Chapter 33: Our factory's donation made the newspaper!
The next day, the third batch of layoffs was announced.
Chu Jianguo and Ruan Xiaofen's names are both on the list.
Perhaps because both parents work, Chu Yanxi was not laid off, but she is currently injured in her legs and can only rest at home for the time being.
When Lu Zhe brought the news to the Chu family, Chu Jianguo sighed deeply, as if a weight had been lifted from his heart: "That's all we can do. Sigh! I've worked at this factory for thirty years, and I'm about to retire, but they've just bought out all my years of service. What will I do if I get sick in the future?"
Wang Guifang's feelings at this moment were a mix of joy and sorrow: "There's reform everywhere now, even hospitals are undergoing some kind of reform, and the more they reform, the more money they make. We ordinary people can't afford to get sick..."
Hearing this, Lu Zhe and Chu Yanxi exchanged a glance. They both knew that with the continuous advancement of housing and medical system reforms, the problems of ordinary people having difficulty accessing medical care and buying houses would become even more prominent. Although future wage levels would increase significantly, for the current situation in 1998, being laid off meant unemployment and the loss of various social security benefits. This was indeed a source of anxiety for veteran workers who had held onto their secure jobs their entire lives.
Chu Yanxi smiled and said, "It's alright, I'm here."
Wang Guifang glanced at her daughter lying on the bed, raised her hand to stroke her head, and a look of relief flashed in her eyes: "My Xiaoxi has grown up and can support the family now. In the future, your parents will have to rely on you."
Chu Yanxi was a little uncomfortable with her mother's touch and leaned back slightly. Wang Guifang chuckled, "This child! Why are you dodging? I'm your mother, you can't even touch me?"
Chu Yanxi's body stiffened, and she looked to Lu Zhe for help.
Lu Zhe noticed Chu Yanxi's discomfort, so he leaned forward slightly and said to Wang Guifang, "Auntie, may I speak with Chu Yanxi alone?"
Before Wang Guifang could reply, Chu Jianguo pulled her up and winked at her, saying, "Come on, let's go outside and let the young people talk."
The couple left their daughter's bedroom and whispered to each other in the living room.
"Is Xiaoxi in a relationship?"
"I think Officer Lu is a good kid. He has a good personality, good looks, high education, and a stable job."
"We only have Xiaoxi as our child. If she marries well, we'll be at ease."
"It's too early to talk about marriage. I'll go to the factory later to find out more about Lu Zhe. If he's not a good person or has a heavy family burden, then it won't work."
...
Hearing whispers from outside, Lu Zhe felt his face flush.
Chu Yanxi was focused on dealing with Ruan Xiaofen's situation and didn't pay attention to her parents' attitude. Looking at Lu Zhe, she said, "I injured my leg yesterday, and you've been taking care of everything related to Ruan Xiaofen. I'm really sorry."
To be honest, Chu Yanxi didn't realize she'd acted so rashly in this situation with Ruan Xiaofen. She knew perfectly well that the freight yard was piled high with scrap materials, and that walking through it would be dangerous, yet she still chose that route. As a result, not only did she not help Ruan Xiaofen, but she also alerted the technical department, leading to Ruan Xiaofen's arrest.
Chu Yanxi is currently lying in bed and unable to move, and Lu Zhe is handling everything. This makes Chu Yanxi feel very bad, as if she has dragged the mission down.
Lu Zhe smiled, his smile reaching his eyes: "What's there to be embarrassed about? You're doing this for Ruan Xiaofen's own good. Now that the matter has been exposed ahead of time, Ruan Xiaofen didn't succeed in stealing and won't be handed over to the police for commercial espionage. Moreover, her situation has also attracted the attention of the factory. I heard from the leaders that they will give her a certain amount of hardship allowance on top of the resettlement allowance. Her originally tragic fate has been changed, which is a good thing."
Chu Yanxi hadn't expected Lu Zhe to comfort her in return, and for a moment she didn't know how to respond. If it were her original self from that world, she would have calmly analyzed the reasons for the failure, offering criticism where necessary and affirmation where appropriate, instead of speaking up for her one-sidedly like Lu Zhe did.
Lu Zhe seemed to see through Chu Yanxi's thoughts, and his smile deepened: "I really didn't expect that you, a negotiation expert, would take such a rash action. To be honest, I find you more approachable now. The old you was too cold and too serious, not like a normal person with flesh and blood, who makes mistakes, is occasionally impulsive, gets angry, and loses control."
Chu Yanxi snorted coldly and glanced at Lu Zhe.
Sensing the anger in her cold gray eyes, Lu Zhe quickly raised his hands: "I was wrong, I was wrong. Officer Chu is an upright, kind, steadfast and brave policeman. This time, in order to save Ruan Xiaofen, he took a risky action, which led to his injury. I admire him very much."
Faced with Lu Zhe's gentle and easygoing attitude, Chu Yanxi didn't know whether to be happy or angry. Perhaps it was because this world was so much more benevolent than the previous two times she had transmigrated, Chu Yanxi felt that she had become less prickly and her heart had softened.
