Chapter 42
Take Xia Qingtang himself for example. He had once caused the factory director to suffer a great loss by writing articles.
Of course, Xia Qingtang couldn't understand Wu Jinfeng more than her parents. Didn't they know what kind of personality their daughter had? Why did they send such a person to this city alone? Aren't they afraid that something bad might happen to their daughter?
However, it is also possible that the daughter is simply unmanageable, so she is sent away alone to suffer a little, and perhaps she will learn her lesson.
Wen Xiaoli was still indignant while washing the lunch box: "This is so annoying. Is it a big deal to be able to afford braised pork? I'll go eat braised pork someday..."
Xia Qingtang thought about it and decided to tell his friend the truth. He whispered, "Don't be angry. I'll tell you a secret."
Wen Xiaoli immediately put aside her anger and quickly approached with wide eyes: "What secret?"
"That Wu Jinfeng came here intentionally to target me..."
She briefly explained the cause of the incident, and Wen Xiaoli immediately stamped her feet in anger again: "Well, I was wondering why this person suddenly came to sit at the same table with us! It turns out she did it on purpose! But what exactly does she want to do to you? Is she going to use her family connections to ruin your new job?"
"Don't be nervous, I'll be fine. Think about it, she's from the factory office, and I'm from the trade union, and our work has nothing to do with each other. Besides, we were born and raised in the cotton mill, how could we be bullied by her?" Xia Qingtang smiled deliberately cunningly.
Wen Xiaoli was no longer angry. She said calmly, "That's right. We are the people here. She is an outsider. Does she really think she is a piece of cake? Don't worry. If you have any problems, just tell me. We will help you. Although we are not as smart as you, we will help you in terms of manpower and effort!"
"Thank you. If I need help, I'll tell you first! But don't tell anyone else about this for now."
"I understand, I won't tell anyone. But I will help you keep an eye on Wu Jinfeng. Don't worry, leave it to me." Wen Xiaoli is indeed a good informant. Together with her mother, there is no news in the entire factory that they cannot get.
After washing the dishes, the two girls chatted briefly and then went back to rest.
Xia Qingtang returned to the office and found Wu Feng was the only one there. Zhang Ning and Li Yue must have gone home to sleep.
The lunch break in the office is longer than in the workshop, so there is plenty of time to go back to the family area to sleep.
Wu Feng sometimes goes back and sometimes doesn't, depending on how much work there is.
Feng Xinhui always takes a lunch break in the office, which allows her to save rest time and use it to do more work.
She was a very diligent and responsible comrade. After that, she took over Chairman Qin's position. Everyone was convinced. Zhang Ning also had no objection and continued to serve as his deputy.
In her previous life, Xia Qingtang admired Feng Xinhui, a capable person, but unfortunately the other party never looked down on her, so their relationship was very distant.
Now Xia Qingtang has not thought about becoming friends with her colleagues in the union, but she hopes to learn from Feng Xinhui's strengths and then turn them into her own weapons.
Xia Qingtang tiptoed back to his desk and put down his lunch box, then fetched some water and wiped every corner of the table. After the drawer was dry, he took out some personal belongings from his backpack and arranged them in order in the cabinet of his desk.
Female comrades still need to bring a lot of things to work, such as toilet paper, spare hair ties and hairpins, some basic household medicines, small bottles of brown sugar, an old towel, a small sewing box, etc., so the cabinet below was soon half filled.
This kind of desk can also be equipped with locks, so any important documents can be locked up. Xia Qingtang plans to ask a master to install two locks tomorrow, and then apply to buy new locks.
As I was packing, I heard the tapping of leather shoes at the office door, followed by a knock on the door, and Wu Jinfeng's voice rang out: "Can I come in?"
Wu Feng raised his head: "Who are you?"
"I'm the new clerk in the factory office. My name is Wu Jinfeng." She walked in with a proud look on her face.
Wu Feng said, "Oh, hello, hello. But no one is here right now. Come over during working hours so that you can get to know everyone."
Wu Jinfeng said: "I heard that your union also has a new secretary, and he was transferred from the workshop?"
