Chapter 29, 029 Quotas
Guan Yuehe was repeatedly warned not to send anything to her father, and she obediently agreed, saying that she would absolutely not send anything.
As Guan Canghai watched his second daughter slip away, fearing his wife would nag endlessly, he urged her to hurry up and start eating, as he still had to bring food to his youngest son later.
The National Day cultural performance is scheduled for tonight. Guan Yuehua is the announcer, and instead of going home after work, she stayed at the factory to prepare. Her youngest son received a task from home: to run to the factory auditorium after school to reserve a seat, and for his family to bring him lunch.
Guan Yuehe has a performance to give, so naturally she goes to her own factory.
Jiang Guiying and Lin Yufeng didn't want to go out and cause trouble, so they chose to take their two children to the Zhuoyue Garment Factory to watch a performance.
But unlike some people who line up early to reserve a spot, they could only stand at the very back and look around on tiptoe.
I watched more than a dozen programs, but I still didn't see Guan Yuehe.
Jiang Guiying was puzzled. "Wasn't it said that their factory's program was scheduled first? Why didn't I see her? Could it be that the program was canceled?"
"They're here! The announcer says the next program is from the factory," Lin Yufeng reminded them.
Jiang Guiying continued to tiptoe and patted the tall man in front of her on the shoulder, "Young comrade, bend down, it's my daughter's performance later."
Upon hearing this, the tall man asked in surprise, "Auntie, is your daughter from the factory office? Could she be Comrade Xiao Guan?"
"Yes, yes! Guan Yuehe."
"Then I'll switch places with you. Comrade Xiao Guan has helped out in our sales department quite a bit."
Jiang Guiying wanted to say something modest, but the show had already started, so she quickly shut her mouth and watched attentively after changing seats.
Upon seeing this, he couldn't stop smiling.
People around laughed, "That lady on the far right in the last row is dancing so cheerfully!"
With her two rosy cheeks, big white teeth, and smiling eyes that crinkle into crescents, she still managed to attract the audience's attention even when standing on the very edge.
The program received several rounds of applause, but it still fell short of winning an award among many excellent programs.
The comrades in the factory office were not discouraged; being able to complete the performance smoothly was a victory in itself.
Guan Yuehe, in particular, was praised highly by Xie Dongxue as soon as she stepped off the stage, who said she danced exceptionally well.
Guan Yuehe breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn't kept up at first, but then she got into it and thought she was dancing pretty well.
We finally got through this show!
When I got back that night, everyone in the alley was talking about the performances from various factories.
The performance at the Five Star Automobile Factory tonight almost went wrong, but Comrade Guan Yuehua, the announcer, quickly came up with a clever solution and averted the crisis, earning praise from the factory leaders and the title of outstanding announcer.
The Zhuoyue Garment Factory also put on quite a few interesting performances, including Comrade Guan Yuehe's Yangko dance. Even though it didn't win any awards, it was very cheerful and festive, and just mentioning it makes you laugh.
After watching the program, Guan Yuehe ran home to wash up and go to bed, unaware that she had gained the image of a "happy silly girl" in Ginkgo Hutong.
At 5:30 a.m. on National Day, before dawn, Guan Yuehe got up to wash and took a flashlight for light.
As she ran to the alley entrance to use the restroom, the flashlight shone on her, revealing a pale face. Guan Yuehe immediately gripped the flashlight tightly, her face stern, and said, "If it's a person, say something!"
Chang Zhengyi, forced to turn his back due to the swaying, exclaimed: "...It's me!"
Guan Yuehe switched the flashlight to her other hand, wiped the sweat from her palms on her trouser leg, and muttered, "Playing tricks at the toilet entrance, are you crazy?!"
Chang Zhengyi didn't retaliate. Seeing that it was Guan Yuehe who came, he breathed a sigh of relief. Still standing at the entrance of the men's restroom, he was a little unsure. "I think I saw... uh, a person dressed in white float into the restroom when I came out."
Guan Yuehe turned around and glanced at him. "If you're nearsighted and don't wear glasses, can you tell a person from a dog when you look this way from the alley entrance?"
"I really saw it!"
Guan Yuehe withdrew her foot, hesitating whether to wait for someone outside or go home to find someone to go with her. Suddenly, she saw Song Gong'an and Cai Ying bringing Northwest and Southwest over, and she felt relieved.
Song Gong'an had served in the army, and even if there were unclean things in the toilet, he would still give way to the People's Liberation Army.
