Chapter 128
The fourth brother took on the surveillance mission assigned by his younger sister.
Following the principle of taking advantage of every opportunity, after getting the bath ticket, he first went to the agency's bathhouse to take a long bath, and then started thinking about finding someone.
He glanced at Ye Lai Ya's colleague from a distance yesterday. He was a middle-aged man wearing glasses, a black gabardine cotton jacket, a pair of navy blue sleeves, a brown hat and scarf.
According to Ye Lai Ya, the other party has been coming to the bathhouse more frequently recently, and every time he comes, he brings a Double Happiness enamel washbasin.
Fourth Brother thought, this level of surveillance is really not difficult at all!
Nowadays, people usually only have one outfit when they go out, so he can never be wrong just by staring at the other person's clothes!
Sure enough, on the evening of the third day, he saw Director He at the door of the bathhouse.
The fourth brother quickly put the half-eaten beef patty into his pocket and followed him into the bathtub with his bathing utensils.
The men's section has showers and a large pool.
He thought that if the other party really made an appointment to discuss something here, they would definitely have to sit in the bathtub to talk.
The sound of the shower water just covers up the sound of conversation.
Fourth brother had anticipated this and sat in the bathtub in advance to wait.
However, Director He did not come to take a bath in the pool. He washed under the shower for a few minutes and then squatted on the ground, scrubbing the things in the washbasin.
Fourth brother watched him wash his underwear, two sweaters and two sheets.
After taking another shower under the shower, Director He went out with the basin to change his clothes. Apart from nodding and greeting acquaintances, he did not communicate with anyone throughout the whole process.
Fourth Brother: “???”
What's going on?
Is Ye Lai Ya overthinking it?
His sister has been very smart since she was a child. In order to avoid working at home, she has been able to study at school all the time.
She would brag about getting seventh place as if she got first place, and successfully get some pocket money from Old Ye.
A fool like him would rather go home and work in order to avoid going to school, and if he doesn't do his job well, he will be despised by Old Ye.
The fourth brother shed a few bitter tears for himself, quickly put on his clothes, and followed He Ping out.
He felt that there was no need to keep an eye on her. She went to the bathhouse frequently, perhaps just to wash clothes. Washing sheets and quilts with hot water was indeed more comfortable than at home.
He walked towards the bus station, and happened to be going the same way as He Ping, so he walked leisurely behind him.
After walking a few steps, he saw a middle-aged man coming out of the alley next to him and stopping Director He.
The man was holding a bulging flowered bag, obviously wanting to give it to him.
But Director He held the washbasin in both hands, shook his head seriously and refused. He chatted with the other party for a long time, and only said goodbye and left after his washed socks were frozen solid.
When he was about to reach the bus station, another young man stopped him with the same bulging bag, and Director He rejected it again.
Fourth Brother thought that it was not easy to give a gift. There were many people in the Industrial Department’s staff quarters and they were all gossipy. These people did not dare to go to the leader’s house to give gifts, so they could only wait in traffic, waiting for several hours in the coldest weather, but in the end the leader still refused to accept the gifts.
Well, there are advantages to not having a job.
No suffering, no worries!
The fourth brother felt that there was nothing left for him to do and he could just tell the girl about the situation at the weekend.
I didn't go to the bathhouse to watch people for the next two days.
When Shen Liangmei got home from get off work, she saw that he hadn't left the house. She couldn't help but ask curiously, "Didn't Lai Ya ask you to help? It's already so late, why are you still at home?"
"No need to go, she just thinks too much." It was freezing outside, and the fourth brother was too lazy to go out.
"You have to use up your shower tickets first," Shen Liangmei was very convinced of her college sister-in-law. "You want Lai Ya and your brother-in-law to find you a job, right? This is your chance to show off..."
"Even if I don't show off, she still has to find a job for me, her brother!"
"Haha, then you should just stay home." Shen Liangmei reminded him, "Our son Maiduo is about to go to middle school. Don't wait until your son has a job while you are still unemployed!"
“…”
"Also, you weren't home when the resident group leader came to your house to take the count a couple of days ago. Now, all unemployed men aged 16-50 must register."
Ye Mangui suddenly felt something was wrong and asked cautiously, "Why are they registering this?"
The last time we mobilized everyone to seize coal, we did some registration.
