Chapter 76
At six o'clock on Thursday morning, the reveille sounded and Wu Zhengrong got up on time.
At 6:30, I met up with my colleagues from the military representative office to do morning exercises.
At seven o'clock, I went to the cafeteria to have breakfast and checked the work arrangements for the day with Qin Xiang.
At 7:20, I had breakfast and went home to call Director Xiao Ye to get up.
Director Xiao Ye always gets up at 7:30 and goes to work at 8:00. When she is at her mother's house, Comrade Chang Yue'e is responsible for waking her up and making breakfast.
After getting married, this arduous task fell on Wu Zhengrong.
When Ye Manzhi was on honeymoon leave, she was thinking about work, but when it was really time to go to work, she stayed in bed and didn't want to go to work.
She mentally persuaded herself that although her honeymoon was over, as long as she made achievements and secured her position as deputy director, she would be able to enjoy an extra-long vacation, ride the train, and see the sea!
So, when Wu Zhengrong came home with breakfast, he successfully completed the wake-up service with just one shout.
It's not as difficult as my mother-in-law said.
Ye Manzhi took out two net bags, handed one to him, and said, "There's wedding candy in here. Give some to your colleagues who didn't attend the wedding."
"Um."
Wu Zhengrong had work to do in the morning and didn't stay at home for too long. He took the wedding candy, squeezed it tightly between her fingertips, and then went out to work.
After breakfast, Ye Manzhi also carried her net bag to work. From here through the east gate of the compound to the street office, the time can be shortened by three minutes.
This important discovery made her feel a little better, and she could sleep three minutes longer from now on!
The news of the stampede in People's Park has reached the street office. Zhang Qinjian is a veteran and has a certain degree of political sensitivity. He can also think of the problems that Ye Manzhi thinks of.
Although the People's Classroom was proposed by Ye Manzhi, she was also the one who invited the mayor.
But this is also a collective achievement and honor, and he certainly can't let such a good thing go to waste.
Therefore, during the two days that Director Xiao Ye was on vacation, Zhang Qinjian learned from the lessons of People's Park and arranged for people to go to the stadium to set up safety signs and divide specific gathering areas for each neighborhood committee. At that time, the masses would enter in batches.
The police force will be arranged by the district, and the next task of the street office is to mobilize the masses to attend the lectures as much as possible.
The stadium can accommodate thousands of people. If the playground is empty at that time, it will be embarrassing for everyone.
"Officer Xiaoye, what does the mayor's lecture have to do with us? Can we just not go?"
Ye Manzhi held up a loud speaker and said, "Okay, this event is completely voluntary. Comrades who don't want to go can report to the resident group leader, and then we won't reserve a seat for you."
"Our street has nearly 20,000 residents, and the People's Stadium can only accommodate 4,000 at most. This means only one in five people can attend the class. The spots are extremely valuable. Comrades who don't want to go must speak to their team leader and have the spot reserved for other comrades!"
Someone else asked, "Director Ye, I have good ideas and don't need any education. What does the mayor want to say? Why are the spots so popular?"
Ye Manzhi smiled and said, "When the mayor gives a lecture to the masses, of course he has to talk about something that's close to their lives. Sister-in-law, don't worry about what the mayor says. I just want to ask you, have you ever met the mayor before?"
"Haha, how can we have the chance to meet the mayor?"
"Since we haven't met him, forget what he says. Let's just go see what the mayor looks like, how old he is, and whether he speaks well. When we get together with relatives during the holidays, the residents of Guangming Street will have more to talk about than anyone else! The mayor has been in office for so long, and he's only come to Guangming Street to teach and give lectures to the residents. This honor is unique in the city!"
While the residents were discussing among themselves, Liu Jinbao was cheering on the side.
"Don't say you haven't met the mayor. Even the street officials haven't met him either! We were able to invite the mayor this time because Deputy Director Ye wrote to him, saying that all the residents of the street are looking forward to his speech. That's why we have tomorrow's lecture!"
"Instead of just sitting around the stove at home, why not take the kids to the stadium to broaden their horizons? The People's Stadium is decorated so magnificently. Not only will you get to meet the mayor, but you'll also be able to attend classes with thousands of other people. You won't see such a lively atmosphere for years!"
It doesn’t matter what the mayor is going to say. What’s important is to arouse the curiosity of the people, take advantage of everyone’s herd mentality, and gather people to the stadium first.
