Chapter 23 Chapter 23 No progress at all.
On the first night, the three of them had dinner together, and then seeing that it was getting late, they quickly packed up and went to bed.
Jiangzai had originally prepared a room for him, but considering that he was still too young and suddenly in a completely new environment, he might not be able to adapt. So Xia Li decided to sleep with him for a while, and then discuss with him whether he should sleep alone after the preparations were made.
But that's all for the future.
She prepared her things and clothes for the next day in advance, in case she was too tired today and didn't hear the alarm clock and was late for work the next day.
After all, she has been on leave for such a long time, she will not allow herself to be late tomorrow.
The two people who had washed clean lay down on a 1.5-meter-long bed. Jiang Zai got on the bed first, but he didn't sleep until Xia Li had finished cleaning up and got on the bed, then he closed his eyes and looked ready to sleep.
Xia Li thought it was adorable, so she moved closer to Jiang Zai, leaned over, and kissed him on the forehead with a "mua". She said good night to Jiang Zai, then lay back, turned off the lamp on her bedside table, closed her eyes, and went to sleep.
Only Jiangzai's pair of pure black eyes were left wide open in the darkness.
Back in her own territory, Charlie felt extremely comfortable and slept very well, without any dreams.
The next day, she woke up before seven o'clock, picked up the alarm clock and took a look. She was very happy that her biological clock was still intact. Then she quickly turned off the alarm clock in advance to avoid waking up the child later.
Maybe he was really tired and exhausted from the journey, so Jiangzai was still sleeping soundly. Even if Xia Li accidentally made a little noise, Jiangzai just frowned and didn't make any other noise.
After getting up, Charlie dressed neatly, wearing a white shirt and thin black trousers, and went out. She had breakfast at home, simply heating up the leftover food from last night and eating it.
My aunt is a meticulous person and she feels sorry for Charlie. When Charlie first moved in, they didn't agree on anything, so when Charlie got up and prepared to go to work on her first day at her aunt's house, she found that her aunt was already busy in the kitchen preparing breakfast.
Xia Li felt sorry for her aunt and felt guilty. She immediately persuaded her aunt not to wake up to make breakfast for her anymore. How could she do that? She remembered that her aunt tried to comfort her by saying that she always did the same thing. But how could Xia Li believe it? Although her aunt had retired early after her uncle passed away, she was not old enough to sleep less, so how could she possibly be used to waking up early?
Just stick to your previous habits.
Charlie finally convinced her. In the morning, if there was still time, she would make something to eat at home. If time was tight, she would go out to buy some breakfast to fill her stomach. She felt that there was really no need to worry too much about breakfast.
Her main mode of transportation to work is the bus, but she has to walk a little before and after getting on and off the bus. Fortunately, it's not too far, and the journey takes only about half an hour in total. Otherwise, if the commute time is too long, life would be too boring.
Xia Li currently works at a Sino-foreign joint venture electronics factory. These days, people across the country aren't exactly living comfortably. Workers in the cities are being laid off, and many unemployed young people in rural areas are struggling to find work.
Southern cities were pioneers in the country's economic reforms, and Guangzhou and its surrounding areas attracted many foreign investors, establishing numerous factories. These factories not only provided employment for locals but also attracted a large number of outsiders.
It can be said that this is one of the most economically vibrant regions in the country.
For example, many people in their hometowns only earn around 100 yuan a month, but in factories here, they can earn around 300 yuan a month. If they work a lot of overtime that month, including overtime pay, they can even earn 500 yuan. Such high wages are extremely attractive to those who want to work and earn money. Therefore, during this period, a large number of laid-off workers headed south to seek opportunities, and the wave of migrant workers heading south to work began.
It was also difficult for Xia Li when she left Guangzhou. How could it not be difficult? She was a woman in a strange place, with only an aunt whom she had yet to visit. She was really helpless.
However, she was desperate at the time. No matter how difficult or bumpy this road was, it was her own choice. Therefore, she was different from other people who came to Guangcheng to seek opportunities. She was more proactive and more positive.
With a different mindset, people will show a different mental outlook from others, and the choices they make will also be different.
Plus, Xia Li herself had a lot of advantages. She had a good personal image, a straightforward personality, and wasn't shy. She would go up and ask for help whenever she saw an opportunity, so she quickly found a job. It was in an electronics factory, where she currently works.
This job is pretty good, and she has been doing it for almost three years.
In three years, she has gone from being an ordinary worker on a small assembly line to a small team leader. Although it doesn't sound like a big deal, sometimes we have to make a horizontal comparison. After all, most of the people who entered the factory with her at that time are still working on the assembly line.