"Yes, it's Secretary Xia." Wu Feng pointed at Xia Qingtang and said, "Secretary Xia can write articles. He has published several articles in newspapers. He is very capable at such a young age."
"Really? Secretary Xia is so capable, I wonder if you could give me some guidance?" Wu Jinfeng walked to Xia Qingtang's desk while speaking.
Xia Qingtang smiled and closed the tidied drawers and cabinets, then said, "My little skills are really nothing, how can I teach others? Stop making fun of me. I got up too early this morning and I'm a little sleepy now. In order not to affect my normal work in the afternoon, I plan to take a nap. You two can chat while I rest for a while."
After saying that, Xia Qingtang lay down on the table, hugging her blue scarf, and really fell asleep.
Wu Feng said, "Yes, Secretary Wu, it's lunch time now, you should go back and have lunch too."
Wu Jinfeng just didn't move. She stood in front of Xia Qingtang's desk with a frown on her face. There was something weird in her eyes that Wu Feng couldn't describe.
Moreover, he was a middle-aged gay man and didn't know how to talk to such a young new comrade. So he waited until Feng Xinhui came back, and then Wu Feng quickly winked at her.
Feng Xinhui saw Xia Qingtang taking a nap on the table, and a young woman she didn't recognize was standing in front of the table, staring at the top of Xia Qingtang's head. She said, "Hello, comrade. It's not time to go to work yet. What do you want to do with Secretary Xia?"
Wu Jinfeng turned around and said, "I'm a new clerk in the factory office. My name is Wu Jinfeng."
"Ah, hello, Secretary Wu. So it's you. I've always heard from Director Huang that their new secretary is a very outstanding talent. He used to work in the office and was even awarded an advanced honor. I'm glad you're here. Please give more guidance to those of us working at the grassroots level. We can all learn from you and make progress together." Feng Xinhui was a very talkative person. She immediately walked over to shake hands with Wu Jinfeng, being very friendly.
It is said that one should not hit a smiling person. Seeing that Feng Xinhui was very friendly and her clothes were not shabby, Wu Jinfeng reluctantly gave her a somewhat good look, but the words she said were still unpleasant.
She said, "It depends on whether I have time to teach you. I'm new here and very busy. I'm afraid I don't have the time to teach you. Besides, the people in your office may not want to learn from me. Look, I came over to talk to Secretary Xia, but she didn't even bother to answer me. She just lay on the table and fell asleep. Do you think this is reasonable?"
Feng Xinhui said, "It's lunch time now. Secretary Xia came early in the morning, so it's normal for her to feel sleepy. Besides, she has a lot of work today, and a lunch break can make her more energetic in the afternoon. Otherwise, Secretary Wu, why don't you go back and take a lunch break? To be honest, we all have to take a lunch break. Or, why don't you take a nap in our office? That table is empty, you can sit there, or lie down and take a nap. There is also a long bench over there, you can lie down and sleep."
Workers often come to the union's large office to do business, file complaints or seek help, so the union has all kinds of chairs: long, short, with backrests, without backrests.
"Who wants to sleep here? Do I know you well?" Wu Jinfeng snorted, turned her head and ran out. When she reached the door, she turned back and glared at the top of Xia Qingtang's head.
After she was completely gone, Wu Feng whispered, "There's something...wrong with this new comrade. Is she here to cause trouble? Or does she have a problem with us?"
The factory office and the trade union have never been on good terms, and they like to compete for credit with each other on many things, but they still have to maintain a superficial harmony. After all, they are all from the same factory, and most of them live in the family quarters. If there is really an unpleasantness at work, and if they happen to be neighbors when they return home, it would be very embarrassing.
Xia Qingtang also admired Wu Jinfeng very much. She left such a strange first impression on her first day at work. No one knew how she went about her work at the factory office. However, Director Huang was a kind person. Even if Wu Jinfeng was not that good, Director Huang would definitely just deal with it perfunctorily.
Feng Xinhui looked at Xia Qingtang, who was not sure if she was asleep, and whispered, "I think she is here to cause trouble, but it's hard to say whether she is looking for trouble with our union. Hey, it's not a big deal. You should take a rest too. That person is out anyway."
Wu Feng smiled and said, "I still have some work to do, Xiao Feng, you go to sleep."