No matter what your initial motivation is, as long as you go to the class, you will always gain something.
The residents of the second neighborhood committee were gradually swayed by their encouragement. After all, it only took a morning, so going to see the excitement wouldn't waste much time. The most important thing was that they could meet the mayor! They could brag about it to their relatives later!
"Director Xiao Ye, the mayor is only here to give a lecture. Can you arrange a job for us?"
Ye Manzhi and Liu Jinbao: "::::::"
Ye Manzhi thought to himself, I want the mayor to promote me directly, but this is not realistic!
She remained calm and said, "We don't need the mayor to arrange jobs. Our street office is capable of arranging jobs. Auntie, who needs a job?"
"My second daughter."
"Then you need to tell me about your daughter's specific circumstances, such as her age, health, education, special skills, and her previous job... Even the mayor can't just assign someone a job without asking any questions. Our subdistrict office has some job openings, but the officials are busy these past two days. After the mayor finishes his lecture, you can come to the subdistrict office."
Ye Manzhi answered all kinds of strange questions from the residents in this way.
The notice and precautions regarding the mayor's lecture had been broadcast in the military industrial compound.
The cadres of the street office mainly carried out mobilization in alleys and lanes of all sizes.
On this day, everyone in the street and neighborhood committee was busy until after nine o'clock in the evening before leaving get off work.
When Ye Manzhi got home, she didn't even have dinner. She just washed up and fell asleep because she was tired. Wu Zhengrong helped her take off her clothes.
Although every household had been notified, she still felt uneasy.
Anyone who often works at the grassroots level knows not to place too much hope on residents’ verbal assurances.
Many people agree to something in person because they can't save face, but when the time comes, they still don't go.
So, the next morning, after breakfast, she ran to the First Residential Committee and saw some residents carrying benches and heading to the People's Stadium. She felt so relieved!
Because the activity time notified to each neighborhood committee was different, the residents went to the stadium in batches.
Throughout the morning, residents continued to take to the streets carrying stools.
This scene has become a brand new landscape of Guangming Street!
Reporters sent by the newspaper captured the scene of residents holding benches, lining up in a long queue, and happily going to class.
This casual photo was first published in the Binjiang Daily, and later reprinted by the People's Daily and major national newspapers and magazines. It later participated in the "National Socialist News Photography Exhibition" and won the gold medal.
It has become a typical representative of the positive and progressive life of the people in socialist society and has been circulated and reprinted for decades.
Of course, this is all in the past.
At this time, Ye Manzhi didn't know that Guangming Street where she lived would become popular because of a photo.
She was carrying a bench and heading to the stadium with the last group of residents!
The long procession in front was particularly spectacular, and its scale was no smaller than the parade that day.
When passing other streets and being asked by passers-by, the residents would continue to show off to them.
"We're going to listen to the mayor's lecture! What? You want to listen too? That's probably not possible. Only residents of Guangming Street can attend. Why are we the only ones allowed to attend? This event was organized by our street, so of course we're the only ones allowed to attend!"
"The mayor only gives lectures to us on Guangming Street, and there are only a limited number of places. Only one out of five people on our street can attend the lectures, so the places are precious!"
Ye Manzhi listened to their boasting and laughed so hard that she covered her face with her hands.
You can’t tell at ordinary times, but the residents on their street have a strong sense of collective honor and vanity.
The stadium was now full of people. A tall podium was set up at the front of the playground, with a red banner above it that read "The First Lesson of Socialist Ideological and Political Education in Guangming Street, Binjiang City."
Various banners, slogans, colorful flags, and big-character posters covered most of the playground.
Each area has street cadres, police officers, neighborhood committee members, resident group leaders, and street activists responsible for maintaining order.
Ye Manzhi had to admit that Zhang Qinjian's arrangement was very far-sighted.
If a meeting with so many people can go on peacefully and without any trouble, it is half the success.
The class started at 10 o'clock. The mayor walked up to the podium amid thunderous applause from the audience and greeted the crowd in a warm and cordial tone.
He was quite satisfied with the situation on the scene.
It is called the People’s Classroom, and it truly is the People’s Classroom.
He just took a special look at the front row of the audience, which was full of grassroots people in simple clothes, mostly elderly people, women and children.
The cadres, dressed in neat shirts and cadre uniforms, were all outside the venue or in the last two rows of the audience.
