After this little incident, their lives returned to normal, but they also clearly felt that the people in the courtyard were subtly changing their attitudes towards them.
The biggest change was in Aunt Liu. She had previously told Chen Ke and Chen Zhiming, both openly and secretly, that Chen Yu was a girl and would get married when she reached a certain age. It would be better for her to stay at home and do some housework. Why bother studying so much?
Now, when Chen Zhi and Chen Yu meet, Chen Zhi says, "Chen Zhi, if you don't want to study, then work hard to earn money so that Chen Yu can finish her studies. Then your Chen family will have two successful children. If your parents knew this in the afterlife, they would be overjoyed."
Chen Yu was puzzled and asked Chen Zhi, "Why did Aunt Liu suddenly change her tune? She no longer says that it's useless for a girl to study so much before she gets married?"
Chen Zhi chuckled, “Because Aunt Liu secretly asked my older brother how he got into the research institute, and I said, of course it’s because of studying. Plus, my older brother is smart, so the leaders of the research institute took a liking to him. I also said that you are studying so hard now so that you can become a successful person like your older brother.”
Chen Yu suddenly realized, "No wonder."
Aunt Liu was a gossip, and within a few days, the whole courtyard could be filled with the sounds of adults urging their children to study hard. The children, who used to run and play wildly, were now confined after school, and sometimes the way they looked at Chen Zhi and Chen Yu seemed to carry a hint of resentment.
Besides sparking a reading craze, the people in the courtyard seemed to become closer to the two of them. Whenever someone cooked something delicious, they would bring it over for the two of them to try, and they would also ask if the two of them needed any help.
Even "secret" information like which supply and marketing cooperative had supplies available for people to rush to buy would be shared with Chen Yu by the older women in the courtyard, who would also specially invite her to go with them.
Neither of them had any particular feelings about it; there was nothing wrong with the neighborly relationship improving and progressing further.
Two more days passed like this. Chen Zhi's tireless efforts to find someone to teach him to drive, which he made every day, finally yielded some results. An old driver who was about to retire was willing to teach him, but he was also very blunt. He could teach him, but the apprenticeship fee had to be paid in full, and he could not give the old driver his retirement job.
This means that even if Chen Zhi learns to drive, he will still have to rely on his own abilities to find a job.
Even so, Chen Ke was overjoyed. He gathered up his salary and, finding it insufficient, tried to borrow some from his colleagues.
His colleague expressed his incomprehension, saying, "Didn't your older brother get into the research institute? Why don't you just ask your older brother for it? Besides, what about your older brother's previous job? Why can't you take his place?"
“My older brother just started working there, how can he get paid so quickly? Besides, the textile factory only gave him his previous job out of pity for our plight. What, you think I’d take his place after he leaves? I don’t want to. I can find my own way to make a living.” What Chen Zhi didn’t say was that even if Chen Ke had money, he didn’t want to ask for it.
His older brother was able to support him and Chen Yu when he was sixteen, and he was also able to find a job on his own when he was sixteen.
It's just two hundred yuan, he'll definitely be able to scrape together the remaining one hundred and thirty yuan!
That evening, Chen Yu took out her saved pocket money, and Chen Zhizai carefully counted it. Great, she was only one hundred and twenty yuan short.
Chen Zhi needed to raise 200 yuan for the "apprenticeship fee" before the end of the month and National Day. Every day, besides going to work, he did odd jobs to earn money, and his life was busy and fulfilling.
Wang Jingjiang also leads a busy and fulfilling life, recounting Chen Ke's deeds eight hundred times a day in the textile workshop.
The key is that he wasn't tired, and the older women in the workshop weren't tired either.
There's no other reason than that Chen Ke has now become a legend in the textile factory—a scientific genius who gave up his studies to support his younger siblings, but persevered in self-study and finally entered the research institute.
Just as Wang Jingjiang was speaking eloquently, the same scene was unfolding in the union office.
Dear workers of Jiangshui Textile Factory, today I would like to introduce to you a colleague among us.
Four years ago, he came to the Jiangshui Textile Factory when he was only sixteen years old...
······
In the textile factory, he was a hardworking and dedicated frontline textile worker. Every day, while completing his own work, he also enthusiastically helped his colleagues. His helpful figure could be seen everywhere in the Jiangshui Textile Factory.
At night school, he was a diligent and hardworking student. He could study a single piece of knowledge tirelessly, and he could travel back and forth between his home and his teacher's home countless times to master the knowledge.
At home, he is a responsible and caring older brother...
He is the best role model of our time at Jiangshui Textile Factory, an outstanding young man worthy of emulation by all workers. He is our example, and he is our... and he will always be a worker of Jiangshui Textile Factory, Chen Ke!
After reading the manuscript with great enthusiasm, Gao Jin looked at Feng Liangchen expectantly and asked, "Chairman Feng, what do you think of this draft?"
Feng Liangchen was also moved by what he heard. "Hmm, not bad, Xiao Gao, your writing skills have improved."
Gao Jin was extremely excited, "Really, Chairman Feng?"
"Of course, if you understand Chen Ke's story thoroughly, I believe everyone will feel the same way and resonate with it after hearing it."
"Xiao Gao, I can tell you put a lot of effort into this draft. From now on, you'll be responsible for writing all the union's articles and my speeches at meetings."
"Really? Chairman Feng, did I hear that right?" Gao Jin could hardly believe it; his voice trembled with excitement.
Writing speeches for Feng Liangchen at meetings—what does that mean? It means he's taken on the job of the union chairman's secretary!
After Feng Liangchen officially became the chairman of the trade union at Jiangshui Textile Factory, almost all the staff in the trade union office set their sights on the position of chairman's secretary, but the position remained vacant.
And today, Gao Jin has taken a big step towards this position!
After receiving Feng Liangchen's affirmative answer, Gao Jin suppressed his inner elation and almost walked out of the office with his hands and feet in unison.
It seemed he had to treat Wang Jingjiang from the textile workshop to a drink, since he'd heard almost all of Chen Ke's stories from him, recounting them with such vivid detail that Gao Jin barely made any changes to the manuscript.
Chen Ke was unaware that Wang Jingjiang had become his publicity ambassador, burying himself in experiments all day long without sleep for several days. His colleagues around him were terrified, wondering how anyone could be so reckless in doing experiments. They all urged him to take a break, but Chen Ke always waved his hand and said he would soon.
Seeing that they couldn't be persuaded, everyone else followed suit, spinning like tops. Only two of the older researchers couldn't keep up and would go back to rest for a short while. The others lived and worked in the lab, sometimes falling asleep while calculating on paper.
No one else will disturb him. After he wakes up naturally, he will start calculating again, making the most of every second.
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