“The rescue mission is not yet complete. Although your advice to Ruan Xiaofen last night was good, it was only general guidance. It didn’t actually help her figure out how to use her skills to make money and find a new way to make a living. The resettlement fee and hardship allowance that Ruan Xiaofen received can only solve the problem temporarily, but her mother’s medical expenses are a bottomless pit.”
Lu Zhe nodded and said, "Yes. I've already contacted a reporter from the provincial newspaper today, and I plan to report on Ruan Xiaofen's situation. Reforms are always about feeling your way across the river, solving problems as they arise. The plight of frontline workers like Ruan Xiaofen is by no means an isolated case, and I hope it can receive attention from the whole society."
Chu Yanxi said, "Since that township textile factory is willing to pay a high price for the technology, it means that chiffon still has a market. Why don't we have our factory cooperate with the township textile factory to give laid-off workers a new job opportunity?"
Lu Zhe's eyes lit up: "Great idea! I'll go find someone to inquire, and I'll let you know as soon as I have any news. I guarantee it will be done perfectly. Your task is to focus on recovering and make sure you don't develop any lasting health problems. We're from another world, and we'll all leave one day. Since we've taken over this body, we have to be responsible for it, right?"
Lu Zhe's theory about transmigrating into a book resonated deeply with Chu Yanxi. She was a responsible person by nature, and now she understood the importance of things: "Okay! Go ahead and get busy, keep in touch."
After saying "Contact me anytime," the two looked at each other, both feeling somewhat helpless.
In 1998, cell phones were still a rarity, and neither of them owned one. Installing a telephone required an initial installation fee of over three thousand yuan, which most families simply couldn't afford, and Chu Yanxi's family naturally didn't have one either.
They say they can contact you anytime, but it's really impossible to do so.
Lu Zhe picked up a small black square from his waist and said with a smile, "I'll have to use this pager to contact people for now. I've only ever heard of these things before, I never thought I'd be able to experience them firsthand here."
Chu Yanxi spread his hands: "Even a pager, or a digital pager, would cost several hundred yuan. I can't afford it."
Lu Zhe's family was relatively well-off, and as a manager in the factory, his income was higher than that of ordinary workers. The pager he was holding had a Chinese character display and cost over three thousand yuan. Chu Yanxi had only been working for a year and lived in the factory's staff housing, so she hadn't bought a pager.
The two people who had traveled back from the internet age were somewhat unaccustomed to the current methods of communication. Lu Zhe thought for a moment and said, "Since you can't go out anyway, just wait for me at home. If there's any news or changes, I'll come directly to you. I'm just worried about your parents..."
In the relatively traditional 1990s, wouldn't people misunderstand that a grown man who keeps going to a girl's house be dating?
Thinking of this, Lu Zhe blushed slightly. It wasn't that he was afraid of being misunderstood, but he was worried that Chu Yanxi would be unhappy.
Chu Yanxi waved her hand: "It's okay, just come. I'll tell my parents."
Lu Zhe breathed a sigh of relief and nodded repeatedly: "Okay, I'll go first then. I need to contact the provincial newspaper reporter and ask Ruan Xiaofen where the township factory that she contacted is located."
Chu Yanxi leaned against the headboard and waved his hand: "Go."
As she waved her hand, her head tilted slightly, and a strand of hair slipped down from her temple. Lu Zhe felt a little itchy to touch it and really wanted to help her smooth her hair back up.
Lu Zhe squeezed his restless hand, then turned and left.
Chu Jianguo and Wang Guifang, who were waiting in the living room, warmly saw Lu Zhe to the door. Wang Guifang couldn't help but ask, "Officer Lu, what year were you born? When did you come to the factory? How many people are in your family? Are you married...?"
Lu Zhe felt a sweat trickling down his back, and his face turned even redder. He answered all the questions honestly.
The joy in Wang Guifang's eyes was almost overflowing. If Chu Jianguo hadn't held her back, she would have loved to know everything about Lu Zhe's life.
A working-class family, both parents have stable jobs. There are only two brothers in the family, with no other burdens. He has a college diploma, works as a union officer, is 26 years old—a prime age for his career—and is single with no dating experience…
What a fine young man! Look at the heartache on his face when he brought Xiaoxi back. Who knows, he might become her son-in-law.
Two days later, just as Lu Zhe returned to the factory, Old Liu from the factory office mailroom rushed into the union office, panting, holding a newly delivered copy of the "Provincial Workers' Daily," his face showing rare excitement: "Officer Lu, Officer Lu, look! Our factory is in the newspaper!"
Lu Zhe took the newspaper, his heart involuntarily racing.
In an inconspicuous spot on the second edition page, he saw the title: "The Heavy Spindle: The Double Dilemma of a Female Worker at Hongxing Textile Factory." The article, without naming names, used delicate and restrained strokes to depict the immense pressure and despair faced by a young female worker in a nearly bankrupt old state-owned enterprise, who also faced the urgent need for exorbitant medical expenses for a critically ill relative. It profoundly reflected the real burden borne by ordinary worker families during the painful period of economic transformation.
