196 Springtime (A section was added in the middle)
Guan Yuehe did not receive a promotion that year, but her graduate classmates who remained in contact with her wrote to her one after another mentioning that they had been promoted.
She stopped thinking about the promotion and plunged back into her busy work and mundane life, wondering if she should learn something new.
Before I could even figure it out, another Spring Festival had passed in the blink of an eye.
Lin Ting stayed at the Fengshou Brigade with her maternal grandparents for a few days. When she returned, she put a lot of New Year's money into her piggy bank.
Lin Ting's piggy bank had been accumulating wealth for three years and had become quite heavy, so Guan Yuehe decided to open a savings account for her to store it.
"Mom, I have so much money!" Lin Ting's eyes lit up as she watched her mother count the money. Several thick stacks of money were placed on the kang (a heated brick bed), enough to go to the supply and marketing cooperative many times.
"Mr. Lin, would you like me to have some black soda?"
"Uh-huh!"
"Come on, I'll treat you to a meal at a restaurant, and you can buy me some black soda."
Guan Yuehe packed the money and the money needed for opening the bank account into her bag, then took the thick envelope from the drawer and quickly put on her and Lin Ting's coats.
"Walk with your back straight." Guan Yuehe patted Lin Ting on the back.
Lin Ting ran a few steps away with a grin, then imitated the old man strolling in the park, walking with his hands behind his back and a stoop, glancing back at his mother every now and then.
That little bastard is really annoying.
Guan Yuehe pretended to roll up her sleeves and say she was going to teach her a lesson, but she laughed and ran out.
Just as I stepped out of the gate of Courtyard No. 1, I ran into Grandpa Lin, who had come back to look for Lin Ting.
After New Year's Day in 1985, Grandpa Lin retired from the Five Star Automobile Factory. He didn't plan to find another job to continue contributing his talents. Instead, he often took Lin Ting for walks in the park or went out to explore Beijing with Grandma Fang every now and then, saying that he needed to take some time to adjust to being retired.
Lin Ting learned the mannerisms of a retired old man from going for walks in the park with him all the time.
At the end of the year, Aunt Lin took Lin Yiku's old military overcoat and made a smaller version for Lin Ting. When Lin Ting wore the military overcoat with patches at the elbows and walked with his hands behind his back, he looked like a miniature old man.
Today, Mr. Lin had nothing to do, and when he heard that the neighborhood committee was organizing a theatrical troupe for the surrounding residents, he planned to ask his wife to go and watch the fun together.
As she was leaving, she thought that since Yuehe was rarely home on vacation, she planned to take Lin Ting, that little rascal, out for a run to wear her down.
That's why they say grandparents and grandchildren are closer.
When Lin Yiku was a child, she was naughty and was often disciplined by her grandfather. When Lin Ting came along, she was also naughty, but her grandfather started saying that it was good for children to be naughty, because it meant they would grow up strong.
If you're busy...
Before Grandpa Lin and Guan Yuehe could finish speaking, Lin Ting quickly climbed onto the motorcycle and sat down, saying, "Goodbye, Grandpa!"
Grandpa Lin chuckled and tapped her forehead. This little rascal was quite clever.
Lin Ting was tied to the front of his body by Guan Yuehe with a long cloth, like he was carrying a big hot water bottle, and rode off on his motorcycle with a clanging sound.
First, I went to the bank, opened a new savings account in my own name, and then deposited all the money from Lin Ting's piggy bank into it.
The little boy, who is just over three years old, has already saved up 323 yuan.
Ten years ago, Guan Yuehe would definitely have been envious.
Lin Ting stuffed the three yuan change into her small pocket, saving it to pay for soda later, and deposited the remaining three hundred and twenty yuan into a three-year fixed deposit account.
Guan Yuehe initially planned to save for ten years, but then she thought about how things were getting more and more expensive and money was becoming increasingly scarce. She decided to save more and in three years, she should be able to buy Lin Ting a small house.
Guan Yuehe looked down at the little mound next to her legs and finally understood what Xu Cheng and Qin Zilan often said: "If we save more for them, no matter how successful or unsuccessful the children are in the future, they will always have a place to stay."
