Chapter 90
Some people think that going to the countryside to do physical labor is just wasted work, while others see it as an opportunity to relax.
When several units on Guangming Street held a meeting to discuss the location of work, half of the people chose to work in the countryside.
This left Zhang Qinjian puzzled.
"What are young people thinking these days? It's so much more convenient to work on a nearby farm! Isn't it better than going to the countryside and doing unpaid labor?"
It was a rare occasion for him to agree with Ye Manzhi and he agreed with the proposal to open a farm, but encountered resistance when mobilizing other cadres.
“Going to the countryside is a new experience.”
Ye Manzhi thought this was easy to understand. Many young cadres had never even been to the countryside, let alone done farm work.
For everyone, going to the countryside to work is like going on a picnic.
"If they want to go to the countryside, let them go. Let's count the number of people who want to work on the farm and buy piglets based on a ratio of one pig per person, or one pig for every two people."
Opening a farm means finding a place for cadres to work nearby. The farm does not need to be too large. Raising a dozen pigs and planting an acre and a half of vegetables is enough to keep everyone busy.
Zhang Qinjian could not command the cadres of other units, but the eight cadres of the street office, except Aunt Feng, all had to go to the street office farm to work.
"Director Ye, I'm going out to look for land. You stay home and persuade Comrade Feng Chaoyang. Try to get her to join the main force in production!"
Ye Manzhi declined politely: "Why don't I go find some land? You and Aunt Feng are the same age, so you can persuade her."
Aunt Feng doesn't even like to work overtime, let alone work on the farm.
She didn't know much about Aunt Feng's private affairs before. It was only when she awarded the honor medals to the families of military personnel and martyrs that she learned that Aunt Feng currently lives alone. Her husband and son are both gone, and her only daughter is married.
In winter, comrades from the neighborhood committee will provide one-on-one care for elderly people living alone. They mainly go to their homes in the morning and evening to check the coal stoves to prevent the elderly from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Although Aunt Feng was not old enough, the neighborhood committee arranged a young girl for her.
As a result, the little girl was driven out crying by Aunt Feng after just one day there.
Ye Manzhi therefore went to Aunt Feng's house.
Although the yard is not large, it is exquisitely decorated and furnished, and it is obvious that the family is wealthy.
Aunt Feng is a martyr's relative and has money. She has no desires in her daily life and goes to work just to pass the time.
If you fire someone for not doing physical labor, it might just be what they want.
Ye Manzhi whispered, "Auntie Feng has a vegetable garden at home, and it's quite large. Why don't we let her work at home?"
He is the champion of the district calligraphy and painting competition. The marriage certificates issued by Guangming Street in the past two years are very famous in the whole district. Ye Manyi is reluctant to let such a great man return to Yuantianju.
Zhang Qinjian looked at Feng Chaoyang, who was writing a letter of introduction to a resident, and said anxiously, "Let's leave it that way for now. Once the farm is built, we can mobilize her to participate in the labor."
Feng Chaoyang is like tofu that has fallen into a pile of ash. He cannot be blown or hit.
He called Liu Jinbao and Zhao Erhe to discuss buying piglets.
Ye Manzhi was just about to say that she could ask "Wei Jianjin" Uncle Wei to help her buy piglets. He used to be a broker and worked as a salesperson in a live pig trading service center. However, before she could say anything, she heard someone at the door shouting "Ye Manzhi".
"Qingmei, why are you here?" Ye Manzhi saw Lin Qingmei and waved to her with a smile, asking her to come in and sit down.
"I'm not going in. I have something to talk to you about. Come out first!"
Seeing her anxious look, Ye Manzhi ran out and asked, "What's wrong?"
Lin Qingmei pulled her arm and said, "The list of recommended transfer students who are exempt from the examination has been posted!"
"Are our names on the list?" Ye Manzhi's heart suddenly rose to her throat.
"I don't know! I didn't dare look!" Lin Qingmei patted her chest and said, "I came to find you as soon as I heard the news!"
"The Cultural Bureau is so close to the District People's Committee. You could have made eight or ten trips to the People's Committee instead of the time you spent looking for me!"
Ye Manzhi returned to the office to get the monthly bus pass, took Lin Qingmei and ran to the bus station.
The two of them registered to enter the district people's committee with trepidation and walked nervously to the red list on the bulletin board.
Seeing the word "Ye" on the second line of the list, Ye Manzhi was about to cheer excitedly, but when he looked again, he found that the person's full name was Ye Fengchun.