Feng Xinhui didn't say anything, but she didn't sleep either. She took out the speech that Xia Qingtang had given her in the morning and planned to revise it during this time.
Who would have thought that after reading it from beginning to end, she found that the speech was very well written and she couldn't find any place that needed to be revised, not even a typo.
Feng Xinhui turned her head to look at Xia Qingtang again, and began to realize that Chairman Qin was right. With this little Xia, their work here would be easier to carry out.
Seeing that there was nothing in the speech that needed to be revised, Feng Xinhui breathed a sigh of relief and then lay down on the table to rest for a while.
Xia Qingtang was not asleep at first, but pretending to be asleep was strange. As she pretended, she actually fell asleep on the table.
After that, she was not awakened until Li Yue came into the office and spoke loudly.
Looking at the watch, it's almost two o'clock and the afternoon work is about to begin.
Xia Qingtang walked to the sink at the back, took out a handkerchief and rubbed it, then gently wiped his face, and immediately woke up.
When Zhang Ning arrived, Feng Xinhui also woke up. She adjusted her state, drank a sip of water, and called Xia Qingtang over.
"Secretary Feng, is this about the speech? How should I revise it?" Xia Qingtang asked proactively.
Feng Xinhui said, "The speech is quite good and the format is correct. I don't think there is anything that needs to be revised. How about this? You can copy it and give it directly to Chairman Qin for review later. Let's see if there is anything that needs to be revised."
"Okay, thank you Secretary Feng." Xia Qingtang took the draft back to his seat and began to copy it carefully.
In addition to the speech, she also organized and copied the minutes of this morning's meeting. After finishing everything, she took the two copies to the small office next door.
Chairman Qin raised his head and said, "It's Xiao Xia. What do you want to see me for?"
"Secretary Feng asked me to hand in my speech."
"So fast?" Chairman Qin laughed, "You are quite efficient."
"Thank you for the compliment." Xia Qingtang put two documents on Chairman Qin's desk. "Below are the minutes of this morning's meeting. This is my first time taking minutes, so I don't know how well I have done. Please review it and let me know if there are any changes that need to be made. I will make the changes as required and will do the same for the next meeting minutes."
"Meeting minutes?" Chairman Qin's eyes lit up slightly. "You still know this thing?"
"Someone else told me that in government agencies and other units, minutes are required for meetings. I don't know if our union needs to take minutes, but I just happened to think of this this morning, so I just wrote it down."
"During the meeting, I noticed that you were indeed writing. I originally thought that you were just writing things down for your own reference like the others, but I didn't expect that you actually made it into meeting minutes. Okay, you can leave it here first, and I'll tell you what I think after I read it."
"Okay, then I'll go back. Just call me if you need anything." After saying that, Xia Qingtang turned around and went out, closing the door quietly, appearing very elegant.
After returning to the big office, Xia Qingtang had actually completed her work for the day, but she did not read the newspaper or drink tea like Zhang Ning did.
She was a newcomer who had just arrived, and being too casual would only disgust others. Besides, she also needed to familiarize herself with the union's past work. So she asked Feng Xinhui for various documents from the previous six months, moved them to her desk, read them slowly, and wrote down some key points in her notebook.
Li Yue had no work to do at the moment, so she took out a cloth bag filled with yarn and began to knit a sweater for her child.
This is also made from the thread removed from work gloves, woven into small clothes to be worn indoors. It is actually quite comfortable. Parents in the provincial party committee compound also do this.
Seeing Xia Qingtang looking for something to do, Li Yue said, "Young people are different. They are really active in their work and are even looking for old documents to read. What's so good about these old documents? Can you find a flower in them?"
Xia Qingtang smiled and said, "I'm new here. I can understand the work of the union by reading the previous documents. I hope I can help everyone as soon as possible."
Feng Xinhui gave her an approving look and said, "That's right, that's what young people should do, study hard and work hard."
Li Yue smiled and said, "Yes, you can all work hard. If you ask me, it's good to be childless. It's not the case for us. We have to knit sweaters for our children."