What are you two doing standing here?
"Just arrived." Guan Yuehe rushed into the toilet.
Chang Zhengyi followed behind Song Gong'an, glancing around as they entered the restroom to see if there was any trace of a white cloth. Now, he was starting to doubt whether he had misread it.
Guan Yuehe didn't take the little incident in the morning to heart. After tidying up, she locked the doors and windows of her house and went to the neighboring No. 3 courtyard.
We have two bicycles at home, and we borrowed one from Grandpa Lin.
Guan Canghai rode a bicycle with Guan Aiguo sitting on the front bar and Jiang Guiying on the back. Guan Jianguo and Lin Yufeng rode one bicycle with their two children, while the other bicycle was ridden by the sisters Guan Yuehe and Guan Yuehua, who were also responsible for carrying the newly bought radio.
My hometown is far away, almost across the entire city of Beijing. I have to take a bus first, then ride a bicycle to the village under the production team in the suburbs.
There were an unusually large number of people traveling today. If they hadn't left early, they probably wouldn't have been able to squeeze onto the bus, not to mention having to bring their bicycles along as well.
After a bumpy ride to the suburbs, Guan Yuehe was still full of energy, while Guan Yuehua felt nauseous from the various smells in the car and her head was spinning.
Seeing that she was dizzy but still wanted to ride the bike, Guan Yuehe gripped the handlebars tightly and firmly refused, "If you want to fall into the ditch, just jump in. I'm not going to go with you."
Guan Yuehua, feeling dizzy and weak, didn't have the strength to argue with her. She could only sit in the back, holding the radio in one hand and her sister's waist in the other.
Everything was fine at first, but after a while, Guan Yuehua heard her father and older brother calling from behind, "Wait! Wait!"
When she turned around, they had already sped off quite a distance. Guan Yuehe, who was riding the bicycle, showed no sign of slowing down.
"Wait for Dad!"
"What did you say? I can't hear you!" Guan Yuehe pedaled the bike hard again, finally finding a wide space to unleash her full strength.
After stopping and waiting for a while, Guan Yuehe saw that the person was catching up, so she dashed off again.
The rest of the Guan family: "..."
I set off from Ginkgo Alley at six o'clock and arrived at the Harvest Production Team at nine o'clock.
Guan Canghai and Guan Donglin look alike, and even though Guan Canghai doesn't come back often, the locals recognize him at a glance.
Knowing that Guan Weiguo, the brigade leader's son from Guandonglin, had invited his girlfriend over today, no one was surprised to see Guan Canghai return.
I'm a little surprised that Guan Canghai's two daughters have grown into young women.
Guan Yuehe rode ahead with practiced ease, making two turns before slowing down when she saw a yard with a crooked apple tree at the entrance. Just then, she met Guan Weiguo, who had just stepped out of the yard.
"Second Brother!"
Guan Weiguo stepped forward excitedly, "So early?! My mom said you wouldn't arrive until at least ten o'clock."
"The road was clear today."
Guan Yuehua was speechless. With the way she rode, every road would be smooth sailing for her.
Guan Canghai and Guan Jianguo were both covered in sweat when they arrived. Guan Aiguo and Weiwei, who were sitting on the front bar, were rubbing their buttocks. The uncle and nephew complained in hushed tones that their fathers were riding too fast and that their buttocks were hurting from the bumpy ride.
As soon as they arrived, their aunt came out to greet them, saying, "Weiguo, go and call your father back."
"The commune has given us the task, and the brigade cadres went to a meeting early in the morning and then went to the back mountain. You all sit down, I'll boil some more water."
Guan Yuehe didn't feel tired, and followed Guan Weiguo out to find her uncle.
After they returned and rested for only a few minutes, Guan Weiguo's girlfriend's family arrived.
Guan Weiguo's girlfriend is named Li Qiuyue, a very poised and elegant girl.
They met through the introduction of the commune's women's federation director. After meeting twice, they both thought the other was quite nice, which is why their parents were arranged to meet today.
Li Qiuyue was lively and about the same age as Guan Yuehua and Guan Yuehe. After they met and got to know each other, they sat down and chatted.
Guan Weiguo was pushed aside, awkwardly rubbing his hands, listening to his girlfriend and her sisters talk.
Actually, it was mainly Li Qiuyue and Guan Yuehua who were talking.
Although Guan Yuehua may be quick to yell at anyone when she's unhappy, she can be quite gentle when she really wants to make friends.
