Chapter 116
The participants in this meeting took a group photo in front of the office building, which brought the report to a perfect end.
Secretary Xiao Zhao came over to Zhou Jiani and Qiu Zeming and asked, "Do you have any other plans in the city?"
Each attendee received a teacup, a notebook, and a collection of great men's works. Zhou Jiani, imitating the others, hugged the prizes, her face gleaming with pride. She smiled and said, "No other plans. We're just getting ready to leave to catch the afternoon bus..." She glanced at Zhai Xiangqiang, who was shaking hands and greeting the other attendees. She said, "Director Zhai is busy, so we won't bother you."
Zhao Hongchang smiled and said, "Don't worry, don't worry. We can catch the afternoon bus without delay. Director Zhai said he'll have dinner with County Magistrate Wang and the others later if there's nothing else." He looked at Qiu Zeming and said, "I'd like to ask Comrade Qiu about this vegetable greenhouse technology sharing."
The two had originally planned to find a state-owned restaurant to have a meal alone and have a small meeting, but they were called out by their leader, so the plan was temporarily abandoned and they followed Zhao Hongchang to Zhai Xiangqiang's place.
Seeing them approach, Zhai Xiangqiang smiled affably and said, "You're all familiar with County Magistrate Wang and Mayor Song. It's just that this is the first time I've met Vice Mayor Yin and several other county leaders. Let's have dinner together later and discuss the plastic greenhouse issue in detail."
Zhai Xiangqiang was also very happy. He felt proud that the brigade under his jurisdiction had produced such an outstanding representative.
Mayor Song had a private conversation with him yesterday, expressing his seriousness about this matter. So, he'll be fully committed to assisting the Qianjin Brigade and ensuring the successful transfer of technology.
Mayor Song just arranged for his secretary to come over and remind Comrade Zhou and Comrade Qiu to stay for a while and have more discussions.
If you have a meal with your boss, it is impossible to enjoy it to the fullest.
Apart from the two of them, the others were all state officials. Although the leaders were very friendly and gentle, they would not pick up their chopsticks when they talked about business. They would not eat until they had thoroughly discussed the matter before greeting everyone: "Eat, eat."
Although she finally implemented the "Clean Plate" campaign, Zhou Jiani still felt that she did not enjoy her meal to the fullest.
Moreover, she was suddenly called out: "Comrade Zhou, Director Zhai said you plan to participate in the spring Canton Fair?"
Zhou Jiani quickly swallowed the food in her mouth, put down her chopsticks, and said seriously, "Yes, Deputy Mayor Yin, our work plan this year is to go global. The goal is not only to export, but also to the domestic market, so that more people can see our products. Of course, the first goal is to export and earn foreign exchange and get orders from abroad. Although the storage stools produced by our factory have been exported, we are not satisfied. After all, the quantity is too small..."
"Very good, very good. We need more young comrades like you who are courageous, have ideas and knowledge... Eat, eat, and talk while eating." Deputy Mayor Yin gestured kindly.
Zhou Jiani picked up her chopsticks and took two bites, while she heard Qiu Zeming whispering with the Qingshui County magistrate next to him about technical learning arrangements.
The Qianjin Weaving Factory's products were already being shipped to Qingshui County. Suddenly, the other party leaned over and smiled at Zhou Jiani, "Comrade Zhou, I heard you have a new style of baskets? When can we, the folks from Qingshui County, see them?"
Zhou Jiani put down her chopsticks again and said with a smile, "We have developed several new products, mainly in preparation for the Canton Fair. We have no plans to put them into production yet. Once we start production, we will definitely consider cooperating with your county."
"Okay, okay, I'll remember what Comrade Zhou said." The Qingshui County magistrate continued to talk to Qiu Zeming about study arrangements. Zhou Jiani heard him whisper, "Or, you could consider rotating your technical staff..."
Just as Zhou Jiani was about to touch the chopsticks, Deputy Mayor Yin asked again, smiling, "Comrade Zhou, I heard the secretary of our department store mentioned your woven products. They are good products, but the production volume is too low. We still need to increase the production volume."
Zhou Jiani sat up straight again, smiling politely and responding, "Deputy Mayor Yin is right. For handmade products like this, production is indeed a major drawback and the primary challenge we need to address. This isn't just my situation; it's also affecting Secretary Zhai of our factory..."
Zhai Xiangqiang almost forgot that he had this title.