Feng Xinhui has been married for many years but has no children. Xia Qingtang couldn't help but frowned slightly when she heard this, but Feng Xinhui said calmly: "It has nothing to do with whether there are children or not. Whether there are children or not, the office is a place for work."
Li Yue sneered: "The Chairman has said that you can do your own things after finishing your work. You are incompetent and you can't finish your work. Can you blame others?"
"I never said that. I just want to say that it's a good thing that young colleagues are willing to work hard. In a place, there are always some people who need to work, and others can do their own things. Don't you think so, Director Li?" Feng Xinhui still spoke softly, without any temper at all.
When Li Yue heard this, she immediately lost her temper. She even laughed: "Hey, you are right, it is indeed like this! Then you and Xiao Xia should work hard, and we can combine work and rest!"
After saying this, she happily continued knitting.
Xia Qingtang continued to look at the documents and take notes. After a while, Chairman Qin called out from the door of the office: "Xiao Xia, come here."
"Okay." Xia Qingtang went over immediately.
"I have read the speech. It is very well written and there is nothing that needs to be revised. You can use it directly. You are a young man who is really good at writing. I am also very satisfied with the minutes of the meeting. Not only do you remember the content very well, you even know the standard format. It seems that you have studied it thoroughly before coming to work." Chairman Qin was smiling and looked very satisfied.
The meeting minutes format used by Xia Qingtang was also taught by Xie Jinxuan, so it appeared very formal.
Xia Qingtang said seriously: "I did ask for advice from others before. Because I came from a front-line workshop and have never done office work before, I am worried that I will be a drag on everyone. Chairman Qin, you have such high hopes for me before, so of course I will do my best."
"Who did you ask for advice? The person who taught you seems to be very experienced. The format alone is very formal."
"To be honest, my lover taught me."
Chairman Qin laughed: "Oh? Your wife also works in an office?"
"Yes, he works in the provincial party committee secretariat."
Chairman Qin was a little surprised: "That's a writer for the big leaders. No wonder you write so well. It turns out that you have a good teacher at home!"
"I did ask him for guidance when I was writing articles. He taught me seriously and I learned seriously, but I can't be considered a complete apprentice at the moment. After all, I haven't learned even half of what he has."
Xia Qingtang was telling the truth. Chairman Qin called her a penman, but compared with real penmen like Xie Jinxuan, she was actually far behind.
She had successfully submitted articles to the Workers’ Newspaper several times before, not because her level was really high, but mainly because there were not many workers who submitted articles, and she had the advantage of fresh topics several times.
She knew her approximate level of ability. She was definitely capable of working in an office in a cotton mill, but if she really went to work in a government agency, she would be far from meeting the requirements.
"It's enough to learn this little bit of skills. Think about it, your wife writes for provincial leaders, and we can't use her at that level. But now that I know this, I feel more at ease. With you here in the future, our union will definitely be ten or twenty times stronger than the factory office." Chairman Qin said: "Xiao Xia, work hard in the future, and our union will not treat you unfairly."
"I will. Thank you, Chairman Qin. I will work hard and do my best." Xia Qingtang walked out happily.
Back in the office, Feng Xinhui immediately asked her, "What did Chairman Qin say? Does the speech need to be revised?"
"Chairman Qin said no changes are needed."
"It is true. With you here, I think all these articles can be completed in one go." Feng Xinhui also looked very happy.
Li Yue said: "Xiao Xia is indeed quite capable. You must work hard in the future so that I can combine work and rest."
Xia Qingtang smiled and said, "I will work hard and will definitely not hold you back."
Li Yue immediately said, "Our office has always had the youngest newcomer come in the morning to open the door and clean the place. Now you are the youngest one, so starting tomorrow, you will be the one to open the door. I'll give you the key."
Having said that, Li Yue took out the office key and placed it on Xia Qingtang's desk in front of everyone.
Feng Xinhui said, "Xiao Xia, you don't have to come too early in the morning. You live outside, so 7:45 is enough."
Li Yue said: "It's better to go earlier. I have to go get some water, and then I have to clean the table and mop the floor. It will take more than ten minutes to clean up."
Feng Xinhui didn't say anything, but Zhang Ning smiled and said, "It doesn't take that long to turn on the water. As for wiping the table, don't we always wipe our own tables?"
