Chapter 48 This is the workplace.
Chapter 48 This is the workplace.
Things turned out very differently than Li Yue had imagined.
Even in this era, not everyone is full of enthusiasm and pure intentions.
Li Yue was transferred to the process group, which she had been to before. Wang Yuanshan taught her how to throw pottery here. She knew how to use an electric pottery wheel before she transmigrated, but here she learned how to use a manual pottery wheel, so it wasn't difficult for her to get started.
The head of the craft group is Tan Lu. Recently, the group has been designing a set of teaware with cicada wing pattern. Head Tan asked Li Yue to submit a design proposal.
This was no difficult task. After taking on the task, Li Yue first went to find some information about tea sets.
She was full of energy before, but now, sitting at her desk, she thinks, "Why rush? Slow and steady wins the race." She'll take her time studying the tea set first; she's not in a hurry.
The slackness seemed to happen overnight.
After getting off work, Li Yue first went to the market to buy a piece of pork belly. Since there were no plastic bags available, she put the meat in her lunchbox, but the lid couldn't be closed tightly, and it bulged out quite a bit. She then used a mesh bag to hold it before getting on the bus.
As dusk fell, Li Yue returned to the family compound.
Ling Jianwei was stir-frying green beans. He had also bought a grass carp, which he had already prepared.
Li Yue said, "How about we add another dish?"
Ling Wei looked at the pork belly in her lunchbox.
"I promised my master I would treat him to braised pork tomorrow."
He shrugged nonchalantly: "Sure, leave it for now, we'll do it later."
Then he asked, "How about we coat the grass carp in flour and deep-fry it? That way it can last longer."
Li Yue: "Okay."
During the meal, he asked, "Why are you suddenly inviting your master to eat braised pork?"
Li Yue replied, "I've finished my training period and been assigned to a fixed position."
"You got into the group you wanted?"
"No, you can't get in."
Ling Jianwei looked directly at him: "What's wrong?"
"The qualifications are too low." That's a fact, Li Yue said. "That group isn't one that anyone can just jump into."
Ling Jianwei hit the nail on the head: "But you don't seem sad."
“Who says I’m not sad? This really is a way for me to improve my skills and abilities.” She carefully removed the fishbone. “When I’m skilled enough to mix my own recipes, I’ll build my own kiln and fire fish for fun whenever I have free time.”
He laughed, "That's a good idea."
He then reminded her, "Don't swallow the thorns."
Li Yue didn't answer, but continued, "Anyway, what they produce isn't very good. They haven't been able to produce Ru ware with sky-blue glaze and moon-white glaze yet. It won't be easy to get the approval of those experts. I heard that red agate is very expensive, and the factory is reluctant to use it for experiments casually."
She couldn't help but fantasize that one day when she had money, she could buy red agate and play with it however she wanted.
However, she still has a lot to learn, and this can't be rushed. Anyway, it's not the time to make money through reform and opening up yet, and she can't stay here forever. Eventually, she'll have to go back to Beijing...
Seeing that she seemed to be lost in thought, Ling Jianwei brought the fish to him and said, "We'll eat fish tomorrow. It's dark, and you're still not concentrating."
Li Yue: "..."
After taking a shower, Li Yue washed and hung her clothes to dry before going to sleep.
After the lights were turned off, Li Yue called his name: "Ling Jianwei".
"Um?"
Have you thought about how much longer you'll probably have to stay here?
He served as acting battalion commander for six months, and I heard that he will soon be officially appointed as battalion commander. If his promotion goes smoothly, it will take at least six years for a battalion commander to become a full regimental-level officer.
Of course, it's also possible that in a few years, he will be transferred away, either to a military region or back to Beijing.
His father couldn't let him work at the grassroots level forever.
Ling Jianwei asked sharply, "What, you want to leave?"
"No, I was just asking. I don't think I've ever asked you about your career plans before."
He surprisingly said, "I have no plans."
"Really?" Li Yue was surprised. "I didn't realize that."
