Chapter 135
After officially starting to study with her great-grandfather, Wu Yuzhuo had her own exclusive chair in her father's study.
There was also a space reserved for her in the bottom row of the large bookshelf, which was used to store her picture books, comic books, pinyin readers and arithmetic books.
As long as Dr. Wu doesn't work overtime, Comrade Wu Yuzhuo will study with her father for half an hour every night from 7:30 to 8:00, and then she will turn on the radio and listen to the "Little Trumpet" broadcast for a while, and then she can go to bed.
There was no need to do arithmetic problems today, so Wu Yuzhuo squatted in front of his bookshelf and carefully selected a picture book called "Chicken Feather Letter".
"Dad, how do you pronounce this word?"
"Stick, 'This is a letter with chicken feathers stuck to it. Haiwa delivered this kind of letter before.'" Wu Zhengrong wrote the pinyin for the new word in pencil and suggested, "You can start by looking at books that have pinyin annotations."
Pinyin is taught in kindergarten, and some books can be understood by comparing them with the pinyin, which is very friendly to children.
However, Pinyin stumped the adults in the family.
When they were learning to read and write, they didn't have pinyin, and all they wrote in were traditional Chinese characters.
In order to accommodate the preschooler Wu Yuzhuo, Grandpa Wu, despite his age, wanted to keep up with the times and started learning Chinese pinyin.
Now, not only can he skillfully annotate the pinyin for his great-granddaughter's picture books, he has also proudly become the first person in the academic circle to master Chinese Pinyin!
Wu Yuzhuo lay on the desk, staring at her father noting her pronunciation, and then whispered, "My mom won the lottery! She's so happy today!"
"What prize did you win?"
"I don't know, you said it. Mom is so happy. She must have won the prize!" Comrade Wu Yuzhuo said confidently, wiggling his feet. "Mom has been humming all day. She must have won the prize!"
Ye Manzhi was mending the hole in her daughter's pants. Besides the clicking sound of the sewing machine, her singing could be faintly heard.
Wu Zhengrong handed the picture book back and thought with amusement, the only things that could make your mother so happy besides winning the lottery is getting a promotion.
However, Ye Lai Ya had just become the deputy director's secretary, so it was unlikely that he would make any progress in the short term.
Maybe my daughter really guessed it right, and Secretary Xiao Ye won the prize?
He read with his child until eight o'clock, and when Wu Yuzhuo ran to turn on the radio, he took the opportunity to verify with the person involved.
"Secretary Ye, someone said you won a prize. How much did you win this time?"
The highest amount they have ever won from their regular prize-winning savings is five dollars.
Ye Lai Ya spent all her money just by going around the department store.
Quickly come, quick goes.
Ye Manzhi cut the thread and kept the secret a secret with a smile on his face: "I didn't win the prize, but it's almost the same as winning the jackpot!"
"What prizes did the company give out?"
"Hey, guess again!" Ye Manzhi had been holding it in all night, finally waiting for this moment to show off. She asked reservedly, "Do you have any friends in Beijing? Do you need me to go around and meet them for you?"
Wu Zhengrong's eyes showed understanding, and he asked in surprise, "Secretary Ye, do you have a chance to go to Beijing?"
"Hmm!" Ye Manzhi's eyes curved into two crescent moons as she smiled. "I'm going on a business trip to Beijing with our Director Xia, and maybe even to Tianjin!"
After she said the answer, she could no longer suppress her excitement. She was completely different from the calm demeanor she had at work. She hooked her arms around Wu Zhengrong's neck and excitedly kissed him several times on the face.
"I'm going to the capital! Hahahaha~"
Then he went to torture his daughter's little face.
Little Youyan was listening intently to the "Little Trumpet" radio program when his mother suddenly rushed over and kissed him. He grimaced and struggled, shouting, "My mom is crazy!"
Wu Zhengrong pulled away Ye Laiya, who was as successful as Fan Jin in the imperial examination, and rescued his daughter.
Then he took his wife into the study and took out his treasured collection of Beijing maps and introductions to tourist attractions.
"When are you leaving? It's a rare trip to the capital, so you should do some research in advance to save time traveling."
"I haven't confirmed the departure time yet. Director Xia just told me today," Ye Manzhi suppressed her excitement and pulled him aside, saying, "You have quite a few friends in Beijing. They sent money and red envelopes when we got married and had our baby. This time I can go to Beijing, so it's a good opportunity to bring them some local specialties. Write a few letters and I'll take them over for you."
