Three days later, Deputy Factory Director Zhou called Zhan Chunlan into his office and handed her an envelope: "This is a reply from my classmate. He said that Dr. Wang Wenfeng has a very good reputation in the hospital, outstanding professional skills, and impeccable character. He is a trustworthy comrade."
Zhan Chunlan took the envelope with some trepidation, thinking to herself, "Thank you for your trouble."
“However…” Deputy Factory Director Zhou changed the subject, “He specifically mentioned that Dr. Wang recently declined a blind date arranged by the department head. Has he not told his relatives and friends about your situation yet?”
Zhan Chunlan's hand trembled slightly, and the envelope almost fell: "This... is what I requested. I wasn't sure if it would work before, but I didn't want to delay him if it didn't."
The first time you tell a lie, you might stumble a bit, but the more you tell it, the more skilled you become, and it comes out naturally.
"Alright, you should tell him the good news as soon as possible, so he won't worry." Deputy Factory Director Zhou nodded understandingly and handed her another envelope: "Inside is a letter of introduction from your company and some of your certificates. Take this to Deputy Factory Director Li at Haicheng Food Factory. I've already handed everything over to him, so you can go directly there."
Zhan Chunlan took the envelope, her fingertips trembling slightly. The corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up, but she was also a little embarrassed, so she could only slowly lower her head and stare at the tips of her shoes.
"You," Deputy Factory Director Zhou patted her shoulder, "when you get to Haicheng, you need to be even more humble and eager to learn, just like you are here, and you even need to work harder. You helped them out of a tight spot last time, and they remember your kindness, but time goes on, and you need real skills to gain a foothold. Don't slack off, show them something substantial, or they'll regret going to all that trouble to transfer you here."
Zhan Chunlan nodded and bowed deeply to Deputy Factory Director Zhou: "Yes! I will definitely work hard and try not to bring shame to our pastry factory."
Deputy Factory Director Zhou said sternly, "You're wrong again. You're not just embarrassing our pastry factory, you're embarrassing yourself. You're working hard for yourself, for a better life in the future, not for others, understand?"
Zhan Chunlan blinked, forcing back her surging tears, and said in a muffled voice, "I understand, thank you, Director Zhou."
"Go quickly," Deputy Factory Director Zhou waved his hand, turned to face the window, "Comrade Su Menghua will be here to report for duty tomorrow. You need to hand over your work here clearly. Once you're there... write back often."
Zhan Chunlan nodded vigorously, gently closed the office door, clutching the two letters tightly in her hand, straightened her back, and walked towards the office.
Originally, Zhan Chunlan wanted to treat Li Xiuxiu and Fan Hongying to a farewell meal, but the two declined.
"You're going to Haicheng alone soon. There will be many expenses there, so don't spend too much money."
Finally, the three of them found a park and sat there for a while. They didn't have much to talk about, so they just sat and looked at the scenery. They said whatever came to mind, and when they had nothing to say, they didn't say anything. It wasn't awkward at all.
Zhan Chunlan leaned back slightly, enjoying the perfect warmth of the autumn sun. She suddenly realized that this was the first time she had truly relaxed since arriving here.
When I was a student, I always had endless homework and chores to do. Later, I was busy with work and never had a moment to relax.
After starting work, all three were still young and full of enthusiasm, eager to make a name for themselves and become true adults through their own efforts.
Unexpectedly, they only found this peaceful rhythm on the eve of their departure.
Li Xiuxiu gazed at the distant, layered green mountains, her voice soft: "Will you come back?"
The question was asked casually, yet it made all three of them pause for a moment.
"It's hard to say." Zhan Chunlan looked at the thin mist swirling around the mountaintop, thinking of the extensive high-speed rail network of later generations and the convenience of traveling between the two cities in a day. Her tone was relaxed and confident: "However, it takes five days to get from Jiangcheng to Haicheng now. I believe our country will develop rapidly. By then, it will only take two hours to get from Jiangcheng to Haicheng. Then I can come back whenever I want and go back whenever I want."
"Two hours?" Fan Hongying's eyes widened in surprise. "How fast must the boat be going? Won't the people on board get seasick?"
