Chapter 92 Holiday Benefits
Having previously assisted Lin Qingqing, Deng Lingling's familiarization with the cosmetics counter went smoothly. Therefore, by the 28th of the lunar year, Lin Qingqing had essentially finished organizing the work of the supply and marketing cooperative, formulated plans for the coming year, and was simply waiting for the 29th to begin her holiday.
However, before the holiday, the supply and marketing cooperative distributed a batch of holiday benefits.
Because the supply and marketing cooperative was doing well, this year's holiday benefits were exceptionally generous. In addition to a 10-jin bag of rice and a can of oil for each person, they also received several jin of beef. At this time, many rural areas still used oxen to plow the fields, and beef was a precious commodity that was generally hard to find.
The beef sent to Lin Qingqing was bone-in, as she was planning to host a dinner party that evening. She thought the beef could be stewed with white radish to make a soup base for hot pot.
In addition to these, the supply and marketing cooperative also distributed candies and peanuts, as well as two jin of red apples that were said to have been transported from the north, each one large and red.
Seeing the holiday benefits distributed by the supply and marketing cooperative, not only Lin Qingqing was happy, but everyone else also had beaming faces.
Although the supply and marketing cooperative distributed rice and grain during festivals in previous years, it was at most two or three catties of rice and half an ounce or an ounce of oil, not to mention such large red apples, which would never be given to their employees. The usual distribution was even less; half a catty of peanuts and two ounces of wheat flour might be enough to satisfy them.
But there's nothing that can be done about it. After all, it's a small unit, and with poor profits, it naturally doesn't give out as much as larger factories. So, during holidays, while employees in other units are all smiles, the people at the supply and marketing cooperative are frowning. And they can't say anything, since everyone knows that work at the supply and marketing cooperative is easy.
Over time, it's no wonder they lost the motivation to work hard.
This year is different. Not to mention the beef and red apples they received, just the ten kilograms of rice and a barrel of oil are enough for them to show off to their relatives and friends.
At this point, even those whose sales figures are always among the lowest and who have never received a bonus become highly motivated.
They thought to themselves, if they had known earlier that the company's performance would improve and the benefits would follow suit, they would have definitely put in their best effort long ago!
Knowing that holiday bonuses would be distributed, Lin Qingqing specially rode her bicycle to work in the morning. After get off work, she bundled the holiday bonuses and the groceries she bought at noon onto the back seat and rode straight home.
When I got home, Xie Wei was already back. It was almost Chinese New Year, and the military camp was more relaxed than usual, so the leaders could come home earlier in the evening.
When Lin Qingqing entered the courtyard, Xie Wei came out of the house and, seeing the things on the back seat of her car, asked, "Why did you buy so much stuff?"
"I didn't buy them, they're holiday bonuses from the supply and marketing cooperative." Lin Qingqing got off her bicycle, parked it, and together with Xie Wei, unloaded the things from the bike and carried them home one by one. When they got to the remaining vegetables in bags, she said, "I bought these at the market at noon. We're having hot pot today, so I bought some side dishes."
The grain and oil were moved directly to the dining room, while the apples and vegetables were taken to the kitchen. Lin Qingqing washed two apples and was about to cut them when she remembered to ask, "When will Battalion Commander Jiang and the others arrive?"
"They said they'd be here right away."
As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Feng's voice came from outside. Without further hesitation, Lin Qingqing peeled the washed apples, cut them into pieces, and placed them on a porcelain plate before taking them out. In addition to the apples, Lin Qingqing also grabbed a handful of candy and peanuts and put them in the fruit plate, then placed a few uncut apples on top before taking it to the living room.
As soon as Jiang Feng entered the house, he saw the grains, oils, candies, peanuts, and other items in their dining room. Then, seeing the fruit platter that Lin Qingqing had prepared, he asked in surprise, "You bought so many things for the New Year? I haven't bought anything for my family yet."
"Qingqing brought these back; she said they were holiday bonuses from her company," Xie Wei said calmly, with a hint of boastfulness in his voice.
Jiang Feng asked curiously, "What did they post?"
Lin Qingqing came in just then and explained what the supply and marketing cooperative had given her.
"The benefits at the supply and marketing cooperative are so good?" Jiang Feng was even more surprised and asked Shen Yufen, "Why didn't your unit give out so many things?"