Wu Zhengrong wanted to say that it was not customary for comrades to exchange gifts with each other. They always remitted money when there was something to do, and the only exchanges were letters and money.
However, this is Ye Lai Ya's first time traveling far away alone, so let her get to know her friends so that they can take care of her when something happens.
"It's inconvenient for you to bring local specialties with you since you're with your leader. I'll write a few letters. If you have time, I'll deliver them to your house. If you don't have time, forget it."
*
The branches are full of leaves, the poor have suddenly become rich, and the bumpkins are blooming. The excitement lasted all night.
Sometimes he urged Wu Zhengrong to write a letter quickly, sometimes he asked him to write about some special foods, and sometimes he asked him where to buy local specialties.
It was not until he was pulled onto the bed and made to do various gymnastics that he finally managed to use up his excitement and energy.
The next day, Secretary Xiao Ye woke up and became calm again, going to work calmly.
She was extremely excited about the news of a business trip, but Xia Zhujun never mentioned the business trip again since she mentioned it that day.
After investigating more than ten companies in Binjiang City, Xia Zhujun selected several large factories in other districts for investigation.
After the research trip was completed, she stayed alone in the office for two days and wrote the research report herself.
Just when Ye Manzhi suspected that the leader might have forgotten about the business trip, Xia Zhuyun suddenly raised a point at the team meeting -
Since last year, the province has concentrated its efforts on adjusting the national economy. By the first half of this year, all undertakings have shown a clear and healthy development momentum.
Our province should continue to hold high the red banner of Chairman Mao’s thought, strive for self-improvement, advance victoriously, focus on improving output and quality and reducing costs, and carry out socialist competition in depth.
In addition to inter-factory competitions within the same industry within the province, we also need to contact brother units in other provinces and cities to compete and carry out activities of learning from each other, catching up with each other, helping each other and surpassing each other.
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the light industry system, the provincial excellent product evaluation activities have been completed.
It is recommended that all enterprises that have won the title of "Provincial Excellence" should compete with enterprises in other provinces and cities for the same products and sign agreements on learning from each other and helping each other.
Enterprises that achieve outstanding results in inter-provincial competitions will receive special funding support from the Provincial Department of Industry, with the goal of creating several nationally renowned brand-name products for the province.
She has only raised this idea at the team meeting for the time being. The industries, companies, and products selected to participate in the competition have not yet been determined, and it is also unknown which companies from other provinces and cities are willing to participate in the competition.
Everything is still in its infancy.
But the news leaked out from somewhere, and several company leaders, even city and prefecture leaders, came to the Industry Department to inquire about the news.
Then one stone stirred up a thousand ripples. The company leaders who had just been running around for the provincial excellence evaluation last year were moving again this year.
"Director Zhang, there is a meeting in the Xia Hall. I'll make you a cup of tea. Please wait a moment." Ye Manzhi greeted the visitor who was the nth one today with a smile.
The three original chairs in the secretary's office were already occupied, so the new director Zhang could only stand at the door.
Director Zhang thanked her politely, then stood beside her desk, cup in hand, and whispered, "Secretary Ye, how many people will be eligible for the special funds? Has it been confirmed yet?"
"It hasn't been decided yet. The provincial department hasn't even issued an official notice. Everyone is being too impatient."
"There are too many wolves and too little meat, so we have to be anxious."
Ye Manzhi thought to himself, if you guys could be so proactive in production, Xia Ting wouldn't have to rack his brains to organize this inter-provincial competition.
Director Zhang wanted to talk to Secretary Xiao Ye, but he was a little hesitant when facing such a young female secretary.
The secretaries of other leaders are all male, and he can start a conversation by just handing them a cigarette.
Now he met a young lesbian who didn't look like a smoker. He searched her body but couldn't find anything decent.
I could only ask dryly, "Secretary Xiaoye, can you please give us a glimpse into the situation? What exactly do the leaders think about supporting famous brands?"
Secretary Xiao Ye, who didn't receive anything, actually gave him the details.
"Director Zhang, let me put it this way. The leaders want to kill two birds with one stone through this activity."
"Oh, how do you kill two birds with one stone?"
Other business leaders sitting nearby also pricked up their ears.
