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◎ Second update ◎
“There is indeed such a thing,” Chen Siming pushed his glasses on his nose and straightened his back. “Some positions in the factory have been swapped around. If we don’t investigate it clearly, and let people with unclear backgrounds come in, the factory will be in chaos.”
Wu Bingnian couldn’t help but sneer in his heart as he listened to Chen Siming’s words. This man had done some shameless things and now he was even slandering a girl.
“I’ve heard that the new daughter-in-law of the Xu family is quite nice.”
“Uncle Wu, you haven’t interacted with them, so you might have misunderstood,” Chen Siming forced a smile.
“The eldest son of the Xu family is a retired soldier and his character is trustworthy. There were no issues with the job positions back then, so naturally they should be returned now.”
Chen Siming frowned and looked at Wu Bingnian, wondering why he was so concerned with the Xu family’s affairs. He was waiting to block the issue of the Xu family’s job and let Liang Baozhen come to him for help, which would be a good opportunity to take advantage of her. Now that Wu Bingnian was involved, how could anything good happen?
“Uncle Wu, I shouldn’t be involved in this matter, but I have heard some things about the Xu family. Their thinking isn’t very proactive, and their personal awareness isn’t deep enough. I don’t think they meet the requirements of our factory workers.”
“How can you say that their thinking is not proactive, and their awareness is not deep enough?”
“Please wait a moment. I’ll let Ding Xiaoxia from the spinning workshop talk to you.” Chen Siming had already made preparations and asked someone to call Ding Xiaoxia in.
It was the first time that Ding Xiaoxia would meet the deputy director. There was also the purchasing director next to her, so she was inevitably a little nervous.
Especially since Chen Siming had even given her a signal.
“Comrade Ding Xiaoxia, tell me, how did Liang Baozhen and the Xu family treat you?” Chen Siming spoke with confidence. He and Ding Xiaoxia had an agreement a few days ago.
“I…” Ding Xiaoxia opened her lips but couldn’t utter a word.
“Don’t be nervous. This is Director Wu, who is very fair. If you have been threatened, you can speak up.”
Wu Bingnian could naturally understand the hidden meaning of Chen Siming’s words. He looked at Ding Xiaoxia with a sharp gaze and said in a deep voice, “Comrade Ding Xiaoxia, just say whatever you want to say. Don’t be afraid, as long as you are telling the truth.”
“Tell me quickly, what did the Xu family do to you!”
“The Xu family…” Ding Xiaoxia looked at the two leaders in front of her, swallowed hard, and mustered up the courage to speak. “The Xu family treats me very well.”
“What did you say?” Chen Siming almost jumped up from the sofa, causing Wu Bingnian to stare at him.
“Comrade Ding Xiaoxia, did you remember it wrongly? The Xu family wants you to give up your job. You are a formal employee of the State Cotton Factory, and you’re saying now that they are treating you well?”
Ding Xiaoxia raised her head and looked at Chen Siming. She no longer had the nervousness she had before. “Director Chen, I don’t want to give up this job. Just thinking about it makes me uncomfortable, and I can’t sleep all night…”
Chen Siming listened to Ding Xiaoxia’s words, and his expression eased a little. It seemed that this female worker was still sensible. He said to Wu Bingnian, “Uncle Wu, listen, look at what they’ve done to her!”
“Although I have never been to school, I understand the principle of repaying kindness. Aunt Zhou was kind-hearted, and seeing that I was nearly starving back then, she agreed to let me take over the job at the factory. Having a monthly salary was a lifesaver; without it, I might really have starved to death more than ten years ago. Now that they want the job back, it’s only natural. Even if I’m reluctant, there’s no reason for me to show any ungratefulness.”
“Director, you asked me how the Xu family treated me. I can only say that they were my great benefactors.”
“You!” Chen Siming slammed the table and stood up, staring at Ding Xiaoxia fiercely. Did he call her over to say such things? And call them her benefactors?!
“Siming, did you hear some rumors from somewhere? Otherwise, how can you say that they are not proactive in their thinking? Comrade Ding Xiaoxia’s words prove that the Xu family has good hearts. As for Comrade Liang Baozhen, take a look at this newspaper.”
Wu Bingnian turned over the “Daily News” on the table and handed it to him. Chen Siming glanced at the front page and saw a report on the front page “Learn from Lei Feng: Two Young People Rescued a Child Who Fell into the Water.” The protagonists of the report were Xu Shengjie and Liang Baozhen.
“The factory sees this report and is preparing to give a commendation. We should learn from this excellent spirit and action of learning from Lei Feng. This is called proactive thinking and deep awareness, don’t you agree?”
Chen Siming looked at the black-and-white newspaper. The words Xu Shengjie and Liang Baozhen on it hurt his eyes. With Wu Bingnian watching, Chen Siming could only force a smile, “Yes, such comrades are worth learning from. Uncle Wu, I’ll leave now.”
“Alright.” Wu Bingnian watched Chen Siming’s departing figure and shouted, “Remember to tell Xue Lijun that work cannot be delayed. If there are no issues, handle it quickly.”
Chen Siming did not turn around but replied with gritted teeth, then glared at Ding Xiaoxia again before leaving, and then stormed out of the deputy director’s office.
