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"Guys, don't laugh! It's okay if you don't need it, but the women in your families will!"
During the two months she was on loan, although the planning department borrowed a colleague from the logistics department to help, other colleagues in the department also helped to some extent. It was only right to bring gifts to everyone to express our gratitude.
Look, even the men are beaming with joy when they receive such a beautiful handkerchief.
"Thank you, Comrade Xiao Guan. I'll take this handkerchief back with me. My wife won't roll her eyes at me."
What did you do to upset your wife this time?
Comrade Xiao Guan was very satisfied with his taste in choosing the gift.
He Shuangshuang and Xie Dongxue were also satisfied.
As soon as she got off work, Guan Yuehe rode her bike home with several friends who had asked her to buy things for them. She handed them the items she had bought for them one by one.
Finally, Gu Mannian also received a gift that she had given to her sister separately, and entrusted him with the perfectly intact camera to pass on to her sister.
He Shuangshuang saw the milk powder and milk candy that Xu Cheng had taken and sighed a few times with regret.
If I had known about these great products, I should have spent more money on milk powder to supplement my child's nutrition.
Guan Yuehe shook her head, "No way, this thing is subject to purchase restrictions. Everyone at the car factory has bought it, and I can't even borrow their quota."
These days, nutritional supplements are expensive and hard to find. When an opportunity finally comes, no one will miss it and will definitely use their share.
Of the small share she bought, she gave most of it to Xu Chengcai. The remaining small portion was divided in two, with the two pregnant sisters-in-law being given to each.
Xu Cheng was deeply moved by this, saying, "When my child can talk, I will definitely have him thank you."
Guan Yuehe counted on her fingers and realized that her child wouldn't be talking by this time next year!
Although there was no supplemental milk powder, the fabric that Guan Yuehe brought back was of better quality and had more attractive patterns than what was available outside, and everyone was very satisfied.
Gu Mannian, a purchasing agent who frequently traveled between Beijing and various units or rural areas in neighboring provinces, now had an immense longing for the Canton Fair.
If he hadn't had to go back to his parents' house for dinner today, he would have definitely gone to his mother-in-law's house for a free meal and asked Guan Yuehe to tell him about her experiences at the Canton Fair.
"Yuehe, are you still going to participate in the autumn Canton Fair?" Xu Cheng asked her expectantly.
"We're not going. The exhibits at the Autumn Canton Fair are mainly daily necessities and some handicrafts, like these porcelain pieces. They'll be going again in the second half of the year. The car factory also sent people to participate in the exhibition, but it's mainly the leaders who went to understand the product demand abroad."
Going once a year is novel, but going twice will make it lose its appeal.
Moreover, her main job was still in the garment factory, and she often went to help out at the car factory, while still receiving a salary from her own factory...
"Oh dear!" Guan Yuehe slapped her thigh. "I forgot to go to the finance department to collect my salary!"
The others immediately breathed a sigh of relief, thinking it was something serious.
"It's okay, I can pick it up when I go to work tomorrow."
After seeing her friends off, Guan Yuehe looked at her remaining belongings, but couldn't think of anything to do for a while. Except for the food, she put everything else into the cabinet.
The next day, after collecting her March salary from the finance department, she received a reminder from Section Chief Xiao of the personnel department, telling her not to forget to attend the commendation meeting at the Five Star Automobile Factory on Saturday.
Guan Yuehe shrugged, indicating that she had not received any notification and wondered how a meeting at the car factory could be scheduled for Saturday.
"The official notification should be on its way. Be prepared."
Guan Yuehe wasn't interested in attending the car factory's commendation meeting, but considering that she still had half of her subsidy to collect and that she had promised to treat Zhao Youtong to dinner to thank him for providing the blueprints and materials, she felt that this notification had come at just the right time.
"Sister Zhu."
As I turned the corner, I almost bumped into Sister Zhu, who was walking in a hurry. Luckily, she stopped quickly.