Both of them love nice clothes and think the other makes good clothes. When they talk about making clothes, they can talk endlessly.
On the adults' side, the commune women's federation cadres acted as matchmakers, finding topics to discuss and laying out the situations of both sides so that everyone could understand the situation.
Although the matchmaker was a member of the commune's women's federation, the Li family was worried that the matchmaker might say that the person in question was of bad character, so before they came, they asked a relative to help them find out about Guan Weiguo.
After learning why he hadn't been able to find a partner for so long, they were afraid that the family would continue to cause trouble and ruin the relationship, leaving Qiuyue in a bad position.
But Guan Weiguo is indeed a good catch, and since his daughter has taken a liking to him, they have no choice but to come and take a look.
As for the Guan family, both Guan Donglin and his wife, and Guan Canghai and his wife, thought Li Qiuyue was a good girl. The Li family were also reasonable people and were even more satisfied.
Both parties were interested and quickly got down to business, discussing how much dowry to give and when to get married.
Neither family was stingy, and after agreeing on the bride price, they set the wedding banquet for New Year's Day.
It's not the off-season for farming yet, and people in the countryside don't have fixed days off every Sunday, so they chose a day when Guan Canghai and the others were free and it was during the off-season for farming.
Guan Yuehe, watching from the sidelines, was amazed: They've already reached an agreement?!
It was so fast that she found it unbelievable.
But upon closer reflection, many people around us are actually like this: after being introduced by someone, they meet once and feel they are a good match, so they establish a relationship. After meeting twice more, it's time to meet the parents and discuss marriage.
It was something perfectly normal, yet she felt a little scared.
But she quickly came to terms with it: she wasn't in a hurry to find a partner, so there was no need to panic for the time being.
When the brand-new radio was brought out, it drew many exclamations, and quite a few people from the village came over to join in the excitement. But it wasn't time yet, and the broadcast hadn't started.
She listened to Aunt Zhao's radio quite often and knew that there were three times a day when she could hear the broadcast: 5 a.m., 11 a.m., and 6 p.m. In winter, the times would be adjusted slightly.
The Li family seemed even more pleased that a radio had suddenly been provided for the young couple to use after their marriage.
The lunch was sumptuous, and after the meal, the marriage was considered to be tentatively settled.
After seeing the Li family off, Guan Canghai's family also prepared to go home. If they stayed any later, they feared they wouldn't be able to catch the bus.
When they came, the front of the car was covered with large and small bags, and when they returned, it was also covered with large and small bags, all picked from the mountains of the production team. There was a bag of chestnuts in it. Before she even got home, Guan Yuehe was already thinking about where to get a chicken.
"I'll deliver the apples to the city after I pick them," Guan Weiguo said, helping to tie the things to Guan Yuehe's cart.
“Okay, let Sister Qiuyue go to the city to play too.” As soon as Guan Yuehe finished speaking, she saw her second brother blush again.
After the elders finished speaking, Guan Yuehe turned around and beckoned her eldest sister to get in the car.
Guan Yuehua shook her head, "Guan Aiguo, you come and ride in your second sister's car."
Guan Aiguo was more than happy to oblige. He sat in the back seat, and as his father and eldest brother set off, he excitedly raised his fist: "Second sister, charge!"
As their vehicle sped past the others, the road from the production team to the commune was filled with Guan Aiguo's shouts of "Ah ah ah!"
"Shut up! If you shout again, I'll kick you off the plane!" Guan Yuehe's ears hurt from his noise.
Guan Aiguo tactfully pursed his lips, then turned back and smiled smugly at his elder brother.
After the round trip, even if Guan Yuehe was incredibly strong, she had exhausted herself. When she got home, she sat on the sofa and kept yawning.
But Lin Sitian came running excitedly to tell her about the gossip in Courtyard No. 2 today, and her sleepiness vanished.
"Why did he have to go back to his hometown today? Who knew! Tsk tsk tsk!"
After expressing her feelings, Lin Sitian got to the point: "Chang Zhengyi's girlfriend's family came to the door, wanting to discuss the wedding arrangements with Uncle Chang and Aunt Zhao. Aunt Zhao was so angry that her heart ached, and Brother Chang and Sister-in-law Chang were both called back."
Guan Yuehe, scratching her head in confusion, interrupted her and asked, "So, Chang Zhengyi and his partner are definitely getting married?"
