1986뎃늳
In a workshop of the steel plant, Lin Yong sat in a chair, holding a teacup in one hand and a newspaper in the other, looking very relaxed.
The first page of the newspaper featured a report on the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of Kyoto's first dumpling factory.
Looking at Li Yunshu, with her hair up in a white shirt and a beaming smile as she cuts the ribbon in the newspaper, and the middle-aged man next to her, dressed in a black shirt with his hair combed back and looking particularly energetic and not at all old, Lin Yong felt a pang of sadness and couldn't help but raise his hand to touch the white hair on his head.
Li Yunshu and her husband look so young, not at all like people who are almost fifty years old. He is only fifty-five, and his hair is completely white.
Yes, the man standing with Li Yunshu at the ribbon-cutting ceremony in the newspaper is her husband, Gu Zhenyuan, who is now the director of the Public Security Bureau.
They got married in the summer of 1984. The families of Zhao Ma and Wang Ma, who lived in the same courtyard, all went to attend the wedding. They said it was a grand affair, and Li Yunshu was even wearing a wedding dress when she got married. She looked so beautiful.
They also showed him the photos they had taken. In the photos, Li Yunshu, who was clearly over forty years old, was smiling very happily, looking like someone in their thirties.
"Old Lin." Seeing the man approaching, Lin Yong quickly closed the newspaper in his hand.
He wanted to avoid these people seeing him looking at Li Yunshu and making fun of him.
"What?"
"Deputy Section Chief Zhang from the Personnel Department wants you to go there."
Lin Yong frowned and asked, "Why does the personnel department want me to come over?"
The person speaking glanced at him and said, "Go find out."
Another old worker, who was idly chatting in the workshop, said, "Old Lin, could it be that the factory is going to give you a raise?"
"It shouldn't be possible, right?" Lin Yong said this, but in his heart he felt that the factory hadn't raised his wages for several years, and it was indeed time to give him a raise.
Lin Yong went to the personnel department's office with the hope of getting a raise.
"Knock knock..." Lin Yong knocked on the office door.
"Please come in."
"Deputy Section Chief Zhang," Lin Yong called out as he entered the office.
When Deputy Section Chief Zhang saw him arrive, he looked up, pointed to the chair opposite him, and said, "Master Lin is here, please sit down."
Lin Yong nodded, rubbed his legs, and sat down on the chair.
"How's Mr. Lin's health lately?" Deputy Section Chief Zhang asked with a smile.
Lin Yong nodded and said, "That's good, thank you Deputy Section Chief Zhang for your concern."
"Yes, I heard your daughter is studying in Beijing. Has she graduated yet?"
Lin Yong's lips twitched. He calculated the time in the book. Xiao Yu started school in 1983. School lasts for four years. She's only 1986 now, so she definitely hasn't graduated yet.
"Not yet, de-de-ming-dong, dé-ming-dong."
"No?" Deputy Section Chief Zhang frowned, thought carefully, and said, "How come when I had dinner with the factory director last time, he mentioned that Commander Li's grandson and granddaughter, who were studying in Beijing, had already finished their undergraduate courses ahead of schedule and were going abroad to study for postgraduate degrees?"
Lin Yong's face stiffened. Who could understand the embarrassment of being completely unaware of his own daughter's affairs, and then being exposed for pretending to know?
He hadn't seen Xiaoyu for a long time. A couple of years ago, when Li Yunshu's dumpling shop was still on Changning Street, he would stroll around Changning Street during his holidays.
Because of the holidays, Xiaoyu would help out at the dumpling shop, and occasionally he would catch a glimpse of her.
But since the dumpling shop moved away from Changning Street two years ago, he has never seen Xiaoyu again.
What was even more unknown was that Xiaoyu not only graduated from university, but also went abroad to study for a master's degree.
"Master Lin, your daughter is really amazing! If she graduates with a master's degree and comes back to China, she'll be incredible!" Deputy Section Chief Zhang said, giving a thumbs up.
Lin Yong gave an awkward laugh.
