Chapter 182
"Hello!"
"Jani?"
Thinking of the elders standing outside, Zhou Jiani's ears felt slightly hot, and she whispered, "It's me."
Qiu Zeming's happy and relaxed smile came from the phone: "Jia Ni, Happy New Year."
"Happy New Year." Zhou Jiani held the microphone, her thoughts slightly distracted.
She was extremely busy during this period, especially when she was looking for materials. For Zhou Jiani, it was both work and a rare learning opportunity. As for steel bars, cement, tiles, bricks, and the budgets handed to her by the construction company, she had to cram herself with relevant knowledge while also being extremely alert in dealing with suppliers.
Although no one would deliberately block their materials, she couldn't put her mind at ease unless she saw with her own eyes the truck carrying the materials driving out of the factory gate.
When dealing with leaders of large companies, she dared not relax at all. If she spoke too softly, people would think she was easy to bully, but if she spoke too harshly, it would seem that she was showing off. She had to strike the right balance.
So during that period, it was not only the hardship of walking towards the destination step by step with squinting eyes in the severe cold in the wind and snow, but also the double pressure of physical and mental pressure.
Qian Hai is a good secretary, but compared to the early days of cooperation with Qiu Zeming, there is a lack of a lot of tacit understanding. Sometimes he misses Qiu Zeming very much, and sometimes he is too busy to think about him.
Because her working hours and location were not fixed, she seldom made appointments to talk with Qiu Zeming. Apart from the frequent correspondence, she had not heard Qiu Zeming's voice for a long time.
The voice was still warm and full of tenderness. It instantly grasped her fatigue from the recent period, then slowly loosened it. Her mind seemed to relax as well, and a tingling sensation passed through her heart.
"The burden of the county weaving factory is not easy, right? In addition to construction, we also have to recruit workers. I'm afraid it will not be easy until the factory is officially put into operation. You have to learn to adjust so that you can get enough rest. Some professional things should be left to professionals. You must learn to withdraw appropriately..." Qiu Zeming's tone was warm and his advice was earnest, but his heart was sour and he felt a little conflicted.
On the one hand, he hoped that Jiani could be busier so that she could neglect some things; on the other hand, he was worried that she would be overworked if she was too busy.
This year it was the first day of the Lunar New Year, and we were supposed to have a sweet chat, but he was leaving on the fifth day.
There have been constant border conflicts in recent years, and the enemy has been provocative since January this year. Their unit received orders and rushed to the border a few days later.
Before Zhou Jiani could express her longing for him, she was awakened by Comrade Xiao Qiu's work discussion and earnest advice. She was a little puzzled. They had finally gotten a phone call, and it was Chinese New Year, so why were they talking about this?
My heart skipped a beat, and a flash of lightning flashed through my mind, and I thought of a possibility.
Considering the ending arranged for Qiu Zeming in the book, Zhou Jiani was panicked for a moment, but she didn't dare to ask directly, for fear of involving some military secrets. Her voice was a little hoarse and she said, "I wrote you a letter but haven't sent it yet..."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, and then he said, "Don't send it here yet. Wait until I write you a letter and you can reply."
Confirmed!
The receiving address needs to be changed, and it’s not just a temporary change, it may be a long-term change.
Qiu Zeming and the others may be going on a mission.
"You..." Zhou Jiani's thousand words of advice were reduced to just one sentence, "You should think more about me and Auntie."
"I understand." Qiu Zeming felt a little sad and said in a deep voice, "Jia Ni, I'm sorry for putting you in such a difficult position."
Zhou Jiani's eyes were swollen, but she tried to suppress them and smiled, "Don't feel wronged. Just remember to think more about me, your aunt, your uncle, your grandfather, and my family."
The words were not clear, but Qiu Zeming understood and hoped that he would pay attention to safety: "I remember!"
She had originally thought that once the factory was on track, she would take a few days off and go to the city where Qiu Zeming was. Now it seems that she doesn't know how long Qiu Zeming's mission will last.
Suppressing her worries, Zhou Jiani called Aunt Du and others to come and talk to Qiu Zeming.
