◎ First update ◎ 

The days of working in the workshop are actually not bad. It’s definitely better than working in the fields in the village. At least she doesn’t have to be exposed to the wind and sun. However, working in the office is still considerably better than working in the workshop.” 

Liang Baozhen has good academic performance, so writing scripts and preparing broadcast materials every day should not be a big problem. The only drawback is that there is not much room for advancement in this position. 

In the factory, the workers are divided into eight levels. The higher the level, the higher the salary and status. There are currently three level eight workers in the State Cotton Factory. They are all senior workers. Even Chen Yong has to address them with some respect when he sees them. In the spinning workshop where Liang Baozhen works, the highest level of workers is level five, with a monthly salary of seventy-two yuan. Xu Shengjie is a retired soldier, so he has better treatment. Although he has been in the factory for only a short time, he directly receives the salary of a level two worker, which is forty-three yuan a month, plus overtime allowance, high-temperature allowance in summer, and night shift allowance, so the total should be around fifty yuan. 

The further you get into a certain position, the harder it is to get promoted. These days, the working class is the most envied and respected, and the high-level workers among them are the best. 

But Liang Baozhen didn’t care much about it. She was still thinking about next year’s college entrance examination. If she could become a broadcaster, she could stay in the office, and it would be more convenient for her to study and review. 

“I also think it’s a good idea. Working in the workshop is hard work after all. It’s easy to get injured if you work too much. It’s better if you work in the office.” Xu Shengjie agreed with his wife. 

“I heard that this position is very popular. When Director Xue asked me today, I said I would think about it for a while. Now that it has been decided, I will reply tomorrow.” 

“When will the previous broadcaster leave?”  

Liang Baozhen only mentioned that she was going home to take care of her pregnancy, and as soon as she left, Liang Baozhen would take over. 

“At the beginning of next month, Director Xue wants me to finish this month’s work and then transfer from the spinning workshop to the factory office.” 

“Okay.” Xu Shengjie walked to the door of their house and pushed it open. “Tell Grandma about this. She’ll be happy. She told me secretly before that she was worried working in the workshop would be too tiring for you and thought that you should be doing some work related to a pen and books instead of manual labor.” 

Liang Baozhen looked around the room and noticed that her grandmother had already gone to bed. She wasn’t sure if her grandmother was asleep yet. It was already dark, and any activity would require lighting the lamp, which consumed too much kerosene. Even tasks like sewing and making clothes had to be done during the day because kerosene tickets were scarce and valuable. So, they had to use them sparingly. 

“We’ll talk about it tomorrow.” 

The next day at breakfast, Zhou Yun was very happy to learn that her granddaughter-in-law could work in an office. She had always felt that Liang Baozhen should not be a workshop worker, and now that she thought about it, sitting in an office and writing was indeed suitable for her. 

“That’s great. It will be easier this way.” 

Today’s breakfast was taro dry steamed buns with some pickles. Breaking the bun and stuffing it with pickles made for a delicious bite. However, no matter how delicious something is, it will be uncomfortable if you eat too much. 

The Xu family had eaten most of the thirty pounds of dried taro, and Xu Shengwei and Xu Shengya were already tired of it. 

“Brother, how long do we have to eat this dried taro?” 

“I’ve checked. There’s only a little bit left.” The Xu family built a small wooden shed outside their house. It was where they stored vegetables, and it was usually locked. 

“We’re finally finishing it!” Xu Shengwei breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Don’t you two like to eat it? You said that taro steamed buns are much more delicious than cornmeal ones.” Liang Baozhen looked at the two little ones; they were eating slowly and taking small bites. 

“Sister-in-law, that was the first day I ate it. It tastes really good then! But I can’t bear to eat it every day. Oh~” Xu Shengwei swallowed another mouthful, “I kind of miss cornmeal steamed bread.” 

“Having something to eat is already good. Don’t be picky,” Zhou Yun thought back to the hard times more than a decade ago and felt that even this bun was a good thing. “In the past, Grandma couldn’t even have steamed buns. At that time, I ate dirt, Guanyin soil.” 

“Really? You ate soil?” Xu Shengwei thought about the dirt in the yard and concluded that buns were much better! 

Xu Shengya felt that her grandmother had a hard time in the past, so she picked up a piece of pickled vegetables and put it on the steamed bun for her, “Grandma, you won’t eat dirt anymore. We’ll have buns every day.” 

