Chapter 7 I Can Marry Anyone Chunfeng Garment Factory
Chunfeng Garment Factory is the largest garment factory in several nearby towns and is located at the westernmost end of the town.
Originally, the Chunfeng Garment Factory was located in Baicheng City, but the mayor of Chunfeng Town tried hard to persuade Mr. Yuan from Baicheng Garment Factory to invest here and also provided a lot of policy support. As a result, Mr. Yuan opened a branch factory in Chunfeng Town, called Chunfeng Garment Factory.
When the garment factory first arrived, the first thing it did was to recruit people.
We need women who can sew clothes, designers who understand design, secretaries who can speak foreign languages, sales people who can go out and negotiate channels to sell clothes, and truck drivers who can go out and deliver goods. We need to recruit everyone.
Therefore, there were a lot of people coming to recruit, and they were crowded together at the gate of the garment factory.
On the steps at the entrance, a woman in her thirties, wearing a suit and a nameplate on her chest, stood there and shouted to everyone, "Those applying for female workers, line up on the left. Those who can repair machines, line up in the middle. High school students, line up on the right. Everyone, come over and fill out the registration form."
Shi Meilan looked closely and saw that the nameplate read Manager Lu.
The crowd then separated into three columns.
When Shi Meilan pulled Hu Honghua over, the crowd had all been divided. Shi Meilan saw Wang Yulian standing quietly aside, without moving.
The woman standing on the top step saw Wang Yulian and gave her a look. Wang Yulian then stepped out of the crowd and stood at the outside.
After everyone went in to apply for the job, the woman walked over and brought Wang Yulian in.
Shi Meilan thought, so this is how he got in through connections.
She thought about it for a while, and instead of taking Hu Honghua to queue up, she stood aside.
——
At this time, Wang Yulian had already followed Manager Lu into the factory.
The factory is very large, with five buildings divided into Building 1, Building 2, Building 3, Building 4 and a canteen. Buildings 1 and 2 are workshops, Building 3 is the female workers' dormitory, and Building 4 is used as an office, which is also where designers, sales and financial officers work.
Manager Lu took Wang Yulian into Building 4, passed the front desk, and walked to his office. Finally, he closed the door and turned around to look at Wang Yulian.
Manager Lu was thirty years old, with a long face, thick lips, and foxy eyes. She was capable yet sexy, and exuded the oppressive aura of a strong woman. She glanced at Wang Yulian and asked, "Is the money ready?"
Before Wang Yulian's husband returned to the city, he had come to the town many times to send letters. He had some background. Through her husband, Wang Yulian got to know Manager Lu, but they were just acquaintances and not familiar with each other.
When the garment factory was opened, Manager Lu was the human resources manager and was responsible for recruiting people for the factory. For the sake of her daughter, Wang Yulian took the initiative to visit him and greet him, hoping to get some backdoor advice.
Manager Lu, however, was a money-minded person who didn't care about human feelings. He immediately told Wang Yulian that if she wanted to find a good job, she could buy a quota for 100 yuan, but if she didn't have money, forget it - she was using the factory's quota to get kickbacks for herself.
"It's ready. Two hundred yuan. My husband will mail it to me next month. My daughter and I will buy it together, but you'll have to wait until next month." Wang Yulian smiled ingratiatingly and said, "Thanks to Manager Lu."
Wang Yulian didn't want others to think of her as an abandoned woman, so she mentioned her husband in every sentence, pretending that her husband, an educated youth, had not cut off contact with her, in order to keep up appearances.
The money had actually been in her hands for a long time, but Wang Yulian was cunning. She was afraid of being cheated and refused to give it out directly. When she started working next month and everything was settled, she would naturally be willing to give it out.
Manager Lu certainly saw through Wang Yulian's thoughts, but she didn't say much. Instead, she nodded and said, "Okay, in about half a month, at the beginning of July, the factory will officially start construction. You can come over then. Don't forget the money. I'll arrange clerical work for you two. You'll work in the office right away. The child is educated, so I'll let your daughter be the secretary and you the clerk. You won't waste these two hundred yuan."
Wang Yulian nodded quickly.
Manager Lu waved his hand and said, "Go down."
Wang Yulian left with joy.
Manager Lu took his car keys and prepared to go out for dinner and buy some good things to cheer himself up.
As for the remaining recruitment work, it will be arranged by the clerical assistant below.
If it weren't for these two hundred yuan, Manager Lu wouldn't have come today - her monthly salary is only thirty-five yuan, and two hundred yuan is almost a year's salary.
