Chapter 173
Four days before New Year's Eve, Deputy Director Zhu came to the food factory to take up his post.
The food factory has welcomed new factory directors for two consecutive years, but there are still some differences in the treatment of the two.
When Ye Manzhi took office last year, the weather had warmed up and the factory had just experienced the 2.27 fire. Niu Enjiu kept a low profile and took his team members to the factory gate to welcome the personnel director of the provincial department and Ye Manzhi.
When it was Zhu Kehai's turn to take office this year, it was the coldest time of the year and the food factory had just received several praises from the leaders, so Niu Enjiu did not let everyone go out to freeze at the door.
The Personnel Department notified us at 9:30 in the morning, but Director Lao Niu led everyone out of the factory at 9:15 and waited at the door of the office building.
"Director Zhu took over too hastily. Spring Festival is just a few days away," Chen Qian muttered as he stood beside Ye Manzhi. "Everyone's preparing for the New Year. Who's going to bother entertaining him?"
Ye Manzhi put her hands in her pockets to keep warm, hiding them behind her scarf as she said, "Director Zhu is here, but he's one of our family, not a guest. Why should we treat him?"
However, Zhu Kehai did come in a hurry.
It would be better to come after the New Year instead of taking up the post during the New Year.
Ye Manzhi thought nonsensically, could it be that Zhu Kehai was in a hurry to come to the new unit to collect New Year's goods?
The food factory’s welfare benefits are famously good, but how good they are depends on what New Year’s goods are distributed.
A group of people endured the cold for a quarter of an hour at the factory gate, and finally welcomed the protagonist of the day.
The top leader Niu Enjiu was responsible for having a cordial conversation with the director of personnel and Zhu Kehai, while the others just stood by and smiled.
Ye Manzhi learned from Director Xia that Zhu Kehai was only 32 years old and was the youngest among the male factory directors.
At this moment, she paid special attention to Director Zhu's appearance.
He is not tall, has a crew cut and a long face, fair skin, and two patches of high altitude red on his cheeks caused by the cold.
He can barely be considered a young talent.
…
The process for leaders to take office is similar. In order to welcome the new director Zhu, the factory organized another general staff meeting.
But the employees were obviously more interested in New Year's goods than the new factory director. When everyone got together, they all discussed holiday benefits.
The food factory can produce holiday benefits by itself, and the candies and pastries are all made and distributed on the spot.
Many employees privately gave bad advice to the pastry workshop and candy workshop, asking them to make the pastries and candies bigger so that everyone could get a better deal.
The workers in the pastry workshop laughed and said that benefits were distributed according to weight, and as the pastries became bigger, the quantity became smaller.
The auditorium was buzzing with noise. Niu Enjiu emphasized the rules of discipline twice into the microphone before the venue finally quieted down.
The workers were not interested in the leaders' speeches, but the factory directors on the podium were listening attentively.
This Zhu Kehai came from the political department of the Provincial Food Import and Export Company, and was a new addition to the factory's fixed leadership team of five, which inevitably led to some associations.
Although Director Zhu is young, he is very good at speaking. He can quote various policies, quotations, and slogans at will.
Ye Manzhi was taking notes with his hands, but he was thinking in his heart that this director of the Cadre Labor Office was not in vain, he was really good at mobilization work.
This speech was actually quite inspiring.
However, she has seen many people who talk the talk but do nothing in recent years.
The true quality of Director Zhu will only be revealed in his work after the new year.
He took office in a hurry and was added in when the position of deputy director was already full. Niu Enjiu had not yet figured out how to arrange the division of labor, and the results of the division of labor would not be announced until after the new year.
However, Director Zhu has a quick temper.
People can’t wait until after the New Year!
At the team meeting that day, he said, "The organization department originally wanted me to come to the factory to take up my position after the New Year, but I want to get into my new job as soon as possible and participate in socialist construction. The great leader taught us that we are undertaking an extremely glorious and great cause that our predecessors have never undertaken. These words are very inspiring, so after receiving the notice from the organization department, I asked to report to the factory in advance and get involved in revolutionary work as soon as possible!"
Everyone: “…”
Why does this person always say XXX?
What kind of good person talks like that?
Ye Manzhi also looked at Director Zhu curiously.
Sometimes she likes to talk big and shout slogans, but that is only when she is speaking in public.
If your speech is not high-minded, it is like eating fried dough sticks without soy milk or drinking porridge without pickles. It always feels like something is missing.
However, everyone usually speaks normally, and no one would elevate themselves for no reason.
What happened then!
