Chapter 142
After saying that, Chai Qiaoying walked out.
After she left, the room was quiet for a while, and the only sound was the announcer reporting the news on TV.
Wang Qing's face was filled with embarrassment, and he looked as if he wished he could find a hole to crawl into.
Shi Xiaoyu deliberately made a face at him, and then wanted to say something, but was stopped by Xia Qingtang.
Cheng Shuangmin and Li Zifang were still watching the TV intently, as if nothing had happened. They had always been like this, not caring much about such trivial matters and focusing more on their work.
As for the owner of this office, Yan Jianshun, he is not here.
In the past few days, at noon, in order to allow them to come over and watch TV, Yan Jianshun went back to the dormitory to rest and deliberately let them use this place.
Yan Jianshun's dormitory was certainly not a multi-person room. He occupied one room by himself, but it still had a public toilet. For someone in his position, the conditions were quite difficult, but he didn't mind at all.
According to Hu Yanhui, Yan Jianshun was very approachable and helped to change light bulbs on several occasions, and he did not show any airs of a leader at all.
Therefore, they don't feel like they are disturbing the big boss when they watch TV here.
When the news was over, Xia Qingtang was the first to stand up: "I've finished watching it, and I'm going back too. Director Chai is right, work is the first priority, and we should all work hard."
"I'll go with you." Shi Xiaoyu followed her, took her arm and walked out.
After walking a distance and seeing that no one followed, Shi Xiaoyu whispered, "That Wang Qing is such a strange person. He tried to please Secretary Yang at first, but after Secretary Yang left, he wanted to please you. But you never treated him well, so he always said unpleasant things and was sarcastic to you. I really don't understand such a person. You are so easy to get along with, and as long as he can be your colleague normally, he will definitely think of him if there is any benefit from you. What good is it for him to do this now? What a fool!"
Xia Qingtang is indeed a very easy person to get along with. When she was working at the cotton mill, she would rarely refuse any help she could provide.
Now that I work here, it's almost the same. Before, Shi Xiaoyu and her husband wanted to see a show, but they couldn't buy tickets because it was so popular. It was Xia Qingtang who asked Xie Jinxuan to buy the tickets for them.
Li Zifang also asked Xia Qingtang to get a ticket for purchasing a sewing machine, so as long as Wang Qing did not annoy Xia Qingtang, being her colleague would definitely only bring benefits.
Xia Qingtang was not a pushover. She just followed the principle that harmony brings wealth and treated these people as future customers.
Although it is not clear what kind of business she will do in the future, it is always a good idea not to offend anyone.
But Wang Qing always came to find fault, which made Xia Qingtang not want to get along with him and just want to vent her anger.
Xia Qingtang is a person who doesn't cause trouble, but if trouble comes to her, she will definitely fight it back fiercely and will never show mercy.
Xia Qingtang followed Shi Xiaoyu into the office and whispered, "No matter what he thinks, fortunately he is the only one like this in our office. The other colleagues are all fine."
"Indeed, I see that Secretary Cheng is as busy as a top every day. I also heard that Secretary Cheng might soon become the deputy director of our office."
"He works so hard, he really deserves a promotion," said Xia Qingtang.
Cheng Shuangmin's workload is completely different from that of the others. In addition to completing some factory office work, he is often needed in the workshop.
Whenever those foreign technicians went to the workshop, they needed someone to accompany them and translate throughout the trip, but there was only one permanent translator in the factory. If several technicians went to different places, Cheng Shuangmin would need to follow them.
Not only Cheng Shuangmin, but Xia Qingtang was also called over to act as an interpreter several times. Every time this happened, she would bring the professional vocabulary list that Yan Jianshun had given her before, and then barely complete the task.
With her level, she can only barely complete the task, and others are even worse off. Therefore, there is nothing Cheng Shuangmin can do about being so busy.
Fortunately, Chai Qiaoying also said that the higher-ups would give certain rewards based on the amount of work done. Starting from May, Cheng Shuangmin received a bonus of a confidential amount.
Of course, Xia Qingtang also received a bonus of eight yuan. Her salary had already increased, and now with the bonus, it was really a very good income. In addition, she didn't have much extra expenses, so she could save more money.
As for Shi Xiaoyu and others, they also received some bonuses. Shi Xiaoyu herself said that she received three dollars, which made her very happy.
