Comrade Lin Tingxiao, No. 168
Before Guan Yuehe even reached the office, she bumped into her new colleague Tan Ailian in the cafeteria. However, due to the rush, Gao Zhiyuan only had time to introduce them before everyone hurried off to prepare for work.
She went to Director An to report back from her leave and also learned about her new colleagues from him.
The specific situation was similar to what Li Xuelian had described, but there were also some things that Li Xuelian was unaware of.
The leader assigned an experienced colleague to help her out, so she could have time to focus on other tasks.
Guan Yuehe listened attentively, but after a while, she didn't hear Director An say that he would arrange any other work for her.
Since her supervisor wouldn't say anything, she didn't ask. After returning to her office from her leave, she didn't rush into anything; instead, she first checked on the progress of some projects.
Going out to work and staying home to watch the baby sleep are completely different. At home, just watching Lin Ting sleep makes her feel like she's been watching for a long time, but when she checks the time, she realizes only ten minutes have passed. But at work, she feels like she hasn't done much work, but time flies by and it's time to leave.
"Are you having trouble adjusting to going back to work?" Li Xuelian, who had been through it all, asked with concern.
"It's a bit hard to get used to, time is passing too quickly." Also, she is currently breastfeeding, and some physical conditions are unavoidable, so she has to keep an eye on things from time to time.
This was something no one else could help with, so Li Xuelian could only comfort her, saying, "Just hang in there, it will get better in a while."
"By the way, I'm planning to buy a motorcycle so it will be more convenient for commuting to and from get off work."
Guan Yuehe thought that she and Li Xuelian had been working together after get off work for more than a year, and she should tell Li Xuelian about this in advance.
If she buys a motorcycle, she won't be able to often go home with Li Xuelian after get off work.
She can't possibly ride a motorcycle at the speed of a bicycle, can she? She might as well just ride a bicycle.
"Huh?" Li Xuelian was taken aback for a moment, then said after she realized what she meant, "Buying a car is a good thing, which brand are you planning to buy? Jialing or something else?"
"Let's go with the Jialing brand." Guan Yuehe didn't know anything else besides this brand.
After thinking for a moment, Li Xuelian quickly made up her mind and said, "I'll buy one too. I'll ask my friends how to get a ticket."
There's been a lot of trouble going on outside lately, and motorcycles are always faster than bicycles, so you can get away quickly if something happens.
Actually, the main reason is that it's safer to follow Guan Yuehe.
"That's great! Let's make plans to leave work together from now on." Guan Yuehe said considerately, "It's safer to walk together."
Li Xuelian felt ashamed, as she was now entirely relying on Comrade Guan Yuehe for safety.
In the end, Chen Lizhong helped resolve the issue of obtaining the Jialing brand motorcycle tickets. He managed to get two tickets, originally intending to buy two motorcycles and arrange one for Lin Yiku as well, but Lin Yiku said she didn't need them for the time being, so the other ticket was sold to Li Xuelian.
They took the tickets to the store, paid the money and left with a receipt, and were told they would have to wait a month to pick up their cars.
This month-long gap is a good opportunity for them to find acquaintances with motorcycles to practice riding, so they can start driving as soon as they get their own motorcycles.
Guan Yuehe had done Li Xuelian a great favor, so she took the opportunity to ask Li Xuelian to do her a favor in return.
"Go ahead," Li Xuelian said in surprise. Was there something that Comrade Guan Yuehe couldn't do?
"I'd like you to help me keep an eye out for any suitable women you could introduce to my friends." Guan Yuehe then explained Ding Xuewen's personal information and his requirements for a partner.
"Your friend, with all these qualities, still can't find a partner?" Li Xuelian hesitated for a few seconds, then asked, "Is your friend alright?"
"Absolutely not!" Guan Yuehe swore to the badge on her chest. "I was delayed by going to the countryside before, and then I went to university. The school doesn't allow students to date while in school. Now that I've graduated and my job is stable, they've asked us friends to help me find someone."
Li Xuelian trusted Guan Yuehe's character and didn't question her further. But while Comrade Ding's conditions sounded good, they were also difficult to arrange!
"Everything else is easy to say, but it's really hard to judge whether someone loves reading."
Guan Yuehe clapped her hands, looking as if she had found a kindred spirit, and said, "Of course!!"
If we're talking about loving to read, she feels she does quite enjoy it now, but Ding Xuewen says she doesn't count. What kind of person is he looking for then? She thinks he just wants to be a bachelor for life and wants to keep them busy!
"If you see someone suitable, introduce them to him. If they're both interested, arrange for them to meet in the park, or maybe have a meal at a state-run restaurant, okay?"
She observed that the elderly people in the alley used the same procedures when introducing potential partners.
"Okay! Wait for my news. There are several suitable families in our coal mine's residential compound. I'll go and ask them. Oh, wait a minute, let's keep the good stuff in the family. Let me see if any of my relatives are suitable first." Li Xuelian joked, "So, liking comic books is also liking to read, right?"
Guan Yuehe laughed heartily and sent a letter to Ding Xuewen that very night to ask about the matter.
Although both are in Beijing, it will still take at least a day for Ding Xuewen to receive the letter.
Even faster than Ding Xuewen's reply came the replies from his college roommates.
Chunmei's handwriting is so strong it seems to penetrate the paper, revealing her excitement and joy when she wrote the letter:
"Yuehe! You actually had a daughter! Everything you do is a bolt from the blue! But I still want to congratulate you! Please give my regards to Comrade Lin Ting and wish her peace and good health! Enclosed is a red envelope of twenty yuan that I gave to Comrade Lin Ting, as a record of this letter. Please make sure that you pass it on to Comrade Guan Yuehe."
