Chapter 117
Among the 1958 graduates of the Provincial University, two were assigned to the Provincial Department of Industry.
One is Ye Manzhi, and the other is Wu Jie, a transfer student from the Economics Department.
As for the Department of Industrial Economics, due to the small number of graduates and the shortage of talent, most graduates entered the industrial system, some went to provincial and municipal agencies, and some went to large factories.
The other two transferred students in Class 1, Bian Queqiao was assigned to the heavy machinery factory, and Chen Teye went to the Binjiang Municipal Industrial Bureau.
Just looking at where Chen Teye is going, it's actually pretty good.
But everything is afraid of comparison.
The heavy machinery factory is a unit directly under the central government. The country is vigorously developing heavy industry, and a large amount of resources are tilted towards it. The welfare benefits of factory cadres are much better than those of provincial and municipal government cadres. The apples distributed by the factory during the New Year and other festivals are a lot bigger than those distributed elsewhere.
Not to mention the benefits of working in a provincial department.
Chen Teye said sourly, "Our Factory Director Xiao Ye will soon be a provincial leader, our immediate superior at the Municipal Bureau. I'll have to ask for your continued care in the future!"
"Stop being so jealous!" Ye Manzhi pointed out while peeling peanuts. "Chen Tie, I'm not saying anything bad about you, but the first year you entered university, you were busy making steel all day and didn't even study your academic subjects. You've done such an outstanding job in student affairs. If your grades were any better, the Provincial Department of Industry would definitely have called on you!"
After their class's assignments were all decided, the class organized a tea party.
Everyone didn't have enough food and meat coupons, and they were unable to prepare a farewell dinner for 30 people. So they used the last of the class funds to buy some peanuts, melon seeds, and fruit candies. Everyone brought their own tea and had a tea party in the classroom.
Graduation is imminent, and Chen Teye doesn't mind sharing a few heartfelt words with his classmates. "The year I sat in a university classroom was almost ten years after I graduated from high school, and I've long forgotten all the knowledge I learned before. I'm content with what I've learned in these four years."
Bian Queqiao said, "Our situations are similar, but graduation marks a new starting point. Whether you end up working in a provincial department, a municipal bureau, or a factory like me, we're all the same. We should strive to contribute more to our country!"
"What you said makes sense, but starting points vary!" Chen Teye once again displayed his ability to get to know people. "Over in the provincial departments, even section chiefs are rare. Section chiefs and deputy section chiefs are everywhere. As long as they meet the required number of years, deputy section chiefs can be directly promoted to section chief. Although most provincial units are now streamlining their organizations and abolishing departments, if you get promoted, you can become the director of my old unit."
Ye Manzhi rolled her eyes unceremoniously. "I'm only a deputy section chief now, and we transfer students get paid while we're in college, and our seniority is also counted towards our salary. Do you think I could become a deputy director if I went to your old unit?"
"It's definitely not possible now. I'm just using an analogy."
"According to you, all the cadres in the provincial department are qualified to become directors or deputy directors of local bureaus. Why don't they go?" Ye Manzhi grabbed a handful of melon seeds and gave them to him. "Chen Tie, just be content! You can be transferred from the District Industrial Bureau to the Municipal Bureau after graduating from university. Maybe you can become Section Chief Chen soon. When you become a section chief, I will still be doing odd jobs in the government office!"
Chen Teye chuckled and said, "Let me borrow your good words."
Bian Queqiao thought he was being too opportunistic, but he didn't say anything to him. Instead, he stood up and said to the whole class, "I've been the Party Secretary of our class for four years. My classmates will soon go their separate ways, to different parts of the country. I want to share a few words from my heart."
"We welcome the branch secretary to say a few words to us!" Ye Manzhi led the applause.
Bian Queqiao smiled and said, "Over the past four years, everyone has studied and worked very hard. Even someone like me with average academic performance has given it my all. I believe I have lived up to the words on my admission letter: 'Accepting the important and glorious educational mission entrusted to me by my motherland!'"
"You are all about to embark on brand new jobs. Most of you in my class have never worked before. I want to tell you that our motherland has nurtured this class of university students. Not only does it not charge tuition, but it also provides us with scholarships or salaries. So, you must be prepared to serve the people and dedicate yourself to the motherland! Don't worry too much. As long as you work hard and contribute to the cause of socialism, your leaders will always see your achievements!"
The whole class applauded.
