Chapter 4
Ye Manzhi soon learned from her mother that Old Ye was using his connections to help her find a partner.
But she felt that Lao Ye was just talking casually and there was no chance of a blind date.
She was not a factory employee and had some unpleasant experiences with the Zhou family. In order to save Deputy Director Zhou's face, the matchmaker was unlikely to recommend her for a blind date with the military representative.
She and Captain Wu were like two parallel lines very close to each other. No matter how close they seemed to be, there was no possibility of them intersecting.
However, Ye Shouxin was extremely decisive and quick this time, and brought back accurate news within a few days.
"I think Lai Ya is great, we can arrange a meeting this weekend!"
Ye Manzhi's eyes widened as she asked in surprise, "Dad, did you really go to the factory to recommend yourself? I don't even have a formal job right now. How could the Party organization agree to a blind date between an unemployed young woman and a military representative? You can't fool the organization!"
Although she is confident, she still has some self-awareness.
"You're only unemployed temporarily. You're a high school student, so you'll find a job sooner or later! I've already explained this to the matchmaker, and they understand!"
Ye Manzhi murmured: "This is too fast!"
"It was pretty quick," Ye Shouxin gulped down his teacup, sighing calmly, "This was all thanks to Old Chen's help!"
The party organization introduces candidates to others, which is similar to the selection of advanced workers in the workshop. Few people recommend themselves, and candidates are usually recommended by others.
Lao Chen is a rebar worker in the Infrastructure Department, and his wife works in the factory Women's Federation.
Both husband and wife were grassroots workers without any leadership positions. Logically, they had little say in the matter.
But Old Chen’s wife has another special identity—the elder sister of Wu Zhengrong’s uncle!
No matter how many relatives she has, she is still a relative. The party organization must certainly consider the candidate she recommends.
Of course, the other party agreed to help, on the one hand thanks to his thick skin, as he treated Lao Chen to three drinks in a week, and on the other hand because the photos he brought played a role.
The little girl was wearing a May Fourth Youth outfit, had two pigtails, and her eyes were smiling like two crescent moons. The graceful little girl was very pleasing to the eye.
Ye Manzhi was caught off guard by her father's efficiency and asked in a panic, "Are you really going to set us up on a blind date?"
She is not mentally prepared yet!
"How could that be false?"
Ye Manzhi stammered, embarrassed to say that she was a little afraid of Wu Zhengrong.
In fact, she had met him a long time ago.
twice.
I am impressed every time.
The first time was at the end of last year.
Several large factories in the city have to go to the municipal government to report their production results for the year.
The workers' representatives carried a red wedding announcement as big as two door panels, and sent it from the factory gate to the municipal government with music and drums all the way.
There was an endless stream of teams announcing the good news. The entire Binjiang City was filled with the sound of gongs and drums, red flags waving, and the streets and alleys were crowded with celebrating citizens.
Ye Manzhi and Lin Qingmei were naturally indispensable to such a lively atmosphere. They went to the factory building early in the morning to grab the best seats.
However, the factory had to deliver a batch of important military supplies that day. In order not to affect the delivery progress, the good news team of Factory 656 had to avoid important sections of the road and wait until all the troops' transport vehicles had left before they could receive orders to set off.
Ye Manzhi stood in the crowd, watching the large military green trucks leave the factory one after another.
Just as the last car was about to leave and everyone's cheers were about to burst out of their throats, the car suddenly braked in the open space in front of the factory gate.
The driver jumped out of the cab and saluted in the direction of the factory gate.
Everyone followed his gaze.
A tall man wearing a military officer's woolen coat and a gun at his waist walked out of the building. He had an upright posture and a strong aura, and was followed by seven or eight soldiers armed with live ammunition.
After shaking hands with Director Shen and saying goodbye, the man walked quickly down the stairs, his black leather shoes pressing down on the white snow, and stepped into the passenger seat first.
The rest of the soldiers also jumped into the rear carriage in a well-trained manner.
In less than a minute, the car restarted and roared out of everyone's sight.
Apart from the young soldier on duty at the gate, this was Ye Manzhi's first close contact with soldiers and weapons.
The awe-inspiring sense of majesty and oppression made people's heartbeats suddenly skip beats and they subconsciously held their breath.
She heard someone in the crowd say that the person walking in front was the military representative stationed at the factory who had just been transferred there a while ago, Captain Wu.
Factory 656 is a centrally-administered enterprise, covering an area comparable to that of a small county town. The probability of family members encountering factory leaders is not much higher than that of encountering the county magistrate.
It was several months later that Ye Manzhi saw Captain Wu again.
At that time, Lao Ye was working overtime in the factory and had not been able to go home for a whole week.
