Chapter 71
Director Chen felt a little troubled by the letter Ye Manzhi sent to the mayor.
Other letters can be forwarded to other departments, but this letter is an invitation to the mayor and can only be handled by the General Office or the mayor personally.
He pushed up his glasses and quickly glanced through the letter again.
The comrade who wrote this letter should be a young female comrade. Between the lines one can see some revolutionary enthusiasm for serving the people.
Although some of the wording is rather clumsy, the content of the letter is actually quite interesting.
First, the policy of letting a hundred schools of thought contend and debating what she first mentioned is indeed a hot topic in the city recently, and the main leaders attach great importance to this work.
Second, ideological and political education is typically taught in small classes; large-scale public outreach activities like this are rare in the city. The so-called "First Lesson in Socialist Ideological and Political Education" was not only the first lesson on Guangming Street, but also the first lesson in the entire city.
Third, the target audience is quite special. According to what is stated in the letter, they are all working people at the grassroots level.
It would not be surprising if the mayor gave a speech to the cadres or the neighborhood committee director gave a lecture to the residents.
However, once the mayor gives a speech to the grassroots working people, it will become a hot topic and have a great influence.
Director Chen put the letter away while thinking to himself.
It is more appropriate to invite the secretary to attend this kind of ideological and political class.
However, the young official who wrote the letter seemed to have some connections with the mayor. The mayor was also the deputy secretary, so it made sense for him to go to the grassroots and give the masses a political lesson.
Director Chen took off his glasses, put the letter back into its envelope, and said, "Let's send it to the mayor first. It's up to the mayor to decide whether to accept the invitation."
I just don’t know when this People’s Classroom will start and whether it will conflict with the mayor’s schedule.
…
For Ye Manzhi, the idea of opening a people's classroom is still just a prototype.
She is now focused on two things - inviting teachers and mobilizing residents to attend classes.
As for the start time of the class, the content of the lectures, etc., they can be decided by the leaders.
However, inviting the mayor was much more difficult than she had expected.
There are many cadres like her who are looking for opportunities to meet the mayor. If you want to sign up to be a people's representative and attend the mayor's reception day activities, you have to queue up!
When Ye Manzhi heard the result, she said it didn't matter, but a boil quietly appeared on her chin.
While applying ointment to her, Chang Yue'e complained, "I took care of your wedding so you can focus on your work, but you can't worry too much about work. Look at which bride has a boil on her chin!"
"I didn't want it to happen either. It ran out on its own!" Ye Manyi turned the mirror upside down on the bed in frustration.
"It's not easy to meet the mayor! It's normal that you can't invite him!" Chang Yue'e pushed a pile of gifts to her, "This is your second sister and her family's wedding gift for you. You can pack it up and move to Zhengrong's place."
"So many?"
The Ye family has many brothers and sisters. When holding a wedding, those who are rich contribute money and those who are strong contribute their labor.
My eldest and second sisters are both married, and they are the ones who pay for their marriages.
The eldest sister had said a long time ago that she would give Ye Manzhi a sewing machine when she got married.
The second sister's conditions were not as good as the eldest sister's, but she also gave two washbasins and two thermoses.
Nowadays, the gifts given by relatives to weddings are not expensive. Even a few eggs, a teacup or a toothbrush are normal.
Anyway, favors are mutual. I will return the same amount of gifts as you gave me.
These things given by my elder and second sisters are considered very valuable gifts.
The eldest sister's sewing machine cannot be solved by simply returning the gift, but the second sister's is easier to deal with. When Niu Niu turns one year old, she can prepare a good gift for her niece.
Ye Manzhi followed her mother's instructions and found a notebook to record her interpersonal relationships.
After she and Wu Zhengrong set up their own family, they would have to take care of these matters themselves.
Chang Yue'e clearly described who gave what things and who helped organize the banquet, and asked her daughter to write them down in the favor book.
"Laiya, I don't have anything to give you for your wedding, so I'll just give you two pots of flowers. Take them to your new house and let them see for yourself!"
While Ye Manzhi was recording the interpersonal relationships, her fourth sister-in-law, Shen Liangmei, came in holding two pots of azaleas.