"Now there is a new person here. Young people are very motivated. Can't we let her help us wipe the table?" said Li Yue.
Zhang Ning curled his lips and lowered his head to continue reading the newspaper.
Xia Qingtang asked seriously, "I'm a newcomer and don't know much about the office rules. If a newcomer is needed to clean the entire office in the morning, I can do it."
At this time, Zhang Ning said, "No, no, our old tradition is to clean our own floors. You only need to mop the floor twice a week. You don't need to take care of our tables."
"Okay, then I'll listen to the vice chairman." Xia Qingtang laughed, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Li Yue rolling her eyes unhappily.
As a newcomer, she is willing to work harder, but she would definitely not be willing if the old employees treated her as a sucker.
It was soon time to get off work, and Li Yue was the first to rush out. The others calmly tidied up their desks before walking out with their bags on their backs.
Xia Qingtang and Feng Xinhui were the last to leave. She reminded them, "If you are the last one to leave, you must close the doors and windows, especially these windows. You must fasten the latches. Although our union doesn't have anything valuable, you know that we have never been on good terms with the factory office. We also want to prevent someone from deliberately causing minor damage or something."
Xia Qingtang knew about this matter. It really happened a few years ago. Someone from the factory office came in and stole a document, causing the union to fail to complete the work within the deadline. Chairman Qin was not only criticized, but also had his salary deducted.
From then on, everyone in the union would carefully check the doors and windows before leaving get off work to ensure that everything was in place.
"Yes, I've noted it all down. Whenever I'm the last one to leave, I'll definitely close the doors and windows and check again."
"Well, I think you can be trusted to do what you do. By the way, how are you going home?"
"I took the bus from outside, got off the bus and walked a short distance to get home."
Xia Qingtang used to like walking wherever he went, but now that he is with Xie Jinxuan, he has plenty of money, so he has gotten used to taking the bus.
After breaking up with Feng Xinhui, she went to the message room and got a reply letter from a former male classmate, then went out to take the bus.
Since she wrote replies to all the letters, she gradually received replies from most people. Basically, everyone's letters were very polite and friendly. Many people also expressed their sadness about her marriage, but marriage was already a fact, so some people still expressed their sincere blessings.
Xia Qingtang took the bus to Central Road. As soon as he got off the bus, he saw the handsome Xie Jinxuan standing at the bus stop.
He was pushing a bicycle, wearing a navy blue cotton coat, a woolen hat that covered his ears, and his most precious cotton gloves. Although it was a common outfit that could be seen everywhere on the street, it made him look different.
Good-looking people are indeed different, and they can stand out from the crowd no matter what clothes they wear.
"How long have you been waiting?" Xia Qingtang ran over happily, stretched out his hand to touch his cheek, and felt relieved when he found it was not cold.
"I didn't have to wait long. I calculated the time to come out. I also bought some roasted sweet potatoes. They're in my pocket. Take them out and eat them." Xie Jinxuan smiled gently, revealing her snow-white teeth.
Xia Qingtang reached into his pocket and found a roasted sweet potato wrapped in homework paper. It felt warm in his hands, and his heart felt warm too.
Sitting on the back seat of the bicycle, Xia Qingtang slowly unwrapped the sweet potato and took a bite: "It's so sweet."
Because the bus stop was close, they didn't have to eat much of the sweet potato before they got home.
After getting off the car, Xia Qingtang quickly brought the roasted sweet potato to Xie Jinxuan's mouth: "Try it, it's very sweet."
Xie Jinxuan took a bite and said, "It's delicious."
"Yes, you really know how to pick sweet potatoes."
After he parked the car, the two of them walked in together and Aunt Liu had already prepared dinner.
"Oh, I cooked delicious food today, why are you eating roasted sweet potatoes? You won't be able to eat delicious food soon!" Aunt Liu said immediately. She didn't like children eating snacks before meals, but after meals, they could eat whatever they wanted.
Xia Qingtang smiled and said, "Thank you, Aunt Six. I knew there would be something delicious today. I smelled the aroma in the yard just now. What kind of delicious dish smells so good?"
