Chapter 137
Ye Manzhi had only heard of Sichuan Opera face-changing and had never seen it, but she felt that real Sichuan Opera face-changing might be no more than this.
After hearing her self-introduction, the young man's expression changed faster than turning the pages of a book.
The impatience just now was quickly replaced by a warm smile. "You are Xiu Lan's sister-in-law? Why haven't I heard that your sister-in-law came to Beijing before?"
Ye Manzhi's attitude remained unchanged. Like a stern dean, she surveyed him with a scrutinizing gaze and said sternly, "I've been here a long time. I've been in Beijing lately. Her second brother will be here soon."
This young man actually looks pretty good, with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a square face, which is the appearance that many mothers-in-law would be satisfied with.
But he spoke with a drawl and a hint of cynical banter.
Combined with the information revealed in his words, the more he looks, the more he looks like a playboy from a wealthy family who was spoiled by his parents.
The young man said with a smile, "My name is Cheng Xuesong. It's a rare opportunity for my sister-in-law to come to Beijing. I'd like to treat you and Xiu Lan to a simple meal, would you?"
If Ye Manzhi had not seen his arrogant face before, she might have been deceived by him.
She remained unmoved and said, "No, I have an appointment with Xiu Lan to discuss something, so I'll skip the meal. But, Xiao Cheng, I have a few words to say to you."
“…”
Wu Xiulan raised the corners of her lips inappropriately.
Cheng Xuesong is one year older than her, so in the mouth of her second sister-in-law, he becomes "Little Cheng".
Ye Manzhi ignored the other two's thoughts and asked Cheng Xuesong to follow her out of the institute. She continued, "Xiao Cheng, Xiulan is the apple of our family's eye. When it comes to her choice of spouse, both her parents and us brothers and sisters-in-law will completely adhere to her personal wishes. We're a revolutionary family, and Xiulan is quite talented. She's beautiful, a college graduate, and a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. With her qualifications, let alone her being in her twenties, even if she waits until her thirties to get married, our family won't be in a hurry."
"She has plenty of time to choose an excellent partner for herself. Xiao Cheng, this is our first meeting, and I'm not sure how you two know each other. However, since you're acquainted with Xiu Lan's brother, I think you're also a very good gay man."
"But I think your behavior today is extremely inappropriate. Xiu Lan still has work to do at the research institute, and you were flirting with her in front of her office, and her boss and colleagues could easily see you. Xiu Lan is a woman with career aspirations, and she's consistently producing results at work. Rumors of a relationship between a man and a woman would overshadow her career and be a heavy blow to her."
"Whether it's just a casual friendship or you're actively pursuing her, you should be sincere and consider her situation..."
Ye Manzhi talked for ten minutes. Cheng Xuesong tried to interrupt and refute her several times, but he couldn't find a chance.
By the time she stopped talking completely, Cheng Xuesong didn't know which one to say first because he had so much to say.
He opened his mouth and cursed in his heart, "Fuck."
He looked at his sister-in-law Wu Xiulan. She seemed young, but why did she speak like his mother, who was a women's cadre?
Ye Manzhi glanced at him and said, "Xiao Cheng, please don't come to the company to look for Xiu Lan anymore."
Cheng Xuesong finally had something to say this time, "She's such a grown-up, and you're still interfering in her friendships?"
"I don't care about making friends, but don't come to the company to make friends with her. This is her workplace, don't let your personal affairs affect her work." Ye Manzhi made the classic Xia Ting arm-crossing pose, chin held high and said, "If you dare to come to the company to harass Xiu Lan again, we will report you to the police and say you are a hooligan!"
She didn't want to interfere too much in her sister-in-law's friendships. Some people might appear unreliable on the surface, but they might actually be okay deep down.
But it is absolutely not okay to start a scandal in front of the office.
As the saying goes, don't shit where you eat.
Xiu Lan's job is so good and respectable. Anything that may affect her job must be eliminated in time.
Ye Manzhi didn't care at all whether Cheng Xuesong's expression was good or bad. She scolded him without any courtesy, then took her sister-in-law and left without looking back.
As agreed before, the two went to the restaurant recommended by Wu Xiulan to eat Old Beijing hot pot.