Lin Qingqing explained, "This year, because the business is doing well, we're giving out more things. I heard that in previous years, we would only receive two or three catties of rice, half a catty of oil, and maybe a catty or two of pork at most."
Shen Yufen listened with some envy: "Your welfare this year is indeed generous, but we are not. It's the same as in previous years, at most we get two more pounds of rice and oil than you used to." She added that she hadn't bought many things for the New Year and would have to go buy some New Year's goods tomorrow.
“We have candy and peanuts at home, you should take some back with you later,” Lin Qingqing said. “Make a list of anything else you want, and I’ll bring back what the supply and marketing cooperative has for you tomorrow.”
"You have to go to work tomorrow, so I can't trouble you," Shen Yufen said with a smile. "I'll go to your supply and marketing cooperative myself tomorrow and see if I need anything. By the way, were these apples also distributed by your supply and marketing cooperative? They taste really good, so sweet and juicy."
Jiang Feng nodded repeatedly: "They look big, and their bright red color looks festive. They're not from our local area, are they? Does your supply and marketing cooperative sell them?"
"Yes, I do have some, but not much. If you want, I'll save a few pounds for you tomorrow," Lin Qingqing said with a smile.
"Thank you so much," Shen Yufen said quickly, and then discussed with Jiang Feng about buying a few pounds of apples.
If it's just for personal consumption, buying two pounds to satisfy a craving is enough. But during the Spring Festival, there will inevitably be social interactions. There are several battalions in a corps, and many battalion commanders and deputy battalion commanders. Jiang Feng is also thirty years old. If he wants to move up the ranks, he definitely needs to maintain good relations with the corps leaders.
It's not about using connections, but at least you need to be a familiar face to the leaders. Otherwise, when opportunities arise, others might not even think of you. To be a familiar face, not only do you need to perform well normally, but visiting them during holidays is also basic etiquette. And you can't go empty-handed; you have to bring something.
In previous years, Jiang Feng would bring two bottles of liquor and a few packs of cigarettes. This was fine once or twice, but if it happened too often, it would seem insincere, and the leaders might not accept the gifts. So this year, Jiang Feng was a little worried about what to bring.
Therefore, when Jiang Feng saw the apple that Lin Qingqing had taken out, he had a thought in his mind.
These apples are not only delicious, but they also look beautiful—bright red and large—making them a presentable gift. Plus, apples aren't as formal as liquor, so you don't have to be secretive about delivering them.
However, sending apples alone doesn't seem enough. It would be best to add something else. But then I need to think carefully about what kind of apples to add and how many to send.
The couple couldn't make up their minds, so Lin Qingqing didn't wait around. She let them discuss it and gave her a number before going to the kitchen to get busy.
She had only been in the kitchen for a short while when Xie Wei came in and helped chop the beef and prepare the ingredients.
Only after the beef was stewed did Lin Qingqing ask, "Should we buy some apples too?"
"Huh?" Xie Wei didn't react for a moment.
Lin Qingqing asked, "Don't you visit your superiors' homes during the Spring Festival?"
"I go there occasionally, but I've never mentioned anything."
Actually, Xie Wei's visit to the leader's home wasn't for holiday greetings. Rather, the leader noticed that everyone else was celebrating the New Year with their families, while Xie Wei, who was quite old, was all alone and didn't go back to his hometown, which seemed rather pitiful. So, on a whim, the leader invited him to their home for dinner.
Since Xie Wei spends the Spring Festival in the military camp, he naturally won't buy New Year's goods in advance. The supply and marketing cooperative is also closed, so even if he wanted to bring something, there was no way to do so. Therefore, he usually goes to the door empty-handed.
After hearing Xie Wei's words, Lin Qingqing could only say, "Your boss is really good to you."
"Mm," Xie Wei nodded.
Lin Qingqing asked, "So, now that you're married, you're not planning to visit your boss's house anymore?"
"Not really," Xie Wei said. Last Mid-Autumn Festival, Commander Zhai asked him to bring his wife to his home after he got married, but he wasn't sure if Commander Zhai was joking or serious.
"Since Commander Zhai has said so, we should definitely go, right?" Lin Qingqing said.
