Chapter 77

Changyou Oil Factory

After sending the police away, Factory Director Lu found that Secretary Zheng was drenched in sweat, sitting uneasily, knowing that he could no longer hide the truth.

He kneeled before Factory Director Lu, crying and pleading repeatedly, “I’m sorry, Factory Director! It’s all my fault! I was too cowardly, I’m sorry! During the inspection of the new production line, Yu Fuda forged our signatures. I didn’t properly check the machines… He blackmailed me with my job, and I didn’t dare to oppose him…”

He wailed on the ground, clutching Factory Director Lu’s legs and begging for mercy.

Factory Director Lu didn’t know what to feel at that moment. After a while, he helped Secretary Zheng up and smiled, saying, “Thank you for your honesty.”

But it was too late. When he went to Beijing and Shanghai to sell his properties, Secretary Zheng had watched indifferently. When the pressure drove people to the point of suicide, Secretary Zheng had stayed silent. Now, the police had come and meticulously laid out the process of Yu Fuda’s corruption and embezzlement. Secretary Zheng regretted it, but it was too late!

Factory Director Lu clearly knew who his benefactors were and who he should be grateful to. He also knew who the pests were and who should be held accountable. He would not be lenient.

He asked Secretary Zheng for the list of technical key personnel, then proceeded to dismiss and lay off Secretary Zheng as well as everyone on the list. Nearly a third of the core staff at the factory was let go. Looking back, Factory Director Lu saw many positions had been vacated, so he promoted those who had remained loyal to him during this period, with the technician Yang Shan being appointed as the new deputy factory Director.

When Father Yang heard that he had been promoted to deputy factory Director, he was so overjoyed that he seemed almost stunned, unable to speak a complete sentence.

“I… I… Is it possible?”

Father Yang was just an ordinary technician, earning 40 yuan a month while supporting a family of six, feeling the pressure was unbearable.

What did being a deputy factory Director mean? The deputy factory Director earned 75 yuan a month, almost double what he had been earning before. There were also generous benefits and subsidies during holidays and festivals. If he became the deputy factory Director, he could finally live comfortably. This generous salary would easily support his whole family.

Factory Director Lu smiled deeply at the corners of his eyes, encouraging Yang Shan, “Why not? You graduated from a technical secondary school and have worked at Changyou for fifteen years. No one knows Changyou better than you. Although you lack experience, if you work hard to learn, you can catch up. I’ll help you enroll in night school to improve your management skills.”

He said meaningfully, “People aren’t afraid of lacking education or not having a high degree. What matters is whether you’re willing to work hard and if you have a pure heart. I believe in you, so just do your best!”

Father Yang, once known as Technician Yang, was now Deputy Factory Director Yang. Workers at the oil factory congratulated him, and after work, close colleagues brought him rice, flour, a few eggs, and some sugar. Those with less money brought cotton thread or some fruit.

Factory Director Lu was generous, giving him ten pounds of peanut oil as a direct subsidy.

Father Yang, his hands full and heavy with gifts, returned home satisfied and announced the good news. Mother Yang, stunned, was speechless for a while, then suddenly hugged the children and cried, laughing and crying at the same time. The whole family was filled with joy.

Mother Yang said, “Dear, does this mean all our children will be able to go to school from now on?”

Father Yang nodded enthusiastically and said, “Yes, all of them. If the kids study hard, I’ll support them through university! Dear, we need to tell Teacher Su and invite her to our house for a meal. This past half year, we owe so much to Teacher Su! Without her, little Xue would have dropped out of school already. Look at what I brought back today—rice, flour, and even peanut oil from the factory Director!”

Mother Yang nodded repeatedly, tears of joy in her eyes, and went to school to find Su Ye.

The next day, Su Ye was invited to Yang’s home for a meal.

Father Yang gave Su Ye ten pounds of peanut oil, a rare and precious commodity in C City at the time. The oil was clear, fragrant, and rich in taste, with everyone scrambling to buy it.

Although the city had resumed supplying cooking oil, the queues were long, and the market was chaotic. People had to line up from early morning just to get peanut oil. Every household was lacking in oil, and even small amounts were too precious to sell. Even though Su Ye wasn’t short of money, she couldn’t buy any peanut oil from the black market at that time.

During this period, Su Ye had been helping Xiaohe with money, rice, and pork belly, knowing they didn’t lack oil. She accepted the peanut oil as a kind gesture.

She smiled and said, “Then I thank you for your kind intentions!”

Father Yang then brought up the matter of Factory Director Lu retrieving the foreign exchange. Su Ye was pleased to hear this, finally, the money that had almost slipped away had been secured. Factory Director Lu wasn’t hesitant when it came to such matters.

Father Yang happily said, “Our factory doesn’t need the foreign exchange for now. Factory Director Lu is considering using it to send the children from the factory abroad for further studies.”