The work of a team leader is relatively easy, and the monthly salary is higher than that of an ordinary worker. Moreover, he no longer has to keep his mind tense, race against time, and work constantly with his hands and eyes.
But at the same time, the greater the ability, the greater the responsibility, and the responsibility she has to bear is correspondingly greater.
Her main responsibilities on a daily basis are to monitor the attendance and work status of the production line members, including how many people are actually on duty, how many hours they have worked, how many products have been produced, and how many defective products there are. Daily inspections of production equipment and regular work inspections to check on the status of each process are essential.
Her position was further promoted to workshop director, who had greater power and responsibility and managed many production lines.
Even before she reached the factory gate, Xia Li saw the crowds of people coming in and out, all heading in one direction, and her heart suddenly became excited. She loved the state of work; it made her feel genuinely fulfilled, at ease, and not panic.
It is such a happy thing to work every weekday and receive salary every month.
"Xia Li, I heard you took a leave to go back home. I haven't seen you in ages." The man who spoke was the security guard. Although he looked a bit fierce, he was actually quite nice. Many people might see him with a stern face, as if he was about to lose his temper, but he just had that sullen look, and he'd been like that since he was a child, and he couldn't change it. Many workers just avoided him whenever possible, and avoided communicating with him whenever possible.
But Xia Li is different. She's come out on her own and knows the truth: in this world, you don't hit someone who smiles. When you're out and about, being nice will make those who already have good intentions like you even more, and even those who are just plain mean will warm to you. As for those with bad tempers, if you do this a couple of times, they'll feel guilty and soften. As for those who simply won't soften, you really have to put on a good front and let them be.
The security guard's surname was Wu. He probably hadn't seen Xia Li in a while. After all, not everyone in the factory would greet him with a smile every day. Sometimes, when they had some free time, they would chat for a while. He said that anyone who saw a girl like this would like her. She was open and generous, loved to laugh and talk, and she would make anyone feel better.
"Uncle Wu, I brought some things back from my hometown. Please take them." Xia Li picked up a bag in her hand, ignored Uncle Wu's polite obstruction, and put it directly on the table by the window.
"It tastes okay, you try it." She said as she left.
That's right, this was a little local specialty that Xia Li had painstakingly brought back from her hometown. It wasn't much, so she divided it into three portions. The portion for her aunt was naturally the most delicious, and the rest went to two people: Uncle Wu and her direct supervisor.
Since he was her immediate superior, she still had to be polite to him. This time, she had to beg him for such a long leave.
After entering the factory gate, you need to pass through a corridor where the factory's attendance punch-in machine is installed to record the workers' attendance. The finance department will then calculate wages based on the monthly attendance.
Xia Li followed the crowd and, as she neared the machine, she pulled her time card from her bag and inserted it into the clock in machine. Their factory used paper time cards. When you inserted them and then took them out, you'd find a small round hole in the space marked for the day, marking your attendance for the day. You'd punch in at the end of the day, ensuring a consistent start and end.
She took out her attendance card and put it into her bag as she walked. Needless to say, because of the leave, her salary this month would definitely be lower than usual.
Xia Li kept walking forward. When she passed by the workshop door, she just took a look but did not go in.
She has to go to the workshop director to cancel her leave first.
When she reached the office door and saw the locked door as a matter of course, Charlie went to the side to wait.
She knew she couldn't wait any longer, it wouldn't be long.
Sure enough, the workshop director arrived soon. He opened the door and beckoned Xia Li in. The workshop director was Fang Dechuan, a middle-aged man with a university degree. He originally worked in a state-owned enterprise, but later came here to become a workshop director for unknown reasons.
I'm not sure what he thinks, because these days, many people still believe that working in a state-owned enterprise is respectable and promising. Although foreign investment and other private enterprises are no longer uncommon, it still attracts a lot of attention when a state-employed enterprise official leaves to work "outside".
She didn't know what his reason was, but Xia Li was sure his salary was definitely enough, definitely much better than his previous job. Otherwise, not to mention Fang Dechuan, most people would have been anxious.
Xia Li admired this deeply. She said Fang Dechuan was a man of great courage and foresight. The market was so open now. If he still stuck to the old ways, how could a grown man support his family? There were so many things in the city, and it felt like something new was happening every day. If his wife wanted new clothes, his kids wanted new toys, or something delicious to eat, how could he not find a way to make more money?