"Sister-in-law, you and my fourth brother helped me arrange the wedding, why do you need to give me a gift?"
Normally, if you put in the effort, you don't have to pay.
These two pots of azalea may look inconspicuous, but they have been carefully cared for by her fourth brother.
Most rhododendrons shed their flowers after summer, but the flowers in these two pots are still bright red and blooming beautifully.
If Fourth Brother sells these two pots of flowers, he can make a lot of money.
Ye Manzhi thought that her fourth sister-in-law was thinking about her room and that was why she sent her flowers, so she took the initiative to say, "Sister-in-law, when I go out, you and fourth brother can move into my room. When I go back to my parents' home, I will occupy Mai Duo's hanging bed."
Although she wanted to keep a room in her parents' home, she also had to consider the actual situation at home.
Unexpectedly, Shen Liangmei said very generously: "Laiya, I have discussed with your fourth brother that after you return home and the wedding is completely completed, we will consider changing rooms."
Anyway, we have waited for such a long time, so a few days won’t make a difference.
Ye Manzhi looked at the two pots of flowers. Since it was not for the house, why did he give her two pots of azalea for no reason?
Shen Liangmei closed the door, sat down next to her and asked, "Little sister, after you become the deputy director, will you no longer be the director of the coal furnace factory?"
Ye Manzhi did have this plan.
She became the director of a coal furnace factory mainly because she did not want to participate in the mobilization work to return home.
The persuasion work has been completed now, and the coal furnace factory is getting bigger and bigger, so it needs a full-time factory director.
But she only thought about this in her heart and did not reveal it to anyone else.
"Sister-in-law, who told you that?"
"My eldest brother made a wild guess after hearing that you were the deputy director." Shen Liangmei observed her expression and asked, "Little sister, my eldest brother has studied and was also the team leader of the village handicraft society. If you don't want to be the factory director anymore, can you recommend my eldest brother to be the factory director?"
"Sister-in-law, do you know what kind of factory a coal furnace factory is?"
"Yes, it's state-owned."
"The state-owned factories organized by the neighborhood committee must be strictly controlled by neighborhood activists and grassroots residents, and must be under the leadership and supervision of the neighborhood Party branch. My brother-in-law isn't a resident of Guangming Street, nor is he a Party member. He can't even be a team leader, let alone a factory director."
Shen Liangmei picked her fingers anxiously. She didn't understand what was said before, but she understood that her elder brother was not qualified to be the factory director.
"Come on, bud, can't you be flexible on this matter?"
"This is a hard and fast rule. There's no room for compromise." Ye Manzhi frowned and looked at her and asked, "Sister-in-law, last time your nephew wanted to work at the coal furnace factory, I helped him with the process. Why does your eldest brother want to be the factory director this time?"
Is this an addiction to taking advantage?
Shen Liangmei blushed at what her sister-in-law said, and said with a chuckle, "Now that my eldest brother has come to me for help, what can I do?"
"Did you go back to your parents' house and brag?" Ye Manzhi asked bluntly, "You said my fourth brother was going to be a driver, I became a deputy director, and I even married a military representative?"
Shen Liangmei: "..."
How come this girl knows everything?
It’s exactly right.
Although she married into the city these years, the Ye family is just an ordinary working-class family, and Ye Mangui does not have a proper job.
She never received any special treatment when she returned to her parents' home.
However, since hearing that Mangui was going to be a driver, her nephew would send her food from his hometown every time he went to the city.
Ye Manzhi also knew that her parents had sent her food. After the food was delivered, everyone in the Ye family had eaten it. So when her fourth sister-in-law asked her to arrange a job for her nephew, she did not refuse and directly arranged for him to work as a temporary worker in a coal furnace factory.
It's okay to ask her to arrange a temporary worker, but it's difficult to ask her to arrange a factory manager.
"Sister-in-law, you married my fourth brother when I was in elementary school. We have a foundation of love, so there are some things I won't tell my third sister-in-law, but I can tell you."
Of course, Wong Tai Sin is quite opinionated and people don't need her to tell them what to do.
Shen Liangmei was stunned for a moment, "Come on, just say whatever you want to say."