Xie Wei nodded and said, "It's fine to go."
Lin Qingqing asked again, "Where did the commander go? Is the deputy commander going?"
Xie Wei frowned upon hearing this. If he went to the commander's house, he would have to go to the deputy commander's house as well, otherwise people would probably overthink it. But if he went to both the commander's and deputy commander's houses, he would have to go to the political commissar's and deputy political commissar's houses as well. That was why he was impatient to visit leaders' homes to offer holiday greetings... But if he did go, it would be better to visit all of them.
Xie Wei said, "Then let's all go."
So the two started discussing what to bring over, and if they were buying apples, how many would be appropriate. Meanwhile, Lin Qingqing mentally calculated the number of apples left in the supply and marketing cooperative, thinking that if Wang Feng and his wife bought a lot, they could probably buy them all.
This is one of the advantages of working at a supply and marketing cooperative.
The apples that the supply and marketing cooperative sent this time were never put out for sale after they arrived. They were all used as holiday bonuses. Outsiders didn't even know that the supply and marketing cooperative had received this batch of apples.
However, Lin Qingqing isn't the only one working at the supply and marketing cooperative; others might want to buy apples tomorrow, so the exact number she can get is uncertain. But that's easy to manage; just put in a couple less apples and more pastries, and that should be about right.
Lin Qingqing made up her mind, and Jiang Feng and his wife had also discussed it. The number of apples they wanted was a little less than she had imagined. However, Lin Qingqing didn't guarantee anything, only saying that she would try to keep some. If it was enough, she would buy the number they requested; if not, the apples would be split equally between the two families.
Jiang Feng and Shen Yufen naturally knew that apples of this quality were hard to come by. Just look at the supply and marketing cooperative in the family compound. They sold local apples for a long time, and not only were they small, but most of them were also green-skinned and sometimes tasted sour and astringent, unlike the apples that Lin Qingqing brought back, which were crisp and sweet.
Not only at the supply and marketing cooperative in the residential compound, but also at the department store in the city, it's rare to find apples of this quality. Even if they are available, they're usually snapped up by the sales staff. There aren't enough for their own relatives and friends, so how could they possibly put them out for sale?
So when Jiang Feng and his wife heard Lin Qingqing say this, they agreed without hesitation: "It depends on your convenience, sister-in-law."
...
After they finished discussing the apples, Commander Ding and his wife, Deputy Political Commissar Liang, and Sister Fu and her husband all came over, while Deputy Commander Huang did not come because he had gone home early.
Since the food wasn't ready yet, Lin Qingqing moved all the stools from the dining room to the living room, cut two apples, and added some peanuts to the fruit plate. Because Commander Ding's wife was shivering from the cold, Lin Qingqing asked Xie Wei to bring the coal stove and pot for stewing beef into the living room. After all, it didn't matter where the hot pot broth was cooked; having it in the living room would allow everyone to warm themselves by the fire.
After finishing these tasks, Lin Qingqing asked Xie Wei to sit and chat with everyone, while she went to the kitchen to cook the remaining dishes.
However, as soon as she entered the kitchen, Shen Yufen came in and asked if there was anything else she needed to do, offering to stay and help. Lin Qingqing asked her to help prepare and plate the vegetables that needed to be blanched, while she quickly stir-fried two dishes: scrambled eggs with chives and stir-fried rapeseed. In addition, Lin Qingqing also made some fried peanuts.
After finishing cooking, Lin Qingqing went to the living room to check on the beef stew.
After entering the living room and greeting everyone, Lin Qingqing walked to the coal stove and lifted the lid. As she did so, a fragrant aroma quickly wafted out.
Sister Fu, quick to speak her mind, smelled the aroma and asked, "Sister-in-law, how did you stew this beef? It smells so good!" She and Commander Ding's wife had been discussing how to cook beef, and they couldn't help it; the aroma was so enticing that their mouths were practically watering, and they had no interest in talking to them.
"If you want to make it, I'll write down a recipe for you later." Lin Qingqing said, poking the beef with her chopsticks. Seeing that it was tender, she asked, "We're having hot pot tonight. Would you like to eat here or at a restaurant?"
"Thank you so much, sister-in-law." Sister Fu beamed with joy upon hearing Lin Qingqing's words, and added, "We're fine with where we eat, it's up to them."
