Guan Weiguo went to get their marriage certificate, he often mentioned that among his siblings, he had the best relationship with his youngest sister.
But to her surprise, her younger sister had prepared another gift for her, namely a pair of Zhuoyue brand sports shoes that had recently sold out in the city.
This is too much to accept as a gift. Li Qiuyue looked up to find Guan Weiguo, but the next second, the shoes were stuffed into her arms.
As soon as Guan Weiguo called them out to eat, Guan Yuehe quickly turned around and walked out, saying, "Let's eat!"
I had just gone out when my aunt called me to the kitchen and gave me a chicken leg.
She could now somewhat understand Weiwei's quiet anticipation of receiving more university acceptance letters.
Fengshou Production Team has never produced a college student. This year, the commune did have a limited number of places to recommend students for college, but none were allocated to Fengshou Production Team.
Upon hearing that the brigade leader's niece had been recommended to go to university, everyone flocked to see Guan Yuehe as if they were watching a magic trick.
Even though Guan Yuehe was thick-skinned enough, she couldn't resist the lavish praise from the older women.
After a lively day, they had to head back.
When we returned, each of the three bicycles had a bag full of apples hanging from its handlebars.
There aren't many apple trees in the Fengshou Production Team; only about ten households plant one or two next to their houses.
But the production team where Li Qiuyue's family lived was different. They had a large apple orchard, and every autumn and winter, the apples were harvested and transported to various units in the city. Even the purchasing department of the Five Star Automobile Factory would come to their production team to buy apples.
The apples I brought back this time were brought by Li Qiuyue's family; they were all from their family's apple trees.
Relationships between relatives need to be reciprocal for them to last.
Those who don't come to weddings or other important events may not stay in touch in the future.
Jiang Guiying had just said goodbye to her elder brother and sister-in-law with a smile, and told Guan Weiguo and Li Qiuyue to come to her house to play when they had time. But as soon as she walked a little further away, she started cursing her sister-in-law and parents.
"How dare she come to my house? I'll kick her out! Even if Weiguo isn't our son, she should at least come out of respect for our elder brother and sister-in-law, right? You two siblings were practically raised by your elder brother, and you're so heartless, not even coming in person or bringing any gifts..."
After scolding his aunt, he turned around and scolded his own parents.
"It's a good thing that Wei Guo always brings them things when he comes to the city. They only remember the food and not the kindness. Don't bother sending them anything this year!"
My sister-in-law has been a city dweller for too long and looks down on her relatives who are still in her hometown. Her family isn't coming; they're probably still complaining that she didn't lend out the house Yuehe was allocated.
Fine, if you don't want to come, then don't! It's best if you never set foot in her house again!
Even if no one agrees with her, Jiang Guiying, in a fit of anger, can still curse on and off for an hour, only managing to stop when she gets on the bus back to the city.
Guan Yuehe brought back dozens of bright red apples from her hometown wedding banquet. She received six, which were placed on the table along with the oranges distributed by the factory, making her seem particularly well-off.
The neighbors didn't find it strange that the Guan family ate apples for several days in a row.
After all, the Five Star Automobile Factory distributed apples as part of their New Year's Day gifts. Each household received at least two large apples, and the quality was much better than the ones the Guan family brought back.
Later, a middleman came and asked Jiang Guiying if she wanted any fruit, so Guan Yuehe stocked up on a lot of apples and oranges at home.
She would put an orange on the coal stove every time she lit it to warm herself, because she thought roasted oranges were delicious.
Throw the leftover orange peels into an enamel mug filled with hot water, take a sip, and you can taste a faint orange aroma.
She had only enjoyed a brief moment of peace and quiet when someone came banging on the door.
"Second Aunt, what's wrong?"
"The Zhou family's twins are missing!" Aunt Er said anxiously. "You go and search the alley first, I'll go and notify the others."
Before the second aunt could even give a message, Chang Zhengyi and Cai Ying, who was sitting opposite, had already come out wearing their clothes and were asking what had happened.
