Chapter 248 Challenge? You're practically frying fish in a pond and still managing to get a full catch...
On October 21, 1977, the news of the decision to reinstate the college entrance examination spread throughout the country via radio. When the people at Feiyan Textile Factory learned of this, they were immediately in an uproar.
"I knew there was a possibility of the college entrance examination being reinstated, but I didn't expect it to happen so soon. The news was just announced, and the exam is in December."
"I only have one month to study! I'm so nervous!"
...
Many former educated youths who had been sent to the countryside, as well as high school graduates, were both laughing and crying at this moment. Many of them had been waiting for this opportunity for fair competition for too long! They really had the chance to enter university and become proud college students through their own efforts and knowledge.
"Factory manager, can I take the exam? Registration requires factory approval..."
"Can I take the exam? Although I only graduated from junior high school, I have studied high school material on my own, and I have also taken classes in pig farming training courses."
How do our workers register?
...
Just one day after the news broke, Qin Xiangxiang was surrounded by a crowd of people who wanted to find out about the college entrance examination. She confirmed, "Exam, exam, exam! As long as you're willing to take the exam, the factory will sign you up. Everyone can sign up freely."
Many people were waiting for Qin Xiangxiang to say this: workers need their employer's approval to take the exam. If the factory doesn't sign off on releasing them, even if the college entrance exam is reinstated, it won't make a difference.
Seeing Qin Xiangxiang's understanding and reasonable nature brought tears to the eyes of some people.
"That's great, factory manager!"
"If I get into university, I want to study textiles. Factory manager, I'll come back!"
"Factory manager, I'll be back too!"
Qin Xiangxiang: "??????"
Seeing everyone's excited faces, she felt a mix of emotions. If a large number of the factory workers were to be admitted to university, the factory would be filled with new blood, and the people she used to know would be scattered to the four winds. The thought made her feel melancholy.
Assistant He was somewhat anxious about this: "Factory Director, what will happen to our factory if all the talented people in the factory go to take the college entrance exam?"
"Assistant He, do you want to take the college entrance exam?"
"Factory manager, don't joke around. I was assigned here after graduation!" Assistant He frowned and sighed. "Shouldn't we try to persuade everyone and do some ideological work? It's not necessary to go to university. Staying in the factory is a good place. The job is stable and the benefits are good."
Qin Xiangxiang said, "Ruining someone's future is like killing their parents. There's no need to advise on this kind of thing; it's each person's choice."
At this time, Qin Xiangxiang encouraged the workers to take the college entrance exam. Staying in the factory was indeed comfortable, but many people did not expect that the tide of the times would soon come.
The days of state-owned factories will no longer be as peaceful as before. In the future, they will not only have to compete with individual businesses, but also with many countries for the domestic market.
Having skills is essential to standing firm; after all, not everyone can be like Qin Xiangxiang, a lazy bum without any ambition.
"The sky is high enough for birds to fly freely, and the sea is wide enough for fish to leap freely; let's see what these people are capable of."
Assistant He said admiringly, "Factory Director, you really are the most magnanimous person I have ever met. Other factory directors would never be willing to let their factory's talents go out of the factory, watching the talents they have painstakingly cultivated end up working for someone else, doing all the work for someone else's benefit."
Qin Xiangxiang: "..."
The main problem is that Comrade Xiao Qin didn't feel that she had worked hard to cultivate talent; the knowledge in those people's heads wasn't something she had stuffed into them.
Moreover, she made use of many talented people. For example, she had Qian Meiying make pickles for her. She had already made the most of her talents. She didn't stop her from going to other places.
All good things must come to an end.
"I just didn't expect that, in the past we all thought we would stay in the factory for life, but now many people are leaving. We're reluctant to see them go, but you're right, factory manager, they have bright futures, we can't stop them."
Assistant He looked somewhat dejected, but quickly came to terms with it.
Qin Xiangxiang returned to the family compound, recalling Assistant He's words and the scene when she came to the island with the army seven years ago. At that time, she only thought about going to the island to live a lazy life, but seven years have passed in the end.
She really wanted to go back to Shanghai, where she grew up, but she also couldn't bear to leave her life on the island. She was filled with inner conflict, much like the other educated youth who were sent to the countryside during the Cultural Revolution.
"Think about it, has the news of the resumption of the college entrance examination come down?" Li Jianzhi returned home wearing a brand-new military uniform. Seven years have passed, and his position is about to be promoted again. He may also need to study for a period of time, and he may be transferred to a base in Shanghai.
This was something Li Jianzhi had never expected. He never imagined that his post after joining the army would be in Shanghai, where he had grown up. It was truly a wonderful coincidence.
Generally speaking, after enlisting in the army, you will not be assigned to your hometown and will have to serve far away from home. However, there are many coincidences, such as when you just report to a certain unit, the unit is suddenly rotated and you are sent to your hometown. Such coincidences are very rare.
Qin Xiangxiang: "Yes, many people in our factory are going to take the college entrance examination."
Li Jianzhi tentatively asked, "Do you want to take the college entrance exam too? You can apply to a school in Shanghai, like the Shanghai Textile University, which is one of the top textile schools in the country..."
However, many years later, with the decline of the textile industry, the school also became less prominent, but in this era, it is a top-tier "Double First-Class" university.
