Chapter 30 Dried Squid This little troublemaker is about to start causing mischief...
In many people's eyes, soldiers are physically strong, stronger than ordinary men, and after training, they develop muscular physiques and are very good at fighting.
In her dream, Qin Xiangxiang remembered seeing a man who beat his wife. She even tried to stand up for him, but ended up getting herself into trouble.
Her husband, Li Jianzhi, was tall and strong; if she were to be hit by him, it would definitely hurt... a lot. She would then feign a fall, pretending to twist her ankle and claiming she couldn't move it.
If anyone asks in the future, just say that your husband "beat" you, and that you're walking pitifully with a cane. You'll definitely get a lot of sympathy from people.
Moreover, her taking a leave of absence without pay did not harm the interests of any outsiders, nor did she take advantage of the factory. No one would have guessed that she pretended to be lame purely to be lazy and wait for a transfer in a year or two.
If she could also use this opportunity to get a divorce, that would be even better. Her husband divorced her and crippled her; it wouldn't be right if he didn't give her a new house. She's crippled and a divorced woman; how miserable she is.
Of course, not getting a divorce is fine too, as long as she doesn't have to continue working in the factory. She can tolerate continuing to live in the old apartment. Anyway, there's only one neighbor, the "Xu family." From now on, she can pretend to be sick every day, stay home, sleep, practice the piano, and listen to the radio. The Xu family next door have to go to work during the day, so she'll wait until they're at work to come out and keep watch. When they get off work, she'll just stay in her room, hehehehehe...
That's a brilliant idea! She's had a dream, so she's quite "worldly-wise".
"Why is there such a tall person standing over there?"
Qin Xiangxiang originally didn't want to go home after finishing her night shift, but Master Li pulled her aside and talked to her, so she followed the crowd of people going home after her night shift. Master Li usually went home after finishing her night shift. According to her, she couldn't sleep at the factory, so it was better to go home. Qin Xiangxiang agreed wholeheartedly.
The group walked towards the bicycle shed with flashlights. The bicycle shed was guarded day and night. Don't think that there was no theft at this time. There were plenty of thieves. However, these thieves generally did not steal from ordinary people's homes. That's ridiculous. In Shanghai, there are many families of four or five people crammed into a room of more than ten square meters. Let alone a thief, even a rat would find it too crowded. How could it even find a place to step? Stealing things? If you make a sound, ten eyes will be watching you.
Only things from state-owned factories are valuable. If you're going to steal, do it big. Steal factory cables and other scrap metal. The most valuable thing is bicycles.
Bicycles need to be registered, so thieves who steal them need to have them disassembled into parts to sell. Many people don't have bicycle tickets or can't afford a bicycle at full price, so they go to bicycle repair shops and assemble them themselves from scrap. The assembled bicycles don't require tickets and are even cheaper by tens of yuan. Many families with limited means also don't have bicycle tickets, so they have no choice but to assemble their own bicycles.
The factory's bicycle sheds are guarded by a dedicated security department 24 hours a day and do not require management fees. Only the bicycle sheds outside require management fees, which are one cent per visit.
"He's an unfamiliar face, doesn't look like someone from the security department. Oh dear, he was standing so straight, I misunderstood him."
"This man is so tall, it's kind of scary to see him at night."
"Thinking back, he looks kind of familiar. Isn't he your husband from that day?"
Qin Xiangxiang shivered as the cold wind blew. It was midnight, and under the bicycle shed, stood a tall man who was 1.8 meters tall. Upon closer inspection, she realized that it was indeed her strong and muscular dead husband.
Li Jianzhi spotted his wife, Qin Xiangxiang, in the line of female workers at a glance. He strode forward and said, "Xiangxiang."
"Li Jianzhi... what brings you here?"
“It’s so late, I’ve come to pick you up and take you home.” Li Jianzhi had heard that the factory operated on a three-shift system, with four shifts of female workers working in rotation, working three days and resting one day. He felt sorry for Qin Xiangxiang.