He was very pleased that Zhengyang District did not put the cart before the horse and go through the motions.
Therefore, when facing the real grassroots people, the mayor's lecture became more emotional and enthusiastic!
The topic of his lecture was selected from several topics provided by Guangming Street, and revolved around "Socialism is the Only Correct Path."
In addition to introducing what socialism is and its characteristics, it also gives examples of the superiority of socialism from the aspects of industry, municipal administration, and people's lives.
The mayor's steady and powerful voice was transmitted through the loudspeakers around the playground and reached the ears of every resident present.
For many residents, such classes are indeed their first lesson in life.
Those who had originally just come to watch the fun were gradually attracted by the content of the mayor's lecture and stared at the direction of the podium intently.
Ye Manzhi and his colleagues sat in the last row. While taking notes, they sighed in their hearts, "Comrade Mayor is so capable."
There is a saying that goes, "When shooting arrows, look at the target; when talking, look at the audience."
She believed that the mayor would not use so many slang, dialects, and vernacular when speaking to cadres.
However, the content of his lectures was easy to understand, and there was basically no professional terminology that was difficult for ordinary people to understand. Even people who had not been educated could understand what he was talking about.
Ye Manzhi felt that the mayor's behavior was very good, as it set an example for their people's classroom.
The purpose of giving a lecture is not to show off your talent and knowledge, but to make the masses understand and accept it.
When she felt that the mayor's speech was coming to an end, she hurriedly looked towards the area where the Fifth Neighborhood Committee was located, and her gaze met Chang Yue'e's.
After seeing her daughter's gesture, Chang Yue'e opened the cloth bag she had been holding for the whole morning and took out two pots of red peony from it.
Seeing her nagging, Shen Liangmei pulled the red clover out of the soil and said distressedly, "Mom, send it up with the pot!"
"What if they think there's a bomb in this pot and don't let you go on stage? If you send the pot and the soil together, the police will stop you from the stage."
Chang Yue'e ignored her and handed a bunch of red flowers to her grandson Mai Duo next to her.
"What did I tell you at home? Do you still remember?"
Maddo held the flowers and nodded nervously.
"Well, I'll give the flowers to that grandpa after he finishes his talk."
Shen Liangmei didn't expect that her sister-in-law would assign such an important task to her son. She was more nervous than Mai Duo, the person involved.
"Son, please be careful not to break the flowers! Mom, how about letting my little sister do it for him? Maiduo is too young."
Chang Yue'e scolded lightly, "What do you mean by 'small'? Our Mai Duo is going to elementary school this year. When he goes to school, let his classmates and teachers know that he presented flowers to the mayor and even spoke to him. Then Mai Duo will definitely be made class monitor! This is such a great opportunity. If Lai Ya hadn't become the deputy director, how could our child get such a good opportunity to show off his status!"
Maiduo nodded like a little adult and said, "Mom, you don't understand. My grandma is educated. Let's listen to her!"
Shen Liangmei: "..."
Just because she hasn't been to school, she can't express her opinion?
She has also recently signed up for a literacy class!
The speech on the stage was nearing its end, and the mayor waved goodbye to the crowd and bowed to leave.
A little boy ran up the steps next to the podium.
The mayor was stunned for a second, then quickly smiled warmly.
Maddo was stared at by so many eyes in the audience and was extremely nervous, but his aunt only taught him one sentence. Although he was nervous, he did not forget to complete the task.
He handed the red string in his hand forward and said, "Grandpa, this flower was planted by my father. I give it to you!"
Hearing the grandpa say thank you and touch his head, Maddox scratched his head embarrassedly, shouted "Goodbye Grandpa", and ran off the stage.
The mayor held a bunch of red beads in his hands, feeling both amused and helpless.
He had been given flowers before, both plastic and fresh.
But this is the first time I have received a red string!
This flower is a municipal flower, and most of the flowers in roadside flower beds are red.
The roots of the flowers in his hand were still covered with dirt. If the child hadn't told him that his father had planted them, he would have thought they were just picked from the roadside!
The mayor held the flowers and sighed, saying that the grassroots people are so simple and honest!
He raised his red ribbon and waved to the audience. Amidst the applause and the chorus of "Singing the Motherland", he successfully completed today's lecture.
Although the event was organized by the street, small cadres like Ye Manzhi and Zhang Qinjian could not even get close to the mayor.