If we speculate based on this, then Cheng Shuangmin's monthly bonus is at least more than ten yuan. However, the bonus alone is probably not enough to reward this hardworking employee, so the higher-ups proposed to promote him.
Sure enough, within a few days, the appointment came down from above and Cheng Shuangmin officially became the deputy director of the office. At the same time, their office would also add a new clerk.
This time, the secretary will be recruited from outside, and qualified people from all over the city are welcome to participate.
The recruitment notice was published in the newspaper, and this kind of news spread quickly. Within a few days, almost everyone knew about it. Whenever Xia Qingtang returned to the compound, many people would stop her and ask her questions.
However, the recruitment conditions for this time are very harsh. Although it is an open recruitment, it is estimated that not many people will sign up.
The factory requires that the person has attended college. Those who dropped out and went to the countryside are acceptable, but they must have attended college for at least six months to a year. This condition alone has stopped countless people from applying.
Xia Qingtang also realized through this recruitment that factories run by foreigners will indeed pay more and more attention to academic qualifications, just like in the 1990s.
If she worked in the cotton mill, she might eventually become the union chairman, but here, it was absolutely impossible for her to become the office director, unless she went to night school and passed the English test with a level certificate, then there would be a possibility of promotion.
Fortunately, she is not interested in this, so she doesn't care about these things. At present, she just wants to complete her job well.
In early June, the recruitment of secretaries officially began. What Xia Qingtang did not expect was that quite a few people signed up, and each of them met the requirements.
They brought certificates of university attendance and their student ID cards from that year. Some of them looked tattered, but they were still preserved.
From this it seems that there were indeed many people who were delayed like Cheng Shuangmin.
But these people are also very strange. When the new factory recruited the first batch of workers, they actually met the requirements, but they never showed up.
However, Xia Qingtang did not participate in this small recruitment, so he had no idea what these people had experienced.
After the recruitment was completed, Yan Jianshun personally selected a new clerk, who was said to be about the same age as Cheng Shuangmin and had similar experience. They both entered university at a young age, but ended up dropping out of college after just over a year.
Afterwards, I went to the countryside as an educated youth and stayed there for many years.
She also heard that the new clerk was very outstanding, a smart and capable person, and even Yan Jianshun had praised him once or twice in front of Chai Qiaoying.
Other colleagues were also curious about the new clerk, and everyone was looking forward to the new week so that they could see the new colleague.
On Monday morning, Xia Qingtang took the shuttle bus to the factory. She was the first to arrive, but the door of the office was open, and the door of the small office was also open. It was probably because Chai Qiaoying arrived early for the new employees.
As soon as I walked into the office, I saw a woman in her thirties sitting behind Wang Qing's desk. She had short hair, a round face, big eyes, and a thin figure. The years had left many wrinkles between her eyebrows, and her rough skin showed that she had suffered a lot over the years.
But as soon as she raised her head and smiled at Xia Qingtang, her big eyes suddenly became bright and moving.
It can be seen that she was a good-looking woman when she was young, but time was too cruel and made her lose her youth and beauty.
Her clothes were also very simple. Her top was a washed-out homespun shirt with a small patch on the elbow, and she wore a pair of navy blue trousers that looked mostly new, but had no patches. On her feet were a pair of black cloth shoes that also had patches on them, which formed a sharp contrast with the clothes of the other staff members.
Whether here or in the cotton mill, as intellectuals working in offices, clerks usually care about their clothes and appearance. Not to mention the female comrades, even the male comrades will dress better than ordinary workers. Young men from a good family like Li Zifang often wear leather shoes.
Seeing the other person looking at him, Xia Qingtang quickly greeted him, "Hello, comrade. Are you the new clerk in our office?"
"Yes, hello, my name is Shen Wen." She stood up and introduced herself.
Xia Qingtang had seen the name of the new clerk before and thought he was a gay, but now he knows that he is a lesbian.
She smiled and said, "Hello, Secretary Shen, my name is Xia Qingtang, I am also in this office, I am sitting in that seat."
With that, she walked over to her desk and put her backpack down.
Shen Wen nodded: "Director Chai introduced you to me just now. I remember that you are the youngest person in this office."
"Yes, I am still young, so I need to learn more from you experienced comrades."
"I want to learn from you. I don't have anything worth learning." Shen Wen smiled again. Other colleagues also came in, and Xia Qingtang quickly introduced them.