"I heard they're selecting some young people to go to some agricultural technical school. They'll pay them 15 yuan a month, half studying and half doing farm work. It's in Honglian Township, over 80 miles from Guangming Commune. 15 yuan isn't a small amount. Do you want to go?"
Shen Liangmei was tempted by the 15 yuan, but was reluctant to let Mangui go to the countryside to suffer.
She came from the countryside and knew very well how tiring the work in the fields was.
"What kind of agricultural technical school is that? Isn't that just a rural area?" The fourth brother shook his head. "I'm not going. I'm already thirty, how can I still be considered a young person? Let the young people go."
He squatted on the ground and thought for a while. He really had to find a proper job quickly, otherwise every time he encountered good things like seizing coal and going to the countryside, there would always be people keeping an eye on him!
Ye Mangui put on his cotton jacket and decided to continue watching the bathhouse. His job search would ultimately depend on the girl.
However, Director He doesn't take a shower every day. Today he only saw Director He near the station when he just got off work.
The other person was accompanied by a middle-aged man of similar age. The two of them talked while crossing the road and entering a small park opposite.
In his heart, he actually had some awe for the officials of these big government offices, but after seeing them washing bed sheets with their bare buttocks, that awe dissipated a lot.
Now he followed the two of them and walked into the small park opposite.
The two men's conversation didn't seem pleasant, and their expressions were heavy. When he made a detour to approach Shansong behind them, he heard the unfamiliar man say, "Because of this incident, our factory's eligibility for the evaluation has been revoked. The factory leaders are very angry, and Director Niu even made me make a public self-criticism. Brother Ping, can you help us think of a way to participate in the provincial excellence evaluation?"
He Ping said: "This is the decision of the department leadership, and the evaluation committee is not only composed of comrades from our Industry Department, but also comrades from other units. It is difficult to withdraw a decision that has been announced."
"What should I do? Because of the gift-giving incident, I'm in a very passive position in the factory. Old Chen will retire in two years, and I was thinking of applying for the position of deputy factory director. But after this incident, I'll be lucky if I can retire peacefully as the head of the supply and marketing department."
Even an outsider like Fourth Brother could hear the anger and complaints in his words, and He Ping could hear it even more clearly.
"Old Liu, don't get upset for now. Although you made a mistake in giving gifts, you were doing it for the public good, right? You gave Ye Manzhi a gift not for personal reasons, but for the official business of the food factory!"
"If I had bribed for personal reasons, I would have been fired from the factory long ago!"
"That's right. As long as you insist that you gave gifts out of public interest and for the good of the food factory, no one can do anything to you. At most, you're doing something good with bad intentions," He Ping soothed. "Publicly admitting to giving gifts isn't your fault. You honestly admit your mistake. Can anyone say you did anything wrong? You're just too straightforward. You answer whatever the leader asks. If the committee hadn't suddenly wanted to make an example of you and updated the 'Evaluation Regulations', both you and the food factory would have gotten away with it."
Liu Sheng kicked the tree trunk next to him in frustration. "What should I do now? I'm already a criminal in the food factory. Everyone in the factory is very dissatisfied with me. If this continues, what hope do I have?"
He Ping continued to comfort him, "Old Liu, don't just focus on the immediate gains and losses when doing things! You need to have a long-term vision! Back when you were doing odd jobs in the Supply and Marketing Department, could you have imagined that you would be promoted to deputy section chief because of a small improvement in the procurement process? I was able to set you up as a role model back then, so I can naturally help you think of other solutions now."
"If you have any ideas, just tell me now..."
Ye Mangui also wanted to hear what he had to say, but his ears were already perked up when He Ping put his arm around his shoulder and said, "Let's not stand here in the cold. Let's find a place to have a few drinks. We haven't had a drink together in a long time. It's my treat today!"
After saying that, the two of them stepped on the snow and pine needles and left the small park one after another.
Ye Mangui reached into his coat pocket, fumbled around and took out a few banknotes. After counting them carefully, he found a total of 46 cents.
What can you eat at a state-owned restaurant with this little money?
He still had to save a dime for the bus ride home.
*
After Ye Manzhi received the tip-off from his fourth brother, he was so furious that his hair stood on end.
"How could this He Ping be so shameless? I have no grudge against him, so why would he hire someone to use such a despicable trick?"
The fact that He Ping was able to hide in the park and appease Liu Sheng in a gentle manner must be related to the gift he gave her.
Otherwise, why would he be so kind, giving guidance and trying to find a solution for Liu Sheng?