However, it will be many years before Lin Ting grows up.
The most important thing right now is to go have a good meal.
As she passed the post office, Guan Yuehe exclaimed "Oh dear!" and turned back to mail the letter from her bag.
"Mom, when will Aunt Chunmei receive the letter?"
"I don't know, it should arrive in about a week."
Guan Yuehe has no relatives or friends who have given birth to twins (boys and girls), but she has seen two sets of twins, which is truly rare.
If Chunmei sends her one set of New Year's money for her child, she'll have to send Chunmei two sets. Oh dear, she's at a disadvantage!
—
I bought two bottles of Coca-Cola from the supply and marketing cooperative and then headed straight to Grandpa Ming's small restaurant.
"Oh! Director Guan and Director Lin have time to visit the people?"
Without even looking up, you could tell it was Uncle Ming from that tone. All the delicious food in that little restaurant couldn't shut him up!
When it comes to giving people nicknames, Guan Yuehe thinks that Uncle Ming is unique in Ginkgo Hutong.
He used to call her "Captain" whenever he saw her practicing motorcycles. But ever since he heard Lin say that she was going to be a leader in the future, he said, "You don't even need to wait for the future. Look at the name your parents gave you, you must start as a department head."
But you know what, Guan Yuehe couldn't help but laugh every time she heard the title "Director Lin".
"What would you like to eat today?" Grandpa Ming peeked out. There weren't many people waiting behind him, so Guan Yuehe wasn't worried about not being able to order anything.
"Two bowls of noodles with soybean paste and half a roast duck."
"Just the two of you?"
Guan Yuehe nodded.
This was a snack between lunch and dinner. She had just passed by a farmers' market and a barbershop and called out to her parents, but they kept shaking their heads and saying they couldn't eat.
By the time their noodles with soybean paste and roast duck arrived, there were hardly any people left in the small restaurant, making it much quieter than it had been two years ago.
In the past two years, private restaurants have sprung up like mushrooms after rain. In Changhu Street alone, including the state-run restaurant, there are now eight restaurants of all sizes, which inevitably affects Grandpa Ming's business.
But Guan Yuehe didn't expect the impact to be so great.
Grandpa Ming snorted, "A Western restaurant opened next to the state-run restaurant, saying that you could get a free small bread roll, so everyone went to try it out."
No wonder it's so deserted here today, Uncle Ming!
Guan Yuehe took a small bowl and served noodles to Lin Ting, letting Lin Ting eat with chopsticks by himself.
The two sat on a long bench, making slurping noises. After a few bites, they both reached for their soda and took a few more gulps.
Grandpa Ming sat opposite them, and as he watched, his stomach growled twice.
Finally, Grandpa Ming ate peanuts while watching the two of them devour roast duck.
"Has Ding Laosi's wife given birth yet? Is it a girl or a boy?"
"Not yet." If she had given birth, she would definitely call them to let them know.
Guan Yuehe left Grandpa Ming's small restaurant, thinking of taking Lin Ting to see what kind of drama troupe the neighborhood office had set up. As soon as she arrived, she saw Grandma Fang waving excitedly at her.
"Ding Laosi just called and said his wife gave birth to a son."
"Really?! Are the adults and children all right?" This kid just keeps asking without thinking.
"Everything's fine. You can come to our house to see the children in a few days."
Guan Yuehe felt relieved.
But Aunt Fang started to sigh and mentioned Lin Sitian, the first of her four childhood friends to start a relationship, but who still hasn't had a child.
Lin Sitian spent the entire last year pursuing further studies. Just as they had anticipated, the studies were anything but easy. Lin Sitian returned to Ginkgo Hutong much less often in the past year, and Guan Yuehe couldn't find an opportunity to chat with her about the gossip in the hutong.
As soon as her advanced training ended, Lin Sitian returned to the hospital and was promoted, becoming incredibly busy again.
Aunt Fang sighed a lot, and no one could be found to urge her to have a baby soon.
"I'm too lazy to urge her, but doesn't she realize her age? Does she still think she's a young woman in her early twenties? Having a child at an older age is so harmful to her health. Take that family in the east wing of our No. 7 courtyard, for example..."