After ordering the hot pot and hot pot dishes, Ye Manzhi asked, "Who is that Xiao Cheng? Which brother of yours introduced him to you?"
Anyway, it’s definitely not Wu Zhengrong.
Her doctor, Dr. Wu, has always been arrogant and disdains to associate with such a playboy.
"It wasn't my brother who introduced him. Uncle Cheng and our dad are old comrades-in-arms, and their parents have some contacts." Wu Xiulan put the mutton into the pot and said with a frown, "Cheng Xuesong was transferred to Beijing for work a few months ago. Uncle Cheng wanted us to be friends and look out for each other."
The Wu and Cheng families were a good match, and Wu Xiulan was not opposed to interacting with them at first.
Men should get married when they are old enough and women should get married when they are old enough. There is nothing wrong with getting to know each other as friends first.
But after a few contacts, she felt that she and Cheng Xuesong could not get along and were not suitable for each other.
Cheng Xuesong has a strong personality, is self-centered, and his moods are always changeable. He can speak harshly to someone one second, and then wipe it off like a joke and put on a smiling face the next.
Wu Xiulan has lived alone in Beijing for several years, and has devoted almost all her attention to work. How could she have the energy to figure out the other person's thoughts?
Furthermore, as my second sister-in-law said, her family is a revolutionary family, and she is the youngest child in the Wu family. Her parents and brothers and sisters all spoil her, especially since she is the only girl in the family who was admitted to university. It has always been others who coax her, and she never has to coax others.
Cheng Xuesong, relying on his good family background and good looks, behaves in a very self-centered and domineering manner, as if the whole world has to accommodate him and revolve around him.
Wu Xiulan felt that the two of them were not the same kind of people. After all, they were just ordinary friends who had just met and gradually became distant after two contacts.
Unexpectedly, the other party started pursuing her inexplicably and even found out a lot of her private affairs from her cousin.
This was not the first time that Cheng Xuesong had come to her workplace to look for her. The frequent harassment made her a little annoyed, but due to the relationship between their parents, she didn't want to really break up with him.
Ye Manzhi stared at the bubbling pot and suggested, "You should tell your parents the truth about the situation in Beijing and your thoughts. Otherwise, they'll think he's a good guy and want to bring you two together. If you don't tell them, I'll write to Mom and tell her about it. You're living alone in Beijing, so be careful."
She saw that Cheng Xuesong had a bit of a playboy temperament, and it didn't seem like he would give up easily after being rejected by Xiu Lan.
Wu Xiulan hummed, "I'll find a chance to talk to Mom about it."
Ye Manzhi pondered for a moment and took out the letter Wu Zhengrong wrote to his friend from his bag.
Then he used a pen to erase the word "daughter-in-law" on one of the letters and wrote "sister" below it.
"Hey, these guys are your second brother's good friends in Beijing. You live alone in Beijing without any family around you. If you ever encounter someone like Xiao Cheng bothering you again, go to these guys for help. One of them is even the deputy director of the Public Security Bureau!"
Ye Manzhi has always lived in Binjiang, with her parents, relatives, friends, men and children all around her.
It was actually hard for her to imagine how her sister-in-law lived alone in a foreign country.
Wu Xiulan took the letters and couldn't help laughing after reading the contents.
"Did my brother write this for you?"
"Well, these friends have a good relationship with him. If you need help, they will definitely help if they can."
Wu Xiulan laughed heartily. "My brother actually wrote a letter like this for you. He treats his wife differently. I've known Liu Zhifeng for a long time. My second brother didn't have the patience back then. He didn't write me a letter of introduction. He just gave me an address and a work phone number and sent me off."
Ye Manzhi felt embarrassed by the teasing and pretended to be serious, "Your brother's temperament changed a lot after he became a father. He's become a softie now."
I don't know what made Wu Xiulan laugh. The hot pot meat she had just picked up fell back into the pot, and she started laughing again.
After her second brother became a father, he would meet her every year when he came to Beijing on business.
How could she not sense the soft side of his heart? He was still the same arrogant and deadly person as before.
Ye Manzhi changed the subject and talked about the real business of the trip, "Xiu Lan, do you know any reporters from the newspaper?"