Wu Zhengrong rested his head on her legs and discussed this with her in a good-tempered manner: "Commissioner Xiaoye, why don't you shave today? We can talk about it after you calm down."
Seeing the razor swinging back and forth above him, Wu Zhengrong felt that it was not a good day to shave.
"No need to wait until another day. Look how unkempt you are! I'll shave you clean today!"
Institute 1062 had just been established, and the director brought a research project from the Military Academy to the institute, hoping that they would continue to follow up on the project.
However, while in Beijing, Wu Zhengrong heard from a researcher who had just visited the UK that the mainstream of computer development internationally was now fully transistorized. While China was still developing vacuum tube computers, he felt that the institute should halt its current projects and focus on transistorized computers to catch up with the international mainstream.
He has been working overtime at the company recently and has stayed in the lab for a week straight.
When I returned home again, my lips were dry, my beard was unshaven, and I looked like a savage.
Ye Manzhi's instep was stretched straight and his sap was overflowing from the savage's beard. After the clouds cleared and the rain stopped, he personally took a razor to shave him.
She straightened the man's face, applied fine soap foam on it, held his chin with one hand and the razor with the other, and moved carefully.
He grumbled, "I guessed it a long time ago. It must have something to do with someone in our office. Haha, it really is He Ping! He was once a deputy section chief. Why would he pick on a youngster like me?"
Wu Zhengrong closed his eyes to avoid being accidentally injured by the razor, and only let his lips move slightly. "Back then, your section chief was probably just a youngster in his eyes. He's underestimated the enemy once, so he can't help but learn from it, right?"
His words were not a consolation, they just suggested a possibility.
But Ye Manzhi's thinking process was very different from that of ordinary people. After hearing his words, she was actually comforted. She hummed with a hint of joy: "He has good taste, I think I am no worse than Zhao Guilin."
Wu Zhengrong: “…”
Ye Manzhi pressed his trembling chest and angrily said, "What are you laughing at? Don't laugh! Be careful or I'll scratch your chin!"
Wu Zhengrong, whose throat was being strangled, stopped laughing and asked in a serious tone, "Do you need my help with this?"
If Ye Lai Ya had not been careful and handed over the gift, He Ping might have really figured it out.
A young cadre was involved in a bribery scandal right after arriving at the unit, which is a lifelong stain and his future is basically over.
"This is a matter at my unit. How can you help me?" Ye Manzhi stretched out her fingers and touched his long eyelashes, then continued to use the razor to shave him.
"I can help you beat him up."
Upon hearing this, Ye Manzhi let out an "Ah" in a daze.
As if afraid that she hadn't heard clearly, Wu Zhengrong repeated, "I can help you beat him up and let you vent your anger."
"Oh my god, what a ridiculous idea! We don't allow fighting in our unit. If you hurt someone, you have to pay compensation. I won't hit him!"
The key point is that they have no legitimate reason, and she cannot provide evidence to prove that He Ping instructed Liu Sheng to give her gifts.
If they really beat someone up, they would be the ones who were in the wrong.
Wu Zhengrong laughed: "Aren't you furious? Beating him up is the best way to relieve your anger."
"No, no, don't do that! I'm not really that angry. They didn't really do anything to me anyway. I'll just be more careful next time."
Although Wu Zhengrong worked in civilian jobs, he was a soldier after all. Ye Manzhi was afraid that he would really use such a simple and crude method to avenge her, so she quickly changed the subject and said, "Hey, we recently went to sample those companies that applied for provincial excellence. Guess what?"
Seeing that she was no longer angry, Wu Zhengrong answered cooperatively: "Did all the samples pass?"
"Yes, I just feel something is wrong. After I arrived at the Industry Department, I was responsible for resolving issues raised in letters from the public. From July to now, it's been almost five months, right? Every month, there are complaints about the quality of light industrial products. There are so many substandard products on the market, but how come they are all qualified when they arrive at the factory? Even if they applied for provincial excellence, they can't be this good, right?"
Wu Zhengrong asked, "Did you inform the company in advance about your sampling?"
"This is a crucial part of the review process. The applicant companies have long been aware of this. It doesn't matter whether we notify them or not." Ye Manzhi lowered her head slightly and helped him shave the stubble on his chin. "When you were a military representative, weren't you responsible for inspecting the quality of military products? How did you take samples back then? Do you have any good methods you can share?"
