Gu Mingyue's maternity clothes and work clothes were displayed side by side, and the judges took turns looking through the clothes, occasionally discussing them in hushed tones.
When it was Gu Mingyue's turn to explain, she first pointed to the maternity dress: "This dress has an arched neckline so it won't constrict your neck; the skirt has extra room so you can wear it even when your belly gets bigger."
The judges simply nodded, their gazes quickly shifting to the pockets of the work clothes beside them.
After she finished explaining the drawstring and durable stitching of the workwear, Master Zhang suddenly spoke up: "Your maternity wear is meticulously designed, but there are many workers in the factory, and the need for workwear is more urgent."
The factory manager chimed in, "The tooling design can be directly used in the workshop, making it more practical."
After deliberation, the final review committee decided to forgo maternity wear and select workwear for the final evaluation.
Although Gu Mingyue felt a little regretful, she was mostly relieved. At least her design was recognized, and it was workwear that could truly help the workers, which was more important than anything else.
She smiled and nodded: "As long as my design is useful, it doesn't matter which one I choose."
The outcome of this competition was determined by two parts: the leadership review and the democratic vote of the workers on site.
The voting results directly affect factory efficiency, which in turn affects the wages and benefits of each worker. Therefore, designs that meet actual needs are more favored.
Gu Mingyue's plan has already gained considerable support among the workers.
Shen Qingqing's face darkened as she heard the praise for Gu Mingyue from the crowd.
She subtly gave Xiao Liu a look, and Xiao Liu immediately understood.
He quietly pulled a few workers aside, lowered his voice, and said meaningfully, "Guys, you know what this means, right?"
He's trying to bribe voters with benefits.
Those men already believed there was no reason to turn down money, and they instantly understood Xiao Liu's implication.
He immediately agreed and turned back to the workshop to tell his fellow workers to vote for Shen Qingqing.
The moment the bell rang to start voting in the workshop auditorium, the air instantly tensed.
As Gu Mingyue watched the worker representatives step forward one after another, her fingertips unconsciously tightened around the design sketches in her pocket.
It also showed the waistband curve of the trousers that she had modified last night to better fit the bending-over working habits of older workers.
Not far away, Shen Qingqing was holding an enamel mug, seemingly chatting and laughing casually with several workshop foremen, but her eyes kept glancing towards the ballot box.
Xiao Liu paced around the perimeter of the crowd, occasionally gesturing with his eyes to the workers who had received bribes.
When it was Feng Jieba's turn to vote in Workshop 2, he paused in his grip on the ballot, his gaze sweeping over the crowd and landing on Gu Mingyue.
He had seen Gu Mingyue at the market before. At that time, his child was sick and he urgently needed money. Gu Mingyue happened to be shopping, and after hearing about it, he bought the items without saying a word.
But the pack of Daqianmen cigarettes that Xiao Liu had given him last night was still in his pocket; the cigarette box was hard and made him feel uneasy.
He gritted his teeth, as if he had made up his mind, paused for two seconds on the ballot, then quickly drew a checkmark and threw the ballot into the box almost as if he were fleeing.
This scene happened to be seen by Gu Mingyue, and she felt something was wrong, so she frowned slightly.
Just as I was about to step forward, Sister Li from the next group suddenly stood up, holding a crumpled ballot in her hand: "Wait a minute! I just saw Xiao Zhang from Workshop 3 whispering with Xiao Liu at the back door before voting, and Xiao Liu even slipped him a paper package!"
These words were like a thunderclap, and the auditorium fell silent instantly.
Xiao Liu's face turned pale instantly. "What nonsense are you talking about! Don't ruin someone's reputation without any evidence!"
"I'm not lying!" Sister Li took two steps forward, her voice as loud as a gong. "I went to fetch water just now, and I heard it clearly!"
"Xiao Zhang asked, 'Do you keep your word?' Xiao Liu replied, 'When Sister Chen gets things done, would she ever fail you?'"
The crowd immediately erupted in uproar. The workers who had just received the bribes turned red in the face and lowered their heads.
Gu Mingyue took a deep breath, walked up to the factory manager, and said in a calm but firm voice: "Factory manager, the most important thing in the competition is fairness and impartiality. It's about whether the design can help everyone, not about using these underhanded methods."
She turned to the union member presiding over the vote and said, "Since some people have questions about the voting process, how about we count the votes publicly?"
The union representative was unsure and glanced at the factory director, who nodded slightly.
Feeling guilty, Feng threw the things to Xiao Liu and said in front of everyone, "I'm siding with Comrade Gu. That vote doesn't count. I regret it."
Shen Qingqing's legs went weak at the sight before her, and she almost collapsed to the ground.
Xiao Liu was ashen-faced and stood motionless.
As the crowd gradually quieted down, Gu Mingyue picked up the design sketches on the table and said softly, "I made these designs not to win the competition, but to make it easier for everyone to work. Comrades, your votes should go to designs that can truly help you, shouldn't they?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a round of applause suddenly erupted in the auditorium, louder than ever before.
The commotion in the crowd gradually subsided, and the workers who had received the bribes clutched their ballots, their fingertips rubbing the edges of the papers until they were rough.
The way Old Feng took out his cigarette case just now, and the look in Gu Mingyue's eyes when she said to suffer less, made them feel choked up.
But then I thought, the ticket already had my name on it, and I'd already put the things Shen Qingqing gave me in my pocket. Returning it would only make things worse.
Besides, I'm not the only one doing this. The anonymous voting rule is like a fig leaf, making them grit their teeth and still shove their ballots into the box with their heads down, as if they were hiding from something.
The sound of vote counting echoed in the auditorium. Shen Qingqing and Gu Mingyue's names were read out alternately, and the vote count on the blackboard was neck and neck, with the gap remaining narrow.
Gu Mingyue stood to the side, her fingers gently touching the design draft, and the tension she had felt earlier was gone.
I just feel that no matter what the outcome, it's enough if people can talk about the benefits of those work clothes.
As the last ballot was unfolded, the ballot counter paused, then loudly announced, "Gu Mingyue!"
On the blackboard, after her name, a final vertical line was drawn heavily in chalk, indicating that she had two more votes than Shen Qingqing.
The crowd fell silent for a moment, then burst into applause.
At this moment, Mr. Zhang, who had been sitting in the corner smoking, stood up. He was a senior technician in the factory and the only model worker representative with two votes.
He stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and said in a loud voice, "Those two votes were mine."
He looked at Gu Mingyue with a smile in his eyes, "Last time I took my apprentice to repair a lathe, his sleeve got caught and he almost had an accident. I had him test the Velcro drawstring you designed, and it's sturdy! This kind of life-saving design deserves to win."
Gu Mingyue was stunned for a moment, then smiled, a little moisture welling up in her eyes.
She knew that these two votes were not for her, but for the work clothes that truly protected her hands and back, and for every worker who wanted to work with peace of mind.
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