"Baoyu asked the two sisters to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy soy sauce. Guifang came back from the cooperative and said she hadn't seen them. Half an hour later, they still hadn't returned, so Guifang and Baoyu went out to look for them but couldn't find them. Weiwei and the others saw the two sisters leave the alley, but Guifang went to the supply and marketing cooperative to ask, and the sales clerk said she hadn't seen them."
Guan Yuehe often heard people call her "Sister-in-law Zhou," and she almost didn't realize that Sister-in-law Zhou's real name was Guifang.
Two children went missing on the road from the alley entrance to the supply and marketing cooperative.
If it were any other children, people might guess they were just playing with their friends. But the three Zhou children have been sensible since they were little, and Bao'an and Baoning are already seven years old. They often run errands for the family, buying soy sauce and firewood, so it's impossible that they don't know the way.
I'm afraid she's been kidnapped.
Without further ado, everyone got dressed and put on their shoes and went out to find someone.
If you see other neighbors in the alley, casually mention it and ask them to call people in their respective courtyards to help look for it.
People from the neighboring alley, the street office, and the police station all arranged for help. When nearby units learned of the news, they also went back to their residential compounds to call for help.
This is different from when Bai Yuejin secretly ran away from home.
If an adult runs away from home, they'll at least look for them near water. But if a child disappears without a trace, they really can't think of where to look.
Sister-in-law Zhou's voice became hoarse from shouting, and her body swayed as if she were about to collapse at any moment, which was heartbreaking to see.
From the afternoon sun high in the sky until night completely fell, Ginkgo Hutong was thoroughly searched. The news of the missing twins in Ginkgo Hutong had spread to almost half of Beijing, but they were still not found.
The group that went out to look for people at the beginning also said they were tired and came back to eat one after another.
Jiang Guiying brought over some noodles. "Nobody on the street has seen the two of them. Could they have just vanished into thin air?"
Guan Yuehe was also puzzled. The alley leading to the supply and marketing cooperative was not a sparsely populated area, so why had no one seen them?
Even strangers who don't know them will take a second look when they see a pair of identical twins on the street, right?
He quickly slurped up the noodles, finished eating, washed the bowl, and then joined the search team with a flashlight.
The pitch-black night was pierced by beams of light, and shouts of "Bao'an! Bao Ning!" filled the air. Those who were disturbed and didn't know what was going on came out to ask, and then went home to get their own flashlights before heading out.
Guan Yuehe returned home after 10 p.m., her feet numb from the cold outside.
Since no one was home at the Zhou family's house, they knocked on the Sun family's door. "Aunt Sun, has anyone else returned? Have they been found?"
"How would I know?!" Aunt Sun retorted rudely.
Grandpa Sun's voice came from inside: "Two worthless girls, just let them go, why bother looking for them!"
After he finished speaking, the kerosene lamp in the Sun family went out.
Is this something a normal person would say? Besides, we're all neighbors, losing two children is a huge deal. Instead of helping, they actually made such callous remarks!
In a fit of anger, Guan Yuehe kicked the Sun family's door, and the door creaked and groaned as if it were about to burst.
"Guan Yuehe!" Aunt Sun stormed out of the door, "You'll have to pay for my door!"
"What advanced worker? Bah! Someone like you shouldn't be recommended for university! I'm going to your factory to report you to the leaders!"
"Go ahead, I'm going to report your son to the car factory leaders too!"
"What gives you the right to report my son?"
"If you interfere with my affairs, I'll report you!"
If Aunt Zhao hadn't come to mediate, Guan Yuehe would have continued arguing with those two old hags.
The others also returned one after another, all saying that there was no news for the time being.
Sister-in-law Zhou fainted on the way to find her daughter, and Baoyu followed her to the factory's clinic to stay with her.
The next morning, when all the workers were off to work, the search for the missing person was transferred to the neighborhood office and the police station.
As soon as Guan Yuehe arrived at work, her colleagues asked her, "Have you found the twins from your alley yet?"
Upon learning that there was still no news, everyone sighed with regret: How could the child, who was perfectly fine, just disappear?
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