Chapter 28 Commander Song is quite enthusiastic!
If getting a perm and wearing a floral dress is considered enjoyment, then the threshold for enjoyment is too low!
Xia Feipeng, sitting opposite Jiang Dongming, scratched his head and said, "I think Xiao Yan's outfit is pretty good. All the young girls on the street are dressed like this now."
Zhao Dongsheng said seriously, "Comrade Xia Feipeng, you are still young. Don't let Western hedonism corrupt you. We have always advocated that simplicity is beauty, especially for female comrades. Their clothing and appearance should be dignified and appropriate, and they should not appear frivolous. Otherwise, if they focus on dressing up, how can they concentrate on their work? Xiao Yan, you should learn from Director Hu in this regard."
The Cultural Relics Bureau only had one Director Hu, Hu Aihua, who was in charge of women's affairs. She was in her forties, wore black-rimmed glasses, had short hair that reached her ears, and dressed in blue or black in spring, autumn and winter, and white shirt and blue pants in summer. She always dressed like this.
According to Xu Qingmei, Director Hu's clothing and appearance have never changed since he started working, and he has never used perfumes or face creams.
Xia Feipeng muttered under his breath, "That doesn't look good either."
Zhao Dongsheng: "Xia, I think you have a big problem with your thinking. It's not good for women to dress modestly and appropriately. They have to dress up in a flamboyant way and have messy hair to be considered beautiful?"
Yan Ruyi touched her hair.
Her hairstyle is called "Baihui Hairstyle," which is very popular right now. Director Chai just praised it for looking good, so how did it turn into a bird's nest?
Xia Feipeng subtly winked at her, signaling her not to impulsively argue with Zhao Dongsheng.
Zhao Dongsheng is a veteran with a bad temper. Yan Ruyi is new, and he won't get away with arguing with her.
Yan Ruyi didn't want to challenge a senior colleague right away, but she was a fresh-faced young woman in her twenties, and she couldn't really follow Director Hu's example and be stuck in a world of blue and gray every day.
They control everything, from the heavens to the earth, including what clothes I wear and what hairstyle I get.
He smiled and replied, "Teacher Zhao is right. My sister-in-law Huihui is a reporter for the city's daily newspaper and often interviews city leaders. I'll give her feedback and when she goes to interview again, I'll ask her to relay Teacher Zhao's point of view to the leaders. Inappropriate clothes should not be allowed to be sold. If the source is controlled, no one will wear them. Otherwise, with so many people wearing clothes on the street, it's impossible to manage them all one by one."
And those barbershops shouldn't offer perms. It would be best to have a standardized policy: what kind of haircuts for men and what kind for women. That way, there won't be so many fancy options for haircuts, saving time and money.
Xia Feipeng couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Zhao Dongsheng glared at him, and fearing he wouldn't be able to hold back his laughter, he simply took the thermos to the hot water room to fill it with hot water.
He quickly returned and called out to Yan Ruyi at the door, "Xiao Yan, Director Chai said that the tailors from Hongxing Garment Factory have arrived and want you to go to the conference room to take measurements."
Yan Ruyi agreed, but stopped at the door and asked Zhao Dongsheng, "I heard that the women's clothing this time is a beige suit with a cinched waist. Teacher Zhao, do you think I should talk to the leaders and change it to the style of Director Hu, so as not to affect the image of our cultural relics bureau?"
Zhao Dongsheng almost had a heart attack.
But Yan Ruyi always went along with him, and he couldn't find a single fault with her words.
He said irritably, "The clothes are all pre-arranged, how can you just change them like that? You have no sense of organization or discipline. Go and take your measurements right now, don't keep the tailor waiting and make people say that we people from the Cultural Relics Bureau are arrogant."
Yan Ruyi said, "Okay, I'll listen to Teacher Zhao. I'll go take the measurements now."
After saying that, she ran out happily.
After holding it in for a long time, Zhao Dongsheng finally managed to utter the phrase "The world is going to the dogs," which was a way of salvaging his reputation.
After taking the measurements, Yan Ruyi and Jiang Dongming sorted the porcelain shards together.
The porcelain shards were all brought back from Zhaojiagang. Because the ancient porcelain kiln spanned two dynasties, the unearthed pieces included both Tang and Song dynasty celadon.
What they had to do was to distinguish the porcelain shards from the two dynasties, and then see if they could piece together a complete piece of porcelain.
I was busy until I got off work.
The performance was at 6:30 pm, and Yan Ruyi didn't have time to go home for dinner, so Luo Huihui asked her to go to Dexing Noodle Shop for pork liver and kidney noodles.