After her speech, Ye Manzhi offered tea instead of wine and raised her glass to the students. She continued, "It's a little early to say this now, but several of my classmates will be leaving school and heading off to new jobs on the very day of their graduation ceremony. So, I wanted to take this opportunity to say a few words to you all."
Zhao Jinhua and Xu Hongdou clapped their hands. "Director Ye, please give the speech!"
"Haha, I'm not Deputy Director Ye today. Everything has a beginning and an end. I want to be the original monitor Ye again. When we first entered school, the identities of our classmates were quite complicated. There were transferred students, new graduates, and students from previous years. But when we graduated, we were all classmates in Class 1, Grade 58, Department of Industrial Economics, Provincial University! Over the past four years, our class has elected a total of four monitors and four deputy monitors. I hope that in the future, no matter who our monitors are, whenever there is a chance, they will organize everyone to get together. Students from other places can get together in other places, and local students can get together in their local area, and often report on their current situation!"
"The results of our class's graduation assignments are on file with me and the Party Secretary. Some students have even left me their home addresses and phone numbers. I'll make a contact book and send it to everyone in the next few days. I hope everyone can stay in touch and don't get separated. If anyone changes jobs, please write to me and the Party Secretary to let us know. We can serve as a transit point for everyone. If you encounter difficulties in work or life, or have any obstacles that you can't overcome, you can also write to us. Three cobblers are better than Zhuge Liang. With 30 students in our class, we can always find a way to deal with it!"
Chen Teye interjected, "Ye Manzhi is right. Friendship is precious. Whether it's good news or bad news, we often share our latest updates. I'm also working in Binjiang, so classmates can also write to me!"
Ye Manzhi smiled and said, "Yes, if the male classmates are worried about being questioned by their wives about why they always write letters to female classmates after they get married, they can inform Secretary Chen of the latest situation!"
"Ha ha ha ha……"
Ye Manzhi concluded by saying, "When we enrolled in 1958, Bian Queqiao and I were the first to register at school. We greeted most of our classmates. Now that we're about to graduate, Secretary Bian and I have decided to see every student off, especially those who work out of town and need to leave by train. After you've booked your tickets, tell me your departure time. I'll borrow a horse-drawn carriage and take you all to the station!"
*
The farewell carriage was borrowed by Ye Manzhi from her fifth brother.
She had learned to drive before, but hadn't used it for several years so her movements were a little rusty.
The fifth brother accompanied her out to practice driving the carriage every night, and even went to the train station to calculate the time required for the round trip.
"How about I help you drive the car? I'm still worried about you driving alone."
"It's okay. My classmates have different departure dates, and you still have to go to work. How can you afford to make these trips all the time?" Ye Manzhi said confidently. "My driving skills are already very good!"
After the graduation ceremony, when everyone received their diplomas, the students really went their separate ways.
Ye Manzhi, Bian Queqiao and Chen Teye drove a horse-drawn carriage to take their classmates to the train station and bus station.
Ye Manzhi is a very sentimental person. Every time she says goodbye, she cries with red eyes on the platform.
When bidding farewell to their roommate Liang Ning, the five roommates hugged each other and cried bitterly on the platform.
Although she does not stay in the dormitory overnight, she will go back to the dormitory for lunch at noon and has a good relationship with her roommates.
Liang Ning was assigned back to his hometown in the south. The two were thousands of miles apart, and they might never have the chance to meet again in this life.
Ye Manzhi was sobbing.
Chen Teye couldn't stand the female classmate crying and couldn't help but persuade her: "Who said there won't be a chance to meet in the future? Wait until everyone goes to work in a big company in Beijing, and then we can meet anytime!"
Several girls stopped and turned around to stare at him.
"Secretary Chen, you have such great ambitions!"
Bian Queqiao couldn't stand it any longer and said what he wanted to say for a long time: "Chen Teye, you are just a power-hungry person!"
…
After sending the last classmate out of school, Ye Manzhi went home with two swollen eyes.
During this period, she came back with red eyes almost every day.
Wu Zhengrong tried to persuade him at first, but later found that it was useless.
His wife is a faucet spirit in every sense of the word. When her emotions get rife, she can't control them.
Wu Zhengrong simply stopped trying to persuade her and instead used this incident to teach his daughter a lesson.
Maybe because he always stays with his great-grandparents, the child eats very slowly.
The old man chewed his food slowly, and so did she. A small bowl of rice would take her more than half an hour to finish, and sometimes she would even shake her head and hum a song while eating.
The couple planned to send their daughter to kindergarten after Ye Manzhi went to work at the Provincial Department of Industry.
