Chapter 163
Xia Juhua, who had figured it out, felt even more sorry for Wang Caixia. This was the first friend she had ever made in her life. She was kind and honest, and she never flattered the powerful and bullied the weak. She always let people get by when things got tough, which was very rare in that era.
"Where does Caixia live? I haven't been there yet." Xia Juhua asked the salesperson in a low voice. It would be fine if she didn't know what happened, but now that she knew, Xia Juhua had to meet Wang Caixia no matter what.
The salesperson glanced at Xia Juhua with the same look that the people at the county supply and marketing cooperative had given her that year. It was obvious that he sympathized with Wang Caixia in his heart, but he was powerless to do anything. He was also afraid that his superiors would find out and make things difficult for him, so he was anxious and helpless.
Xia Juhua thought the salesperson's behavior was understandable, and asked Wang Caixia where her home was again. After getting the answer, she left the supply and marketing cooperative. As for Chen Xiaoman, whom she had just asked about, Xia Juhua was not going to meet her. If she had any questions, it would be easier to ask Wang Caixia directly.
The commune was not very big, and it didn't take long to find Wang Caixia's home. The door was closed tightly just as Xia Juhua had expected. Fortunately, there was no one watching outside like what happened to Director Lin that year, so Xia Juhua went forward and knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" Wang Caixia's voice came from behind the door.
Xia Juhua did not think it was shameful for her to come and see Wang Caixia, and she said loudly, "I am Xia Juhua."
The door suddenly opened, revealing Wang Caixia's nervous face: "Why are you here?" Aren't you afraid of being implicated?
Xia Juhua pushed her bicycle straight inside: "I'm going to the supply and marketing cooperative to find you. I knew you hadn't been to work for a few days, so I came to see you." You are my friend, and if something happens to you, I will naturally stand with you, even if it's just to let you talk and ease your mood.
Wang Caixia was very nervous and immediately closed the door. She stood at the door and persuaded Xia Juhua to leave: "I don't have anything to do. I just feel that working in the supply and marketing cooperative every day is too tiring and I don't want to go. Don't worry, there is still work waiting for you in the brigade. Go back."
"Do you believe this?"
Wang Caixia's eyes were red. She lowered her head and led Xia Juhua into the house. After she sat down, Wang Caixia sighed, "I knew you would get anxious if you heard it, so I didn't dare to tell you."
Xia Juhua felt even more distressed when she saw Wang Caixia, who had lost her former spirit: "You can hide it for a while, but can you hide it for a lifetime? What's going on? You are the deputy director of the supply and marketing cooperative, why can't you be the deputy director just because they say you can't be the director?" The Red Star Supply and Marketing Cooperative has been acting strangely in the past two years. There has been no director, and Wang Caixia has been running the business alone.
Wang Caixia told Xia Juhua that although she worked in the supply and marketing cooperative and became the deputy director because of Director Lin's recommendation, her identity was just a worker, not an official. She was a deputy director in exchange for work. Now that her relative had fallen, they used this excuse to push her down.
If she was just not allowed to be the deputy director, Wang Caixia would not have stopped going to work. The main reason was that after Chen Xiaoman became the deputy director, she overturned some of the things that Wang Caixia had decided before. When farmers asked why they didn't purchase agricultural products or sell things according to the previous prices, they pushed the blame onto Wang Caixia and asked her to explain to everyone that the prices set before were wrong.
No matter how easy-going Wang Caixia was, she could not stand having dirty water splashed on her so obviously. Naturally, she started arguing with Chen Xiaoman. However, Chen Xiaoman suppressed her by saying that she was now the deputy director. In a fit of anger, she quit her job.
Xia Juhua asked in confusion, "I remember that Chen Xiaoman. Wasn't she also forced into the supply and marketing cooperative by Director Chen of the noodle factory? She entered the supply and marketing cooperative in a similar way to you. How dare she do this to you?"
