"Xiaoxiao, things have been really hectic at home lately. It's all my fault for not taking good care of you and the child. Did you take a few days off from the factory this time?"
Zhang Xiao had already asked for a week's notice, and since the factory manager was her father, it wouldn't matter if she went a few days later.
"How can that be? It's precisely because the factory manager is your father that we can set a good example."
Xu Zhitie continued, "After lunch today, I'll send you and the child back. You can't get used to the food and sleep in the countryside, so I don't want you and the child to suffer as well."
Zhang Xiao would usually be very moved when Xu Zhitie said these words, but this time, seeing how caring Xu Zhitie was towards him, Zhang Xiao couldn't help but think of the story Chen Yunyun had told him.
As if by some strange twist of fate, Zhang Xiao said, "I've met Chen Yunyun from next door. I was in the same car with her on the way back from the county that day."
Xu Zhitie's expression faltered for a moment, but he quickly masked it. "You came back with her? She didn't bully you, did she? If she did, my whole family will settle the score with her!"
Xu Zhitie had put in a lot of effort to regain his dignity in front of his father-in-law and daughter-in-law, who felt he was inferior to rural women.
On one hand, they say Chen Yunyun rose to power through nepotism, and on the other hand, they say Chen Yunyun is malicious and ruthless. Even the unsubstantiated claim that Xu Zhijin's head was broken was attributed to Chen Yunyun.
Zhang Xiao didn't answer Xu Zhitie's question, but instead continued to ask, "Don't you two get along well?"
Xu Zhitie paused, feeling that his wife was hiding something. He carefully considered his words and pretended to be very sincere, "Actually, these are all things from the older generation."
“Our Xu family and Xu Zhijun’s family have been at odds since the previous generation.”
“Since my parents moved back last year, they’ve had quite a few disagreements, big and small.”
"Don't underestimate Chen Yunyun just because she's a comrade. She's actually very cunning, selfish, and self-serving. She used to abuse her own children, and she's unforgiving when she's out in public. She doesn't know how to respect the elderly or care for the young at all."
"You shouldn't associate with people like that."
Xu Zhitie launched into a long speech about Chen Yunyun's "heroic deeds," while Zhang Xiao listened silently without offering any opinion.
After he finished speaking, Zhang Xiao nodded and said calmly, "Okay, I understand. I'll have less contact with her."
"By the way, I'll take the kids back to the city now, so we don't have to wait for lunch."
Xu Zhitie couldn't wait for Zhang Xiao to leave. This young lady was precious; she needed to take a shower after using the toilet at night to feel comfortable.
Moreover, there aren't enough rooms in the house, so the two adults and one child squeeze into a small bed. It's okay in winter, but it's unbearably hot in summer.
...
Chen Yunyun only found out the next day that Old Xu's daughter-in-law from the city had returned to the county.
She was holding a bill and calculating her expenses when she overheard several young women talking about it.
Chen Yunyun paused, leaving a solitary black dot on the clean white paper.
Just then, someone called out to her, "Director Chen!"
Chen Yunyun snapped out of her daze and asked, "Hey, what's wrong? Why are you all so flustered? What happened?"
The person who came was a cadre from the commune. It just so happened that the factory was short of people, so he came to help.
He took a moment to catch his breath before answering Chen Yunyun's question, "The factory director's words are a good thing!"
"The construction team from the county has arrived to bring electricity to the village!"
Hearing this, Chen Yunyun's fair face lit up with joy. "The power's on? Oh, that's great!"
She quickly put down her pen and ran out the door.
The factory was repaired a long time ago, and Charles delivered a few machines a couple of days ago. If we can harvest the purple cloud and extract the raw materials sooner, we'll be one step closer to making money.
"Hello Comrade Chen, we are from the electrician team. Where is your factory? Please take us there."
"Okay, sure."
The electrician team consisted of about ten people, all of them dark-skinned, tall, and strong.
When the villagers heard the news that electricity was going to be connected, those who weren't working all came to watch the excitement.
"What is electricity? I've never heard of it?" some of the older folks asked, rolling up their cigarettes.
"Old comrade, this electricity is a good thing. The city has had electricity for a long time. This electricity can be used to make phone calls, provide lighting, and support the operation of machines like in your factory."
"Lighting? Nowadays, every household has a kerosene lamp. If all else fails, I can light a torch."
The young man smiled and said, “You don’t understand. Electric lights are different from kerosene lamps. They can stay lit all night and the wind can’t blow them out. My sister lives in the city, and their electric lights are so bright that they can even illuminate the rooftops clearly.”
"These electric lights are so amazing, I want to install one too. Are they provided by the government for free?"
The young man paused for a moment, then said with a wry smile, "It costs money. You have to buy your own light bulbs and pay for the electricity."
Upon hearing the word "money," the old man who was smoking quickly stepped back and waved his hand, saying, "Then I don't want it, I don't want it."
This scene caused the people around to burst into laughter, and many people made fun of them.
"I've arranged the wiring and lights. This is the power switch. You push it up when you need electricity and pull it down when you don't. It's safe this way."
As he spoke, the young man from the electrician team turned on the power switch.
The lights came on.
"Wow, this light is amazing, it's even brighter than the sky outside."
Everyone stared wide-eyed, afraid that the light would go out in the blink of an eye and they would lose sight of it.
An elderly man smoking stood to the side, watching from a distance, muttering, "This light is good, this light is good, but it's expensive..."
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