Chapter 16, Program 016
The welfare that Guan Yuehe brought home looked pitifully small, at least less than the full net bags of welfare that the workers at the Five Star Automobile Factory received, but she actually brought home a big piece of meat!
From the entrance of the alley to my home, I received many envious glances along the way.
Remembering how much meat Guan Yuehe had brought home this year, everyone's thoughts turned to the Zhuoyue Garment Factory again. They all sighed in regret, "Why did they change the recruitment process to a merger?!"
If they were to recruit from outside the factory, their child might get a job. The benefits at a garment factory are so good...
Aunt Ding's face fell, and she said with dissatisfaction, "Wasn't it her who helped Xu Laosan get into the factory? We grew up together, and I've never seen her help our fourth son. Expecting her to help keep an eye on the recruitment quota? She might as well go and wait outside the garment factory herself!"
The others chuckled but didn't respond. Only the outspoken Aunt Hu interrupted her, saying, "Yuehe wanted to help him sign up for a temporary job, but who knew you'd be so quick to sign your fourth son up for the rural job? And not only did you sign him up, you even withheld the subsidies from the educated youth office..."
Before Aunt Hu could finish speaking, Aunt Ding swung her hand at her, but luckily someone nearby pulled Aunt Hu away.
Aunt Hu got angry. She was telling the truth and hadn't spread any rumors. How dare Aunt Ding lay a hand on her? She rolled up her sleeves and grabbed a handful of Aunt Ding's hair.
Despite Aunt Ding's fierce face and unforgiving nature, if it really came down to a fight, two of her wouldn't be enough to defeat one Aunt Hu.
Aunt Hu is a rare, exceptionally robust old lady. She has only three fighting moves: grabbing hair, tripping people, and using her weight to suppress them.
Three moves to make him invincible in Ginkgo Hutong.
Otherwise, with her ability to offend people so easily, she would have been beaten up long ago.
Guan Canghai and his old colleague and neighbor, Grandpa Lin, drove their daughters home together. They had received labor protection supplies as a reward for their outstanding work performance, and their hearty laughter could be heard from one end of the street to the other.
Upon entering the alley, they saw two old ladies fighting, with a group of old men and women cheering them on. The smiles on their faces froze.
Especially Grandpa Lin.
"Grandpa Lin is back, and Aunt Ding from courtyard number three..."
Grandpa Lin tried to pick up his bicycle and run away.
"Officer Song! Officer Song is back! If you fight again, we'll have Officer Song arrest the police station!"
The vein on Song Gong'an's forehead throbbed. He took a deep breath and said, "Everyone, disperse!"
Guan Canghai gave Grandpa Lin a sympathetic look, thinking to himself, "Luckily, he firmly refused to become the manager of the courtyard back then, otherwise he would be the one with a headache now!"
Instead of joining in the fun, Guan Canghai pushed his bicycle back home, and on the way, he caught Guan Aiguo, who was standing at the gate watching the commotion, and brought him back with him.
Guan Aiguo rubbed his twisted ear, then turned around and went with his two nephews and nieces to see the welfare benefits distributed by the car factory.
"Ha! Your family is going to eat meat to our hearts' content today!" Aunt Xie exclaimed.
First, Guan Yuehe was seen carrying a piece of fatty pork, and now Guan Jianguo has caught a chicken. It's clear that the Guan family's life is getting better.
She used to be proud of her family's good conditions; not counting the Lin family across the street, her family was ranked first in the No. 3 courtyard.
However, even though her family was well-off, it was difficult for them to get meat to eat every now and then!
Tingting clung to Liu Axiu's leg, fussing that she wanted to eat meat.
Aunt Xie's eyes darted around, and she was about to head towards the Guan family's house when Liu Axiu called her back inside.
"Mom, Mom, eat meat!" Tingting kept pointing at the Guan family's house.
Liu Axiu patted her daughter's bottom and coaxed, "We're going back to Grandma's house tomorrow. There's meat to eat at Grandma's."
Upon hearing that she was going to her maternal grandmother's house, Tingting stopped fussing about eating meat and even wanted to go right now.
Aunt Xie didn't dare to argue with her daughter-in-law, and sulked to herself. She glared at Xie Zhenhua, who was engrossed in a book, but Xie Zhenhua ignored her completely. Her heart ached more and more, and she began to think about her youngest son who was suffering back in their hometown.
The aroma of meat wafting from the Guan family next door only fueled my desire.
Aunt Xie muttered under her breath, "What a family of misers! They even close the door when they eat, who are they trying to keep out of?"
In the Guan family's living room, everyone was engrossed in their meal, eager to finish eating so they could go to the clothing factory to watch the show.
The Five Star Automobile Factory also puts on shows, but these are usually scheduled for National Day and New Year's Day. Sometimes they are held in the factory's auditorium, with factory workers performing. Other times, the factory gives each worker three movie tickets to watch a film at the factory's cinema.
In the past two years, the neighborhood committee has also invited a movie theater to show open-air movies during the Spring Festival. It's held in an open space at the end of the street, and every time there are huge crowds of people. I don't know if they're there to see a sea of people or to watch a movie.
Guan Yuehe went next door to inform Lin Sitian's family, telling them to have dinner early and leave as soon as possible.
If you arrive late, you'll only see the back of someone's head.
That's how it is now. When factories and mines put on shows, residents who live nearby, even if they're not employees or family members, can squeeze in to join in the fun.
Therefore, they not only have to compete for positions with people in their own unit, but also with people from outside the unit.
"I'm finished eating, I'm heading out now." Guan Yuehe quickly washed the dishes and chopsticks, picked up a small stool, and called out from the yard, "Sitian!"