Zhu Kehai seemed not to feel the gazes, and said to Niu Enjiu, "Director, the Party Committee should assign me a job as soon as possible. I want to take advantage of the New Year holiday to familiarize myself with the work in advance."
If Niu Enjiu could be led by him, he would not be the old factory director.
He first took the lead in applauding Zhu Kehai, then said with a smile: "Deputy Director Zhu's work enthusiasm and positive attitude are very worthy of encouragement! When we work, we must have the revolutionary spirit of not fearing hardship or death..."
Others: “…”
Director Lao Niu, the Party Secretary, is not just there to do the work. He never neglects ideological and political studies.
Although it is not often used in normal times, people are never afraid when they need to shout slogans.
Niu Enjiu continued, "Comrade Ke Hai, you took office rather hastily, and the factory wasn't fully prepared. The original work was shared by four deputy factory directors, each with their own assigned workshop. The Spring Festival duty roster was also arranged according to the division of labor. You should have heard about the fire during last year's Spring Festival, right?"
He described the fire and the subsequent losses, then sighed, "You must be extremely vigilant when on duty during the Spring Festival. Since you're not familiar with factory work yet, I won't be assigning you a solo shift for now. However, I can see that Comrade Ke Hai has great revolutionary enthusiasm. If you're willing, you can choose a day during the Spring Festival to work with the others and familiarize yourself with the factory environment. We'll discuss the division of labor after the new year."
Zhu Kehai thought for a moment and said, "Since there's no division of labor for now, how about I first learn about the ideological and political work in our factory?"
"Okay, let Director Jiang give you some materials."
Zhu Kehai is the deputy factory director and also serves as the deputy secretary of the Party Committee.
It is normal for him to want to understand ideological and political work.
…
When Ye Manzhi walked out of the meeting room, she sighed that Zhu Kehai was not an easy person to deal with, and then she let the new deputy director go.
With one more person in the team, the one who should be most worried is the squad leader Niu Enjiu.
For people like her, the key is to quickly get the New Year’s goods and go home to prepare for the New Year!
"Ruyi, have the logistics department and the union sent out any notices?"
"It's been distributed. The logistics department has organized people to deliver the New Year's goods to each workshop. People from our factory can go directly to the labor union to collect the New Year's goods!"
Zhou Ruyi sounded excited.
I heard that the New Year’s goods prepared this year are quite rich. Several people in their family work in the factory, so they can receive several packages of New Year’s goods!
"Director, how about I help you get the New Year's goods?"
"No, no, it's more interesting if you go and claim your holiday benefits yourself!" Ye Manzhi waved and said, "Let's go to the union and take a look."
The two first went to the trade union to get a list of New Year's goods, and then took the list to various offices and warehouses to collect the New Year's goods.
Every time you collect an item, a staff member will stamp it on the list.
Ye Manzhi and Zhou Ruyi received half a pound of cakes, half a pound of fruit candies and half a bottle of soybean oil at the union office.
I went to the logistics department on the first floor and got five pounds of Guoguang apples and half a pound of melon seeds.
These cannot be frozen and must be kept indoors.
After the list was stamped, they took the items back to the office, put on their cotton jackets, gloves and hats, and went outside the office building to get five hard frozen persimmons, and each of them also received a carp.
"Xiao Cai, you're not giving out knife fish this year?" someone nearby complained, "Carp has too many bones, and my family doesn't like carp."
"Knife fish is 38 cents a pound, and carp is 46 cents a pound. It would be so nice to have a carp on the table for the New Year's Eve dinner!" Xiao Cai from the logistics department was shivering with cold, and he blew air into his palms as he said, "Carp is so hard to buy during the New Year period. Our logistics and supply and marketing department begged and pleaded to get these carp for everyone. If you don't want it, just give me the carp. This one should be more than two pounds. I'll give you one dollar and you can buy the knife fish yourself."
The carp purchased collectively by the food factory are all purchased at the purchase price. Such cheap carp cannot be bought on the market.
The employee who was picking out the flaws was of course aware of this. This carp would probably be sold for one dollar and fifty cents outside.
He quickly picked up his carp and slipped away.
Ye Manzhi covered herself tightly and stood by and watched for a long time.
What she looks forward to most every year is the company distributing benefits. Everyone gets together to receive New Year’s goods. It’s lively and there’s a particularly busy New Year atmosphere.
Standing in the snow, her feet were a little cold. She turned around and asked, "Ruyi, what else do we have to collect?"