"No, not at all." He took her hand and played with her fingers. "Thanks to my grandfather, I care a lot about what others think about my promotions and advancements, which are all due to his protection. So I always try to do my best so that no one can find fault with me. Even in military academy, I graduated with the highest score in academic subjects."
“I started as a platoon leader in the company and rose through the ranks smoothly. I never slacked off, but one day, I suddenly felt that life was really hard and that life was meaningless.”
Li Yue gasped, "No way, is there something wrong with you psychologically?"
"Perhaps it was back then." He smiled faintly. "I talked to the regimental commander, and the commander reported it to the old man. The old man scolded me and sent me back to Beijing, saying that he wanted to cure my bad habit and ordered me to get married during my visit home."
He laughed: "Then, I had a fight with him, and I told him I was against marriage."
Li Yue exclaimed in surprise, "Are you really against marriage?"
Ling Jianwei hugged her: "Where did you get the idea that life is boring or that you're against marriage? I just met you, so life is quite interesting."
Li Yue snorted: "Ling Jianwei, I'm speechless!"
He put his arm around her waist and nuzzled her cheek: "I really like you."
Li Yue nudged him.
But she didn't forget to ask him her initial question: "Now that you're not boring anymore and you're married, you can't stay here forever, can you?"
He said calmly, "I'll leave whenever you want."
Li Yue felt annoyed and wanted to punch him: "I came all the way here to join the army, to accompany you, how dare you look at me?"
He suddenly fell silent in the darkness. Li Yue turned to look at him and found that even in the pitch black night, his eyes were still shining.
The man's deep eyes were fixed on her: "If you don't want to stay, I really can leave."
Li Yue turned her head away and then fell silent.
He hugged her, as if he could see her worries and lethargy, and his embrace was somewhat cautious.
Li Yue pondered for a moment, then said in a low voice, "At least I won't leave for the next few years."
"Want to learn a skill?"
It's not just about learning; the important thing is that the timing isn't right yet, and everyone has to wait a few more years.
She replied softly, "Well, it takes time to master something."
"Then study hard," he said.
"Um."
"good."
The weather in June was getting hotter and hotter. Even with a fan blowing, you could still feel sticky all over. Li Yue said, "Can you stop hugging me? It's too hot."
He ignored her; no matter how hot it was, he insisted on sleeping in her arms.
The next day, Li Yue brought an extra lunchbox filled with braised pork. At lunchtime, she handed it directly to her master, saying, "This is a special gift for you, Master."
Wang Yuanshan laughed and said, "It's been a worthwhile experience to have you as my apprentice. I get to eat meat from time to time."
Under the blazing sun, the kiln was steaming hot. Li Yue noticed that he was wearing a vest, which was also damp. Remembering something, she asked, "Master, they say that ancient Ru porcelain must be fired in the kiln during misty and rainy weather to easily achieve a sky-blue, misty, rainy color. Is this a conclusion drawn from experiments?"
Wang Yuanshan said, "Although it sounds a bit mystical, that's how it really was back then. Fired on rainy days turned out especially well."
Li Yue said, "Indeed, besides the formula, it is probably also closely related to air humidity and temperature."
But these research findings will definitely not be shared. Li Yue chatted with her master for a bit, and Wang Yuanshan said, "It's hot here. Go over there and solidify your basic skills first. You won't have to worry about not having opportunities in the future."
Li Yue nodded, wiped her sweat, and left.
Although Li Yue felt like she was just dawdling, she knew that if she kept going, she would eventually get results.
That day, Li Yue drew up the design plan for the tea set and submitted it to the team leader. The team leader reviewed it, made suggestions for revision, and then handed it over to the chief craftsman.
Then they printed it out, said the design was bad, and demanded a redesign and revision...
After numerous discussions and revisions, the team leader said that the final plan had been finalized, and they would proceed with the casting and prototyping according to the chief process engineer's design.
Upon seeing this, Li Yue realized it was the same design she had originally created, with the chief engineer making only minor modifications, such as adding a gold rim to the teacup...
The process itself wasn't difficult; it was just a matter of applying an extra layer of gold glaze. But the thought of it still left Li Yue with a lingering unease.
