Chapter 75 Salary "From now on, I will give you all my money." ...
On Wednesday, December 8, 1974, the Beichong City Subsidiary Food Factory officially began producing shachima.
Wang Ying arrived at the factory at 7:50 and went straight to the workshop. In the locker room, colleagues from the early shift had already arrived. After greeting each other, they all went to the workshop together.
Fang Hongjun held a brief morning meeting for them and production officially began.
Wang Ying's main job is to allocate production raw materials, supervise the production process, and ensure that there are no mistakes in every link.
After working twelve hours on the first day, she had hardly any free time. No matter how well prepared or well trained one is, one will still encounter various problems when actually starting work.
During this day of getting to know Team Leader Wang, the people in Workshop 4 also got to know a different person. Their biggest impression was that Team Leader Wang had a genuinely good temper. No matter what happened, she never got angry, but instead prioritized solving the problem. Unlike some leaders, who, upon encountering a problem, would start by scolding, then hold people accountable, and sometimes even accuse them, without ever resolving the issue...
Wang Yingcai got off work around 8:10 in the evening. She changed her clothes in the locker room, and as soon as she left the factory, she felt a gust of cold wind blowing into her bones.
There is always wind in Beichong in winter. Wang Ying wrapped his cotton jacket tightly around him, tucked his chin into his scarf, and walked towards the factory gate.
Wang Ying saw a bicycle parked at the door of the message room, and two figures were reflected in the window of the message room, one of them was the doorman, and the other should be Zhao Yunsheng.
Wang Ying approached and knocked on the window glass. The guard pushed the window open and saw Wang Ying: "Hey, Team Leader Wang, you're off work. Your wife is waiting for you here."
"Thanks, uncle. We'll leave first." Zhao Yunsheng said to the guard.
"Don't be polite. It's so cold and it's painful to wait outside. Take care." The guard waved at Wang Ying.
"Thank you for your hard work." Wang Ying smiled at him.
Zhao Yunsheng came out of the reception room and said with a smile, "Let's go home."
"How long have you been waiting? You can come a little later next time," said Wang Ying.
"It won't be long. It's okay to stay at home. Come on, get on the bike." Zhao Yunsheng got on the bike and supported himself with his long legs.
Wang Ying got on her bicycle and walked out of the factory, hugging Zhao Yunsheng's waist tightly.
It was a cold winter night, and the streets were deserted. Beyond the food factory, there were no streetlights. Only the flashlight on Zhao Yunsheng's bicycle illuminated their way home.
Fortunately, it’s not far from home and it only takes less than ten minutes to ride home.
"It's cold. It feels like winter comes early this year." Zhao Yunsheng said as he locked his bicycle.
"Yeah, it's cold." Wang Ying stood by and waited for Zhao Yunsheng.
"Let's go upstairs. I've got the hot water. Wash your face and warm your feet with it." Zhao Yunsheng took Wang Ying's arm and went upstairs, and they both trotted upstairs.
When he got upstairs, Zhao Yunsheng was busy pouring water for Wang Ying to wash her face.
"Come, wash your face first." Zhao Yunsheng threw the towel into the steaming washbasin and called Wang Ying.
Wang Ying washed the towel, and the moment the warm towel touched her face, happiness seemed to materialize.
After Wang Ying washed up, she got into bed. Zhao Yunsheng had already put the hot water bottle in place, making the bed cozy and warm. Zhao Yunsheng washed up after Wang Ying, then poured out the water before getting into bed.
As soon as Zhao Yunsheng got into bed, Wang Ying leaned over and hugged him, nestling in his arms.
"Are you tired?" Zhao Yunsheng stroked Wang Ying's back.
Wang Ying nodded softly.
"Go to bed early, you have to get up early tomorrow morning." Zhao Yunsheng whispered in a warm voice.
Wang Ying actually wanted to say something thankful, thanking Zhao Yunsheng for picking her up and thanking him for his meticulous care. But she wasn't very good at it, and she felt that saying it might make her seem awkward, so she kept silent. She just leaned even closer to Zhao Yunsheng, clinging to him until they were inseparable.
Zhao Yunsheng chuckled twice. He felt Wang Ying's unspoken gratitude.
