Chapter 437 Not Coming Back for the New Year
There had been no news since Zhang Min went to Guangdong to work in September. In November, there was finally a call. Zhang Min told Zhang A'mei that she had found a job in a garment factory.
The factory was quite large, and she was assigned to the back finishing group, responsible for cutting thread ends, cutting buttonholes, picking hems, and ironing... It wasn't a difficult job, as long as she was meticulous.
The working hours here are relatively long, and if you want to earn more money you have to work overtime. At the end of the day you will feel dizzy, and your back and legs will ache. But compared to working in a cotton spinning mill or a silk reeling mill, it is much more comfortable.
Another thing is that this is a private factory. Although the boss provides food and accommodation, the food and accommodation are poor. Guangdong is hot, and with twenty or thirty people living in one room, it is noisy and smelly.
When Zhang A-mei heard this, she cursed:
"You didn't ask for it! You only have one room at home and two people to take care of you, yet you insisted on going out to work."
Zhang Min was very impatient and was about to hang up the phone:
"If you say that to me again, I will never call you again!"
Zhang A'mei had no choice but to ask her for her specific address, saying that she wanted to send some things to her. She had a whole closet full of clothes at home, so she wouldn't have to spend money to buy new ones. But Zhang Min refused to tell her.
"Then tell me your phone number and I'll just call you, okay?" Zhang A'mei asked again.
"Oh, Mom, there is no phone in my dormitory. This is a public phone now. It is far away from our factory and dormitory. No one will help me answer the phone even if I call." Zhang Min said.
Zhang A-mei didn't know whether it was true or not, but she was very angry and said angrily:
"If I die, how will I notify you? Aren't you going to come and collect my body?"
"Mom, even if we die, it's impossible for you two to die together! It's not my turn to take care of it. I may have to change my job in a different factory, and the address will be different. Those clothes are not fashionable anymore, you can give them away or throw them away! I want to buy new ones here! Besides, thick clothes are not used here." Zhang Min said perfunctorily.
When Zhang A'mei heard Zhang Min say this, she almost fainted. When she caught her breath, the other party had hung up the phone.
When she returned home, Wu Jianguo asked what Zhang Min had said, and Zhang A-mei only said that she had found a job.
When Wu Jianguo wanted to ask more questions, Zhang Amei angrily scolded him:
"If you're a capable person, you should be able to climb up after working as a technician for so many years. You're still a team leader, making three dollars and a half more than the average worker! If you're a capable person, you can take a leave of absence and do carpentry work. Did you know that Lao Jiang has been doing this for two years and is now a small boss?"
Lao Jiang is Wu Jianguo's friend. In the past, when they had urgent work that could not be completed, they would help each other.
Old Jiang's craftsmanship was not as good as Wu Jianguo's, but he was flexible and eloquent. Seeing that the factory often could not pay wages, he simply took a leave of absence and started to specialize in carpentry business, making some cheap and practical items and selling them in the alley at home.
He also went to some private factories to take on repair work, charging very low fees. Later, these factories would also ask him to make things, and his business became better and better. Now he rents an empty house in the suburbs, hires several people, and starts his own private factory producing wooden products.
This was already a cliché, so Wu Jianguo just listened without saying anything.
A month later, Zhang A-mei received another call from Zhang Min.
This time, it’s for money.
Because Zhang Min was beautiful and spoke in a pleasant Wu dialect, many boys in the factory came to pursue her. Several girls in the dormitory were dissatisfied with her and started to target her.
Cut up her new clothes, throw her shoes that were drying in the mud, pour vegetable soup on her bed...
She was also fierce, but she was alone and weak, so she had no choice but to move out of the dormitory so that the environment would be better.
However, she has always been extravagant. She spent all her monthly salary of several dozen yuan on food, clothing and hairdressing every month. She had no money to rent a house, so she had to call Zhang A'mei.
By transferring money, Zhang Min finally gave Zhang A-mei an address.
Zhang A-mei planned to go find her with Wu Jianguo, but Wu Jianguo said:
"This address may not be where she lives. Besides, it takes several days to go back and forth, which will cost me a salary deduction. If Zhang Min's place can't accommodate three people, we will have to stay in a guesthouse, which will cost a lot of money. Wouldn't it be better if you send her the money you paid to find her?"
Besides, didn't Xiao Min tell us not to go? Just wait! The New Year is coming soon. How could she not come back for the New Year? If we go, she might get angry and run away somewhere else, and you won't be able to find her. That would be troublesome. At least we have some news now."
This time, Zhang A-mei felt that what Wu Jianguo said made some sense.
Anyway, the New Year is coming soon, and she thought that Zhang Min must come back to celebrate the New Year.
Unexpectedly, it was not until the 23rd day of the lunar year that she waited for Zhang Min to come back, and there was not even a phone call. Zhang A'mei began to get anxious.
But she told herself that it was normal not to have a holiday so early. Some factories were doing so well that they would work on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
On the 25th day of the lunar year, Zhang A'mei finally heard Grandpa Li calling her.
She thought to herself, as long as he came back, it didn't matter whether it was before or after the New Year.
Unexpectedly, she was extremely disappointed when she received the call because Zhang Min said she would not come back for the New Year.
Before Zhang A-mei could find out what happened, the other party hung up the phone.
When Wu Jianguo saw Zhang A'mei coming back crying, he hurriedly asked what happened. Zhang A'mei told him that Zhang Min would not be coming back for the New Year.
"How much does it cost?" Wu Jianguo asked with a sigh.
"Three hundred," Zhang A'mei answered, but she was very dissatisfied with Wu Jianguo's question. "Is it about money? The child can't come back for the New Year! She has never left me since she was a child! How can she have a New Year's Eve dinner when she is so far away?"
Wu Jianguo was stunned.
Wu Shanshan and Wu Jun haven't been back for the New Year for several years, and he has gotten used to it. So when he heard Zhang Min say she wouldn't be back for the New Year, he didn't feel too upset.
"The child has grown up and is no longer under the control of his parents. There is no use in getting angry." He was trying to persuade Zhang A'mei and also to persuade himself.
Zhang A'mei went to withdraw the money without stopping and then transferred it to Zhang Min.
So this New Year's Eve, only Zhang A-mei and Wu Jianguo celebrated it together.
1987 arrived with the sound of firecrackers.
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The second day of the Lunar New Year, morning.
After getting up, Xiaoting was dragged by Tunan and Zhou Huaiyi to exercise for a while before sitting down to study.
While she was doing a set of test questions, Tuanan was right next to her, helping her circle and correct the answers, saving her the time of checking the answers herself.
Xiaoting laughed at Tunan: "Brother, you haven't forgotten these questions yet!"
"Apart from working on the construction site, my second job is to guide high school graduates." Tuanan replied calmly.
These students were introduced by Chief Feng. He did not recruit too many students because his energy was limited. He wanted to make sure that the schools they could apply for were of a higher level.
"Concentrate on the questions." Tu Nan said softly without even raising his head.
Xiaoting was just about to start writing when the phone in the room rang and was hung up before anyone could answer it.
The people chatting in the living room thought someone had dialed the wrong number and ignored it.
Xiaoting in the study looked at her watch and lowered her head as if she was thinking about a question, but in fact she was very confused.
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