27.027 Promotion and salary increase
Su Yu was awakened by rustling sounds. She opened her eyes and looked out the window. It was still dark. She thought Ning Jin was going to the toilet. She turned over, covered her head with the sheet, and continued to sleep until sunlight shone into the room. She got up and dressed. When she heard no sound outside, she remembered that the other person sleeping in the bed seemed to have gone to the toilet and hadn't come back.
"Ningjin? Xiaoning? Xiaowuzi?" No one answered, only Xiaohei wagged its tail and followed behind her. "Where's your master? Was he stolen by a fairy?" Su Yu teased the dog casually. When she walked out, she saw that the door wasn't locked from the inside. She went over and pulled, and found that the door was locked from the outside.
"What's going on? Going out in the middle of the night?" She reached through the crack in the door to unlock it, wondering if the train schedule had been changed, but he said last night that the train wouldn't leave until 8 o'clock today.
Unable to figure it out and unable to find anyone, Su Yu stopped thinking about it. He was a man, and she wouldn't get lost. She started working as usual, washing up and then cooking. Now the vegetables in the small garden were enough for her family, and they no longer had to squeeze with others to wait for the supply and marketing cooperative to open.
"Su Yu, come out quickly and see who's here." Su Yu had just put the peanuts into the pan when she heard Ning Jin's voice. She went out of the stove and exclaimed with delight, "Dad, Mom, you're here? Did Ning Jin come to pick you up?"
"Hmm, they said you've caused trouble again, so they asked us to move in and keep an eye on you." Su Changguo sold his son-in-law without hesitation.
The man chuckled awkwardly. He'd just had a fight with his neighbor and was worried that Sun Laoqi would cause trouble after he left. He was also concerned about Su Yu's behavior; she was incredibly proud of saving someone and had no sense of danger whatsoever, acting like a silly, naive girl. If she developed a fondness for doing good deeds, the whole town would be his enemies when he returned. There were quite a few families in this alley who favored sons over daughters, though they didn't beat the girls. There were even men who, when drunk, beat their wives, and the Women's Federation didn't dare intervene. He was afraid Su Yu might act recklessly.
“No wonder he went out in the dark.” Su Yu glared at him angrily, moved a chair out for Ning Jin to put her father down, and said to her mother, “The two boys are still sleeping. Put the things in the main room first, and I will make room for my father when they wake up.”
"I'm awake."
"I'm awake too." Xiao Yuan and Ping An ran out, still wearing their pants and shirts. Xiao Yuan ran to his grandfather and saw that his leg was still in a splint. "Grandpa, your leg isn't healed yet?" He was surprised and distressed.
"Almost done, almost done." Su Changguo pointed to the basket in his wife's hands. "Your grandma dried persimmons for you and Ping An, and she's been waiting for you two to come over to eat them. Since you didn't come, she brought them all with her."
Ping An, who had been hesitating about whether to call out to anyone, immediately put on a big smile and said, "Thank you, Grandpa and Grandma. I've never had dried persimmons before."
Children are so unpredictable, sometimes shy, sometimes enthusiastic, awkward yet adorable. Last time Su Yu's parents came to stay for a few days, it was just the two grandparents and the two children at home during the day. Ping An played happily with Su's maternal grandparents. He secretly wished they were his own maternal grandparents. Although he visited again with his father afterward, a few days had passed, and when he saw Su's maternal grandparents, he became awkward and shy again, mainly because he was afraid the people he liked would dislike him. Now, Su's grandfather mentioned that his tone was no different from Xiao Yuan's, and said he had specially prepared persimmon cakes for them. Reassured, he immediately became enthusiastic, even asking if they wanted water and offering to pour them some.
It was getting late, and Ning Jin put down his bowl and was about to leave. "Dad, Mom, stay here a little longer. If you want to go back, just wait for me to come back and I'll take you. It's convenient to go to the hospital or get up at night in town. Don't worry about anything else, just stay here and let Dad take good care of his leg."