"It's confirmed! It was Brother Chang who agreed. Aunt Zhao didn't want to, but Brother Chang persuaded her. I just don't understand, Brother Chang actually agreed so easily?!"
Chang Zhengyi's older brother, Chang Lixin, works at the Municipal Finance Bureau and is now a deputy section chief. He's considered quite successful in Ginkgo Hutong.
Aunt Zhao is usually the one who has the final say at home, but she listens to her eldest son, Chang Lixin. So, if Chang Lixin nods in agreement, even if Aunt Zhao is not satisfied, she might still agree.
"Then their family must be having a happy event soon." Chang Zhengyi is even younger than her, and he's already getting married! Guan Yuehe sighed, "I always felt like I was still a long way from getting married."
What a coincidence.
Lin Sitian thought so too.
Less than a week later, Chang Zhengyi brought his girlfriend, Cao Lili, to his home for a formal visit.
Many people were curious and speculated that Aunt Zhao would kick Cao Lili out or embarrass her. But Aunt Zhao didn't do as they expected. Although she couldn't greet Cao Lili cheerfully, she still maintained proper etiquette and spoke to her politely.
"Chang Zhengyi's girlfriend's family isn't anything important. Her father and brother are both factory workers, I heard they're just ordinary workers at a shoe factory. That girl is currently unemployed. How could Aunt Zhao just agree to Chang Zhengyi finding such a partner?"
"You haven't found out everything. That girl and Chang Zhengyi were in the same class in junior high and high school, and they've known each other for several years. They've probably been dating behind their families' backs for a while now. Do you think you can just break them up?"
As the conversation went on, someone noticed something was off.
"Then why is she allowed to stay in the city even though she doesn't have a job?"
"...Oh right! Why?"
If you're of a certain age, unemployed, and not the only child in your family, can you still stay in the city? Unless you've already registered your marriage with someone who has a job.
Yes, if two unemployed young people get married, they will also be subject to the same policy of being sent to the countryside.
The elderly folks looked at each other, all thinking they had guessed the truth, and then exclaimed, "That Chang Zhengyi, he's a quiet guy who does big things without making a sound!"
No wonder the Cao family came to our door asking about the marriage; no wonder Chang Lixin and Aunt Zhao both agreed.
After hearing this, Guan Yuehe thought to herself: Chang Zhengyi seems quite bold, daring to secretly get a marriage certificate behind Aunt Zhao's back.
But he was suspicious all the time, saying there were unclean things in the toilet.
Of course, feudal superstition is forbidden now. If someone finds fault with it, the lightest punishment is a verbal reprimand, and the heaviest is losing your job and being sent to work on a farm. Chang Zhengyi dared not openly tell outsiders this.
Guan Yuehe knew that she had discovered it by accident.
On National Day, Chang Zhengyi mentioned that something "floated" into the toilet. Later, before October was even halfway over, Guan Yuehe discovered at least five times that Chang Zhengyi was afraid to go into the toilet alone.
Their workplaces are close, and they leave for work around the same time, often bumping into each other when they go to the restroom in the morning.
Guan Yuehe was a little scared at first, but later she realized that Chang Zhengyi was just making trouble because he had something to hide.
But half of October has already passed, and Chang Zhengyi and his partner's wedding is still undecided.
Some busybodies asked Aunt Zhao, "You've already got the marriage certificate, why don't you hold the wedding banquet soon? Aren't you afraid that one day your Chang Zhengyi will bring you a grandson?"
The question made Aunt Zhao's face turn black.
Aunt Zhao was very angry, so she stopped turning on her radio. The neighbors in the yard had no radio to listen to at night and had to find other things to do to pass the time.
Therefore, Guan Yuehe's desire to buy a radio became even stronger.
But looking at his savings, he realized he'd only just made two sweaters, and he needed to make sauerkraut, buy sauerkraut jars, cotton for cotton-padded coats, and also cabbages and coal for the winter...
Putting the radio aside for now, Guan Yuehe decided to focus on the cotton first.
The first person they contacted was naturally the all-knowing Sister Zhu.
But Sister Zhu waved her hand and said that buying cotton was a small matter. Guan Yuehe pressed on and asked, "Then what is a big matter?"
Universities have resumed enrollment!
Guan Yuehe's eyes widened; this was indeed a momentous event!
However, unlike the previous college entrance examination, the recent resumption of university admissions involves public recommendation, leadership approval, and school review. But there are two strict requirements: junior high school graduation and more than two years of work experience.