"There are also two pounds of pork, one pound of spareribs, and one pound of pig offal." Zhou Ruyi asked Xiao Cai while holding the list, "What do these brackets mean?"
"If someone doesn't want offal, they can swap it for half a pound of pork ribs," Xiao Cai said knowledgeably. "Pork ribs are second-grade meat and sell for 85 cents at the market, while offal is third-grade meat and sells for 75 cents. So, the offal is still the better value. But some people don't like offal, so we can swap it for half a pound of pork ribs."
Ye Manzhi and Zhou Ruyi returned the two items they had just received to the office and ran to the canning workshop to get pork, ribs and offal.
Fresh pork is needed to produce luncheon meat, so the ribs you receive are freshly removed by the deboning team and are fresher than frozen pork and offal.
Ye Manzhi felt that this pound of spare ribs would not last until the Chinese New Year, so why not make it tonight while it’s still fresh?
While she was thinking about it, her fourth brother was driving a forklift and turning out from the corner of the workshop.
Seeing her, he stepped on the brakes and asked, "Director Ye, have you collected all your New Year's goods?"
"Just received all."
"What's the difference between the benefits for leaders and our employees?" Fourth Brother asked curiously.
"There's nothing different." Ye Manzhi let him take a look at the ribs.
"How are you going to get all these things home? How about I help you take them back?"
The food factory distributed New Year’s goods, only a little bit of each item, but there were quite a lot of varieties.
When more than ten kinds of New Year's goods are put together, the weight is still quite considerable.
"You can give me a ride on your bike."
After the third brother went to the third front, Lao Ye felt that his daughter-in-law would not be able to stay for long, so he gave the hundred yuan he had used to buy the bicycle to Huang Daxian.
Now the bicycle has become public property of the family.
The fourth brother rides a bicycle to and from get off work every day, but he has to pay Old Ye one dollar in rent. Even father and son have to settle accounts clearly.
"Then you can put the New Year's goods in our warehouse, and I will deliver them to you after get off work." The fourth brother jumped out of the cab and said, "Come on, help me watch the forklift, I'm going to the toilet!"
Ye Manzhi: "Why do you always go to the bathroom? I heard a few days ago that someone reported that you weren't working seriously and were always looking for excuses to go to the bathroom!"
"Those people are talking nonsense!" Fourth Brother yelled, "It's so cold, why don't you let them drive for a day? I don't drink alcohol to keep warm, and if I don't drink some hot water, I'll freeze to death!"
He drinks a lot of hot water and goes to the toilet frequently.
This has become a concern for people.
Seeing that he was feeling very uncomfortable, Ye Manzhi smiled and said, "Then go quickly. I'll help you watch for a while."
While she was waiting by the forklift to watch the excitement, Zhou Ruyi came over and whispered, "It seems Director Zhu has also received the New Year's goods."
"Who?" Ye Manzhi had already forgotten about the new colleague who came today.
"New Director Zhu!"
"Did he go to pick up the New Year's goods himself?" Ye Manyi asked in surprise.
Receive New Year’s goods as soon as you get to work?
What contribution has he made to the factory?
"He didn't pick it up himself," Zhou Ruyi pointed at the crowd. "Director Ding is over there. He organized the people to pick up the New Year gifts for the other factory directors, including Director Zhu."
Ye Manzhi felt that Zhu Kehai would not take advantage of the food factory.
But she didn't know Director Zhu well, so it was hard to say.
After returning to the office, Zhou Ruyi kept an eye on the movements of the other deputy factory directors without her instructions.
Director Ding of the factory office divided the New Year's goods among the people and sent them to their offices one by one.
I also went to Zhu Kehai's office.
"Director Ding went in with something and came out empty-handed. I went to the factory office to inquire about this," Zhou Ruyi said with a strange expression. "It's said that Director Niu personally sent a letter to send Director Zhu a New Year's gift. Director Zhu was in a hurry to start his new job at the factory and didn't claim his previous company's New Year benefits. Director Niu said they couldn't delay Director Zhu's New Year celebrations, so the factory issued him a replacement."
Ye Manzhi felt that Zhu Kehai was already a deputy factory director at the age of thirty, so he shouldn't be so useless.
However, when she got off work that day, she paid special attention to Zhu Kehai's office, and he actually left work with New Year's goods in his hand!
“…”
After returning home, she finished the half-finished shirt, watched Wu Zhengrong try on the new shirt, and told him about the new deputy factory director.
"He seems quite smart. Why is he getting New Year's gifts right after joining the new company? If he doesn't do this, people will accuse him of taking advantage of the factory."