Wang Caixia had figured it out long ago: "Director Chen is no longer the director of the noodle factory. He has been promoted to deputy director of the county light industry bureau. Some people want to flatter him and flatter Chen Xiaoman everywhere. She also wants to be like Director Lin before, and discover one or two special products like Ping'anzhuang's textiles as her own achievements, so that she can be transferred to the county seat and become a formal state cadre."
Wang Caixia couldn't help but sneer at this: "Who does she think she is? She is just like you. How can she come up with such a good idea? If she can't find other special products, she will try to lower the price of agricultural and sideline products. She lowers the price just to let her superiors notice her ability."
Do you have the ability to make ordinary people suffer losses? Xia Juhua really didn't know what was going on in Chen Xiaoman's mind, and she didn't know whether the former director of the noodle factory who had been promoted to the Light Industry Bureau knew what she had done.
Xia Juhua knocked her head in regret: "I went to the noodle factory a few days ago and found that their factory manager had changed. I just thought that Manager Chen was on a business trip and didn't think to ask him about it. If I had asked earlier, I might have known about your situation."
Wang Caixia chuckled: "I'm very happy that you can come to see me. It doesn't matter if you come earlier or later. I understand your intentions."
Although she smiled just now, the smile quickly disappeared, and there was some worry in her eyes. Xia Juhua knew what she was worried about, and asked directly: "Do you still want to go back to work at the supply and marketing cooperative? If you don't go back to work at the supply and marketing cooperative, you have to find another place. Otherwise, life will be very tight with only one person earning a salary at home."
Xia Juhua said this, but what she really thought in her heart was that Wang Caixia must have her own income, otherwise not only would the quality of life at home decline, but her status in the family would also be shaken.
If only a few years had passed, Xia Juhua could have directly hired Wang Caixia to work at the instant noodle factory - Wang Caixia had a cheerful personality and was very friendly, making her a good candidate for sales.
Unfortunately, Xia Juhua couldn't express her real worries, otherwise it would be like rubbing salt into Wang Caixia's wounds. The assumption could not become a reality. The most direct crisis in front of her was that if Wang Caixia lost her job in the supply and marketing cooperative, the family's living standards would decline.
Wang Caixia's voice was indeed full of depression: "When I came back, I really couldn't swallow that anger. But these days after I came back, they didn't pay me last month's salary. I can hold on for a while, but it won't work for a long time."
Since Xia Juhua had come to see her at home, Wang Caixia stopped trying to be stubborn and told her about her predicament and explained why she had not told Xia Juhua earlier.
The reason was similar to what Xia Juhua had guessed, but she was not afraid that her relatives would ask her to come forward and ask Xia Juhua to plead for her, but she felt uneasy in case Xia Juhua had a conflict with Director Chen, who had been promoted to the Light Industry Bureau, because of her. The Light Industry Bureau was a formal government bureau, and there was also a vermicelli factory in Ping'anzhuang. To put it leniently, the Light Industry Bureau could also supervise them.
Even though she knew that the supply and marketing cooperative would fall apart in a few years, this job was as important to Wang Caixia as the vermicelli factory and the weaving team. Xia Juhua felt that she should fight for her:
"Don't think I'm meddling in your business. I just want to ask Director Lin, we're both workers, why can't someone as experienced as you be the deputy director? What mistakes have you made over the years? Why did they fire you without giving you any reason?"
Let's put aside the issue of whose relatives came to power and whose relatives fell - that was not something that could be made public - and just talk about personal work experience and ability, Wang Caixia is more qualified than Chen Xiaoman.
Xia Juhua still finds it hard to believe that the girl who only wanted to show off in front of the boss and get a permanent job three years ago could squeeze Wang Caixia out of her work and even not pay her! She remembers that Chen Xiaoman called her "Sister Wang" all the time, and it was so affectionate.
Xia Juhua also wanted to ask Director Lin in person whether the county supply and marketing cooperative knew about this matter or not: Director Lin knew that Wang Caixia and Xia Juhua were related, and he was also the one who recommended Wang Caixia to be the deputy director. If he knew about the changes in the Red Star Commune and still allowed Chen Xiaoman to do something, Xia Juhua would have to consider this person's purpose.