No matter how cold the wind was, it couldn't blow into their bed. Tired after a day of work, Wang Ying quickly fell asleep in Zhao Yunsheng's arms.
In the morning, Zhao Yunsheng would get up first to cook, and after it was done, he would bring the food upstairs for Wang Ying to eat.
Wang Ying drank the porridge and said, "You don't have to get up to make it for me in the morning. I can just eat some porridge and an egg. You can sleep a little longer."
"It's not a big deal." Zhao Yunsheng said with a smile.
Wang Ying looked at Zhao Yunsheng and thought to herself, if they were to switch places, she probably wouldn't be able to do what he did. Wang Ying even worried that Zhao Yunsheng's excessive care for her, and if she didn't receive an equal response from him, would his love for her soon fade.
After breakfast, it was only 7:40 when Wang Ying walked to work. On the way to work, Wang Ying was still thinking that maybe she should be nicer to Zhao Yunsheng, but she couldn't figure out how to be nicer to him. She didn't have time to knit sweaters or make clothes for him now, and he was the one who took care of her in her life...
Wang Ying thought that tomorrow was the tenth, payday, and perhaps she could give him a gift. With this wandering thought in her mind, she arrived at the factory and entered the workshop. She put Zhao Yunsheng out of her mind and threw herself into her work.
Today's work went much more smoothly than yesterday's. Wang Ying was called in less frequently, and she had more free time to help those who needed assistance. The beginning is always difficult, but once things are up and running and the workers are familiar with the process, progress is smooth. At their current production rate, barring any unexpected events, they should have no problem meeting their targets before the New Year.
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Things are not going so smoothly for Wang Hui at the garment factory. Today is her fourth day at work, and she hasn't met her production targets in any of the previous three days.
When she joined the factory, Wang Hui said she was very skilled on the sewing machine and made her own clothes at home. The workshop director assigned her a quota based on her experience, but on the first day, she only completed one-third of her tasks.
The workshop director was a little unhappy with Wang Hui, but considering her young age and recent arrival, he remonstrated with her and adjusted her quota for the next day, temporarily assigning her to work as an apprentice. Unexpectedly, she still couldn't complete it.
Who would be willing to assign the quota that Wang Hui couldn't complete to her colleagues in the same group? Furthermore, they were already close friends with Du Wenxiu and had heard of Wang Hui's "reputation," so they were even more rude to her.
Today, the workshop director assigned Wang Hui quotas according to the apprenticeship standards, and her colleagues in the group protested.
"Director, our group doesn't want apprentices."
"Exactly, why? We have to make several more pieces every day now."
Their workshop director was familiar with Du Jianguo, having worked with Du Jianguo's father before, and he was somewhat considerate of Wang Hui. Wang Hui had previously thought herself lucky to have a good leader, but she hadn't expected to be harassed by her colleagues.
Wang Hui had never worked a single day in her previous life, and she didn't know what to do at this moment. She could only look at the workshop director pitifully.
Wang Hui herself might not even realize what "weapon" she was using; she was used to it, having lived this way for two lifetimes. But others saw it clearly, and their dissatisfaction with her grew.
The workshop director was in his late 40s and approaching 50, and he had a daughter about Wang Hui's age. He was a straight-laced man, and had no desire for anything crooked. But just because he didn't want to, didn't mean others wouldn't say anything.
Some old hands in the garment factory said to the workshop director in front of him: "Director, don't be partial to her just because she is young and pretty and acts like a spoiled child with you!"
Just one sentence made the workshop director dumbfounded.
"Don't talk nonsense! I saw that she was new here, so I thought I would give her a few days to get used to it. But you said it was nothing! Did you become skilled workers on the first day? We are all a team, we should help each other!" The workshop director's face turned red with anger.
"There should be a time limit, a limit! We should also lower our team's targets." The workers wouldn't budge, saying they were a collective, but who wanted to work harder than everyone else? The clothes they were making were just loose smocks, worn over a cotton-padded jacket in winter—very simple. If they couldn't even make that, why were they even working in a garment factory?
"This week!" the workshop director said, then turned to Wang Hui, "And you, hurry up and get proficient. If you're here to cover the shift, you have to do it well! If you're not proficient in anything, practice more and watch how other comrades work! Learn from them, and if you can't do it, go back!"
