076 Television
Invited by Guan Yuehe to participate in the factory's New Year's Day performance were not only Lin Sitian, but also the neighbors from courtyards No. 2 and No. 3 who were idle at home.
Xu Cheng helped reserve seats for them, glanced at Jiang Guiying and Aunt Fang, and then saw the neighbors from the alleyway at the entrance of the auditorium, and smiled.
"No wonder Yuehe told us so confidently that she wasn't the type to show off. Even when she was named an outstanding worker in the factory, she didn't flaunt it in the alley."
"Haha, her! Of course she'd show off!" Lin Sitian said. "If it were me, I'd be a hundred times more boastful than her."
That's a TV ticket!
So far, only Zhou Hongqi's family in Ginkgo Hutong owns a television. Adults and children alike love watching TV at Zhou Hongqi's house, and Yuanbao is very proud among the little kids.
"By the way, how did Yuehe become an outstanding worker?" She kept hearing Yuehe mention "outstanding worker of the factory" in every sentence, but forgot to ask Yuehe what great thing she had done.
Xu Cheng glanced around before whispering to Lin Sitian, "Yuehe was really something back in August and September. She slammed her fist on the table with the factory's deputy secretary, insisting on a major inspection of the entire factory to eliminate potential hazards. Thank goodness for the inspection, otherwise our factory warehouse would have been completely robbed by rats."
Lin Sitian understood the meaning behind the words and said sarcastically, "This rat is greedy enough, isn't it afraid of choking itself to death?"
“I think this rat will either choke to death or be finished.” Xu Cheng raised his chin, gesturing for Lin Sitian to look ahead, “Our Factory Director Zheng is back.”
Grandma Bai, who had arrived early to reserve a spot, was even more excited and waved to Director Zheng as soon as she saw him.
Xu Chengcai said, "As soon as our factory director came back, he said that we were going to build new workers' dormitories, and the list of room allocations has been released. Bai Xianghong is among them."
Why else would most of the workers cheer when Director Zheng returned? Everyone knows perfectly well which leader can lead them to a good life.
"Is this the same guy who announces the program in your factory?" Lin Sitian was shocked. "It's been six years, hasn't your factory had a new heartthrob?"
Xu Cheng sighed helplessly, "It's because Comrade Huang Wenlin has a strong mass base. Most of the women in the factory voted for him, so the other young men couldn't stand out!"
Lin Sitian: "......"
What followed was even more shocking for Lin Sitian.
Guan Yuehe squeezed down with her certificate, but Lin Sitian stopped her, examining her certificate, pen, and towel closely. "Why did another outstanding worker get a TV ticket, but you didn't?"
"It will be available soon."
The "wait" that Guan Yuehe mentioned refers to the time after the New Year's Day performance and workers' commendation meeting, when they waited at the factory gate for another outstanding worker from the factory.
The older woman took out the TV ticket and confirmed with Guan Yuehe again, "Section Chief Guan, once it's changed, it can't be changed back!"
"Yes, yes!" Guan Yuehe nodded hurriedly, took out the money and tickets she had prepared in her pocket, and exchanged them with the older sister for TV tickets.
He then waved the TV ticket in front of Lin Sitian, saying, "I've been recognized as an outstanding worker at the factory, and I've got the TV ticket too. I wasn't lying to you, was I?"
Lin Sitian: "......"
This was the result, but she thought that Guan Yuehe had been named an outstanding worker in the factory and would receive a TV ticket as a reward.
"Our factory manager came back a little late and didn't manage to keep the extra TV tickets. It might take another year before the factory gives me my bonus."
But she had saved up for two years and had accumulated quite a bit of money! She couldn't wait to bring a TV home!
"How much did it cost to exchange this ticket?" Lin Sitian carefully held the corner of the TV ticket, afraid of crumpling it.
“I gave away six months’ worth of industrial and cloth coupons, plus an extra fifty yuan, which adds up to almost a hundred yuan.”
It sounded like a lot, but Guan Yuehe was very satisfied. "That lady used to work in the same workshop as me, and we're close, so she gave me a discount."
If you were to try and get a TV ticket on the black market, it would be difficult to get one for a hundred yuan; you'd likely have to pay more.
The older woman was afraid of being reported, so she didn't dare to trade on the black market. To be on the safe side, she asked around the factory if anyone wanted to exchange their items. When Guan Yuehe heard the news, she immediately went to the older woman and placed the order.
"If I don't have to go to the hospital tomorrow, I'll go with you to buy a TV!"
"No way! You should go to the hospital to get your dressing changed. You're a medical student, Dr. Lin, injuries need to be treated!"