However, Xia Juhua did not talk about this matter with Wang Caixia again. She talked for a while about the life of Wang Caifeng and his family in the provincial capital. When Wang Caixia's mood stabilized, she left the gift and left, aiming directly at the supply and marketing cooperative.
Director Lin was surprised to see Xia Juhua: "Why are you here? Didn't you say your team is very busy right now?"
Xia Juhua looked at Director Lin calmly, and seeing that there was no trace of guilt in his expression, she felt relieved - Director Lin had helped her a lot as well, and she didn't want to have any conflicts with him.
"It's no big deal. You know our brigade, every household has raised some chickens for the collective this year in order to increase sideline income. I wanted to ask you about the purchase price of eggs and see if they can be sent directly to the county supply and marketing cooperative." Xia Juhua got to the point as if nothing had happened.
Xia Juhua, a busy woman, actually came to the county supply and marketing cooperative in person just to ask about the price of eggs. Director Lin was very puzzled: "I know you have raised a lot of chickens. I heard that they will be delivered to the purchasing station at the end of the year to enrich the tables of the people in the county. Even our comrades in the supply and marketing cooperative know that your team members are highly conscious and will take the initiative to lower the price of eggs from now on to support the workers in the county. Why did you come to the county supply and marketing cooperative to ask about the price of eggs?"
The supply and marketing cooperative of Red Star Commune actually gave such an excuse, which really opened Xia Juhua's eyes: "Director Lin, you must know what kind of character I am. I won't ask for a penny more than we deserve. But the chickens that our members have worked hard to raise have to be handed over to the purchasing station at the end of the year because of the requirements of County Chief Qi. Many members can only hope to increase their income from the eggs they lay now. Do you think I am the one who took the initiative to propose a price reduction?"
Director Lin couldn't help but touch his chin. If Xia Juhua hadn't mentioned it, he really wouldn't have thought of this. But that's how the Red Star Supply and Marketing Cooperative reported it, and it had already sent eggs to the county supply and marketing cooperative twice. Although the quantity was not large, it still attracted his attention.
Now, from what Xia Juhua said, it was clear that it was not the members of Ping An Village who took the initiative to lower the price, so Director Lin had to take it seriously: "What's going on? Tell me in detail."
"I don't really understand what's going on, but Wang Caixia has been squeezed out and can't go to work. Do you know about this situation?" After Xia Juhua told Director Lin everything she knew, she asked.
Director Lin was shocked when he heard this: "I don't know, who told her that she would not be the deputy director?"
Xia Juhua shook her head at Director Lin and said nothing. Director Lin thought for a long time before saying to Xia Juhua, "I know about this matter. I will go to Ping'an Village to find you in two days." He had thought of a possibility, but he couldn't tell Xia Juhua directly before asking clearly.
From the beginning to the end, Director Lin was an honest man who disdained to do anything behind the scenes.
Xia Juhua felt that she should really give Director Lin some time. After all, as the director of the county supply and marketing cooperative, he didn't even know that the deputy director of his subordinate supply and marketing cooperative had been replaced. This should not be let off easily in any unit.
On the way back, Xia Juhua did not go to see Wang Caixia again, but waited quietly for Director Lin to come. Director Lin was a man of his word. He came to Ping'anzhuang Brigade two days after he said it would be done. When he met Xia Juhua, he said with emotion: "I have heard that the roads in Ping'anzhuang Brigade are well built. I thought they were exaggerating. I didn't expect that they were conservative."
Xia Juhua smiled and let the person in. Accountant Chang immediately poured tea for Director Lin and asked Director Lin to say something to Xia Juhua: "Your team has also changed its weapons in Torikaku. Before, I only had plain water to drink."
Although he kept talking as soon as he came in, Xia Juhua felt that he was pretending to be relaxed. She winked at Accountant Chang, who then tiptoed out the door and helped to close it.
Director Lin saw this situation and sighed softly, and then told Xia Juhua: Wang Caixia was dismissed from the position of deputy director, and he was indeed unaware of it. It was the new secretary of the supply and marketing cooperative who made the decision himself, and he was not informed afterwards. He went to ask yesterday and found out that the relative who arranged the job for Wang Caixia was just a small follower during the movement, but the people he followed committed many crimes.