"Okay, drive carefully. Take a break when you're tired. Don't push yourself. Driving is no small matter; if you get distracted or doze off, you'll have an accident." Old Man Su reminded his young son-in-law to be careful, as his daughter couldn't afford to marry a third time.
"Okay, I'm leaving then."
"You go to work too, I'll wash the dishes." Yu Anxiu wouldn't let Su Yu pick up the dishes. She was still able to move, and she wanted to help out as much as she could at the young lady's house.
“It’s not time for me to start work yet, I’ll do the washing. You can go to town this morning and rest for a while. You can cook lunch.” Su Yu didn’t stand on ceremony with the old lady and told her what dishes to cook for lunch and which part of the vegetable garden needed watering.
After washing the dishes, Su Yu told Ping An and Xiao Yuan not to run too far. She was worried that the Sun family next door would bully the children in private if they couldn't control the adults. "If you run too far, you won't be able to call anyone if something happens to Grandpa." With this task of taking care of the elderly in mind, the two of them shouldn't run far, especially Xiao Yuan, who has a sense of responsibility to take care of his family and his mother.
Su Yu went out to work, and many people looked at her on the street. The old man in the alley who used to ignore her or, more accurately, coldly observed her started talking to her.
"Xiao Su, off to work?" It was Aunt Wu.
"Xiao Su, Xiao Wuzi has gone out again? When will he be back?" This was Aunt Liu from next door.
"Xiao Su, I heard that Xiao Wuzi brought your parents here. When you have time, let the old folks come out and have some fun. It's better to come out and chat than to keep them brooding." This was Aunt Wu from the second house on the left across the street.
They are all veteran workers who have given up their jobs to the younger generation in their families. Now they stay at home taking care of their grandchildren and making matchboxes to earn money to sell matches. They are old but still have good hearing and are very well-informed.
Su Yu greeted him with a smile, answering all his questions without a trace of the imposing manner she displayed yesterday.
The fervor surrounding the water rescue hadn't subsided, and with the added attention of calling the police and making accusations—meddling in other people's business—Su Yu felt like she wasn't going to work, but walking a red carpet. Even at the cafeteria, things weren't quiet; Aunt Qiu came to ask her about her show of power, like a top paparazzi wanting firsthand information.
"I told you before that you had a bad temper, and you really did. You called the police and the Women's Federation. You're really bold. Aren't you afraid of getting into trouble? I heard you're going to support someone else's daughter. Is that true?" Aunt Qiu asked.
"It's true." Su Yu nodded in acknowledgment.
Aunt Qiu didn't know what to say for a moment. It was common for families to beat their children, but it was rare for someone like Du Xiaojuan to beat Er Ya to death. Honestly, if she encountered such a situation, she would try to persuade her two or three times, but if that didn't work, she wouldn't get involved anymore, for fear of being blamed or getting into trouble. She didn't dare to think about or even mention raising someone else's child; she would avoid trouble as soon as it came, let alone take it on herself.
"You're just meddling in other people's business..." She couldn't finish her sentence; she didn't dare to do it and couldn't stop others from doing it.
"You young people are really brave. You're always so quiet, but when you do something big, it's something great. Well done! Saving lives is a meritorious deed; you'll definitely have something to brag about when you're old. Unlike us old women, all we talk about is mothers-in-law, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren." Aunt Qiu changed her tune, jokingly speaking her mind, and immediately felt much better.
"Su Yu, has Su Yu arrived yet?" A strange man ran into the cafeteria, and when no one answered, he asked again, "Su Yu hasn't come to work yet?"
"I'm here. It's me." Su Yu put down the chili pepper and stood up. "I'm Su Yu. What do you need?"
The man's originally serious face softened into a smile upon seeing the person, and he said with great appreciation, "The factory manager is looking for you; I'm just running errands."
It should be a good thing, and it might even be related to her saving someone, Su Yu guessed. She went with the man to the factory manager's office and saw three people inside.
