062 Gift
Guan Yuehe successfully completed her translation work at the Canton Fair and returned to the guesthouse with two large bags of "trophies".
Although their exhibition area has closed, other areas such as textiles and agricultural products are still open. Staff who have completed their exhibition duties can still enter the exhibition area with their work badges.
Upon hearing this news, Guan Yuehe secretly lamented, "Why didn't I ask more questions?! Otherwise, I would have gone to explore at my leisure tomorrow!"
Just as Guan Yuehe was hesitating whether to continue browsing the exhibition area to spend the remaining money or wander around Guangzhou, a female colleague from the logistics department knocked on the door, bringing her good news.
"The results of this exhibition have been reported back to the factory. The factory leaders have unanimously decided to give half of the travel allowance to the comrades who participated in the exhibition in advance. Everyone, go downstairs to room 212 to find Section Chief Zhou to collect your allowance."
Guan Yuehe exclaimed in surprise, somewhat incredulous. She confirmed with the woman who knocked on the door before covering her mouth and secretly laughing.
"Then you should thank Deputy Factory Director Zhuang, who led the team this time. She specifically requested the factory to grant her permission after the report, saying that everyone had worked very hard and completed the work exceptionally well. According to factory regulations, no extra bonuses can be given, but it is still possible to give half of the travel allowance in advance so that everyone can bring some local specialties home."
Guan Yuehe nodded hurriedly, "I told you Deputy Factory Director Zhuang was brilliant, didn't I?!"
Zhang Xinbi patted her on the shoulder from behind, "Stop joking, hurry downstairs and collect your subsidy."
As the two went downstairs together, Zhang Xinbi thought for a moment and then asked with concern, "Is half a subsidy enough? You can borrow mine first."
"No, no!" Guan Yuehe shook her head violently. "I'm back in Beijing after my business trip. I still have to live my life."
The family has no savings left. Although she can receive her salary again in early April after returning home, she still needs to develop the photos, which will cost her money.
Zhang Xinbi found it amusing that this Comrade Guan was sometimes extravagant and sometimes quite shrewd in managing his finances.
However, considering what Comrade Xiao Guan said—that she only needs to take care of herself—it doesn't seem strange. Living alone behind closed doors means she can spend money as she pleases and save as she pleases; having no family burdens is truly carefree.
Guan Yuehe went down to sign and received the subsidy.
The factory covered all the expenses for this business trip, including clothing, accommodation, and transportation. It was a group trip, so they didn't need to pay out of pocket and then get reimbursed with receipts.
The subsidy only covers food expenses. Everyone has been paying for their own food in advance, and they have to exchange their food coupons for national food coupons before they can use them.
The one-yuan daily meal allowance might barely be enough for someone with a particularly large appetite.
For Guan Yuehe, it was essentially the same as saving money on meals when she went on a business trip.
It was almost a quarter of her monthly salary—not a lot, not a little. But it was enough.
Guan Yuehe decided to go to the textile exhibition area tomorrow and buy the other piece of fabric that she had gritted her teeth and given up on today!
I felt incredibly satisfied in that instant.
While taking a bath at the guesthouse, Guan Yuehe reluctantly forgave the fact that there was no bath attendant there.
The next morning, when Zhang Xinbi got up, she turned her head and saw that Guan Yuehe's small bed was empty. The quilt and pillow were folded into neat square blocks as always, without a single wrinkle.
If Xiao Guan didn't say that she was trained by her PLA roommates when she was in college, people would definitely guess that she came from the military.
"You're here again? I already told you you'd regret it when you got back. Why don't you go for the yellow one?"
After receiving a confirmation reply, the saleswoman cut the fabric for her while saying, "Our factory imported production equipment from abroad the year before last, and this year's output is a bit higher. You definitely can't buy this color anywhere else."
As Guan Yuehe listened, she took notes in her mind and even asked some of the salespeople at the booth to move over so she could take a picture of them.
When her photos are developed, they'll definitely make any vain person envious.
I received a ten-yuan subsidy, but I still had to pay ten yuan out of my own pocket to buy fabric.
Guan Yuehe didn't act impulsively again and slowly began to stroll through the exhibition area she hadn't finished visiting yesterday.
Seeing that she was carrying a camera, people assumed she was a reporter and gave her a lot of information about their factory's products.
Guan Yuehe didn't show it on her face, but inwardly she kept exclaiming: I've learned so much!
During the event, I also helped a salesperson at one of the booths with translation, which led to a small order and I received two silk scarves in return.
I've learned a lot this morning.