Her car was just a small bicycle. Manager Lu rode the bicycle out of the factory and prepared to go back home.
The town is quite remote, located at the westernmost end of Chunfeng Town. She had to ride her bike all the way back along a long dirt road, a road she seldom rode. She was unlucky today, and as she rode, her bike became slower and slower. There happened to be a dirt slope in front of her, so she stood up and pedaled. A man came out from the corner of the slope, and the two bikes actually collided!
The car suddenly tilted heavily, and she cried out "ouch" and fell to the ground.
She fell so hard that her ankle snapped and she fell to the ground, unable to get up. There was no one around and she was in so much pain that she was losing sight of the pain when she suddenly heard someone shout, "Ouch! What happened to you, girl?"
"Your tire is broken. You'll need to replace it soon. We need to push it to the intersection." Someone ran over, helped her move the car, and helped her up, asking her, "Girl, are you feeling better?"
When Manager Lu opened her eyes, she saw a woman in a dark green cotton dress squatting in front of her. The woman had black hair, bright eyes, and rosy lips. She opened her mouth with concern: "You fell pretty hard. Can you still ride a bike?"
Manager Lu's head was buzzing. He slowly shook his head and said, "My ankle hurts."
Then the woman took off her shoes quickly and said someone would help her check it out. There was also an honest and taciturn little girl who helped her lift the car up.
This woman was very strong, obviously she had been working for many years. She was skillful at her work, and after just a few strokes, Manager Lu no longer felt so much pain.
This woman was a talkative person, and she talked while I was massaging her.
Manager Lu had his ankles rubbed for quite a while, and he also listened to a lot.
The woman's name is Shi Meilan, and she has a niece, Hu Honghua. They came from Lijia Village and wanted to make a living in the Chunfeng Factory. They said they wanted to be clerks, but the factory required clerks to have a college degree, so they had to return with regret. They didn't expect to bump into her on the road, and they felt really sorry.
The scorching heat clung to her skin, and the regret in Shi Meilan's words grew heavier. Manager Lu looked at Shi Meilan's bright, innocent-looking round face, and without a second thought, he said, "You can come in, but you have to pay one hundred yuan per person."
After saying this, Manager Lu felt a little regretful.
The job sale was done secretly because she knew Wang Yulian well enough to sell it. But how could she sell it when they just met this woman?
What if it gets out and other people find out? Her position wasn't easy to come by! If she gets demoted, she won't be able to earn any money.
"That's great!" Shi Meilan slapped her thigh and said, "Sister, you are such a kind person. From now on, my mother and I will listen to you when we go to jail."
Seeing Shi Meilan like this, Manager Lu thought it was okay to sell it.
The two chatted for a long time, and Shi Meilan actually took off her bag and gave the money on the spot. It was the first time that Manager Lu saw such a straightforward person, and he immediately liked her a little more.
Who doesn’t like people who give money?
"Let's go! We're going back now!" Manager Lu didn't even mention "early July." Instead, he led everyone back to the factory and said, "We'll get you two onboarded today. You'll start work at the beginning of July, and you can choose your office and dormitory first."
The three of them turned back on the spot, and Shi Meilan and Manager Lu became real sisters.
There were not many clerk positions to begin with, only four or five in total, and now four have come at once, basically filling the vacancies.
After completing the onboarding procedures and selecting the staff dormitory and office, Shi Meilan returned with Hu Honghua.
When they left the factory, it was around three or four in the afternoon. The sun was shining brightly on them. Shi Meilan got in the car and Hu Honghua sat in the back seat.
The two of them left for a long time before Hu Honghua dared to breathe a sigh of relief - it was Aunt Shi who had deliberately hit Manager Lu's car before, and she was scared to death just watching it.
Manager Lu was cheated by Aunt Shi, and he still counted money for Aunt Shi!
Aunt Shi is so bad.
At this time, Shi Meilan, who was riding a bicycle, said to Hu Honghua: "From now on, we will work here. We can earn 30 yuan a month, which is more than your Uncle Li's."
Hu Honghua let out a small "wow".
What's wrong with lying? That's also Aunt Shi's skill!
"Auntie is so awesome." She came over and said.
Shi Meilan hummed softly and said, "Of course I'm good."
Since Manager Lu can accept Wang Yulian's money, then there must be nothing wrong in her giving her the money. This is called treating the disease with the right medicine.
As for Wang Yulian - she doesn't know yet, she doesn't even have any money!
When she thought of this, Shi Meilan pedaled even harder.
I really look forward to when they find out.
Shi Meilan rode her bike back from Chunfeng Town and it took her more than an hour to reach Lijia Village.