Zhou Jiani raised her hand to signal, then continued, "We've discussed this issue with Director Zhang and Deputy Director Li. However, we're a newly established factory after all. Beyond the products, everything from leadership to the grassroots, even our collaboration with customers... is still in the process of getting used to each other. We're currently in the process of laying the foundation. We need to first lay a solid foundation, then gradually expand, either by adding staff or adopting a diversion model..."
Diversion is an inevitable trend and cannot remain unchanged.
The reason for not taking this path in the early stage is to seize the initiative; after seizing the initiative, you must be prepared to open up the situation.
Director Zhai lowered his head to drink water, suppressing a smile from the corner of his eyes. He wondered what they had discussed the other day, how could he not know? Of course, since Comrade Zhou spoke well of him in front of the leaders, he would definitely not drag his feet.
Not only did he not know, he was certain that Zhang Baosheng didn't know either. The mention of diversion was like asking for his life. It all depended on how Comrade Zhou could convince Zhang Baosheng.
He paused slightly, then glanced at Xiao Zhou calmly. This young comrade said "diversion" so naturally. He probably knew from the beginning that diversion would have to be taken sooner or later. Yet he always went against him and even started the prevention approach.
Of course, the route decided by Comrade Zhou seems to be good, at least for now.
Deputy Mayor Yin nodded repeatedly and said, "Not bad, not bad, you have some ideas."
Mayor Song also felt that these two young people were really a blessing to the Qianjin Brigade.
As they chatted and ate, they were a little delayed. Zhou Jiani had planned to run out of the government gate. Knowing that they had to catch a bus, Mayor Song arranged for his driver to take them to the bus stop.
But his private car was not used, and a public car from a government department was arranged instead.
The car stopped, and the bus that was rushing over also stopped at the right time. The conductor in the morning saw Zhou Jiani and Qiu Zeming getting off the car, and his face immediately broke into a smile: "Hey, Comrade Zhou, Comrade Qiu, hurry up and get on the bus, hurry up and get on the bus, there are seats reserved for you."
The driver stared and took a deep breath. After watching the car leave, he turned around and looked at Zhou Jiani and Qiu Zeming.
I thought to myself, this is a government car, these two young people are really good.
Zhou Jiani was afraid they would misunderstand that she had connections in the city, so she hurriedly explained, "We were delayed for lunch, and the leader was worried that we would miss the bus, so he arranged for the driver to make a trip."
"It's okay, it's okay. I told Lao Jin when we were almost here that if you two hadn't arrived yet, we would have waited by the roadside." The ticket seller said enthusiastically.
The ticket seller didn't care about this at all. She just saw that the two people got off a car, and that was enough. If it wasn't because of their background, then it was because of their abilities. The abilities of the two were recognized by the city cadres, which was also remarkable.
The difference in the afternoon care for the two of them was that the ticket seller would come over with a thermos and ask, "Would you like some water? The water in the thermos is neither too hot nor too cold, just the right temperature."
"Thank you, sister. How did you know I was thirsty?" Zhou Jiani hurriedly took out her honorary teacup and poured half a cup of water.
The ticket seller looked at the enamel pot and confirmed in his heart: It is indeed because of ability.
Even the city leaders recognize these two young people. There is no harm in getting to know them, in case they come in handy someday.
After getting off the bus at Xihe Commune, Zhou Jiani said goodbye to the enthusiastic driver and conductor and walked towards the hotel with Qiu Zeming.
Anyway, whenever she passed by a restaurant, she would never go back empty-handed. She would either buy some ready-made buns or steamed buns or some white flour buns or rice.
If there is braised pork, then order another portion of braised pork. Yu Wanxia also likes to eat it. She is willing to feed her stomach. She asked herself last night if she would be back on the same day. If she was, please bring some meat buns and meat hot pot for her. Anyway, as long as Zhou Jiani brought back rare things, she would happily count the money and tickets.
Zou Kai was in the hall checking accounts with the accountant. When he saw the two men come in, he smiled and said, "Oh, the people who went to the city to make a report are back?"
Accountant Huang from the hotel looked up and was surprised at the handsome appearance of the young couple who came in. When he heard that Old Zou was going to the city to give a report, he asked a few more questions.
The pastry chef who was busy in the kitchen poked his head out and said with a smile, "Jiani, Xiao Qiu, would you like some freshly baked date cakes?"
Zhou Jiani's eyes lit up and she nodded quickly: "Yes, yes, yes!"