At the same time, it is lamentable that the state-owned factories at that time were not the sweatshops of later years. With four shifts and three shifts, working only eight hours a day, and one day off every three days, they were very conscientious factories. Later, many factories even had two shifts, ten hours a day, and only one day off a week, which numbed people to the work.
They only worked eight hours a day. The factory had an auditorium, hospital, and bathhouse. There were company-provided apartments. Medical care at the factory was free. There were discounts on meals in the canteen. Children had access to a primary school for employees' children. They didn't have to worry about being laid off or unemployed when they got older. The factory provided retirement benefits, and their children could inherit their positions. Everyone went to work with peace of mind. To be fair, the workers' benefits were indeed very high at that time.
Although conditions were tough at that time, many people were not anxious or worried. From the 1960s to the 1970s, living conditions improved every year, and everyone had hope for the future.
It is said that hair is formed from essence and blood. There is a significant difference between the 1970s and the 1950s: people in the 1970s have very thick and black hair.
Bald people are extremely rare; both men and women have thick, black hair.
Of course, his wife thinks her hair looks the best!
"I brought some candy. Please have a taste, and I hope you'll take good care of our family in the future."
"Li Jianzhi, how did you get here?"
"I came by tram, and it took me a while, but it's not far. I'll take you home on my bike later." Li Jianzhi's face was expressionless, but he was actually extremely happy inside. It was the first time in his life that he had come to pick up his girlfriend, no, to pick up his wife from get off work.
The last one doesn't count; this time, Qin Xiangxiang is truly his wife.
"Okay." Qin Xiangxiang yawned, feeling grateful to the man in front of her for being willing to pick her up in the middle of the night, because she was too lazy to ride her bike and might be able to sneak up on him and take a nap later.
Master Li praised, "Think about it, your man is so good to you. He came to pick you up in the middle of the night. He's a very considerate and good man."
"This must be Master Li, the one who took Xiangxiang. My mother-in-law has told me about you; you're a very excellent female worker..."
"Oh, not at all. I can't compare to Xiangxiang. Xiangxiang is the best textile worker in our factory. She does a better job than the other female workers. When the factories hold competitions in the future, if our factory sends Xiangxiang, we will definitely be proud. You should remind her to keep an eye on her. Our class will be evaluated for outstanding workers at the end of the year. We should strive to make Xiao Qin the workshop director as soon as possible."
Li Jianzhi was surprised: "Does our family still have a chance to become the workshop director?"
"Of course, as long as she's willing to work hard!" Master Li said confidently.
Li Jianzhi: "..."
He thought to himself, "Oh no!" The chances of successfully bringing his wife to the army with him had dropped even further. His wife was so outstanding; in two years she would be a workshop foreman... Could she possibly dream of becoming a factory manager? If he were to send her to the army with him, wouldn't that be ruining her future?
Li Jianzhi felt very distressed and guilty. This was a difficult situation. Even if he was selfish, he couldn't delay his wife's future. Did he have to live apart for a while and find a way to transfer to Shanghai? In the future, he might still have a factory director as his wife.
But what if Qin Xiangxiang is willing to go with him? Then she would indeed be making a huge sacrifice, and he couldn't let her down in the future. He had to do everything he could to make sure she had a good life.
Think of his good wife.
"Think about it, you are truly outstanding." Li Jianzhi looked earnestly at the sleepy woman beside him. He had been mistaken when they first met; Qin Xiangxiang was indeed an exceptionally outstanding woman of this era.
As Qin Xiangxiang felt the cold midnight wind blowing, hearing Master Li mention words like "recognition of outstanding employees," "hardworking," and "workshop director," her initial drowsiness vanished by seven-tenths.
Is she going to be the workshop director?
Good heavens, this is terrifying.
And this damned man actually...
Forget it, let's try to fake being sick and breaking a leg. They can't expect a cripple to be evaluated for excellence and become a workshop director. As long as she stays at home on unpaid leave for two or three years, she can go back to the factory and live a good life.
So her next task is to provoke the man in front of her into beating her up?
What if he spanks her like he's beating his son? She's going to break her leg. The best thing for him is to slap her, then fall down and pretend to twist her ankle, saying she can't move, can't lift her leg, has leg weakness, and gets weak and scared whenever she sees a man.