"Although my fourth brother went to learn to drive, he wasn't allowed to join the 656 factory. He'll have to find connections to work as a driver elsewhere. The same goes for you. The coal furnace factory's business has been average since the spring, and you, as a non-staff supply and marketing clerk, don't earn much. You two haven't grown strong enough yet, so don't give blood to your mother's family."
Shen Liangmei's face was burning with anger because of what she said. She wanted to swallow her pride and refute a few words, but she didn't dare to quarrel with this deputy director's sister-in-law.
"Sister-in-law, your status in your mother's family is determined by your social status and interpersonal relationships with my fourth brother. What I say may not sound good, but don't be afraid to refuse requests from your brothers and nephews. You can help out when you feel like it, but you can't let others lead you by the nose and agree to everything they say. How can that work!" Ye Manzhi sighed and said, "Your brothers from your mother's family will still ask you to do things for them in the future. Even if you refuse, the family relationship will not collapse. Just feel free to refuse boldly. Your eldest brother won't dare to break up with you."
Shen Liangmei: "..."
She had never thought about it that way before.
Ye Manzhi glanced at her and said, "Sister-in-law, if you have nothing to do, go to the literacy class and learn. Your elder brother at least went to school, but you are illiterate. It will be difficult for me to arrange a formal job for you."
Shen Liangmei quickly asked: "Laiya, can you really arrange a formal job for me?"
"You should go to a literacy class first. Which good company doesn't have a degree requirement these days?"
Shen Liangmei chatted with her sister-in-law for half an hour, and when she left with a lot of advanced ideas in her mind, her head was still dizzy.
She sat on the bench in the living room and thought about what her sister-in-law said. It seemed to make sense.
But as she thought about it, she felt like something was wrong.
Her eldest brother is her brother from her mother's side, but Ye Mangui is also Ye Manzhi's brother from her mother's side.
As her mother's sister-in-law, she was just asking her sister-in-law for...
Ye Manzhi refused to help her, and she really didn't dare to break up with Ye Manzhi.
“???”
So, what did my sister-in-law mean by that?
*
Ye Manzhi can help her relatives, but she must be willing to do so. If they want to take advantage of her relatives, then of course she will refuse!
She explained her thoughts to her fourth sister-in-law, then went to Yard No. 16 with a box of books and two pots of azaleas.
The factory recently had a new project, and Wu Zhengrong had not returned from get off work when she entered.
Ye Manzhi first moved the bookcase into the study, intending to find a place on the bookshelf to place the few books she had.
Compared with Wu Zhengrong's magnificent collection of books, her books are really not worth mentioning.
But she's normal.
When people read books, they pass them around or borrow them from the library. Only a few people, like Wu Zhengrong, must keep the books for themselves.
Ye Manzhi found an empty space under the bookshelf and wanted to temporarily move the dozen or so books on it to another location.
However, when she took out the books, she discovered that several of the new books were duplicates!
There are three or four identical copies of "Mechanical Parts Design and Calculation Examples", "Military Knowledge Dictionary" and "Automobile Failure Prevention and Emergency Repair"!
No need to buy so much even if you like it, right?
She flipped through the calculation example from back to front, and it was filled with calculation formulas and various lines.
She felt dizzy after reading it and quickly closed the book.
Then, just below the blue cover, the words "Written by Liu Botao and Wu Zhengrong" were suddenly discovered.
Ye Manzhi: “!!!”
She checked the covers and title pages of several other books. His name was in the dictionary, but it was at the end of several rows of names.
The author column of the book on car breakdown prevention only has Wu Zhengrong's name.
Oh my god, her military representative comrade actually published a book!
She squatted on the ground to digest for a while, then without bothering to organize her box of books, she took out a book on car breakdown prevention and planned to read Comrade Wu Zhengrong's masterpiece.
Since Wu Zhengrong was not at home at the moment, she didn't have to worry about the custom of not sitting on the bed before marriage.
After taking off his shoes and changing his clothes, he rolled around on the soft mattress, and then picked up the work of the military representative and began to read it carefully.
When Wu Zhengrong got home from get off work, he saw his wife wearing his vest and shorts, lying on the bed with her little butt raised and sleeping soundly.