Sister Zhu was in a hurry and didn't have time to chat with her much. She patted her shoulder, and seeing that there was no one else around, she leaned close to her ear and whispered a reminder: "Perform well in the second half of the year, and by next year you will have worked in the factory for eight years. You'll have more than enough seniority."
Guan Yuehe glanced back at Sister Zhu, who was walking downstairs, and a secret joy belatedly welled up inside her.
Sister Zhu's words carried great weight with her; every reminder she received was always effective.
Although it hasn't come true yet, and she won't go around telling everyone, she's happy inside.
When people are happy, they have the energy to do anything.
"Xiao Guan, we're not in a hurry, we won't be late." Section Chief Lin watched as Comrade Xiao Guan pedaled furiously ahead and regretted telling her that when going to a meeting in the city, she should arrive at least ten or twenty minutes early, and absolutely not be late, as it would leave a bad impression on the leaders.
Comrade Xiao Guan responded with a "Okay!" and took the lead in hurrying along.
"I know, I'm not in a hurry." After saying that, Comrade Xiao Guan kicked down again.
If she really wanted to travel, she wouldn't be going at this speed!
I was busy with work and only received the notification from the Five Star Automobile Factory on Friday.
The next day, Guan Yuehe went to work with her family and neighbors.
"Yuehe, why aren't you wearing your suit to the awards ceremony?"
Guan Yuehe laughed and said, "I'm attending an awards ceremony, not the Canton Fair, Uncle Ming!"
No matter how grand the awards ceremony is, she won't be the center of attention, so there's no need for her to dress too conspicuously.
That's right, Comrade Xiao Guan thinks that among the entire exhibition team, she wore the best suit.
Guan Canghai didn't urge her to wear a suit, but instead asked her if she wanted to go to the hair salon to get some hair oil first.
That's even more unacceptable!
Although it was called an awards ceremony, it was actually a workers' meeting at the car factory.
The main contents include:
First, the fifth-generation Wuxing automobile, which the factory has been developing for five years with a significant investment of manpower, material resources, and financial resources, achieved a new breakthrough at this year's Spring Canton Fair.
Second, after improvements were made to the factory's small trucks, the number of orders received was equal to the total of the previous three years.
Third, the quality of the factory's auto parts has been recognized, and many overseas orders have been received.
Four......
Finally, the R&D personnel, technical staff, and exhibition teams from each project team took turns going on stage to receive awards.
This is the second certificate of merit that Guan Yuehe has received from a state-owned factory.
The first certificate is an award for outstanding employee issued by the Zhuoyue Garment Factory, and the second is an award for excellent performance issued by the Wuxing Automobile Factory.
The recognition of their hard work is what touches them most deeply, as state-owned factory workers and their children.
Therefore, even though it was just a simple certificate without any prize money, Guan Yuehe felt it was extremely precious. It gave her tangible value for her efforts during those uncertain days, and it gave her more energy to continue learning and improving herself.
"Congratulations, Comrade Guan Yuehe."
"Thanks."
After thanking her, Guan Yuehe took out a gift she had prepared in advance from her bag, "Lotus root powder, it's very nutritious, take it back and mix it with water to drink."
Zhao Youtong was both amused and exasperated. He had thought she would give him a pen or a notebook, but instead it was a bag of lotus root starch.
"Thanks."
Guan Yuehe couldn't tell whether he liked the gift or not, so she emphasized again, "The staff at the booth said it's very nutritious, you should try it."
She glanced at his pale complexion and the dark circles under his eyes that even his thick glasses couldn't hide, and wanted to remind him that contributing to the company and the country also requires a strong body. Poor health really hinders his ability to shine at his post!
She was afraid that if she said too much of her concern, people would misunderstand, so she held it back.
If it were someone like Xu Chengcai or Ding Xuewen who grew up together, she wouldn't have such concerns.
