After three months of continuous effort, the order was finally completed. At a company-wide meeting, the factory manager stood on the podium and gave a series of inspiring words before getting to the point: "This order was completed exceptionally well. Not only was the quality and quantity guaranteed, but the delivery time was also more than half a month ahead of schedule. This is not the achievement of any one person, but the result of everyone's hard work. So, we will keep our promise and reward the employee who did the best work with a bicycle voucher." After looking at the list compiled and submitted by the workshop foremen, the factory manager continued: "Now, please welcome the final winner of this competition, whoever completed the most orders..." Comrade Xia Liang, who had done the most, went on stage to receive the award. "This Comrade Xia has only been in the factory for three or four months and has already achieved such good results. She is indeed a positive and motivated comrade. Let's give her a round of applause!" Amidst the enthusiastic applause, a sudden voice rang out: "That's not fair! I don't believe a newbie like her could do more than me!" Everyone turned to look at the woman who spoke. She was a lean but capable woman. The factory manager on the stage said, "Comrade Sun Fangfang, Comrade Xia Liang did indeed do the most. According to the data reported by your shift leaders, Comrade Xia Liang did a total of 31,265..." "You made 20,147 pieces, Comrade Sun!" A collective gasp swept through the crowd, followed by a flurry of discussion. "So impressive! You're actually even better than Sun Fangfang!" Why? Because Sun Fangfang had always been an outstanding and active member of the factory; otherwise, the factory wouldn't have recognized her so quickly. Actually, Sun Fangfang was a pitiful figure. A rural girl married into the city; her husband was Wu Dahai, a driver at the factory. The couple had a happy life, having two sons in three years, much to the delight of her husband's family. But fate intervened. During a business trip, Wu Dahai... He was driving under the influence of alcohol and got into a car accident, breaking his leg. Normally, if he had broken his leg, the factory would not only not punish him, but would also have to compensate him. But now, he has to compensate for the loss caused by his own violation of regulations. However, he is unable to work because of his broken leg. After discussion, the factory leaders asked his wife to come to the factory to work and pay off the debt. So Sun Fangfang worked like crazy. While others chatted and slacked off during work hours, she buried herself in her work and never communicated with anyone. After get off work, her colleagues would go to see a movie together or occasionally make a piece of clothing, but Sun Fangfang never participated. Everyone knew about her situation and would not invite her.
Sun Fangfang had hoped to sell the bicycle ticket to raise some money and reduce the family's debt, but hearing this devastating news today was a huge blow. She trembled, clutching her clothes, and sat down, her face deathly pale, saying nothing more. Xia Liang knew nothing of this, nor did she have time to know. She was currently immersed in the joy of receiving the award, thinking about how she would soon own a car and, after inquiring about where to find housing, she would soon have both a car and a house.
Back in her seat after leaving the stage, Zhou Xiaohui excitedly grabbed Xia Liang's arm and said, "Xia Liang, you're amazing! You got your bicycle ticket so soon after arriving. I'm so happy for you!" Even without her saying it, Xia Liang could feel it; Zhou Xiaohui's eyes were practically closed with laughter. Xia Liang felt incredibly lucky to have such a genuine friend, as being betrayed by best friends in modern times was quite common. Zhou Xiaohui took the bicycle ticket from Xia Liang's hand and examined it several times, saying, "It's a Phoenix brand bicycle! When are you going to buy one? I'll go with you." Xia Liang replied, "We'll go after work." "Okay, okay, after you buy the bike, take me home before going back to the dorm. I want to be the first person you take on this bicycle." Xia Liang smiled and nodded. "Okay."
After get off work and dinner, the two went straight to the department store. All the merchandise was locked in display cases. Customers had to beg the sales clerks to buy things. If the clerk was in a good mood, they'd politely show it to you; if not, they'd snap, "Are you sure you want to buy this? Don't waste my time." This was the norm these days. Xia Liang and Zhou Xiaohui found the bicycle counter and asked, "Excuse me, do you have any Phoenix brand bicycles?" The young female sales clerk behind the counter looked them up and down and said slowly, "Bicycles require a ticket. Do you even have one?" Xia Liang knew that... The sales clerk had little service awareness and didn't think of the customer as God, so she wasn't angry. But Zhou Xiaohui next to her was furious: "Who do you think you are? We are glorious working people. If we can't afford it, why would we waste our time here?" Only then did the sales clerk look at the two of them properly. Actually, her attitude wasn't usually that bad. After all, people who can afford bicycles are not ordinary people. Today, seeing Xia Liang and Zhou Xiaohui, she thought they were students from a nearby school who came to broaden their horizons, so she wasn't very nice. It's no wonder they misunderstood. Xia Liang had just turned eighteen not long ago, and although Zhou Xiaohui was twenty, she had a baby face and couldn't tell her real age.