The article was written by Lu Zhe himself and then polished by his classmate who worked at the provincial newspaper. He did not directly sensationalize the event itself, but cleverly elevated it to the level of the collision between the times and individual fates, thus avoiding direct media interference and successfully arousing readers' empathy.
The newspaper had a remarkable effect.
Not only did the textile factory leadership attach great importance to the matter and mobilize workers to donate money, but the factory also began to receive sporadic remittance slips from all over the province and even other provinces.
Donations were sent directly to the author, Lu Zhe, with simple messages in the remarks section such as "Just a small token of my appreciation," "Wishing my fellow worker's mother a speedy recovery," and "Hang in there." The amounts varied, ranging from three, five, or ten yuan to several hundred yuan.
Lu Zhe carefully recorded each remittance slip and its accompanying note, and compiled them, along with the donation records from his fellow factory workers, into a clear list.
This list was more than just money; it was a profound expression of warm care. When Ruan Xiaofen received the money, tears welled in her eyes, and she repeatedly expressed her gratitude. Even Ruan's mother, lying in her hospital bed, felt this precious warmth from society, which gave her more confidence in overcoming her illness.
At the same time, there was also a breakthrough in cooperation with township textile factories.
The textile factory is currently struggling with its technological upgrade and has long coveted the mature "chiffon satin" process of the Hongxing Factory, but it lacks proper channels to obtain it. Besides technical data, they also lack experienced craftsmen who can truly get hands-on experience and solve practical problems.
Through Lu Zhe's introduction, the factory director of that township textile factory personally contacted the factory leadership. Hongxing Textile Factory, which was currently lacking funds and sales channels, quickly reached a cooperation agreement, signing a technical guidance service contract with the township factory. Hongxing would send employees with relevant expertise and experience to provide short-term technical support and training, helping the factory solve practical technological problems in production, in exchange for a reasonable consulting fee.
At a subsequent factory meeting, Lu Zhe combined this plan with sporadic social donations, strong internal public opinion, and potential legal risks, and gave it a final and most significant presentation to the factory leadership.
He emphasized: "Comrade Xiaofen's technical skills are genuine, and that's what the other party values. We are exporting labor and technical experience, not leaking blueprints. It's compliant and legal, and it can even save lives, demonstrating our factory's humanitarian spirit and management wisdom."
The debate in the meeting room lasted for a long time. Ultimately, under the combined pressure from both internal and external sources, especially with the emergence of the respectable and well-founded justification of "technology and labor export," the cooperation agreement was successfully reached.
A few days later, a notice was posted on the factory's bulletin board. A crowd gathered in front of the bulletin board, and whispers filled the air.
The core content of the announcement is as follows: Six employees will be dispatched to a cooperative township factory for technical guidance. During the dispatch period, they will be on unpaid leave, and the township factory will pay their labor remuneration.
Ruan Xiaofen was on the dispatch list.
The township factory offered labor remuneration that was compared to the market price, amounting to 1,000 yuan per month, with an additional year-end bonus. The funds were directly linked to the factory's performance.
Upon receiving the news, Ruan Xiaofen, who had not yet completed the procedures for being laid off, burst into tears. It wasn't the despairing sobs she had heard before, but rather the overwhelming joy and gratitude of being saved from a desperate situation.
With a monthly allowance of 1,000 yuan, plus social donations, her mother's treatment was basically guaranteed, and her personal value was also affirmed. After telling her mother this good news, Ruan Xiaofen carried a bag of apples to Chu Yanxi's house.
At that time, Chu Yanxi was leaning against the bed reading a book, and the plaster cast on her foot was particularly eye-catching.
Xiao Fen rushed into the room, saw Chu Yanxi, and threw herself at her, hugging Chu Yanxi tightly on the bed. She buried her face in Chu Yanxi's shoulder and burst into tears, sobbing incoherently, "Xiaoxi, thank you, thank you, Officer Lu, and thank you to the factory. I thought I was finished, but I never expected that you and Officer Lu would help me so earnestly. If you hadn't persuaded me, if you hadn't run to the freight yard to try to stop me, I'm afraid I would have committed a terrible crime and gone to jail. You are a good person, you and Officer Lu are both good people!"
Chu Yanxi's body stiffened.
She was never used to such intimate physical contact with others, especially such an overwhelming expression of emotion. Her hand, holding the book, hung in mid-air, and she was momentarily at a loss, a rare hint of embarrassment and panic flashing across her usually cool face.
She hesitated for a moment, then awkwardly raised her other hand and gently patted Xiaofen's heaving back. Her voice remained calm, but carried a hint of barely perceptible gentleness: "It's alright, it's over. From now on... do a good job."
Watching from the side, Wang Guifang couldn't help but wipe away her tears. Even Chu Jianguo, who had been silent, had reddened eyes and turned away to quietly sniffle.
Xiao Fen cried for a while before gradually calming down. She let go of Chu Yanxi shyly, tears still on her face, but she revealed a smile that truly belonged to her age, filled with hope and shyness.
As Chu Yanxi looked at her, a corner of the cold, hardened ice in his heart, hardened by his father's sacrifice and witnessing too many crimes, melted away with her scalding tears.
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