Wu Zhengrong buttoned his wrist and said casually, "That depends on your Director Niu's attitude towards this new director."
Ye Manzhi thought for a moment and said, "Indeed, there are more than 2,000 people in the factory, and not everyone can know about the factory leaders' affairs. As long as no one publicizes it, no one will know even if he only receives one New Year's gift, not to mention ten. It all depends on Lao Niu's attitude..."
If Lao Niu doesn't want Zhu Kehai to have an easy time, then within a few days, news will spread in the factory that Director Zhu received New Year's goods as soon as he took office.
Ye Manzhi helped the man straighten the hem of his shirt and nodded with satisfaction. "Although I haven't made men's shirts in several years, my skills haven't fallen behind! Dr. Wu, I've treated you badly these past few years. You look so refreshed in a new shirt!"
Wu Zhengrong smiled and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Director Xiaoye."
"Making clothes isn't hard, but cloth coupons are so hard to come by." Ye Manzhi stroked his broad back and warned, "The shirts I made for you are perfect fits. You're not allowed to gain weight or lose weight! You must keep exercising to maintain your current figure!"
Wu Zhengrong thought that the second half of this sentence was the key point.
In the first few years of their marriage, Ye Lai Ya suggested that he keep exercising and stay in shape.
Cloth coupons were not so scarce at that time, so Xiaoye the tailor could still make him a new piece of clothing every year.
So, keeping him in shape has nothing to do with whether the shirt fits him well.
"You're laughing again!" Ye Manzhi pinched his lips, "What are you laughing at? Don't laugh!"
Wu Zhengrong broke away, kissed her fingertips, and changed the subject, asking, "My third uncle's family is back in Binjiang this year, and the old couple has someone to keep them company. Do you want to go back to the military compound for New Year's Eve dinner?"
"Why do you suddenly want to go back to the military industrial compound?"
"Didn't your third brother go to the Third Front? There's one less person at home. Dad must be feeling pretty uncomfortable."
Ye Manzhi shook her head and said, "The more you take care of his mood, the more he will think about it. Let's just celebrate it as we did in previous years. Go to the old house on New Year's Eve and go back to my parents' home on the third day of the Lunar New Year. Grandpa and grandma are still thinking about youyan!"
She and Wu Zhengrong were busy with work, so Accountant Wu was taken care of by his great-grandfather and great-grandmother half of the time, and could be said to have been raised by the old couple.
It doesn’t matter whether the two of them go back to celebrate the New Year, but her little one must go back.
Ye Manzhi's words were not groundless. On New Year's Eve, her words were confirmed!
On New Year’s Eve, neither adult had to be on duty, so the family of three slept until they woke up naturally.
Wu Zhengrong writes the couplets and the word "Fu" in their family every year. Because everyone stayed in bed in the morning, the writing of the word "Fu" was done later this year.
Ye Manzhi left Dr. Wu in the study to write the word "Fu" (good fortune), while she took her child to paste two New Year pictures on the wall: "Abundance Every Year" and "Say Goodbye to the Old Year Without Forgetting Class Hardship, Welcome the New Year and Be a Revolutionary Forever."
Then I cut a few window grilles out of red paper and asked the eager kids to stick them on the glass.
As soon as Wu Yuzhuo stepped on the stool, the phone in the study rang.
"Go quickly, they must be looking for you again!" Ye Manzhi took the window paper and patted her on the butt.
Wu Zhengrong also called out, "Youyan, your phone number."
Wu Yuzhuo was wearing a red sweater with a kitten pattern, and her hair was tied into two strings of candied haws by her mother using several red hairbands.
He rushed into the study like a gust of wind, picked up the phone that was still ringing and said, "Happy New Year."
Hearing the voice from the other side, she smiled and said, "Grandma, I've told you twice that it's New Year's Day!"
"Youyan, why haven't you left yet?" Grandma Wu asked from the opposite side.
Wu Yuzhuo sat in her father's chair, swinging her legs. "I just told my great-grandfather that my parents got up late and didn't even make breakfast! I only ate two pieces of sachima before going to work with them!"
Grandma Wu asked with a smile, "What kind of work do I need you to do?"
"I have to put up New Year pictures and window decorations. After my father finishes writing the couplets, I have to go outside to put them up!" Wu Yuzhuo said proudly, "What they put up is not as beautiful as mine!"
Grandma Wu urged, "Your third uncle brought back two pineapples, but we didn't eat them yet. We were waiting for you!"
"Ah!" Wu Yuzhuo, who had never eaten pineapple before, said quickly, "Then I'll ask Dad to write the word 'Fu' quickly. I'll go out right after I put it up!"