According to Aunt Fang, children and grandchildren have their own destinies, and it doesn't matter if they don't have children; they can all live anyway. But she was afraid of affecting her daughter and son-in-law's relationship, so she couldn't say these things.
Guan Yuehe didn't know what to say. Si Tian had her own plans and arrangements, and even her family couldn't interfere.
Lin Ting received a look from her mother and immediately went to hug her grandmother's leg, showing off that she had just eaten a roast duck leg.
Aunt Fang's attention was immediately diverted. "Oh my! You can really eat!"
Guan Yuehe chuckled to herself, only then remembering to go see the drama troupe.
Turning her head, Lin Ting spotted a familiar face among the people registering. She was the first to greet him: "Uncle Jin! Grandma, look! It's Yuanbao's dad! He has a big red flower on his hat!"
"Grandma is watching, she saw it."
Lin Ting jumped up and down on the spot; it was clear that she also wanted the big red flower hanging on Jin Junwei's body.
Guan Yuehe led Lin Ting to the registration area and overheard the elderly people talking about Jin Junwei.
“I told you long ago, Jin Junwei looks like a former opera singer. His orchid finger gesture, oh my, I can’t imitate it.”
"I heard his master used to be quite a star... By the way, who introduced him to Engineer Zhou?"
"Yes! Who introduced you to them?"
The elderly men and women looked at each other, but none of them could give an answer.
Guan Yuehe, standing behind them, curled her lip. "Can't they have a free love relationship?"
Jin Junwei suddenly became the new topic of conversation in Ginkgo Hutong.
Lin Ting is even more enthusiastic about going for walks in the park now, and every morning as soon as she wakes up, she thinks about calling her grandfather to go out.
It was because Jin Junwei would go to the park to practice his singing every morning after seeing Zhou Hongqi and Yuanbao off, and would occasionally sing a song.
Lin Yi smiled wryly, "No wonder Lin Ting was yelling at home, so she was practicing her voice?"
Guan Yuehe suppressed a laugh and told him to keep his voice down, "Shh, don't let her hear. Gu Yu said she couldn't sing in tune, and she got angry."
The couple had just quietly played with their daughter when Lin Ting ran in, her cheeks flushed, and loudly announced, "I'm going to start my performance now!"
Guan Yuehe and Lin Yiku exchanged a glance and clapped in unison.
Guan Yuehe felt that she and Lin Yiku were exceptionally supportive parents.
But what was Lin listening to singing?
"Director Lin, your parents want to discuss something with you."
"Hmm?" Lin Ting sat up straight.
She was serious for less than two minutes. When her mother asked her if she wanted to go to the preschool class, Lin Ting shook her head vigorously and said that she wanted to go to school at the car factory like Gu Yu.
"You're not old enough to go to primary school."
"Grain Rain has passed."
"Guyu is four years older than you."
No matter how Guan Yuehe tried to coax her, Lin Ting wouldn't budge. She had already asked her friends, and they were either playing at home or going to school at the car factory; none of them were going to the preschool class.
The child disagreed, and several elders also disagreed.
"With four elderly people in the family, how could we not take care of her?"
The plan to send the child to school has temporarily failed.
—
Early March.
Guan Yuehe and the others arranged to go to Ding Xuewen's house to see the baby, and they found Ding Xuewen with red and swollen eyes.
Ye Zhi Qiu lay on the bed and winked at them, telling them not to laugh at him.
"Have you named it yet?" Lin Sitian suppressed a laugh and could only change the subject.
"Yes, my dad named him Ding Fengchun," Ye Zhi Qiu said with a smile. "My mom even said that my name and the child's name sound like siblings. But we both think the name is good, and it's already registered."
"Uncle is a cultured man, what a wonderful name he chose!" Guan Yuehe and the others immediately began to praise.
With the ice and snow melting and everything coming back to life, the baby's birth at this time is just in time for the arrival of spring!
Ding Xuewen nodded, looking at his wife and child on the bed, and then at his childhood friends gathered around the bed watching the child, his heart softened.
