Qiao Changhai looked worried. Qiao Baozhu's plan was too obvious. What if Director Yang didn't fall into the trap at all? Then the four sewing machines would be wasted.
Qiao Baozhu saw her parents' worry and she smiled confidently.
"The weather is getting colder and colder. Yang Ming's life will become more and more difficult. Director Yang feels sorry for his brother and will definitely come to find my father."
As Qiao Baozhu was speaking, the big iron gate outside banged loudly.
Qiao Changhai and Bao Huihua looked at each other and then at Qiao Baozhu.
Qiao Baozhu laughed: "They probably didn't come to see me. Jihong's second brother told me to pick out fabrics tomorrow. It shouldn't be them."
As she spoke, she stood up and went outside to open the door. Qiao Changhai glanced at the dining table and reminded his wife, "Clean it up, don't let anyone see it."
Qiao Changhai didn't want outsiders to see that their food was too good, so he wanted to keep a low profile no matter who came.
Ordinary people have plenty of braised pork, hairtail, and white flour buns to eat.
The couple forgot that their current conditions are no longer those of an ordinary family.
Bao Huihua hid the leftovers in the innermost part of the cupboard, then she heard laughter coming from outside.
"Master Qiao, good evening. Have you eaten yet? I have some roast chicken from the state-owned restaurant."
Bao Huihua's eyelids twitched. The voice turned out to be Director Yang from the Street Office.
My daughter actually guessed it.
Bao Huihua didn't like to join in the fun. She was washing dishes while listening to their conversation in the living room.
In the small living room of the Qiao family, Director Yang and his sister Yang Ming were carrying a roast chicken, two bottles of white wine, and a large front door.
Qiao Baozhu couldn't help but secretly gasp at the sight of these things. With so many gifts, it seemed that Yang Ming was determined to move into the Huaguang Building.
Director Yang's eyes were pale and his face looked haggard. Yang Ming stood beside his sister and forced a smile.
Qiao Baozhu took the things and said with a smile: "Director Yang is too polite. We are already so familiar with each other, why are you still so polite?"
Director Yang forced a smile and said, "It's my first time visiting you, so I won't go empty-handed."
Qiao Baozhu added: "My male comrade-in-arms sent me some tea, which he called Da Hong Pao. It just so happens that you are here, so let's taste it together."
You gave me good things, and I also brought out good tea to entertain guests. Whether I can help or not is another matter, but the Qiao family is not bad at etiquette.
"Okay, okay, Dahongpao is a famous tea, and we are lucky to have it."
Director Yang followed Qiao Baozhu's words, and the brother and sister politely sat on the small sofa.
Qiao Baozhu brought the tea over, and Yang Ming picked up the cup and put it into his mouth.
The hot tea made him grimace, but he still swallowed half a cup of tea. Putting down the teacup, Yang Ming praised loudly: "It is indeed a good tea, it smells really good."
Qiao Baozhu couldn't help but shrink her tongue, feeling that Yang Ming's tongue must have been burned and blistered.
That was tea at 100 degrees Celsius. How could you just drink it like that?
"Mingzi, the tea is hot, drink it slowly."
Qiao Changhai watched Yang Ming drinking tea, and in a trance, he thought of the embarrassment he had experienced at his master's house.
He sighed in his heart, and before Director Yang could start the conversation, he spoke first: "Director Yang, you guys are here to ask me to help you find the factory leader, right?"
Director Yang blushed and sighed, "Master Qiao is one of us, so I won't be polite to you. You all know my younger brother's situation. He is in poor health, and his wife doesn't have a job. He can barely make a living by selling cigarettes."
"It's better to have a skill than to run a small business. He worked as an apprentice in a state-owned restaurant for two years, but his health couldn't take it anymore, so he had to sell cigarettes."
Qiao Baozhu nodded. Not to mention Yang Ming's bad legs and feet, even normal people can't stand standing for a whole day. Many chefs have problems such as lumbar disc herniation and varicose veins, which are all caused by fatigue.
"Although he is a good cook, he is not suitable for Mingzi. Shoemaking and watch repair are more suitable for him."
When Director Yang heard Qiao Changhai mention shoe repair, he thought he didn't want to help.
"Shoe repair is good, but I would rather let him learn watch repair. Although both are for serving the people, watch repair is more respectable than shoe repair."