I could only follow the district party secretary and district mayor and see the mayor off.
After the leader left, they had to go back to guide the evacuation of the people.
Only when everyone leaves safely can today's mission be considered a success.
However, when they were about to reach the exit, Director Chen from the Municipal People's Committee Office said something to Mulan, and then Mulan turned around and waved to Ye Manzhi.
Seeing this, Ye Manzhi hurried over and heard District Chief Mu introduce him, "Mayor, this is Comrade Ye Manzhi who wrote to you. He is currently the deputy director of our Guangming Subdistrict Office. He is a young man with a lot of courage. He dared to write to you just a few days after taking office."
The mayor nodded and smiled. "I still remember Comrade Xiao Ye. The last time we met, she was a young grassroots cadre maintaining order in the free market. This time, she's the deputy director of the subdistrict."
It was the first time that District Party Committee Secretary Lu met Ye Manzhi in person, but because of her courage to write a letter to the mayor, he also took the time to learn about the situation of this young female cadre.
Glancing at her youthful face, Secretary Lu smiled and said, "Comrade Ye Manzhi is one of the young cadres newly promoted this year in the district. She has a revolutionary spirit and strong political qualities. She is one of the first batch of reserve cadres trained by the district in response to the call of the Municipal Party Committee."
The mayor nodded and said, "Zhengyang District is very eclectic in appointing young cadres. Looking at the entire city, Comrade Ye Manzhi may be the youngest subdistrict director."
Ye Manzhi hadn't intended to say much, but she couldn't tell whether the mayor's words were a compliment or criticism. If he disagreed with the district's bold use of young cadres, she wouldn't have to wait until the end-of-year assessment; she could step down immediately!
She pondered for two seconds, then deliberately put on an embarrassed expression and said with an awkward smile, "Mayor, I'm only the acting deputy director now, and my administrative level is still level 25. I can't compare with the deputy directors of other streets. I can only become a deputy director after passing the district assessment at the end of the year. I'm not even a deputy director of a street yet!"
The mayor smiled and said, "Although he's only the acting deputy director, he's done a great job. You should organize more activities like this that benefit the people. The city has always supported them."
Ye Manzhi said modestly, "The opening of this People's Classroom is the result of the collective efforts of the Guangming Subdistrict Office and has received strong support from the district leadership. I haven't been working for long, and I haven't had many opportunities for political study. My theoretical knowledge isn't good enough to teach the residents of the subdistrict. That's why I discussed it with Director Zhang Qinjian and decided to invite leaders from the city and district to give lectures at the People's Classroom. This will allow me to learn from their strengths and make up for my own shortcomings."
It was already very good that the mayor could have a few words with a grassroots cadre like her.
It was impossible to have a deeper conversation.
Ye Manzhi said a few simple words and followed the district leaders to send the mayor into the car.
Before leaving, Mulan called Ye Manyi over alone.
"You did a good job just now. I was worried that you were too young and might be too eager for success and take risks. The district leaders are well aware of what the People's Classroom is all about. Lao Zhang is the director, so you must respect and cooperate with him, and maintain team unity externally. If you want to get your work done, you can't do without Lao Zhang's support."
Ye Manzhi had just spoken to the mayor and his mind was still boiling with excitement!
She didn't really understand the deeper meaning of what District Chief Mu said, and just nodded in agreement.
It was not until she left the stadium and went home to review the day's work that she gradually figured out the meaning of what District Chief Mu said.
Although her experience was limited and her understanding of those words might not be complete, she still understood the principle of not having everything to herself.
She can't eat the whole pie by herself, she has to share some with others.
Even the district party secretary knew that the letter to the mayor was written by her, so the purpose of her organizing this event has been achieved.
At the end of the year, this was one of her work achievements.
After figuring this out, she went to work the next day and found Zhang Qinjian. She pretended to be annoyed and said, "Director, although the first class of the large classroom is over, we can't just end it with one class, right? Do we have to have a few more classes?"
"Of course. We should take advantage of the mayor's lecture and invite more district and city leaders."
Ye Manzhi sighed and said, "You know how I invited the mayor. The mayor can see my letter, but others may not pay attention to me. I don't have many connections in the city or the district. Director, why don't you take the trouble to invite other leaders?"
Zhang Qinjian was still thinking yesterday about how to take over this job.