After everyone was present and got to know each other, Chai Qiaoying walked out of the small office.
She said, "Now you all know each other, right? This Xiao Shen will be a member of our factory office in the future. She used to work in the county, and this time she was recruited by our factory, which fully demonstrates that she has strong abilities. However, she is not familiar with everything in the factory, so I hope you can help her more at work so that she can get familiar with the environment as soon as possible and understand the daily work of the factory."
Wang Qing was the first to speak again: "Don't worry, Director Chai, I will definitely help my new colleague!"
Chai Qiaoying nodded and said, "As for the specific work, Xiao Shen should follow Xiao Xia for the first week. Xiao Xia, whatever you do, you should help Xiao Shen do it. Especially the professional vocabulary that Assistant Yan gave you, give Xiao Shen a copy and let her write it down. We will talk about the rest next week. At the beginning, Xiao Shen just needs to follow to get familiar with the environment."
"Yes, I understand." Xia Qingtang said quickly.
"Okay, then you guys start working. I'll go find the deputy factory director." After saying that, Chai Qiaoying went out.
After she left, Wang Qing asked curiously, "Secretary Shen, can you speak foreign languages?"
"Yes, I know a little." Shen Wen said softly.
"No wonder we asked you to follow Xiao Xia. Xiao Xia is the second best English speaker in our office. Our factory doesn't have enough translators, so we often have to use Xiao Xia to translate for the technicians in the workshop. But judging from Director Chai's tone, your English must be very good, Mr. Shen. Once you can do translation, you won't need Xiao Xia anymore." Wang Qing said deliberately.
After the last incident, Wang Qing had been holding a grudge and had been looking for a chance to take revenge on Xia Qingtang, but Xia Qingtang was very busy at work, was very cautious in what she said and did, and usually ignored him, so he never found an opportunity.
Now when he heard that Shen Wen might replace Xia Qingtang, he immediately became happy.
Xia Qingtang didn't react at all. She was looking through her work record book, thinking about how to explain the work to Shen Wen.
Shen Wen frowned slightly and said, "That's not the case. Since there are many foreigners in this factory, the more people who can speak foreign languages, the better. Although I can speak foreign languages, I may not be able to do better than Director Xia. After all, she is young but experienced, which is much better than me."
"So what did you do before?" Wang Qing couldn't help asking, "You look quite old, so you should have more work experience."
Shen Wen whispered, "I used to work as a salesperson in the supply and marketing cooperative in the county."
As soon as she said this, everyone in the office looked at her in surprise.
Shi Xiaoyu said, "Be a salesperson? But Director Shen, you have been to college, how can you be a salesperson? That's not right. The people we recruit in our factory are all from this city. If you are from this city, why would you go to the county town to be a salesperson?"
Shen Wen's expression darkened a little, and she lowered her eyes, as if she had something to hide.
Xia Qingtang said: "It doesn't matter what you did before. I was a textile worker before, and now I am an interpreter for foreigners, right?"
As soon as these words came out, Shi Xiaoyu laughed: "Yes, Xiaoxia, if you didn't tell me, I would always forget that you were a front-line worker."
"Since Assistant Yan has chosen Secretary Shen, his personal ability must be very good." Li Zifang said, "Secretary Shen, you also know English. I am learning English by myself now. If I have time, I may ask you for advice."
Shen Wen's expression gradually relaxed. She smiled and whispered, "If you don't mind, I can tell you everything I know."
"Secretary Shen, what's your English level?" Wang Qing asked.
Shen Wen said: "I'm not sure what level I've reached. Actually... I don't speak very well..."
"Then you are the same as Secretary Cheng. Secretary Cheng also doesn't speak very well, but his level is actually much better than Xiao Xia. Xiao Xia just has a good teacher who taught her to speak in a certain accent, so foreigners like to talk to her." Wang Qing said deliberately.
Shen Wen said with admiration: "Really? Being able to speak a foreign language fluently is amazing. Back then, when our teacher was still around, he always said that no matter what language it is, it is used for communication, and being able to speak it fluently is the best."
Wang Qing rolled his eyes, thinking that Shen Wen was not a very reasonable person, so he sneered and said nothing more.
Shi Xiaoyu said, "Yes, Secretary Cheng also told me so, so I will study foreign languages seriously when I go home now, hoping that one day I can speak it fluently."