Wang Hui was also dumbfounded. She didn't expect that the workshop director who was so kind to her just two days ago would suddenly be so mean to her.
The woman working next to Wang Hui gave her a disdainful look. She hated women like that. It was a different era, and she was always flaunting her looks. Ugh! We're all working people now, and labor is the most glorious thing. Women like that should be taken out and shot! She pedaled her sewing machine at breakneck speed, the needle clacking away, leaving a neat row of stitches on the fabric.
Scolded by her boss and ostracized by her colleagues, Wang Hui felt angry and aggrieved, and was confused the whole day. As a result, she not only failed to complete the apprenticeship target that day, but also made a mistake.
Before leaving get off work, Wang Hui was reported by a colleague again. The workshop director dared not defend her anymore, for fear of being accused of having work style problems, so he scolded Wang Hui again.
Wang Hui had never suffered such humiliation before. She was scolded by the workshop director and cried. The more she cried, the more her colleagues hated her.
Wang Hui left work with her eyes red from crying. The moment she saw Du Jianguo, she wanted to throw herself into his arms. But since they were at the factory gate, she didn't dare.
"What's going on?" Du Jianguo and his colleagues pushed the cart out. Seeing Wang Hui like this, the other colleagues exchanged glances and left.
Wang Hui cried, "They all bullied me."
"Let's get in the car and go home." Du Jianguo felt annoyed and thought Wang Hui was a bit useless. Who would cry at work?
As soon as they got home, before Wang Hui had time to complain to Du Jianguo, she was called by Du Jianguo's grandmother to cook dinner.
Wang Hui had a long day at work and didn't want to cook, so she insisted on dragging Du Jianguo along. Du Jianguo also wanted to take a break, but Wang Hui was crying, so he had no choice but to follow her to the kitchen.
While cooking, Wang Hui talked about how hard her work was at the factory and how her colleagues bullied her.
Du Jianguo said, "If you don't meet your targets, they will definitely be unhappy. You have a sewing machine at home, so you should practice more."
"Why are you siding with outsiders? I've been bullied to death outside, and you don't even know how to comfort me!" Wang Hui was angry again.
"I'm not biased towards outsiders, but put yourself in their shoes, don't you know? If someone holds you back at work, can you bear it?" Du Jianguo felt that Wang Hui was really too young and didn't know such a simple truth.
After Du Jianguo said this, Wang Hui understood, but even though she understood, she was still unhappy.
After dinner, Wang Hui cleared away the pots and pans and returned to her room to really practice her sewing skills. Not long after she sat at the sewing machine, her legs froze.
"Brother Jianguo, my legs are cold. Can you give me the hot water bottle?" Wang Hui said.
Du Jianguo reluctantly took the hot water bottle out of the quilt and said, "Here, for you."
"Please bring it to me!" said Wang Hui.
"You come and get it yourself. I'll give you this hot water bottle. If you get out of bed again, the heat in the quilt will be gone," said Du Jianguo.
Wang Hui had no choice but to get it herself. She put the hot water bottle on her legs and felt a little better. She continued to practice line running.
Du Jianguo asked Wang Hui to practice more, but now he felt that the noise of the sewing machine was too noisy and he tossed and turned in bed in frustration.
"How long will it take? Let's go to sleep." Half an hour later, Du Jianguo said unable to bear it any longer.
"I'll practice for a while, you go to sleep first." Wang Hui said.
"You're making so much noise, how can I sleep?" Du Jianguo tossed and turned, driving away all the heat in the quilt, and felt even more annoyed.
Wang Hui heard the impatience in Du Jianguo's words and became angry. She turned to Du Jianguo and said, "You made me practice, and now you think I'm annoying. I was bullied at work, and now I get bullied by you again when I come home!"
Du Jianguo didn't want to argue with Wang Hui, so he simply turned over and turned his back to her. Wang Hui was even angrier seeing him like this, and the grievances that had been accumulating in her heart all day burst out. She picked up the hot water bottle in her hand and threw it at Du Jianguo.