But she was a woman of her word, always ready to treat people to a meal. As soon as the meeting ended, she pulled out two meal tickets. "Come on, I'll treat you to Uncle Ming's stir-fries."
Stir-fries cost extra, are expensive, and you can't choose what you want. The chef makes whatever's left in the kitchen.
But she had already agreed with Grandpa Ming that he would make her a small portion of chicken stew with mushrooms.
Zhao Youtong didn't hesitate to decline, saying, "I haven't had this dish since I was transferred to Beijing. My master's wife used to make it for me whenever I visited. I'm only getting to enjoy it today thanks to Comrade Xiao Guan."
"Sigh, consider this my way of offering something to someone else. I'm just benefiting from my father's connections."
Without her father's relationship with Uncle Ming, she wouldn't have been able to get special treatment from him.
When the dishes were served, Guan Yuehe pushed them directly in front of Zhao Youtong, saying, "Comrade Zhao, please eat more."
"Comrade Xiao Guan, your cheerful personality is very similar to that of the women in my hometown."
“Really? I know a lot of people like that.” Fearing he wouldn’t believe her, Guan Yuehe added, “When you have time, ride your bicycle around the alleys more often and you’ll see. Or when the factory holds social events, make some friends and see.”
After observing for a while, Zhao Youtong had to admit one fact: Comrade Guan Yuehe really had no thoughts about him that went beyond ordinary friendship.
But Zhao Youtong couldn't help but ask, "Didn't the organization introduce you to anyone?"
"I've been introduced, but I don't want to get to know them. The leaders of our car factory and garment factory don't operate like that; there are living examples to serve as a warning."
"What example?"
Guan Yuehe suddenly became furtive, looked around, and lowered her voice, saying, "A few years ago, there was a leader in the factory who tried to use underhanded means to get the organization to introduce him to a female colleague in the factory to form a family. Later, the woman caught him red-handed and reported him. I don't know where he's being reformed now. This matter caused a huge uproar; everyone in the car factory knows about it. It's normal that you don't know since you're late."
Zhao Youtong now understood why the car factory loved to hold social events. Moreover, the factory leaders had introduced him to many potential partners, but as long as he firmly refused, they wouldn't keep trying to persuade him. It was much better than the factory he worked at before.
To be honest, his master didn't only have him as an apprentice, but he specifically chose him to come to the Five Star Automobile Factory because of the selfishness of a deputy factory director there. If he didn't get along with the deputy factory director's daughter, he wouldn't become a key person to be cultivated by the factory.
When he arrived at the Five Star Automobile Factory, he was not only given special training, but also received preferential housing, and no one forced him to befriend anyone.
Zhao Youtong had completely lost his curiosity about why Guan Yuehe looked down on him. He was enjoying the familiar taste of his hometown dishes and exclaimed from the bottom of his heart, "Our Five Star Automobile Factory is really great."
His sudden remark left Guan Yuehe bewildered, and she nodded in agreement, "Yes! Comrade Zhao, you definitely won't lose out by staying at our car factory!"
After saying that, she smugly thought to herself: as a child of a car factory worker, she had made a contribution to the factory's efforts to retain talent.
Before saying goodbye at the cafeteria entrance, Guan Yuehe once again expressed her gratitude to Zhao Youtong.
"It was just a small favor. If you need anything next time, you can come to the technical department to find me." Zhao Youtong waved his hand and strode towards the workshop. He had arranged to meet with an experienced technician from another car factory in the city to discuss a technical problem.
Comrade Guan Yuehe went to collect her subsidy and, taking her certificate of merit with her, rushed back to the garment factory to continue the work she hadn't finished.
On Sunday, her day off, Guan Yuehe took three rolls of film to a photo studio and asked the experienced photographer to develop the photos for her.
"You washed it all?"
"right!"
The experienced photographer glanced at this "big spender," thinking she looked familiar and might be a reporter from some newspaper. He carefully put away the film and money, gave her a receipt, and said, "You have a lot of photos; come back to pick them up in ten days."
