Chapter 108
Everyone was excited and thrilled. Following the factory director's orders, all the workers in the textile factory walked towards the table where the welfare benefits were placed.
When everyone stood in front of the table where the welfare products were placed, they all cast burning gazes at the bags of apples. If possible, they wished they could see through the outer packaging to the inside, even if they could only spot a tiny difference.
The string on that bag looks different, maybe it's been opened. Hmm... why is the closure different too?!
Some waited anxiously, some looked around, and some secretly prayed, "If the factory manager and his men weren't up to something, then there's a good chance they'd be the lucky winner!" Oh, God! I have parents and children to support, and I can't afford to eat much in between. Please let me hold that radio ticket! I'll quietly give you two extra candy bars this year.
Dong Mingde looked at the happy workers and thought to himself that he was truly the scorpion daddy among all the factory directors in Nanshan City. Who else could have such an amazing idea like him!
He cleared his throat and said, "My fellow workers, this is a surprise benefit. Regardless of whether you get a ticket or not, we are all a loving family, so we must not have conflicts! If our performance next year can exceed this year's, I promise you in advance that next year's surprise will be even better! Either the value of the ticket will increase, or we will get more tickets. Everyone, please work hard next year and make greater contributions to yourselves, the factory, and Nanshan!"
"good!!"
"good!!"
Suddenly, thunderous applause erupted, and everyone's heart felt like a raging fire, their faces flushed and their hearts pounding. Those who were almost becoming models, not to mention those who were still a ways off, felt hopeful. Regardless of whether or not they could make it next year, their fellow workers must strive hard. What if they struggled, but they were lucky enough to get a ticket?
Bi Chunliu followed up with a loud groan, saying that Director Dong had more and more tricks up his sleeves, and his plans were getting bigger and bigger.
Dong Mingde pressed his hand down and said, "Okay, start collecting the benefits."
The people distributing the benefits were the directors, deputy directors, and vice chairmen of each department. The union and factory office staff mixed together, splitting into two teams. Bi Chunliu lined up behind Dong Tingting, the factory office representative, eagerly scanning every bag of apples. She didn't have a radio at home, so if only she could get this ticket!
Because Chairman Ren was standing aside with the three factory directors, the people who distributed things to Bi Chunliu and her team were Wang Hongxia and Deputy Director Liu from the factory office, who always had his own set of time theories like a teacher.
Deputy Director Liu: "Everyone, don't stop after you get the things. If you delay for a minute, and she delays for a minute, then with so many people in our team, it will take more than ten minutes for everyone, and for the entire factory..."
"Deputy Director Liu, let's send it out quickly. The workers are all lined up." Wang Hongxia interrupted Deputy Director Liu's spell.
"Oh, okay."
Finally it was Bi Chunliu's turn. She took the things from Wang Hongxia. Wang Hongxia winked at her, took out a bag of big apples from a bunch of apples and handed it to Bi Chunliu, then said Happy New Year.
"Happy New Year, Hongxia. I'll go first." Bi Chunliu stepped out of the queue with his things and was immediately picked up by Xing Fei and Bi Weiguo.
Bi Qiuguo anxiously asked her elder sister and brother-in-law to open the bag, "Sister, sister, hurry up, let's open it and take a look!" Many people had already received their gifts, but the radio tickets had not come out yet.
Xing Fei first untied the string bag around the paper bag containing the apples, then opened the paper bag. The apples were quite large, and it was obvious that the purchasing manager had put a lot of effort into acquiring these bonus items. However, the bag Bi Chunliu received contained only apples and no radio ticket.
Several people sighed.
Bi Chunliu held the things in front of her and said, "Okay, I still have a watch ticket. Weiguo, do you want a watch? If you want to buy it, I'll keep this ticket for you." She, Xing Fei, and Han Kemei, father and daughter, all have watches and don't need this ticket at the moment.
Bi Weiguo nodded vigorously, then hesitated for a moment. He didn't use a watch very often, and if he really wore a watch, he would have to worry about it getting scratched in the kitchen.