"Then I'll wait to come back to your house tonight to watch TV! Save me a good spot... You have a TV, or maybe I should just stay at your house from now on, I like watching TV." Lin Sitian had a sudden inspiration, "Let my brother sleep in the storage room!"
Guan Yuehe laughed and said, "Sure, I can sleep in the kitchen."
Lin Yiku, who was busy packing her bags to go home after finishing her interview with the organization, sneezed several times. Her roommate joked, "Your girlfriend must miss you. She's urging you to transfer back to Beijing soon."
Lin Yiku grabbed a pillow and threw it at him, "You're always talking about me, what are your plans now, you old bachelor?"
His comrade didn't respond, but instead laughed at him, saying, "Oh, back when we were in the Southern Military Region, we were both old bachelors. Now that you've found someone and made something of yourself, you're turning around and laughing at me."
Lin Yiku stopped laughing, guessing that her comrade might not be telling her because he had another secret mission.
He stepped forward and punched him on the shoulder, saying, "Come visit me in Beijing sometime."
"Absolutely! I have to tell your partner all the embarrassing things you've ever done in the past."
"Then you two have a lot to talk about." Lin Yi said with a wry smile, "She knows more about the embarrassing things I did in the past."
"Haha! Then I definitely need to go see my sister-in-law." His comrade punched him back and said seriously, "See you in Beijing sometime."
—
The neighbors in the alley who came to watch the cultural performance of Zhuoyue Garment Factory were feeling sorry for Guan Yuehe.
"They're all outstanding workers at the factory, so why is there only one TV ticket? Otherwise, we'd have two TVs in our alley!"
"That's for sure!!"
Before long, someone leaked some new information: "Our alley will soon have a second TV! Grandpa Chang received a TV ticket as a reward this year, and he's been working non-stop in the factory lately. The leaders have all noticed."
"It's a pity, Master Chang. Why can't he pass the exam?"
"Tsk! You have such a sharp tongue! Maybe he'll get in this year?!"
Grandpa Chang had no idea that everyone felt sorry for him. He was happily sipping his wine at home, telling Chang Zhengyi to go to the department store at six o'clock the next morning to queue up and make sure to bring the TV home.
—
"Sister Yuehe, you're out so early?" Chang Zhengyi shivered as soon as he stepped out and tucked his neck into his scarf.
"Yes!" Guan Yuehe, who had been quite relaxed, casually asked, "Where are you going?"
"Oh." Chang Zhengyi's lips curled up, trying to appear less smug. "Hey, my dad got a TV ticket and told me to head out early to queue up. It's the end of the year, and all the companies give out tickets as rewards around this time. The department store doesn't have them every day, and if you go late, they're all sold out... Hey, Yuehe, where are you going?"
Guan Yuehe, who had already left him some distance behind and was pedaling hard, shouted back, "To the department store!"
"No, we're going the same way." Chang Zhengyi wanted to suggest that they could go together, but seeing that Guan Yuehe was rushing too fast, he immediately gave up the idea of traveling together.
When Chang Zhengyi arrived at the department store, he indeed saw a long queue already formed in front of him.
These people may not be here specifically for the television, but if there's only one television available today and someone else wants to buy it, they'll have to come back another day.
When the gates opened at eight o'clock, everyone rushed in like a swarm of bees, all in a hurry, and no one lined up properly.
Chang Zhengyi tried to maintain order, but his voice was louder than that of the large group of people, so he quickly gave up and joined the queue to push towards the counter.
Before long, someone from the department store came to manage the order, and Chang Zhengyi finally got to join the queue. He glanced at the number of people in front of him, and there were just the right number. He felt a little apprehensive.
As he stood on tiptoe to look again, Guan Yuehe came out carrying a large box on her shoulder and said to him with a smile, "I asked the salesperson for you. There are ten units available today, so you should be able to get one."
Chang Zhengyi's expression was complicated. For a moment, he didn't know whether to ask her why she was also buying a TV, or to be glad that there was a lot of stock available today.
"Comrade, I want to buy three! I have tickets!" The person at the front of the line, seemingly wealthy, ordered three television sets in one go, prompting a jeer from the people in line behind him.
Guan Yuehe had just finished exclaiming about the "big spender" when she glanced at the heads of people in line and realized she had only clicked on the person in front of Chang Zhengyi. She smiled awkwardly, quickly picked up the TV, and ran away.
—
The people in Yinxing Hutong knew early in the morning that Chang Zhengyi had gone to buy a television, and they would often stroll to the entrance of the hutong to see if he had returned.
They didn't get to see Chang Zhengyi, but they did get to see Guan Yuehe.