“…”
She read the list three times, and except for Ye Fengchun, she didn't see any other person with the surname Ye.
After confirming that he was not on the list, his lively little heart fell to the ground with a thud.
Ye Manzhi sighed in disappointment and sat down beside the flower bed with weak legs.
Lin Qingmei, who also failed the exam, checked the list again without giving up, and then sat down next to her with a dejected look.
They both sighed at the same time, and Ye Manzhi asked, "What are your plans for the future?"
"Just go to work as usual, what else can you plan?! This is my first year on the preliminary list, so it's normal that I didn't make it. After all, my seniority is there. For someone with less experience like us, the chances of being selected are already low."
Lin Qingmei looked at the list carefully and found that the youngest person had four years of work experience.
Ye Manzhi asked, "Aren't you planning to take the college entrance exam this year? We only take four subjects when we take the exam as transferred students."
"No," Lin Qingmei shook her head and said, "I really like working at the Cultural Bureau. If my employer recommends me to go to university without taking the entrance exam, I'll probably be able to return to my original employer after graduation. But if I take the exam on my own, the university might not be in my province, and the major might not be suitable. I don't know where I'll be assigned after graduation. If I'm assigned to a small factory, I'd rather stay at our Cultural Bureau."
Both she and Ye Manzhi like to join in the fun.
When I was in school, I was an active participant in cultural and entertainment activities.
The Cultural Bureau often organizes related activities, and occasionally one can come into contact with film and drama actors. It has also hosted a North Korean art troupe before.
She was doing very well in the Cultural Bureau and didn't want to give up this job that suited her so well just to take the college entrance exam.
Besides, being a high school student these days is considered to have a high level of education, otherwise she wouldn't be able to get into the Cultural Bureau.
Lin Qingmei tilted her head to glance at her, puzzled, "Are you going to take the college entrance exam? Why are you suddenly so motivated?"
Originally, they were both just getting by academically. Their strengths were not in studying, and they were just happy to get a diploma.
But the little sister was like the monkey in the Flower-Fruit Mountain, who inexplicably awakened her intelligence, making it very difficult for an ordinary monkey like her to adapt.
Ye Manzhi sighed, "I feel like I'm stuck on a ladder and can't get down. I don't know what's going on these past two years, but everyone around me has gone off to college, even someone like Zhou Mu has been admitted. The key is that Wu Zhengrong also needs to continue his studies. If I still only have a high school degree, then the gap between us will only widen."
Moreover, her situation is different from Qingmei's. There is still a lot of room for development in the Cultural Bureau. She can move up to the municipal bureau or even the provincial department.
But the street office is a small unit with limited room for advancement. The best you can do is to be a street director.
Opportunities to be promoted directly from street director to deputy district chief like District Chief Mu were very rare.
Both grades and luck are indispensable.
If Ye Manzhi continues to work step by step, he will probably have to work in the street office for the next 6 to 10 years.
Although she likes doing grassroots work, she has broadened her horizons in the past two years and is eager to explore and yearn for the outside world.
The two failed candidates exchanged their experiences and comforted each other. Then they quickly cheered up and went to a nearby state-owned restaurant, ordered two meat dishes, and drank two pots of sorghum wine each.
By the time Ye Manzhi had calmed down and returned to the compound in a daze, it was time to turn off the lights.
Wu Zhengrong was standing at the east gate of the compound, talking to the young soldier on duty. When he saw her walking towards him with a shoulder bag on her back, he immediately stopped talking and went to greet her.
"Why are you so late today?"
"Hey, I'm going to dinner with Qingmei!" Ye Manzhi put her arm around him as if no one was around. "I wanted to go see 'Basketball Girl No. 5', but unfortunately I didn't get tickets for the evening movie."
The two young soldiers on duty quickly retracted their gaze and looked straight ahead with firm eyes and serious expressions, as if they saw and heard nothing.
Wu Zhengrong hurried a few steps and led her into the courtyard. Seeing that her face was abnormally flushed, he frowned and asked, "Have you been drinking?"
"I drank some sorghum wine. Hey, when we left the restaurant, the last bus was already there, so we walked all the way back." Ye Manzhi pulled him and asked, "I can't walk anymore, can you carry me back?"
Wu Zhengrong was still in his military uniform, and they weren't the only two in the courtyard, so he flatly refused, "It's only a few steps away, walk on your own."
