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Wang Hongxia and Zhao Mei had already arrived.
“Well, if it isn’t our union’s two little golden blossoms? You’ve even fetched the water already?” Zhao Mei greeted them with a laugh.
Wang Xiaojun quickly slipped back into her usual playful self, grinning as she replied,
“And here come our two big golden blossoms!”
Zhao Mei chuckled. “Hahaha, here we are.”
Bi Chunliu smiled as she greeted the two older sisters and also told them her grandmother’s health was fine now.
“The chairwoman’s here.” Wang Hongxia said toward the doorway as they were chatting.
The union’s chairwoman was named Ren Qianjin. Despite the masculine sound of her name, she was in fact a woman, transferred here from the military when her husband left the service. Other departments in the factory often joked that the union, under her lead, was like a female battalion.
Though she had been in the army for years, Ren Qianjin herself wasn’t overly strict or rigid. She wasn’t the kind to insist on absolute rules; instead, she often joked with workers. After all, to truly understand the people, you had to stay close to them.
“Am I the last one today? Xiao Bi’s back too? How’s your grandma?” Ren Qianjin asked Chunliu the same question as everyone else.
Chunliu answered, “Chairwoman Ren, my grandma’s fine now.”
“Good. Remember, while we work, we can’t neglect our own or our family’s health. Health is the foundation of the revolution. Alright, you all get busy—I’m off to the factory office.” Without even stepping into her own room, she turned and left.
“Got it.” The four women answered together.
Chunliu had expected the chairwoman to assign them tasks, but she just walked off, leaving Chunliu at a loss. Should she just… slack off? Even slacking should come with a pretense of work, right? Jumping straight in felt a little blatant.
But when she saw Zhao Mei pulling out a ball of yarn to crochet, and Wang Xiaojun handing out sunflower seeds to everyone, Chunliu realized maybe this job wasn’t bad at all. Even slacking off had its charm—besides, one couldn’t be too out of step with the group!
With the crackle of sunflower seeds and the gossip of Wang Hongxia and Zhao Mei filling the air, the entire morning flew by. By lunchtime, Chunliu felt her time had been well spent—what a productive morning! Was this really how she worked in her past life too? Just from this morning, she’d already learned so much.
For instance: who fought whom in their youth over a man—only for that man to marry someone else, while the two rivals, now in their forties, still refused to speak and quarreled from time to time.
Chunliu and Xiaojun: Whoa~
Or how a young daughter-in-law frequently complained to the women’s federation that her mother-in-law pressured her to have children, yet refused to move out and let the couple live separately.
Chunliu and Xiaojun: Oh wow~
The afternoon, however, wasn’t so leisurely. Ren Qianjin returned with a task. The factory leaders thought the propaganda department’s wall bulletin wasn’t good enough. They wanted fresh ideas from other departments, hoping to stir up worker morale.
Chunliu glanced at the others and thought wryly, If they really want to lift morale, just hand out more money.
“Everyone share your ideas. Xiao Bi, you go first,” Ren Qianjin said, calling her by name.
Chunliu decided to be honest.
“…I think the best way to boost morale is to give out bonuses.”
Everyone laughed—of course they agreed; who wouldn’t want more money?
Ren smiled. “It’s a good idea, but with so many workers, the factory can’t just hand them out. It’d be too big of an expense.”
Chunliu said, “Chairwoman Ren, since they’re called bonuses, naturally they should reward contributions. We don’t need to give them to everyone. For example, workers who develop new techniques in fabric production. Also, since we’re divided into workshops and teams, we could have team competitions. A rotating red flag, awarded monthly. The winning team gets a bonus. Teams aren’t too large, so this could at least boost enthusiasm.”
“I think Xiao Bi’s idea is workable,” Wang Hongxia said.
Ren nodded. “Alright, Xiao Bi, write up a proposal. See if you can finish before the end of the day. Tomorrow I’ll take it to the office for discussion.”
“Yes, Chairwoman,” Chunliu replied, silently cursing herself. That’s what you get for opening your big mouth!
“Any other ideas?” Ren asked the other three.
But the rest all agreed Chunliu’s idea was already excellent.
Chunliu: …My wonderfully unambitious colleagues—I really like them.
That afternoon, no one dared to slack off, afraid of disturbing Chunliu. They all quietly busied themselves. Chunliu had no time to chat anyway, scratching her head as she drafted the proposal. She thought to herself that she really wasn’t suited for this kind of work—nor was Weiguo. But their third sibling might be; he could sit quietly and write things. Maybe in a couple of years she could figure out another path for herself and Weiguo, and let Xia He take over the union job. Coming up with ideas she could manage, but actually writing things out was another matter.
She worked hard all afternoon, even stopping by the workshop once for inspiration, and finally managed to finish the plan before the end of the day and handed it to Ren Qianjin.
After submitting it, she hurried off with Wang Xiaojun.
The Bi and Wang homes weren’t that close, so the two only walked together a short way past the factory gates before parting. Turning a corner, before even reaching her courtyard, Chunliu heard the sound of a commotion.
After spending the afternoon drained from writing, Chunliu suddenly perked up.
Hm? Let’s see what this is about.