Chapter 80: Bloody Conjecture

The rest time passed quickly, and it was almost time for Wen Jiajia to return to work.

The day before she started work again, Wen Jiajia went to see Principal Guo and asked if Wen Chun could start elementary school earlier. Surprisingly, Principal Guo agreed easily.

Principal Guo lived on the school premises, next to the classrooms. His residence was about the same size as a classroom, divided into two halves by wooden boards. The smaller half had a bed, a desk, and a wardrobe, while the larger half served as the living room and kitchen.

When Wen Jiajia arrived, Principal Guo was having dinner. Since it was already mealtime, Wen Jiajia felt a bit awkward.

Principal Guo smiled and said, “I usually eat at this time. I’ve just started.”

Wen Jiajia glanced at her watch and saw that it was almost three o’clock. She asked, “You only eat two meals a day?”

Principal Guo nodded. “Yes, I feel better eating just two meals a day. If I’m really hungry at night, I’ll eat a couple of steamed buns to fill up. Anyway, there’s a cafeteria at the school, so I don’t have to worry about going hungry.”

That made sense. Wen Jiajia had heard from Wen Chun and Wen Xuan that the food at the school cafeteria was quite good. They mentioned that the steamed buns made from two-grain flour were even better than the brown sugar buns she made, steaming very fragrantly without causing a sore throat.

Principal Guo suddenly asked, “Comrade Wen, are you here because of the Li family’s child?”

“That’s not it.” Wen Jiajia quickly clarified. It would be odd to bypass her parents and come to the school when they were right in front of her. “I just wanted to ask a question.”

She then explained that she wanted Wen Chun to start elementary school earlier and, if possible, to have Wen Xuan start with her.

Wen Jiajia smiled shyly. “The two sisters have already learned some elementary school knowledge at home, and they always stay together. Their age difference is only a few months. If possible, I’d like Wen Xuan to go to elementary school with Wen Chun.”

Principal Guo set aside his bowl and said, “All right. Wen Chun and Wen Xuan can start in September.”

Wen Jiajia was surprised and hadn’t quite processed it. “I thought they were too young for elementary school.”

Principal Guo replied, “It’s because they are too young to sit still that they might not benefit from going to school and could be a burden to teachers and classmates. However, Wen Chun and Wen Xuan show clear signs of good concentration and listen well in the Yuhong class. They should do well in elementary school.”

Wen Jiajia sighed in relief, her expression relaxing. “That’s good to hear. I’ll have to trouble you, Principal Guo, in the future.”

“Not at all. It’s my duty,” Principal Guo said.

Wen Jiajia didn’t want to overstay her welcome. Since Principal Guo had only eaten half of his meal, she decided to let him finish it quickly.

The next day, Wen Jiajia returned to work.

With Wei Dai on a mission, preparing breakfast for the two sisters fell to her.

Fortunately, the weather was still cool, almost cold at night and in the morning, so Wen Jiajia could prepare breakfast the night before, just heating it up the next day.

She had made some dumplings the night before.

The shepherd’s purse and leek filling were tender and delicious. Fried eggs as a side dish made the flavor even better than stuffed meat.

She had eaten some last night and had more this morning.

With the spicy and sour dipping sauce, Wen Jiajia’s appetite was whetted. She ended up eating 25 dumplings, and her stomach remained full until nearly noon.

After not working for four days, returning to the medical glass factory felt like entering another world.

Rest had made her weak.

Suffering from a holiday hangover, she felt lethargic and didn’t want to move while sitting in the office.

Fortunately, the factory work had reached its end. There was nothing for her to do at the moment. After the machine installation, only the workshop workers were working overtime to complete the second quarter’s shipments before mid-June, allowing them half a month to test new products.

But… it wasn’t just the workshop that was busy.

Feeling bored, Wen Jiajia considered making some hawthorn tea^[1]is an herbal tea made from the dried leaves, flowers, or fruits of the hawthorn plant. to aid digestion when Lin Yunfei knocked on her office door.

“Come in,” Wen Jiajia said. After a moment’s hesitation, she put the hawthorn jar back in the cabinet.

Lin Yunfei entered and said, “I saw you putting the food away when I arrived. Were you afraid I would eat it?”

Wen Jiajia rolled her eyes. “Yes, I hid it because I saw you coming.”

Lin Yunfei, looking displeased, opened the cabinet and said, “I want to see what you’re hiding.”

At first glance, it was just a can of dried hawthorn.

“…”

“Is this worth hiding? It’s everywhere, in the mountains and plains. It’s so sour that even children won’t eat it.” Lin Yunfei put the hawthorn jar back in the cabinet.

Wen Jiajia opened the drawer, took out an iron box, grabbed two handfuls of tea leaves, and placed them in boiling water. She then put two pieces of butterfly cake in front of Lin Yunfei. “Here, have some tea and cake.”

Lin Yunfei was satisfied, sitting down to eat the butterfly cake. She said, “I came to hide here with you. If you have any relatives or friends who want to take the factory recruitment exam, you should let them know. We’ll be recruiting again next week, and this time we need 10 people. There are educational requirements: you must have at least a junior high school education. Illiterate individuals will not be accepted, and our factory doesn’t offer literacy classes right now.”

A while ago, many illiterate people were recruited, and their training group was nearly exhausted.

The key issue was that they were not young, making it difficult for them to learn.

It was challenging for both the trainees and their instructors.