This time, the blow hit Du Jianguo's back of the head. Wang Hui originally wanted to hit his back, but unexpectedly hit the back of the head, and she was also shocked.
Du Jianguo was hit on the back of his head and it hurt. He jumped up in anger: "Wang Hui, are you crazy? Why did you hit me? You are useless. You get bullied at the factory and you come back to take it out on me!"
This was the first time in Wang Hui's two lives that she saw Du Jianguo get angry. She was a little scared and stared at him blankly.
Sun Qiaoling heard the noise from their side and came over to knock on the door.
"Why are you making noise so late at night instead of sleeping?" said Sun Qiaoling.
Du Jianguo looked towards the door and said, "It's okay, Mom. We were just joking."
"Go to bed quickly. The lights are on until now and the electricity bill is free!" Sun Qiaoling said unhappily.
Du Jianguo snapped the cord, and Wang Hui sat at the sewing machine, her eyes dark. Soon she began to sob, feeling she had never suffered such an injustice in her two lives.
Du Jianguo was lying on the bed, holding a hot water bottle, with his back to Wang Hui, listening to her sobs. The more he listened, the more annoyed he became, and she deliberately ignored him.
Seeing that Du Jianguo ignored her, Wang Hui felt even more aggrieved and cried more and more. Seeing that Du Jianguo was still indifferent, she opened the door and ran out crying.
Du Jianguo panicked when he saw Wang Hui running out. When he put on his clothes and went out to chase her, the gate was wide open and Wang Hui had run out.
Sun Qiaoling came out of the room: "What are you doing so late at night?"
"Huihui ran away!" said Du Jianguo.
"Ah? Why don't you go after her!" Sun Qiaoling ran to the gate of the yard, but didn't see Wang Hui on either side.
Du Jianguo rode his scooter and chased Wang Hui in the direction of Old Wang's house. Soon he caught up with Wang Hui who was crying and running forward.
"Huihui! Get in the car and go home!" said Du Jianguo.
Wang Hui ignored him and rushed ahead, which made her feel cold. Du Jianguo stopped his bike and tried to pull Wang Hui, but Wang Hui shook his hand away, refusing to let him touch her.
"Stop making trouble! Come to my house now!" Du Jianguo was afraid that Wang Hui would go back to her parents' home and make a scene.
"I don't want to go back. I want to go back to my own home." Wang Hui cried.
"What do you mean your own home? The Du family is your home." Du Jianguo wanted to hug Wang Hui but she dodged him.
"That's not my home. You slept in the bed alone, turned off the lights, and left me under the bed. What do you mean? Aren't you just trying to get me out? Can't I just leave?" Wang Hui felt that all the grievances she had suffered today were not as great as the grievance she suffered when Du Jianguo turned off the lights and left her under the bed.
"That's not what I meant. I meant that when the lights are turned off, you should go to bed," said Du Jianguo.
"Bah, you didn't even call me. I've been sitting there crying for so long. Are you deaf?" Wang Hui felt more and more aggrieved and ran forward desperately.
Du Jianguo could only walk back, get on his bike again, and chase Wang Hui.
"It's all my fault. Stop making a fuss and come back with me. It's so late, if you go back to your parents' house, won't you make your parents worry?" Du Jianguo said.
At this time, Wang Hui just wanted to go home and she didn't listen to anything Du Jianguo said.
Du Jianguo had to take care of his bicycle and couldn't take Wang Hui back, so he could only follow her all the way back to Old Wang's house.
When they reached the entrance to Old Wang's lane, Du Jianguo said darkly, "Wang Hui, you really want to embarrass me like this, don't you? How will my parents look at me if you come back so late at night?"
Wang Hui felt as if her heart was being stabbed by needles. She stopped and said, "What about you? Du Jianguo, who is the one who said that you love me, treat me well, and let me not be wronged? Can't you see how much I have suffered in your house? No matter how they treat me, I endure it for you, but what about you? Why did you turn off the lights? Don't say you did it to get me into bed, I know it's not true."
Du Jianguo also felt that he shouldn't have turned off the lights. It was cold and dark, and Wang Hui must have been scared. But that was because Wang Hui had hit him first.
