Chapter 23
The workers' club is located on the east side of the military industrial compound. The two people need to enter from the west gate and cross half of the compound to reach the east gate.
Halfway through the journey, Ye Manzhi regretted choosing to dine at a Western restaurant.
When Wu Zhengrong asked her to choose between the two, she only considered the restaurant's price, taste, and personal preferences, but ignored the special circumstances of the two.
Comrade Wu next to her had only been stationed at the factory for a week when rumors of her beauty spread. She was definitely a celebrity in the factory.
And no matter who he slammed the table with in the leadership team or who he embarrassed, he was always approachable among the employees.
After walking only a few hundred meters, four or five employees greeted him. Ye Manyi, who was walking beside him, naturally attracted a few close looks.
The situation on Ye Manzhi's side is no less severe.
After breaking off her engagement with Zhou Mu, there were as many people who wanted to see her as there were people who wanted to be her matchmakers. Furthermore, she was now a neighborhood cadre, frequently active in the compound, and thus had even more people to meet.
Even though there was a person's distance between her and Wu Zhengrong, she still attracted a lot of curious and inquiring eyes.
Going to a western restaurant to have a meal is more difficult than going to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures.
When the two finally arrived at the entrance of the club, Ye Manzhi was about to secretly breathe a sigh of relief when an acquaintance called her name again.
Lin Qingmei walked quickly over to the two of them. Unlike the others, she didn't look at Wu Zhengrong presumptuously. Instead, she took her good friend's hand and asked, "Are you here for rehearsal? Where's your piano?"
"No, I asked the president for leave a long time ago. I'm treating everyone to dinner here today." Ye Manzhi introduced the two. "Captain Wu, this is my good friend Lin Qingmei. She works at the District Cultural Bureau."
Wu Zhengrong nodded politely and said hello.
When Lin Qingmei heard that the two of them were going to have dinner together, she was already worried in her heart, but she looked extremely serious on the surface, and there was no ambiguity in her eyes.
"Hello, Captain Wu. I've heard a lot about you! Manzhi was able to work at the Subdistrict Office thanks to your insightful recommendation. She's actually wanted to thank you for a long time."
Wu Zhengrong glanced at Ye Manzhi beside him and said with a smile, "My letter of recommendation is just a stepping stone. Xiaoye's ability to handle street work mainly depends on her personal ability. She is very suitable for mass work."
Ye Manzhi stood aside relaxedly, listening to the two people's polite greetings.
Her childhood sweetheart has always been very capable. Although she dares to say anything in private, she has always been a very sensible and serious person in front of outsiders.
Even if he had doubts in his heart, he would not tease her in front of Wu Zhengrong.
Lin Qingmei didn't waste any time and said politely, "Captain Wu, I won't bother you anymore. Our national style music concert rehearses and performs here every week. If there's a chance, I'll ask Manzhi to invite you over to watch it."
The two parties said goodbye on the first floor. From an angle where Wu Zhengrong couldn't see, Lin Qingmei secretly made a few mouth shapes, telling her that she would come to visit tonight.
Ye Manzhi waved his hands randomly and followed Wu Zhengrong up to the second floor, passed through a golden archway, and walked into the Western restaurant.
The Workers' Club was designed by the Soviets and is said to be in the Renaissance architectural style.
The restaurant's arched windows are inlaid with colored glazed glass, and the dome is also carved with intricate golden patterns.
The dazzling chandeliers, colorful oil paintings, maroon leather chairs, tasseled tablecloths, and wooden floors that creaked when stepped on all made Ye Manzhi feel as if she had accidentally entered another world.
There were quite a few guests on the weekend, and there were already several tables of foreigners sitting in the restaurant.
Ye Manzhi liked the colorful glazed windows, so she took the initiative to choose a seat by the window.
"Captain Wu, do you come here often?"
"Today is my second time here," Wu Zhengrong gestured for the waiter to hand the menu to the lady across from him, and continued, "The last time I came was before the Spring Festival. The factory hosted a banquet here to welcome the newly arrived Soviet experts."
Ye Manzhi said frankly with a smile: "This is my first time in a Western restaurant. Please don't be offended if the food I ordered is not tasty."
"It's okay, just order whatever you want. They don't seem to have any bad dishes here."
Wu Zhengrong came from a good family, but he was not someone who had never suffered hardship. He did not have any very particular requirements for food, as long as he could eat his fill.
Having said that, Ye Manzhi still followed the waiter's recommendation and ordered braised lamb, braised prawns, mixed salad with milk, mashed potatoes and beetroot soup.
She glanced at the other guests' tables and felt that the portions in this Western restaurant were not very large.
Her father and her brothers could eat half a pot of steamed buns in one meal.
Wu Zhengrong is about the same age as the third brother, so his appetite should be quite big. Wouldn’t it be embarrassing if the food is not enough?
She quickly counted the money in her pocket and added a dish of Russian salmon and a basket of rolls.
That bottle of Moutai can buy several Western meals. It was also the other party who helped build the yard for the fifth brother, so she should be more generous.
I saw her frowning as she ordered food, hesitating between several dishes as if she was making some important decision. However, she did not feel reserved and awkward as if she was entering an unfamiliar environment for the first time. She naturally asked the waiter in detail about the ingredients and quantity of each dish.
While Wu Zhengrong felt amused, he also felt that this girl who was neither humble nor arrogant, sincere and frank, had her own unique charm.
Ye Manzhi, who was sitting across the table, completed the ordering process very seriously, but when the waiter asked them what kind of wine they wanted, she was a little confused again.