"Ahhh—I have the radio ticket!!"
An excited scream attracted everyone's attention in the direction of the sound.
Bi Chunliu squinted and watched. It must be an older woman working in the workshop. Her husband, daughter, and son were all gathered around her, the two children jumping around with joy. Their family was finally getting a radio!
Dong Mingde tilted his head to ask the worker's name, then said loudly, "Let us all congratulate Comrade Xu Sanni for winning the grand prize!"
Faced with the congratulations, which were either sincere, sour or jealous, Xu Sanni was so excited that tears filled her eyes. She didn't expect that she would have such good luck.
"Mom, are we really going to buy a radio?" the daughter asked again. Grandma had a serious illness last year, and mom always said that we had to save money at home and try to spend every penny wisely.
Xu Sanni hadn't expected her casual words to actually come true. But the sale of these tickets would be enough to cover her monthly salary, and she was a little reluctant to spend the money on her family, but...
She exchanged a glance with her husband, then looked at her two hopeful yet well-behaved children, and thought of her mother-in-law, who had been unhappy since she fell ill. She gritted her teeth and said, "I'm really buying it!"
"Oh oh oh - Xiaowei, my mom said she is going to buy a radio. Will you come to my house and listen to it with me then?" Xu Sanni's son shouted.
My friend Xiaowei was very supportive and responded loudly: "I'll go! Remember to call me!!"
"good--"
"Well, now that the grand prize has been announced, we can retire with honor. I wish everyone a happy new year. My fellow workers on shift must do their best to stay on top of their guard and strive for continued prosperity for our textile factory in the new year!"
Everyone responded in unison: "Okay!!"
The big leaders have left, the big prizes have been taken, and there are fewer people gathering around to watch them receive their benefits.
After receiving the benefits, everyone went home happily with their families. Bi Chunliu could still hear people wishing each other Happy New Year, and children were begging their parents to keep their New Year's money.
Bi Chunliu glanced at her three younger brothers and sisters who were following her and said, "This year, I'll give you a big red envelope as a New Year's gift! You can use it and buy whatever you want."
In the darkness, Bi Chunliu saw Bi Weiguo grinning, "Sister, I'm already at work, so I don't need any New Year's money. Xia He, Qiu Guo, remember to wish me a happy new year, and I'll give you both New Year's money. Qiu Guo, if you kowtow to me, I'll give you five yuan!"
"Tsk!" Bi Qiuguo wrinkled his nose in disdain. "I won't kowtow to you! Lululu~ I won't kowtow~"
Bi Weiguo felt very regretful and said, "Then I will save this money and give it to my eldest sister after she has a baby."
Bi Chunliu: "...Thank you. You two should quickly think about what you want to eat tomorrow. Let's have a good New Year!"
"Okay! Big sister, can you make a crispy pork pot with fried crispy pork?" Bi Weiguo heard about the crispy pork pot from a colleague at work a few days ago. He said that every household in their hometown would make crispy pork pot during the Chinese New Year. Each family made it differently, but they all tasted delicious!
Bi Chunliu: "Okay, can you do it?"
Bi Weiguo: "Sister, my colleague said that you can just put your favorite vegetables in it, such as vermicelli, meat, meatballs, cabbage, etc."
"Okay, then get ready."
When they returned home, Bi Weiguo said he was hungry again. Xing Fei took out five sweet potatoes from the stove and each of them ate one before washing up and going to bed.
.
The next morning at seven o'clock, the family got up.
Today is New Year's Eve. The whole family has to prepare the New Year's Eve dinner together and make dumplings.
"Sister-in-law, brother, we are here!" At eight o'clock, Han Kemei and Han Zhong, father and daughter, also arrived. The New Year's goods they bought had been delivered one after another a few days ago, so they didn't need to carry too many things today.
"Sister-in-law, look what I got!"