Dexing Noodle Shop is located in Maozi Hutong, and it only takes about 10 minutes to get there by bike.
She can take a shortcut through Maozi Hutong and ride her bike to the Municipal Auditorium in half an hour, so she won't miss the performance.
Their favorite dish is the pork liver and kidney noodles. The pork liver is tender and thin, and the kidney has no fishy smell at all. It's rich, dark, and very fragrant.
Yan Ruyi went to the bike shed to get her bicycle when suddenly a person jumped out from the side and shouted, "Yan Ruyi!"
Yan Ruyi was startled, but when she saw that it was Tang Yanna, she managed to hold back from scolding her and said irritably, "What do you want?"
Tang Yanna stood with her hands on her hips and said, "Yan Ruyi, let me tell you, no matter what tricks you play behind my back, I will not let go of Shen Zhimin. We love each other dearly. No matter where he goes or how long he stays, I will wait for him. None of you can separate us."
By the end, her eyes were red.
Yan Ruyi looked at Tang Yanna as if she were an idiot.
She had heard from Luo Huihui that Tang Zhengjun had been punished for privately changing Shen Zhimin's job; he had even been dismissed from his position as deputy director of the office and was now just an ordinary staff member.
Tang Zhengjun is a few years away from retirement, but he has now been demoted to a regular staff member and received a disciplinary action. He can forget about being promoted again before retirement.
The difference in retirement pension between retiring from a deputy director position and retiring as a regular staff member is significant.
Tang Zhengjun's wife went to Tang Yanna's house and cried and scolded her. Tang Yanna's parents were so angry that they were furious with Shen Zhimin and refused to let Tang Yanna date him anymore.
Tang Yanna didn't know what kind of spell Shen Zhimin had cast on her, but she said that she couldn't live without Shen Zhimin and that she would never break up with him no matter what.
During this period, the Tang family was thrown into turmoil because of this matter.
Luo Huihui and Tang Yanna lived in adjacent courtyards. These past few days, she had been watching the chaos at Tang Yanna's house and told Yan Ruyi about it as a joke.
There was an old lady in the Sany Machine Tool Factory residential compound who was from Shanghai. To describe someone as stupid, she would say that person was a fool.
The old lady said it meant someone who was simple-minded.
Yan Ruyi felt that this word was quite fitting to describe Tang Yanna.
She didn't want to talk to a complete idiot, lest she catch his idiocy.
He then kindly comforted her, "Don't worry, no one will take it from you. Keep it safe, and you two must have a long and happy marriage."
After saying that, she pushed her bike and was about to leave when Tang Yanna grabbed her handlebars and stopped her. "You're being hypocritical. You dressed up so beautifully today just to attract Zhimin's attention. Yan Ruyi, you need to face reality. Zhimin doesn't like you anymore. Why do you keep bothering him? No matter how much you bother him, he won't come back to you."
Yan Ruyi looks so beautiful today, she's jealous.
However, if Yan Ruyi didn't compete with her for Shen Zhimin, she wouldn't be too jealous.
The fact that Shen Zhimin didn't even notice Yan Ruyi's beauty shows that Shen Zhimin is more outstanding than Yan Ruyi, and that he values inner beauty more.
Yan Ruyi was speechless. Why was everyone picking on her outfit today?
All she did was get a perm and wear a new dress. Zhao Dongsheng said she wasn't focused on her work, while Tang Yanna said it was to attract Shen Zhimin's attention.
Shen Zhimin isn't even at the bureau; he's probably currently using a small brush to meticulously clean the walls of the ancient porcelain kiln.
Tang Yanna's thought process was rather peculiar. "You even know he's not in the station, and you still say you don't care about Zhimin... Otherwise, swear to me that you won't bother Zhimin anymore, or you'll lose all your hair. Do you dare to swear? If you don't, it means you're guilty!"
Tang Yanna's eyes were bright as she waited for her to make her vow.
He seemed determined not to let her go until Yan Ruyi made a vow.
Yan Ruyi freed her hand and, imitating Luo Huihui, cupped Tang Yanna's head and shook it vigorously, saying, "Comrade Tang Yanna, is your head full of water? Quickly drain the water!"
While Tang Yanna was still dizzy from being shaken, he slapped her hand off the handlebars, got on the bike, and rode away.
Luo Huihui waited for Yan Ruyi at the entrance of the Cultural Relics Bureau.
She was wearing her new dress and sporting her Momoe hairstyle today, and she was in high spirits when she went to work this morning.
But now she's pouting, looking unhappy.