When talking to the elders, Qiu Zeming simply exchanged greetings gently and politely, wished them a happy new year, and earnestly reminded Grandma Jiang to take care of her health.
Du Yunxin also didn't know that her son was going on a mission, but she probably couldn't keep it a secret for long.
After ending the call, Zhou Jiani was thinking about the war at that time.
In her previous life, she had lived in dire straits and had no time to care about national affairs. But even if she didn't understand, she knew that most of the wars at that time were border conflicts.
But she didn't know much about the specific circumstances of the conflict.
Influenced by his own rebirth, Qiu Zeming still chose the path of military service, but his trajectory should have deviated somewhat, perhaps avoiding the ending of injury in the book, but would there be other situations...
Zhou Jiani didn't dare to think about it.
Seeing her listless expression on the way back, Yu Huifang thought she was tired and whispered, "Lean on my shoulder and take a nap. I'll call you when we're almost there."
Zhou Jiani was indeed uneasy, so she leaned on her mother's shoulder, closed her eyes, and tried to find something from her memory.
Du Yunxin sat in the same row with them and glanced at Zhou Jiani.
It seemed that Jiani was in a bad mood since she finished talking to her son on the phone.
However, before they had time to observe, Comrade Li, who had returned with them in the morning, arrived. The two of them went to visit a few people in the village together, and when they came back, they took a mule cart to the town and then got on the car again.
Now she observed carefully and felt that Jiani was not just tired.
Du Yunxin was more perceptive about military affairs than the Zhou family. Her brows jumped, and she immediately thought of a possibility, and her heart suddenly tightened.
Is my son going to the front line?
Zhou Jiani didn't know the details of the border conflict, but Du Yunxin knew. She grew up in a military compound. Her father-in-law and her husband on her husband's side were both soldiers; her father on her mother's side was also a soldier. Her sister, brother-in-law, and nephew were all in the army. Even she herself was a military doctor. She was very sensitive to military affairs.
Although she knew that some things were unavoidable when her son chose the path of a soldier, when it really came to this, her heart tightened.
Stop his son from going to the front line? The father-in-law was the first one who didn't want to hear this.
Besides, she couldn't say it out loud, and even felt ashamed of herself for having such an awareness.
If everyone has this kind of consciousness, how can our People's Liberation Army win the war? If this were really said to her son, he would have to teach her a lesson.
Du Yunxin closed her eyes, calmed her mind temporarily, and spoke softly with her grandmother-in-law next to her with a smile.
The next morning, Zhou Jiani and her parents sent Du Yunxin to the station. Before getting on the train, Du Yunxin took Zhou Jiani aside, patted her hand, and whispered, "It's just a small conflict. You have to trust our soldiers and trust Ze Ming!"
Zhou Jiani's eyes flickered, and there was some shock in her eyes when she looked at Du Yunxin, which turned into admiration. She obviously didn't say anything, and when Ze Ming talked to the elders, he spent the shortest time talking to his mother. One side just reminded him to train well, and the other side reminded him to be careful on the way back to the capital, and didn't mention anything else.
But Du Yunxin was able to infer that Qiu Zeming was going on a mission from her occasional trance.
Or did Du Yunxin already know about it?
If she had not known it long ago, and had made an accurate judgment based on her own reaction, then this insight and sensitivity would have been enough to calm Zhou Jiani's floating emotions and give her sudden confidence. She felt that with such a mother's guidance, Qiu Zeming, even if he was not the best, at least he was not someone who would be greedy for success and rush into things.
Moreover, the old man of the Qiu family was able to sit in his current position, needless to say, his military accomplishments are evident. Qiu Zeming grew up in such a family environment, and he knows how to advance and retreat.
Although Qiu Zeming lost a leg in the book, who could possibly know the kind of danger he faced? Did he instantly judge the best course of action in his favor at the moment of danger, choosing to sacrifice his leg to save his life? Furthermore, in the dream, Qiu Zeming appears to be in good shape overall. He's not depressed by his missing leg, nor does he suffer from self-esteem. He's a remarkably refined old man, presumably doing well.
"I understand, Auntie." Zhou Jiani couldn't let her emotions affect Qiu Zeming's mood, otherwise he would become timid on the battlefield, which would be even worse.