"No, where did you get the TV ticket?" This stunned the neighbors. Even Jiang Guiying gaped, circling Guan Yuehe's bicycle. "Could it be that Chang Zhengyi asked you to bring it back for him?"
"Chang Zhengyi is still in line." Whether he'll get a turn is another question.
"Oh my! Guan Yuehe, how did you manage to do something so big in secret? You didn't even tell me you wanted to buy a TV!" Jiang Guiying was overjoyed. She helped support the large suitcase on the back seat, and as Guan Yuehe pushed the cart home and was about to cross the threshold, she kept saying, "Be careful, be careful, don't knock the TV over!"
"Old Guan! Guan Canghai! Your second daughter bought a TV! Come and see!"
Upon hearing this, the neighbors of Courtyard No. 2 all rushed out to see what was going on.
When Guan Canghai came over, it took several calls to get him to squeeze in from outside. The TV had just been taken out of the box, so they had to wait until later to ask Zhou Hongqi for help with the installation.
The neighbors stayed for a while and learned that Guan Yuehe had exchanged her tickets with her colleagues at the factory. They couldn't help but think that Guan Yuehe was really generous.
A television set costs 370 yuan; it would take a worker a year of saving without eating or drinking to afford it. They might be willing to buy the television set, but not necessarily willing to use the money to buy ration coupons. With the coupons included, wouldn't it cost nearly 500 yuan?
That's five hundred yuan!
After her initial joy, Jiang Guiying felt a pang of regret thinking about the money she had spent. Once everyone else had left, she patted Guan Yuehe's arm and said, "After buying a TV, do you still have any money left?"
Guan Yuehe smiled mysteriously, pouting, "Isn't money meant to be saved for spending?"
She hasn't had any major expenses in the past two years and has saved quite a bit of money. With a monthly salary of forty-three yuan, she can save at least twenty yuan a month. Last year, she was rewarded with fifty yuan for finding guns and explosives in a public toilet.
Before buying the TV, she had over five hundred yuan in savings. After exchanging the receipts and buying the TV, she now has over one hundred yuan left.
She figured if she ran out of money, she'd just keep saving. She'd never even opened a savings account and had no intention of depositing money in a bank.
Guan Canghai told Jiang Guiying not to worry, "A television is a big purchase. It should last for ten or eight years without any problem. It's a good deal."
After thinking about it carefully, Jiang Guiying realized that what he said made sense.
Big items like the "three turns and one sound" (referring to a sewing machine, a watch, a radio, and a gearbox) can all be used for many years. The oldest bicycle we bought has been ridden for eleven years and it still rides perfectly well.
After she came to terms with it, Jiang Guiying found the television set fascinating no matter how she looked at it.
"This looks a bit different from the one from the Hongqi family."
"They're about the same, both are twelve inches. Mine is the Panda brand, and Sister Hongqi's is the Feiyue brand."
“Okay, I have a piece of floral fabric that I haven’t used at home. I’ll use it to make you a TV cover. You can put it on when you’re not using the TV so that dust can’t get in. That’s how Jin Junwei does it.”
Jiang Guiying's eyes were now only on the television on the table, and she began to feel that something was wrong with everything in the room.
"Look, the TV is facing this way. Shouldn't we get a cabinet specifically for it? And shouldn't we move the dining table?"
Guan Yuehe, a big spender, waved her hand and said, "I'll change it later. I'll save up some more money and get a new sofa."
This sofa is a bit small; it would be too crowded if one more person sat on it. But she likes to lie on the sofa, so we'll have to make room for Lin Yiku in the future, won't we?
Jiang Guiying was about to say that she couldn't keep any money, but then she suddenly thought of something else and surprisingly nodded in agreement, "We need to get a new one. Yi Ku is about to be transferred back. You two can discuss how to decorate the room. See if the walls and stuff need to be renovated too."
After living there for several years, no matter how clean and tidy Guan Yuehe was, the house was inevitably damaged to some extent.
Generally speaking, the new house used for a wedding will be tidied up again.
Jiang Guiying and Aunt Fang, two old friends, didn't ask Guan Yuehe and Lin Yiku what they thought, and naturally acquiesced that after the two got married, Lin Yiku would move in with Guan Yuehe.
Therefore, since we're building a new house here, it's time to tidy it up a bit.
"We'll consider his opinion later." Guan Yuehe patted her pocket; her savings had shrunk considerably, and it was still a long way from renovating the house and replacing the furniture.
But when she turned her head and saw the square television, she thought, "If the television is here, how far away can we be from changing the furniture?"
As they were talking, another commotion broke out in the courtyard.