Zou Kai stood up and went to the front desk to get a newspaper. He waved his head in front of Accountant Huang, pointed at Qiu Zeming, and said, "Look, this is Comrade Qiu mentioned in the newspaper. The other one is Comrade Zhou I mentioned to you. These two outstanding comrades are from the Forward Brigade mentioned in the newspaper."
Accountant Huang was at a loss for words: "I know about the Forward Brigade without even reading the newspaper."
He stood up and shook hands with Zhou Jiani and Qiu Zeming one by one. "Hello, Comrade Zhou, hello, Comrade Qiu. It's a pleasure to meet you. I've only heard of you, but today I finally see you in person. Please take a seat."
He'd known about the greenhouses for a long time; Zou Kai couldn't hide the fact that he'd been buying overpriced vegetables and was cheating on them. He'd actually heard Zou Kai mention Comrade Qiu before, but his attention was focused on the basket of fresh spinach at the time, so he wasn't paying much attention, and it hadn't left much of an impression on him. But today, upon arriving, he heard from his colleagues at the restaurant that the Qianjin Brigade was in the newspaper. He looked and saw not only Comrade Qiu's name, but also a photo of him explaining things to the leadership.
Now that I see the real person, it is impossible not to be deeply impressed.
Zhou Jiani smiled modestly and said, "Well, it's not a big name at all. Accountant Huang is too polite. We are just doing our job to serve the people."
However, Zou Kai and others were curious about their report, and they surrounded them and asked questions one after another. Even Accountant Huang listened attentively.
The two stayed in the restaurant for more than half an hour before returning to the brigade in a mule cart, carrying seven or eight date cakes that did not require a ticket, five meat buns left over from lunch, and four lunch boxes of freshly made spicy soup.
It wasn't that they were leaving. As they were talking, Wang Liping saw Zhang Baosheng passing by and hurried out to call him, "Captain Zhang, are you here to pick up Jiani and Comrade Qiu? They're here."
The two of them said goodbye and left.
On the way, Zhang Baosheng also asked in detail about the process and content of the meeting, and said repeatedly: "Okay, okay, you give our village chief face."
Back at the village committee, Zhang Baosheng was given a lunch box of spicy soup. Liu Tong looked on eagerly at him and gave him another lunch box. Liu Tong smiled and took out the ticket: "Thank you, thank you. I'll take it back for my child."
Zhou Jiani said, "The lunch boxes are from the restaurant. They didn't ask for a deposit. I'll bring them to them when I go to town one day."
Liu Tong: "Okay, I'll go back and pour it out, clean it, and bring it to the village committee."
He was also curious about what happened in today's meeting, so Zhou Jiani asked Qiu Zeming to tell her. She opened the spicy soup and poured half of it into the pot, then put it on the stove cover to heat it up. She drank half of the pot in one gulp, and her hands, feet, and whole body felt warm.
The remaining half was brought back to Yu Wanxia, who was still not satisfied after finishing it and said, "Jia Ni, buy more next time we meet."
"You originally had one box, and I gave one to the captain and Accountant Liu." Zhou Jiani said, "This is not difficult. We can make it ourselves tomorrow."
After making spicy soup, Zhou Jiani and Qiu Zeming gave two more reports. One was a meeting organized by the Qianjin Brigade, where Zhou Jiani and Qiu Zeming conveyed the spirit of the meeting. The other was an invitation from the Youth League Office of the commune to the two of them to give a report at the commune.
A staff member from the commune's Youth League Office was surprised when he saw Zhou Jiani. He remembered that this female comrade was very awkward when they called the roll and assigned tasks.
The gay man next to her...had witnessed what the lesbian did at the time.
Now when I see two of the last batch of educated youth this year, I feel a little different.
Why was he so impressed by them? Because of their appearance. Among gay men, Qiu Zeming was a rare sight, with a tall and handsome figure and a clean demeanor. He seemed a bit taciturn, though, and his face carried the arrogance of a young man from a wealthy family.
The lesbian is also unusually beautiful. Besides her beauty, she has a temper that attracts everyone's attention. She is like a spoiled young lady.
Unexpectedly, the most conspicuously arrogant and spoiled male and female educated youth at that time actually became outstanding workers, and jointly led a mediocre team, becoming the most conspicuous person this year.
Looking at the two people giving reports on the stage, the staff member was in a daze. Did the impression he had a few months ago really exist, or was it just a dream because he was exhausted during that time?
**
After a busy period, it was time for the educated youth to return home to celebrate the New Year.