Her slow eating habits not only delayed her parents from going to their early shifts, but also caused trouble for the kindergarten teacher.
Wu Zhengrong felt that this was a sign of inattention, so he took advantage of Ye Lai Ya's swollen eyes these days to get his daughter to change her habit of dawdling while eating.
Comrade Wu Yuzhuo, who is about to turn three, is no longer so easy to fool.
"Mom cries outside, not at home."
What she meant was that she wasn't the one who made her mother cry. She was very well behaved and it had nothing to do with her.
Wu Zhengrong always treated her as an ignorant little kid, especially when she couldn't speak and needed constant care and protection from adults.
Unexpectedly, in just a few months, his daughter had developed her own judgment.
Wu Zhengrong stopped trying to fool her with childish rhetoric. She stroked her pigtails and said, "You didn't make me cry, but if you ate faster every time, I'd be very happy."
Wu Yuzhuo pursed his lips as he untied the Nine Links without saying anything. However, when he ate dinner, he sped up his pace a little. After finishing his meal, he turned around and asked, "Mom, are you happy?"
Ye Manzhi was unaware of the private conversation between the father and daughter, and nodded habitually, "I'm happy!"
"Then can I sleep with you today?" Wu Yuzhuo asked again.
Ye Manzhi looked at her in surprise, then looked at the military representative whose expression suddenly turned cloudy, and nodded again, saying, "Okay."
Wu Zhengrong: “…”
This child is no longer worth leaving alone. He has even learned to take advantage of the situation to fish in troubled waters.
He let his daughter ride the wooden horse in the yard, and said to Ye Lai Ya alone, "She's almost three years old. Can she move out and live on her own?"
"Her birthday is July 1st, so she's not even three yet. Why let her sleep alone when she's so young?"
Ye Manzhi couldn't bear to leave her daughter.
Youyan stopped sleeping with them when she was two years old. She had her own small bed placed in the corner not far from the big bed.
If he hums at night, his parents can hear it.
Wu Zhengrong frowned and said, "Three years old isn't too young. I already had memories when I was two or three..."
"Well, then I'll clean up the reception room, and when she goes to kindergarten, I'll let her sleep alone in the little room."
Ye Manzhi didn't dare to take any chances. They worked two days a week and rested one day a week all year round. Her daughter's father was a precocious child. If the child took after him, she would definitely have to sleep alone.
While the couple was planning to let their three-year-old child live alone, they were also preparing for Ye Manzhi to report to the new unit.
The notice required her to report to the unit on July 16.
Ye Manzhi originally thought that Ye Shouxin would arrange a big celebration for her. After all, when he just learned that she was going to work in the province, Old Ye drank a pound of white liquor and knocked himself down.
Moreover, when Zhou Mu was assigned to work at Binjiang No. 2 Machinery Factory last year, Deputy Director Zhou also celebrated for his son.
But this time, Old Ye had no intention of celebrating for her.
Not only did he not celebrate, he also privately told her not to show off unless asked.
She is now going to work at a provincial unit. If someone asks her to do something, will she do it?
Neither her parents' family nor her husband's family has a say in the provincial government, so she has to rely on herself for her future work.
Balabala gave her instructions for half an hour, the main idea being to let her be careful with her words and actions at work, to keep a low profile, and not to think that she could get away with being cocky just because she joined a big company.
With a lot of instructions in mind, Ye Manzhi wore a clean shirt and leather shoes and officially reported to his new unit on July 16, 1962.
In fact, she is no stranger to the Provincial Department of Industry.
As early as three years ago, when she heard that her senior Huang Zhiqiang was transferred to the Ministry of Industry, she secretly coveted a job in the Ministry of Industry.
I have passed by the door of the Industrial Department many times in recent years.
Ye Manzhi adjusted the collar of her shirt, then took out a small mirror from her bag and checked her hairstyle.
After making sure she looked very decent, she showed her check-in card to the guard and walked into the gray three-story building as calmly as possible.
The Personnel Department was on the first floor. When she asked around and went there, she saw Wu Jie from the Economics Department of the same school standing in the office chatting with a young female comrade.
Seeing Ye Manzhi coming over, he greeted Ye Manzhi with a smile and introduced her to the female comrade - Comrade Liu from the Personnel Department.
Hearing him address the other person as Comrade Liu, Ye Manzhi was basically certain that Wu Jie had just met this person, and the fact that they were chatting so enthusiastically just now was probably just a habit of building a relationship.