In fact, Tsinghua and Peking Universities had already enrolled a batch of students as a pilot program in June of this year. Now it's just being extended to other universities.
Guan Yuehe vaguely remembered seeing some news about it in the newspaper, but she didn't pay much attention to it at the time.
Does that mean my older sister has the opportunity to go to university?
Sister Zhu replied, "It depends on whether we've been allocated a spot. Our factory managed to secure two spots."
Sister Zhu glanced quickly at the office, pulled Guan Yuehe to a corner downstairs, and whispered, "There aren't many people in our factory who have worked for more than two years and still have a junior high school education. Moreover, the leaders said in a meeting that they recommend young comrades who work diligently to study, preferably around twenty years old."
After saying her last sentence, Sister Zhu patted her arm meaningfully.
Guan Yuehe's heart suddenly started pounding wildly.
She wasn't particularly outstanding in school, so she never even considered going to university. But if someone were to ask her, "Don't you have any aspirations or longings at all?"
She would definitely shake her head off.
"Sister Zhu..." Guan Yuehe licked her suddenly dry lips, afraid that she was overthinking things, and didn't know where to start asking.
Sister Zhu told her to relax and wait for good news.
It reminded her of when she was looking for work in the streets and alleys back then. In front of a room that was less than ten square meters, Zheng Xingmin, who was not yet the factory manager at the time, told her to relax and wait for good news: "We have twelve temporary worker positions, and we are just one short. Once the factory is approved, you can come and start working."
I wonder if I can still have half the good luck I had back then.
When she got home from get off work, she was dizzy and had no interest in the gossip being chatted about by the elderly people at the alley entrance.
This was the first time she had insomnia since moving into this apartment.
Unable to sleep, I got up and paced back and forth in the living room. I saw a small bag of roasted sunflower seeds on the dresser, picked it up, and counted them:
"Can I go up? Can't I go up? Can't I go up? No, I clicked the wrong button, let me click again. Can't I go up? Can I go up? Can I go up!"
The next morning, Guan Yuehua met Guan Yuehe in her living room.
How strange!
She had never seen Guan Yuehe during breakfast on weekdays, until the sun rose on the horizon.
"Sis, does the car factory have any spots for recommending students to university?"
Guan Yuehua nodded, feeling disappointed. "Yes. All ten spots are going to the technical department."
Her heroic efforts at the National Day cultural performance were wasted; the leaders' praise didn't earn her a spot.
That's right! Since it's a recommendation for schooling, the factory will definitely recommend skilled workers, not office workers who do odd jobs.
Guan Yuehe felt that she had wasted her time counting roasted melon seeds last night.
"Did your factory get a quota too?" Guan Yuehua patted her on the shoulder and advised her not to think about it anymore, as the quota wouldn't fall to ordinary workers like them.
But after thinking about it, she comforted Guan Yuehe, saying, "Who knows, you might just have really gotten lucky."
Guan Yuehe was angry; she hadn't been lucky enough to step in dog poop, and she almost fell into a cesspool that night.
Startled by a terrified scream from the men's restroom next door, Guan Yuehe nearly tripped and fell. Enraged, she stormed out and yelled at the men's restroom, "Get out here! I'll beat you to a pulp!"
People in the alley heard the noise and ran out, thinking it was a thief. Everyone grabbed a flashlight, a stick, or even a broken iron basin and banged it to warn others to catch the thief.
Chang Zhengyi was on the verge of tears, facing the furious Guan Yuehe and the neighbors who were about to catch the thief. He thought he had just seen a white cloth float by again, which scared him so much that he shouted and rushed into the men's restroom.
The neighbors, who knew the reason: "......"
People condemned Chang Zhengyi for making a fool of himself, while others said that his nearsightedness must have worsened and he must have misjudged the situation.
If Aunt Zhao hadn't come out to find him in time, Chang Zhengyi suspected he would have really been beaten up by Guan Yuehe.
Everyone treated it as a farce, but the next day, Officer Song brought back some news:
"A fugitive has escaped from the suburbs to the city and may be near Ginkgo Hutong. Everyone should go out in groups, and report any suspicious persons to the police station. The neighborhood committee should also organize patrols at night..."
"He's just a fugitive, right? There are more of us than we're afraid of."
"The fugitive has a gun, but it's uncertain whether he has bullets."
"Hiss! Could the white cloth Chang Zhengyi saw be that of the fugitive?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