Guan Yuehe used all the subsidies she had just received to print out photos.
Only when she had some free time that day did she have time to catch up on the latest happenings.
Oh, it's also a good thing that Lin Sitian didn't go on a date with Zhou Jinghang today, otherwise she would have had to sit at the entrance of the alley to find out everything.
"Is Aunt Xie's husband also coming to the city? Can he get a letter of introduction?"
Guan Yuehe thought that if Uncle Xie came too, Liu Axiu's parents would definitely get restless and would have to come and give him a talking-to.
Lin Sitian smiled and said, "Uncle Xie wrote that he was alone in his hometown and was afraid something might happen to him, so he would have to rely on his son. However, I heard from my mother that Teacher Xie and Aunt Xie had a fight and didn't want Uncle Xie to come to their house."
"Teacher Xie can argue?!" Living a long life certainly broadens one's horizons. Xie Zhenhua usually seems indifferent and unambitious, yet he can actually get angry and argue? How strange!
Lin Sitian said mysteriously, "Several aunties in the No. 3 courtyard heard it, and they suspect that Teacher Xie and Xie Zhenxing are not born to the same father."
"..." Guan Yuehe's eyes widened, and after the initial shock, she felt that the guess was reasonable.
Just wait, there's bound to be some new gossip coming out of Courtyard No. 3 soon.
“No need for a while.” Lin Sitian said helplessly, “Ding Laowu doesn’t go to school and howls at home every day. All the neighbors in Ginkgo Hutong are staring at our No. 3 courtyard to watch the show.”
Every time someone from the Ding family was sent to the countryside, they would cause a scene. The comrades from the educated youth office and the automobile factory's trade union were afraid to go to the Ding family's door to persuade them to resign.
"Oh, right!"
Lin Sitian took out Ding Xuewen's letter from last month and pointed to a certain paragraph in the middle of the letter:
"This year, the commune was allocated four recommendation slots, one of which was given to the Sidaogou Brigade. The brigade leader talked to me and planned to recommend me to study at the agricultural university in the neighboring province."
After thinking it over for several days, I realized I wasn't interested in animal husbandry and might not be able to learn anything from it, so I decided to give up the spot and recommend Lizhong to the brigade leader so he could go and learn.
Li Zhong was worried that the family background of his relatives would affect his political review. After discussing it with me, we decided to give the opportunity to a female comrade at the educated youth settlement.
The world is vast and full of opportunities. Perhaps the Sidaogou Production Brigade is where my true university lies...
Looking at the contents of the letter, she couldn't help but feel a little sad, but when she read further down that "Lizhong took on an apprentice this year, and the pigs in the brigade seem to be even fatter," she couldn't help but chuckle.
The world is vast and full of opportunities.
Guan Yuehe no longer felt sorry for Ding Xuewen.
They also had a different perspective on going to the countryside: at least for the Sidaogou Brigade, they had a teacher who earnestly imparted knowledge and dedicated himself to helping the villagers become literate, as well as a skilled pig farmer whose techniques were becoming increasingly impressive, so that every household could get more pork at the end of the year.
Lin Sitian said, "I think Ding Xuewen is living a good life outside, but all he has to do when he comes back is cause for distress."
Even though we won't see each other, that's a small matter. As long as everyone is doing well, that's all that matters.
“Look at Xu Cheng’s place. Aunt Xu wants to move to his place. Tell him to quickly find someone to partition off a small room in the living room so that it will be convenient for her to go over and take care of Zilan during her postpartum period.”
Lin Sitian rolled her eyes. "I'm afraid that taking care of the new mother is just a pretense, and that she really wants to take the opportunity to move in and make room for her eldest son. Luckily, Zilan's sister-in-law is reliable. She said she would come over to help, so we don't need anyone from the Xu family."
Fortunately, Xu Chengcai was clear-headed.