It was already past five in the afternoon. When the two of them returned to Lijia Village, they passed by the school in Lijia Village.
——
At this time, school was just about to be over.
The school was built with funds contributed by several villages. Lijia Village was the largest village among the nearby villages, so Lijia Village contributed the most money. The school was built at the entrance of Lijia Village, and children from several nearby villages would come to school.
The school has three bungalows in total, accommodating more than 60 children, divided into large and small classes.
The students in the small class are all children. Some of them will drop out of school after just learning to read and write to help their families farm, while the rest of the students will go to the large class as they continue their studies.
The children in the senior class are basically preparing for the college entrance examination, ranging from teenagers to those in their twenties.
There is no mechanical bell in the school, but there is a manual bell. When school is over, the teachers in the school will ring the bell outside.
The sound of gongs drifted into the classroom through the window. The students in the classroom made some noisy noises. The teacher standing on the podium shouted "get out of class is over", and the students stood up and ran out, cheering.
Lin Xinran, who was sitting behind a chair, raised her head and saw the teacher and classmates leaving one after another.
It was a bright summer day at five o'clock. Outside the window was the gentle evening sunlight, which shone through the half-open window onto the podium. The chalk marks on the blackboard were like carved reliefs, and each word was sonorous - 27 days left to the college entrance examination.
She stared at it blankly.
The tail of the number 7 continued to pierce downwards, piercing outside the blackboard, dissipating into the endless air, turning into floating dust, dancing in the air.
College entrance examination.
Her father told her many times to take the college entrance examination, leave the backward and ignorant Lijia Village, fly to the legendary Beijing, and see how high the sky is and how vast the earth is.
But she failed the exam.
After countless baseline tests and countless overnight reviews, her grades were always at the bottom of the class. Her father wanted her to pass the exam, so he used his connections to get her into the senior class early, but she still couldn't keep up and she couldn't even pass the graduation exam.
The bright red "X" on the roll of paper sentenced her life to death, and she couldn't leave here.
Her father was disappointed in her and finally decided to abandon her and her mother. He returned to faraway Beijing alone, leaving only her and her mother. They had no roots and could not absorb nutrients here, so they could only slowly wither away.
According to her normal trajectory, she should leave school and prepare to return to the village to get married. Whoever she marries, she will have children, cook, wash clothes, take care of children, cook, wash clothes, have children, cook, and wash clothes.
A repetitive, hopeless future, like a deep, dead lake, this is her life.
The white numbers on the blackboard became increasingly dazzling. She was still sitting on the chair, but her heart seemed to have sunk into an icy lake. She felt cold all over and had difficulty breathing.
"Xinran——"
A voice suddenly rang out overhead, calling her back to the classroom after school on a summer evening. She looked up and saw a young man in a white shirt smiling and asking her, "What are you thinking about?"
It’s Li Tianci.
Li Tianci is very handsome, he is as handsome as Principal Li. Both of them have a pair of phoenix eyes, fair face and red lips, and when they smile, they look like movie stars.
Lin Xinran looked at Li Tianci's face, forced a smile, and said, "Thinking about the questions."
"If there's anything you don't know, I'll teach you." Li Tianci softened his voice, then reached out and rubbed Lin Xinran's head.
The cute and well-behaved little sister lowered her head and said softly, "Let's study later. Let's go home now."
Li Tianci nodded with a smile.
The young boy and girl's springy feelings were hidden in the afterglow of the sunset. They came out of the school side by side and just happened to see Shi Meilan carrying Hu Honghua passing by.
"Is that Hu Honghua?" Someone exclaimed, "She looks so beautiful today."
"These are the clothes Aunt Shi bought for her!"
"Of course the new mother-in-law has to buy clothes for the new daughter-in-law!"
——
The cheers of the crowd fell into the ears of Shi Meilan and Hu Honghua on the bicycles, and Hu Honghua lowered her head.
She was a little embarrassed.
Shi Meilan frowned and turned to Hu Honghua behind her, saying, "Little Honghua, tell me the truth. Do you like Li Tianci? Do you want to marry him?"
Hu Honghua was sitting in the back seat and looked up at her aunt when she heard this.
She could only see Shi Meilan's back and the setting sun not far away. She thought confusedly for a while, then slowly leaned against Shi Meilan and said, "I can marry anyone."
Women are born to get married. If they don't get married, they will be laughed at to death. After marriage, they have to serve their parents-in-law, serve their husbands, give birth to children, and give birth to many children. All rural women know this. They have thought this way since childhood, and Hu Honghua is no exception.