But Meng Jiandi and the others were crying in the dormitory.
At that time, I was so angry that I made a fuss, and now it has come back to haunt me - since they are still facing punishment, their home leave this year will not be approved.
Sun Ping also cried because she got it. Before applying, she was so nervous that she couldn't sleep well for several days. She didn't expect the team leader to approve her. She was a little excited, but also regretted her stupid behavior again.
It's no use for Meng Jiandi, Peng Guangrong and the others to cry.
There was a limit on the number of places for educated youth to visit their families. The team leader blocked the number of places. Even if they went to the commune or the educated youth office, the commune and the educated youth office had to stand on the side of the team leader.
In fact, Peng Guangrong and the others had already regretted it, and more than once thought, why couldn't they have persisted a little longer? Wasn't it just a little tiring?
In fact, at their age, no matter how tired they are, they can recover faster and more energetic after a good sleep than the old farmers in the village. But they just lack the perseverance to persevere, which leads to regrets now.
Meng Jiandi even secretly cursed Zhao Weiguo behind his back, blaming him for instigating things.
Sun Ping listened without saying anything.
I thought to myself, if they hadn't had that complaint at the time, would they have been able to be so easily instigated to succeed?
Anyway, she was complaining in her heart about the heavy work assigned by the team, and she felt wronged, so when Zhao Weiguo came to find her, she felt like she had found her organization.
Fortunately, Jiani stopped her at the most critical step, otherwise she would have been frustrated and complained with Meng Jiandi today.
When they were alone in the room, Meng Jiandi quietly asked Sun Ping for her opinion, saying she wanted to ask Zhou Jiani for help, to see if she could help put in a word. Sun Ping stopped her and said thoughtfully, "If it were me, I would accept the punishment and behave well in the future to make up for my mistakes. If you ask Jiani today, no matter how outstanding you are in the future, you will still be unqualified in the eyes of the captain. You can't always ask Jiani for help, right?"
In fact, she has already done it. She has been working diligently and performing very well during this period.
Meng Jiandi bit her lip, turned around and threw herself on the quilt and started crying.
She didn't take any action, but she didn't expect Peng Guangrong to go find Zhou Jiani.
Peng Guangrong said: "You are the representative of our new educated youth..." and an outstanding representative at that. You are good at speaking and should speak for everyone.
Zhou Jiani smiled and said, "I've worked so hard recently, striving to become an outstanding representative, just to plead for you?"
Peng Guangrong was choked and his face turned red.
A long-lost sense of familiarity came over me.
When Zhou Jiani advised them not to cause trouble, her words were very aggressive and made people feel uncomfortable.
During this period of time, he watched Zhou Jiani coldly. She was no longer the same as when she first came. She was always smiling and was very smooth in her words and deeds. He thought she had changed, but why was she still like a hedgehog?
Peng Guangrong turned around and left.
In addition to a few new educated youth who made mistakes, some older educated youth whose homes were far away also chose not to go back in order to save on train tickets. They said, "I went back to see it last year, so I won't go back this year. I'll go back and see it next year."
A one-way train ride takes three or four days, or four or five days. The time spent on the train is longer than the time spent at home, so I chose to stay in the team for the New Year.
They began to make appointments with each other about where to go to the market in the next few days, how to spend the New Year together, how much food each person would contribute, how much money each person would contribute, tickets, and how to go shopping together, etc.
This made Meng Jiandi and the others feel even more uncomfortable, because some old educated youth gave up their rights to visit relatives, but Zhang Baosheng still refused to approve them.
The educated youth did not leave on the same day. Qiu Zeming drove to see off Wang Qianjin, Yu Wanxia, Bai Haoyang and others, and also took a few old educated youth who were leaving today.
Zhou Jiani followed him to the station as she would be taking the train the day after tomorrow morning.
Yu Wanxia hugged Zhou Jiani's arm and leaned on her shoulder, her eyes red with excitement. She said, "I'm finally going home. This is the first time I've been away from home for so long."
Zhou Jiani patted her head and warned her, "Be sure to watch out for pickpockets on the road. Have you hidden your money and bills?"
Yu Wanxia nodded.
Bai Haoyang and Wang Qianjin were also a little silent.
These two grown men are usually very talkative, but by this time, their thoughts have probably flown back to the capital.
Bai Haoyang said to Qiu Zeming, "On New Year's Day, I'll go kowtow to your uncle and aunt and collect the red envelope for you."
Qiu Zeming: ...