“Our Xiaoya is still the one who knows how to care for others!” Zhou Yun’s face was full of smiles, and a mouthful of steamed buns was already enough for her. 

Liang Baozhen went to the factory office and confirmed her new work with Director Xue and planned to officially transfer to the factory office as a broadcaster at the beginning of next month. 

Wang Xin was envious of the good job she got. She also wanted to work in an office, but such an opportunity was hard to come by. Of course, there were also workers who didn’t take such job seriously. After all, the job advancement would only end at the second level, and there was little room for salary increase. 

“Sister Baozhen, you must remember to come back and see us.” 

“Of course. If you miss me, just listen to the radio every noon.” 

“Hahaha, that’s also works; just read more interesting things from the newspaper~”

“As long as Director Xue approves, I will definitely study it!” Liang Baozhen felt a bit reluctant to leave the spinning workshop, especially since Sister Meng had taken good care of her for more than a month. It was hard for her to leave. 

On her last day in the spinning workshop, Liang Baozhen went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy a pound of peach cakes and prepared to go to Sister Meng’s house. After all, Meng Ping was her first mentor. 

“Sister Meng, I haven’t been in the factory for long. But the first time I worked in the spinning workshop, I worked under you. Now I am going to transfer to the factory office. No matter what, I will remember that you are my first mentor.” 

Liang Baozhen spoke sincerely, and she was very motivated when she was learning. Meng Ping liked this girl very much. Although she was reluctant to see her apprentice leave the spinning workshop, she thought it was a good opportunity for her apprentice to go to the factory office. 

“You’re lucky to have found such a job. Broadcasters are very popular.” Meng Ping was happier for her apprentice. “Work hard in the factory office in the future. The benefits there are also good, which is better than working in the workshop.” 

“I will!” 

“If you need any help, come and find me. You haven’t been in our spinning workshop for a long time, but you’re still one of us. If you need any help, we will definitely support you. But I know that you have a good temperament, so it’s unlikely that you would get into trouble.” 

“That’s settled then. If I’m bullied, I’ll come to you for support.” Liang Baozhen took advantage of the situation and made Meng Ping smile with just one sentence. 

“Of course, we’ll support you! No one can bully those who come out of our spinning workshop!” 

The two chatted and laughed. Meng Ping reminisced about the years she spent working in the factory. She also shows Liang Baozhen some old photos. 

“This is a photo I took when I entered the factory in 1950. Look, I was only fifteen years old at that time.” Twenty-six years have passed in a flash. Meng Ping stroked the group photo of a hundred people who entered the factory that year. The yellowed old photo seemed to have endless stories to tell and was full of traces of time. 

“Sister Meng, is this Liu Shengqiang?” Liang Baozhen discovered that there were several familiar faces in the photos, who were now veterans in the spinning workshop. 

“Yes, Liu Shengqiang was still a young man at that time, but he is much older now.” Meng Ping scanned the photos and looked at many people in them. “Factory Director Chen Yong wasn’t the factory director at that time. But he was already well-known and impressive in the factory. A few years later, he took on the role of factory director. Although some people were dissatisfied and wanted to see him removed, he managed to hold on to his position. Over time, he played an important role in developing the State Cotton Factory.” 

Liang Baozhen had heard a lot about the factory but knew little about its history. Now listening to Meng Ping’s old memories, she quickly pricked up her ears. “Is this Deputy Director Wu? I got my job back thanks to his help.” 

“Yes, Wu Bingnian was not the deputy director at that time. He was the director of the production workshop in the factory. He was also very capable.” 

Meng Ping’s fingers kept moving until they came to a beautiful woman in the photo, and she stopped moving. “This is your mother-in-law, Wu Huacui.” 

Xu Shengjie’s mother! 

Liang Baozhen had once seen a photo of Xu Shengjie’s parents in Xu Shengjie’s room, but after more than twenty years, the image had become blurry and was no longer clear. Even the photo Meng Ping was holding now only provided a rough impression of her appearance. But she could somewhat see that Wu Huacui was a young and beautiful woman. 

“It’s such a pity,” Meng Ping sighed when she talked about Wu Huacui. “Your mother-in-law was pretty and smart. Back then she was good at spinning and stood out quite a bit in the factory. She was very popular.” 