As instructed by Comrade Chang Yue'e, she went to deliver clean clothes to Lao Ye.
The military factory was strictly guarded and outsiders were not allowed to enter the workshop, so she took her bag and went to the factory gate to register.
As soon as she turned the corner of the factory, she saw a scene that terrified her.
Suddenly, gunshots were heard from the front, and two security officers escorted a middle-aged man out of the workshop.
The man's left calf was injured and he walked with a limp. The cement floor was stained with dark red bloodstains.
Wu Zhengrong, who was walking behind, said to the security chief, "Leave this man to Chief Li. He already has some important data and drawings. Chief Li, you must keep a close eye on him."
"Don't worry, I'll have him interrogated overnight. If he dares to run, his other leg won't be saved either."
Wu Zhengrong seemed dissatisfied with this answer. The corners of his lips curled up slightly, but his words were extremely cold.
"If I discover that the other party intends to escape, I will kill them on the spot. I will make a written explanation to my superiors."
Upon hearing this, the veins on the forehead of the man being escorted in front of him jumped.
Ye Manyi, who was not far away, was frightened by the casual treatment of killing people as if they were killing chickens, even though he knew that he was not the target of deterrence.
The image of the other party pulling the trigger just now kept looping in her mind, and the horrifying scene was reproduced uncontrollably over and over again.
At this moment, Wu Zhengrong suddenly raised his eyes and looked in her direction.
The sharp gaze made Ye Manzhi suddenly feel a sense of fear as if he was facing danger.
Even though the other person had a stunningly beautiful face, she didn't have the courage to admire her. After standing there for a few seconds, she ran away in a cowardly manner.
…
"Dad, Captain Wu is the factory leader, how can we even dream of him?"
Sometimes the leaves on the branches are incredibly brave, and sometimes they are extremely timid.
When she thought of the scene that day, her hair stood on end.
How dare I go on a blind date with her!
"What's wrong with the factory leaders? They also have to eat, drink, defecate and have children, right?"
Ye Shouxin tried his best to promote this blind date. On the one hand, he thought Wu Zhengrong was a good young man, and on the other hand, he wanted his daughter to start a new life as soon as possible.
Ye Manzhi couldn't understand her father's good intentions and was about to back out. "Captain Wu seems quite old, right? He hasn't married in all these years. Is there something hidden?"
"I've inquired about this. Captain Wu is 26 years old. A few years ago, the old man of the Wu family, that is, his grandfather, arranged a marriage for him. But he went to the battlefield repeatedly and his life and death were unknown for several years. The girl broke off the engagement and married someone else."
Ye Shouxin was very satisfied with this candidate, but he did not miss the reluctance on his daughter's face.
Ye Lai Ya, this girl, has always bullied the weak and feared the strong since she was a child.
When it comes to her family, she can act like a spoiled child and do whatever she wants, but when she hears the name of Captain Wu, she becomes a little timid.
Ye Shouxin knew that she was a bully, so he reached into his pocket and took out a brand new ticket.
"You wanted to see the Soviet Youth Art Troupe's performance, didn't you? Dad went to great lengths to get two tickets. You can go with Director Wu. Director Wu is a very kind person, always smiling. If you two are attracted to each other, everyone will be happy. If not, that's fine. Just think of it as going to the performance together. We can't meet at home to avoid being seen and gossiped about..."
Ye Manzhi didn't hear clearly what her father said afterwards, but this ticket made her feel like a flower that has been watered, and she felt full of energy.
The Soviet Youth Art Troupe only held three visiting performances in Binjiang.
In the early publicity reports of the newspaper, the title of "Stalin Prize Winner" and "Meritorious Actor of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic" was used.
As early as when she saw the performance information, she was eager to catch a glimpse of the meritorious actors.
However, the ticket price was high and hard to come by, so she could only watch with envy.
Looking at the ticket that was within her reach, she suddenly thought, it was just a blind date, it was no big deal!
*
Ye Manzhi got the performance ticket she had longed for, and that night she dreamed that she was standing on the stage of the Youth Palace and dancing the "Red Silk Dance" with the Soviet meritorious actor Gariberin.
The red silk fluttered around her like waves, and the audience applauded and cheered continuously.
The audience's recognition made her feel elated, and she waved the silk even harder. When she was about to perform a difficult combination with Garibelin, Wu Zhengrong appeared out of nowhere!
First, she casually tied the actor up like a dumpling with red silk, then pointed a gun at her leg and said with a fake smile: "You can either break your leg or date me. It's your choice!"
In her dream, she said resolutely, "Captain Wu, love shouldn't be forced. Please let go of my legs! I have a new skirt I just made that I haven't worn yet!"