Later, a temporary literacy class was set up to teach common characters one by one. Due to a shortage of teachers, a few were borrowed from nearby factory schools. Finally, a compromise was reached: anyone who could pass a high primary school exam would be allowed into the workshop. As a result, these individuals studied hard, or else they would procrastinate and never learn.

Wen Jiajia exclaimed, taking out two cups and pouring tea into them, “I don’t have any relatives or friends who need factory jobs, but is the factory really short of people again?”

“Nonsense, when have we not been short of people?” Lin Yunfei replied with a hint of frustration, staring at Wen Jiajia. “You’ve had a good time these past four days, haven’t you?”

Wen Jiajia laughed it off. “It’s okay, it’s okay. There are many things to do at home, and it wasn’t very comfortable.”

“I didn’t realize you were so content… You’ve been eating and sleeping well these past few days. Your face looks rounder, redder, and plumper.”

“That’s nonsense. How could I have gained weight in just four days?”

Wen Jiajia then asked, “You wouldn’t come to my house for no reason. Just tell me what you need.”

“Didn’t I say I wanted to hide here?” Lin Yunfei said.

Wen Jiajia responded, “Come on, you’re practically the department bully, and you still want to hide. Even your leader is afraid of you now.”

Lin Yunfei smiled, glanced out the window with unease, then checked the door again. Seeing no one outside, she closed it and asked quietly, “Some time ago, did two people from the countryside come to your neighbor’s house?”

Wen Jiajia was surprised. “You know about this? The workshop kept it a secret, and many people were afraid of trouble and wouldn’t talk about it. How did you find out?”

The two people who came were the ones Professor Yan introduced and who agreed to come to the hospital.

Director Shen began investigating the two last year, and Wen Jiajia had sent information to Director Shen.

After confirming that there were no serious issues with the two men, Director Shen worked to transfer them to the Medical Glass Factory.

This was not unusual, as there were precedents.

In today’s context, explicit clauses are less important than “precedents.” Stability is preferred over being the first in everything.

A few years ago, a leader from the chemical company next door worked on the front line. Although he was later transferred away, it set a precedent.

Other factories had also transferred farm or rural labor reform personnel to front-line workshops for labor reform. This practice still exists today, which is why Director Shen felt confident pursuing this transfer.

Being in his prime and newly appointed, Director Shen was full of fighting spirit. Recognizing the value of the two individuals, he put in considerable effort and succeeded in transferring them back in early March.

When the two first arrived, they were as frail as bamboo poles. Wen Jiajia felt they would fall over if the wind blew. She also understood why Professor Yan inquired about their progress weekly; the environment was too harsh for them to endure for long.

Later, Wen Jiajia arranged for them to attend ideological and political classes, intending for them to recuperate first so they wouldn’t collapse in the workshop.

After a week of rest, they recovered somewhat and were assigned to the workshop. Half a month later, when the workload decreased, they could occasionally visit the R&D room to discuss new products with Professor Yan and others.

This matter was not widely publicized, mainly because there were many people in the factory and a lot of work to do. The presence of these two individuals went largely unnoticed.

Lin Yunfei said, “I found out about it suddenly one day and then asked people in your workshop. I discovered they were here for forced labor.”

She then whispered, “To be honest, Jiajia, I have a teacher who is also in labor reform. Her situation is quite bad. I want her to come back, but I don’t have the ability to help.”

Wen Jiajia frowned. “I don’t have any connections. Those two people were transferred back by Director Shen with great effort because they are renowned experts.”

Lin Yunfei sighed. “My teacher teaches foreign languages, and I was hoping that if the factory were to import machines…”

Wen Jiajia shook her head. “Importing machines is too difficult. We’ll probably have to wait a few years.”

The factory has recently considered introducing Corning machines but lacks the channels and foreign exchange. Given the current size of the factory, Wen Jiajia estimates it will take at least 8 to 5 years before Corning products can be introduced.

Besides, it’s not as if there are no English speakers in the factory. Professor Yan’s team next door speaks English.

Lin Yunfei looked a bit disappointed. “I was just daydreaming. My teacher is really a good person. When I didn’t have money to go to school, she paid for me. Her health isn’t good either, and I’m always worried about her.”

What else could Wen Jiajia say? Without personal experience, she couldn’t fully understand Lin Yunfei’s worries. She could only offer dry comfort. “Maybe in a year or two, or even sooner, the situation will improve.”

Calculating the time, this year is 75, and the movement will end in 76. Many people will return before the movement ends. Even if they don’t return, the villagers will take care of the remaining labor reform inmates after seeing many return.

Lin Yunfei’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

“…I don’t know if it’s true or not. I just mentioned it casually, so take it with a grain of salt^[2]means to view something with skepticism or to not take it too seriously.. Come and have some tea; drink it quickly.” Wen Jiajia added more tea to her cup, hoping to steer the conversation away.

Lin Yunfei was perceptive, given that both her parents were police officers and she frequently dealt with people. Sometimes Wen Jiajia needed to be cautious about how much she revealed to her, as Lin Yunfei could pick up on things easily.

She snorted softly, “How could I not know you? You never say anything without thinking.”

Wen Jiajia felt a bit guilty and covered her face with her cup.

After drinking, she quickly changed the subject. “Hey, I want to tell you something. I keep feeling that something’s off.”

“Go ahead.”

Wen Jiajia organized her thoughts and said, “A new family has moved into our military family compound, and their child is a bit troublesome—”