"First and foremost, of course, we hope that all factories can improve production and quality and reduce costs through this competition. The competition won't take too long; the results will be clear in three months or six months."
Several factory managers nodded, as they had known this for a long time.
Ye Manzhi lowered his voice and continued, "Secondly, we want to take this opportunity to create some famous brand products for our province. When it comes to Shanghai products, we can almost name them right off the top of our heads, right? Forever bicycles, Guanshengyuan White Rabbit candies, Yimin biscuits, Hero pens. Tianjin has a lot of famous products too, right? Fei Ge bicycles, Peony sewing machines, White Rose underwear. But what about here? Our industry is booming, but we don't have any iconic products."
Director Zhang is from the Binjiang Sewing Machine Factory. Ever since his products won the provincial award, he has spoken with a louder tone than before.
After hearing her words, I couldn't help but retort: "We in Binjiang also have many good products. The sewing machines produced by our factory are no worse than those of the Peony brand."
Ye Manzhi nodded in agreement. "Well, your factory's sewing machines are indeed very good, otherwise they wouldn't have been rated provincially excellent. The leadership intends to compete with the sewing machine factory in Tianjin. Director Zhang, when the time comes, the reputation of our provincial sewing machine industry will depend on you."
Director Zhang: “…”
"However, everyone should be mentally prepared. The province's support for famous brand products is conditional. Not only must they achieve outstanding results in the "learning, competing, helping, and surpassing" campaign, but they must also achieve breakthroughs in technological innovation." Ye Manzhi said cheerfully, "You know, there are too many wolves and too little meat, and there's only so much special funding. Of course, the province will support those that are most likely to achieve results."
This was the first major move by Xia Zhuyun after taking office. If the special funds were allocated but there was not even a splash, she would definitely be laughed at by those with ulterior motives.
Ye Manzhi received group of guests in the secretary's office and said these words several times.
Some people gave up and left early, while others continued to stand guard at the office door.
After two busy days, Xia Zhujun asked, "Have the office booked the train tickets?"
"I've booked a train ticket for this Friday afternoon." Ye Manzhi tried her best to control her excitement.
"Okay, then get ready. We'll leave on Friday. There are quite a few companies applying to participate in the socialist competition, but the provincial government will contact competitors from other provinces and cities. This time we're going to Beijing to get this done as soon as possible."
Ye Manzhi received the confirmed news of the business trip. In addition to settling the two people in the family, both young and old, she also had to go back to her parents' home to report to them.
When I got off work in the evening and took a car to the military industrial compound, Lao Ye was sleeping in the house.
"My dad is working the night shift today?"
"No," Chang Yue'e shook her head. "Day shift, just got back from get off work."
"Then why are you lying down right after you got back?" Ye Manzhi asked, "How is my dad's health lately?"
"He's in good health, but he's in a bad mood." Chang Yue'e said with an expression that was hard to describe. "It's because of that bicycle. People offered 600 yuan to buy a bicycle, but he refused to sell it and went against your third and fourth brothers. Now that the bicycles in the store are on sale, he regrets it. These past few days, he just lies on the bed when he comes home, looking so miserable..."
Ye Manzhi: "There's nothing to love about life."
"Yes, that's the dead look of someone who has lost all hope in life."
Ye Manzhi: “…”
She could imagine that Lao Ye must be very upset right now.
She works in the Department of Industry and has actually known for a long time that bicycle prices are falling.
Just after the Chinese New Year, the price of Forever brand bicycles was adjusted from 520 yuan to 350 yuan.
It dropped to 300 yuan last month and to 250 yuan this month.
When the price of bicycles was at its highest, San Ge and Wong Tai Sin were unable to sell the bicycles due to Lao Ye's strong opposition.
Now that bicycle prices are constantly dropping, it's impossible to find such a generous buyer.
Ye Manzhi and Wu Zhengrong sold the bicycle at home for 540 yuan.
Ever since learning that bicycles were starting to drop in price, Ye Manzhi was worried that the original buyer would regret returning the goods, and was also worried that Mr. Ye would regret not selling it.
The last few times I went home, I didn't dare mention the price reduction of bicycles.
"The fourth brother is such a piece of shit," Chang Yue'e grumbled quietly. "Whether the bicycle sells or not is none of his business. He didn't spend any money on it. As soon as he heard the price drop, he ran back to tell your dad. Your dad nearly fainted!"