Otherwise, if he stayed there for a long time, would he really kick his own mother out? People in the factory would probably start criticizing him, and it would be difficult for him to get promoted or recognized for his performance in the future.
"Don't just talk about others, what about yourself? You've been dating that Comrade Zhou for months, when are you going to bring him home to meet your parents?"
“My brother wrote back saying that we have to wait until he comes back in July to investigate before we can invite Zhou Jinghang to our house for dinner,” Lin Sitian said happily. “Once my brother goes for two years of further studies and comes back, he can come home more often.”
She thought that now that she was getting a house after getting married, she had to move to a house in Ginkgo Hutong, otherwise she wouldn't be able to take care of her parents.
It would be even better if her brother came back later. Her parents and brother all live nearby. If she suffers any grievances after getting married, she'll pack her bags and go home immediately—she's done it!
"Please, brother, you have to find me a sister-in-law who will allow me to stay at my parents' house!"
Guan Yuehe said, "If your sister-in-law can't tolerate you, then come to my house. Do you think I'd kick you out?"
Lin Sitian felt a warmth in her heart, but still said, "What if your future partner has a problem with that?"
"It's my house. If he has a problem with it, let him pack his bags and leave."
"Waaaaah, Yuehe! I knew you were more reliable than my brother. Why aren't we biological sisters? I wish my brother and you were switched at birth!"
"..." Even if they were switched at birth, the only possibility is that her sister and her brother were switched at birth.
"If you take me in, where am I supposed to sleep?" I can't sleep on the same kang (heated brick bed) with Yuehe every day.
"I'll tidy up the storage room and put a small bed for you, hahaha!" She always says that sleeping is like fighting a war.
Lin Sitian: "......"
Thinking about it, my older brother is still better.
By mid-month, Guan Yuehe went to the photo studio to pick up the photos and found that she hadn't printed enough. She needed to get more copies of photos like the ones taken with the whole family.
She didn't receive all the photos until the end of the month. Then, she sent the photos to her family and Lin Sitian's family.
"These two are nice, give them to me as souvenirs." Lin Sitian held out her finger, and Guan Yuehe looked over. They were personal photos she had taken in front of the main gate of the Canton Fair. Zhang Xinbi took good photos, but these two were even more outstanding.
Thinking that she still had some film to develop, Guan Yuehe took out the two photos and gave them to Lin Sitian.
That same day, Lin Sitian wrote a letter to her older brother, who lived far away in the south, asking him to write back once he confirmed his return date. She also slipped a photo of herself and her parents taken at their front door into the envelope.
The envelope was dropped into the post office mailbox the next day.
In late May, after completing his training, Lin Yiku was summoned to the leader's office and received a letter from home, as well as an admission notice from the military academy.
After reporting the recent training situation to his superiors, Lin Yiku rushed back to his dormitory with two letters in hand.
I opened the letter from home, read it, and then took out the photos inside.
But the photos that were sent were different from what my sister described in her letter. In addition to a photo of my sister with my parents, there was also a photo of my sister's best friend.
When Lin Yiku picked up the photo, he was stunned. He then picked up the letter and read it carefully to confirm that the letter did not mention sending him photos of other people.
It seems that the younger sister probably accidentally put it in there.
It was a pleasant surprise.
Looking down at the unexpected photo again, Lin Yiku couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
"Hey, what a pretty young lady! Has your family introduced you to someone again?" My old partner's head crept up to me quietly, and he asked jokingly.
Lin Yi glared at him and put away the photos and letters.
"Don't talk nonsense, the family took the wrong photos."
Knowing that he could joke around freely but not with his family, his old partner didn't say anything more. He turned his gaze and saw his admission notice.
“You’re going to pursue further studies, and after graduation you’ll be assigned to a military region near Beijing. I’m really going to miss you. We’ve been partners for almost ten years.”
"Stop with the pretense, just tell me what you want me to do."