"We have ducks for sale today. I shared one with the Liu family over there and stewed it this afternoon. It must be delicious."
Xia Qingtang hadn't eaten duck for a long time, so he felt greedy when he heard it. He ran to the kitchen to take a look, and saw a big pot of stewed duck with big chunks of konjac tofu and potatoes, and a lot of dried red peppers. He knew at first glance that it was a dish to go with rice.
Aunt Six smiled and scooped a piece of duck meat from the pot and gave it to her: "Try it first, and then we'll have dinner when Jinxuan's parents come back. If the old man doesn't come back for dinner today, you don't have to save any for him."
Xia Qingtang quickly ate the piece of duck meat. The meat had been stewed till soft. It tasted fragrant and spicy. It was really delicious.
At around six o'clock in the evening, the Xie family's dinner was served on the table. Before the meal was started, Aunt Liu put a handful of chopped cabbage into the pot, making it even more rich.
Because we had a good meal today, the rice was a little worse, so we put some big pieces of carrots in it and cooked them together. As usual, Xia Qingtang and grandma had the least carrots in their bowls, while Xie Jinxuan had the most.
The whole family gave high praise to this pot of stewed duck. Not only was the duck tender and delicious, but the potatoes inside were also unique, absorbing the broth and flavor, and were almost as popular as the duck meat.
The whole family ate up all the food, and there was still some braised soup base left. Aunt Six said, "Add some water and cabbage to make noodle soup tomorrow morning. It must be delicious."
Grandma said, "It will taste even better if you add the pickled Chinese mustard greens you made."
"I can't wait until tomorrow morning." Xie Jinyun touched her belly with an expression like a little animal.
"Then you should do your homework quickly, and go to bed early after finishing it, so that you can arrive early tomorrow morning." Xie's mother patted her son's head.
Grandma said, "Today's pot of duck is all thanks to Qingtang. This is a reward for her first day of work. The rest of you are just a by-product."
Xie Chengye said: "Why didn't I get this treatment on my first day of changing jobs?"
"Because you are not a child." said grandma.
"Qingtang is not a child anymore. It's a new year now, and he's already twenty-one."
"Yes, Qingtang will be twenty-one this year, and grandma still doesn't know when your birthday is."
Xie Jinxuan said: "It's May 4th, which is very easy to remember, the day of Youth Day."
"Yeah, that's not too far from your birthday." Grandma said, "Just one month away."
Xie Jinxuan's birthday is June 4th, which is indeed not far away.
Mother Xie said, "On Youth Day, I paid for Qingtang's birthday with meat coupons. She likes to eat meat, so I must make her a stew or something to make sure she eats well. The weather will be warm by then, and the provincial capital hotel should be selling soda. I'll buy a dozen sodas and bring them back."
"Let's ask Qingtang first, whether she used to celebrate her birthday according to the lunar calendar or the solar calendar," said grandma.
Xia Qingtang said: "I have never celebrated my birthday, so the lunar calendar or the solar calendar is fine. Youth Day is easier to remember, so let's just celebrate Youth Day. Thank you grandma, thank you mom."
In fact, most people of this era don’t celebrate their birthdays because material conditions are too scarce and they don’t care about it that much.
But no matter how poor he was, Zhao Meizhen would always cook a bowl of noodles for Xia Qinghai on his birthday, and add an egg, which was a treatment Xia Qingtang had never received before.
As soon as she said this, grandma quickly reached out and patted the back of her hand: "From now on, grandma will celebrate your birthday every year, and let Jinxuan take you shopping and prepare birthday gifts for you."
"I'm an adult now. It doesn't matter. I'm happy enough just to have a good meal at home. There's no need to buy any birthday presents."
Xie Chengye said, "What do you mean by adults? Just now your grandma said that you are a child. Let Jinxuan take you to buy gifts. If the money is not enough, tell dad and he will give you more money."
Xia Qingtang's nose felt slightly sour, but she kept smiling: "Thank you, Dad. I won't be polite then. I'll let Jinxuan take me to buy gifts when the time comes."
"Yes, choose carefully and you can buy a nice dress that you can wear in summer." Xie's mother also smiled kindly.