"Huh? My dad is so angry?"
"He's mainly mad at himself. Three or four hundred yuan just slipped away like that. How could I not be angry?" Chang Yue'e laughed in anger. "If you ask me, he's not destined to get rich quick! Working steadily and earning a salary is the safest bet!"
Ye Manzhi is very experienced in coaxing his father.
She didn't care whether Lao Ye was really asleep or not, and announced loudly at home that she was about to leave for Beijing on a business trip!
Old Ye moved his shoulders, but did not stand up.
Chang Yue'e asked in surprise, "Laiya, are you really going to Beijing? Who are you going with?"
"The deputy director of our Industry Department and the director of the Planning Department." Ye Manzhi said proudly, "I am now the deputy director's secretary. This time I am accompanying the leader on a business trip."
Upon hearing this, Ye Shouxin sat up from the bed, ran to the living room in two steps, and asked hurriedly, "Are you really working as a secretary for the deputy director? When did it happen?"
"Last month."
"Such a big thing, why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"Didn't you tell me to be humble and low-key? I'm just a secretary to my boss, and my rank hasn't changed. Why are you showing off?"
Ye Shouxin excitedly turned around a few times and said in agreement, "That's right, that's right, you have to keep a low profile! Just tell your mom and me about your secretary job. There's no need for other family members to know too much. You have to be very careful when you're a secretary for a boss. If someone asks you to do something for them or gives you a gift, you have to be sober and don't make any mistakes!"
"I know," Ye Manzhi said with a smile, "Dad, don't worry about the bicycle. You'd better study welding technology with this time and strive to be rated as an eighth-level worker in the next evaluation. The salary difference between seventh and eighth levels is only a dozen yuan. In two years, you can earn back the difference in the price of the bicycle."
"Why is the eighth-level worker so well-received?"
"But it's not that difficult," Ye Manzhi pulled out her notebook from her bag. "Our Industry Department has already received a notice that the All-China Federation of Machinery Trade Unions will be holding the first National Welding Annual Conference in Binjiang. Many research institutes, universities, and factory welders will be in attendance. You should try to sign up for the conference and exchange ideas with everyone. It will not only improve your skills, but also give you an advantage in your next re-qualification."
Ye Manzhi tore off the piece of notebook paper and stuffed it into Lao Ye's hand.
She encouraged her father to study the technology more, stop daydreaming, and strive to retire as an eighth-level welder, so that his retirement benefits would be higher.
Ye Shouxin had just lost three hundred yuan and just wanted to get his losses back as soon as possible. He actually listened to his daughter's advice and decided to concentrate on studying the technology and sign up for the National Welding Annual Conference in two months!
Chang Yue'e, who was watching the whole process, said: "..."
The old man had been lying in bed for several days, feeling depressed, but he was actually fooled by Ye Lai Ya's few words!
*
Ye Manzhi persuaded his father and handed the child over to Dr. Wu with confidence. Then he waved his sleeves and followed his leader to Beijing.
Although she was reluctant to leave the man and child, the people of the capital at this time were obviously more attractive.
hey-hey.
There were three people on this trip to Beijing. In addition to Ye Manzhi, Xia Zhuyun also brought Director He from the Planning Department.
As soon as the three of them walked out of Beijing Station, Ye Manzhi quickly felt the difference of traveling with his leader.
The last time they went to visit relatives in the south, they had to find a guesthouse to stay in after getting off the train.
But this time when she came to Beijing on a business trip, she was received by comrades from the Provincial People's Committee's Beijing Office. Before she had time to appreciate the scenery of the capital, she was taken to the guesthouse of the Beijing Office.
The comrade at the reception desk knew she was Xia Zhuyun's secretary, and when checking her in, he asked her privately, "Does Xia Hall have any taboos regarding food and accommodation?"
Xia Zhuyun is allergic to seafood and never eats the knife fish and yellow croaker prepared in the company cafeteria.
However, to prevent such a weakness from being exploited by someone with ulterior motives, Ye Manzhi only said, "Xia Ting doesn't have any dietary restrictions. From what I've observed, he just doesn't like the fishy smell of seafood. Also, Xia Ting prefers a quiet environment. Director Huang, please arrange a room for Xia Ting that doesn't face the street."
Ye Manzhi took three room keys, asked for three latest maps of Beijing, and inquired about the guesthouse's meal times before reuniting with Xia Zhuyun.