"I don't even want to walk a few steps!" Ye Manzhi's breath was full of the lingering smell of alcohol. "Qingmei's eldest brother carried her back!"
"Am I your elder brother?"
"You are not the eldest brother, but you are Brother Zhengrong!"
Hearing this, Wu Zhengrong stopped and stared at her with a subtle expression for a while.
Ye Manzhi was drunk and had no sense of shame. She leaned over and asked, "Are you going to carry me or not? I'm having a bad day today. Please comfort me!"
The lights-out signal blew for the first time, and most of the warm yellow lights in the building went out one after another.
Wu Zhengrong took off his military jacket and put it on her shoulders. He squatted in front of her and said, "Be quiet for a while. Don't talk."
Ye Manzhi nodded and lay on his back skillfully.
Her legs, which felt like they were filled with lead, were finally freed, allowing her to sigh in relief.
"Lie down and don't make any noise." Wu Zhengrong reminded again.
"I didn't make any sound." Ye Manzhi buried her head in his shoulder, pouting and chirping twice on the side of his neck.
The warm breath made the muscles in his waist and back tense instantly. Wu Zhengrong patted her butt with his backhand, signaling her to be quiet.
When I walked to Yard No. 15, I happened to meet Mr. and Mrs. Su coming back from the public toilet with their child.
The flashlight beam shone on the two people. Su Gong showed a surprised expression and asked, "What happened to Xiaoye? Is he sick?"
"Yeah," Wu Zhengrong nodded to the neighboring couple, his expression unchanged, "She's not feeling well. I'll take her home first."
"Hey, go back quickly. The temperature difference between morning and evening is big recently, which makes it easy to catch a cold and have a fever. My son Xiaoyu has just recovered from his cold." Mr. Su did not suspect anything. He held a flashlight and enthusiastically sent his neighbor back to the next yard before returning to his own yard.
Chang Haitang waited at the door with his arms folded, and sneered, "You are really meddling in other people's business!"
"Neighbors, we help each other."
Chang Haitang snorted: "Get down!"
"What are you doing?"
"I don't want to leave either. Carry me back!"
Su Gong walked straight into the house without stopping: "Xiao Ye is sick, and you are not sick, so stop making trouble!"
"Xiaoye was full of energy in the afternoon, how could he be sick? You are such a nerd!" Chang Haitang slammed the door and went into the house angrily.
Ye Manzhi was unaware that her drunken behavior had caused Su Gong to suffer an unexpected disaster, and she slept in her son's room for the whole night.
Wu Zhengrong comforted her for half the night, and when she woke up in the morning, the feeling of disappointment over failing the exam had almost disappeared.
Wu Zhengrong was leaning against the bedside reading a book. Seeing that she had woken up, he asked, "How are you feeling? Do you want to go to the Western restaurant at the Workers' Club for lunch?"
Ye Manzhi struggled internally for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Forget it, I'd better study at home."
She actually wanted to go eat Western food, but Wu Zhengrong's entertainment ticket was used to entertain guests. They were a couple, and it would not have a good impact if they used the entertainment tickets issued by the factory to eat and drink lavishly.
She wrapped herself in a quilt and walked over to Wu Zhengrong, glancing at the book he was reading.
All foreign characters.
"Is this the book your tutor gave you? Can you understand it?" Ye Manyi asked.
Wu Zhengrong has officially received the admission notice and will pursue a postdoctoral degree at the Binjiang Military Academy.
It is said that an Air Force colonel was selected together with him.
However, the two Soviet advisors simply threw two books at the two students, letting them interpret and study on their own, and then left them alone.
One in English and one in Russian.
Ye Manzhi glanced at the cover of the Russian book. She knew every letter, but she couldn't understand what the title meant.
Wu Zhengrong pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "With the help of a dictionary, I can probably guess roughly."
He was studying Russian for the "dumb" language intensively. He had quickly accumulated a lot of Russian grammar and vocabulary, and could understand some of the literature with the help of a dictionary, but he had little chance of communicating with the professor and needed the help of the translator from the military academy.
He threw the Russian book aside, lay on the pillow and breathed a sigh of relief.
Ye Manzhi really wanted to help him, but unfortunately her Russian level was only good enough for daily communication, and she couldn't understand such a highly professional book.
"Let's talk in Russian at home from now on. I'll help you practice speaking." Ye Manzhi said excitedly after washing up, "so that you won't act like a fool in front of the Soviet teacher and won't know anything."