Captain Wu seemed to be moved by her sincerity. He spared her useful legs, aimed his gun at her chest, and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
"Ah—" Ye Manzhi sat up from the bed with a somersault, "Let's talk, I want to talk!"
Love is precious, but life is more precious!
How can you die without dating?
Ye Manjin wiped her sweaty forehead and asked in confusion, "What are you going to play so early in the morning?"
Ye Manzhi was distracted for a moment, and after seeing the person sitting beside the bed, she asked hesitantly, "Sister, why are you back?"
"My mom said you were going on a blind date with a military representative, so I switched shifts with my colleague and came back to help you pack." Ye Manjin, wearing the most fashionable thin Lenin suit and with a newly permed hairstyle, stood up and looked through the clothes in his sister's kang cabinet.
"What are you picking up?"
Ye Manzhi was still in shock from last night's absurd dream. She picked up Lihua, who was lying at the foot of the bed, and rubbed her hard, causing the kitten to meow for a while and then expose its snow-white belly for her to touch.
"This is your first blind date, and the person you're meeting is a representative of the 656th Army. Of course, you have to dress up nicely. Regardless of whether it works out, your attitude must be correct!" Ye Manjin assessed his sister, who had just woken up, for a moment, his eyes falling on her messy hair. He suggested, "Do you want to change your hairstyle to something more fashionable? For example, like me, with a perm?"
Ye Manzhi has never had her hair permed in her life. This is a rare opportunity to experience it through a blind date, so of course she won’t miss it!
He quickly let go of the kitten's soft belly and got up to change his clothes.
Barbershops in Binjiang City are divided into six levels, with the charges for each level differing by eight cents.
Ye Manjin took his sister to the only first-class barber shop in the city - the state-owned Violet Barber Shop.
An electric perm costs 1.8 yuan, and a hot perm costs 1.2 yuan.
"My biological daughter is different. My dad never introduced me to anyone who could be the group leader!" Ye Manjin waited with his arms folded, looking at his little sister in the mirror and said sarcastically, "I have to put the receipt away and ask Dad to reimburse me when I get home!"
Ye Manzhi sat quietly in the barber chair, letting the barber clip her hair with electric hairpins, and didn't take her elder sister's sour words to heart.
Ever since she could remember, her elder sister had been saying such mean things all the time. When she first heard them as a child, she felt very sympathetic towards her elder sister's situation and even felt secretly frightened.
Later, I listened to it many times, year after year and month after month, and gradually became immune to it.
"I remember there was an officer who wanted to date you, but you said you didn't want to marry someone who carried a gun. If you had put your argumentative energy into acting, you would have been the head of your drama troupe long ago!"
"My dad is just partial!" Ye Manjin said sarcastically. "I asked around, and Captain Wu's parents both work out of town. His only relatives in Binjiang are his grandparents and an aunt. Given his family's situation, the whole family can only get together once during the holidays. If they lived far away, he might not have to see his in-laws for years. How wonderful!"
After she got married, she lived under the same roof with her parents-in-law, and they had constant friction over big and small matters.
It would definitely be a plus if my younger sister didn’t have to live with the other party’s parents!
However, for Ye Manzhi, it is still unknown whether the blind date will be successful, and married life is even further away.
She agreed perfunctorily, and stared at the worker as he removed the clips and styled her hair, as if her eyes were not enough.
Because it was her first time to perm her hair, the hairdresser gave her a water wave curl, which has softer curls and is less likely to go wrong.
Ye Manjin scoffed at this so-called water wave curl. She always permed her hair into big curls meticulously, with many waves vertically from the forehead to the back of the head, which was dignified and elegant.
However, looking at the little girl with a ponytail, she felt that young girls should have their hair permed in this style, with the ends of their hair gently curled, naturally pretty, and full of spirit.
The two sisters were very satisfied with their new hairstyles, but when Ye Manzhi returned home with her newly permed hair, she made Old Ye, who had just got off work, so angry that his face turned blue.
"Who told you to perm your hair? Straighten it back!"
"There's no going back," Ye Manzhi said with a smile, twisting her hair with her index finger. "The perm artist said it can last for two months!"
"That won't do! I've told the comrades at the Women's Federation that my daughter is pretty, well-behaved, and quiet. She's so popular!" Ye Shouxin said anxiously. "Go ask around in the compound. Which quiet girl would get a hair perm? Isn't this Qing just waiting for people to accuse me of fraud?"
Hearing this, the whole family focused their attention on him.
Huang Li couldn't help but criticize inwardly: "Even if she didn't perm her hair, you're still a scammer!"
Ye Manzhi: “…”
Wong Tai Sin is secretly mocking me again!
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