"No, no, no, you know, I get a headache as soon as I hear about studying, and my legs hurt as soon as I hear about going to class. If I have to go to class and study at the same time, I'd rather be dead—" Qin Xiangxiang held her forehead and shook her head repeatedly. Studying? Study my ass.
Li Jianzhi smiled and shook his head, not taking his wife's words to heart at all. His wife was just like that; she was number one at complaining and was always complaining about being tired even when she did only a little work.
But she is intolerant of flaws in her work; she either doesn't do it at all, or she does it to the best of her ability, and she doesn't tolerate any perfunctory work.
This guy either doesn't go to university, or if he does, he might just become the top student in his major.
Li Jianzhi: "Think about it on the bright side. What do you call going to university? You're like frying fish in a fishpond and still getting all the honors."
Moreover, his wife has a strange aura that attracts talent—when others have something good, his wife will go out of her way to bring that good thing to her side.
If Qin Xiangxiang goes to university, it'll be like returning to her happy hometown; she'll have all the talent in her grasp...
Qin Xiangxiang: "Stop trying to fool me, Li Jianzhi, this is just empty promises."
Li Jianzhi took off his coat and told her about the possibility of being transferred back to Shanghai. Qin Xiangxiang then belatedly realized, "You should have been transferred back to Shanghai a long time ago! I only went on a blind date with you because you were studying in Shanghai. We agreed that you would be assigned to work in Shanghai, but where are you? Where are you? I've been waiting for you for ten years!"
Li Jianzhi: "...It was my fault."
"Wife, you've suffered so much."
"Hmph, you know it's good that you know it. After all these years, it's finally over!" Thinking of this, Qin Xiangxiang was overjoyed and wished she could stay in bed a little longer.
She didn't feel that she was suffering too much, but she had to complain about it. Only the squeaky wheel gets the grease.
If you don't tell him how much you suffer, that damned man will think it's all just a matter of course. There are plenty of male officers in this compound who don't appreciate their wives' sacrifices.
In short, complaining and venting is the true meaning of life. Don't let others take your efforts and hard work for granted. Many women suffer for themselves in order not to cause trouble for others.
"What are your thoughts on the factory situation... and your job transfer?"
Qin Xiangxiang said, "Of course, it's time to take back what I promised."
"When I left in 1970, the 316 Textile Factory promised that as long as I returned with the army, the textile factory must accept my personnel file and personnel transfer!"
Qin Xiangxiang: "I want to be a mid-level slacker. I'm a deputy director, so I can be transferred laterally, right?"
Qin Xiangxiang was shrewd in her calculations. The Shanghai Textile Factory had promised to take her in, and her mother was a factory leader. Even if she was a parachuted-in cadre and might not be able to get a position of real power, her salary and benefits would be substantial!
They give her a cushy job, and they still give her so much money to live on every month... Where else can you find such a good job?
Li Jianzhi: "There may be a slight demotion in position, but the salary and benefits will remain the same."
The combined salaries of the two individuals would definitely be at an upper-middle level, but the future will be different. After next year, the economy will open up, and the first batch of people engaged in individual businesses will become wealthy. In addition, various imported goods will enter the country, such as televisions, refrigerators, and washing machines.
An imported color TV costs three or four thousand yuan, and by then, the combined salaries of the two of them are no longer enough.
In the early 1980s, it was popular for soldiers to do business for a while, but it's best not to get involved in that line of work. It's unlikely that soldiers will make a fortune. Relying on Li Jianzhi's abilities, the couple bought a house and land in Shanghai in advance, and then bought some stocks to make some small investments... Their future life might not be bad, and Qin Xiangxiang could comfortably stay at home and live a peaceful life.
Furthermore, there's his mother, Wu Xueyan. Li Jianzhi doesn't believe in anyone else, but he does believe in his own mother's ability to make money, so he doesn't need to worry about the family's future financial situation.
As for housing, there's no problem at all. Li Jian knows that his workplace provides housing, and if Qin Xiangxiang chooses to stay at the Shanghai Textile Factory, she will also be able to purchase internal employee housing in the future. In addition, there are two rooms for her father-in-law and mother-in-law, and they can even add more buildings. She won't have to worry about housing.
However, no matter how you look at it, Li Jianzhi felt that one should have some pursuit in life. One should not live a comfortable and leisurely life just because one has enough to eat and wear. On the contrary, one should pursue more things that one likes just because one has enough to eat and wear.
Give full play to your talents and demonstrate your abilities, overcome more difficulties step by step, and meet more challenges.
That's how you live a meaningful life, so you don't fall into a state of emptiness. If you lie around for too long, you'll definitely feel empty and want to find something to do.
Just like children on summer vacation, they are overjoyed at the beginning of summer vacation, but after playing for two months, they also want to go back to school and live a regular and purposeful life.
Why do so many people miss their school days after graduating and starting work? It's not because school was such a happy time, but because only in school can you reap what you sow.
The improvement in grades is tangible and visible. As long as you work hard and study, you can make progress and earn praise from teachers and classmates.
In society, however, gaining honor and rising in status is not so simple or easy.
Some people become despondent and never recover after a setback.
Some people simply don't take setbacks and frustrations seriously. This mindset is more conducive to facing difficulties in life and to accepting more challenges.
Li Jianzhi: "Think about it, I think you're naturally suited for more challenging work!"
Qin Xiangxiang: "?"
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