Wu Jie is a prominent figure in the provincial university. He is a cadre student, looks energetic, and is also the vice president of the school student union.
Ye Manzhi had met him several times before and felt that he and Chen Teye were the same type of people, both of whom were more scheming and nosy, but he had the advantage in physiognomy, and he was also very versatile and good at talking, and not offensive.
Ye Manzhi was not surprised at all that the other party could get along well with the comrades in the Personnel Department.
She took out her registration materials and went to the Personnel Department to complete the entry procedures.
Then he stood with Wu Jie, waiting to be assigned to the relevant department.
According to Comrade Liu, the Provincial Department of Industry only recruited five new comrades this year.
Two are from the Provincial University, one is from the School of Finance and Economics, one is from the School of Metallurgy, and one is from the School of Light Industry and Textiles.
Upon hearing this, Ye Manzhi and Wu Jie looked at each other in surprise.
The Provincial University and the College of Finance and Economics are both undergraduate colleges, the Metallurgical College is a junior college, and the Light Industry and Textile College seems to be a technical secondary school, right?
I didn't expect that technical secondary school students could be assigned to the Provincial Department of Industry.
A technical secondary school diploma is not low, and is even better than a high school diploma. However, when the Industrial Department only recruits five people, the other party can still squeeze in, which shows that he may not be simple.
The five people quickly completed the registration procedures, and Director Sun of the Personnel Department informed them of the departments to which they were assigned.
Wu Jie was assigned to the Planning Department, Lei Baocai from the School of Finance and Economics went to the Finance Department, and Shi Wensheng from the School of Metallurgy went to the Comprehensive Section 1 of the Heavy Industry Department.
Before Ye Manzhi could be surprised that there was a department in the Heavy Industry Department, she heard Director Sun call her name and asked her to go to the Chemical and Light Industry Department, Comprehensive Section 3.
The last one, Shen Lina from the Light Industry and Textile College, was assigned to the office.
Several newcomers calmly accepted the organization's assignment, except Shen Li Na.
After hearing the assignment result, Shen Li Na stood there for a while. When Director Sun was about to give induction training to the newcomers, she suddenly asked, "Director Sun, did you make a mistake about where I'm going?"
Director Sun glanced at the form in his hand and said in a normal tone, "I'm not mistaken. This is how the organization allocated it. Do you have any objections?"
Shen Lina glanced at Ye Manzhi, hesitated for a long time, and then shook her head and said, "No."
Ye Manzhi was baffled by that look, but then she thought that the other party graduated from the Light Industry and Textile College, so she probably thought that he would be assigned to the Chemical and Light Industry Department according to his major.
But how can it be possible for graduation assignments to ensure that everyone has the perfect match for their major?
Some students from the Department of Industrial Economics were even assigned to the supply and marketing cooperatives!
Ye Manzhi didn't take this little episode seriously. After completing the on-the-job training, Director Sun sent her to the Chemical and Light Industry Department on the second floor.
"Director Xia, I've brought Comrade Ye Manzhi from your Light Chemical Department!"
Xia Zhujun shook hands with both of them in succession. "I've been waiting for you to send me someone. Our department is short-staffed, and I wish you could send me talent every day!"
"Haha, this is the only time this year. If you want more talent, you'll have to wait until next spring."
Xia Zhujun smiled and said, "If there are no college students, we can borrow a few from below!"
"Haha, I'll mention this to my boss later." Director Sun was afraid that she would ask him for people again, so he made an excuse to send other comrades to report, so he said hello and left.
Xia Zhujun called out from the office, "Old Sun, let's chat for a while."
Director Sun waved his hand and left without looking back.
After the other person's back quickly disappeared through the door, Xia Zhujun looked at Ye Manzhi and asked, "You just started working. Is your family settled? Do you have a place to live now? Do you need a dormitory provided by the company?"
Ye Manzhi smiled and said, "Director, my family is from Binjiang. I'm currently living in a house allocated by my wife's work unit. I don't need to bother the department for the time being."
Director Xia nodded slightly, introduced her to two deputy directors, and called out "Zhao Guilin" to another office.
A man in his thirties quickly ran out of the office and asked with a smile, "Boss, what good news can you bring to me?"
"Well, this is really good news! We've got talent coming to your Comprehensive Three Departments!" Xia Zhujun introduced. "This is Comrade Ye Manzhi, a top graduate from the Industrial Economics Department of the Provincial University. He previously served as deputy director of a neighborhood committee and also as deputy director of a machinery factory affiliated with the Provincial University's Industrial Economics Department for two years. Although young, he has extensive work experience. I've got talent coming to your Comprehensive Three Departments, so you've got to make some great achievements this year!"