Seeing that Cheng Shuangmin and Xia Qingtang were valued, everyone in the office began to work hard to learn foreign languages. Everyone seemed to realize that in this factory, knowing foreign languages should be a basic skill.
After several colleagues had exchanged ideas for a while, Xia Qingtang said, “Secretary Shen, since you are going to follow me this week, why don’t you come over and sit down, and I will tell you what I am going to do in the next two days, okay?”
Although Xia Qingtang was very young, Shen Wen did not look down on her. She immediately stood up, moved her chair to the side of Xia Qingtang's desk, and began to listen to her carefully.
Xia Qingtang's work is basically divided into several major parts. The first part is what she is best at, which is writing for Chai Qiaoying and Yan Jianshun. Now, no matter whether it is official documents or promotional documents, she can handle it with ease, and the quality is very good. Yan Jianshun has praised her for this advantage many times. Even Director Pete knows that this young clerk is an excellent "writer".
The second part of the work is the various chores that the factory office has to do, from mimeographing documents to preparing tea for meetings. In fact, these are all their jobs. Other tasks include counting the attendance of employees in each workshop, what notices the factory issues, and what benefits are distributed during the holidays. They do all these aspects, and generally each job is shared by two or three people.
As for the third part of the work, Xia Qingtang went there to translate for the technical staff on the basis of completing his own job.
This was the most difficult part for her, because she was always called over at the last minute and could not do any preparation except memorizing words.
Xia Qingtang was talking to Shen Wen about the things she was going to count today when a young man ran in from outside. He knocked on the door and said loudly, "Deputy Director Cheng, Technician Tang is calling for someone."
Cheng Shuangmin immediately packed up his things and went out with a notebook in his arms.
Xia Qingtang said, "Secretary Shen, you see, when the technical staff is short of translators, someone will come to our office to call for someone. If Deputy Director Cheng is here, he will go first, because his English is the best. If he is not here, but there is still a shortage of people, then I will have to fill in. My foreign language level is average, so I am still reciting the professional vocabulary needed in the factory. Just now, Director Chai mentioned that you should ask someone to print a copy or copy it."
In that era, copying things by hand was the most normal thing, unlike later when anything could be photocopied.
Shen Wen immediately said, "I can just copy one, but Secretary Xia, when is the best time for me to copy this?"
"If you don't feel tired, you can copy it during your lunch break."
"It's only my first day at work today, how can I be tired? Then I'll copy it during my lunch break. Thank you."
"You're welcome. This is what I should do." Xia Qingtang said, "Okay, I'm going to go with the division secretary to distribute the Dragon Boat Festival benefits. You can come with us."
"Okay." Shen Wen nodded, "Do I need to bring anything?"
"You don't actually need to bring anything when distributing benefits, but my habit is to carry my notebook wherever I go so that I can take notes at any time. If you have a notebook, you can bring it with you, it won't be too much of a hindrance anyway." Xia Qingtang said.
"I brought it. I'll get it now."
"Okay." Xia Qingtang said to Shi Xiaoyu in front of him, "Secretary Shi, let's go over there soon."
"Okay, wait a moment, I need to drink some water." Shi Xiaoyu drank the water and stood up with Xia Qingtang.
No matter which factory, there are several festivals where employee benefits will be distributed, such as the Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and Chinese New Year. For female comrades, there is also an additional International Women's Day. Generally, some things that female comrades may use, such as toilet paper, are distributed.
In the cotton mill, the work of distributing welfare was actually the responsibility of the trade union, but for some reason there was no trade union in the new mill, so this matter fell on the factory office.
Xia Qingtang had worked in a trade union before and was familiar with the issue of welfare distribution, so this job was assigned to her, and Shi Xiaoyu, who had a good relationship with her, was asked to take charge of it together.
Tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival and the whole factory will have a day off, so all employee benefits will be distributed today.
Last week, the purchasing staff of the new factory had already purchased the items as welfare benefits. Last week, Xia Qingtang and Shi Xiaoyu had already counted them. Today, they just need to distribute them according to the number of people in each workshop and department.
As soon as he walked out of the office, Shi Xiaoyu said, "Secretary Shen, you came at the right time. What do you think our new factory's holiday benefits are?"
"I'm not sure. Our supply and marketing cooperative has distributed cloth, grain and sugar before." Shen Wen said: "Everyone likes these things very much."
"Everyone will like what our factory is distributing this time. Each person will get a bag of brown sugar and a bag of white rice," Shi Xiaoyu said excitedly.