In the afternoon, Guan Yuehe, dressed in new clothes, followed the large group from the automobile factory to Liuhua Lake Park in Guangzhou for sightseeing.
With Zhang Xinbi present, Guan Yuehe was able to take many personal photos.
She found everything fascinating, except for the excessively humid weather in the south, which she found a little unbearable.
However, among the staff members from the car factory who participated in the exhibition, one of the men was from Guangzhou. He said that he had lived in Beijing for nearly ten years, but he still couldn't get used to the dryness of Beijing.
Before coming to Guangzhou, Guan Yuehe thought that Yinxing Hutong was a bit far from the Five Star Automobile Factory, Yinxing Hutong was very far from Peking University, and Beijing was very far from Shanghai.
Without this trip, Guan Yuehe couldn't have imagined what it meant to have such a vast territory as the motherland.
It's not just the distance, but also the different climates of the North and South. In Guangzhou, you can already wear a long-sleeved shirt on your own, while in Beijing you still need a sweater.
Guan Yuehe felt like a country bumpkin, and was gradually experiencing the world outside of Beijing, receiving different and new things, and filling in the gaps in her knowledge.
While she was still processing her recent findings and writing them down, Zhang Xinbi suddenly asked her if she wanted to go out together the next day.
Zhang Xinbi and Guo Xusheng planned to go shopping at a nearby department store.
Seeing Guan Yuehe nodding vigorously, Zhang Xinbi said with some regret, "The Friendship Store no longer supplies domestic customers and only serves foreign guests. Otherwise, we could ask our old classmates for foreign exchange certificates to go in and have a look."
Guan Yuehe asked in confusion, "Hasn't the Friendship Store always only served foreign guests?"
“It used to be available to foreigners. Guo Xusheng and I were often called upon to be translators and could even go around with them. But that stopped later. You had to have a passport to enter, and relatives and friends in China couldn’t come in with you.”
Guan Yuehe nodded; she had gained another piece of strange knowledge.
But she didn't think much of it. Since it wasn't available to the public anymore, she wouldn't have a chance to go inside anyway. To her, the Friendship Store wasn't as appealing as the department stores in Guangzhou.
The next morning, Guan Yuehe got up and packed her luggage. The two large bags of things she had bought were already organized and placed next to her luggage bag.
At first, it was just her, Zhang Xinbi, and Guo Xusheng. Later, one by one, they called out to each other, and most of the car factory's exhibitors went to the department store together.
Most people just browse around and only buy snacks to take with them in the car.
After all, everyone has already bought almost everything in the exhibition area, and buying things outside requires tickets, which is not cost-effective.
Buying just some biscuits and pastries wasn't enough, so everyone went to the state-run restaurant and practically bought all the steamed buns in the store.
Guan Yuehe received a lychee-flavored fruit candy from a female comrade, thought it was delicious, and turned back to buy a lot more.
They then rushed back to the guesthouse, just as they were about to head to the train station to return to Beijing.
No one felt reluctant to leave; everyone's face was beaming with smiles.
Some carried luggage bags, thinking that their families would be overjoyed to see the local specialties they brought back.
Some relaxed completely and laughed, "Finally, we're going back to Beijing. My face is so oily every day. If I were at home, I'd use more oil to cook than I do on my face every day."
Guan Yuehe sat in the last row and laughed heartily as she listened.
When she gets back, if her mother still complains that she used too much oil in her cooking, she will say that she has been away on a business trip for more than half a month and has almost lost all the oil in her body and needs to replenish it.
The comrade who had just spoken turned around at the sound of laughter. "Director Zhuang, you should give more suggestions to the factory leaders. In the future, we should arrange more young comrades to come to the Canton Fair. Young comrades are energetic. I see Comrade Xiao Guan all smiles every day, and it makes me feel better."
The person next to him chimed in, "That's right, young comrades adapt quickly. They eat well, drink well, and sleep well every day, so they have plenty of energy."
"The young comrades in the factory still need more training, and it's up to you older folks to take on more responsibility. But Comrade Xiao Guan is quite good; he truly lives up to his reputation as a child of our automobile factory."
Guan Yuehe accepted everyone's praise with composure.
Just listen to these words and let them pass.
She's a child of factory workers at the Five Star Automobile Factory, not a factory worker. If she performs well, everyone praises her and leaves a good impression, but she doesn't affect the work or interests of others in the factory.
If she were a worker at the Five Star Automobile Factory, according to the ideas of some of the older generation in the factory, they would only offer a few subtle compliments and then seriously advise her to guard against arrogance and impetuosity.
