Chapter 26 Is this your wallet?
Fang Caiyun smiled knowingly and gently poked Yan Ruyi's forehead with her folding fan. "No need to change it for me, I have several at home."
After saying that, he put the fan back.
She was about to leave, pushing her bicycle, when Ye Hongzhen called her back at the gate of the courtyard, "It's your grandmother's birthday this Sunday, so the three of you should come over early and we can go together."
Grandma Yan had two sons, the eldest being Yan Guolin and the second being Yan Guoqiang.
After Grandpa Yan passed away, Yan Guolin and Yan Guoqiang wanted the old lady to live in both families alternately, which would make it easier to take care of her. However, the old lady felt uncomfortable living with the younger generation and insisted on living alone.
She was still in good health and could take care of herself, so the two brothers couldn't persuade her otherwise and let her be.
Since neither of the two families lives far apart, we can just visit each other more often.
The old lady is turning 70 this year. Turning 70 is a big birthday, so we'll have a big celebration.
After discussing it, the two families decided to celebrate the old lady's birthday on Sunday, since everyone would be off that day, and they could all get together and have a good time.
In previous years, the birthday banquet was prepared by family members, but this year it's a big birthday and there are many people, so we simply hired a chef.
However, the head chef only cared about cooking and didn't handle the odd jobs, so Ye Hongzhen thought she should go over as soon as possible to help out.
Fang Caiyun: "Okay, we'll come over first thing tomorrow morning."
Fang Caiyun had just pushed her cart to the door when Li Yan returned.
Fang Caiyun: "Why are you getting off work so late today?"
Li Yan: "I was chatting with someone and didn't check the time."
Seeing that Fang Caiyun was about to leave, they pulled her back.
She originally wanted to complain to Fang Caiyun that Yan Ruyi was a big spender and had been ripped off again today, spending 20 yuan on an old pen that nobody wanted.
But when she got the words out, she remembered that every time she mentioned her sister-in-law, no matter what she said, Fang Caiyun would never respond, at most just smile.
That makes her seem like a gossip.
He swallowed back what he was about to say.
"Sister-in-law, have you heard? The city is going to organize a military-civilian friendship event."
Fang Caiyun: "I heard that it's to celebrate the August 1st Army Day. Our unit organized people to rehearse a program a few days ago."
Li Yan said, "I heard that in order to truly reflect the close relationship between the military and the people, the announcers for this gathering will not be selected from the cultural troupe, but from various units and military units."
Fang Caiyun had heard about this matter to some extent.
However, she doesn't like to pry into other people's business, and besides, she didn't plan to sign up, so she didn't know much.
However, Li Yan wouldn't tell him these things for no reason; she probably had something on her mind. So he asked Li Yan, "Have you signed up?"
Li Yan tossed her short, curly hair aside and said confidently, "I've signed up."
Li Yan had already found out that this social gathering required two announcers, one male and one female. The male announcer would be selected from the military region, while the female announcer would be selected from various units.
She felt that she had a good image and had even performed on stage when she was in the Yuhong class, so she had stage experience and might be selected.
If I perform well, I might be transferred to the city's cultural troupe, or at the very least, to the city's workers' cultural palace, and then I won't have to paste cardboard boxes in the factory anymore.
Not only is the job respectable, but the salary is also much higher.
So when she heard about it, she immediately gave her name.
Although Fang Caiyun didn't think highly of Li Yan, it was always good to have ideas, so she smiled and said, "It wouldn't hurt to give it a try, what if it works out?"
Li Yan said, "That's what I think too. Even if I'm not selected, it won't hurt me."
Seeing Yan Ruyi come out of the house, he thought of the scene he had seen at the neighborhood office.
Judging from Commander Song's attitude towards his sister-in-law, she might actually be able to marry into this wealthy family.
She was trying to curry favor with Yan Ruyi, asking, "Ruyi, have you signed up yet?"
Yan Ruyi: "I didn't apply."
Li Yan tried to encourage her, "You should sign up tomorrow. If there's an exam, we can keep each other company and give each other courage. No matter who gets selected, it will be a great honor for our family."
Fang Caiyun listened and felt that her sister-in-law's conditions were indeed good: she was good-looking, highly educated, had a pleasant voice, and was a government cadre.
He encouraged Yan Ruyi, saying, "Ruyi, why don't you sign up and give it a try? Didn't you sing on stage during your graduation performance? Huihui said the teacher praised your stage presence and that you weren't nervous."