"Well, I'll learn a few more tricks from Teacher Xiaoye."
Ye Manzhi taught him a few daily greetings, but Russian has rotaphoric sounds, and Wu Zhengrong's tongue was so stiff that she doubted her life. After teaching him for a long time, he didn't make any progress.
"What's wrong with your tongue?" Ye Manzhi half-knelt on the bed and reached out to pull the other person's lips. "Let me see why you are so stubborn. You can't even learn such a simple pronunciation..."
She could speak Russian in kindergarten, and I don't remember ever having a stage where she practiced pronunciation.
I don’t understand why it’s so difficult to pronounce something so simple when it comes out of this man’s mouth!
She stared at the person's mouth for a while, observing the red lips and white teeth. Looking up, she saw the straight nose and thick, long eyelashes.
Ye Manzhi thought with jealousy, why do such long eyelashes grow on a man's face?
I wish it could grow on her eyes.
By then, her big eyes will be twinkling and will definitely be very charming!
Ye Manzhi was so obsessed with sex that she kissed him on the lips and then repeated the sentence she had just said.
"You better learn from me and soften your tongue."
Wu Zhengrong felt that this Russian teacher was not serious enough and might not be able to teach any proper Russian.
But he didn't struggle at all and followed Teacher Ye's instructions to entangle his lips and tongue with her.
"Repeat after me, Доброеутро!"
Wu Zhengrong pressed the back of her head with one hand, his lips still against hers, and read aloud.
After the words fell, the couple were stunned at the same time.
Ye Manzhi opened her eyes wide and stammered, "You, you really learned it?"
This is bullshit!
How could you suddenly learn it just by kissing?
"Were you pretending before?"
Wu Zhengrong kissed her lips and changed his tone, saying, "Perhaps knowledge can really be transmitted through saliva. We can kiss more often in the future."
Ye Manzhi propped up her arms, refusing to let him kiss her. She said sourly, "Why should I be the only one spreading it to you? Why don't you spread some to me too?"
When others couldn't learn it, she felt anxious, but when they suddenly mastered the skills, Ye Manzhi felt unbalanced again.
How could she not have such a good thing as being able to conquer the most difficult Russian pronunciation with just a kiss?
In a fit of anger, Teacher Ye decided to go on strike, quietly picked up his geography book, and went to prepare for his college entrance examination review.
*
After failing to be selected again as a recommended transfer student without taking the entrance exam, Ye Manzhi calmed down and formally registered for the college entrance examination in July.
This time, she no longer had the option of going to university without taking the entrance exam, so she had to shift more of her attention from work to books.
What surprised Ye Manzhi was that, apart from her family, the person who most supported her in taking the college entrance examination was Liu Jinbao!
Because cadres need to obtain permission from their unit to register for the college entrance examination.
You are eligible to register only after the leader signs and the unit seals it.
Therefore, the news that she was going to take the exam was no secret in the unit.
Ever since he knew that she was preparing to take the college entrance exam, Liu Jinbao has been extremely attentive to her.
The last person she described as diligent was Wu Zhengrong’s former correspondent, Comrade Qin Xiang.
"Director Ye, although our street is very busy right now, with the development of street-run industries and the preparations for raising pigs on the farm, you should not worry about these things. I will help you with any work you need! You should spend more time on your textbooks and strive to get into a good university."
Ye Manzhi felt uneasy because of his sudden attentiveness. After all, Liu Jinbao was a handsome young man. If he was so attentive to her, it would easily cause trouble.
But Ye Manzhi didn't feel like explicitly refusing the other person, after all, the other person was just being kind enough to help her share some of the work.
She went home and told Wu Zhengrong about this matter, saying frankly that Liu Jinbao's attentiveness was inexplicable and that if someone was too attentive for no reason, he was either a traitor or a thief.
Wu Zhengrong smiled and said, "Maybe they're waiting for you to make room for them?"
"What position?" Ye Manzhi reacted for a moment, then asked in disbelief, "Liu Jinbao wants to replace me as deputy director? How can he be deputy director?"
"Why can't he? You've already set a precedent, where young cadres can be promoted to deputy director. He's a few years older than you, right? And he even made a contribution last year when he apprehended spies."
"There's usually a female comrade between the street director and the deputy director. If he becomes the deputy director, then both directors of Guangming Street will be men."