"I know him. I have a friend who's an editor at the Beijing Evening News. Sister-in-law, why are you looking for a reporter?"
Ye Manzhi briefly introduced the situation they were facing.
"Besides this classmate, do you know any other reporters from major newspapers? Like the People's Daily and Youth Daily?"
"I don't know anyone like that." Wu Xiulan thought for a moment and said, "How about I ask my teacher for you? She knows a lot of people."
"Okay, ask for me."
Ye Manzhi did not put all her hopes on her sister-in-law. After eating hot pot and taking a night tour of Zhongshan Park together, she returned to the Beijing Office and made some good plans. She planned to visit Wu Zhengrong's friends the next morning and ask for their help.
However, the next morning, just as she sent Xia Zhuyun and Director He out, a reporter from Guangming Daily called the Beijing Office looking for her.
The other party said on the phone that if she was free before ten o'clock, she could talk to her about the news clues.
Ye Manzhi didn't have any news clues, but she still agreed boldly. After asking the other party's location, she made an appointment with her to meet at the Dadi Western Restaurant.
The environment there is quiet, and she can treat her journalist friends to coffee and enjoy the meal.
…
The reporter her sister-in-law had introduced her to was Qi Li, a woman in her thirties. After entering the restaurant, she surveyed the surroundings and asked, "Comrade Ye, do you come to this restaurant often? Why did you meet here?"
She has been a reporter for quite some time, and many people are more accustomed to having conversations in teahouses.
It's rare to see people coming to Western restaurants.
Ye Manzhi didn't ask for a menu, but rather ordered two cups of coffee in a very stylish manner. She smiled and said, "This is my first time in Beijing, and I've only been here for less than a week. How could I possibly come to Western restaurants so often? It's such a coincidence! I figured since I've finally made it to Beijing, I had to eat out at least once, and I happened to be walking past this Western restaurant, so I stumbled in!"
Qi Li smiled and said, "Well, the environment here is nice."
"Haha, I didn't invite you here just because of the quiet environment," Ye Manzhi pointed out the window, "Not far from here, there's a Chang'an Grand Theater. Did you know that?"
"Um."
Qi Li is an old Beijinger and is very familiar with this area.
"The last time I came here for dinner, I ran into two Peking Opera actors from the theater and overheard they were staging a modern play called 'One Cent'. Out of curiosity, I inquired about the play's content and learned about the Beijing Ink Factory, which, by saving a cent, had turned a loss into a profit."
"Later, I found a newspaper and read recent reports on the topic. After thoroughly studying the spirit of 'One Cent', I couldn't help but sigh that the capital truly deserves to be called the capital of good. The Beijing Ink Factory's approach is excellent, and the capital's media reporters have done a great job promoting it. Even a newcomer like me, through just one report and one modern opera, learned the spirit of 'One Cent'."
Qi Li made a few simple notes in the notebook and nodded in agreement.
After hearing this, she actually still didn't understand what news clues Comrade Ye wanted to provide her.
but……
She picked up the coffee cup and took a sip. This cup of coffee was worth the wait.
Ye Manzhi sighed about the prosperity of the capital and the progress in the thinking and work style of the people of the capital, and finally got to the point.
"Reporter Qi, I'm here in Beijing for a meeting with Deputy Director Xia of our Provincial Department of Industry. Director Xia was deeply moved after hearing about the 'one cent' spirit in the capital. He really wants to bring the capital's advanced spirit back to Binjiang."
"In fact, our province is preparing to compete with major cities like Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai in the production of similar products in the light industry sector."
Qi Li put down the coffee cup and asked, "When did this happen?"
A product competition among four provinces and cities is big news. If there really is such a decision, there is no way she would not have heard about it.
"It's still in the preparatory stages," Ye Manzhi said with a smile. "It's nothing new for provinces and cities to hold socialist production competitions and organize activities such as learning from each other and surpassing each other. We have competitions within our province almost all year round. But what was everyone's focus before? It was on the results of the competitions and which factory completed its production plan ahead of schedule. It was about competing, catching up, and surpassing each other."
"Comrade Chairman taught us that humility leads to progress, while pride causes people to fall behind. This time, we plan to focus on 'learning' and 'helping', and carry out in-depth campaigns to compare with the advanced, learn from the advanced, catch up with the advanced, and help those who lag behind."