Upon seeing Yan Ruyi, she began to complain, "My section chief criticized me today. She said I was dressed too flamboyantly and didn't look like a teacher at all. She also said that I was so focused on dressing up that I wasn't paying attention to my work. I'm not a teacher who teaches students, so how did she bring up being a teacher? Besides, I didn't affect my work. What task did she assign that I didn't complete properly? She even made me write the reports that she was supposed to write herself. And yet she still complains that I'm not working properly. It's infuriating!"
Yan Ruyi sighed, "...I was criticized too."
She told Luo Huihui what Zhao Dongsheng had said to her.
Luo Huihui said, "I thought only our section chief was an old-fashioned person. No way, I'm in a bad mood today. I'm going to ask the boss to add two extra ounces of noodles later."
They not only asked the owner to add more noodles, but also added 2 liang (100 grams) of pig liver.
Good food can soothe the soul. After finishing their noodles and leaving the noodle shop, both of them were stuffed and no longer angry. One went to the city auditorium, and the other went home.
After leaving Maozi Hutong, walk along Qianmen Street, then through Laba Hutong, and ride along Zhonghua Road for another 5 or 6 minutes to reach the Municipal Auditorium.
Qian and Song Yiping have already arrived at the auditorium.
Qian, the officer, originally thought he would be going to the performance alone, but when he came out of the military compound, Song Yiping was already waiting for him at the gate in his car.
I drove him all the way to the city auditorium, and then took him inside. The two of us sat down side by side.
Qian, the clerk, said, "Old Song, did you come here to keep me company because you were worried I'd be bored watching the show alone?"
Song Yiping neither agreed nor disagreed.
Officer Qian tacitly agreed with him, thinking to himself: "It has to be Commander Song. He does good deeds without seeking fame, only silently caring for his comrades, being anxious about what they are anxious about, and thinking what they are thinking."
Officer Qian was moved by Commander Song's sincere camaraderie and thought to himself that if Song Yiping ever needed his help, he would go through fire and water for him!
The seat next to Officer Qian had been empty until a woman came over.
Qian recognized her; the woman was Yan Ruyi, who had partnered with him to announce the program this time.
When Yan Ruyi approached, he stood up and greeted her, "Hello, Comrade Yan, I am Qian Shengbing."
Yan Ruyi had heard Director Chai introduce her to Qian Shengbing, the clerk who was her partner in announcing the program. She smiled and shook hands with Qian Shengbing, saying, "Hello, clerk Qian."
Qian Shengbing: "Comrade Yan, are you also here to observe and learn?"
"Yes, Director Chai gave me this ticket so I could come and learn something."
She was a little surprised to see Song Yiping sitting next to Qian Shengbing.
Song Yiping wasn't wearing his military uniform today. He was wearing a pale white short-sleeved shirt and light gray trousers, looking particularly refreshing.
It was the first time Yan Ruyi had seen him in casual clothes, and she thought he looked very handsome.
Good-looking people look good in anything.
"Commander Song is here to watch the performance too?"
Song Yiping nodded at her.
Qian Shengbing said with a smile, "Old Song came with me."
Yan Ruyi thought to herself that Commander Song was quite enthusiastic.
She glanced at her admission ticket and was about to sit down in the empty seat next to Qian Shengbing when Song Yiping reminded him, "Did you sit in the wrong seat?"
Qian Shengbing took out his admission ticket and saw that it was indeed the right one. He quickly offered his seat to Yan Ruyi, saying, "Comrade Yan, I'm so sorry, this seat is yours. I didn't look carefully when I sat down and just sat next to Lao Song."
Yan Ruyi felt it didn't matter where she sat, but Qian Shengbing insisted on giving up his seat, so she switched seats with him.
In this way, she sat between Song Yiping and Qian Shengbing.
She was afraid of missing her turn, so she pedaled very fast, her forehead covered in sweat.
Song Yiping took a folding fan out of his pocket and handed it to her, saying, "Use this to warm yourself up."
Yan Ruyi said apologetically, "Your fan is still at my house. I've been thinking of returning it to you, but I keep forgetting."
Song Yiping: "No need to pay it back, I still have some at home."
...
Qian Shengbing looked at this and then at that, feeling that something was not quite right.
How did Lao Song know that he was sitting in Comrade Yan's seat?
Old Song even brought a fan to watch a show. When did this rough guy become so refined?
And why didn't you take it out when you first sat down, instead of waiting for Comrade Yan to arrive?
If he heard correctly, Comrade Yan just mentioned "last time." Which time was "last time"?
...
The two people next to him were talking quietly, and Qian Yifei suddenly felt like he was being a bit superfluous.
Actually, Lao Song wanted to watch the performance with Xiao Yan, but he was afraid that Xiao Yan would be too shy to come, or that he would feel uncomfortable if he did come, so he pulled him over.