Unlike the leaders of the Zhuoyue Garment Factory, who showered her with compliments and then patted her on the shoulder, encouraging her to keep up the good work.
We arrived at the train station amidst laughter and chatter. While waiting for the train, people from other state-owned factories also came over. If we recognized someone, we would exchange a few pleasantries and ask how they fared at the Canton Fair.
Guan Yuehe never expected to run into the workers from the Northeast Tractor Factory who helped with the translation.
However, we weren't on the same train. I exchanged contact addresses with one of the women and warmly invited her to meet again when she was in Beijing or Harbin.
Guan Yuehe put away her notebook and waved to the green train that was slowly disappearing into the distance.
During this time, she added many contacts and addresses to her address book. Perhaps they would never meet again, or perhaps they would meet again someday in another place.
"Our vehicle has arrived. Everyone, please take your luggage and check carefully so that you don't forget anything."
Guan Yuehe looked down at her left hand, then at her right hand, and saw that she hadn't lost anything. She then followed Zhang Xinbi into the car.
Everyone was on tenterhooks when they arrived, worried that the deal wouldn't go well. On the return trip, everyone was laden with their earnings; this entire carriage was full of people from state-owned factories in Beijing, and now they were playing cards to pass the time.
It was another three-day journey back. Guan Yuehe put on the coat she had brought with her before leaving home before the train arrived at the station.
As I got off the bus, a gust of wind swept across my face; finally, the air wasn't damp anymore.
Wuxing Automobile Factory made a new breakthrough at this Canton Fair. The factory arranged a bus to pick people up, and Guan Yuehe rode along for a while. She got off the bus near Changhu Street and then walked home by herself.
Before he even reached the alley entrance, Ding Laowu came running towards him, tears streaming down his face, crying very pitifully.
Ding Laowu didn't see her and ran over crying. A little while later, Ding Dama and Ding Dasao came out after him, saw her, gave her a quick greeting, and then went to chase after her again.
Guan Yuehe, carrying her luggage, approached the elderly men and women from behind and asked curiously, "Why is Ding Laowu crying?"
“The factory’s technical school is now accepting applications, but with his grades, he’ll have a hard time getting into high school, let alone technical school. Ding Lao Er and Ding Lao San are unwilling to let him take over their jobs. There’s no other way! Aunt Ding wanted to use her connections to get him into the factory as an apprentice, but who knew that the factory has now issued a new regulation: only workers at level five or above are qualified to take on apprentices, and they can only mentor graduates from technical schools.”
Guan Yuehe: "...Then he's really unlucky."
One of the older women suddenly said mysteriously, "I suspect that the Ding family's fortunes all lie with Ding Laosi. You see, since he left, his family hasn't benefited from any good things, and one unpleasant thing after another has happened."
"Don't talk nonsense. What luck or anything like that? It's not like only their children went to the countryside. Many other families sent their children to the countryside too."
Auntie Er nodded in agreement, adding, "Staying in the city without a job is a burden now. Going to the countryside means you can at least earn some food, it's not bad. Besides, how far is the suburbs? Guiying's family goes back to their old home in the countryside during holidays, and they make a round trip in a day, don't they?"
“That’s right,” Guan Yuehe nodded in agreement.
"Oh dear!" Aunt Er looked up and saw her, and quickly nudged Jiang Guiying next to her, "Your daughter is back from her business trip to Guangzhou!"
Jiang Guiying paused for a moment, followed the gaze of the second aunt, and slapped her thigh in surprise. Forgetting to chat with the neighbors, she put down her work and pulled Guan Yuehe to walk towards the No. 2 courtyard.
The elderly folks also wanted to know what was going on Guan Yuehe's business trip, so they brought their little stools and followed along.
"Yuehe, the factory broadcasted some good news. They said you set new export and total transaction records at the Canton Fair. What exactly happened?"
Are our Five Star cars very popular? Which country orders the most?
"What does Guangzhou look like? Is the food good?"
"Yuehe, did you bring back a lot of good things from your business trip? I heard that other people who went to the Canton Fair were able to buy a lot of good things from other places. It broadened our horizons."
"......"
Surrounded by people, Guan Yuehe suddenly regretted listening to the gossip; she should have gone home to put her luggage away first.
Jiang Guiying stopped the neighbors, saying, "Come over and chat later. You've come all this way and are exhausted; you don't have the energy to talk."
Looking at Guan Yuehe's face, the neighbors thought to themselves, "She doesn't seem tired at all."