From now on, this little drama queen is going to start causing trouble.
"Think about it, come on up."
Qin Xiangxiang sat in the back seat, wrapped her arms around Li Jianzhi's waist, and felt the powerful muscles surging from his body. His two arms, which stretched out horizontally, were as solid and hard as steel.
...If someone were to slap her, she would be like a fragile willow branch that breaks in the wind. I hope they don't actually cripple her.
"Li Jianzhi, I'm exhausted today, my hands hurt."
"When we get home, please rub it for me."
Hearing her soft, sweet voice, Li Jianzhi felt incredibly tender: "Mmm, I'll massage it for you."
At the same time, he thought to himself with a hint of morbid curiosity: I can help massage anywhere.
I never imagined that he would have such a wonderful wife who is not only outstanding in herself, but also affectionate and clingy.
Qin Xiangxiang: "..."
How can I provoke him?
A group of female workers rode their bicycles past the 24-hour food and beverage shop. Several vehicles stopped, and Mr. Li also said that he was hungry and would reward himself with some hot food. From 4 pm to 12 pm, it would be a torment for anyone. Even if you live frugally on weekdays, you would still be willing to eat some late-night snacks to reward your stomach.
It's past midnight, and only the 24-hour food stall is open, serving wontons.
Everyone ordered a bowl of wontons, and there was also grilled squid on the side. Late at night, a charcoal fire was burning, and occasionally sparks would rise up.
Stacks of dried squid were laid out, covered in a white frost. If someone ordered a charcoal-grilled squid, the chef would cut it into sections and grill it over a fire. The squid slices would quickly curl up like scalded hair, then be brushed with a honey sauce. It smelled delicious, was chewy and flavorful, and could last a long time as a snack.
These dried squid weren't expensive, but they weren't cheap either. After all, it was still meat. A small bowl of wontons cost two cents plus half a tael of grain coupons, while small dried squid cost two cents, medium-sized ones three cents, and the largest ones forty cents.
Eating a bowl of wontons for two cents in the middle of the night is considered a luxury. If you also order small dried squid, it's both a luxury and a treat.
Female factory workers with fewer family burdens would order a bowl of wontons for two cents and another two cents for dried squid. They would eat a little themselves and smack their lips, and save some for their children as snacks.
"Master, give me a two-cent dried squid."
Qin Xiangxiang tugged at Li Jianzhi's sleeve: "Li Jianzhi, I want to eat dried squid too! I want the biggest one!"
Today was another day of diligently squeezing money from my husband's purse. Tonight, two bowls of wontons cost four mao (0.4 yuan), and a large dried squid cost four mao, totaling eight mao, which is almost equivalent to a one-yuan-two-jiao (0.2 yuan) cream cake.
Li Jianzhi hesitated: "You really want to eat this?"
"Don't you want to part with it?"
"Alright then." Li Jianzhi glanced at the dried squid grilling on the charcoal fire; it was truly... clean and hygienic.
And this dried squid is actually selling for four cents! If my wife is willing to go with the army, she can eat squid every day if she wants. The area around here is a squid-producing region, and dried squid is not worth much. In fact, with a little effort, we can catch a bunch for her to eat all year round if she likes it.
Moreover, homemade dried squid is at least washed thoroughly once.
"You like to eat squid?"
Qin Xiangxiang: "...Hmm."
Li Jianzhi said sweetly, "I'll make you squid next time."
Qin Xiangxiang's body stiffened for a moment.
"Think about it, your man is just too good!"
"My husband is back. Good days are coming."
"The man even cooks fish for you by himself, oh my, how wonderful! The young couple should live a good life together."
...
Hearing the envious voices around her, Ms. Zheng felt extremely uncomfortable. If the couple were really that happy, why did they only come back to visit their relatives once every four or five years, and why did they have to pretend to be affectionate in front of them? Moreover, she even ate the apple that Mr. Li from the government office had given her.
Oh, right, the apples that Li sent!
"Think about it, there's water in the restaurant, you can wash apples there."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