"Since we're going to eat around the stove anyway, why don't we just eat here?" Jiang Feng said.
No one else objected, so Lin Qingqing said, "Let's eat here then. I'll bring the dishes over."
Upon hearing this, Xie Wei got up to help serve the dishes. When Ding's wife saw his actions, she glanced at Ding and said meaningfully, "Commander Xie is really diligent, helping out here and there when he comes back."
Sister Fu is straightforward. She nudged her husband's arm and said, "See? Learn from this!"
Commander Luo said helplessly, "It's not like I haven't helped you with chores at home."
Commander Ding was a bit of a chauvinist. Although he wouldn't say it was wrong in front of Commander Luo and his wife, and he didn't ask Xie Wei to sit down, he ignored his wife's words and acted as if he hadn't heard them at all.
When Commander Ding's wife saw this, she couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable. However, she was a woman of principle and knew how to protect her husband's reputation in front of others, so she didn't say anything despite her unhappiness.
Because there weren't enough seats, Xie Wei pulled the coffee table to one side during the meal, placed the coal stove in the middle of the sofa, and arranged several stools around the other side of the sofa's corner. Next to the coal stove was a large chair with three dishes prepared by Lin Qingqing on it. As for the side dishes to be cooked, they were all placed on the coffee table and added when needed.
After everyone was seated, Lin Qingqing came in and asked, "Do you want to drink alcohol? Should we eat the dishes first or the rice first?"
After discussing it for a moment, Jiang Feng, Regiment Commander Ding, Regiment Commander Luo, and the others said, "Let's drink first."
Sister Fu, Shen Yufen, and Commander Ding's wife said they would eat first. However, Xie Wei said that Commander Ding stopped him during the meal, saying, "You don't usually drink, but you should at least have a few drinks with us during the New Year."
Jiang Feng also thought this made sense, but he didn't ask Xie Wei, he just looked at Lin Qingqing: "Sister-in-law, how about we have our last get-together before the New Year... um?"
Lin Qingqing smiled and said to Xie Wei, "Drink if you want, but don't get drunk."
Xie Wei picked up his glass and said, "Then I'll drink half a glass with you."
Old Ding quickly poured Xie a large glass of baijiu (Chinese liquor) and said with a smile, "I know Old Xie's drinking capacity; he can't be easily drunk."
Although they sat together, the men and women ate in completely separate worlds.
The men clinked glasses and talked mostly about things in the military camp, while the women ate in silence, talking only about family matters.
As for the children... Although Lin Qingqing asked them to bring their children over, saying that it would be more lively with more people, it would be too troublesome for adults to bring children to a gathering. So, the children ate dinner in the cafeteria and were left to play at home by themselves. Jiang Peng, on the other hand, had already been put to sleep by Shen Yufen before she came out because he hadn't taken a nap.
So they don't have to worry about the children, and they can eat and chat comfortably.
As they chatted, the conversation turned to holiday benefits at their respective workplaces. Among them, Lin Qingqing received the best holiday benefits, followed by Sister Fu, who worked in the canteen and received generous portions of grain, oil, and pork. Then came Commander Ding's wife, who worked at a hardware factory in the suburbs. While her workplace provided a lot of benefits, it wasn't as substantial as Lin Qingqing's or Sister Fu's.
The worst was the elementary school where Shen Yufen worked. However, Shen Yufen was easygoing; she only felt envious when she heard about other companies' good holiday benefits, because although her holiday benefits weren't as good as others', she still got paid for three months of vacation every year!
Commander Ding's wife was naturally envious of Shen Yufen's vacation, but she was getting old and had forgotten most of the books she had read before. She could get by as a lowly clerk in the hardware factory's committee, but she would be a disservice to students if she went to teach.
So it was the benefits offered by the supply and marketing cooperative that made Commander Ding's wife even more interested, and she couldn't help but ask, "Does your supply and marketing cooperative still need people?"
“We are definitely short-staffed, but it would be difficult for us to make arrangements if you come,” Lin Qingqing said with a smile. This was still about the salary. Even if Ding’s wife wasn’t a cadre in the factory committee, she could still earn thirty or forty yuan a month. If she were an ordinary sales clerk at the Jin Supply and Marketing Cooperative, her salary would be at the bonus level.