Aunt Six said, "When the time comes, I will have to show off my skills and make a special longevity noodle for Qingtang to taste."
"A longevity noodle?" Xie Jinyun was very curious, "How do you eat a noodle?"
"What do you know, kid? A longevity noodle is just a very long noodle. One noodle can make a bowl of noodles." Aunt Liu said, "But it's quite troublesome to make. I need to prepare it in advance."
"Then I'll help Aunt Six." Xia Qingtang said, "I can also make pasta."
"You will be the birthday boy then, why would you need help? Xiao Yun will come and help me then."
Xie Jinyun readily agreed: "Okay, okay, I can just learn it and show off to them at school!"
The whole family was having a great time. Xia Qingtang secretly held Xie Jinxuan's big hand under the table and was deeply moved.
After cleaning up the kitchen, Aunt Liu started to boil water. Everyone took turns to wash up, but they were not in a hurry to go to bed. After washing up, they sat at the coffee table to listen to the radio and read the newspaper.
Xie Chengye asked about Wu Jinfeng, and Xia Qingtang said, "I met her today. She even came to our office to look for me. However, I think this person... is not very smart, and speaks very arrogantly. I think within a month, she will offend everyone in the factory."
Mother Xie said, "She is such a person? Why did the Wu family ask her to come here? How could such a person bully our Qingtang?"
"I haven't had much contact with Wu Jinfeng, but I remember that she is very arrogant and doesn't pay much attention to the way she speaks." Xie Jinxuan said, "Maybe the Wu family asked her to come here because she was always trying to commit suicide and her family couldn't do anything about it."
Xie Chengye said in a deep voice: "Qingtang should pay special attention to this. She is the kind of person who seeks death. Maybe when she has no other choice, she will do the same to you. Remember, don't let her threaten you with death in the company. The leaders will not care about the cause and effect, they will only dislike you and think that you are also a problematic person, which is why you are targeted like this."
Xia Qingtang nodded quickly: "I've made a note of it. Thank you, Dad, for reminding me. I will definitely pay attention to this."
After that, in addition to working with peace of mind, Xia Qingtang would also be wary of Wu Jinfeng's words and actions.
However, she did not do anything threatening, but rumors spread in the factory. Many female comrades did not like her and thought she was arrogant, rude and looked down on others.
But Wu Jinfeng was very well off and often treated people to good meals in the cafeteria, so no matter how annoying she was, there were always two or three people around her.
There are a lot of things to do at the end of the year. In addition to writing various speeches, work summaries, and large posters for Chairman Qin, Xia Qingtang also has to help Feng Xinhui deal with employee welfare issues.
Although the cotton mill is not a large one, it has several hundred employees, and it would take a long time just to compile the statistics.
Feng Xinhui is an experienced person, and Xia Qingtang followed her and learned seriously, and soon got the hang of it. With the two of them working together, their efficiency is much higher than before, but they still need to work overtime.
In addition to these tasks, Xia Qingtang also took over the important task of opening the door. She would be the first to arrive at the office every morning, boil water, mop the floor every two days, and wipe the tables, cabinets, etc. in the office. In this way, the hygiene of the entire office improved immediately.
After Chairman Qin came here a few times and found that the place had become cleaner, he simply gave the key to his office to Xia Qingtang and asked her to clean up the small office every morning.
Having an extra small office wouldn't be too tiring, so Xia Qingtang cleaned the next door and watered the plants that Chairman Qin raised.
Chairman Qin is very satisfied with her, and most of her colleagues in the office also like her very much. After all, this young person is hardworking, clean, and does a lot at work. Who wouldn't like such a colleague?
Only Li Yue mocked her a few times in private, saying that she was too good at pleasing her superiors and might be aiming for promotion. She also told Feng Xinhui to be careful not to let young people snatch her opportunity away.
But Feng Xinhui ignored her and her attitude towards Xia Qingtang did not change at all. She was still teaching her about work very seriously.
Xia Qingtang's work went very smoothly, and she gradually fell in love with the union.
