133 "Level 7 Worker"
Gu Yu was also good at reading the room. Seeing that her mother was on the verge of getting angry, she kept her mouth shut and pulled her uncle to go to the supply and marketing cooperative.
Guan Yuehua only gave one instruction: "Don't buy any more tin frogs!"
Gu Yu's eyes darted around. She tugged at her uncle's sleeve, urging him to hurry up and leave, before running out herself.
"..." Needless to say, she'll definitely bring back another tin frog. Guan Yuehua had a headache.
Jiang Guiying told her not to be too strict with the child, "She's only three and a half years old, how much do you expect her to be sensible? It's good enough if she can eat, sleep well and not cause trouble."
The family planning policy is much stricter now than before. Employees must apply for a birth permit from their employer before having a child, and they are only allowed to have one child. If they secretly have a second child and someone reports it to their employer, they will inevitably be fired.
Some women have a daughter as their first child and want to have a son, but they have to weigh whether a son or a job is more important. Most of them choose a job, so most of the children born in the last two years are only children.
He's their only child, and the whole family dotes on him. They'd give him anything good, let alone a tin frog. Unlike in the past, when raising children was simply about keeping them alive.
"There's a whole drawer full of tin frogs she bought!" Guan Yuehua hadn't realized how many toys there were before, but when she tidied up the house yesterday, she found the drawers in the small room almost overflowing with tin frogs. If she buys any more, she'll have to make room for another drawer for Gu Yu.
"You are not allowed to give her pocket money from now on."
Gu Mannian looked down at the shoe.
It's really not his fault. Who knew Gu Yu had so much pocket money? If he hadn't kept asking, he wouldn't have known. Every time his parents and his brother and sister-in-law saw Gu Yu, they would give her pocket money. She kept her mouth shut as if it were glued shut, and didn't say a word. She kept all the pocket money and used it to buy tin frogs and other snacks.
Jiang Guiying was also stunned. "I thought it was pocket money you gave her."
She also said that she gives her child pocket money but doesn't allow the child to spend it, isn't that a contradiction?
She really learned a lot from Yuehe when it comes to saving money.
"Achoo!"
Guan Yuehe sneezed; she wondered who had been talking about her.
—
The Lin family prepared a sumptuous meal to entertain Chen Lizhong at noon.
Chen Lizhong was quite good at performing; he immediately grabbed the spatula and cooked two dishes. Aunt Fang and Uncle Lin were already satisfied, and now they were laughing out loud with joy.
Lin Yiku had promised to be back before 2 p.m., so after dinner, Chen Lizhong stayed and sat there.
Thanks to Guyu's quick wit and discerning tongue, all her friends in Ginkgo Hutong know that Aunt Sitian has found a handsome and capable partner.
The neighbors in other courtyards, who were initially unaware of the situation, heard about it from their children and began making excuses to come over to courtyard number three, just to see who Lin Sitian had found.
Lin Sitian glanced at the neighbor who had come over to say hello again, exchanged a look with Chen Lizhong, and could only helplessly shrug: "Our neighbors in the alley all love to join in the fun."
Guan Yuehe, who was sitting next to her, raised an eyebrow. When it comes to joining in the fun, Comrade Lin Sitian is also one of the best in Ginkgo Hutong.
"It's good to be lively." Chen Lizhong thought to himself, this is nothing, the villagers of the whole brigade of Sidaogou love to join in the fun, much more noisy than the neighbors in Yinxing Hutong.
No sooner had she finished speaking than Lin Yiku returned. Upon entering the house, she first saw Guan Yuehe sitting next to Lin Sitian, then greeted Chen Lizhong, who was sitting on the small sofa, explaining that she had been away from home that morning.
Guan Yuehe nudged Lin Sitian, making her move aside to make room for Lin Yiku.
As soon as he sat down, he heard her whisper, "People are just waiting for you, their brother-in-law, to come back."
Once everyone in the family was present, Aunt Fang began to discuss serious matters with Chen Lizhong.
"Lizhong, since you've already mentioned it to your family and your parents support it, I'm thinking, why don't you and Sitian discuss a time, see when it's a good day, and have a meal together between our two families to settle things between you two as soon as possible?"
Chen Lizhong immediately looked at Lin Sitian, and seeing her nod, he suppressed his excitement and nodded as well, "Okay!"
Today's visit has come to a successful end.
As Lin Sitian saw him off at the alleyway, Lin Yiku reminded Guan Yuehe, "Should we still put the burlap sack over it?"
"What do you mean by 'wearing'?" Aunt Fang didn't hear clearly and turned to ask.
Guan Yuehe pinched him quietly, her expression unchanged. "It's nothing. He said he needs a new coat for the New Year."
