The bell rang, signaling the end of the workday. Before they knew it, it was already 5 PM. Zhou Xiaohui rubbed her sore shoulders and came to Xia Liang's workstation, saying, "Time to go home! Time to eat!" Xia Liang finished the last short section of the machine, stood up, tidied her workstation, and walked hand-in-hand with Zhou Xiaohui towards the canteen. On the way, Zhou Xiaohui asked, "Xia Liang, are you going home or staying in the dormitory?" Xia Liang replied, "The dormitory. My home is in the countryside, far away." Zhou Xiaohui said, "Okay, I'll go with you to the dormitory to find a bed." She then pulled Xia Liang along, and they ran. When they arrived at the canteen, there was already a long line. After eating, the two walked towards the factory gate. The garment factory was a large factory in the county, covering more than 1,000 acres, with about 6,000 workers. It had a primary school, a middle school, and a high school. Walking to the back of the factory, Zhou Xiaohui pointed to a two-story bungalow and said to Xia Liang, "This is the factory dormitory. You can stay here for now. You can apply for a house after you get married." She then gave a sly smile. Xia Liang teased her, "Looks like you'll be able to apply soon." Xia Liang meant it as a joke, but Zhou Xiaohui blushed. She said shyly, "I have a boyfriend, he also works at our factory." Zhou Xiaohui's face turned as red as an apple. She continued, "He works in the freight department. Once, when I forgot my umbrella after get off work, he gave me his and walked home in the rain. My mom said to wait another six months to save up some dowry before we get married. My brother's wedding last month almost used up all our savings." Zhou Xiaohui's happy face turned worried. The freight department is a lucrative department. Every time they deliver goods, they can pick up some things along with them. If they do, they get a few cents or a dollar. This is the gray income of those drivers. Zhou Xiaohui's boyfriend is not a truck driver. He is a security guard. Although he doesn't earn as much as the truck drivers, he still gets the scraps while the truck drivers get the meat. It's still much better than other departments with less lucrative income.
After registering downstairs, the two went upstairs. Xia Liang's dormitory was on the second floor, towards the back, with the bathroom at the end of the corridor. Xia Liang knocked on the door, and a crisp reply came from inside: "Come in." Xia Liang and Zhou Xiaohui entered and saw familiar faces. Zhou Xiaohui quickly greeted them: "Xiuying, you're in the dormitory? Why didn't you go shopping?" Li Xiuying said angrily, "It's all because of the bad apple in our group! She never finishes her tasks on time, making the whole group wait for her!" This was Li Xiuying from Group Two, Zhou Xiaohui's classmate from junior high. Both were young and energetic girls, and they quickly became friends, chatting and laughing together.
After playing for a while, Zhou Xiaohui said goodbye and prepared to go home. Xia Liang saw her off, wandered around outside for a bit, and then went back to the dormitory. The next day, Xia Liang was still asleep when Li Xiuying woke her up: "Xia Liang, Xia Liang, get up! You're going to be late!" Xia Liang instantly woke up, got up, washed up, and followed Li Xiuying to the workshop. When she arrived at Workshop 3, Zhou Xiaohui was already at her workstation, handing Xia Liang a soft, sweet sweet potato and saying, "Here, eat it before the foreman comes." Xia Liang took the now-cold sweet potato, peeled it, and stuffed it into her mouth. Mmm, it was really sweet.
Just after finishing their sweet potatoes, squad leader Liu Lihong came to the workshop, recited a few quotations, and then told everyone to start working. Xia Liang sat down at the sewing machine and began working. Because there weren't many styles of clothing available now, and they were all very similar, plus this batch of orders hadn't been completed yet, Xia Liang was doing the same thing as yesterday.
A month passed uneventfully, and then came the day Xia Liang received her first paycheck. She received her first wages from the factory, along with a one-ounce oil coupon and a one-foot cloth coupon. Seeing the industrial coupons in Zhou Xiaohui's hand, Xia Liang said, "Sister Xiaohui, how many industrial coupons do you have? Could you lend me ten? I'll pay you back after I become a full-time employee." Zhou Xiaohui asked curiously, "Why do you need so many? I only have six right now. I'll go home and ask my mom if she has any. If she does, I'll bring them to you tomorrow." Xia Liang said gratefully, "Thank you, Sister Xiaohui. When our family first separated, we had nothing. We could only borrow from Grandpa Village Chief to get by." Xia Liang told Zhou Xiaohui about her family's situation, and the kind-hearted girl started complaining to her about Old Mrs. Xia.