Oh, there is a book under his arm, it seems to be his too.
Ye Manzhi was awakened by the sudden light. She lay on the bed for a long time before sitting up in a daze.
"Why did you just come back?"
"We have to go on a training exercise tomorrow morning, so the military representative office will hold a meeting in advance."
When Wu Zhengrong was speaking, he happened to catch a glimpse of her Soviet-style XX, one of which popped out from the large hurdle of her vest.
Ye Manzhi had no awareness of her exposure. After recovering from her shock, she picked up the book beside her pillow and asked excitedly, "Comrade Military Representative, have you published a book before?"
"Um."
"Wouldn't that mean you could receive a lot of royalties?"
Wu Zhengrong shifted his gaze away from the large patch of white flesh and turned to pour a glass of boiled water on the table.
"I only received royalties for one book, and the rest were handed over to the work unit."
"Is this the one?" Ye Manyi shook the book in her hand. Seeing him nod, she said cheerfully, "I guessed it! Your name is the only one in this book!"
Wu Zhengrong had no interest in the books or the royalties. He took a sip of cold water and asked, "What time did you tell Mom to go home today?"
"Eight o'clock. I overslept. I'll be back soon."
While his back was turned, Ye Manzhi quickly changed her clothes, then hugged him, kissed him twice on the lips, and ran out of the door as if escaping.
Fortunately, she used the royalties to divert Wu Zhengrong's attention, and he didn't even have time to ask her about the pre-marital enthronement ceremony!
She is so clever!
*
In order to prevent herself from getting boils again, Ye Manzhi gradually shifted her attention to her wedding.
Many of their colleagues and relatives and friends sent gifts in advance, and it takes a lot of time just to organize and record these things.
No longer concentrating on work, Ye Manzhi finally relaxed.
Zhang Qinjian's recruitment work has been basically completed, and he has carefully selected two people from among his many connections.
One is a promising graduate from the previous year, Gao Xiaoguang, male, 20 years old.
It is said that he has good academic performance and has always wanted to go to university, but unfortunately he failed for two consecutive years. He will take the college entrance examination in a month this year, but his family thinks his chances of passing are slim, so they took the opportunity of Guangming Street recruiting and sent him to work.
Gao Xiaoguang is not a talkative person and is completely different from Liu Jinbao and Zhao Erhe.
But he has good handwriting and can take over Ye Manzhi's job and assist Aunt Feng in civil affairs work.
Another comrade, Peng Lan, 35 years old, was previously a temporary worker in the Grain Bureau. This time he was transferred to work in the street, obviously aiming for the formal cadre position.
Compared with these two, Ye Manzhi felt that Lang Qinghong, whom he recommended, was the most reliable.
At least he has relevant work experience and has been awarded as an advanced individual at the county level.
The eight-person staff of the street office was complete, and Zhang Qinjian held a welcome party for everyone and readjusted everyone's division of labor.
Ye Manzhi's work did not change much. He just assigned the civil affairs work to Gao Xiaoguang, and took over the industrial and commercial work that was once in charge of Zhuang Ting.
Zhang Qinjian's problem with holding meetings is that he procrastinates. When Director Mu holds a meeting, it never lasts more than twenty-fifteen hours, but when it comes to Zhang's meeting, it can easily last an hour.
Ye Manzhi felt sleepy because of his nagging. Just when she was about to read the newspaper like Aunt Feng, the phone hanging on the wall suddenly rang.
She picked up the phone and heard a gentle male voice on the other end saying he was looking for Comrade Ye Manzhi.
"I am Ye Manzhi."
"I'm Luo Heng from the Municipal People's Committee Office. Comrade Ye Manzhi, your letter from last week has been forwarded to the mayor and approved. Please come to the office when you have time."
When Ye Manzhi heard the word "mayor", his mind went blank for a moment.
Did her letter really reach the mayor?
The mayor saw her letter and approved it?
Her nose suddenly felt a pang of bitterness, but she quickly suppressed it and asked, "Comrade Luo, has the mayor really seen my letter? Has he agreed to come and give the first lesson at the People's Classroom?"
After hearing her question, the office suddenly became quiet and everyone's eyes were focused on Ye Manyi's face.