"We'd better hurry, everyone loves getting Xu Laosi to make clothes for them, the orders are booked until after the New Year," Aunt Fang muttered. "His mother-in-law is retiring after the New Year, then we won't have to wait so long to get our clothes made..."
—
"You're back? How was it? What did Sitian's parents say?" Yang Shumin and Chen Fu urged Chen Lizhong to leave early in the morning, worried that he would be late, so they asked a relative with a car to give him a ride.
"We're thinking of finding a time for both families to have a meal together and talk about the wedding. Sitian and I have discussed it and we've decided to set it for the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, which is a Sunday. You and Sitian's family will all be off work then. Sitian might have to take half a day off, and her brother might not be able to make it either."
“No problem for us! We can take leave too. You can have Sitian choose a time that’s convenient for her and her family.” Yang Shumin immediately agreed.
"Are you all so afraid that I won't find a partner?" Chen Lizhong joked. "The kid next door to Sitian is praising me all over the alley for being good-looking, raising pigs, and making televisions."
Yang Shumin rolled her eyes at him, annoyed. "We're afraid they won't like you!"
For three years after returning to the city, they heard him mention "Lin Sitian" all the time. When they asked him if he was dating that woman, he said no. They thought that maybe the woman didn't like him, but he was still fixated on her.
Unexpectedly, he started dating Lin Sitian right after graduation!
When he bought the small courtyard house outside, they didn't think much about it. The distance between their home and the TV factory was far, and if he didn't buy a house outside, he would have to live in the factory dormitory.
Anyway, it's his own money, so he can spend it however he wants.
Hey! It's actually for future marriage planning!
Yang Shumin finally breathed a sigh of relief. Her family's butcher had finally found a girlfriend, and they no longer had to worry about him being a lifelong bachelor.
—
On the other end, Guan Yuehua was seething with anger.
Gu Yu went out with Guan Aiguo, and finally returned with Guan Yuehe.
Gu Yu held a tin frog in each hand, and she was quite proud of herself. Hiding behind Lin Yiku, she showed off, saying, "My uncle bought it, my aunt bought it."
Guan Yuehe couldn't bear to watch and didn't want to get involved, so she immediately changed the subject, "Qing... Sister, are you going to continue your postgraduate studies?"
Gu Mannian said when he came back last time that Guan Yuehua's teacher recommended that she start her postgraduate studies next semester, study for two more years, and graduate with a master's degree. He said that if she studies more thoroughly, she can still get a good job in the future.
Jiang Guiying and Guan Canghai also looked at Guan Yuehua. They were both worried. Why did they have to read so many books?
According to Zhang Ersao, graduating earlier makes it easier to get a good job. Zhang Desheng didn't graduate early, and he still hasn't been assigned a job.
Guan Yuehua glared at Guan Yuehe. No wonder Gu Yu always called her "the upright and just official" at home.
"Yes, I'll study for another two years." Guan Yuehua had already made her decision and discussed it with Gu Mannian. She came here today to tell her family.
She wanted to continue her studies, and although Gu Yu was sent to the preschool, Gu Mannian couldn't keep an eye on her all the time, so the help of the elders in the family was indispensable.
“Taking care of students during the Grain Rain season is nothing, it’s just your future job assignment…” If you study for another two years, you’ll be thirty-five by the time you graduate, and every year a batch of students graduate, so there won’t be any good positions left in companies then.
Guan Yuehua wasn't worried about this issue. "It'll just take an extra year to finish it all at once, saving me the trouble of further studies later."
As far as she knows, the degree regulations have been officially implemented, and now it seems that there is not much difference between undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, but who knows what the situation will be in the future?
As she spoke, she reminded Guan Yuehe, "You should also ask your teacher how to get your degree certificate."
When Guan Yuehe graduated, the degree regulations had not yet been issued, so she only received a graduation certificate.
Even if Guan Yuehua didn't say it, Guan Yuehe herself would still make time to go back to school.
Cheng Shuang wrote her a letter, specifically mentioning the matter of making up for the missing □□.
After listening, Guan Canghai tapped the table with his pipe. "So this degree certificate is equivalent to a technician's certificate? Primary school, upper primary school, junior high school, high school, vocational school, junior college, undergraduate, and then postgraduate, with postgraduate being the highest, which counts as a level seven technician?"
Guan Yuehua corrected: "Graduate students are divided into master's and doctoral students, which are equivalent to grade seven and grade eight workers."
"Alright, so you want to finish your studies and, like Yuehe, be a level seven worker?"
Guan Canghai may not understand the degree system, but surely he understands technical levels?
Guan Yuehe, a "seventh-level worker," couldn't help but laugh. The metaphor was quite simple and easy to understand. From now on, if someone asks her what level a "graduate student" is, she will say it is a seventh-level worker!
"That requires studying. A level 7 technician is rare even in a large factory; they're practically top-tier technical experts."