Guan Yuehe looked at the document with a smile and took out a remittance slip from the envelope, which showed that it contained twenty yuan.
The remittance purpose section reads: "To Comrade Lin Ting."
Guan Yuehe glanced down at Lin Ting, who was trying to suck her thumb, and waved the remittance slip in front of her. "This is from Aunt Chunmei."
Lin Ting looked up and glanced at it, then went back to eating her fingers.
As if by prior arrangement, her roommates included a red envelope for Lin Ting in their replies, and instructed her not to keep it.
Guan Yuehe snorted, "Me, that kind of person? I have plenty of money in my savings account."
Then he pinched Lin Ting's chubby cheeks, as if he were squeezing a piece of tofu that wouldn't break.
"The money is yours, but I'll take care of the favors from now on. You really know how to find a good mother, to have such a wonderful one like me."
Lin Tingyi ignored her, kicking her legs to express her dissatisfaction. Once her cheek was spared, she continued to suck her fingers.
Guan Yuehe looked up and remembered that Lin Yiku was also sitting by the kang (a heated brick bed). She immediately added, "You also look for your father. Comrade Lin Yiku is such a good father, it's rare to find one like him."
Lin Yiku nodded in agreement, saying seriously, "Indeed!"
"Hey, hey, look! Did Lin Ting just roll her eyes?" Guan Yuehe was so shocked that she forgot Lin Yiku's name for a moment.
"Yes, I saw it." Lin Yiku found it amusing. No wonder the elders said that even though Lin Ting was only two months old, they could tell at a glance that she was a clever little devil.
Guan Yuehe praised Lin Ting's cuteness again, lowered her head and kissed her chubby cheeks twice, her heart brimming with joy.
Just as Chunmei exclaimed in her letter that she had given birth to a daughter, she often lamented to Lin Yiku over the past two months: I actually gave birth to a baby!
She now has an additional responsibility.
But besides being Lin Ting's mother, she was also Comrade Guan Yuehe, who had work to do and knowledge to learn.
After writing replies to each of her roommates and putting them away, Guan Yuehe carried the tape recorder to the middle of her and Lin Yiku's desks.
It's time for today's study session.
—
Guan Yuehe waited in vain for Ding Xuewen's reply, so she called the local street office to look for him. After waiting for more than two hours, a staff member from the street office called back and said that Ding Xuewen had been sent out by his superiors to do a report and was not in Beijing.
While waiting for news, Guan Yuehe called Cheng Shuang to ask how her conversation with her boyfriend was going.
"It didn't work out. It's hard to explain in a few words. I'll come find you another day to talk about it."
Cheng Shuang seemed to be busy with something else. After agreeing on a specific time to come to her house, she quickly hung up the phone.
Guan Yuehe had a lot to say, but in the end she had to hold it all back for now.
On Sunday morning, Guan Yuehe waited for a while at the entrance of the alley and then saw Cheng Shuang carrying large and small bags in both hands.
Cheng Shuang called out to her from afar, "You can't lift it anymore, come and help!"
Guan Yuehe took them all and lifted them up easily. "Health is the foundation of everything. You need a healthy body to do research, right?"
"I'll exercise when I get back another day," Cheng Shuang said dismissively. Once she starts reading or doing research, she loses track of time.
"Buying so much?" Guan Yuehe looked at the things she was carrying in her hands and once again thought to herself that Comrade Lin Ting was benefiting from her!
"It's not all from buying. There are some books I no longer need, and I don't want to throw them away, so I'll just bring them to you."
"Isn't the dorm room you were assigned supposed to be quite spacious? If you can't even fit all these books in one room, how many books have you bought and piled up at home in the last two years?"
Guan Yuehe was truly impressed. Cheng Shuang, like her sister and Ding Xuewen, was an avid reader. So when she heard Cheng Shuang say that she hadn't been able to find a boyfriend, she thought of introducing her to Ding Xuewen.
If you get along, you can date; if you don't, you can still be friends.
But her idea was quickly shattered.
Upon entering the room, Cheng Shuang looked left and right but did not see Lin Ting.
“Her grandfather took her away early this morning, and she should be back by 10 o’clock.”
Not seeing Lin Ting and with no one else in the room, Cheng Shuang said, "My job has changed, and I have to return my dormitory to the school. I've almost packed everything up. I'll give these books to my junior classmates since they don't need them. After thinking about it, I decided to bring them to you."
Cheng Shuang thought for a moment and then said, "If you don't need it, just find a place to put it and I'll come back to get it from you when I get back."
Guan Yuehe's previous thoughts were all forgotten at this moment; she only wanted to ask her whether the job change was good or bad, and which unit she was being transferred to...
“That’s good. It’s good that you know I’m no longer a teacher at Peking University. It saves you from having trouble finding me when you write to me.” Cheng Shuang said, her voice lowering. “You don’t need to write to me anymore. We’ll talk about it when I get back.”
"Then we'll talk about it when you get back."
The two exchanged a glance; there was no need for further words.
As a military dependent, Guan Yuehe could guess the nature of Cheng Shuang's future work even without digging into the details.
Although they would be out of contact for a while, Guan Yuehe was still very happy.
“I have a friend named He Shuangshuang, the same as the Shuang in your name. She also changed jobs this year and went to another position.”
They are all doing the work they love.
—
When Ding Xuewen returned from his business trip, he was told that he was going on a spring outing with Lin Sitian and a few others on Sunday.
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