"We should learn from advanced enterprises in excellent cities like Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai. We should not only learn from their individual production technologies and experience, and carry out major technological reforms and revolutions, but also learn from their thinking, work styles, and management experience."
Seeing the other party start to take notes, Ye Manyzhi smiled.
"Just like the campaign launched by Beijing to learn the 'One Cent' spirit, it's also very worthy of our study. Deputy Director Xia of our Industry Department has already said that in this competition, we should learn from Beijing's advanced experience and bring the 'One Cent' spirit back to Binjiang. In this way, the spiritual wealth of a region or unit can become social wealth for socialist construction."
Qi Li nodded. The inter-provincial competition was quite interesting, especially since they put forward a new idea - learning advanced ideas and work styles.
The "one cent" spirit is a recent hot topic in Beijing, and the movement of comparing with the advanced, learning from the advanced, catching up with the advanced, and helping the backward is also something that the central government has been advocating.
If you only look at these contents, there are some news highlights.
Comrade Ye was introduced by Professor Chen. Although this kind of news is quite standard, for Professor Chen's sake, she can still help polish it and find an opportunity to publish it.
After hearing this, Qi Li had always thought that Ye Manzhi just wanted to find a major national newspaper to help them publicize their recent work achievements.
She took a sip of her coffee and then asked, "When do you plan to officially start this event? Will there be a competition signing ceremony? Approximately how long will the competition last?"
This was a routine question, she just asked it casually and the other party just needed to answer truthfully.
Unexpectedly, Secretary Xiao Ye sighed and asked with a worried look on his face, "Reporter Qi, based on what I just said, what do you think of our event?"
What could Qi Li say? She could only politely say, "It's pretty good. New wine in old bottles. It's not easy to come up with something new in this kind of work."
"Yes, we all think this event is very meaningful. It's also an opportunity for us to learn from the people of the capital." Ye Manzhi leaned close to her and whispered, "Beijing hasn't directly said they won't participate in the socialist competition, but the Industry Bureau won't organize a large-scale competition..."
Qi Li often covers the news and is well aware of such matters.
It was not long before I could hear the hidden meaning: the Industrial Bureau here might not want to participate in this competition.
At this point, her interest was finally piqued, and she whispered, "Why don't they organize a competition?"
"Hey..." Ye Manzhi hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice to create a mysterious atmosphere. "You are Professor Chen's friend, and we are one family. I can tell you the truth, but please don't write it in the newspaper!"
Qi Li became even more curious and nodded to this "family member" whom she met for the first time, promising not to publish the inside story in the newspaper.
Ye Manzhi stirred the coffee with a spoon, hesitated for a long time, and whetted the other party's appetite before finally speaking.
"They had a production competition with Shanghai last year. In a competition, there are winners and losers..."
Qi Li was lost in thought as he recalled the past.
This kind of competition usually makes the biggest splash when it is first launched, and various news organizations rush to report on it.
However, the battle line of a competition may last from three months to half a year. When the results of the competition are announced, the relevant reports will mostly introduce the achievements of each factory in the competition.
As for the final overall results, few seem to report them. After all, there are winners and losers, and reporting them will always offend one party.
Qi Li asked, "Do you think they don't want to participate in this inter-provincial competition because they're afraid of losing?"
"That's hard to say," Ye Manzhi smiled. "Although Beijing doesn't want to participate, the comrades in Tianjin are quite enthusiastic. Our Deputy Director Xia went to discuss the details with the comrades in Tianjin today. It's a pity that this opportunity was wasted. Before we came to Beijing, we had high expectations for the capital, but we didn't expect it to end in disappointment."
"Don't worry about your laughter, but I once told my superiors, somewhat angrily, that if all else fails, we could publish a challenge in the newspapers to all the light industrial enterprises in Beijing, to see if any would dare to take up the challenge and compete with us, and perhaps send personnel to exchange and learn from each other. After all, the capital's enterprises are very advanced in technology and thinking, and I believe most companies and employees would not be afraid of a challenge. But the superiors thought this was too prudent and criticized me."
Hearing this, Qi Li deliberately looked up at her with a knowing smile on her lips.