After buying the bicycle and getting it stamped, the paperwork was complete. On the way home with Zhou Xiaohui, Xia Liang realized it was already October, and the weather was getting colder. His parents didn't even have a quilt. He needed to find a way to go to the black market. The next day, Xia Liang asked his class monitor for two days off and went to the black market. Nothing had changed, except that the old man selling cloth was back for some reason. Xia Liang went up to him and asked where he could find cotton. The old man casually pointed, and Xia Liang looked in the direction he was pointing. In front of a middle-aged man were four or five large bags. The old man asked, "Girl, why haven't I seen you lately? Want to continue our collaboration?" He had witnessed Xia Liang's sales prowess firsthand. Selling cloth to her at a low price meant he didn't have to take any risks. He hadn't originally planned to quit after that period, but his wife suddenly fell ill, so he returned to his old ways. Xia Liang replied, "I've been busy with family matters lately, but I'll come visit you when I have time." She then bought a bolt of cloth and headed towards the middle-aged man. She also bought thirty-five jin of cotton, tied it to the back of her bicycle, and rode back to the village.
It was already four o'clock in the afternoon when Xia Liang returned to the village. The villagers, seeing her riding a bicycle, curiously gathered around, asking, "Xia Liang, whose bicycle is this? It's so beautiful!" Everyone assumed Xia Liang couldn't afford a bicycle herself and must have borrowed it from a colleague. Xia Liang said, "Oh, this is mine. Our factory held a competition, and I won first place. This bicycle was the prize." The villagers suddenly understood. Some touched it, while others, with longing eyes, asked, "Xia Liang, is your factory still hiring? My son Shuanzi might be out of a job." Xia Liang replied, "That's not up to me. You'll have to ask at the factory. Uncles and aunts, I'm going back now. You should all go home and cook." With that, she rode off on her bicycle. Everyone was only surprised that Xia Liang had a bicycle; no one noticed the cloth and cotton tied to the back seat. Of course, they might have seen it but didn't care. After all, the impact of owning a bicycle was too great; cotton and such were hardly surprising.
When they arrived home, Xia's mother was cooking. Seeing Xia Liang, she wiped her hands and ran over, taking the cotton and fabric from the back of Xia Liang's bike and saying, "Where did you get so much cotton and fabric?" Xia Liang replied, "I asked my colleagues to help me. We don't have any quilts at home. How will you get through the winter?" After saying that, Xia Liang and her mother carried the things into the main room. Xia Liang sat down to rest first. The food was ready soon. Xia Liang was indeed exhausted. She had ridden for about four or five hours from the county town to the village. Her arms and legs ached as if they didn't belong to her. After sitting for a while, Xia's father and Xia Rong returned. After the family finished eating, Xia's mother took out her sewing basket and made a quilt for Xia Liang. Xia's father inquired about Xia Liang's work situation. The family chatted, and this was a warm moment that Xia Liang had never experienced before.
The next morning, Xia Liang tied the cotton quilt her mother had made the night before to the back seat. Her father and mother, Xia Rong, had already gone to work. Her mother saw her off, saying, "Ride slowly on the road. Go back and work hard. Come back and visit when you have time." Xia Liang replied, "Okay, I'll be careful. Don't skimp on food at home. Don't save the oil and meat coupons I gave you; I'll give you more next time I come back. Use the cotton you brought back yesterday to make quilts quickly. If you need more, have my brother send a telegram, and I'll send you more." Her mother, thinking of the four jin of meat coupons and two jin of oil coupons her daughter had given her the night before, happily said, "That's enough. There will definitely be some left over. Your quilt used seven jin of cotton, your brother's will also be seven jin, and your father's and my quilts will be fifteen jin. Don't worry, we won't skimp. Mom needs to take care of herself and wait for you to take me to the city to enjoy a comfortable life."
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