But since they've already spoken, we can't just force our way in; we can only disperse for now.
"Let's come again tonight!"
In reality, Guan Yuehe was truly exhausted.
As soon as I entered the house, I put my things down and lay down on the sofa.
She brought plenty of food and little luggage on the way there, so it was easy. But on the way back, she had a lot of stuff, and she had to be careful not to damage her camera and the porcelain she bought. After three days, she was exhausted.
"What do you want to eat?" Jiang Guiying patted her, telling her not to sleep yet, to eat and then quickly go to the bathhouse to scrub herself. "Why do you smell so strange?"
Guan Yuehe pointed to her duffel bag containing her clothes, "The strange smell is from inside."
During the exhibition, she accidentally stained half of her white shirt with soup, so she had to wash it. After it dried, it had a strange smell, and for the next few days she insisted on wearing only the other shirt.
If no one had pointed it out, it would have been fine, but once someone did, she looked down and sniffed, and indeed, she felt that her body smelled strange.
I couldn't lie down anymore, so I quickly got up. "I'm not too hungry yet, I'll go to the public bathhouse first."
She then pointed to two other bags, saying, "Some of them are things I bought, and some are things I bought for my friends. They're all mixed together. I'll sort them out when I get back."
"You can take care of your things when you get back," Jiang Guiying said, walking towards the kitchen in the back. "How about I cook you a bowl of noodles?"
"Okay, thank you, Mom! I brought you some good stuff. Wait until I take a shower and come back." As soon as she finished speaking, she packed her change of clothes and went out.
Jiang Guiying looked at the things in the house and could only go back home to get some greens and two eggs.
"Grandma, where's my aunt?" Jingjing ran back and looked around, but didn't see her.
"I went to the bathhouse, I'll be back soon." Jiang Guiying took her granddaughter's hand and led her to courtyard number two, then suddenly remembered, "Didn't you go to your aunt's house with your mother? Why did you come back by yourself?"
"My aunt and mom were at the supply and marketing cooperative when Dazhuang said my aunt was back, so I ran back!"
"Whose Dazhuang is this?" There are quite a few kids named Dazhuang in this alley.
"It's Dazhuang from Liu the matchmaker's family."
Jiang Guiying had just finished cooking the noodles and scooped them into a bowl when Guan Yuehe strode back.
She ate from a large bowl, while Jingjing held a small bowl and slurped her food, engrossed in her own meal.
The two, one big and one small, put down their bowls almost simultaneously and let out a satisfied burp at the same time.
"Tsk! Did you go hungry while you were on the business trip?"
"No, the food there is also delicious, but it's a little bit worse than home cooking."
After eating her fill, Guan Yuehe no longer felt tired and began to pack up the things she had brought back.
"The ready-made clothes are nice, but many of them are for export. They would be too conspicuous to wear, so I didn't buy them."
"This is lotus root starch, I heard it's very nutritious. It's too expensive, so I only bought this much."
"This is for you, and that's for my eldest sister," Guan Yuehe said, pointing out where the gifts were as she took them out. "They're for my eldest sister-in-law and second sister-in-law, oh, and that one's for my aunt..."
Jiang Guiying and Jingjing squatted to the side, watching her keep taking things out of the bag. Their eyes widened as they looked: She actually brought back so many?
Before long, the items behind were no longer bought by Guan Yuehe.
"He Shuangshuang said she wanted Dacron fabric from Guangzhou, and Xie Dongxue and Lin Sitian both asked me to buy it for them, so I bought Dacron and silk. Xu Cheng gave me all the money to buy milk powder. This stuff is rationed and especially expensive. When I stood in front of their booth, all I could smell when I took a breath was the aroma of milk..."
Guan Yuehe couldn't stop talking about her purchasing experience at this exhibition, her face full of excitement.
"If the car factory sends me there again next year, I'll definitely bring a lot more money with me!"
Jiang Guiying was happy just now looking at the sofa full of rare things, but now when she heard Guan Yuehe mention money, she couldn't help but feel sorry for herself when she thought about how much money these things must have cost.
She had previously thought her younger daughter wasn't like her older sister, spending money lavishly. Turns out, there just hadn't been a good place for her to spend money freely before.
"Here, these are for you and Dad. You can take these with you too, sister-in-law." Guan Yuehe stuffed the things into Jiang Guiying's arms, then took out ten colorful hair ties from a small bag next to her for Jingjing, and a small wooden cart for Weiwei.
Jiang Guiying thought to herself, "There are hair ties for sale outside. They just come in a few more colors. Why bother buying them all the way from Guangzhou?"