Brown sugar is an excellent thing at this time. Every household uses it to nourish the body. No matter if you are sick or have just given birth, you will eat brown sugar.
Not to mention white rice, who doesn't like to eat white rice? But white rice is always not enough, even Xia Qingtang has to mix a lot of sweet potatoes, potatoes and dried vegetables when cooking.
Therefore, brown sugar and white rice are really the best welfare benefits. Although they have not been distributed yet, the employees in the factory already know about it and everyone is looking forward to it now.
"So many things per person? That's a lot. This factory has just started production. I didn't expect them to be so generous." Shen Wen also seemed quite surprised.
Shi Xiaoyu lowered her voice and said, "Foreigners are rich, so everyone wants to work in this factory! Even us, the lowest-level clerks, have higher salaries than other factories."
"You're right." Shen Wen nodded, "But, I just came to work today, so will I get my share?"
"Yes, I prepared some extra when I was purchasing before. Director Chai also said that once you enter the factory, you are an employee of the factory. You are lucky to get the welfare benefits. Of course you have a share." Xia Qingtang said with a smile.
Then, she took the lead and went to a workshop, found the workshop director and said, "We started distributing holiday benefits this morning. You guys should form groups and send two people to the warehouse to get things, and take turns."
"Got it!" The workshop director was also very happy.
Xia Qingtang took Shi Xiaoyu and Shen Wen to visit every department before going to the warehouse.
The employee benefits are displayed right at the entrance, all in packages, wrapped in paper. One package of brown sugar weighs one kilogram, and one package of white rice weighs three kilograms. Everything is clearly visible.
Shi Xiaoyu took out the list that she had compiled earlier, Xia Qingtang and Shen Wen borrowed a long table and a few stools from the other end, and they began to distribute the benefits there.
Soon, representatives from various departments came over.
Xia Qingtang was responsible for making ticks on the list. When a group came to take a large copy, he would make a tick behind the names of all the group members.
Shi Xiaoyu and Shen Wen were responsible for counting the items for the people who came. Because they were all expensive and valuable items, they had to count them twice each to make sure that everything was OK before letting them leave.
After sending the message for a while, I saw Hu Yanhui. He brought a male employee from his team, and both of them had smiles on their faces.
The weather was getting hot now, so they were all wearing summer work clothes. Since they were all brand new, they looked energetic and very decent.
"Secretary Xia, we are here." Hu Yanhui said with a smile.
"Hello, Comrade Hu. I haven't seen you for a few days. I think you look more energetic." Xia Qingtang said.
Hu Yanhui said: "I didn't go home last Sunday. I just slept in the dormitory, so I am very energetic."
"Because you have to go home for the holiday tomorrow, are you deliberately not going back on Sunday?"
"Yes, it saves us from running around, which is quite troublesome." Hu Yanhui said, "Is this the new clerk in your factory office?"
Almost everyone in the city knows about the clerk recruitment, so almost everyone will ask a question when they see a new face.
Xia Qingtang said: "Yes, she is the new clerk of our factory office, her last name is Shen."
"Hello, Secretary Shen." Hu Yanhui greeted him, then signed his name, took his things and left.
Because everyone was very enthusiastic, we distributed all the things in the morning.
Finally, only those from the factory office were left. Xia Qingtang signed, counted the amount, and carried the things to the office with Shi Xiaoyu and Shen Wen.
As for the remaining ones, they also counted the number and handed over to their colleagues in the warehouse. It is said that these brown sugar and white rice will be distributed as rewards, but it is not clear how the employees who will be rewarded will be evaluated.
The three of them returned to the office with brown sugar and white rice in cloth bags, and Wang Qing said, "Is this our welfare?"
"Yes." Shi Xiaoyu said, "Why don't you come to help?"
"It's just a small thing, can it tire you to death?" Wang Qing sneered.
Shi Xiaoyu rolled her eyes and was too lazy to pay attention to him. She put the things on the table, then took out her own portion and put it in the cabinet. She didn't care about the others.
Xia Qingtang took out a copy for each person and placed it on their respective desks, then took two copies and sent them to the small office.
Chai Qiaoying is the director of the factory office and according to regulations she is entitled to two portions. As for Cheng Shuangmin, the deputy director, he can get an extra portion of brown sugar, which is better than ordinary employees.
So no matter where you are, it is always a good thing to be a small leader.