She was good to Li Tianci, but not because she was good to Li Tianci, but because she was good to her husband.
She will be good to whoever is her husband, and the decision on who is her husband is made by her uncle.
Her uncle didn't harm her. Li Laoer's family was one of the best in the entire Lijia Village. Other families had to eat coarse food, but Shi Meilan could eat meat every meal and had money to buy clothes. You could tell at a glance that they were a good family.
She just wanted a good husband to make the rest of her life better. It didn't matter who this good husband was, as long as he was a good husband.
Shi Meilan felt relieved.
"It's good that you don't like him." Shi Meilan said to Hu Honghua coldly, "He's not a good guy. He knew about Li Laoer's affair and kept it a secret from me. It's better not to marry a man like him. I'll find you a good one in the future."
When Hu Honghua heard that it was okay not to marry, she felt a little conflicted. She leaned against Aunt Shi's lower back, feeling the soft touch of her body, and then muttered softly, "Can I still come to see Aunt Shi in the future?"
Aunt Shi is no longer her mother-in-law. Is she still willing to take her out to buy clothes?
"What?" Shi Meilan didn't hear clearly.
"It's okay." Hu Honghua said, "I'll listen to Aunt Shi."
Shi Meilan quickened her pace and passed the children who were leaving school.
——
The chattering of a group of children not only fell into the ears of Shi Meilan and Hu Honghua, but also into the ears of Li Tianci and Lin Xinran.
Lin Xinran didn't say anything and seemed to have no reaction, but Li Tianci had a cold face and pulled Lin Xinran away quickly.
After they walked a long way, Li Tianci said to Lin Xinran, "I will go back tonight and tell my mother to cancel the engagement. She will definitely cancel it for me."
His father might not make the decision, but his mother loves him very much. From childhood to adulthood, no matter what he wants, his mother will give it to him, and this time is no exception.
Of course, Lin Xinran knew why Li Tianci said this. Those feelings that had never been revealed were like a ripple under the lake. Outsiders could not see them, but people in the lake could always feel the touch of the water licking their fingers.
She held Li Tianci's arm tightly with her backhand and said "hmm" softly.
She didn't know how long Li Tianci would like her like this, nor did she know how much Li Tianci would do for her, but at this moment, Li Tianci's closeness made her feel warm.
To her, Li Tianci was a straw in this dead lake, bringing her a little hope of life, and she didn't want to let go.
——
Not long after they held hands, Lin Xinran heard a loud shout: "Xinran!"
Lin Xinran and Li Tianci seemed to be electrocuted. They let go of their hands at the same time and turned around to look.
Not far away, a tall man with tanned skin was running over. He was holding a crisp melon in his hand. He ran all the way over and shouted, "I picked up a melon for you in the field today - brother, you are here too."
It was Li Tianfu, Li Tianci's younger brother.
Li Tianfu couldn't concentrate on his studies, so he dropped out of school early to farm. When he was young, Shi Meilan also went to work in the fields. Later, when he grew up, Shi Meilan gradually stopped going, leaving Li Tianfu alone to work.
There is a melon shed in the melon field, and Li Tianfu occasionally sleeps there. The sweet fruits and melons have made him a strong physique, but his uneducated mind is not very flexible. In short, he is just a big fool.
Unlike the reserved, intelligent, gentle Li Tianci, Li Tianfu is very carefree, extroverted and enthusiastic, especially towards Lin Xinran.
Every time he met Lin Xinran, he would keep circling around Lin Xinran, with words popping out of his mouth one after another, as if he had countless words to say to her.
If Li Tianci is a pine or bamboo tree, waving its branches to Lin Xinran only when the wind blows, then Li Tianfu is a lively dog, running around Lin Xinran, and licking his toes happily when Lin Xinran kicks him.
Lin Xinran subconsciously looked at Li Tianci.
Li Tianci pursed his lips, said nothing, and walked in front.
Lin Xinran followed Li Tianci holding a watermelon. She really wanted to say to Li Tianci, "I won't be with him either," but she didn't say it in the end.
Li Tianfu was still chattering - how stupid he was, he couldn't see the ambiguity between his brother and the person he liked. He was like a third party who had forced his way in. Not only was he annoying, but he also kept barking like a dog.
Only after reaching home did Lin Xinran breathe a sigh of relief. As she walked towards the door, she bit her lower lip and thought that the road was too crowded for three people. She had to explain things to Li Tianfu.
While thinking, she walked back to her home.
She opened the door with a creaky sound and saw that no one was home. She shouted "Mom", but there was no response.
Where is mom?
She didn't know that her grocery room was a mess.
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