When Director Yang thought of his beloved brother, who had to hold his stinky shoes and smelly feet all day long, his heart ached and tears welled up in his eyes.
"Master Qiao, we've asked someone about Huaguang, and it turns out that most people can't get in. Huaguang Department Store recruits people who are in good health and good looks, and the repair shop only wants young people as apprentices. I can't get in either, and we won't force it."
"I can't get into Huaguang, but I still want to learn some skills. Among the people I know, you, Master Qiao, are the best. Your teacher is a technical master, and you are a level 6 worker in Huaguang Factory. I want Yang Ming to learn skills from you, and I am willing to pay any tuition fee."
"Please Master Qiao give my brother a chance so that he can have something to eat in the future."
Director Yang turned her back and sobbed, wiping her tears. Yang Ming stood up awkwardly and knelt down in front of Qiao Changhai.
"Master Qiao, I want to learn how to repair watches from you. Please accept me."
Yang Ming knelt down with a plop, his knees hitting the coffee table with a loud thump.
Qiao Changhai was an experienced person and knew how painful it was for Yang Ming to be hit. He subconsciously pushed Qiao Baozhu and asked her to help Yang Ming up.
"Oh, is it necessary for you to kneel down for such a small matter? Be careful not to hurt your leg. Baozhu, go and help him."
"Old lady, old lady, please find the safflower oil."
Director Yang was also surprised by Yang Ming's kneeling. She knew that her brother wanted to learn how to repair watches, but she didn't expect that he was so determined to become a disciple.
While supporting Yang Ming, she touched his leg distressedly: "Why are you so fierce? Is your leg broken?"
Yang Ming knelt on the ground and refused to get up no matter how Qiao Baozhu and his sister pulled him.
"Master, just because I am a cripple, I have been bullied by my classmates and the kids in the neighborhood since I was a child. At that time, my mother said that I would be fine when I grow up. When I grow up and have a promising future, I will not be looked down upon by others."
"When I grew up, I worked as an apprentice in a state-owned restaurant. I was disabled and not as strong as them. I couldn't run as fast as them. In order to be respected by the master, I worked very hard. I came the earliest, left the latest, and did the most hard work. For two years, I worked in the kitchen doing odd jobs. I never touched a spoon or a chopping board."
Yang Ming was crying as he spoke, and Director Yang was stunned listening.
"I was not convinced, so I went to find my master. He said that it was a blessing for someone like me to be a waiter in the kitchen. I was not worthy of being a chef. If my parents hadn't given me money, I wouldn't even be qualified to wash his feet."
"I was so angry that I called him a beast, and the kitchen staff beat me up and kicked me out. But I refused to accept it!"
Yang Ming raised his head, his eyes widened, his nostrils flaring as he breathed heavily.
"I was born by my mother and raised by my father. I also earn money with my own hands. But people look down on me just because I am a cripple. They all call me Lame..."
"Woo woo, my name is not Lame Leg, my name is Yang Ming, Ming means bright!"
Others may not feel the same way, but Qiao Changhai can resonate with it.
"They say that all cripples are the same. I accepted my fate and gave in. Until, until I saw you in the newspaper."
Yang Ming raised his head unwillingly, looking at Qiao Changhai with sparkling eyes.
"I saw you in the newspaper, Master. The newspaper said that you were born with a disability, but you were strong and unyielding. You were born a farmer and bravely entered the city. Not only did you have superb watch repair skills, you also caught a spy."
"From that day on, I took you as my role model. What's wrong with being lame? What's wrong with being disabled? We are disabled but strong-willed. We can create a world for ourselves with our own hands."
After speaking out the deepest words in his heart in front of his idol, Yang Ming seemed to have used up all his strength and collapsed to the ground.
He told his most shameful past to the person he admired most.
My sister was wrong. He didn’t leave the state-owned restaurant because of poor health. He was kicked out.
He has a history of beating his master, he is not a good person.
Even if Master Qiao didn't accept him as his apprentice, Yang Ming would accept his fate.
He didn't want to lie to anyone, especially Master Qiao.
"Little brother, you..."
Director Yang didn't expect his brother to be so stupid...
"Good boy, you have great ambition. You deserve to be my apprentice. No one else is worthy."
Qiao Changhai raised his head and laughed, then reached out to help the confused Yang Ming up.
"Good boy, follow me and learn how to repair watches from now on."
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