Pointing to the kettle, she asked, "Sister, how much does this kettle cost?"
The woman who was being called "sister" looked to be almost forty and couldn't help but smile broadly: "This little girl has such a sweet tongue. Because of you calling me 'sister' and Hongyatou, I'll make an exception for today since this kettle is not usually sold to the public! This kettle costs eight yuan, one industrial coupon."
That's what they say, but in reality, many people come in to buy things under the guise of being family members of factory workers, and everyone just turns a blind eye.
Moreover, she came in with Lin Hong, so she was naturally included in this scope; she was just doing Lin Hong a favor.
Lin Hong didn't understand what he meant, and her face darkened as she was about to step forward and confront him.
Xu Ningyan stopped her, and she thanked her with a smile, "Thank you so much, sister! You're such a kind person! I got this benefit today thanks to you and Lin Hong! I'll treat you to candy next time!"
He quickly took out his money and tickets and handed them into the counter.
The woman behind the counter, seeing that Xu Ningyan was sensible and spoke nicely, accepted the money and industrial vouchers and went to issue the invoice.
After buying the kettle and walking a short distance, Lin Hong scoffed, "They're all talk and no action! Don't pay them any mind, remember their kindness! It's an unwritten rule in our factory! Although we don't officially sell to outsiders, we'll sell to anyone who comes with us! They're the only ones who want us to owe them a favor! Pah, do they think we're fools?"
As Xu Ningyan was gently persuading her, she heard a voice: "Lin Hong?"
The two turned their heads and met a familiar face. Who else could it be but Lu Kai?
Lu Kai glanced at Xu Ningyan, finding her unremarkable, and then looked at Lin Hong without pausing, saying, "Lin Hong, is Director Lin home? There's a problem with the engineering department, and I'd like to consult him."
Lin Hong shook her head: "My dad left early this morning and hasn't come back yet! Are you worried?"
Lu Kai frowned: "In my design drafts... helical gears... crossed shafts... high speed ratios..."
After rambling on and on, not only Xu Ningyan but also Lin Hong felt like they were listening to gibberish, not understanding a single word and just staring at him blankly.
Lu Kai finally came to his senses and realized that he was really tormented by the question. How could he talk about design with two little girls who didn't know anything about mechanical engineering design?
He waved his hand and said, "Alright, I'll go to your house tonight to ask Director Lin for advice!"
He then strode away.
Xu Ningyan silently memorized the few names she could understand, planning to ask Gu Zhiyuan about them when she returned to the Tuanjie Brigade.
Lin Hong muttered under her breath, "Tch! So what if she can design? She's got a big ego!"
Xu Ningyan sensed there was more to this story, and since she genuinely wanted to learn more about Lu Kai, her future enemy, she couldn't help but ask, "What's going on? Who is that person? You don't seem to like him?"
Lin Hong finally found someone to confide in, so she pulled Xu Ningyan to sit on a stone bench by the roadside and began to complain.
It turns out that Lin Hong doesn't like Lu Kai; this isn't just a misconception.
The story begins a few years ago.
Everyone knows that Lu Kai is the son of Deputy Factory Director Lu! He is older and had already been admitted to university before the Cultural Revolution, so he is naturally very arrogant.
After graduation, I went straight back to work in the engineering department of the machinery factory.
Lin Hong's second brother, Lin Feng, had a family tradition of learning and loved playing in the engineering department since he was a child. He was influenced by what he saw and heard and also became interested in mechanical engineering design.
After graduating from high school, I worked as an apprentice in a factory for a period of time. I performed well and was recommended to go to university.
Then some busybodies started comparing Lu Kai and Lin Feng.
After comparing them all, Lu Kai always comes out on top of Lin Feng, because his academic background is better than Lin Feng's. He got into university on his own merit, unlike Lin Feng who was recommended to attend.
They also said that Lu Kai was amazing; after returning to the factory, he developed the ability to design independently, and the older generation of design engineers all praised him highly.
Lin Feng, after completing his studies, has yet to design anything independently.
There were even rumors that Lin Feng was only able to work in the design department because of his father, who was the director of the engineering department.
Although it was just gossip, Lin Hong felt uncomfortable listening to it. Wasn't this specifically targeting her second brother, Lin Feng?
Lin's father was a person who was focused on design and didn't care about anything else.
Lin's mother was busy with work, so Lin Hong was furious.
Lu Kai, in particular, would often make a special trip to her house to ask Lin's father for advice.
It's one thing to ask for advice, but every time you do, you act all high and mighty, like you're just ordinary folks who don't care about us.
Unfortunately, Lin's father also favored Lu Kai and often praised him, while he constantly criticized his own son, Lin Feng.
Raymond Lam, who used to be a cheerful and outgoing young man, has become much more silent and rarely speaks now, likely due to setbacks.
Lin Hong felt sorry for her second brother and mentioned it to her father several times, but her father dismissed it, always saying that if he couldn't even handle such a small setback, what could he do in the future?
Lin Hong became increasingly angry as she spoke.
After listening to Lin Hong vent her frustrations, Xu Ningyan offered a few words of comfort: "Your uncle is so strict with your second brother because he values him!"
It's probably what they call a strict teacher producing outstanding students! This is how most father-son relationships are these days, so Xu Ningyan didn't say much.
Lin Hong sighed. Her mother had said the same thing, but she still felt uneasy about it.
Seeing that Lin Hong's mood had improved after she finished complaining, Xu Ningyan continued to ask about the Lu family's situation.
Speaking of this, Lin Hong pursed her lips. As the saying goes, the one who understands you best is always your enemy.
Lin Hong was dissatisfied with the Lu family, so she naturally inquired about them from various sources.
In the Lu family, Lu's father and mother had two sons. Lu Kai was the younger one, and he had an older brother named Lu Zheng, who was a few years older than him. He was currently serving in the army and was said to be either a platoon leader or a company commander.
Lu Kai's sister-in-law, surnamed Meng, did not go with the army but worked in the county garment factory, which was far from the machinery factory, one in the south of the city and the other in the north.
So Lu Kai's sister-in-law lives in the factory dormitory, while the two children stay at the machinery factory to attend school, where Lu's mother takes care of them and picks them up. She only comes back to see the children when she has time off.
Lu Kai is the youngest son of the Lu family. He was smart from a young age and was a top student in school, which made his father very fond of and value him.
He later got into H University, becoming a nightmare for children his age and younger in the machine factory.
After graduating from H University, Lu Kai could have been assigned to a better place, but he took the initiative to apply to return to the machinery factory, saying that he had developed an attachment to the factory and wanted to make it even better.
After hearing these words, everyone in the machine factory praised Lu Kai! Not to mention, he was truly talented and quickly passed the test of the older generation in the engineering department, becoming able to design many things independently.
Rumors are already circulating in the factory that once Lin's father retires, the position of director of the engineering department will belong to Lu Kai.
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