As soon as Han Kemei entered the door, she happily called Bi Chunliu. She received a call from a classmate today, saying that someone had brought some cucumbers and tomatoes and asked her if she wanted them. How could she hesitate? She had to take them!
Han Zhong handed the rolled-up Spring Festival couplets to Xing Fei and said, "Hurry up and put them up."
Xing Fei opened it and saw the neat black characters written on the red paper: "The east wind is blowing, the revolutionary situation is infinitely good; the red flags are waving, the production front is in a new mood."
Bi Chunliu put the four precious cucumbers and two kilograms of tomatoes into the basket, then looked at the Spring Festival couplets: Very good, very representative of the times, after pasting them on, it is hard to tell whether the door behind is her home or the factory.
Having his two sisters-in-law hold up a couplet each, Xing Fei touched his chin and said, "This character..."
Han Zhong tutted his words, "Everyone writes like this now, so stop being picky."
Xing Fei: "I didn't say anything, Weiguo, is the paste ready?"
The two of them pasted the Spring Festival couplets and put a blessing character on each door. Only then was the Spring Festival couplet pasting activity completed.
Han Kemei finally felt the joy of having so many people at home; making dumplings was even more fun than before! Of the seven of them, Han Zhong, his daughter, Bi Xiahe, and Bi Qiuguo prepared the dumplings, while the remaining three prepared the food. They chatted and laughed, and the atmosphere was bustling with activity.
Han Zhong saw his daughter staring blankly at something and gave her a light kick. "Are you stupid?"
Han Kemei blinked and said in a trance, "Dad, this year has been so good!"
Han Zhong's heart, a tough old father, was deeply moved. This reminded him of when his two children were young.
Xiaomei had always envied the lively atmosphere of other families, telling them how delicious her classmate's mother's fried meatballs were, or how another's mother's dumplings were filled with pumpkin and egg. As a man, no matter what he did, he couldn't compare to what a mother could bring to her daughter. If it weren't for the help of his neighbors, he wouldn't have been able to raise two children. It was more about their own hard work. Xiaofei, at such a young age, could even stand on a stool and cook for them.
Someone introduced him to a girl back then, but he was worried that Xiaomei had no female elders to talk to and that the person she wanted to marry wouldn't be good to their two children. He thought about it for a long time but still didn't agree. He just let the three of them make do and try their best.
He then remembered that Xiaomei had never had long hair as a child because she had said that long hair was too troublesome to wash. It was only when Xiaofei noticed that Xiaomei wanted to wear braids that he learned from a neighbor's grandmother how to braid her hair so that it wouldn't fall down or pinch her scalp. That's when Xiaomei started braiding her hair. But the girl was a flash in the pan. After a year of growing her hair, she finally managed to braid it, but she thought it was too long and droopy, so she cut it off.
Han Zhong opened his mouth and smiled, "Yeah, it's really nice to have some fun..."
Bi Qiuguo said with a smile: "Uncle Han, Sister Xiaomei, you all like lively atmosphere, right? If I make a fuss, please don't find me annoying."
Bi Xiahe: "Uncle Han, Sister Xiaomei, don't agree to her. Qiuguo has been scolded by my eldest sister these past two days."
Han Kemei rubbed Bi Qiuguo's little face with his wrist and asked curiously, "Hey, little Qiuguo, what did you do?"
Bi Qiuguo stretched his head to look at the kitchen. Seeing that his elder sister was not paying attention to this side, he whispered: "I just bought and sold some firecrackers."
Han Kemei asked in confusion: “Buy and sell?”
Bi Xiahe neatly placed the dumplings she had wrapped at the end of the pile, then adjusted the two dumplings in front before rolling her eyes at Bi Qiuguo. "Yeah, she bought firecrackers and sold them to some kids, who ended up lighting them all over the alley. They blew up all the meat that Auntie Yun had hidden in the snow in the alley ahead without telling her son and daughter-in-law, causing Auntie Yun to curse."
Han Kemei and Han Zhong: ………
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