His breath tickled his Adam's apple. Wu Zhengrong paused for a moment before clearing his throat and saying, "Don't let anyone lead you by the nose. Just ask to go to another warehouse for sampling. The warehouse the company leader takes you to may have been arranged in advance."
"After I discovered the problem, every time I went to take samples from the company, I was asked to change the warehouse. But the sampled products had to be brought back for testing and were not unpacked on the spot. I always suspected that they switched the items during the transportation process." Ye Manzhi helped him scrape off the last bit of foam and wiped his chin with a towel.
"Then when you go to sample again, you can bring a stamp and put it on the box you draw."
"Well, that's a good trick! You professionals have to have a way!"
Ye Manzhi patted his smooth chin, then put her five fingers into his hair, gently pressing his scalp to help him relax.
"How is it? My technique is pretty good, right?"
Wu Zhengrong had been working overtime recently and was indeed a little tired. He didn't want to move after resting his head on her legs.
The comfortable massage on the top of his head made him drowsy. Just when he was about to say that it was very comfortable and he would massage her next time, his comrade Wu Yuzhuo, who was covered tightly like a ball, ran in from outside, followed by several comrades from the neighborhood committee.
Hearing the noise, the couple quickly sat up from the bed. Ye Manzhi put on a cotton jacket and went to the yard to welcome the guests.
"Xiao Ye, is your Director Wu at home?" asked Director Zhao from the neighborhood committee.
"Yes, I've been working overtime at the company for a few days. I just got back today."
Ye Manzhi lifted the cotton door curtain and warmly invited people into the living room.
"No need to pour the tea," Director Zhao stopped her from picking up the kettle and said with a smile, "Didn't your family sign up for the 'Patriotic Hygiene Campaign' last time? We're here to check your hygiene!"
"Oh, then everyone feel free to check it out."
Ye Manzhi has always actively participated in activities of the street and neighborhood committee. The last time the leader of the residents' group came to the courtyard to mobilize, she was the first to sign up.
The Patriotic Health Campaign evaluation requires that there be no rat holes, no coal ash, no garbage in the house, bedpans be cleaned promptly without any residue, and tableware be clean and disinfected.
It is difficult for ordinary families to ensure that there is no coal ash in winter, after all, they need to make fire for heating and cooking every day.
But they had just moved in, so their house was quite tidy, and they rarely cooked at home.
Wu Zhengrong made an extra-large honeycomb coal stove. After the honeycomb coal was burned, it was left directly in the stove and only needed to be cleaned every two or three days.
Therefore, there is no accumulation of coal ash in the house.
After inspecting his yard and house, several members of the neighborhood committee were very satisfied with the family's hygiene.
Director Zhao said, "Xiao Ye, our street has two spots for city-level health activists. Each neighborhood committee can nominate three people. I'd like to nominate your Wu."
"ah?"
How did it get involved with Wu Zhengrong?
When Ye Manzhi was puzzled, she heard Director Zhao say, "Your daughter told us that Chief Wu has very good personal hygiene habits and takes a bath every day!"
She lowered her gaze to look at Comrade Wu Yuzhuo, who was smiling secretly.
This young comrade wore her hat, scarf and gloves well, but her cotton-padded jacket was covered with pear blossoms, so she could only fasten the bottom two buttons of her cotton-padded jacket.
Although it was a bit cold with her arms open, she had natural fur!
Ye Manzhi picked up the kitten that was looking around and gave her daughter a look, asking her to explain what happened herself.
"Yiyi said her father doesn't wash his feet, and neither does her brother. All men smell bad," said Wu Yuzhuo proudly. "I said my father bathes every day, and he smells good, not smelly at all!"
Director Zhao explained at the right moment: "We first went to Director Zhou's home. Actually, the environment was quite clean. It was just that his daughter complained to us that he didn't pay much attention to personal hygiene."
Ye Manzhi: “…”
What this means is that the neighborhood committee originally wanted to recommend Zhou Suo, but Zhou Suo was reported by his own daughter for having poor personal hygiene.
Then Wu Zhengrong's daughter took the opportunity to help him get the recommendation spot for the "Municipal Health Activist"?
However, Wu Zhengrong may not want others to know that he takes a shower every day.
Men are actually quite strange. For someone like Zhou who doesn't wash his feet, everyone is used to it and no one seems to say anything. But for someone like Wu who pays so much attention to hygiene, it is likely to become a topic of conversation in the compound.