The only person who made her unhappy was Wu Jinfeng. She didn't know whether she was going crazy or was really out of her mind. It was obviously so busy at the end of the year, but she would come to the union office for a stroll almost every day, and then deliberately say a few words to Xia Qingtang. Sometimes she was sarcastic, and sometimes she was deliberately finding fault, but it didn't have any substantial effect. Even Li Yue asked this Secretary Wu what she was doing here.
Xia Qingtang didn't know how to answer, but Feng Xinhui saw that there was a conflict between the two of them, so she asked her privately. Xia Qingtang vaguely said that this person had a little personal conflict with her, but didn't elaborate on other things, and Feng Xinhui didn't ask in detail.
As the Chinese New Year was approaching, the entire union office was busy with the distribution of employee benefits, and all those things were placed on the floor and in the corners of the office, making the office look messy.
Chairman Qin no longer has time to hold a meeting for them. These past two days, she has been standing at the door, speaking briefly to everyone, and then leaving.
After finally distributing all employee benefits, the large office became spacious again, but it was dirty everywhere. However, everyone was tired and didn't want to clean.
Xia Qingtang didn't say anything, but after opening the door in the morning, she still simply swept the floor. As for the rest, she didn't want to do it.
Although she is a newcomer, if she does too much, she will be bullied by old colleagues without any bottom line, so she has to handle these things herself.
In the morning, Chairman Qin came over and said, "Tomorrow I will go to the city to attend a meeting. The theme is the outlook for next year's work. Xiao Xia, please organize the content of our recent meeting and write a speech for me. The general content is what I have said before. Because it will be needed tomorrow morning, you have to hurry up and give it to me in the afternoon when I go to work."
"Yes, I understand." Xia Qingtang quickly agreed.
After Chairman Qin left, Xia Qingtang quickly took out a pen and paper and started writing. During the process, many people came to the big office to seek union business, and Xia Qingtang was interrupted several times to help Li Yue and others.
Fortunately, although she had a lot of things to do, she still wrote the speech before lunch, and then handed it to Feng Xinhui as usual: "Secretary Feng, please help me take a look."
In fact, she didn't need Feng Xinhui's help to revise what she wrote now, but out of respect for her, Xia Qingtang would still give it to Feng Xinhui as usual.
Feng Xinhui took the manuscript and put it on the table: "Okay, I'll come and look at it later. You go have lunch first."
"Yes, I'll go first." Xia Qingtang went to the toilet and then went to the cafeteria with his lunch box.
Wen Xiaoli didn't have an early shift today, so she got her food by herself, found an empty table and sat down to eat slowly.
Xia Qingtang has been busy with work these days, so his appetite has increased. At noon, he had three steamed buns with fried Chinese mustard greens and stewed radish, which was quite delicious.
After dinner, Xia Qingtang happened to meet Tong Xiaolan, and they chatted for a while on the side of the road. They separated when Tong Xiaolan's break was almost over.
Xia Qingtang returned to the office with his lunch box. As soon as he walked in, he heard Feng Xinhui say, "Xiao Xia, did you take the speech you gave me just now?"
"No, I just came back from the cafeteria." Xia Qingtang said, "What happened? Did you lose your speech?"
"Yes, I originally put it here on the table, and I pressed it down with a box. Even if there was wind, it couldn't be blown away." Feng Xinhui flipped the papers and documents around on the table. "It's really strange, how come I can't find it?"
"Was there anyone in the office just now?" Xia Qingtang asked.
"When I went out, Old Wu was in the office, but when I came back, he was not there and the office was empty. But our desks and cabinets were all locked. It should be fine to leave the door open in the middle of the day." Feng Xinhui finally realized what was going on. "Did someone come into our office and take the speech manuscript away?"
"Since it wasn't caused by the wind, it must have been man-made."
Feng Xinhui was very confused: "Why did you take this? This is not a confidential document. It's just the speech that Chairman Qin will use tomorrow. Besides, this is a meeting of the Municipal Labor Union. What's the point of someone else taking it? The factory office can't use it."
Xia Qingtang suspected that Wu Jinfeng had taken it, but he couldn't say it out loud, so he could only say, "Maybe he just took it casually and didn't think too much about it."
"What should we do now? The Chairman wants to see it when he goes to work this afternoon." Feng Xinhui looked guilty, "I'm sorry, I didn't keep it well."
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