Su Ye was surprised by this and thought to herself, Factory Director Lu truly acts on his ideas—he’s bold enough to think of it!

With less than six years remaining until that ten-year mark, going abroad might not be the best option… But aside from that, going abroad could indeed be a good thing, especially for Lu Siyuan and Yang Chenxing. Su Ye didn’t rush to oppose Factory Director Lu’s plan to send the children abroad. Instead, she was curious about how to handle it if it really did happen.

Was it right to give up such a good opportunity for studying abroad just because of the difficulties that might arise in six years?

Father Yang, beaming with excitement, spoke enthusiastically, then turned to see Su Ye looking distracted and asked curiously, “Teacher Su, what are you thinking so intently about?”

Su Ye smiled and replied, “Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about how to use this bottle of oil!”

The whole Yang family burst into laughter. Yang Xue remarked that it was true—Teacher Su really did love food. Mother Yang added, “Peanut oil is delicious no matter how you use it. It has a light fragrance and isn’t greasy, unlike lard, which is good for many things but doesn’t work well for steaming fish—it always leaves a muddy, fishy taste. If you use peanut oil for steaming fish, it will have a fresh, pleasant aroma…”

She paused, suddenly troubled. “But where can we even find fish these days? That would be a real shame…”

Su Ye joked, “Next time I steam fish, I’ll definitely use peanut oil. Thank you for the gift of the oil!”

—

After leaving Yang’s house, Su Ye carried the heavy ten pounds of peanut oil back home. As she walked through the family housing area, people passing by couldn’t help but ask, “Little Su, that’s a lot of oil. Where did you get it?”

“Wow, Teacher Su, are you lucky? You’ve got so much peanut oil!”

Each household in the grain and oil cooperative could only exchange up to six taels of oil a month, and ten pounds of oil was enough to last a family for an entire year.

Su Ye smiled and replied, “It’s not much, just some peanut oil from Changyou.”

“Ah, it’s not too lucky then.”

“It’s nothing special. I just helped out a student recently, and their parents gave me this.”

Her casual words fueled envy, as everyone found her comments oddly irritating.

When Changyou peanut oil was mentioned, everyone immediately praised it. The oil was in high demand across the city, with people lining up before dawn to get their hands on it, though few were able to buy any. They could only smell the fragrance of the oil without ever tasting it.

It hadn’t been long since Su Ye had received gifts like rich flour, high-end pastries, and white sugar from parents at school, and now she was given ten pounds of oil. Was teaching really so well-rewarded? They certainly shouldn’t be encouraging others to become teachers.

When these rumors reached He Meimei, she smiled and said, “Of course, it’s because Teacher Su is such a kind person! It’s not all about luck, though. What would you say about those farmers in the countryside who gave her chickens or a half-cartload of mountain goods?”

A military wife summed it up, saying, “Su Ye is really lucky!” and the others nodded in agreement.

He Meimei shook her head and corrected, “That’s not it. If you knew what she’s done, you wouldn’t just say she’s lucky. If I had food, I’d want to give her some too!”

The other woman teased her, “Oh please, Meimei, with your family’s situation, you’d want to give her food? We’re doing well just not asking you for help!”

He Meimei still smiled, but when she mentioned Su Ye, she spoke with admiration, saying, “Don’t doubt it, Teacher Su really does have this kind of charm. She’s the most popular teacher among the students at our school…”

Take the Changyou matter, for example. The newspaper briefly reported on the foreign-imported assembly line, summarizing how the factory Director worked together to save national assets. But without Su Ye’s help, would there even be a Changyou matter today? Would the people of the entire city still have peanut oil to eat?

Then look at the incident in Shanggou Village. If Su Ye hadn’t helped to arrange the grain, who knows how many farmers would have starved without it. Three chickens, ten pounds of oil, ten pounds of flour—compared to these, those things seemed insignificant.

In He Meimei’s eyes, Su Ye was a colleague who was always happy to share any good food with her office mates. They were also eager to help her with the “green factory,” and every month, she contributed a large sum of money to help students in financial difficulty.

“I’m not joking. If I had something, I’d gladly give it to someone like her!” He Meimei said seriously with a smile.

Her words really made everyone laugh. After He Meimei repeatedly emphasized this, showing them the newspaper, they finally believed that Su Ye was well-liked.

First, there was the newspaper article about poor children returning to school, followed by the report on Changyou Oil Factory’s new technology assembly line that saved grain. As for the thank-you letter from Shanggou Village, it had been posted in the family housing area’s bulletin board for a long time, well known by everyone.

Which of these things wouldn’t be worth the ten pounds of peanut oil or ten pounds of flour?

The newspapers were spread out before everyone, and someone suddenly spoke up, “This is a great thing! Why hasn’t she mentioned it much?”

“Doesn’t she know how to be humble?”