Luo Heng said on the other end of the phone, "The mayor is willing to accept the public's invitation to share his learning experience with everyone. I just don't know when you've set the start date for the course."
Ye Manzhi quickly said, "The specific time of the event has not been decided yet. We can coordinate with the mayor's schedule!"
"Then let's do it on the 20th or 21st of this month. Send someone to the General Office. We need to discuss the specific details."
Ye Manzhi quickly agreed and made an appointment with him to go to the general office.
…
The mayor is coming to Guangming Street to give the "first lesson in socialist ideological and political education" to the grassroots people. This is a big event for both Guangming Street and Zhengyang District.
Ye Manzhi first reported the matter to Mulan, who was an old leader of Guangming Street.
So, she became the leader in charge of this activity in the district.
Although the mayor's lecture only lasts for an hour, the order, safety, hygiene, etc. on site must be arranged and prepared in advance.
This was also a test for Mulan, and she mobilized all the young cadres in Guangming Street to take charge of this work.
It is summer now, and Liu Jinbao and Gao Xiaoguang were sweating profusely when they returned from the People's Stadium.
Gao Xiaoguang, the frail scholar, suffered from heatstroke on the way and was carried back by Liu Jinbao on his shoulders.
Ye Manzhi suggested: "Why don't we buy a monthly bus pass for our company? It's a little over three yuan a month. Whoever goes out to do something can take the monthly pass with them and ride the bus back and forth."
Liu Jinbao, exhausted as a dog, finally regained some energy and nodded quickly, saying, "Deputy Director Ye, this is a good suggestion. It's fine at other times, but who can stand walking such a long distance in this scorching heat?"
"It's only a few steps? How can we ask you to walk the Long March?" Zhang Qinjian objected. "Our monthly office budget is only two yuan. Why buy a monthly pass? We should strive to be frugal and live a simple life. We should overcome any difficulties."
Everyone: “…”
Why don’t you overcome it?
Those who went out to run errands were all junior cadres, while the director was in the office to coordinate and command.
He doesn't need to go out in such hot weather and has no idea of the hardships of small cadres!
Ye Manzhi also started out as a small cadre, so he spoke on behalf of everyone.
"Director, although the office funds allocated by the district are small, we withheld a lot of profits last year."
Zhang Qinjian waved his hand and said, "Money should be spent where it counts. After summer, we'll be eliminating the four pests, repairing canals, and repairing dilapidated buildings. Which of these things won't cost money? Previous cadres used to go out on foot to do their work. Why can't you do the same now?"
The hope in Liu Jinbao's eyes was completely extinguished, and he sat back in his seat and lay down in a listless manner.
Ye Manzhi continued, "Director, since we've mentioned the issue of funding, I'd like to share my thoughts while everyone is here."
"Well, now is the time for free expression and free discussion. Director Ye can speak freely."
"Our grassroots staff work very hard. Gao Xiaoguang even suffered from heatstroke today. I think we should improve the working environment if possible," Ye Manzhi sighed. "We always talk about increasing revenue and reducing expenditure, but there are very few opportunities to increase revenue. We almost always focus on reducing expenditure."
"I've been busy inviting the mayor lately, so I've also been paying extra attention to our street's industrial and commercial development. I won't talk about industry, but there's actually a lot of room for commercial development. Our street only has two state-owned restaurants and two public-private joint ventures. With nearly 20,000 residents, these four restaurants are simply not enough to serve the public. We could definitely use another restaurant."
Zhang Qinjian reminded: "Director Ye, the subdistrict office cannot make a profit. The business bureau is responsible for opening restaurants."
"The subdistrict office can't open a restaurant, but it can open a service station! We can just say the restaurant is a 'convenient catering service station,' and no one can find fault with it."
Zhang Qinjian: “…”
"As long as people come to the service station to eat, we'll have income. We can use the money to buy everyone a monthly pass!"
When Ye Manzhi first took office, she wanted to buy a monthly pass for the subdistrict office, or reimburse the bus fares on a per-trip basis, but she kept it to herself, waiting until everyone was present before bringing up the matter.
If the new comrades do not suffer a little like she did in the beginning, how can they appreciate the value of her suggestion!
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