After everyone had packed up their things, Xia Qingtang returned to his seat and put his share into his backpack.
She doesn't crave sweets now, and there is actually enough rice at home, but she is still very happy in her heart, after all, this is all earned by herself.
During lunch, Xia Qingtang also took Shen Wen with him and told her where to exchange meal tickets, where to wash lunch boxes, and also told her where everyone would take a nap after lunch.
Shen Wen said: "I don't have the habit of taking a nap."
"It's okay. You'll get used to it slowly. No one likes taking naps from the beginning." Xia Qingtang said, "Deputy Director Cheng will be working in the office at noon recently. It just so happens that you can go with him and copy the words."
"Okay, then I'll go back and copy the words later." Shen Wen nodded honestly.
Xia Qingtang accompanied her to the office, handed her the sheets of words, and then went to the conference room with Shi Xiaoyu to take a nap.
Shi Xiaoyu said: "Secretary Shen looks very different from us. She is not young anymore, but she looks a little weird, as if she is afraid of something."
"Maybe she suffered a lot in the past. She was admitted to university in that era, which was a big deal. Maybe she encountered a lot of bad people..."
"That's true. But now everything is fine. She works in our factory. She will have a high income and good benefits. Everything will be fine." Shi Xiaoyu was happy again.
Xia Qingtang particularly liked her personality, and upon hearing that, he said, "Yes, everything will be fine in the future. Okay, let's go to bed."
After taking a nap, Xia Qingtang and Shi Xiaoyu returned to the office. Seeing Shen Wen starting to copy words seriously, she said, "Secretary Shen, don't be so anxious. You can copy slowly later. It's almost time to go to work. You can take a rest first so that you can be energetic for work in the afternoon."
Shen Wen raised his head: "Okay, then I'll wash my face."
As she said this, she tidied the table, took a handkerchief and went out.
Wang Qing said, "How come Secretary Shen looks so shabby at such an old age?"
"What's it to you? Why do you care whether they are shabby or not?" Shi Xiaoyu curled her lips.
Wang Qing said, "Can't I tell you? Because she is just very strange. She used to work in a supply and marketing cooperative! What kind of place is that? Everyone knows it! I have a relative who works in a supply and marketing cooperative, and his family is so rich! We didn't have anything to eat before, but his children could eat candy! But Secretary Shen doesn't look like someone who has worked in a supply and marketing cooperative. Apart from anything else, her clothes are so old and patched, which is not normal! Who doesn't know that supply and marketing cooperatives can get internal fabrics?"
"Can't people be good people who keep themselves clean? Do you think everyone is like you, only thinking about how to take advantage of the public?" Shi Xiaoyu snorted.
"Oh, you are so noble! You didn't make any money in Xinhua Bookstore before, otherwise, I don't believe you can be innocent!"
"Okay, stop talking. Director Chai is here." Xia Qingtang interrupted their quarrel.
Wang Qing lowered his head, and after a while, Chai Qiaoying came in as expected, accompanied by the humble and pleasing Shen Wen.
In fact, Xia Qingtang also thought that Secretary Shen was quite amazing. He really didn't look like someone from the supply and marketing cooperative.
Because the salespeople she knew were basically all arrogant, and just as Wang Qing said, the salespeople's families all had a very good life. They could usually eat and drink well just by relying on some internal benefits.
Also, if they come across any unqualified fabrics, they will sell them privately and keep the money themselves, so anyone who can do this business will have a hard time at home.
But Shen Wen couldn't lie, because her organizational relationship had to be transferred, and when Chai Qiaoying took her in, she would see her previous unit, so she couldn't lie about this.
However, no matter how abnormal this matter is, it is someone else's private matter, and Xia Qingtang will never ask too much about it.
In fact, other colleagues did not ask too much, except Wang Qing, who always asked about Shen Wen's previous work in the supply and marketing cooperative whenever he got the chance.
Shen Wen is also honest. She answers whatever people ask her, and always speaks clearly, as if she is afraid that others may not understand her.
Fortunately, Cheng Shuangmin would always interrupt them at this time and tell them to work hard, and Wang Qing would behave himself.
In the afternoon, when it was almost time to get off work, Cheng Shuangmin was called away. Three minutes later, another young man ran over and said that he needed an interpreter.
Xia Qingtang quickly stood up with her notebook and said, "Secretary Shen, please come with me."