"I'll find out more about it when I get home. Call me if you have any questions." Du Yunxin patted her hands, stuffed a roll of tickets into Zhou Jiani's hands, and shook them tightly to prevent her from refusing. Then, she saw the smile on Zhou Jiani's face disappear in an instant, and she knew that the girl understood what she meant.
Zhou Jiani was also certain of one thing, that Du Yunxin had indeed guessed it based on her own reaction.
She laughed. No wonder Aunt Du could control the two strong men in the family so well and could not make any trouble for her step-son who jumped around too much.
As for the ticket that was stuffed into her mouth, Zhou Jiani didn't hesitate. Perhaps this way Aunt Du would feel more at ease with herself.
Du Yunxin left, and the family of three walked back from the station. Yu Huifang was extremely pleased with her mother-in-law and said, "If nothing else, just the attention that Zeming's mother pays to us, this family can't be wrong."
He also told his daughter: "When you are not so busy at work, you should go to the capital to visit Zeming's parents."
Zhou Jiani nodded: "I will take a few days off after the factory is officially launched."
If Qiu Zeming's mission is completed, she will go to the army; if the mission is not completed, she will go to see Zeming's parents.
In the morning, she took her parents to the park for a walk. In the afternoon, she went to the construction site and stayed there until the evening.
The advantage of having family around is that when you walk into the house, there are people, laughter, and hot meals.
The next morning, Zhou Jiani estimated the time and called the capital, and the call was answered by Du Yunxin.
Zhou Jiani felt relieved knowing that Du Yunxin arrived home safely.
She was still thinking about something else, but it was difficult to ask over the phone. She held the microphone and chatted about this and that. Finally, Du Yunxin smiled and said, "If you have time on the fifth day of the New Year, please call my office."
"I understand, Auntie." Zhou Jiani immediately understood that Qiu Zeming should leave on the fifth day of the New Year.
But what good would it do to know? The team was about to set off, so what would a phone call do now?
Mom, Dad and the twins were taking the train on the morning of the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, so Zhou Jiani asked her grandmother to stay here for a while. Jiang Xinfeng thought it would be fine to go back, and it would be okay to stay and cook for her granddaughters, so she agreed.
Zhou Jiani is very happy.
It was nice to live alone, as it made it convenient for her to do whatever she wanted. But as time went on, especially since the neighbors on both sides were so busy and crowded, her place felt deserted, and she felt a little lonely in her heart.
After sending her parents to the car, Zhou Jiani rode her bike to the construction site for a spin. On the way home, she found a deserted place to stop the bike, first picked up a bag of milk powder for the elderly from the warehouse, and then took out an empty milk powder can. She opened the milk powder and poured it into the can, then carried it home.
I locked the car at the door and went into the house through the curtain: "Grandma——"
"Hey!" Jiang Xinfeng came out of the kitchen with freshly cooked dishes in her hands. She used a coal stove to cook the dishes in the kitchen, and used the stove in the house to cook porridge.
I cooked rice porridge with a handful of red dates in it. The fragrance of dates and rice mixed together, filling the room with warmth.
"Grandma, didn't I say I'd come back to fry it?"
Jiang Xinfeng smiled lovingly: "Cooking can make me tired."
Zhou Jiani walked quickly into the kitchen. Seeing that her grandmother didn't follow her in, she quickly took out an aluminum lunch box from the warehouse, which contained the tofu she had made from the group.
That's right, these days you can't buy tofu whenever you want. She sent red envelopes twice in the group before a group leader finally started selling bulk tofu, in packages of two kilograms and five kilograms. Zhou Jiani followed the five-kilogram package and quickly grabbed twenty kilograms, which she put on the shelf for safekeeping so that she could eat it for a long time.
Jiang Xinfeng had just seen her granddaughter carrying something in, but she hadn't noticed what she was carrying. Now, as she came in to get her chopsticks, she happened to see the tofu in the aluminum lunch box. Her eyes lit up and she said, "There's a place selling tofu already?"