Wang Qianjin looked at the old educated youths next to him and said nothing. He wanted to say that even if Qiu Zeming had asked for leave once before, if he wanted to go back this time, Old Man Zhang would definitely approve it.
Now, there is him and Zhou Jiani, and Old Man Zhang is partial to these two people to the point of being partial to them.
But Brother Qiu still chose not to reply.
Of course, Qiu Zeming did not tell the two of them that he was going to Qi Yang after the New Year, and Zhang Baosheng had already approved this leave.
The family leave couldn't be discussed. Wang Qianjin moved closer to Qiu Zeming and whispered, "Hey, I just remembered, did your brother get married before the New Year?"
Qiu Zeming: "It's over!"
The day after he came back from a meeting in the city, he received a call from his mother. Ms. Du Yunxin had a heart-to-heart talk with him on the phone, telling him about the farce on the wedding day and Qiu Zexun's petty schemes.
Du Yunxin: "I didn't mean to eavesdrop. They probably thought I wasn't home at the time, so they didn't turn their backs when they spoke... Xin Jiamei clearly stated that he didn't want to live with us and encouraged Qiu Zexun to tell us. Your brother doesn't want to move out of the compound at all, but he's pushing it on me, saying he's afraid I'd be upset and that he's walking on thin ice in this house. So what? Is there water under our floorboards? I'll drown him again!"
"He also told his wife to be more diligent and filial in front of me, saying that our family has strict rules and that when it comes to meals, he should let his wife serve me first before she picks up her chopsticks. I was so angry. How could there be such a rule in our family? He was trying to make his wife humiliate me in front of your grandfather and your father."
Qiu Zeming knew his mother couldn't stand the loss, so he asked with a smile on the phone, "You didn't rush out right then and there?"
Du Yunxin smiled and said, "No, I didn't. I wanted to see what other tricks Qiu Zexun had up his sleeve, so I held my breath and waited until they left before coming out."
However, that evening, when the family was having dinner together, Xin Jiamei, at Qiu Zexun's suggestion, stood next to Du Yunxin and was about to help her scoop out the soup. Du Yunxin took it and turned around to give it to Qiu Zexun, saying to the new daughter-in-law with a smile, "Our daughters-in-law are all high-ranking and don't like to wait on others. From now on, let Zexun do all these things. He's a man with endless energy, so you can order him around. If he doesn't serve you well, just complain and we'll take care of it for you."
He also found this new daughter-in-law quite interesting. She was already goading and provoking him the moment she entered the house, so he said, "We're a family, so don't be shy. Just say whatever you want to say or bring up. Your father, your grandfather, and I are all quite open-minded. Even if you say you want to move out, we support you. After all, you're in a sweet relationship right now, so of course you want some private space, right? - Of course, I'm just talking, not trying to kick you out. This is your home, who can kick you out? I'm just saying this to let you know that in your own home, you can speak freely and express yourself freely. Don't be restrained."
Xin Jiamei blushed with nervousness and looked at Qiu Zexun expectantly. She wanted to move out.
The reason she agreed to marry Qiu Zexun was that her family members helped her analyze the situation and said that she didn't need to serve her biological mother-in-law, and that after she got married and moved out with Zexun, her step-mother-in-law wouldn't be able to say anything even if she was unhappy, because after all, she wasn't her biological mother-in-law.
How comfortable would it be to have no one to pressure you and to be the boss as soon as you walk in the door?
Qiu Zexun smiled without looking at his wife, but instead tried to please Du Yunxin: "Mom, what are you talking about? Meimei and I still want to be filial to you."
Du Yunxin acted like a loving mother and a filial son. She took his hand and patted it gently, smiling, "Good boy, we are grateful for your kindness. Your father and I are still young, and we have an aunt at home. Why would you need to personally show filial piety?"
"Even your grandfather would never ask his grandson's wife to be filial to him."
The stepson was evasive and didn't dare to reveal his true plan, and he blamed it on her, saying that he was afraid that she would be unhappy. So she took the initiative to tell Xingamei that they could move out if they wanted to, and she had no objection at all.
You see, neither the old man nor Qiu Dongshu would think that she was chasing people away, and they couldn't put on any eye drops.
Du Yunxin was not lying when she said that the daughter-in-law had a high status in the family. She could be the head of the family, and even her father-in-law respected her thoughts and opinions.
So the stepson's pettiness doesn't work at all in this family - well, he suffers from not growing up with his grandfather.
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