Chang Zhengyi has brought back the television set he bought.
Chang Zhengyi wasn't too unlucky this time. The person who immediately said he wanted to buy three television sets was told that each person could only buy one, so Chang Zhengyi still got to buy a television set.
But he was already a slow rider, and with the TV on the back, he was afraid of falling, so he rode very slowly on the way home, and that's why he just got home.
The addition of two television sets to Courtyard No. 2 made it the talk of the town in Ginkgo Alley.
Auntie Er came over to Guan Yuehe to ask how much the ticket exchange cost, apparently because she wanted to buy a TV for her own family.
Aunt Er's family now has three workers, so they must have a lot of savings. It's not surprising that they bought a TV.
Despite everyone's constant complaints about being poor, Guan Yuehe doesn't believe that they don't have any savings.
Zhou Hongqi brought his toolbox to help install the TV. Yuanbao's friends said to him, "You stingy guy, we won't watch TV at your house anymore. We'll watch it at Aunt Yuehe's house instead."
The stingy Yuanbao snorted, "Auntie will punch you all away before she lets you watch TV!"
The group of little kids glanced at Guan Yuehe, who was standing with her hands on her hips looking down at them, pursed their lips, and couldn't come up with any rebuttal.
They had seen Aunt Yuehe use a stick to discipline the older children.
Guan Yuehe tapped Yuanbao's head. The chubby girl really knew how to use someone else's power to bully others.
In the evening, Guan Yuehe's house was quiet. All the children sat upright, watching TV attentively, and no one whispered to each other.
The Zhao family next door was completely different. The adults there had loud voices, chatting away, their voices mixed with the sounds of cracking sunflower seeds.
Zhang Desheng came over to join in the fun. He first glanced at Guan Yuehe's house, then went to Aunt Zhao's house, jokingly saying, "Yuehe's house is decorated like a school classroom."
That's not right either; these kids might not be this well-behaved even at school.
After watching TV, a group of children went outside and began to loudly discuss what had been on TV.
Inside the room, Lin Sitian lay down on the sofa, patted it, and said, "Now there are leather sofas that are more comfortable to lie on. When are you going to get one of those?"
Guan Yuehe reached out her hand.
"what?"
"Give me the money." Guan Yuehe pointed to the television. "Almost all of my family's savings are in there."
"No problem!" Lin Sitian winked at her mischievously and said, "My brother has saved a lot of money."
“That’s your brother’s money. I’m too embarrassed to use it since we’re not married… How much money has he saved up now?” Guan Yuehe couldn’t resist her curiosity and squeezed onto the sofa next to Lin Sitian.
"You've really stumped me. My mom has been saving money for him for over a year, I really didn't know. You wait, I'll go back tonight and check."
"Hehe." The two covered their mouths and chuckled like thieves.
—
Lin Sitian was afraid that Guan Yuehe would chase after her and beat her while she was sleeping, so she never thought of staying here to sleep. Grandpa Lin came over with a flashlight and took her home, and Guan Yuehe's house finally became completely quiet.
I picked up the floral cloth next to me and covered the television with it. Then I turned on the kerosene lamp on my desk and wrote down today's date in my notebook.
She bought a TV today!
Things that seemed impossible in the past have come true today, and I wake up smiling in my sleep.
Lying on the warm kang (a heated brick bed), in the pitch black of night, Guan Yuehe could not see her own hand in front of her face, but that did not stop her from pointing her finger.
"A watch, a bicycle, a radio, an electric fan, a tape recorder, a television... Hmm, what's missing? Nothing's missing!"
Her family is a real treasure trove!
To prevent thieves from targeting her home, Guan Yuehe added an extra lock to the front door.
Aunt Zhao had a cabinet specially made to house the TV; after watching, she would close and lock the cabinet. Guan Yuehe found it troublesome and thought it didn't look good, so she didn't listen to Aunt Zhao and went to find a cabinet herself.
Hearing the jingling of her bicycle, the gatekeeper knew that Section Chief Guan must have something good to say again.
As soon as Gu Mannian parked his car, he heard Guan Yuehe call out, "Brother-in-law, come to my house with my sister to watch TV sometime."
"You're buying a TV?!" Gu Mannian had to give her a thumbs up. "You're amazing! You even managed to get a TV and plane tickets. Do you have any other connections? I want to buy one too."
"If you spend more time getting close to the people, you'll find the right connections."
"Hey!" Gu Mannian shook his head helplessly, "Playing mysterious again."
Guan Yuehe was happy, not only because she bought a television set, but also because she was about to become a formal member of the Communist Party!