With the mayor taking the lead, it becomes relatively easier to invite other leaders, and you can also take this opportunity to build relationships with higher-level leaders.
Unexpectedly, Ye Manyi let go without waiting for him to speak!
"Such an important job, and you're just giving up?"
"It's not like I'm giving up. The key is to invite the leaders to follow up on the victory. You know I'm a military dependent now, and my wife hasn't visited her parents in several years due to work. Now that we're getting married, we have to go visit them at least once..."
Zhang Qinjian: "Well, visiting parents is serious business."
"Hey, this is my first time meeting my in-laws, and I'm pretty nervous," Ye Manzhi took the opportunity to ask for leave. "I plan to take a family leave starting at the beginning of next month, which will last about 20 days."
Zhang Qinjian was stunned: "So long?"
"That's right. His parents work quite far away. The journey alone would take seven or eight days." Ye Manzhi sighed again, revealing the worries of a newlywed. "The preparations for the convenient food service station haven't been completed yet. I want to set it up before I go visit my family. Director, please take care of inviting other leaders to give lectures."
Zhang Qinjian agreed: "Okay, you just focus on the service station, and I'll help you with the other work."
Ye Manzhi handed over the follow-up work. Although she felt regretful, she thought about it carefully and realized that unless she could invite provincial leaders, the mayor's lecture would be the highlight of the People's Classroom.
As the number of courses increases and leadership positions are downgraded, residents' novelty and curiosity about large classes will also decrease.
She plans to teach classes to the public frequently to provide everyone with learning opportunities, but the class sizes will definitely get smaller and smaller in the future.
Ye Manzhi comforted herself for a long time, and after going to see the house Liu Jinbao found for the service station, she quickly posted a recruitment notice.
Recruiting chefs, buyers and waiters.
As for the pastry chef, she didn't write it down for the time being. Fourth sister-in-law Shen Liangmei learned pastry when she was an apprentice in the drama troupe. Her pasta making skills were actually quite good, but the state-owned restaurants and canteens were full and there were few temporary recruitments, so she had no chance to work in a large unit.
When it was almost time to get off work, Zhao Erhe posted the job recruitment notice on the street office bulletin board.
Ye Manzhi originally thought that someone would come to apply for the job tomorrow.
As a result, she went home after get off work, and Lang Qinghong, who was newly transferred to replace Wei Zhen, and Yu Ziyang, the women's director of Guangming Street, came to visit No. 16 Courtyard.
They came here to look for jobs at the food service station.
Ye Manzhi thought they had someone to recommend, so she said with a smile, "The job posting was just posted, and you're already here! How fast!"
"Hey, we have to hurry up," Lang Qinghong said, holding her hand and laughing. "If you recruit everyone in one night, we won't be able to talk about this anymore."
"What's going on?"
Yu Ziyang, the women's director, said, "Director Ye, you know it's hard for women on our street to find work. Many women have trouble finding jobs due to their gender and educational background. I think cooking and waiter jobs are something both men and women can do, especially women. How many women can't cook? Can we hire only women at this food service station?"
"Haha, let's sit down and talk slowly."
Ye Manzhi quickly invited the person into the yard.
It was her first time entertaining guests in her new home, and she didn't know where to invite the guests to talk.
When entertaining guests, people usually invite them into the main room to chat.
But the bed in the main room of her house is more than two meters long. If her colleagues see the bed, she will never be able to see anyone at work again!
As for the study and her bathroom, that was even more uncertain.
No outsiders are allowed to enter the military representative's study, regardless of whether it contains confidential documents or not.
After much deliberation, she decided to put three chairs in the yard. Taking advantage of the gradually warming weather, she let her colleagues chat in the yard while enjoying the cool air.
When Wu Zhengrong returned home, what he saw was his wife's overly simple way of hospitality.
Three chairs, a handful of peanuts, and nothing else.
Since there was no suitable table, we couldn't even make them a cup of tea.
After a moment's thought, he could guess why she didn't invite anyone into the house, and he couldn't help but smile.
However, you can entertain guests in the yard in the summer, but what about in the winter?
If Director Xiao Ye becomes a district mayor or something in the future, he can't continue to treat his colleagues like this, right?
Wu Zhengrong thought that he could set up a low table on the weekend. Even if he was entertaining guests in the yard, he would have to have a table for the guests to put their tea cups.
Now this is too undignified.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