His child arrived in the spring, a time of great opportunity, and also a time when he and Zhi Qiu had both achieved some success in their careers.
—
Guan Yuehe was promoted again after the National Day holiday in 1986.
Comrade Guan Yuehe joined the Ministry of Foreign Trade in early 1981. In the past six and a half years, she has successfully completed negotiations on many major joint venture projects without ever making a mistake. Whether it is her superiors or subordinates, they all highly recognize her work ability, and her promotion is a natural result.
"Deputy Director Guan, congratulations!" Li Xuelian hadn't forgotten the joke from two years ago. "When will you treat me to a meal at a restaurant?"
"I'll follow Comrade Xue Lian's arrangements sometime."
"Then let's wait until next time when we can both leave work on time, and then find a small restaurant in Changhu Street for a meal. I'll bring my daughter, and you bring yours, okay?"
"Okay!"
Guan Yuehe glanced at her watch. "I'm leaving get off work on time today, so I need to go home early."
Li Xuelian understood. The news of Guan Yuehe's promotion had been circulating for several months, and now the transfer document had finally been issued, and the matter was settled. If it were her, she would also want to hurry home and share the news with her family.
Waving the documents in her hand, Li Xuelian shrugged. "I'll leave later. But my husband will be here soon."
"Yuehe, congratulations again!"
Guan Yuehe received many congratulations from her colleagues as she left the office and walked out of the company gate.
She was quite modest in front of her colleagues, but once she rode her motorcycle away, she couldn't help but grin and show her big teeth.
As soon as I got home, I went straight to Courtyard No. 3. "Mom, don't cook tonight, let's go out to eat. It's my treat."
Jiang Guiying disagreed, "Some other time. I've already started cooking. It's not a holiday, and there's nothing important going on. Why go out to eat?"
Guan Yuehe suppressed a laugh and coughed twice. "Deputy Director Guan is treating us to dinner. You really aren't going? Fine, I'll go call my Aunt Fang and Uncle Lin. Hey, where's Lin Ting?"
"You're really making a mountain out of a molehill with all that extra money. Last month you said you bought a small yard and then you were broke, and now you're rich again... Wait a minute, who's treating?"
Guan Yuehe chuckled and pointed to herself, "Deputy Director Guan."
"Ouch!" Jiang Guiying was stunned for a moment, but quickly burst into laughter, slapping her thigh and spinning around in the small kitchen.
After having his fill of joy, he was still unsure, wondering, "Does this count as a promotion?"
He muttered to himself, "I know about section chiefs, directors, and factory managers, but what level is a director? What salary level do they get?"
All she knew was that in state-owned factories, the factory secretary was the highest-ranking official, but she really couldn't understand the hierarchy of government agencies.
Take Yuehua for example. She has different titles, like judge or adjudicator, which she doesn't understand. But when they mention her salary grade, she knows exactly what it is.
Guan Yuehe laughed twice, praising the mother and daughter for being honest people who were of the same ilk; upon hearing about the promotion, their first thought was how much of a raise they would receive.
Money doesn't go as fast as it used to; prices are skyrocketing, and wages aren't keeping pace. It's only because Guan Yuehe and Lin Yiku already had high salaries that they could save money as they did a few years ago.
Jiang Guiying, who had just been reluctant to go out to eat, quickly took off her apron and urged Guan Yuehe to go next door to call Aunt Fang. She herself went to find Aunt Xie and asked her to leave a message for Guan Aiguo and his wife to go directly to Uncle Ming's small restaurant after get off work.
"What good news is there?"
Aunt Xie kept asking, but Jiang Guiying only said it was a good thing, without saying exactly what it was.
Watching Guan Yuehe lead Jiang Guiying and Aunt Fang out in a flurry, Aunt Xie couldn't help but purse her lips and mutter under her breath, "They're neighbors, they really kept it a secret."
But when she thought about how her daughter-in-law had also asked her to keep the good thing a secret from the family, she couldn't help but shrink back and turn around to go back into the house.
Author's Note: I'll be making up for the two missed chapters tomorrow and the day after. [cat paw emoji]
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