Yan Ruyi: "That's different. There were only so many people in the audience back then, but how many are there this time?"
Ye Hongzhen said, “No matter how many people there are, they all have the same nose and two eyes, what’s there to be afraid of? Besides, my daughter is good-looking and cultured. You can’t find one like her among thousands of people. If they don’t choose you, it’s because they have bad eyesight.”
In Ye Hongzhen's eyes, her daughter is perfect in every way, and she can praise her without batting an eye.
Yan Ruyi hadn't originally intended to sign up.
She had no experience as an announcer, and with so many people in the audience, especially the high-ranking officials in the front rows, she was afraid she would get nervous and stutter or forget her lines, which would be so embarrassing.
However, her confidence was inflated by her mother and sister-in-law's praise, and she felt that it was no big deal, just a lot of people!
If her second sister-in-law dared to report it, what wouldn't she dare to do!
So he waved his hand and said, "Okay, I'll sign up tomorrow. Second sister-in-law, we can keep each other company then."
Li Yan said, "I don't know whether Ruyi or I will be selected."
After listening in for half a day, Yan Mingtao bluntly said, "You definitely have no chance. You probably won't even pass the cultural hurdle. When they're selecting announcers, don't they choose someone with a cultured background?"
Li Yan didn't even graduate from junior high school, so she can hardly be considered an educated person.
Displeased by the cold water poured on her enthusiasm, Li Yan glared at Yan Mingtao and said, "I dropped out of school back then, otherwise, I might have been able to get into university and would be a government official now. You're way above me."
Yan Mingtao and Li Yan were junior high school classmates and knew each other well. He didn't hold back in revealing his wife's past, saying, "Come on, you want to go to college? Back then, your mother chased you with a broom and tried to beat you, but she couldn't get you to school."
Li Yan was so angry that she wanted to hit Yan Mingtao, but Yan Mingtao ran into the house and hid.
Ye Hongzhen said, "Neither of them should say anything about the other; they're both the kind of people who could drive a teacher crazy."
Fang Caiyun graduated from high school, but she probably wasn't cut out for studying. She took the college entrance exam twice, but failed to get into even a vocational school, let alone a university.
Later, he took the recruitment exam for the steel mill and passed it on his first try. He then gave up his dream of going to university and went to work at the steel mill.
Come to think of it, she's the kind of person who can drive teachers crazy.
She felt incredibly embarrassed, so she quickly got on her bike and left.
The next day, Yan Ruyi went to work full of confidence, thinking that she would register after roll call.
However, before she could even register, Director Chai from the publicity department came to find her.
Because Jiang Dongming is still in Zhaojiagang and hasn't returned, Yan Ruyi is still working at the antique shop during this period.
When Xu Qingmei saw her arrive, she gestured towards Xu Licheng's office and said, "Director Chai is looking for you."
Director Chai had already come out of his office and greeted Yan Ruyi with a smile, "Comrade Yan is here."
Yan Ruyi: "Director Chai, you wanted to see me?"
Director Chai, "I have something to discuss with you. Come in and let's talk."
Yan Ruyi followed him to Xu Licheng's office, where Xu Licheng was also there. He pulled out a chair for her and moved the electric fan in front of her. "Xiao Yan, sit down."
Yan Ruyi sat down, completely bewildered, wondering what Director Chai could possibly want with her.
It can't be that I'm trying to introduce her to someone.
She had heard Xu Qingmei say that although Director Chai was a man, his greatest hobby was introducing people to potential partners. He couldn't stand seeing people single, and he would try to matchmake single young people. Several couples in the bureau were brought together by him.
It just so happens that his surname is Chai, so Xu Qingmei privately calls him "Matchmaker Chai," saying that he shouldn't stay in the propaganda department and should go work at the Women's Federation.
Yan Ruyi wondered if Chai Yuelao, who hadn't been matchmaking for a while, was itching to introduce her to someone.
Director Chai took a sip of herbal tea to moisten his throat before speaking, “The city is going to hold a military-civilian friendship event. The announcer for this event will be selected from the military and various units. Our cultural relics bureau attaches great importance to this matter and is going to recommend someone to be nominated. After a comprehensive review, we think you are good in all aspects, so we want to nominate you. I came here today to ask for your opinion.”
After the notice came down, I was originally asked to sign up.
However, only Tang Yanna signed up in the bureau.
The requirements for the announcers at this social gathering were not very high. They were only required to be young, good-looking, poised, articulate, and have a pleasant voice.