"Hehe." His old partner chuckled sheepishly, but before he could speak, Lin Yiku cut him off again. "No need to introduce me to anyone. Once I finish my studies and am transferred back, I'll listen to my family and find someone I know well to marry."
"No, my sister, you've met her before, how can our families not know each other well?" The old partner chased after her, "Stop making excuses for me. If you listened to your family, would your mother have called the leader? Lin Yiku, Battalion Commander Lin... why are you so stubborn?! Tell me honestly, is there a girl you've got your eye on? If you really do, I'll make my sister give up on that idea as soon as possible... What did you say?"
Lin Yiku reiterated, "That's right, I have a girl I like. Otherwise, why would I apply to be transferred back?"
"Really? You're not making this up to fool me?"
"I don't have that kind of free time."
His old partner sighed with regret. He had been observing Lin Yiku for several years; the man was upright, responsible, and came from a small, well-off family. His younger sister was of marriageable age, so he thought he could try to set them up.
Hey, the old bachelor has suddenly blossomed!
"Achoo! Achoo!"
Guan Yuehe sneezed several times in a row, muttering, "Who's talking about me behind my back?"
"My little sister?" Xu Cheng laughed after answering.
When he went home last time, Xu Xiaomei stopped him and told him to talk to his childhood friend Guan Yuehe. Since she didn't think much of Technician Zhao, she shouldn't keep asking Technician Zhao for help and treating him to meals.
He said at the time that her mind was full of nonsense, and that other people's normal interactions didn't bother her.
Well, he and Guan Yuehe got scolded together.
Xie Dongxue said, "Don't overthink it. I think you just have a cold! Take your medicine while it's not too serious yet."
"No need, I'll just run a few laps and drink more hot water after get off work." With that, he moved to a different spot, keeping a distance from Qin Zilan.
"I think it's better if I stay away from you."
But when it comes to taking medicine, everyone unanimously thinks of the factory's clinic, which was recently forced to close.
Dr. Jia's medical skills were questionable, and he almost caused a major disaster. The factory leaders finally couldn't stand it anymore and dismissed him.
Dr. Jia became the first employee of Zhuoyue Garment Factory to be dismissed, leaving his mark on the factory's history.
But with Dr. Jia gone, the clinic was left without a doctor and had to close down.
"We've already applied to the health bureau to send someone, but I don't know who they'll send." Xie Dongxue revealed some inside information from the personnel department: "No matter who they send, the factory has decided to recruit someone with medical knowledge to oversee things."
Those outside who understand medicine are either practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine or people whose backgrounds are problematic and who are being suppressed. But regardless of who they are, as long as they genuinely understand medicine, that's enough.
The workers at their Zhuoyue Garment Factory are all scared now. If they have a headache or fever, they just go to the workers' hospital and then go back to the factory to get reimbursed.
The factory clinic is struggling to even break even, no wonder it gets singled out for criticism at every meeting.
"I hope Dr. Jia won't be assigned to a clinic in another unit, or go to the countryside to work as a barefoot doctor?"
The others also suddenly thought of this problem, looked at each other, and for a moment did not know which unit or production brigade to pity.
Guan Yuehe soon found out.
At the end of June, my second sister-in-law, Li Qiuyue, gave birth smoothly. The rest of the family were either working overtime at the car factory to meet production targets or couldn't travel far. Guan Yuehe accompanied Jiang Guiying back to their hometown.
The second brother laughed like a fool and called her in to see his little niece.
"It's okay to give her a hug."
Guan Yuehe shook her head vigorously in refusal, but still sat on the edge of the bed and watched.
While chatting with my second sister-in-law, she mentioned a recent major event in the production team: "The barefoot doctor assigned by the commune couldn't even distinguish between medicine for humans and livestock, and was beaten by the team members and forced to run back to the city."
Guan Yuehe jokingly asked casually, "It's not a doctor surnamed Jia, is it?"
"Really?!"
The unlucky team has been found; it's her hometown.
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