As soon as Xia Liang returned to the workshop, her foreman called her to the director's office to process her official employment procedures. Foreman Liu Hongli said, "Take some time to go home and transfer your household registration to the factory." Xia Liang happily replied, "Thank you, foreman! Thank you, director!" After saying that, she went back to work in the workshop. The next day, Zhou Xiaohui indeed brought ten industrial vouchers and gave them to Xia Liang. Xia Liang quickly promised to return them after receiving her salary. Zhou Xiaohui smiled and said, "No rush. I'm saving these for my wedding. Just give them to me before my wedding." Xia Liang joked, "Okay, bride." She received two slaps from Zhou Xiaohui. The two were laughing and joking and didn't notice that the foreman had come in. After being criticized by name, she obediently returned to her workstation.
Xia Liang took a day to travel back to the village. As soon as she entered the village, she encountered several acquaintances who all came up to her and asked, "Xia Liang, I heard you went to the city to work as a laborer, is that true?" Aunt Jia asked sarcastically. "Of course it's true, the village chief said so," Aunt Yi replied honestly. Xia Liang said goodbye to the aunts and went straight to the village chief Xia Youshun's house. After telling him about transferring her grain ration coupons, Xia Youshun said, "Not bad, not bad, you're a promising person. It's a pity your grandparents didn't recognize your talent." He then shook his head, thinking of his grandfather's selfish act of dividing the family property, and felt sorry for him, hoping he wouldn't regret it. After returning the industrial coupons, Xia Liang went home. More than a month later, Xia Liang found that she missed her mother quite a bit. In her previous life, she lost her parents when she was young. Although her grandparents treated her very well, it wasn't the same. When Xia Liang returned home, her mother rushed to greet her from afar, pulling her close and looking her up and down with tears in her eyes. "You've gained weight and gotten fairer," she said. "Seeing you looking so good, my worries can finally be put to rest." Xia Liang couldn't help but hug her mother, saying, "Mom, don't worry, I'm doing well in the city. You don't need to worry." Xia Liang's father and son, Xia Rong, had gone to the next village to make cabinets and wouldn't be back until evening. Xia Liang's mother made her a bowl of mixed grain noodles. After eating, Xia Liang went back to her room and lay down. When she woke up again, it was already dark. Xia Liang's father and son had returned, and the family sat down to eat together. Liang gave her mother the oil coupons, cloth coupons, and ten yuan she had saved. Her mother was startled and said, "Keep it for yourself. We don't need anything." Liang insisted on stuffing the coupons and money into her mother's hand, saying, "I don't need much money in the city. It's getting cold soon, and we need to add some quilts to the house. Otherwise, how will you get through the winter?" Hearing this, her mother took back her hand and said, "Alright, I can finally enjoy my daughter's blessings." The family finished dinner peacefully, washed up, and went to their rooms to sleep. The next day, before dawn, Liang got up, walked to the village entrance, and returned to the city to resume her daily work.
On July 1st, Foreman Liu arrived at the workshop half an hour after his shift started. As soon as he entered, he excitedly announced, "Great news, comrades! The factory has landed a huge order. If we finish this order, we can complete 60% of our annual target. The factory leaders have decided to implement a piece-rate system. Come to me to collect your fabric, and I'll register you. The comrade who completes the most pieces and has the best workmanship will be rewarded with a bicycle voucher!" Everyone cheered. The reward was indeed tempting. This was in 1969; in the factory, only a few factory leaders and the annual outstanding employees owned bicycles.
From that day on, the only sound in the workshop was the clatter of sewing machines. Even Ma Xiuxiang, who was usually quick to find fault, became quiet. Zhou Xiaohui stopped talking to Xia Liang, and during mealtimes, everyone ate and immediately returned to the workshop. No one lingered outside anymore. Finally, after the get off work bell rang, the foreman came to collect the unfinished fabric for tallying. After a while, the results came out, and foreman Liu Hongli read out: "Zhu Juan 104 pieces, Wang Fang 136 pieces, ... Zhou Xiaohui 185 pieces, Ma Xiuxiang 85 pieces, Xia Liang 403 pieces." Everyone was astonished. Ma Xiuxiang immediately started acting up: "I don't believe it! I don't believe she can make so many! She's just a beginner!" The foreman said calmly, "That's the truth. Not only did she make the most, but her workmanship is also the best." As she spoke, she picked up a garment made by Xia Liang and handed it to everyone to see. Everyone except Zhou Xiaohui went up to look at the garment, and anyone with eyes had to admit that Xia Liang's work was indeed excellent. "The clothes we made today haven't been taken away yet. Look at your own baskets and compare them with the summer ones. You'll know if I'm lying or not." After Liu Lihong finished speaking, she ordered people to take away all the finished products. Each basket could hold about fifty pieces of clothing. Each of them had about three baskets. Except for Ma Xiuxiang's two baskets, which were not full, the summer ones had more than six baskets. Ma Xiuxiang had nothing to say and left angrily.
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