"It's all my fault tonight. I apologize to you. Come home with me and don't make my parents worry, and don't make my mom worry at home." Du Jianguo said.
Wang Hui didn't say anything. Du Jianguo parked the car aside. It was late at night and there was no one around. He carried Wang Hui into the room.
"Okay Huihui, come back with me. I will never do this again. I promise I won't do this again." Du Jianguo said.
"Really? What if you do this again next time?" Wang Hui said.
"Then you can hit me, scold me, whatever you want." Du Jianguo now just wanted to coax Wang Hui back home and say all the nice things to her.
"I wouldn't dare," Wang Hui said, her heart already wavering. The evening breeze dried the tears from her face and sobered her up a bit. After all, she still loved Du Jianguo, loved him as a person, and loved the good life he could bring her in the future.
"Why don't you dare? You hit me with a hot water bottle at home just now. My back of the head still hurts." Du Jianguo said.
"Does it really still hurt?" Wang Hui said.
"Well, just trust me. Why would you let me feel so much pain?" Du Jianguo said.
Wang Hui was finally coaxed back by Du Jianguo. Sun Qiaoling had been listening to the noise outside and knew that both of them had returned, but she did not show up.
Wang Hui and Du Jianguo went to bed as soon as they returned to their room. After a night, the couple seemed to have reconciled.
On Friday, December 10th, Wang Ying's unit paid salaries, and Wang Ying received her first salary in her life, thirty-four yuan.
After receiving her salary, Wang Ying wondered whether she should turn it over to Chen Xiuqin. She felt that the Zhao family didn't have that kind of atmosphere. In her previous life, in the Du family, Wang Ying had to give half of her salary to Sun Qiaoling, and she had done so for several years. The Du family wasn't unique; in many families where the family remained intact, younger generations were required to turn over their wages to their parents.
In the evening, Zhao Yunsheng came to pick up Wang Ying from get off work. Wang Ying asked him, "I got my salary today. Should I hand it in?"
"Hand it over? To whom?" Zhao Yunsheng asked.
After hearing what Zhao Yunsheng said, Wang Ying felt that it should not be handed over, but just in case, Wang Ying said: "Give it to my parents, who else can I give it to?"
"No need to pay." Zhao Yunsheng said, "Before we got married, my mother told me that we should keep our money for ourselves."
"Then I understand." Wang Ying said, thinking to herself, she would use this first month's salary to buy a gift for Zhao Yunsheng. What should she buy? She seemed to have never bought a gift for anyone before.
"Let's go, get in the car and go home." Zhao Yunsheng said.
When they got home, Zhao Yunsheng prepared hot water as usual. While Wang Ying was washing her feet, Zhao Yunsheng opened the tall cupboard, took out an envelope, and handed it to Wang Ying a little embarrassedly.
"What is this?" Wang Ying asked after taking it.
"Ahem, this is my salary." Zhao Yunsheng touched his nose. "I didn't save much. I spent it all on books, cameras, and film. This is all I have left."
"Give it to me?" Wang Ying was a little surprised.
"Well, don't think it's too little. You can earn more in the future," said Zhao Yunsheng.
Wang Ying opened the envelope and took a quick look. There was indeed not much in it, only about two or three hundred yuan.
"Why did you suddenly remember to give me the salary..." Wang Ying held the stack of money and felt very happy in her heart, the same happiness that a simple woman would feel when receiving her husband's salary.
Zhao Yunsheng said, "I lent two hundred to a friend, and he just paid me back. Since I get my salary today, I'll give it to you as well."
Wang Ying originally thought about not accepting Zhao Yunsheng's money, but when she heard that he borrowed 200 yuan from a friend, she thought she should take it.
"Then I'll accept it? You can keep it for pocket money, right?" Wang Ying said.
"I'll keep it, you take it, and I'll give you all my money in the future!" said Zhao Yunsheng.
Wang Ying smiled and said, "Aren't we one? Why do we need to separate you and me?"
Zhao Yunsheng liked what he said. He walked over to Wang Ying and said, "Not only will I give you the money, I'll also give you the copyright of my novel."
Wang Ying laughed: "Now, I'm going to use a small whip to urge you to write! I'll urge you to become a great writer soon, and then I'll be waiting to count the money."
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