She had never drunk foreign liquor before, so she didn't know how strong it was and was a little worried that she would lose her composure after drinking.
Wu Zhengrong seemed to see through her worry and said sympathetically, "The wine is similar to the hawthorn wine you drank before."
"Oh, let's try white wine then!"
Ye Manzhi's idea was simple. She had never eaten white grapes before, but since she had already spent money, she might as well try something fresh.
The dishes started to be served to their table one after another. Although it was a little inconvenient to eat with a knife and fork, she was careful when ordering. She didn't need to cut any of the dishes with a knife, she could just eat them with a fork.
The restaurant is quiet and the guests are talking in low voices. You can faintly hear the sounds of rehearsals and performances in the concert hall downstairs.
Ye Manzhi did not forget the purpose of this dinner. She picked up the glass of white wine and expressed her gratitude to Captain Wu again.
Those things were just a piece of cake for Wu Zhengrong. He drank the toast and changed the subject, asking, "Are you also a member of the national style music concert downstairs?"
Ye Manzhi nodded. "Everyone has to go to work or school on weekdays, so we usually rehearse on weekends."
"How is the band? Have they ever participated in a formal performance?"
Ye Manzhi said succinctly, "The Provincial People's Broadcasting Station has a storytelling segment every afternoon around 5:00 p.m. There's a ten-second opening song before the show begins, which was recorded at the radio station for our traditional Chinese music concert."
Because of recording this background music, she also received two dollars for travel expenses!
Wu Zhengrong raised his eyebrows in surprise, "That should be considered a professional orchestra..."
"We're not professionals. Our concert members include factory employees, students, teachers, studio artists, court employees, post office clerks, rope makers, carpenters—a wide variety of professions. However, most performers have a mentor or family background. Although it's called an 'Amateur Chinese Style Concert,' our performance level is no worse than that of a professional orchestra."
Putting the can of braised prawns that she had picked up several times in front of her, Wu Zhengrong asked with a smile, "What do you play?"
"Pipa." Ye Manyi casually plucked a few fingers in front of him.
Wu Zhengrong imagined her plucking the strings with her head bowed, then nodded and said, "I'll go show my support to Cadre Xiaoye someday if I get a chance."
Ye Manzhi looked at him and asked seriously, "Do you want to listen? No need to wait, I'll play a piece for you now."
"Now?" Wu Zhengrong subconsciously looked at the small stage in front of the restaurant, where there was a piano.
"Um."
Ye Manzhi put down her fork and took out a red plastic notebook and a small handful of rubber bands she had just bought from the supply and marketing cooperative from her shoulder bag.
Then he put the rubber bands on the notebook one by one.
"What song would you like to order?"
"..." Wu Zhengrong watched her movements, and he understood something in his heart, but he still frowned and asked with obvious doubt, "Are you sure this thing can really play a song?"
"Yes." Ye Manzhi's bright black eyes were particularly sincere.
She took out a pencil from her bag and inserted it diagonally between the notebook and the rubber band. Then she used her thumb and index finger to quickly pluck each rubber band to test the tone, constantly adjusting the position of the rubber band.
After adjusting for a long time and making sure the pitch was correct, Ye Manzhi finally looked up and asked with a smile, "What do you want to hear?"
"Anything is fine."
"Well, I'll let me perform freely." Ye Manzhi cleared his throat and announced quietly, "Next is a special program prepared to thank Captain Wu. Please enjoy Comrade Ye Manzhi's solo piece, 'Red Berries in Bloom'!"
She paused for a moment, and seeing no movement from the other side, she couldn't help but ask, "Why aren't you clapping?"
Wu Zhengrong laughed and raised his hands and clapped them casually.
After the applause died down, a cheerful tune soon rang out in their little corner. Although the sound was not as clear as that of real string instruments, it was indeed the tune of the Soviet song "Red Currant Blossoms".
Wu Zhengrong stared intently at her as she plucked the simple strings repeatedly with her slender white fingertips.
The green dress makes her skin look very white. The sunlight shines through the colorful glazed windows, forming a swaying halo that dapples and scatters around her body.
Wu Zhengrong picked up the wine glass and took a sip. His eyes swept across her slender neck, and then he quickly withdrew his eyes with restraint.
When the tune ended, before he could even open his mouth, the Soviets at the next table clapped and shouted "Bravo".
Ye Manzhi politely nodded in thanks, saying "Sibaxiba" several times, then turned around and looked across, asking expectantly, "How is it? Can you tell what song it is?"
Wu Zhengrong smiled and applauded: "It's a very interesting design, a truly fantastic idea!"
"There's a guzheng player in our concert who plays better than me!" Ye Manzhi thought she performed well, but she still said modestly, "Excuse me!"
Wu Zhengrong smiled and said, "Let's eat. The food is getting cold."
Ye Manyi opened the conversation with a song, and the conversation became easy afterwards.
Although she doesn't work in the factory, she is a factory employee. The two have a lot of intersections in work and life, so they never have to run out of topics to chat about.
She felt that today's dinner party was a great success and both the host and the guests had a great time, so she was particularly happy when she checked her wallet to pay the bill.
Wu Zhengrong took out a few invitation tickets before her and handed them to the waiter.
Seeing this, Ye Manzhi said anxiously, "Didn't we agree that I would treat you?"
"Well, you can treat me next time. The factory office sends me entertainment tickets every month, but I've never used them once. Today's a good opportunity to use them." Wu Zhengrong teased with a smile, "Didn't you prepare a special program for me? That's your thank you gift."
“…”
Ye Manzhi thought to himself, it turns out that having a skill can really make a living.
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