"Factory manager, Su Yu is here," the errand boy knocked on the door to announce.
"Hello, leader, hello, fellow reporter." Su Yu glanced at the man sitting at the head of the table, who was holding a camera, and after guessing his identity, she greeted him.
"Hello, Comrade Su Yu. You are truly a remarkable woman. I heard yesterday that our female colleagues from the food factory dared to jump into the deep dam in the east of the town to save people. I was just about to meet you when I heard that your husband came to ask for leave for you. Are you alright?" the factory director asked with concern.
"Thank you for your concern, leader. I'm fine. I can't claim to be a heroine who doesn't yield to men. I only saved one person. Anyone else would have jumped in if they had seen that," Su Yu replied modestly.
“You deserve it; it’s not just about saving a life.” The factory manager was satisfied. He was worried that the heroine who went to the police, the Women’s Federation, and even offered to raise the child might be a nagging, unreasonable woman. He introduced her to Su Yu: “This is a reporter from our city. They just arrived yesterday and heard about your selfless act of saving a life. They want to interview you. You’ve set a good example for our town.”
These two reporters were hired at great expense to promote their food factory, but unexpectedly, Su Yu benefited first. It's true that when luck comes, you can't stop it. The factory manager was a little envious, but also glad that Su Yu was an employee of his factory. This is a living advertisement. If she makes it into the newspaper, she will be a worker of XX Food Canned Food Factory.
The two sides greeted each other again. When asked if she was willing to be interviewed, Su Yu nodded immediately without hesitation. The reporter asked not only about the rescue but also about her seeking help from the police and the Women's Federation for Er Ya, who had been beaten.
Su Yu recounted Er Ya's tragic situation and her initial motivation for saving Er Ya, earning her praise for being progressive and helpful. She also mentioned that the incident would be reported in the newspapers.
When the two reporters left, the factory director went out and said something. When he came back in, he said to Su Yu, "Comrade Su Yu, the organization, considering your helpfulness and progressive thinking, should give you a more suitable position. Starting tomorrow, go find Cadre Hong and go work in the logistics department for a month..." He glanced at his secretary.
The errand secretary immediately replied, "The monthly salary is 38 yuan, but the grain, oil, and meat coupons are doubled."
"Thank you, leader. I will definitely work hard and contribute to the construction and operation of our factory." Su Yu immediately expressed her gratitude. She had been thinking about how to subtly hint that she wanted to change jobs, but she never expected that such a good opportunity would fall into her lap.
"Okay, let Secretary Ke see you out. I still have work to do." Once the matter was settled, the factory manager immediately saw the guest out.
Secretary Ke saw Su Yu out and took her to see Cadre Hong first. This was a last-minute decision by the factory director, and it was his responsibility to implement it. If he could get it done today, he would have one less thing to do tomorrow.
To leave a good impression, Su Yu continued working in the cafeteria. At noon, she went to tell Chef Wang and Aunt Qiu that she would be going to work in the logistics department the next day, which was also a way of saying goodbye. She had been working in the cafeteria for more than a month, and these two were the only people she had spoken to.
"Good deeds are rewarded, and here it is." Chef Wang raised his spatula. "I'll stir-fry some dried tofu for you at noon as a way to celebrate."
"Wow, I've struck gold! Uncle Wang, if you had told me earlier that there was such a good thing, I should have told you about the time I picked up a dollar and handed it in." Su Yu said with a shameless grin.
"That will have to wait until you get promoted."
At noon, Su Yu brought home a plate of dried tofu. During lunch, she told her parents that she was going to be in the newspaper. Su Changguo asked Xiao Yuan to fetch him a bowl of water, as he wanted to drink it like wine.
“I’ll buy a few more copies of the newspaper. I’ll pay for them. I’ll take them home and show them to the villagers. My daughter, Su Changguo’s daughter, made it into the newspaper on her own merit. I’m so proud of her.” He was beaming, and even drinking cold water made him seem tipsy.
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