With Zhang Qinjian around, it would be difficult for Liu Jinbao to be the deputy director.
It was precisely because of this understanding that Ye Manzhi did not associate it in this direction, but instead focused his thoughts on the relationship between men and women.
Wu Zhengrong raised an eyebrow and asked, "If it's not this, what else could it be? He wouldn't be so out of his mind as to openly show his affection to my wife, right?"
Ye Manzhi thought, no matter why he was being so attentive to her, since there was labor available right at her doorstep, she might as well use it!
If she could really get into university, she would just return the favor and recommend Liu Jinbao to the organization to succeed her.
Whether to use him is up to the organization.
So, when she went to work again, facing the enthusiastic and attentive Liu Jinbao, Ye Manzhi didn't hesitate this time and asked with a smile: "Jinbao, Director Zhang said he wants to buy 25 piglets for our farm, but these pigs need to consume at least 100 kilograms of pig feed every day. Do you have any good ideas in this regard?"
"That's easy!" Liu Jinbao said excitedly, "It's not realistic to ask cadres to work at the paperboard factory to make packaging paperboard, but we still need to feed the lees from the liquor factory and the bean dregs from the oil press to the pigs. The city is calling on companies to raise pigs in their canteens. I asked around, and the liquor factory and the oil press haven't started raising pigs yet. I think our street farm can help them raise a few big fat pigs. The condition for raising them is that the liquor factory and the oil press provide our farm with lees and bean dregs free of charge!"
"Combined with the one acre of vegetables we grow ourselves, we can basically solve the problem of feed for these big fat pigs. Director Ye, what do you think of my idea?"
Ye Manzhi smiled and said, "Very good, very good, Jinbao, please talk to Director Zhang about this matter. If he agrees to help other units take care of the child, you will be responsible for the subsequent liaison work!"
"Don't worry about me doing the job!" Liu Jinbao promised, patting his chest.
When they were still in the probation period, Liu Jinbao was very proactive in his work and even paid for a folk art troupe to perform on the street.
But after officially joining the company, he became obviously lax and his work enthusiasm was not as outstanding as Ye Manyi's.
This time Ye Manzhi is going to take the college entrance examination, and there is a 50% chance that he will give up the position of deputy director. Smelling the smell of meat, Liu Jinbao perked up again, and his work enthusiasm is comparable to the two months of probation!
With Liu Jinbao willing to share the work, Ye Manyi really had a lot of time to review.
I make good use of the time during work and after get off work to memorize the lessons.
This situation continued until the end of May.
When she was about to fill out her college entrance examination application, the Municipal People's Committee suddenly issued a notice calling on everyone in the city to donate some scrap steel and iron to support production and construction.
The district required all nine streets in the district to hold a competition and organize and mobilize all residents to donate steel and iron for industrial construction.
When it comes to this kind of work, Zhang Qinjian has always strived to perform actively and put Guangming Street at the forefront of all units.
Therefore, after receiving the notice, the six neighborhood committees within Guangming Street also organized a big competition.
All residents must donate scrap steel and iron.
Ye Manzhi is both a street cadre and a resident of the compound. When the leader of the residents' group came to mobilize her to donate iron, she was looking for it everywhere at home.
"Where can we find any scrap iron or steel at home?" she said anxiously. "I should have gone to the scrap yard to look for it earlier!"
The people living in this area are all cadres and their families, and the leader of the residents' group is Deputy Director Liu's wife.
Because there is a big competition between the neighborhood committees, the team leader has said that as the family members of the leaders, their third residents' group must come out on top in this competition!
Every household must hand in at least 20 kilograms of scrap steel and iron!
"I saw someone donated their cooking pots and woks," Wu Zhengrong suggested, stroking his chin. "We don't cook much anyway, so why don't we hand in our big pot?"
"That won't do!"
Ye Manzhi was still thinking about the food, dried seafood, and bacon and sausages he had stockpiled.
Without an iron pot, what will she use to cook?
Wu Zhengrong looked around the room, tutted, and said, "Apart from the iron bolt on our gate, only your bathtub can be used. Take your pick."
Ye Manzhi: “…”
After handing over the bath tub, what does she use to take a bath?
Besides, how could she explain to others the purpose of this iron bucket?
Whose washtub is so big and deep?
Wu Zhengrong seemed to have guessed her concerns and offered a suggestion with a smile: "Then you can say that your bathtub is used for pickling pickles..."
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