Even though the benefits at the supply and marketing cooperative are better now, with monthly and quarterly bonuses of over 30 yuan for top performers, it's still not worth it in the long run. It's better to stay in the hardware factory.
Commander Ding's wife was well aware of this principle; she was just joking to express her envy. After the joke, she added, "Putting everything else aside, the beef and apples you distributed this time are really good. Are they for sale or just for holiday bonuses?"
"There wasn't much beef; it was all given to us as holiday bonuses. We had a lot of apples, but not much left," Lin Qingqing said.
Commander Ding's wife asked, "Could you spare some? We don't need much, just two or three for the kids to try."
"I still have some left at home, you can take two back with you later," Lin Qingqing said with a smile.
"I can't accept both food and money," said Commander Ding's wife, waving her hand. "See if your unit has any extras, whether you'd like to sell them. If you can keep two or three for me, then forget it."
Lin Qingqing, considering Xie Wei's good relationship with Commander Ding, didn't hide anything from Commander Ding's wife and said, "There are some leftovers, but firstly, Sister Shen and I both want to buy some more, and secondly, it's uncertain whether the others in our supply and marketing cooperative will want any tomorrow. After all, we're all colleagues, so it's not appropriate for me to buy them all. But if there are a lot left, I'll pack a few for you, is that alright?"
Commander Ding's wife naturally understood this principle and said, "Okay, you can share any extra with me."
Lin Qingqing nodded and then asked Sister Fu if she wanted some. Sister Fu thought for a moment and said, "See if there are any left after you've divided them up. If there are, share some with me. If not, it's fine. Local apples are the same anyway."
While they were talking, Commander Ding was already a little drunk.
Jiang Feng's face was also flushed. He gets flushed easily when he drinks, which is actually a good thing, as it makes him look drunk and less likely to be pressured to drink more. However, Jiang Feng himself loves to drink, so he doesn't need anyone to persuade him; he just keeps drinking, one sip after another, not stopping until he's completely drunk.
Xie Wei's face didn't flush as much as Jiang Feng's when he drank; in fact, the more he drank, the paler his face became. But in the dim light of the night, his paleness wasn't noticeable. To others, he just seemed like he was fine after drinking so much, so they kept pouring him drinks. Like now, Xie Wei had almost finished a bottle of baijiu, and Commander Ding insisted on pouring him more.
Xie Wei had already unbuttoned the top button of his military uniform, and he was sitting less upright than usual, even somewhat slouching, while holding a wine glass.
When Commander Ding poured him a drink, he moved his glass aside and said, "My wife is watching me."
"Aren't you a grown man? Stop being such a coward, okay?" Commander Ding said, rolling up his sleeves.
Upon hearing this, Lin Qingqing coughed. Commander Ding could call Xie Wei a coward, but he couldn't say many things in front of her. It wasn't that Lin Qingqing had a terrible temper, but rather that she looked delicate and innocent. Commander Ding considered himself a rough man and didn't dare to say anything harsh to her.
So when he heard Lin Qingqing cough, Commander Ding turned around and said, "Of course, it's perfectly fine for you not to let Lao Xie drink, but it's the New Year, and we're going back to our hometown tomorrow. We won't see each other again until next year. It's not easy for us to sit down and have a meal together, so we have to be lenient about the drinking, right?"
When Commander Ding said these words with a sullen face, Lin Qingqing couldn't speak up for Xie Wei, so she could only say, "You can only drink a little more, but we can't pour a third cup."
Commander Ding exclaimed in approval, praising, "Look how sensible your sister-in-law is." He then gestured for Xie Wei to hand over the cup.
Xie Wei indeed handed over the glass, watched him pour half a glass, and then, thinking it was about enough, moved the glass aside. If Commander Ding hadn't been quick-witted and nimble-fingered, he would have definitely poured the entire glass out.
Commander Ding clicked his tongue twice, then silently muttered to Lin Qingqing with his back turned, "Henpecked."
Xie Wei, far from being ashamed, was actually proud, and chuckled as he asked, "What did you say?"
What else could Commander Ding say? He gritted his teeth and said, "It's nothing, let's continue drinking."
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