She put down the phone and quickly urged her father not to delay eating the pineapple.
Wu Zhengrong handed her a freshly dried Chinese character for "Fu" and said, "Hurry up and go to Tieba. The factory manager is busier than you. He's already received four calls this morning."
Wu Yuzhuo said, "The main reason is that I can only stay with my great-grandmother for one night. I have work tomorrow."
Wu Zhengrong glanced at her and asked, "What kind of job can you have?"
"Hehe," Wu Yuzhuo laughed mysteriously, "I won't tell you!"
"Oh, then I won't send you back to work tomorrow."
Wu Yuzhuo was being controlled by his father, and reluctantly negotiated a condition, "Then help me write a small blessing character, and I will tell you!"
"How small?"
Wu Yuzhuo measured the size and said, "I want to stick it on the snowman."
She built a snowman in the yard with Yi Yi a few days ago.
Wu Zhengrong casually wrote a word "Fu" for her, raised his chin, and signaled her to tell the truth.
"Our children's group is going to visit the martyrs' families for New Year's greetings!" Wu Yuzhuo answered, then added anxiously, "So I have to spend time with my great-grandparents today. I have to go back to work tomorrow! Dad, hurry up and write!"
Wu Zhengrong nodded and didn't ask any more questions.
The military academy’s family compound is mostly populated by families of soldiers, and of course there are also families of martyrs.
It is worth encouraging that children have this kind of heart.
Ye Manzhi heard the conversation between the father and daughter and walked in to ask, "Baby, don't the children in your children's group have to accompany their parents to visit relatives and friends?"
Nowadays, every family has several relatives, and visiting relatives on the first day of the New Year is a big project.
Wu Yuzhuo said as a matter of course: "Our team leader said that we should put work first."
Ye Manzhi: “…”
The leader of the children's group is really amazing!
At such a young age, he already knows how to put work first when leading a group of little kids.
So, during this year's Spring Festival, a magical scene took place in their home.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the family of three went out to work separately!
Ye Manzhi and Wu Zhengrong are going back to the unit to visit the staff on duty, while Wu Yuzhuo is going to follow the children from the children's group to visit the families of martyrs and the homes of lonely elderly people to wish them a happy new year.
Because there were so many families wanting to pay New Year's greetings, the children's group was busy the whole day. Director Ye and Director Wu had both gone home, but Accountant Wu had not returned yet.
Ye Manzhi glanced at her watch and said, "It's already past seven o'clock. Why haven't you come back yet? Are you having dinner at someone's house?"
There were only a few relatives of martyrs in the commune, and even if we went door to door, it would take almost half a day.
Since he hasn't come back yet so late, he must have eaten at someone else's house.
Children tend to be greedy, and now it is Chinese New Year, so if people politely make way for them, they can go straight to the table.
Wu Zhengrong shook his head and said, "That's unlikely. The Children's League has very strict discipline, requiring members not to take even a single needle or thread from the masses."
Moreover, those children have good self-control. Last time, 12 of them went to buy candied haws together, and they waited until they returned to the compound to distribute the New Year benefits.
Ye Manzhi said worriedly: "Although they are traveling with the children in the children's group, they are still children after all. Our Youyan is too young. What if something happens?"
Wu Zhengrong went to Zhou Suo's house next door and asked if his son Zhou Mo had returned.
The answer is of course no.
Zhou Mo is also a member of the children's group. He left with Youyan in the morning and hasn't come back yet.
Deputy Director Zhou was not too worried about his son's whereabouts, but seeing that the couple was obviously anxious, he had to mobilize the whole family to go out and look for the child.
Ye Manzhi and Wu Zhengrong took flashlights and prepared to go to the commune to inquire about the situation.
As a result, as soon as the couple walked to the gate of the family compound, they saw a group of children lining up and walking into the compound.
Spotting his parents from afar, Wu Yuzhuo called out "Mom and Dad" and ran over.
Wu Zhengrong caught her and asked, "Why didn't you come back so late? Where have you been?"
"We went to pay New Year's greetings to the martyrs' families this morning!" Wu Yuzhuo said happily. "After that, the group leader took us to a group gathering, and I even met the mayor!"
Director Ye and Director Wu: "::::::"
They had just attended a group gathering at their respective units during the day.
Such a tiny little kid can actually participate in the group party?
Wu Zhengrong took out a handkerchief and helped the kid wipe his frozen snot, adding in his heart with disgust, "Oh, and I also met the mayor."
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