"Okay." Shen Wen also quickly stood up holding a notebook.
Xia Qingtang took her to the second workshop, and as soon as she walked in, she saw Mr. Thomas waiting there.
Xia Qingtang quickly said, "Mr. Thomas, I'm here."
"Xia, come with me." Thomas looked at Shen Wen and asked, "Who is this?"
"This is the new clerk in our office, her name is Shen Wen, and she can speak English." Xia Qingtang said, "Secretary Shen, this is the technician Mr. Thomas."
When Shen Wen saw Thomas staring at him, he became so nervous that he couldn't stand steadily.
She greeted him with a mosquito-like hum. Thomas said nothing but smiled and said, "Then let's get started."
Xia Qingtang followed him to a machine and started helping him translate.
When she was busy, she couldn't take care of Shen Wen. Fortunately, Shen Wen didn't interfere. She stood aside and watched everything carefully.
When things here were finished, Thomas said, "Well, it's time for me to get off work, Xia and Chen, thank you for today as well."
Thomas is a technician in his early forties. He is not tall and looks very honest. He is not fat, but has a slightly bulging belly, so everyone in the factory calls him the big-bellied technician.
When he was young, he had blond hair, looked unrestrained and could ride a heavy motorcycle. Later, after he got married and had children, he suddenly became more stable. Now a lot of his blond hair has fallen out, so he simply shaved his head, which looks more refreshing.
Thomas has a good personality and likes to tell jokes to Xia Qingtang and others. Because Xia Qingtang is young, he occasionally brings her a few pieces of chocolate or a bag of snacks from abroad.
Xia Qingtang would always accept these snacks and take them to the office to share with his colleagues. Afterwards, he would also bring some interesting little gifts from home to give back to Mr. Thomas.
It was the same today. After Xia Qingtang said "It's not hard", Thomas took out a small object from his coat pocket and handed it to Xia Qingtang: "This is chocolate. It's for you."
"Thank you, Mr. Thomas." Xia Qingtang accepted the chocolate with a smile.
He took out the second piece and handed it to Shen Wen: "Shen, please try this too."
Shen Wen was stunned. She didn't move at all, as if she was frightened.
Xia Qingtang gently pushed her and whispered, "Secretary Shen, please accept it. It's just a piece of chocolate."
Shen Wen then took a deep breath, accepted the chocolate, and said thank you in English.
"You're welcome." Thomas said with a smile, "Tomorrow is your traditional festival. I wish you a happy holiday."
"Thank you. Are you going to celebrate this festival tomorrow?" Xia Qingtang asked casually.
"Oh, Yan will take us to the Provincial Capital Hotel to eat rice dumplings. Yes, rice dumplings. They are said to be delicious. Xia, will you eat them too?" Thomas said as he walked out.
Xia Qingtang walked beside him and said, "Yes, we eat them too. My family makes two kinds of zongzi, one is tasteless and the other is sweet, with very sweet fillings inside."
"How do you eat something without taste?" Thomas was curious.
"You may also eat it tomorrow. If it has no taste, you can dip it in powdered sugar." Xia Qingtang explained slowly: "You may not understand what I am saying now, but you will understand it when you eat it tomorrow."
"Oh, that sounds great. I'm already looking forward to tomorrow." Thomas smiled and said, "Okay, I'm going this way. Bye."
"Goodbye." Xia Qingtang watched him leave before turning back to look at Shen Wen, "Secretary Shen, are you okay?"
"I... I'm fine." Shen Wen whispered, "Sorry... Was I rude just now?"
"No, don't take it too seriously. You just got nervous all of a sudden. I was also nervous when I first started talking to them. Mr. Thomas is a very kind person, he won't take it to heart, so don't worry." Xia Qingtang said, "Take your time, you are very capable, you just need to overcome your nervousness, I believe you can do it."
Shen Wen raised her eyes to look at Xia Qingtang, her big, weather-beaten eyes full of envy. After a long while, she whispered, "Secretary Xia, thank you. And... I really envy you..."
"Envy me?" Xia Qingtang was a little surprised.
"Yes, you are so young and confident, and you look very happy. You seem to be happy every moment when you work here." Shen Wen whispered, "I can't feel happy anymore..."
Xia Qingtang thought for a moment and said, "I don't know what kind of suffering you have endured, but the fact that you are standing here now and working in the same place as me shows that all your suffering is over."
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