Another point is that you need to be cultured so that you don't stutter when reciting your lines.
Based on the requirements, Tang Yanna basically meets them.
However, Tang Yanna's uncle, Tang Zhengjun, was recently disciplined, and the punishment was inextricably linked to Tang Yanna.
Tang Yanna was assigned to the office normally, so Tang Zhengjun's matter did not affect her, and she was still working in the office.
However, regardless of the circumstances, this is a stain on Tang Yanna's reputation. If she were to be promoted, it would likely be rejected by the authorities, and there would also be concerns about public opinion.
Yan Ruyi not only had better external conditions than Tang Yanna, but she had also just received praise from the bureau. Compared to Tang Yanna, she could be considered to have a more upright and righteous background.
Moreover, given Yan Ruyi's personal qualities, the probability of her being selected is quite high.
If Yan Ruyi is indeed selected, it will be an honor for their cultural relics bureau.
However, Yan Ruyi did not sign up. The bureau was afraid that she would not be willing to be the announcer, so they sent Director Chai to do her ideological work.
Director Chai has always been in the propaganda department; he is eloquent and skilled at ideological work.
Director Chai patiently explained, "People outside always say that we people in the Cultural Relics Bureau are all old-fashioned, bookish, wearing reading glasses, and only know how to bury ourselves in piles of antiques all day long. That's nonsense! These are all stereotypes about us cultural relics workers. Let's take this opportunity to show them that we people in the Cultural Relics Bureau are also capable in both academics and practical skills..."
Wang Aizhen interjected, "Director Chai, I know you're good at academics, after all, everyone in our bureau is cultured. But what do you mean by being good at martial arts?"
Xu Qingmei said, "I guess he was referring to my husband, Lao Gu, who looks like a bandit. Last year, when he went to the market to buy vegetables, he saw a thief stealing a wallet, and he took down three of them by himself."
Wang Aizhen, "Three thieves?"
"That's right. Two of them were covering for him while one of them stole. When Lao Gu saw it, the thief was taking a wallet out of a man's pocket. Lao Gu caught him on the spot. They tried to fight Lao Gu because they outnumbered him, but Lao Gu took them all down by himself."
Yan Ruyi had money stolen from her, and she still felt terrible about losing 20 yuan. She hated the thief so much that she asked Xu Aimei, "Sister Xu, what happened next? Was the thief caught?"
"They caught them. Just then, the police arrived, and all three were taken to the police station. The police said these three were habitual thieves and had been to jail several times."
Yan Ruyi sighed, "If only Captain Gu had been there when the thief stole my wallet."
Seeing that the topic was about to go astray, Director Chai coughed and brought it back on track, "That's the gist of it, just understand it, comrades, don't nitpick the words."
After saying that, he turned to Yan Ruyi and said, "Comrade Yan, what do you think? Will you consider it?"
Yan Ruyi was going to sign up anyway, so what was there to consider?
He readily told Director Chai, "No need to think about it. Director Chai, just put my name on the form. I'm a member of the Cultural Relics Bureau and I'm willing to do my part for the Bureau."
Director Chai was initially worried that Yan Ruyi would make excuses or refuse to go, or that she would make demands of him.
On the way here, he prepared a whole basketful of words of persuasion.
Unexpectedly, Yan Ruyi readily agreed.
His chubby face immediately broke into a smile with several wrinkles. "I knew Comrade Xiao Yan was so conscientious and would definitely agree. I'll go back right now and register your name. But then again, although your chances are pretty good, I can't guarantee that you'll be selected 100%..."
Xu Qingmei was even more confident than Yan Ruyi, "No doubt about it, it's definitely Ruyi."
Director Chai successfully completed his task and left happily.
Wang Aizhen's brother works in the logistics department and is well-informed. He told Yan Ruyi, "I heard there's a reward if you're selected."
Xu Qingmei, "What reward?"
Wang Aizhen said, "The city will make a set of clothes for us, and the master tailor from the Hongxing Garment Factory will personally sew it. They will also give us a bonus. I heard that the minimum bonus is 50 yuan. This is the city's reward. I don't know if the bureau will give us one. I guess if Ruyi is really selected, it will be a great honor for the director of the Cultural Relics Bureau, and the bureau will definitely give him a reward as well."
Yan Ruyi, “!”
What a great thing!
When she was assigned a job after graduation, her starting salary was 57 yuan a month. If the city gave her a bonus of 50 yuan, that would be 107 yuan!