Even though Wang Caixia's relatives were not core members, they were still included in the purge. Considering that they had not committed any serious crimes, they were only stripped of their cadre status and were assigned to return to their hometown to farm. As Wang Caixia was arranged by him to work in the supply and marketing cooperative, her identity was naturally questioned.
If it weren't for the fact that Wang Caixia was only a relative, not a direct relative, it would be uncertain whether Wang Caixia's town household registration could be retained. When it came to liquidation, even if Director Lin was angry about the secretary's lack of communication and recognized Wang Caixia's character and ability, he could not argue with the secretary and could only tell Xia Juhua the news.
Xia Juhua also took a deep breath when she heard this. She had heard of such things in her previous life. Due to the limitations of the times and the policies at the time, even those who were innocently involved had no chance to defend themselves. It all depended on the attitude of the leaders of their own unit or the leaders of the higher-level units.
"How is Caixia going to live? She never did anything illegal when she was a salesperson, but now she has lost her job. She has three children at home, and her husband is the only one who earns a salary..." Xia Juhua couldn't go on.
Director Lin also shook his head: Since this year, each unit has re-appointed a secretary. According to organizational discipline, he, as the director, also works under the leadership of the secretary. On many matters, he only has the right to make suggestions but not the right to make decisions. Otherwise, the secretary would not make a decision without him, the director, being aware of it.
"Now that the Red Star Supply and Marketing Cooperative has suddenly lowered the prices of agricultural products, what does the County Supply and Marketing Cooperative think?" Xia Juhua felt that she could still think of a way to deal with Wang Caixia's matter, but she also needed an explanation for the matter of Ping'anzhuang eggs.
Director Lin shook his head and said, "The secretary agrees with what Chen Xiaoman said and wants to train her as an advanced model. I'm afraid the price of agricultural products purchased by Red Star Commune will not be restored in a short time."
Not only can it not recover, it may even continue to depress. Although Director Lin did not say it, Xia Juhua also thought of this, thinking that it was no wonder that the supply and marketing cooperatives that were spread all over the city and the countryside in the past life were suddenly deserted. It seemed that it was not only affected by the impact of the individual businesses with fast product updates, low prices and good service attitudes.
The biggest problem is that they can't even control the procurement of goods in which they have an advantage, right? You know, no system can have the convenience of a nationwide procurement network like the supply and marketing cooperatives. As long as they pay a little more attention and do a good job in procurement and wholesale of local specialties, the supply and marketing system should not collapse so quickly.
But how did they do it? They arbitrarily lowered the purchase price to the farmers, and acted arrogantly as if they were the bosses, as if everything except the farmers' would rot in their hands.
If there is one more channel, who would be willing to sell things to them? !
Xia Juhua looked at Director Lin with some sympathy: "You are working in the supply and marketing cooperative now..." Life must be pretty hard for you, right?
Director Lin just shook his head, and Xia Juhua felt even more sympathetic towards him. In contrast to Chen Xiaoman's approach, when Director Lin was at the Red Star Supply and Marketing Cooperative, he tried his best to explore all local products that could be sold in order to increase the income of the farmers. This philosophy conflicted with the top leader, and it was inevitable that he would feel suffocated and embarrassed.
"What about Director Chen?" Seeing that Director Lin did not want to talk about the conflict between his ideas and those of the secretary, Xia Juhua asked another concerned question.
Director Lin had also inquired about this and told Xia Juhua that Director Chen was now the head of the Second Section of the Light Industry Bureau, in charge of the county's noodle factory, laundry detergent factory and seasoning factory. He was now working hard to gain a foothold in the Light Industry Bureau and had no idea that Chen Xiaoman was so ambitious.
Xia Juhua didn't feel relieved when she heard that Section Chief Chen hadn't joined the company. She hadn't met the new secretary of the supply and marketing cooperative yet, but she knew from what Director Lin said that he was probably not the same kind of person as her, and it might affect the external sales of Ping An Zhuang's textiles in the future.