Perhaps, this is what the workplace is like.
...
Summer is really hot. Ling Jianwei likes to go shirtless at home, and Li Yue likes to play with his abs when she has nothing to do.
Before going to bed at night, Li Yue would wipe the bamboo mat with a cold water cloth and then turn on the fan. When sleeping, she would try to avoid that man. Even if she was close to him, it felt like she was touching a stove.
But he liked to stick close to her because she had a low body temperature.
He said holding her felt like holding a cool, beautiful piece of jade.
Although he was good at describing things, Li Yue still disliked him being next to her.
This summer, Li Yue learned to make a skirt. The fabric was a piece of floral red silk given to her by her mother. It was a little transparent, so she added a white inner layer to make a skirt. She paired it with a white shirt, revealing a section of her slender calves.
Ling Jianwei said she looked good, bright and beautiful.
Li Yue: "You say I don't look good in anything?"
He laughed: "It's just a fact."
These tranquil and peaceful days passed by in the blink of an eye. A few days after he was officially appointed as battalion commander on August 1st, Army Day, the time finally came to the beginning of autumn, and the evenings gradually became cooler.
The eccentric sister-in-law from the family compound finally married into the factory director's family on this early autumn Sunday, becoming the factory director's rightful daughter-in-law.
They held a banquet at a restaurant in the county and sent invitations to close relatives and important leaders in the compound. Li Yue was initially worried that she would also receive an invitation, but she was obviously overthinking it. Her sister-in-law, Xu Lamei, simply said politely to everyone while washing clothes at the laundry sink, "If you have time, let's all go for a drink together."
Everyone politely replied, "We'll definitely go when we have time. We're genuinely happy for Xue Lian that she's getting married."
“You, as her sister-in-law, can finally put down this heavy burden.”
Li Yue said to Ling Jianwei, "Luckily, they didn't send us an invitation, otherwise I would still be struggling with whether or not to go."
Ling Jianwei sneered: "How could she possibly invite us? She might not mind, but I would. Besides, your relationship with her at the factory is just so-so."
“It’s more than just ordinary; we barely interact at all,” Li Yue said. “She doesn’t have much to do at the factory, so she likes to give orders everywhere, but she doesn’t know anything about it. She’s an outsider trying to instruct insiders, which often makes her a laughing stock. Sometimes she goes to the retail store, and I heard from Sister Li that the staff there don’t like her going there. They say she’s very nosy.”
Days continued to pass, and one Monday, Li Yue brought some of the extra food she had cooked the night before to her master for lunch.
Sister Li also brought her lunchbox over to eat with us, saying, "It seems our porcelain factory is about to face a crisis."
Li Yue looked up.
"I heard that the chief engineer who was fired before got a job at the Red Star Porcelain Factory," Sister Li asked. "Master Wang, do you know about this?"
Wang Yuanshan gave a low "hmm": "I just heard about it."
"Our two porcelain factories used to be at odds, mortal enemies. Now that they have Chief Engineer Yuan, will they surpass our factory?"
Wang Yuanshan's voice remained low: "I don't know."
"No, you must know. We haven't been able to recreate the celadon glaze of Ru ware yet. They've invited Chief Engineer Yuan, so they're not going to figure it out before us, are they?"
Wang Yuanshan said, "If we take a long-term view, wouldn't it be a blessing for the country to recover first?"
Sister Li was displeased: "You're really thinking ahead. Aren't you afraid our factory will go bankrupt? You have elderly parents and young children to support. What will you do then?"
"You agree, right, Xiao Li?" Sister Li said again.
Li Yue was taken aback: "Me? I don't know, after all, I'm not old or young yet."
She was secretly delighted. After months of uneventful life, this was the only thing that could excite her. Some people must be so anxious.
She loved watching the drama unfold and hoped the two families would fight.
Sister Li muttered that you master and apprentice were in cahoots, and then left.
Li Yue asked her master, "Has that Chief Engineer Yuan come out of seclusion?"
The master gave her a mysterious smile: "I went to ask him to do it."
Li Yue: "Master!"
Good for being cunning.
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