When Xia Li first came to the electronics factory, Fang Dechuan hadn't come yet. Fang Dechuan didn't come until Xia Li had been working there for almost a year, and he was immediately offered his current position. This shows that people with education and skills can thrive anywhere.
She was jealous of everything she saw.
As the workshop director, Fang Dechuan is in charge of the entire production. Although he is kind to the workers and has a mild temper, he always manages to make the workers complete their tasks on time, which shows that he has a plan in mind.
There were five other team leaders like Xia Li, all aiming for the position of workshop director. However, Fang Dechuan had promised these team leaders a position like this, and Xia Li found it ridiculous.
Fang Dechuan greeted Xia Li with a smile and asked if her return home went smoothly. Xia Li naturally replied that it went smoothly. After a few more pleasantries, he called off his leave, left his things, and left.
When they entered the workshop, several female workers who were familiar with Xia Li saw her come back. They came up to her before work started and said that they hadn't seen her for a long time and had been wondering when she would come back.
Xia Li was actually about the same age as the others, but because she was a team leader, the girls called her "Team Leader" or "Sister Xia." They all had a decent relationship, eating together at lunch and such, but their interactions after work were rare. It had been fine before when they all lived together in the factory-provided dormitories, but since Xia Li moved in with her aunt, these personal interactions had become even rarer.
However, she believed that as long as she was the team leader, even if they didn't have much private contact, their relationship would still be good. This was human nature.
Charlie chatted and laughed with them, asking how they were doing. It had only been a few days since they'd last seen each other, and already someone had permed their hair into long, wavy waves, looking quite a bit more fashionable. Once everyone arrived, Charlie asked them to stop talking. She took her workbook, called the roll, and briefly convened a meeting. After a few words, she told them to get to work; time waited for no one.
Work in an electronics factory requires efficiency and accuracy. The girls sit at their workstations, pick up the parts they need from the small baskets of different colors in front of them, and then install them one by one accurately on the circuit boards.
When you first start doing it, it feels quite difficult. You feel like you can't remember it and always make mistakes. But after three or four days, most people will be able to get the hang of it. After that, it's just a matter of hand-eye coordination, eye to hand, eye to heart.
Everyone had a workload, and this workload required a female worker to work all day, from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM, followed by a break for lunch, and then finishing the work around 6:00 PM. During this time, even going to the restroom required jogging, otherwise it would be difficult to complete the work.
Actually, everyone was sitting not far from each other, but after a whole morning and afternoon, it was difficult to say a few words to the sisters around me because we were really busy and had no time to speak.
In her three years here, Xia Li has constantly heard complaints about how hard the work is, how even the donkeys in the production team wouldn't work like that. And who wouldn't say it wasn't? Even she herself had internally cursed the outside capitalists, saying they exploited her to the bone. Working day after day, she felt numb. A day off after a few days of work was fine, offering some relief. But if they received a rush order, they'd be toiling day and night, and as for a day off, they couldn't even dream of it.
But aside from those who genuinely couldn't work due to health reasons, Xia Li had never seen anyone resign. After all, people these days weren't afraid of hardship; they took it for granted that enduring hardship was the right thing to do. There wasn't any job that wasn't hard; as long as the company paid well, it was fine.
Therefore, some people welcome overtime work because only by working overtime can they get more money.
Xia Li had also been through this. Working in this factory, she'd endured every kind of hardship. There were times when she'd work so much overtime she couldn't even keep her eyes open, and would just go home and lie down on her bed, clothes on, and fall asleep. But she always believed that if she could become a leader, she'd suffer less and earn more.
This motivation prompted her to work harder, and she eventually became a small team leader with her excellent performance and eloquence.
Of course, her next goal is the position of workshop director.
Xia Li felt full of energy when she returned to work today. She walked around and looked at the work progress of her team, how many items they had completed, and then did a random check to see if there were any mistakes.
Someone wanted to go to the bathroom, so Xia Li quickly sent him there, only asking him to go early and come back early.
Speaking of which, the team leader also has some power. He can control everything from whether to retain or fire workers to what workers eat, drink, defecate and urinate during working hours.
She is not like the team leader next door, who thinks she has power just because she is a team leader and doesn't even look down.
After all, she had worked her way up from a small job, and she could still vividly remember being told off, even being criticized for using the restroom. Wasn't she humiliated at the time? But why would she have stood up to someone in such a rage? After all the arguments and scolding, would she have stayed there?
It wasn't easy to find a foothold, so she endured it. Now, she was no longer the same as her. She had been working for so long and was already a team leader. Wasn't that person also a team leader after working for so long?
No progress at all.
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