Before he could come up with a solution, the opening bell rang.
This was Yan Ruyi's first time seeing such a large-scale performance by a foreign song and dance troupe, and she stared at the stage without blinking.
The crimson velvet curtain slowly opened, and the performance began.
There were two announcers, one male and one female. The man was Soviet and spoke Soviet language, while the woman was Chinese and spoke Mandarin.
Yan Ruyi didn't understand the Suzhou dialect. She felt that when the male announcer spoke, his tongue seemed to be curled up, and he was just babbling incoherently. She couldn't understand a single word.
However, she liked the female announcer very much; her voice was clear and bright, and her demeanor was graceful and poised.
Yan Ruyi felt that this female announcer was her role model.
Luo Huihui said that the Red Berry Dance Troupe is a national treasure-level dance troupe of the Soviet Union and this is their first performance in China. Tickets for this performance were very hard to get.
Director Chai went through countless connections to get her one, and she couldn't let him down; she had to learn from him.
At the very least, we can't let the Cultural Relics Bureau lose face.
The performance lasts for one and a half hours, starting at 6:30 and ending at 8:00.
After the performance ended and all the actors came out to take their bows, the crimson velvet curtain was slowly drawn, and the lights in the auditorium were turned on. Only then did Yan Ruyi reluctantly stand up and follow the crowd out.
After leaving the auditorium, Qian Shengbing asked Yan Ruyi, "Comrade Yan, how did you get here?"
Yan Ruyi said, "I came by bike. I've parked it at the bike parking area. Commander Song, Officer Qian, I'll be going now. Goodbye."
Song Yiping and Qian Shengbing would never let a female comrade ride her bicycle back by herself.
However, the Jeep has limited space and cannot fit a bicycle.
Someone has to ride their bike back.
Song Yiping looked at Qian Shengbing, who suddenly realized that Yan Ruyi had gone to the parking area to get her car, and he followed her.
As soon as Yan Ruyi unlocked the bicycle, he pushed it away. "Comrade Yan, I'll ride the bicycle. You can ride back in Commander Song's car. I'll leave the bicycle at the entrance of our military region in a little while."
After saying that, he got on Yan Ruyi's bicycle and rode away without saying another word.
Song Yiping had already opened the car door and was waiting for her to get in. Yan Ruyi could only thank him and then get into the car.
Song Yiping started the car, and it drove steadily forward.
Yan Ruyi was still immersed in the wonderful performance she had just witnessed.
When she got excited, she became very talkative. "The performance just now was wonderful. They danced and sang well. Director Song, which program did you like the most?"
Song Yiping hadn't paid attention to the performance at all; he had very little artistic talent and couldn't appreciate such refined things.
Moreover, with his beloved girl sitting right next to him, he had no interest in watching the show, no matter how exciting it was.
He still vaguely remembered the song "The Sacred War," because it was a military song with a powerful and majestic feel.
Song Yiping: "You sang 'The Sacred War' very well."
Yan Ruyi said, "My favorite song is 'Hawthorn Tree.' I sang this song in our graduation performance, but I don't speak Suzhou dialect, so I always felt it lacked a bit of charm. I wish I could speak Suzhou dialect."
Because of this, she later bought a book on teaching Su language, hoping to learn it on her own. However, since no one taught her, she only understood it halfway and eventually put it aside.
She even hummed a line in Suzhou dialect, and laughed after she finished singing. "I only know this one line. In the words of Grandma Wu from our residential compound, it's called 'yangjingbang.' Grandma Wu is from Shanghai, and she said it's Shanghai dialect, which means it's not authentic or standard."
Song Yiping said, "If you want to learn the Su dialect, I'll teach you."
Yan Ruyi asked in surprise, "Commander Song, you can speak Suzhou dialect?"
Song Yiping: "Yes, I spent some time in the Soviet Union."
"But I've heard that Su language is difficult to learn."
"It's not difficult. As long as you master the alphabet and practice more in your daily life, you can learn it quickly. When I first went to Su, I couldn't even read or write anything. After a month, I was able to have simple conversations with them."
Yan Ruyi sincerely praised, "Commander Song, you are truly amazing."
"With a learning environment, anyone can learn."
Yan Ruyi said, "If only I had learned from you sooner, I might have been able to sign up for a performance and sing 'The Hawthorn Tree' in Su dialect... Commander Song, you'll be watching the performance then, right?"
"meeting."
"You can see more clearly from the audience. If I do something wrong, could you remind me? I'm afraid I'll get nervous and not be able to do even a tenth of what today's announcers did. Today's announcers were too excellent."