Zhou Jiani remained calm and said, "We don't sell it here. I bought it from another street..." She changed the subject and held up the can of milk powder in her hand. "Milk, I bought you milk powder. It's in bulk, so no receipt is required. But the quality is fine. You can make a cup every day."
Jiang Xinfeng uttered an "Ouch" and said angrily, "Why spend this money?" But knowing that her precious granddaughter was so filial to her, her heart felt as sweet as if she had drunk honey.
As for whether it was boxed or bulk, the old lady didn't care. She knew that without some connections, it might not even be possible to buy bulk. She just reminded her granddaughter not to rely on her cadre status to buy it. After getting her granddaughter's guarantee, the old lady felt relieved.
Zhou Jiani made another dish of fried tofu with green onions.
After the grandparents and grandchildren finished their meal, Zhou Jiani went to the kitchen to wash the dishes, then came out to take her grandmother for a walk.
In the evening, Sister Dai and her family returned, but Sister Dai's mother-in-law never came back.
After dinner, Sister Dai came to talk to Grandma Zhou Jiani and mentioned her mother-in-law: "I originally wanted to come back and stay for a while, but my child's father was scared by his own mother..."
Her mother-in-law was thinking about the recruitment of workers for the weaving factory, but the company had clearly prohibited any backdoor dealings. Her mother-in-law didn't take it seriously and even made a lot of promises at home, saying that she would take this opportunity to bring her eldest grandson, youngest grandson, and nephew to the city.
Secretary Song was scared. Not to mention that he didn't have the ability, even if he was sitting in Zhou Jiani's position, he wouldn't dare to do that.
But his mother swore that Zhou Jiani had exchanged so many coal briquettes for her family this winter that now that there was such an opportunity, she should help arrange it.
Secretary Song was so embarrassed that he dug his toes into the ground when he heard this.
Sister Dai was very angry, and she told her husband privately, "If you still want to have a future in your official career, keep your mother at home. If you are just going to be a small clerk for the rest of your life, just pretend she didn't say anything."
Secretary Song thought about the people his mother had offended on his behalf this winter, and he didn't know how to convince the old lady. In any case, he didn't let the old lady show her power and say that she could exchange the favor of coal briquettes for her job.
Of course, Sister Dai didn't tell Zhou Jiani this, she only told her about how annoying her mother-in-law was here in the winter.
When Zhou Jiani got up the next morning, she sat on the edge of the bed and was stunned for a moment.
Qiu Zeming should have already set off, or is preparing to set off?
He raised his hand to rub his face, finished breakfast with his grandma as if nothing had happened, and rode his bike to work.
At around nine o'clock, she called the Capital Military Region Hospital.
"Auntie Du!"
"It's me, Jiani." Du Yunxin's voice came through the microphone, "Have your family gone home?"
Zhou Jiani: "I took the train yesterday morning, but my grandma stayed here for a while."
Du Yunxin smiled and said, "That's great. This way, when you get home from work, you'll have someone to talk to and keep you company..." After chatting for a few words, Du Yunxin changed the subject and said, "Jia Ni, don't worry about Ze Ming. Your Grandpa Qiu once said that this kid was born to do this. Now that he has a girl he's thinking about, he will definitely be more cautious. Don't worry."
Zhou Jiani felt a little embarrassed to let Du Yunxin comfort her. Aunt Du's worries were just as great as hers. She said shyly, "Okay, Aunt Du, I understand. You too, we all believe in Ze Ming."
Du Yunxin: "Okay, come to the capital for a couple of days when you have time."
"Well, once the factory is back on track, I'll take a few days off to visit you."
After hanging up the phone, Zhou Jiani felt a lot less depressed.
As soon as Zhou Jiani started work at the unit, she was called to the office by County Magistrate Wang and asked if she had any suggestions for the factory leaders' arrangements.
Zhou Jiani didn't beat around the bush. She had talked to Li Jingdang, who said he wanted to be the factory director. He hoped to lead the development of the factory and hoped to be assigned a leader who spoke less and did less.
To put it bluntly, he wanted to control the general direction of the factory's development and didn't want people who didn't know the business to interfere. He said this frankly because he really wanted to do good for the factory. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to supervise the construction of the factory building step by step from the moment he laid the foundation.