"Master Lin, have you been having any difficulties in your life lately?" Deputy Section Chief Zhang asked again.
Lin Yong shook his head, "No, everything is fine. Thank you for your concern, Deputy Section Chief Zhang."
"I heard you've been looking for a partner. Have you found one yet?" Section Chief Zhang Fu asked Lin Yong, his hands on the table and his fingers interlaced.
Lin Yong shook his head, "Not yet."
The deputy section chief asked him half a question, but didn't mention anything about a raise. He wondered if the deputy section chief had called him here to help him with his personal life.
He went on many blind dates, but after going through them, he couldn't find one he was satisfied with.
I always felt that these women were inferior to Tao Hua in some way, and inferior to Li Yunshu in others.
Because the matchmakers introduced him to so many potential partners but none of them worked out, they thought he was too picky and troublesome, so they put him on their blacklist and stopped introducing him to potential partners.
After his neighbors and colleagues at the factory introduced him to potential partners a few times, they stopped mentioning it.
Lin Yong felt that his requirements were not high; it was just that those women were not good enough.
After hearing this, Deputy Section Chief Zhang sighed and said, "Your ex-wife was so outstanding and beautiful, it's really hard for you to be interested in other women."
With such a gem before him, how could this ordinary woman possibly catch his eye again?
Lin Yong: "..."
He strongly suspected that Section Chief Zhang had summoned him here to sue him.
"Deputy Section Chief Zhang, what exactly did you call me here for?"
Deputy Section Chief Zhang pursed his lips. "Master Lin, how much do you do in our factory?"
Lin Yong thought to himself, "I started working at our steel factory when I was ten years old, and I'll be almost thirty-three now."
Thinking back on all those years working in the steel mill, Lin Yong felt quite emotional.
Before I knew it, so much time had passed.
Deputy Section Chief Zhang exclaimed, "Master Lin, you are a senior employee of our steel plant. Thank you for all your dedication to the plant, and thank you for your continued support of the plant's work."
Lin Yong said, "It's all the best I can do. I'm willing to do anything as long as it's good for the factory."
"As expected of a veteran employee of the factory, his ideological awareness is really high," said Deputy Section Chief Zhang, praising Lin Yong.
Lin Yong smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Having worked as a worker in the factory for so many years and trained so many apprentices, I still have that much awareness."
Deputy Section Chief Zhang sighed and said, "Hearing you say that, Master Lin, I feel relieved. Before you came, I was worried that you wouldn't accept this."
"No, it won't happen." Lin Yong waved his hand and said, "If it's for the good of the factory, I..."
"Wait, Deputy Section Chief Zhang, what is it you want to talk about?" Lin Yong asked, frowning at Deputy Section Chief Zhang.
Deputy Section Chief Zhang said, "Our factory has started reforms, and the factory's profits have declined, but the number of employees is saturated. Many people in the factory are idle and have nothing to do. They drink tea and read newspapers in the factory, and some even gather together to play cards."
"The factory wants to streamline and optimize its workforce. We already suspended a batch of employees without pay, but the higher-ups say it's not enough," Deputy Section Chief Zhang said, looking at Lin Yong.
Lin Yong's cheeks twitched. "So the factory wants me to take unpaid leave too?"
“I’m a level eight welder in the factory. My welding skills are among the best in the factory. I’ve trained so many welding apprentices. I’d rather take a leave of absence than take one of them!”
Although he was on unpaid leave, his employment relationship was still with the factory, but the factory only gave him about ten yuan a month for living expenses.
He will only be able to retire and receive his pension when he reaches retirement age.
Furthermore, the pension is paid according to the percentage of his pre-retirement salary. If he works in the factory until retirement, his salary will definitely increase, and his pension will be higher when he retires.
But now he's been suspended from his job without pay, which means he only gets a basic living allowance from the factory each month, and he still has to live on it for five months!
Lin Yong has always been proud of his work and considers himself a highly skilled veteran welder at the steel plant, which makes him very proud.
He cannot accept being put on unpaid leave now, whether it's for his reputation, his feelings, or his finances.
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