It's almost as much as her second brother and sister-in-law's monthly income.
This doesn't even include the bureau's bonus. The bureau's bonus probably won't exceed the city's, so it should be at least 10 yuan.
She was encouraged by her second sister-in-law to sign up, and she didn't really care whether she was selected or not.
But now that she knows there will be new clothes and a reward, she is full of anticipation and spends the whole afternoon listening for any news.
Before the message arrived, two policemen came first. "Excuse me, which one of you is Comrade Yan Ruyi?"
Yan Ruyi came out from behind the counter and asked in confusion, "Yes, that's me."
Xu Qingmei and Wang Aizhen also came out from behind the counter, and asked in surprise, "What happened to Ruyi?"
The older policeman said, "Don't misunderstand, we're here to deliver a wallet to Comrade Yan Ruyi."
The younger policeman opened his black leather bag, took out a maroon wallet, and asked Yan Ruyi, "Comrade Yan, is this your wallet?"
Yan Ruyi took it and was shocked and delighted. "It's my wallet. It was stolen by a thief on Songshui Road last time. I thought I would never find it again, so I didn't even report it to the police... Comrades, how did you know it was my lost wallet?"
The younger policeman recited his prepared statement, "It was Commander Song Yiping who reported the case. Those thieves are habitual thieves who often roam around that area, stealing money and other things. We had to keep an eye on them for a long time before we caught them. We weren't really sure if this was yours. I still have some in my bag. I was originally thinking of having you identify them one by one... Comrade, please check if any money is missing from your wallet."
Yan Ruyi opened it and found two 10-yuan bills inside, not a penny missing.
Xu Qingmei asked in surprise, "It's been so long, and the thief hasn't even spent the money?"
The older policeman coughed. "They leave their wallets lying around in their place. This one was at the very bottom; they probably forgot about it."
They did catch the thief, but Song Yiping found the wallet.
After dropping Yan Ruyi and Luo Huihui off at the electrical appliance factory's residential compound, Song Yiping went to Songshui Road.
Thieves typically steal wallets, take the money, and then throw the wallet away.
Song Yiping searched around Songshui Road and found a woman's wallet in a corner.
The wallet contained a one-inch photo of Yan Ruyi; it was the wallet that Yan Ruyi had stolen.
However, all the money inside is gone.
Songshui Road is under the jurisdiction of Changshui Police Station, and he went to the police station to report the case.
Yan Ruyi said she had two ten-yuan bills in her wallet, and she was heartbroken.
Remembering Yan Ruyi's puffed-up little face, he put another 20 yuan into his wallet and then gave the wallet to the policeman.
Tell the police to deliver the wallet to Yan Ruyi in a while, saying that they caught a thief.
The police took it seriously and kept watch on Songshui Road for a while before catching the habitual thieves.
I delivered the wallet to Yan Ruyi today.
Once their mission was complete, they left.
Xu Qingmei nudged Yan Ruyi with her elbow and gossiped, "Why was it Commander Song who reported the case?"
Yan Ruyi couldn't hide it from Xu Qingmei, so she told her what happened that day.
However, the blind date with Song Yiping was omitted.
She was so happy that she didn't notice the inconsistencies in what the two policemen had said.
Xu Qingmei, however, seemed to have thought of something and smiled ambiguously, saying, "Commander Song is really enthusiastic."
Yan Ruyi's face flushed. "We just happened to run into Commander Song. He would have helped anyone else too."
The phone rang, and Xu Qingmei, no longer able to tease Yan Ruyi, ran to her office to answer it.
She had a loud voice, which could be heard clearly outside, "Director Chai... Ruyi was selected? I told you, the conditions are there... Okay, okay, I'll talk to her."
Xu Qingmei put down the phone and said loudly, "Ruyi, Director Chai said you've been selected as an announcer. Next week, the master tailor from Hongxing Garment Factory will come to take your measurements and make your clothes."
Wang Aimei was also happy for Yan Ruyi, saying, "See? I knew it would be you."
The stolen wallet was found, the money was returned, and she was even chosen as the announcer.
With double happiness upon her, Yan Ruyi didn't show it on the surface, but she was actually overjoyed.
After work, I fly off on my bike like a little bird.
As I rode to the gate of the military region, Song Yiping was just coming out pushing his bicycle.
He was talking to someone next to him and didn't see Yan Ruyi.
