134 Retirement
"Machine Gun" Gu Yu is finally going home with her parents.
Guan Yuehe stood at the entrance of the alley and watched the family of three walk away before she breathed a sigh of relief. She couldn't even imagine how much they must talk every day at home, chattering on and on without end.
Just as they were about to go home, they discovered that Ding Laosan's family of four was moving furniture to the gatehouse of No. 2 Courtyard, which was the house where Lu Chang and Lu Yan used to live.
The Ding family of four were practically invisible in courtyard number three; they would keep quiet as long as possible. It was unexpected that they were the ones assigned this room.
The neighbors from Courtyard No. 2 came out to help one after another. Obviously, none of them knew Ding Laosan well, and Ding Laosan and his wife were also very reserved. Their thanks were barely audible. The two of them were like old oxen that could not speak, only knowing how to work.
The eldest son and his wife brought them two bags of grain and even gave them a pot. No one else in the family showed up.
The Ding family moved out, and the vacated house was definitely given to Ding Laowu.
Luo Guifang asked Sister-in-law Ding, "Has your daughter Dingxiang not started her holiday yet?"
Her son, Baoyu, had a holiday last week, but he only came back for two days before going to the hospital for his internship with his teacher. He has been staying in the hospital dormitory recently.
“She applied to stay on campus, which is perfect since there aren’t any extra rooms at home for her. It would be better for her to stay in the dormitory when she comes back.”
The whole family used to live here, but now that Ding Laosan's family has moved out, why is there no place for Dingxiang to sleep?
Luo Guifang opened her mouth, then closed it again.
Thinking to myself, maybe Dingxiang would prefer to live at school.
Guan Yuehe also thought so.
Turning around and going home, Guan Yuehe took a pen and made marks on the Chinese almanac.
You don't know until you remember, and then you're shocked.
“Next Sunday, my uncle’s family is having a wedding banquet, and Ding Xuewen said he’d like to treat us to dinner… We’ll just give a gift and not go to my uncle’s house for dinner.” Guan Yuehe made the decision immediately and crossed the wedding banquet out of the way.
"On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, I had dinner with Chen Lizhong's family. Cheng Shuang came to visit on the first day of the Lunar New Year. Oh, and Shuangshuang too; she also invited us and Dongxue. Did Zhong Sheng also invite us to dinner...?"
There's quite a lot going on.
Speaking of He Shuangshuang, Guan Yuehe recalled what her sister had said.
He Shuangshuang did not join the Ministry of Foreign Trade, nor did she stay at the school as a teacher as Mo Zhinan's family had hoped. Instead, she chose to go to the government office.
I heard that He Shuangshuang and Mo Zhinan had a fight because of this, and everyone in the family compound was spreading rumors. Some people even said that He Shuangshuang is now capable enough to dump Mo Zhinan and find someone else.
That's outrageous.
Lin Yiku stood behind her, watching her flip through the pages of the almanac, arranging meeting times for her friends.
He was fortunate that she still had many friends scattered all over the country; if they all came to Beijing, Director Guan probably wouldn't be able to meet them all.
Guan Yuehe then remembered something else: "I almost forgot to write to Chunmei. If she attends the Spring Canton Fair, we can meet in Guangzhou."
Meanwhile, Chunmei, who was packing her bags to go home, sent out her last letter of the year, intending to show off to her classmate Guan Yuehe that she would continue to participate in the Canton Fair.
—
As the year draws to a close, my workplace is actually busier than ever.
Guan Yuehe had already scheduled a business trip for March, and she was gradually distributing her work to Gao Zhiyuan and two other new colleagues.
Before the holiday, she made another trip to the Five Star Automobile Factory, again for the joint venture project.
This time, it wasn't just their own people; representatives from foreign companies also came. The two negotiating teams were getting heated, banging on the table, and the situation reached a stalemate again.
I really don't know when we'll be able to reach an agreement.
Gao Zhiyuan, who came with her, breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm really afraid that the argument will turn into a fight."
Guan Yuehe said, "It's not that bad. There are many more infuriating situations than this, and we didn't have to lift a finger."
Last time, she was temporarily reassigned to assist the import and export management office with negotiations. The other side was a Japanese guy who looked like he was about to get beaten up, but she and her colleagues were able to speak calmly. This time, the other side was an overseas Chinese, so at least he didn't look so annoying.
But when he got home that night, Lin Yiku watched her grit her teeth and read foreign language materials. He couldn't understand the strings of English, but he felt like she was cursing.
After the power went out, probably because he was still angry and couldn't sleep, he sat up and said he wanted to arm wrestle with him.
No need to guess, it must be because of work-related frustrations that's been building up. But the two of them are remarkably in sync when it comes to work-related matters; if something can be discussed, they'll talk about it when they get home that day, and if they don't mention it, it's just something they can't say, so there's no need to ask.
Lin Yiku was speechless. She sat on his lap and arm wrestled with him, clearly not intending to give him a chance to win.
Sure enough, Guan Yuehe pressed both of his hands down on either side of the pillow, feeling much better. She then rolled over and pulled the blanket back up.
She fell asleep within two minutes of saying "sleep".