She thought to herself that Secretary Xiao Ye seemed to be a straightforward person, but there were many twists and turns in his words.
Young people are quite interesting.
She glanced at her watch and said, "It's getting late. I have an interview soon."
Ye Manzhi asked, "Reporter Qi, can I report this news tip? I'm just a secretary, and my understanding of the specifics of this socialist competition is limited. How about I arrange an interview time for you with Director Xia? Director Xia can provide a more comprehensive and in-depth account."
Qi Li said, "Then let's set it for this afternoon, around four o'clock."
*
While Ye Manzhi was working hard in Beijing, cooperating with reporters and sending out calls for heroes, Wu Zhengrong in Binjiang had already boarded the train with his daughter.
The father and daughter sat side by side in the chairs, and young comrade Wu Yuzhuo was holding up a map of Beijing and studying it in a serious manner.
"Dad, where are the Tiananmen? Can we see them this time?"
Wu Zhengrong casually pointed at a certain spot on the map and answered seriously, "It depends on the schedule. We may not have time."
Wu Yuzhuo stared at that spot carefully, and sure enough, she saw the pattern of a small house on it, and she recognized the three words on the pattern!
As if encouraged, she asked again the names of all the scenic spots that her mother had mentioned at home.
After finding the corresponding location on the map, I was finally satisfied.
She sat in the chair and looked at the scenery outside the window quietly for a while. Soon she couldn't help but look up and ask, "Dad, when are we going to eat dumplings?"
Wu Zhengrong glanced at his watch. It was getting late and he would have to get off the bus if he didn’t eat.
So, she took out the round aluminum lunch box that belonged to her from her cloth pocket.
The lid of the lunch box was opened, revealing five small dumplings, just enough for her.
He handed her the spoon and let her eat by herself.
After Ye Lai Ya went on a business trip to Beijing, Wu Zhengrong took on the burden of raising the baby alone.
Everything else is easy to deal with, except that the child misses his mother, and the problem of bathing is not easy to solve.
Because his mother was rated as a "municipal health activist", Wu Yuzhuo is also a young comrade who pays great attention to personal hygiene.
This child has to take a bath every day when it gets hot.
But the couple has always had a clear division of labor when it comes to taking care of their children.
For example, he is responsible for getting up early to pick up the children from school and giving them early learning.
Ye Lai Ya was responsible for eating and drinking with her daughter, making clothes, cleaning and dressing the child, and bathing the child.
Ever since Wu Yuzhuo turned one year old, Wu Zhengrong has never interfered with his daughter's personal hygiene.
This time, Ye Lai Ya went on a business trip to Beijing and was away for more than ten days. After letting his daughter get sick for two days, Wu Zhengrong moved back to the Wu family's old house with the child and handed her over to her grandmother and aunt.
Finally solved her personal hygiene problem.
However, little Wu Yuzhuo was very uncomfortable with his mother's departure.
She is different from other children.
Other children will ask frequently when their parents just leave, but they may gradually forget about it over time.
But Wu Yuzhuo is just the opposite.
When Ye Manzhi first went on a business trip, the father and son got along quite well.
She knew her mother was on a business trip to Beijing and didn't ask for too many details.
However, as the timeline lengthened, the child had been asking several times in the past two days when his mother would be back.
I cried secretly on my pillow last night.
Wu Zhengrong had no choice but to agree to take her to Beijing to find her mother.
According to the custom of "dumplings on the train and noodles when getting off", Ye Lai Ya ate dumplings before departure and also brought a box with him when he boarded the train.
Wu Yuzhuo remembers these details very clearly.
So, before going to Beijing with her father this time, she also asked to eat dumplings and asked her father to put a box of dumplings in her backpack.
Wu Yuzhuo took a look into the round aluminum lunch box and saw five dumplings in total.
She boldly picked up a slightly torn one and stuffed it into her father's mouth in a very filial manner.
Then, he held the spoon and made the remaining four dumplings.
When the lunch boxes were empty, a conductor shouted at the front of the carriage: "Passengers, we have arrived at Beijing Station. Please take your luggage and prepare to get off the train!"
Wu Zhengrong took out a handkerchief and wiped her mouth, then picked up her schoolbag and said, "Let's go. We've arrived."
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