Then he introduced to Ye Manzhi, "This is the chief of your Comprehensive Section 3, Zhao Guilin."
Seeing that she was so clear about her resume, Ye Manzhi knew that the other party might have already known about her situation before the personnel department assigned her.
Director Sun from the Personnel Department brought her here just as a formality.
Ye Manzhi suppressed her surprise and greeted Section Chief Zhao Guilin.
Section Chief Zhao is not tall, has a round face and narrow eyes. When he smiles and talks, his eyes narrow into a curved slit.
This person will be my immediate superior from now on.
Section Chief Zhao narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Great, great! I've been looking forward to adding more staff to Comprehensive Section 3!"
"Well, this time we've finally assigned a college student like you. You have to thoroughly grasp the work of the three comprehensive subjects!"
Zhao Guilin narrowed his eyes and expressed his determination to his leader, then took the person back to the office of Comprehensive Department 3.
There were only three people in the office - He Ping, an inspector in his forties, Wang Qin, a deputy section-level cadre in his thirties, and Peng Jiayin, a 28-year-old female cadre.
Apart from this, there is no one else.
Zhao Guilin gave a brief introduction to several people, and then handed Ye Manzhi to the only female comrade, Peng Jiayin, and asked her to take Ye Manzhi to collect meal tickets and office supplies.
Since entering the office building of the Industrial Department, Ye Manzhi has been passed around several times.
First, he went to the Personnel Department, and then was transferred to Director Xia by Director Sun, and then to the Section Chief by the Director, and now he was transferred to Peng Jiayin by the Section Chief.
She silently memorized the names and positions of these people in her mind, fearing that she had remembered them wrongly.
Fortunately, Peng Jiayin is an enthusiastic and talkative female comrade. She was the only female in the office before, and it was said that the male colleagues could not get along with her.
This time, with Ye Manzhi, the department finally has a female comrade to keep us company.
In the first few days, she took Ye Manzhi to the cafeteria to eat.
Comrade Xiao Ye, who had just arrived, truly felt the warmth of the collective.
That day, when coming out of the cafeteria, Ye Manzhi ran into Su Rui, a senior from the same department who was one year older than her.
"How's it going? Are you adjusting to your new unit?"
"It's pretty good. The colleagues in the department are easy to get along with."
Su Rui smiled and said, "We were all easy to get along with at first, but as we got to know each other better, we could see each other's true abilities. By the way, I heard you offended someone right after you reported to the company?"
Ye Manzhi didn't react for a moment. After a while, she realized what she was talking about. Thinking that Wu Jie and she were in the same department, she couldn't help but laugh and said, "Did Wu Jie tell you that? Why is he so quick-witted?"
Su Rui, who had much more experience with mechanisms than she did, warned, "Don't take it lightly! Be careful!"
Ye Manzhi said nonchalantly, "Isn't the office better than the departments down below? If you perform well, you can become a secretary to the director or deputy director, reporting directly to the top. Isn't that better than toiling away down there?"
The chief of Comprehensive Section 3 is so young, and the director of the Chemical and Light Industry Department is also quite young.
Ye Manzhi felt that there was no hope of promotion for him in the next few years.
"What are you thinking? That Shen Li Na is a female comrade, and usually only female directors would hire her as a secretary. But Deputy Director Guo already has a secretary, so she can only do odd jobs in the office. If she can ask directly if there is a mistake, she must have contacted you about this vacancy in Comprehensive Section 3 long ago!"
Ye Manzhi was stunned when he heard this, "No way?"
"Why not? In our department, only the Heavy Industry Department and the Chemical and Light Industry Department have departments. All other departments have been abolished. If small cadres like us want to take on leadership positions, we have to wait until we reach the deputy department level. But you two departments will have the opportunity to become section chiefs once you reach the level of section chief." Su Rui whispered, "Besides, your department heads are women, and one of your deputy department heads is in poor health and will soon retire. Maybe a position will be vacant one day. Zhao Guilin is a graduate of the first batch of universities after the liberation. He is very capable. If a position really becomes vacant, he will probably be able to move up. You'd better be careful not to get targeted..."
Ye Manzhi: “…”
Oh my God, she thought she would have to suffer for several more years before she would have a chance to succeed.
If it is really as her senior sister said, then she will be targeted. She has to do her best!
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