The next second, Jingjing excitedly spun around on the spot, "Thank you, Auntie!"
Jiang Guiying then fell silent.
As soon as Jingjing received the gift, she couldn't wait for her grandma to help her tie it on, and then she ran to the alley entrance to wait for her friends to come home from school.
Guan Yuehe put her things away, and soon after, the workers from the car factory returned home from get off work.
Lin Sitian went straight to Courtyard No. 2, cheered loudly for a while, and then went home with a bag of things on her face.
In the evening, the neighbors stopped going to the alley entrance to listen to the radio and instead brought their small stools to Guan Yuehe's house, saying they wanted to hear about her personal experience at the Canton Fair.
Surrounded by her neighbors and facing dozens, even hundreds, of curious eyes, Guan Yuehe suddenly felt a little embarrassed. She felt like a teacher about to give a lesson.
Where to begin?
Guan Yuehe only thought for a few seconds before deciding to start with the first humid air she smelled upon arriving in Guangzhou by train.
The discussion covered Guangzhou's climate and cuisine, the daily trading volume during the Canton Fair, and the wide array of products in other exhibition areas.
Guan Yuehe felt that people might not be interested in products from other places, but when they heard that they could buy things in the exhibition area without tickets, their interest would immediately spring up.
Those shining eyes were exactly the same as hers back then!
After she finished speaking, Guan Yuehe went inside and gave each person a lychee-flavored fruit candy that she had brought back from Guangzhou.
"Is this what lychee tastes like?"
"Yuehe, have you eaten any fresh lychees?"
Guan Yuehe wanted to eat, but there was nothing available; she couldn't even buy canned lychees.
This was one of the small regrets she had about her trip to Guangzhou.
After the sharing session ended and the crowd gradually dispersed, the No. 2 courtyard returned to quiet.
Some people listened and moved on, some envied Guan Yuehe for being able to participate in the Canton Fair despite not being a car factory worker, and others said sourly: "Foreign languages can be useful now?!"
After Guan Yuehe graduated from university, she entered the planning department, but after half a year back, there was still no sign of her being promoted. Some people whispered that she had wasted three years by being recommended to go to university.
If she didn't go to school and worked in the factory for three years, she might get promoted. Like her brother-in-law, Gu Mannian, who became the deputy head of the purchasing department, right?
Unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better when their car factory gave her the opportunity to participate in the Canton Fair as a translator, adding another achievement to her resume.
"What can you do? She was just lucky. Humph!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than the person squatting next to him suddenly stood up and shone a flashlight over.
"She got into the garment factory because she was lucky, she got a house because she was lucky, she caught a thief because she was lucky, she was recommended to go to university because she was lucky, and she even got to participate in the Canton Fair because she was lucky. It was all luck. Didn't she work hard? You're so jealous!"
"Lin Sitian, if you hurt my eyes, I'll make your parents pay for it!"
"Go ahead! I'll tell Yuehe tomorrow that you were talking bad about Xu Xiaomei in the bathroom, and see if she beats you up!"
"Are you crazy?! When did I say anything bad about her? If you've got the guts, fight me, and don't call for backup!"
"I'll shout it, and I'll only shout Yuehe!"
The people outside the toilet stopped abruptly and shouted inside, "Yuehe, if you want to fight, come outside! It's too dangerous to fight in the toilet!"
They didn't want to be caught in the fight.
Guan Yuehe, who had been persuaded not to fight, was already fast asleep on the kang (a heated brick bed).
I accidentally rolled over and suddenly woke myself up with a fright. I touched the side and realized I wouldn't roll off, so I closed my eyes and went back to sleep peacefully.
"Oh my! Comrade Xiao Guan, it's been a long time!" The gatekeeper teased her again, asking if she remembered where the bicycle shed was.
Comrade Xiao Guan chuckled, took a few lychee candies from his bag and placed them on the table in the guardhouse, then negotiated with the guard, "Let bygones be bygones, okay?"
"No problem." The gatekeeper smiled and accepted the candy.
After being borrowed for two whole months, Guan Yuehe received a warm welcome from her colleagues upon her return.
Section Chief Lin went to great lengths to praise the company, saying that Wuxing Automobile Factory had achieved excellent results at the Canton Fair, and that Comrade Xiao Guan had also contributed to these achievements...
Comrade Xiao Guan had just curled the corners of his mouth when he turned around and received a work assignment from Section Chief Lin.
Comrade Xiao Guan could only quickly immerse himself in his work.
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