"Congratulations, Comrade Guan Yuehe!"
Guan Yuehe and Factory Director Zheng said in their hearts at the same time: "Keep up the good work!"
Guan Yuehe went straight to the meat station after get off work, bought two pounds of meat, and went home to make braised pork.
"Not keeping it for the New Year?"
"The Lunar New Year isn't until the end of February, it's still a long way off." Guan Yuehe said, then started sharpening a kitchen knife and called Jiang Guiying to invite her family over for dinner.
In the evening, the television was on, and delicious-smelling food was laid out. Guan Yuehe even took out a bottle of Moutai from the cupboard and blatantly placed it on the table.
"Comrade Guan, Section Chief Guan will have a couple of drinks with you tonight."
She had initially wanted to call herself Section Chief Guan, but since there were two Section Chiefs Guan in her family—her older sister being the Senior Section Chief Guan—she could only be the Junior Section Chief Guan.
Jiang Guiying was amused by her address and slapped both Master Guan and Section Chief Guan, saying she was going to get the salted fish from home to add to the meal.
"Wait, let me announce something important first!" Section Chief Guan cleared her throat and solemnly said, "From this day forward, I, Comrade Guan Yuehe, am a Party member! Applause!"
The people in the room were stunned for a few seconds before they reacted and started clapping along with Guan Yuehe.
"Oh! Why didn't you say so earlier? I thought you were celebrating your new TV!" Jiang Guiying clapped her hands with delight.
Guan Canghai was also delighted, "Then I must have another drink. This is such a joyous occasion; our Guan family's ancestral graves are emitting auspicious smoke."
After he finished speaking, Jiang Guiying slapped him again, saying, "Don't talk nonsense about your ancestors' graves emitting auspicious smoke!"
"Yes, yes, I misspoke!" Guan Canghai corrected himself, "Our young Section Chief Guan performs well, works diligently and conscientiously, and is deeply loved by the people..."
Guan Yuehe kept laughing, and she started the conversation. Old Master Guan was quite the complimenter, praising her so much that she felt embarrassed!
Aunt Zhao heard the commotion inside Guan Yuehe's house, came over to take a look, and then learned the good news about Guan Yuehe.
In the evening, the neighbors came over to watch TV, dropped off their children, and offered their congratulations.
While watching TV, Grandpa Chang suddenly slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "Then we could set up a Party branch in our No. 2 courtyard! Me, Yuehe, and Song Gong'an!"
However, the Song Gong's police station branch is sufficient for No. 2 Courtyard; a Party branch is not needed for the time being.
Guan Yuehe was happy for half a month because of this, but as the Spring Festival approached, she had other worries.
While Guan Yuehe was delighted by the exceptionally generous Spring Festival benefits this year, she muttered to herself: Didn't Lin Yiku say he would be back at the end of the year? Has the plan changed again?
It's been two years since they last met. For six months of that time, she couldn't even get in touch with him, and she still missed him a little.
"Is that all you want to do?" Lin Sitian pressed.
"I'd be tempted by his savings, hahaha."
Lin Yiku got off at the bus stop in Changhu Street and was about to stride straight towards Ginkgo Hutong with her luggage when she suddenly heard two familiar laughs.
Looking in the direction of the sound, sure enough, Lin Sitian and Guan Yuehe were queuing in front of the supply and marketing cooperative, laughing and joking about something. He felt that the whole street was filled with their laughter.
He was about to sneak over and surprise them, but Lin Sitian spotted him immediately and waved loudly, "Brother!"
He even asked Guan Yuehe to watch it together, saying, "Your boyfriend is back."
Guan Yuehe was also pleasantly surprised, waved, and then said to Lin Sitian, "Your brother is back."
The two of them burst into laughter again.
Lin Yiku sometimes couldn't understand what they found funny, but the two of them could inexplicably laugh just by making eye contact.
What are you laughing at?
In Lin Sitian and Guan Yuehe's eyes at this moment, Lin Yiku's return meant that the rich bastard had returned.
They didn't let Lin Yiku stay in line with them, urging him to go home and put his luggage away first.
Lin Sitian stared at Guan Yuehe suspiciously, "Why do I feel like there's something strange about you and my brother?"
"Haven't seen you for two years, you look a bit unfamiliar. Your brother's appearance has changed a bit."
"No!" Lin Sitian couldn't see any change. Didn't her brother always look the same?
Guan Yuehe chuckled and whispered in Lin Sitian's ear, "I think your brother is better looking."
I can't quite put my finger on it, but it looks even more exciting.
Lin Sitian breathed a sigh of relief; she shouldn't have asked such pointless questions!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