“Comrade Ding Xiaoxia, right?” Wu Bingnian was in a much better mood after teaching Chen Yong’s son a lesson. He turned his attention to this ordinary female worker with concern. “I saw you looking dispirited in the workshop this morning. Is it because of this matter?”
Ding Xiaoxia had already made up her mind and nodded immediately. She was in great torment after being approached by Chen Siming. On the one hand, she was reluctant to give up her job, but she also felt sorry for the Xu family. On the other hand, she was worried that if she didn’t do as Chen Siming said, she would be retaliated against in the future. She can gave up her job, but her husband was still in the factory.
But just an hour ago, her husband came over to discuss things, and they both felt they couldn’t let down the Xu family; otherwise, they’d end up having nightmares every day. They’d rather endure hardship than carry the burden of debt daily.
“Yes, Director. I will definitely correct my mistakes and make sure to do my job well before leaving!” Ding Xiaoxia felt relieved now that everything was out in the open. If she lost her job, so be it; she could stay at home and find some odd jobs if she had the chance.
At least her conscience was clear!
Wu Bingnian admired this worker’s courage for standing up to Chen Siming at such a time. “Our factory needs people like you, who are honest and trustworthy, and do things with a clear conscience. The factory’s canteen is looking for a temporary worker. If you’re willing, you can go to the canteen director and get arranged. Just say it’s from me.”
“Really?” Ding Xiaoxia’s eyes widened in surprise. She didn’t expect such good fortune to come her way, and her face lit up with joy. “Thank you, Director! Thank you!”
“Go on now,” Wu Bingnian said and watched Ding Xiaoxia’s departing figure. Even an ordinary worker can have such courage. She was even braver than him twelve years ago. He just sighed softly.
***
With the job issue resolved, the whole Xu family steamed white flour buns to celebrate. They were not only happy because they could get this job back but also because they could move Baozhen’s household registration to the city. She would be considered a city resident and be eligible for the monthly ration and all kinds of tickets.
“Baozhen, go back to the village in a few days to make the arrangements. Then let Xiaojie take you to the neighborhood office to transfer your household registration.” Zhou Yun calculated, the family would have an extra 30 pounds of food in the future, which would at least ease the pressure a bit.
“Yes, Grandmother, it’s also a good opportunity for me to go back and visit my parents.” Liang Baozhen was very excited about going back to the village. During her last visit, Song Chunhua had specifically reminded her not to think of returning to her parents’ home too often, as it would upset her in-laws. She advised that after getting married, she should focus on her own family and should not act like a little girl.
Besides, a round trip by bus can costs 40 cents, which is enough to buy half a pound of meat! It’s really too expensive.
“Let’s bring some things for your parents when we come back. I still have some shampoo tickets at home. I’ll go to the supply and marketing cooperative later to buy some.” Xu Shengjie was thinking about what to bring back to his wife’s parents’ home.
Zhou Yun was also thinking about this. Her in-laws were all nice. She actually wanted to meet them, but she was worried that it would delay their work. “If your parents come to the city, we should definitely have a meal together. We haven’t met them yet.”
“I’ll go back and talk to them. My mother is worried about disturbing you.”
“That’s definitely not possible. I love lively gatherings the most!”
Xu Shengjie and Liang Baozhen went to the supply and marketing cooperative, not only to get shampoo but also to buy matches. These items that required tickets were quite rare for people in the village.
Liu Jian, the director of the supply and marketing cooperative, already knew that his old comrade Xu Shengjie was married, but when he saw him bringing his wife over, his eyes almost popped out.
“You…?” Liu Jian waved his fingers back and forth between the two of them. He never expected that these two would get married.
“This is my wife, Liang Baozhen.” Xu Shengjie rested his hands on the glass counter, tapped the surface with his fingertips, and then looked at Liang Baozhen. “It’s Brother Liu, I know you know him; he’s actually my comrade.”
“Hello, Director Liu.” Liang Baozhen smiled and greeted Liu Jian, who was in shock.
“Wow, you two are actually married!” Liu Jian put away his surprise and looked at the two people in front of him. Xu Shengjie was handsome and tall, and Liang Baozhen was beautiful and graceful. They were indeed a perfect match.
When Liang Baozhen went to the other side to choose a shampoo scent, Liu Jian quietly asked Xu Shengjie, “Did you start liking her when you were getting the urea bags from me?”
Now that he thought about it again, something was wrong, really wrong! Xu Shengjie wasn’t usually so easygoing; he must have taken a liking to her to be willing to give her those urea bags!
“Don’t talk nonsense. We didn’t even know each other back then.” Xu Shengjie glanced at his wife, who was lowering her head and carefully selecting the scent of shampoo. Her slender white neck was mostly covered by her hanging braids. Her delicate hands held different shampoos to her nose and smelled them again and again. Liang Baozhen was meticulous and ended up choosing three scents.
“Tsk tsk, look at you now~”
Liu Jian is an experienced person, and could tell from Xu Shengjie’s recent expression that something was up. Ah, time really makes people grow old. He was like this when he just got married. His eyes were glued to his wife and he couldn’t pull them away!
The author has something to say:
Liu Jian: I got caught up in it
***
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