Wu Zhengrong really doesn't want to be a hygiene activist. When it comes to personal hygiene, Ye Lai Ya is even cleaner than him.
He felt that he did not deserve the title of activist.
Therefore, when the neighborhood committee director asked for his opinion, he said without hesitation: "Director Zhao, the cleanest person in my family is Comrade Xiaoye. I use her bath water."
Ye Manzhi's eyes widened instantly: "!!!"
Dr. Wu, what are you talking about? Are you confused?
Noticing the subtle expressions and evasive glances from the people present, Wu Zhengrong's groggy mind finally cleared up a bit, and he continued to make amends, "My family has always been frugal with coal and water. The hot water that the two women used up was wasted by throwing it away, so I had to reuse it. I guess it was the women who inspired me to pay attention to hygiene."
Director Zhao chuckled and said, "Okay, then let's sign Xiaoye up. Each street only has two spots for health activists. The municipality will send someone to your home in a few days to check the hygiene again. Xiaoye, are you okay with that?"
"No problem, I'll clean up my house tonight and try my best to help our neighborhood committee get this activist spot!"
There are six neighborhood committees on Qingnian Road where the Military Academy is located.
The competition for these two places is still very fierce.
If the neighborhood committee can identify a city-level health activist, the neighborhood committee director and members will also receive corresponding material rewards.
Ye Manzhi's two years as a street cadre were not in vain, as he knew all the twists and turns.
"That's great!" Director Zhao touched the child's woolen hat. "Next time, I'll bring the commune cadres directly to your house."
*
Ye Manzhi considers herself a good comrade who loves cleanliness, and she also wants to be an activist.
According to Director Zhao, activists will go to the city to attend the "Patriotic Health Campaign Award Ceremony."
If she was rated as an activist, she would have to ask for leave to attend a meeting in the city.
When her leaders and colleagues asked her the reason for her leave, she could say that she had been named a "municipal health activist"!
How glorious and cool that would be, and it would show how hygienic she is!
hey-hey!
Ye Manzhi was determined to become an activist, not only to keep her home clean, but also to keep her family members, dogs and cats clean.
After giving her daughter a bath, she also took Lihua and Kuihua to take a bath.
Of course, striving to be an activist did not affect her observation of He Ping.
Ever since she found out about the secret between He Ping and Liu Sheng, she always felt that He Ping was hypocritical and two-faced when she faced him.
She asked her fourth brother to continue helping to keep an eye on He Ping, but he said, "What's there to keep an eye on? I saw it clearly. Several people gave Director He gifts before, but he refused to accept them. They only chatted with each other for a few words on the street before parting ways."
"What did those people send?" Ye Manyi asked.
"I don't know. It looks like there's a lot in the bag."
"You can see that there are a lot of things in the bag, how could others not know? The places where the gifts were given are all near our unit. He Ping would be stupid to accept things from others on the street."
The fourth brother scratched his head in confusion, "What should I do? I don't see anything wrong with him!"
"He goes to the bathhouse every few days. When the bath tickets issued by the company run out, he buys them with his own money. He always goes in with a washbasin to wash clothes." Ye Manzhi said, "Don't waste your time on the streets. Focus on the bathhouse."
If she were the one giving the gift, she would definitely not choose a gift that was too big. It would be best to choose one that could fit in a washbasin.
Ye Manzhi did not force her fourth brother to watch over her every day. He could go if he was free, and forget it if he was not.
She didn't hold out much hope for this kind of half-hearted surveillance.
A good blacksmith must have strong tools himself. No matter how others target her, she must first complete her job excellently.
So, she entrusted the matter to her fourth brother and didn't ask any more questions.
After the product sampling and testing phase was completed, the review team began to prepare for the "Food Industry Quality Product Review Meeting."
This review meeting will have dozens of judges including experts, scholars and journalists. It took several days just to send invitation letters to the judges.
When she received confirmation letters from most of the judges, her fourth brother suddenly came to inform her of the latest progress of the surveillance.
"Laiya, you're right, Director He is definitely up to something in the bathhouse!"
Ye Manzhi perked up and asked quickly, "What happened? Can you tell me in detail? Did someone really give him a gift in the bathhouse?"
The fourth brother curled his lips and said with a strange expression: "I met him, and he's an acquaintance, our eldest brother-in-law!"
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