Song Yiping comforted her, "They are professionals, they have trained countless times. You are not a professional, and it was your first time on stage. Just being able to stand on that stage is already remarkable."
Song Yiping's words comforted Yan Ruyi, who said shyly, "Commander Song, can I look at you when I'm on stage? Huihui said that if you get nervous on stage, you can focus your gaze on one person, preferably someone you know, and then you won't be so nervous."
Song Yiping, "..."
If you focus on only one person on stage, the emotional changes of that person in the audience can easily affect the person on stage, making that person even more nervous.
Luo Huihui, this strategist, is a bit unreliable.
However, Yan Ruyi clearly believed the strategist's words, and besides, when the stage lights were on, it would be pitch black below, so people on stage wouldn't be able to see anything.
He didn't discuss the issue with Yan Ruyi, but nodded and said, "Okay, I'll tell you the seat number once it's finalized."
The car had already driven to Qianmen Street, where several restaurants were still open.
Song Yiping asked her, "Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?"
Yan Ruyi shook her head. "I'm not hungry. Huihui and I both got criticized today. Huihui said she would use her grief and anger to eat more. When we ate noodles, we added two extra ounces of noodles and pig liver. We were both stuffed."
Song Yiping, "Did you get criticized?"
Yan Ruyi frowned and said, "They said our outfits were too flashy and affected our work, like what we're wearing today."
Yan Ruyi showed Song Yiping her Hundred Elegant hairstyle and floral dress, asking, "Do you think it's flashy?"
Song Yiping had already noticed that Yan Ruyi had changed her hairstyle.
Her old hairstyle looked a bit childish, but the new one suits her very well.
A dress would also be suitable.
In short, you'll look good no matter how you dress up.
Song Yiping sincerely commented, "It's not flashy, it's very beautiful."
Yan Ruyi immediately became happy, "I knew it! It's Teacher Zhao who has no vision and criticizes people without even knowing the facts."
She wasn't afraid of Zhao Dongsheng at all. Jiang Dongming was her mentor, and he hadn't said anything to her. Director Chai had even praised her for dressing energetically.
She didn't care what Zhao Dongsheng thought of her.
As they were talking, Song Yiping stopped the car. Yan Ruyi saw the gate of the military region through the car window. They had arrived already. How fast!
She opened the car door and got out.
Qian Yifei had already placed her bicycle at the entrance of the duty room. Yan Ruyi went over and pushed the bicycle out. "Commander Song, I'm leaving now. Goodbye."
"I'll see you off."
Yan Ruyi waved her hand, "I'll take the main road and get home soon, no need to see me off."
“It’s too late, and it’s not safe on the road. Let me take you home. You ride ahead, and I’ll follow behind in my car.”
There were streetlights on the road, and it was only 8:30, not too late, and there were plenty of people on the road.
Yan Ruyi didn't feel unsafe anywhere.
However, since Song Yiping insisted on giving it to him, they let him have his way.
She rode her bicycle in front, while Song Yiping drove slowly behind.
Two beams of headlights illuminated the road ahead for her, and Yan Ruyi felt that this ordinary summer night seemed to have changed.
Ye Hongzhen sat on the bed and sewed a cloth over the television. Zhao Cuiying had taught her to do this, telling her to sew a cloth to cover the television so that dust would easily get in, and that if too much dust got in, the television wouldn't be able to be watched.
She glanced at the alarm clock on the table; it was almost 9 o'clock. She said to Yan Guoqiang, "Er Tao is probably drunk tonight and is staying at his father-in-law's house and won't be coming back."
Today is Li Yan's father's birthday, and the young couple went to celebrate. When they left, they said that if they weren't coming back tonight, they would stay there.
Yan Guoqiang didn't reply. He was feeling sleepy, his eyes were half-closed, and he was about to fall asleep.
Ye Hongzhen reached out and nudged him, "Go back to sleep later. Ruyi will probably be back soon. Go and greet her on the street."
Yan Guoqiang had no choice but to slip on his shoes and go out.
It was getting late, and most of the people who had been enjoying the cool evening air outside had gone home.
Yan Guoqiang left the family compound and had only taken a few steps when he saw his daughter riding her bicycle towards him in the distance.
There was even a jeep following her at a leisurely pace.
From a distance, and through a car window, I couldn't see who was driving, only vaguely discernible that it was a man.
Whose son is trying to seduce his daughter? He's even followed her to her doorstep!
Yan Guoqiang was furious. He looked around and found a brick by the roadside. He bent down, picked it up, weighed it in his hand, and then walked over aggressively.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Qian, the clerk: I shouldn't be here, I should be sitting at the bottom...
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