“Su Ye doesn’t have time to brag about things to us. I often see her coming back with a pile of homework, leaving before dawn. She’s an advanced teacher from the province, and the military gives her allowances and rewards. She doesn’t even report it! What a great person…”

They finally found the reason for Su Ye’s good luck!

Now everyone was fully convinced. Compared to someone who just happens to get lucky for no reason, a kind and fortunate person like her was much easier to accept. Because of all the good things she had done, if she occasionally got a few ducks or caught some fish, it was just Heaven rewarding her!

The timeless truth that good people are rewarded for their kindness is real! Learning from the spirit of Lei Feng is truly not wrong! The neighbors who had often witnessed Su Ye’s unbelievable good fortune now thought to themselves, “Is it still too late to seize the opportunity to do good deeds?”

In the past, they would never have entertained such a silly thought. If anyone mentioned it, they would have scorned them, even going so far as to lecture others on how to break free from superstition. But as more and more unbelievable events occurred, they couldn’t help but believe in this strange turn of events.

Don’t believe it? After seeing Su Ye constantly getting lucky with food and meat, they’d come to believe it. They were now thoroughly convinced that, one day, if they walked down the street with Su Ye and a chicken suddenly flew down, it would definitely land right in Su Ye’s arms.

As a result, the fact that Su Ye frequently received food from others began to spread in an almost mystical way.

Su Ye had received ten pounds of high-quality flour, ten pounds of peanut oil, five pounds of white sugar, and even a few chickens from a few months ago. Her good fortune was entirely due to her kindness, hard work, and humility, which made others treat her so well.

She found water ducks, caught fish, and even caught rabbits, all because she had accumulated good deeds, and Heaven had rewarded her for it!

Yao Chunyu had just learned that the foreign exchange she was eyeing had been intercepted by Su Ye. When she returned to the compound, she overheard neighbors talking non-stop about how lucky Su Ye was. She almost choked on her words, her face as pale as paper.

Wherever Su Ye went, the people would praise her. Su Ye’s good fortune came because she was a kind-hearted, blessed person.

A kind heart and plenty of food without having to pay anything? It was Professor Zhou Honghan, not Su Ye, who had worked hard for the Changyou Oil Factory project. Su Ye had only had a good relationship with her. Could all the credit for Professor Zhou’s work really be given to Su Ye? Yao Chunyu felt a lump in her throat and found it incredibly absurd.

—

After Su Ye returned home, she used the peanut oil to steam a fish, planning to send some oil to Professor Zhou Honghan and Professor Ning. As soon as she stepped outside, she was met with warm, admiring, and somewhat strange looks from the neighbors. If she hadn’t double-checked her outfit before leaving the house, she might have thought her pants had ripped.

She gave two pounds of peanut oil to Professor Zhou Honghan, who smiled and said, “No need, Little Su, Factory Director Lu already sent me ten pounds of oil. Not only that, but also ten pounds of rice and a 100 yuan reward.”

Her eyes squinted into a narrow slit, grinning like a mouse that had stolen some oil. “You’re now the most famous person in our compound.”

Su Ye didn’t have time to fully understand Zhou Honghan’s meaning. After leaving the Zhou household, she was on her way to Professor Ning’s house when neighbors started to gather around her. They eagerly spoke, “Su Ye, could you touch my hand?”

“Little Su, could you touch my wife’s belly? So she can have a smooth delivery!”

“Su Ye, my daughter is graduating from middle school this year. Could you touch her head and wish her success in getting into a vocational school?”

Su Ye spent a few minutes understanding the situation and finally realized the meaning behind Zhou Honghan’s mysterious smile.

With a smile, she said, “Of course, I can.”

Su Ye went around, touching each person’s head while saying, “You need to work hard,” “May you succeed,” “You should study well…”

After fulfilling their wishes one by one, she cleared her throat and said solemnly, “Of course, I personally think that such superstitions are very inappropriate!”

“A bright and beautiful future needs to be earned through hard work. Labor is the most honorable thing! Adults should work hard, and children should study diligently. If you do so, there’s no worry about not achieving a bright future!”

Another group quietly picked up their toolboxes, helping neighbors fix light bulbs, unclog drains, trim the hair of elderly people, cultivate the land, plant vegetables, and trim trees in the yard… Everyone was busy and having fun.

When the leaders returned home after work, they found that everyone in the compound was eager to be an example and learn from Lei Feng. It has become a new trend. The sun set, the stars rose, and people kept working until dark without any intention of going home. The high level of ideological awareness was impressive, and they felt very pleased.

“Everyone is learning from Lei Feng today, but people are made of iron, and food is steel. Go home and have dinner!”

“Enough, enough, you’re about to strip this tree bare. Go home now!”

Hahahahahaha, I’m dying of laughter. I never expected this turn of events!

Should we send them some food as well?

This situation is forcing me to give the streamer an 82 out of 100, and the remaining 18 points I’ll break into 666 and send to her!