"It's not by boat," Zhan Chunlan shook her head with a smile, "it's by airplane!"
"An airplane?" Li Xiuxiu gasped. "You really dare to dream. Is that something people like us can ride in?"
"That's not possible now," Zhan Chunlan said, her eyes shining, "but we can work together! I'll produce more candy in the food factory to sell to foreigners, and you can produce more pastries in the pastry factory to sell to foreigners. We can use their money to buy their airplanes, and then our scientists can develop their own."
Her voice sounded somewhat unreal: "Back then, everyone will be able to take airplanes, wherever they want, and go wherever they want!"
Fan Hongying was deeply moved by these words: "Great! It's a deal then. You'll stay in Haicheng, and we'll stay in Jiangcheng. Let's work together to produce more products and sell them all to foreigners!"
"Yes!" Li Xiuxiu exclaimed excitedly, "We want the whole world to taste the flavors of Chinese pastries!"
The three girls smiled at each other and made a promise under the setting sun—a promise that seemed distant yet full of hope. In the distance, the pastry factory's chimney still billowed white smoke, but at that moment, in their eyes, that smoke seemed to transform into a trajectory leading to the future.
Zhan Chunlan left quietly.
That morning, she left home as usual, carrying her faded canvas bag. Before leaving, she used her spatial ability to take Xu Lixia's savings—eight hundred yuan—hidden in a hidden compartment of the wardrobe. This amount was just enough to pay for Xu Lixia's years of hard work at home.
Of course, Zhan Chunlan was kind-hearted; she left them 23.6 yuan so they could have some help in case of emergency.
The Zhan family knew nothing about this. Xu Lixia was busy preparing breakfast in the kitchen as usual, Zhan Zhiqiang was sitting at the table waiting for breakfast, and Zhan Hongyu was still in bed. They all thought Zhan Chunlan had just gone to work.
Nobody cared if he didn't come back on the first day. Overtime is common these days, and it's not unusual for someone to have to spend the night away from home due to a last-minute factory assignment.
After not returning home for a month, Xu Lixia muttered, "This business trip has really been long." But thinking that her daughter was now highly regarded at the factory, she didn't think much of it.
Two months later, one evening, Zhan Zhiqiang went to the pastry factory to look for Zhan Chunlan. At the factory gate, he was stopped by the security guard, Old Zhang: "Looking for Zhan Chunlan? You're her father and you don't know? Zhan Chunlan was transferred to Haicheng Food Factory two months ago!"
The news hit Zhan Zhiqiang like a ton of bricks, leaving him stunned. He stood there, frozen, his mind buzzing—not because he was worried about his daughter's future, but because he suddenly remembered the person who was willing to offer a dowry of five hundred yuan. The other party had said that as long as Chunlan married into the family, she could stay at the Zhan family's job, and Hongyu could take over when he reached the right age. He was already in junior high school and could take over the job in a couple of years.
"It's all over, it's all over..." He walked home dejectedly, forgetting even to ride his bicycle.
At home, Xu Lixia sat down heavily on a stool after hearing the news.
"That ungrateful wretch! She transferred without even telling the family. We've raised her for nothing." She gritted her teeth, but there was nothing she could do.
Go to the workplace and make a scene? The staff member has been transferred and is no longer under the jurisdiction of Jiangcheng Pastry Factory. Go to Haicheng to look for them? It would take half a month to go there and back, not to mention that you wouldn't be able to get leave, even if you did go, you wouldn't know anyone there, so what could you do?
Zhan Zhiqiang squatted by the door, his head in his hands, when suddenly he remembered something: "Does she know we're going to marry her off to Old Liu?"
Xu Lixia suddenly looked up, and the two looked at each other in surprise.
In truth, Zhan Chunlan knew nothing. She simply happened to take the right step at a turning point in her life. Perhaps it was because of her frequent interactions with Fan Hongying that she absorbed some good fortune, unknowingly avoiding the trap that had been laid in advance.
At this moment in Haicheng, Zhan Chunlan was standing in her single dormitory assigned by the food factory. The street scene outside the window was unfamiliar, but she felt more at ease than ever before.
She finally, completely, escaped the quagmire called "home".
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com