"Leader, tomorrow's meeting location is not far from the Beijing Office, about a quarter of an hour's walk. Director Huang said he can send you a car if needed."
Xia Zhuyun's main task on the business trip was to attend the National Industrial Political Work Conference, and contacting other provinces and cities for inter-provincial competitions was just a side job.
However, for Xia Zhuyun, the latter is obviously more important.
As soon as she entered the room of the Beijing Office, she invited the two accompanying persons in.
"It's not convenient to discuss work on the train, so let's take advantage of the time we have now to discuss it together." Xia Zhujun leaned on the desk with her arms folded, frowning. "I was thinking about the issue of inter-provincial competitions on the way. Signing product competition agreements with companies in other provinces and cities to support famous brands can stimulate the vitality of some companies, but most companies that can't get special funds may continue to operate in the same way, shouting slogans but actually going through the motions. Such a high-profile competition may not achieve the desired results in the end."
Ye Manzhi and Director He: "::::::"
What does it mean?
No more competition?
Then wouldn’t their trip to Beijing be in vain?
The two of them sat there stupidly, hoping that the leader would say something else, otherwise they would not know how to respond.
However, after saying this, Xia Zhujun stopped talking, crossed her arms and began to daydream.
Ye Manzhi and Director He looked at each other, and seeing that the other party had no intention of speaking, she had to take the initiative to speak.
"I think inter-provincial competitions are necessary, especially for similar products. Competitions not only help company leaders identify gaps, but also help skilled workers recognize their own shortcomings. My father, a level 7 welder, has been searching for technological breakthroughs for years. He says that sometimes a single sentence from a skilled technician can illuminate a technical difficulty that would have eluded him for years."
"I think the skilled workers in many enterprises in our province need that kind of opportunity to be enlightened. If, in addition to the competition, we can also send skilled workers to advanced enterprises to learn advanced technical experience, even enterprises that fail to obtain special funds can still gain something from this competition."
Director He continued, "Xiao Ye's words make sense. When it comes to learning from others, catching up with others, helping others, and surpassing others, the most important things are 'learning' and 'helping'. I used to think that directly issuing a challenge would make us look too arrogant. I was embarrassed to even bring up such a thing with comrades from other provinces and cities, as it would be useless if we got beaten up. Now, with the addition of 'learning' and 'helping', we seem much more humble."
Xia Zhujun was amused by his humor.
She glanced at her watch and said, "Alright, I'll think this over. You all should go back and rest. Xiaoye, Lao He and I will go to the auditorium for a meeting tomorrow. You don't have to come with us. You can move around freely and wander around Beijing."
Ye Manzhi smiled and said, "I'll take you and Director He to the conference room first."
She said goodbye to her leaders and went back to her room to pack her luggage.
Political work conferences are about politics, so the meeting time should not be short.
If she didn't have to attend the meeting tomorrow, she could indeed go for a walk around and deliver some letters to Wu Zhengrong's friends.
While she was thinking about what gift she should buy for the other person before delivering the letter, she opened her luggage bag and looked for the letters written by Wu Zhengrong.
There were four recipients in total, two of whom were comrades-in-arms who had fought with Wu Zhengrong, and the other two were his former colleagues in Beijing.
These four people gave gifts to Wu Zhengrong at key moments in his life: marriage and childbirth.
He seldom came to Beijing to meet her, and they hadn't seen each other much for years. Ye Manzhi, with a particularly virtuous air, thought that since she had come to Beijing, she should help him maintain his friendship.
At the very least, you should be polite and thank the person in person for the gift.
Therefore, Ye Manzhi made up her mind to go to the street tomorrow to buy some good things as a return gift.
She took out four letters from the compartment of her luggage.
I don’t know if the seal was not sealed properly or Wu Zhengrong simply forgot to seal it, but the letter paper of one of the letters fell out of the envelope.
The recipient on the envelope was Liu Zhifeng, who was said to have been demobilized and now serves as deputy director of a district public security bureau in Beijing.
When Ye Manzhi bent down to pick up the letter, he happened to see what was written on it.
The words were different from what she had imagined, full of sincerity and reminiscing about the glorious past.
On a thin piece of letter paper, there was only a line of large characters written in a powerful brushstroke:
[Lao Liu, this is my wife. Please help me if you can. I'll treat you to a drink next time.]
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