No son? Orphaned?
No wonder they were so poor yet still had the opportunity to go to school; that's the strength and determination of the eldest sister in charge!
In an instant, the expressions of these young women changed; some showed envy, some sighed, and some even revealed a hint of sarcasm.
She was used to these kinds of emotional outbursts; after all, in this day and age, families without sons were often the subject of ridicule.
Even if they did nothing wrong, the inexplicable hostility and ridicule can make these simple working people become snobbish.
Cui Mei didn't want to care, because she was just a mission taker, here to complete the mission for the original owner. Her mission was to help her sisters reach the heights they deserved, and she didn't need to spend too much energy worrying about anything else.
So she glanced at them and went to ask the teacher for a newspaper on her own.
As soon as she left, some people in the dormitory started to verbally attack her.
"What is she? I thought she had some status at home, but in the end, she's just the daughter of a family without any heirs. So what if she went to junior high school? If she doesn't get into high school, she won't have any connections in the city. She'll still have to work in the fields. She'll be getting married in a few years. With looks like that, it's no wonder she can't get married in the city."
Once the label was applied and she was no longer of any use, the snobs decided not to have any more contact with Cui Mei.
Zhang Shengnan listened to Cui Fangfang's words with a frown, but finally couldn't hold back.
"How can you look down on women? Aren't you a woman yourself? What gives you the right to call her a childless woman? I think she's a good person. At least she says what she thinks and doesn't hide anything for any other reason. And her older sister is really good. She took the initiative to send her younger sister to school. Such a harmonious and united family is much better than those with older or younger brothers. At least, I envy her."
Cui Fangfang laughed when she heard Zhang Shengnan's words: "What are you envious of? Your name is Zhang Shengnan, which means you should surpass your older and younger brothers. Your mother has high hopes for you, so don't embarrass her. Or are you complaining to us and expressing your dissatisfaction with your older and younger brothers?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Shengnan's face darkened. Zhao Doudou, who had just spoken softly, quickly tried to smooth things over when she saw that an argument was about to break out.
"Alright, Fangfang, stop talking. Shengnan didn't mean it that way. Besides, I think Cuimei is quite straightforward. She just arrived, so wouldn't it be better if you were more polite to her? Shengnan, didn't Cuimei just say she needed newspapers? Let's go help her. We also need to make some paste, otherwise she won't be able to stick the window paper on!"
He quickly pulled Zhang Shengnan away, not giving Cui Fangfang a chance to say anything more.
Cui Mei was unaware that a quarrel had broken out in the dormitory because of her; she was currently searching for newspapers in each office!
I thought it would be easy to find, but I found out that newspapers were a rare commodity in those days. Only the principal's office had them; the teachers' offices didn't. Moreover, after reading the newspapers, they were to be circulated as study materials, making them precious publications. Nobody would be willing to use them to cover window paper.
Cui Mei was speechless. She did have some in the corner of her medical space, but she dared not take them out because the dates didn't match.
There's a 44-year difference between 2,000 and 5,000 years!
So when she arrived at the office and explained her purpose, the principal said in a good-natured manner.
"Alright, Cuimei, I understand. I'll have someone find some paper to paste on it in a bit. But I can't give you the newspaper. The children will be looking for material from these newspapers from now on, especially during political class. The news in these newspapers is the most valuable. You can't just throw them away or use them randomly, not even the old ones."
Although she was rejected, at least the principal made a promise. Cui Mei left the principal's office and went straight to the cafeteria.
Today is registration day; classes don't officially start until tomorrow. I'll go to the cafeteria first to see if I need any help.
——
On her first day at work, Tang Cuilian went straight to the personnel department to report for duty and was assigned a dormitory. She was taken to the packaging workshop before she even had time to unpack her luggage.
She was new and not yet a skilled worker, so she started as a packaging worker, which involved cleaning bottles, manually inspecting them for cracks and removing any potentially hazardous glass bottles, and then disinfecting, filling, labeling, and packing them.
It's not that the job is tiring, but it's definitely nerve-wracking. Sometimes, even the fast-paced workers can't coordinate their hands and eyes. Fortunately, she's new here, and the factory gives the frontline workers time to adapt.
Zhao Lingli is in the production workshop; she is now considered a seasoned production worker.
Because of his high skill level, Tao Changyi is now working in the quality inspection workshop. Although he is a temporary worker, he does work that other temporary workers cannot do.
However, since they have only been in the factory for a short time, even if they are highly skilled, without connections they have to endure the hardships like ordinary workers. After three years, they will naturally have the opportunity to become permanent employees.
The three of them knew each other, but the factory was big, and they could only bump into each other during meals, except when they were busy working.
Zhao Lingli was still worried about Tang Cuilian. The girl was rather timid, and she was afraid that she would be bullied. During the meal, she specifically asked her how she had adapted that morning.
The winery operates on a two-shift system, with each shift lasting twelve hours. Employees are entitled to two days off per month, which can be adjusted through compensatory time off.
In other words, after a month of hard work, they only earn fifteen yuan a month. It's fortunate that the winery provides a meal allowance; otherwise, with this workload, it would probably scare away a lot of people. Of course, it's the temporary workers like them who are tired. The permanent employees, on the other hand, work eight hours a day and earn more than them. I envy them.
Let's figure it out ourselves first.
——
Of all the sisters, the eldest, Cuihua, suffered the most. Not only did she have to deal with excrement and urine every day, but the old lady also sat next to her all day, watching her work. Not only did she boss her around, but she was also always worried that Cuihua would steal food. When she washed clothes, the old lady said that Cuihua was wasting water, and when she cooked, the old lady thought that Cuihua was wasting firewood and coal. Cuihua was very difficult to please.
Although they said they provided food and lodging, she slept in her family's woodshed and ate the leftover soup from all the meals served by her family, with hardly any rice grains in sight. In their own words, it was "just an extra bowl of water." Yes, she was just that extra bowl of water. She never got to eat any of the vegetables. At most, they would give her a chopstick of pickled vegetables to eat with the worst black sorghum cornbread, which she had to chew and gnaw on with difficulty.
Even so, the monthly salary of fifteen yuan still forced her to bow her head and grit her teeth to persevere.
If she doesn't do it, her sisters will have a hard time. As the eldest child in the family, she has no reason to wait for her sisters to support her. Since she brought them back, she should bear this responsibility. No matter how difficult it is, it can't be harder than the days when she supported two lazybones and saw no hope.
Fortunately, the younger sisters are all hardworking and resilient, and they take good care of themselves, whether it's studying, working, or even at home.
This is a great start. When people have hope, they feel there is something to look forward to, and even the most difficult things don't feel so bitter.
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