Yan Ruyi was radiant with happiness and in an exceptionally good mood. She waved to Song Yiping and greeted him, "Commander Song."
Song Yiping looked up and saw Yan Ruyi. He said something to the person next to him, then pushed the cart over. Seeing Yan Ruyi smiling with her eyes crinkling, he also smiled and asked her, "Why are you so happy?"
Yan Ruyi said, "I have two happy events today. The wallet that was stolen last time has been found and the police brought it to me. Commander Song, thank you for reporting it to the police for me."
Song Yiping said, "I was thinking that if we don't catch the thief, more people will have their money stolen in the future."
Yan Ruyi sighed that Song Yiping had a better perspective. Even if her money was stolen and couldn't be recovered, she would at most curse the thief a few times.
The main reason is that her second brother was robbed twice, and the stolen money was never recovered.
So she didn't expect to get her money back.
But Song Yiping thought that he should catch the thief and solve the root problem so that the thief would not steal from others.
That's why they say they're from the People's Liberation Army.
Song Yiping: "There's another piece of good news?"
"I was even chosen to be the announcer, the announcer for this military-civilian get-together!"
Song Yiping congratulated her, "Congratulations, Comrade Xiao Yan is very capable!"
Yan Ruyi said modestly, "Thank you. I didn't expect to be selected. Sister Xu said there were about twenty people who signed up."
Song Yiping was about to take the opportunity to invite Yan Ruyi to dinner to celebrate, but before he could say it, he heard someone call Yan Ruyi's name. He turned around and saw that it was the girl who had been with Yan Ruyi last time.
Song Yiping remembered that the girl's name was Luo Huihui, and she was Yan Ruyi's good friend.
Looks like I won't be able to treat you to dinner today.
Sure enough, when Yan Ru saw Luo Huihui coming out of the office and waving at her, she waved to Song Yiping and said, "Commander Song, I'm leaving. Goodbye!"
After saying that, he got on his bike and rode towards Luo Huihui. When he arrived, he couldn't wait to share the good news with his good friend.
The two girls hugged and laughed for a while, then rode away on their bikes, chatting and laughing.
Song Yiping thought for a moment, turned the car around, went back to the regimental headquarters, made a phone call, and then drove away.
He drove back shortly after, but instead of returning to the regimental headquarters, he went to the propaganda department.
Qian, the clerk in charge of publicity, was still in the office. When he saw him arrive, she asked with surprise, "What brings you here? Want some water?"
They attended the Party School together and even lived in the same dormitory. Officer Qian spoke to him more casually than to others.
Song Yiping: "I'm not drinking. Have we decided on the announcer for this military-civilian get-together?"
Mentioning this gives Qian a headache. "The female announcer was decided this afternoon. She's a woman named Yan Ruyi from the cultural relics bureau next door. We still can't decide on a male announcer."
Male announcers were selected from the military region.
There were actually quite a few qualified candidates in the military region, but as soon as they heard that it was about going on stage to announce programs, they all shook their heads like rattles, preferring to run a 100-kilometer training exercise rather than become the announcer.
You can't force people to go on stage.
Officer Qian spread his hands and said, "The city has been urging me to send someone, and I had no other choice but to step in myself."
He pointed to the draft paper on his desk and said, "Isn't this where I'm familiarizing myself with the script? Why don't you do it?"
He actually wanted Song Yiping to take the position.
Song Yiping has impeccable political credentials and is the face of their military region; no one is more suitable than him.
However, he dared not think about this unattainable beauty.
Getting Song Yiping onto the stage was no less difficult than him performing a folk dance on stage himself.
Song Yiping didn't respond to him. Instead, he took an admission ticket from his uniform pocket and placed it in front of Officer Qian.
Officer Qian picked it up and exclaimed, "Wow, a ticket to the Soviet Army Red Berry Dance Troupe performance? For me?"
Song Yiping: "Yes, it's for you."
Qian, the clerk, was utterly flattered. "Oh my, I was just having a headache. I have no experience with this, so what should I do? This is a perfect opportunity to observe and learn from how professionals announce programs. Lao Song, when did you become so thoughtful? You even went out of your way to get me an admission ticket. Has the sun risen in the west?"
Song Yiping: "You don't want it, right? Don't give it back to me."
Qian, the staff member, clutched the admission ticket in his hand and said happily, "No way, you've already given it to me, how can I ask for it back?"
I thought to myself, this is true camaraderie.
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Author's Note: Upon learning the truth, Officer Qian burst into tears...
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