Liang Baozhen looked at the photo of Wu Huacui. She knew that she was an excellent person just from the way that Xu Shengjie had mentioned her mother. 

After chatting for a while, Liang Baozhen rode her bicycle home from Meng Ping’s house. She told Xu Shengjie in advance that she was going to the family building to see Meng Ping and asked him to go home first after getting off work. Xu Shengjie left the bicycle to her and walked back. 

The meal at home was ready, there’s a dish of fried tofu with green onions and a portion of duck that Xu Shengjie brought back from the state-owned restaurant! 

“What’s the special occasion today?” Liang Baozhen took a bite of the duck in her hand. Her fingers were covered in oil, and she just felt comfortable because of the good meal. 

“Well, you’re about to become a broadcaster,” Xu Shengjie raised his eyebrows at his wife. “Shouldn’t we have a good meal?” 

“Spendthrift!” Liang Baozhen’s red lips glistened with oil as she smiled and teased Xu Shengjie. She quietly calculated that this guy would bring home some delicious food from time to time. She wondered if he had already spent his five-yuan pocket money. 

After dinner, it was already dark. Liang Baozhen was going to find Cheng Caili to get something. A few days ago, she heard from Cheng Caili that the supply and marketing cooperative had a batch of defective square scarves, the ones with loose edges and poor printing, which could be sold at a discount. 

“Come and have a look!” Cheng Caili took out three square scarves and spread them on the sofa. One was pure white cotton with a peony flower printed on the lower left corner, one was purple, and the other was light yellow. “They are all so beautiful. The flaws are hardly noticeable. We got a really good bargain and they’re only two yuan each!” 

The cheapest scarf sold at the supply and marketing cooperatives costs at least four yuan. 

The pure cotton scarf has a nice and soft feel to the touch. Liang Baozhen picked up the light yellow one and wrapped it around her neck, then held the two corners and tied a bow. 

Cheng Caili knew that Liang Baozhen’s fair skin made the light-yellow scarf look even more flattering, and it seemed like it was meant for her. “This one! It’s so beautiful!” 

Liang Baozhen looked at herself in the magpie mirror at Cheng Caili’s house and was satisfied. It could block the wind and keep warm in autumn and winter, and most importantly, it was beautiful. “Sister Cheng, I’ll take all three of these.” 

“Why are you buying so many? I was planning to keep two for myself.” 

“I have an older sister and a younger sister at home.” Liang Baozhen took off the scarf she was wearing and immediately prepared to pay. “You usually buy these items conveniently, so could you bring back two more for me?” 

Taking Cheng Caili’s hand, Liang Baozhen tilted her head and gave a playful flutter of her eyelashes, leaving Cheng Caili amused. “Sister Cheng, you’re the best~” 

“Alright, alright, you’re such a nuisance,” Cheng Caili said with a smile reaching her eyes, though she pretended to be annoyed and stretched out her hand. “Hurry up and pay then, it’s six yuan.” 

“Six yuan and ten cents.” Liang Baozhen added ten cents to her hand. “You’ve had a hard time bringing these back.” 

The ten cents wasn’t insignificant, but Liang Baozhen felt that getting the scarves was a good bargain. Without Cheng Caili’s help, she wouldn’t have been able to get them. Though they were labeled as defective, it was hard to spot any issues even after a careful look. Paying the extra ten cents was well worth it. 

“Look at you, you’re still so reserved.” Cheng Caili felt relieved. Liang Baozhen was a sensible person and while the extra ten cents wasn’t much, it showed that she appreciated the help. 

After talking for a while, Liang Baozhen left Cheng Caili’s house with three scarves and prepared to return to the home through the hanging flower gate. As a result, she happened to meet Zhou Guoping coming out of the courtyard. 

“Xiao Liang, have you eaten?” 

“Brother Zhou, I’ve eaten.” Liang Baozhen looked at the sky. It was dark, and she estimated that it was past nine o’clock. It was quiet all around. “Why are you still going out so late?” 

“Yes, there’s something I need to take care of. I’ll be going now.” Zhou Guoping hurried off and disappeared into the night. 

Liang Baozhen had just taken two steps when she ran into Liu Nianhua, who was in a hurry to go out. She and Liu Nianhua were much more familiar with each other. “Sister Hua, where are you going so late?” 

In the dark night, Liu Nianhua had a serious face, as if she was going to do something important.