Jiang Guiying had just thought it would be better to graduate early and get a job assignment, but after hearing this, she felt it would be more worthwhile to study for two more years and get a "level seven worker" certificate. She even cited Zhou Hongqi as an example.
"Her master is the only eighth-level worker in the factory. In two years, when Zhou Hongqi gets her eighth-level worker certificate, the factory will also have to allocate a small villa for her to live in."
Although Zhou Hongqi is the only one earning a salary in her family, her income is equivalent to that of three ordinary workers. Since it's just the three of them, no one finds it surprising when she buys big-ticket items.
“In that case, we support you continuing your studies. You don’t need to worry about Gu Yu; she’s very easy to take care of.”
Guan Yuehua didn't argue. Even if they objected, it was useless; once she made a decision, she wouldn't change it. So she brought up another matter.
"Are we going to open a barbershop?"
Guan Canghai nodded, "I've already asked about the permit. I'll go to the Industry and Commerce Bureau to apply after the New Year. Once the permit is issued, I'll set up a stall in the alley."
Gu Mannian received Guan Yuehua's look and said, "Our factory rented that area of factory buildings, and there is a ring of empty houses around it. The factory plans to rent them to the children of factory workers who are unemployed. As long as they can get the necessary permits, they can apply to rent them and start a business."
Guan Canghai hurriedly asked, "Can we rent even if it's not a garment factory?"
“…No.” Gu Mannian pointed him to another path. “The car factory should also have a lot of idle assets. Why don’t you go to the factory and ask if there are any you can rent? If not, you can look for a suitable bungalow nearby and rent it to set up a barbershop.”
Setting up stalls at the entrance of the alley is not a long-term solution. If too many people set up stalls, it will obstruct the road and affect the appearance of the area. Perhaps the factory and the street office will stop allowing stalls in the future.
Besides, having a shop means you're protected from the wind and rain.
Taking advantage of his slight interest, Gu Mannian added fuel to the fire, "There are many people getting perms these days, so it's not easy to buy a new perm machine. But it's not hard to find a used one."
Guan Aiguo's eyes lit up. He was an expert at perming hair, so he immediately encouraged his father to rent a small house and open a barbershop.
Guan Canghai tapped him on the head with his pipe, "Don't overthink it, just work honestly at the factory barbershop."
Without employer reimbursement for medical expenses and hospitalization, or housing allocation, no matter how much you earn outside, it's not as good as having a secure job.
But he also started thinking about opening a barbershop. "I'll think about it some more."
Seeing that the adults had stopped talking, Gu Yu wanted to drag her mother to see her aunt's bang-bang machine.
Guan Yuehe pinched her chubby cheek and corrected her, "Washing machine!"
Because her first washing machine made a loud banging noise when she used it, Gu Yu called it the "bang-bang machine." Even though the new one isn't as loud, Gu Yu still hasn't corrected her name for it.
Gu Yu pretended not to hear and urged Guan Yuehua to get up again, "Mom, let's go see the bang-bang machine. Dad said we should buy one for our family too, but I don't want one."
It's too noisy; I can't hear the sound when I watch TV.
Guan Yuehe followed behind the mother and daughter, angrily saying, "That little rascal is so stubborn!"
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Guan Yuehe glared at Lin Yiku.
Lin Yiku replied truthfully, "Mom said that Guyu's stubbornness is exactly the same as yours."
Nonsense!
—
Guan Yuehua had spent almost the entire semester at school. She learned about the good things she found while building a public toilet in Yinxing Hutong, the fact that Lu Chang and Lu Yan were traitors and spies, and Guan Yuehe's act of bravery once again from Gu Mannian. This was the first time she had seen the newly built toilet at Guan Yuehe's house.
All I could hear was Gu Yu complaining about the washing machine; it seemed her daughter really didn't want another washing machine in the house.
Upon entering the room again and seeing the newspapers on the wall, her anger, which had subsided long ago, resurfaced.
Guan Yuehua really didn't understand why all the bad guys were running to Guan Yuehe. And Guan Yuehe, was she a police officer? Why was she always arresting bad guys?
"I think you should have been assigned to work at the Public Security Bureau back then!"
"Why should I? Wouldn't all my English and German learning have been for nothing? Spies don't speak foreign languages." Assigning her there would be such a waste.
Guan Yuehua was furious, unsure whether she was pretending not to understand or deliberately ignoring it.
The next second, Lin Yiku handed Guan Yuehe a glass of water, "Level 7 worker, have some water."
Her eyes were a warning to her to shut up, or she'd make her sister furious.
Guan Yuehe chuckled at his address, "Pour a glass for that future level seven worker too."
Gu Yu raised her hand, "I'm also a Level 7 worker! I want one too!"
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