This is a big deal for Ping An Village. After all, the vermicelli factory and instant noodle factory in Ping An Village are not profitable for the time being, and only the weaving team makes money.
Director Lin probably knew what Xia Juhua was worried about, and comforted her, saying, "You don't have to worry too much. After all, we still have the provincial supply and marketing system."
Yes, there is also the provincial supply and marketing system. But Xia Juhua has never learned to use economic power to pressure people in her two lives. If the new secretary does not push her too far, she thinks it is better not to expose the provincial supply and marketing system - he has worked hard to become the secretary of the county supply and marketing cooperative. If he really exposes the provincial supply and marketing system, the secretary's efforts will be in vain.
Forget it, let's take it one step at a time. The orders for the weaving group now are all from friends from various countries who took the initiative to place additional orders after the Expo. The production tasks are all scheduled until the first half of next year, and there is no need for the county supply and marketing system to find sales channels for them in the short term.
In fact, if the new secretary was smart, he should have taken the initiative to build a good relationship with Ping'an Village instead of making things difficult for it. The weaving team not only brought considerable income to the members of Ping'an Village, but the foreign exchange they earned was first counted as the performance of L Province, and then after being decomposed layer by layer, the county supply and marketing cooperative also benefited from it.
Xia Juhua was not afraid that the new secretary was smart, but she was afraid that he was just a little smart. Without meeting him, she was not in a position to draw conclusions, so she finally asked Director Lin: "You said you wanted Caixia to work in another unit, and the supply and marketing cooperative would have no control over it, right?"
Director Lin was a little unsure: "Go work in another unit? She is still registered with the Red Star Supply and Marketing Cooperative. Either she quits on her own, or we have to go through the transfer procedures as soon as possible." He was worried that if he didn't act quickly, the supply and marketing cooperative would directly fire Wang Caixia, and even if she found another unit to work, her previous work experience would be wasted.
Xia Juhua picked up the phone and called Uncle Qi's office. When Uncle Qi heard her talk about this, he was amused: "Xia Juhua, do you think that I, the county governor, have nothing to do every day and am just waiting for you to solve problems? Now, not only are you in charge of Pingan Manor's affairs, you are also involved in other people's affairs, right?"
Xia Juhua felt a little guilty about what he said, and smiled brilliantly into the microphone: "County Governor Qi, I have no choice. When we were just starting out at Ping'an Village, Director Lin and Deputy Director Wang of the Red Star Supply and Marketing Cooperative helped us find sales channels. Otherwise, Ping'an Village would not be what it is today."
"Of course, if Wang Caixia herself has problems, my words would be meaningless. But she was clearly recruited for legitimate reasons, and she has been working honestly. Aren't there many people who have been recruited in the same way in recent years? Those people always rely on their backers and don't work hard. Why did they pull her out alone? I think she is just standing in the way of others."
Finally, Xia Juhua couldn't help but complain, which made Uncle Qi on the other end of the phone silent for a while. He then said to her, "Don't talk nonsense. Some people just need to stay away from them. Go talk to Wang Caixia and ask her if she is willing to work in the commune. If she is willing, she can go directly to Secretary Zhang, and Secretary Zhang will arrange a position for her."
After hanging up the phone, Xia Juhua pondered over Uncle Qi's words, but couldn't figure it out. So she had to go to Wang Caixia's house with Director Lin first. After telling her the good news, he personally took her to see Secretary Zhang of the commune.
Secretary Zhang had obviously received instructions from Uncle Qi. He was not surprised to see Xia Juhua and the others coming over. He directly told Wang Caixia that if she had no objection, she could go to work in the commune canteen.
Although working in the commune canteen sounds less respectable than being a salesperson in the supply and marketing cooperative, Wang Caixia is very content: seeing that she has lost her job and her family life will be affected, Xia Juhua found a new job for her so quickly, allowing her to leave the supply and marketing cooperative, a sad place, and keep her working years. She must have asked a lot of people for help. If she is still not satisfied, how can Xia Juhua explain to those who asked her for help?
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