If they really went to arm wrestle, and she lost even once tonight, she might have to make pancakes on the kang (a heated brick bed), rolling back and forth between the two ends of the kang all night.
The next morning, Guan Yuehe discovered that Lin Yiku was secretly laughing at her!
That laugh is so annoying, no wonder Sitian has urged her to beat him up several times.
Before we knew it, it was the day before the Spring Festival holiday.
After finishing the last bit of work, Guan Yuehe carried the rice, flour, cooking oil, and other supplies provided by her workplace downstairs.
She also borrowed a cardboard box from the gatekeeper so she could pile all her things in it and make it easier to transport them back.
Halfway through my bike ride, I spotted two familiar figures in the distance. It made me feel a pang of sadness, so I pedaled up to greet them: "Hey, Dad, Uncle Ming, got your chain broken?"
Guan Canghai turned around and saw it was his youngest daughter. He waved his hand, signaling her to ignore them and go first.
Guan Yuehe had already gotten out of the car. She tilted her head and leaned closer to him to take a closer look, wanting to see Grandpa Ming, but Grandpa Ming had already turned his head to the other side.
Guan Canghai met his little daughter's big, round eyes, and with a mix of amusement and exasperation, pushed her head away. This girl could be really annoying sometimes; no wonder his wife and eldest daughter always said she was asking for trouble.
"You two were wiping away tears on the street in the middle of snow. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought something terrible had happened to you."
"What do you mean by wiping away tears? The snowflakes are blowing right into my eyes, and the wind is making my eyes hurt!" Guan Canghai retorted hastily.
"Yes, yes, the wind and snow are heavy today," Guan Yuehe replied perfunctorily.
"It's just retirement today, isn't it?" These two old men are strangely sentimental.
Guan Canghai and Grandpa Ming finished their last day of duty today and completed their retirement procedures.
They all joined the Wuxing Automobile Factory in 1951 and worked there for nearly thirty years. Their working lives came to an end before the Spring Festival of 1982.
The two old men rode their bikes for half the journey, then switched to pushing them, slowly recounting the past thirty years.
Halfway through the count, Guan Yuehe suddenly appeared behind them, insisting on walking with them pushing the cart, saying she wanted to hear about the old workers' glorious past.
If you can't get rid of her, what else can you do? You can only let her stay with you.
"Go ahead and tell me, I'm listening." Guan Yuehe said as if she were tuning into a radio station, and even made a special request to start from the beginning.
Grandpa Ming still remembers the scene when his family first moved here. "I remember you were just over a month old then, and you looked like a little mouse. Your father was worried that you wouldn't survive, so he asked me if he could save some meat soup for you to take home."
Changing the subject, Grandpa Ming chuckled and continued, "You've grown into such a big guy in the blink of an eye! One day I saw you at the alley entrance, and I even asked your father, 'Your Yuehe went to work at the meat station?'"
Back then, only the people working at the meat processing plants could keep themselves healthy and strong.
Guan Yuehe's hearty laughter echoed through the snow-covered streets.
The two old men would tease each other about their shortcomings one moment, and then reminisce about how much they had witnessed over the past thirty years.
Guan Yuehe, who has grown up over these thirty years, also shares many similarities.
They were talking about the development of the Five Star Automobile Factory over the past thirty years, while she was thinking about her own growth.
As they approached the alley entrance, Grandpa Ming wiped his face and said, "That's enough. Our mission is complete. From now on, it's your generation's responsibility."
Guan Yuehe laughed and said, "What are you saying? Didn't you and my father say that you still want to contribute after retirement? I've already thought of the signature dishes for your restaurant, and now I'm just waiting for it to open."
Grandpa Ming snorted, "I never said I was going to open a restaurant. I think you're the only one with a sweet tooth."
She also complained to Guan Canghai, "You should also talk to her. It's one thing to bring your own food to my door and ask me to cook, but to bring your whole family along is outrageous!"
Guan Canghai pretended not to hear and exclaimed, "We're home, Lao Ming. How about you make a couple of snacks to go with your drinks sometime and come over for a couple of drinks?"
"Add one more, Uncle Ming, I'll have a couple of drinks with you too."
Grandpa Ming: "..." These two are just as awful.
With Guan Yuehe interjecting halfway through, their initially gloomy mood gradually dissipated.
They waved goodbye at the entrance of the alley and went back to their own homes.
It was just another ordinary day off work, and the next morning I would still join the cyclists on my way to work.
Guan Yuehe, who still has many years until retirement, doesn't feel sad at all; she's just being envious again.
Without comparison, you wouldn't know how generous the holiday gifts from Wuxing Automobile Factory and Zhuoyue Garment Factory were; they were both more than what her workplace gave out.
There's no way around it; these days, state-owned factories, especially those that are profitable, offer better benefits than government employees.
Gu Mannian, who came to deliver the holiday gifts in advance, said, "It's perfect time for you to go back to the factory now. You can catch the Spring Canton Fair in March. Our factory is short of people who understand foreign languages."
As soon as he finished speaking, Guan Yuehua pinched his ear, and Gu Yu laughed at him from the side.
Author's note: Time for bed.
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