"Oh! They're here!" Lin Sitian ran out with a stool, pulled her along, and when they reached the front yard, she called out again, "Xu Chengcai!"
Xu Cheng, who no longer has night shifts to work, has moved back home and is currently thinking about renting a place outside.
But finding an empty room to rent nearby is difficult!
Xu Cheng responded and ran out, putting on his coat as he went, shouting, "Hurry, hurry, hurry!"
The three of them were all enthusiastic runners, and by the time the others were urging each other to head out, they had already disappeared from sight.
Before, Guan Yuehe was the slowest of the four of them, and the other three always had to carry her. Now that she's grown stronger, Xu Cheng can barely keep up with her. Lin Sitian was also pulled along by her until she was almost out of breath.
The factory's auditorium hasn't been built yet, so performances have to be held in the canteen.
At this time, the cafeteria was already mostly occupied by people and small stools.
Ignoring the disapproving or disgusted looks from others, they brazenly squeezed forward, managing to carve out three seats near the front row. They placed small stools on the stools and sat down.
Just as Lin Sitian took out the roasted melon seeds wrapped in newspaper from her pocket, Guan Yuehe and Xu Cheng, who were on either side of her, reached out and grabbed a handful without any hesitation.
The crackling sound of sunflower seeds being cracked echoed throughout the room, passing the time while waiting for the show to start.
Before the show started, the cafeteria was already packed with people, and there were heads everywhere outside the windows. It was so noisy that the roof was about to collapse.
The announcer gave two reminders when he came on stage, and only after everyone quieted down did the leader begin to speak.
Lin Sitian whispered in her ear, "Your factory manager is so young!"
Compared to the factory director and deputy factory director of Wuxing Automobile Factory, who are around fifty years old, Zheng Xingmin, the factory director of Zhuoyue Garment Factory, is only in his early thirties, which is indeed young!
Guan Yuehe admires her factory manager the most!
Despite being young and a woman, Director Zheng has managed the Zhuoyue Garment Factory with great success and efficiency.
She wasn't the only one in the factory; other female workers also copied Director Zheng and wore short ponytails!
Many people praised their factory director for his competence. Guan Yuehe stood up straight, proudly raising her chin high.
When others praise her, she'll wonder if they're trying to sabotage her. When others praise her as the factory manager or the Zhuoyue Garment Factory, she can immediately put on a show of "a petty person getting their way."
The program consisted of six programs: a model opera, two poetry recitations, and three choral performances of revolutionary songs.
During the event, He Shuangshuang from the broadcasting station and Huang Wenlin from the third workshop took the stage. The handsome man and beautiful woman drew louder and louder "wow" cheers from the audience.
Guan Yuehe and Xu Chengcai's arms both suffered, with Lin Sitian pinching each of them hard. "Didn't you say all the men in your factory look like that? Is this what you call that?"
Xu Cheng grimaced in pain and protested, "I work on the sewing machine in the workshop every day, I didn't even know there was a man like this in our factory."
Guan Yuehe protested her innocence, saying, "They were just transferred from the shoe factory this month!"
"Alright, stop talking and listen to what Comrade Huang has to say," Lin Sitian said.
"......"
The show was very old-fashioned; they had seen the exact same program more than once. But every time, they felt it was fresh and new, clapping until their hands were red.
As the factory's performance came to an end, they slowly moved out with the flow of people.
The bolder women immediately approached the garment factory workers to inquire about Comrade Huang Wenlin's personal information. Lin Sitian listened for a while, then returned to Guan Yuehe and complained, "He's supposed to be a coworker in the same workshop, but he doesn't know this or that! How come he knows absolutely nothing?!"
Guan Yuehe didn't go back to the factory dormitory, but went back to No. 3 Ginkgo Hutong. She was going to share a bed with Lin Sitian tonight.
Her sister is acting strange today, like a firecracker that's been put out of the fire, but looks dangerous; you never know when she might explode again.
She should stay away from it!
Half the people in Ginkgo Hutong came to the clothing factory to watch the show, and even after they got home, they were still discussing which show was the best. The two announcers were the most frequently mentioned.
In the past, the entire alley would have been quiet by nine o'clock at night, but tonight it's almost eleven o'clock and people are still chatting non-stop.
The oil lamp in the rightmost room of the Lin family's house had just been turned off.
As soon as she lay down, Guan Yuehe said to Lin Sitian next to her, "Don't worry, after May Day, when we go back to work, I'll make sure I find out everything for you."
"Okay!" Lin Sitian added, "Don't mention that I was the one asking around."
"I understand. It's a friend of mine who wanted to find out."
It was rare for Guan Yuehe to spend the night at Courtyard No. 3, and Lin Sitian, who was already quite talkative, seemed to have endless things to say.
As they talked, the conversation turned to her brother, who was serving in the army in the south.
"I haven't seen my brother for three years, and I've almost forgotten what he looks like."
Guan Yuehe yawned widely. "Your brother? Your brother is like a monkey."
The most mischievous kid in Courtyard No. 3 was none other than Lin Yiku. Back in the day, Grandpa Lin and Grandma Fang would often pick up sticks from outside to discipline him.
Lin Sitian was amused by her words and laughed heartily.
"Shhh! Laugh less!"
On May Day, many people slept until nine o'clock. A row of people squatted by the sink in front of the tap in the front yard, scrubbing their teeth with toothbrushes. Their mouths were full of foam, which could not stop them from talking about everything from national policies to international affairs. The foam sprayed everywhere.
The Guan family and the Ma couple who came to visit only cared about one thing: which apartment they would win in the lottery tomorrow.
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