This is also what Zhou Jiani hoped for. Just like at the beginning of the development of Qianjin Weaving Factory, she only arranged a nominal secretary who did not get involved in the management of the factory, and Li Jingdang did deliver a satisfactory answer.
Zhou Jiani was originally thinking about how to express their ideas to County Magistrate Wang. Now that County Magistrate Wang asked her if she had any suggestions, she told the truth.
"I recommend Comrade Li Jingdang for the position of factory director. I don't need to explain Comrade Jingdang's abilities; I believe you already understand them. Besides the position of factory director... I also particularly hope that you can temporarily serve as the factory secretary in name only, to protect Comrade Jingdang and the Binxian Weaving Factory."
Just keep it for a while, and when Li Jingdang has established a firm foundation and the organization is willing to change the secretary, then Li Jingdang's position will not be shaken.
County Magistrate Wang: ...
You are asked to make suggestions, not to make direct appointments.
County Magistrate Wang waved his hand and told Zhou Jiani to get busy. He had gone out to attend a meeting in the morning. After the meeting, he did not return to the county government but went directly to the construction site.
There was no movement on the appointment of the leadership of the weaving factory, but the first batch of recruitment notices were released, and Zhou Jiani plunged into the intensive pile of work.
Seeing her granddaughter busy all day and night, Jiang Xinfeng thought that it was not easy for her to be a cadre. She knew that red dates could nourish people, so she used them to make rice porridge and millet porridge every day.
My granddaughter goes out every day and is not limited to the nearby area. She can always buy fresh supplies from other grocery stores. Eggs and tofu are the most abundant, and she can occasionally buy pork belly and ribs.
If it were her, she would definitely not be willing to eat like this every day, but seeing that Nini was so tired and dragged her legs when she came in every day, even if she didn't eat, the child would have to eat, so she just followed suit.
After the first round of recruitment interviews were over, training was arranged in full swing. Zhou Jiani took people to Xihe Commune, negotiated with the commune, and personally arranged people to various brigades. It was dark when she entered the door. She quietly brought back a processed chicken, half a bag of flour, half a bag of cornmeal, and a few pounds of soybeans.
The granddaughter said she asked someone to buy it from a fellow villager.
The old lady hurriedly and quietly went to the kitchen to collect the food.
Zhou Jiani discussed with her grandmother: "Grandma, let's make some salted peanuts and soybeans. We have peppercorns and star anise at home."
Jiang Xinfeng: "Okay, then let's soak the beans tonight."
The old lady went to clean up, and Zhou Jiani went to check the milk powder in the can, scooped out some, and made a strong cup.
Zhou Jiani didn't help make the milk powder before, but one time she found that the old lady was reluctant to drink it. Although she didn't count the grains into the bowl like she did when drinking malted milk, she still wanted to shake it back every time she scooped half a spoonful. So she took over the task of making milk powder for her grandmother and made a cup by herself every night.
Jiang Xinfeng looked at the milk powder handed to her by her granddaughter. Although she felt helpless, she couldn't hide the smile on her face.
After the salted peanuts and soybeans made by the old lady were eaten, the second wave of recruitment began. The first batch of people who went down to learn had already undergone an assessment, and two people were eliminated.
It just so happened that the Qianjin Brigade was preparing for this year's Spring Canton Fair, and the first group of learners had already made some progress, so some simple handicrafts were handed over to them. While preparing supplies for the Canton Fair, they could also improve their weaving techniques, killing two birds with one stone.
When the third round of recruitment began, Zhou Jiani received a letter from Qiu Zeming sent from the border.
The war situation certainly cannot be discussed in detail, and the letter still needs to be reviewed, so it is not easy to say anything too explicit. This letter mainly reports safety and hides the thoughts between the lines.
Zhou Jiani carefully considered her reply and wrote a lot of trivial things about her life, the progress of her work after the New Year, the small troubles and happy things encountered during the recruitment process, and wrote several pages in one breath.
The next day, I went out to find a place to pack some fried peanuts, fried melon seeds, red dates, and beef jerky, and sent them out together with the letter.
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