Chapter 19.2

After having breakfast, Jiang Ci went to the mechanical factory to report for duty. The archives office was on the first floor. Before her arrival, there had only been one document administrator there.

The office had four desks and one phone, and the floor was covered with piles of A4 to A0-sized blueprints, making it impossible to walk. Jiang Ci squeezed her way inside and saw a young girl staring at the chaotic mess of old blueprints, unsure of how to start.

“Hello, I’m the new document administrator. My name is Jiang Ci.”

The girl looked up, her round face framed by big eyes, a hint of baby fat still present. If she slimmed down, she would definitely become a beautiful girl with an oval face.

“Hi, I’m Sun Feifei.” The girl smiled brightly, revealing her adorable little tiger teeth. “Finally, someone is here to keep me company!”

“How old are you?” Jiang Ci asked as she hopped over to her side, comparing their heights. Sun Feifei was about five or six centimeters shorter than her. “What happened to this office?”

“I’m seventeen. I’ve been covering for my dad for three months now. He used to be the document administrator here.” Sun Feifei, the youngest daughter in her family, was innocent and adorable. “This morning, Director Gong brought people here to find documents, and they made a complete mess of everything. The floor was covered with the blueprints they randomly moved around, and they ordered me to organize everything before I could leave work. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be allowed to clock out.”

Sun Feifei had a distressed expression. How could she possibly finish organizing everything before quitting time? Was she expected to work overtime through the night?

“Well, I must be older than you; my birthday is on the ninth day of the first month,” Jiang Ci said. “Let’s start by stacking the documents against the wall; otherwise, we won’t even have a place to sit.”

“Alright.” Sun Feifei had no idea how to approach this situation; it was her first time dealing with such chaos. “Is that Gong Liping targeting me? Today, seven or eight people came to ask for blueprints, and I didn’t have time to find anything for them.”

“Let’s finish these tasks first, then we can go to the union and file a complaint. There should be rules for everything. If it stays like this, the archives will be so messy that nothing can be found in the future.”

“Exactly! I told them, but they wouldn’t listen. Let’s go complain to the union chairman in a bit,” Sun Feifei readily agreed.

Jiang Ci started working, first placing the largest blueprints at the bottom against the wall and stacking them layer by layer upward.

“You’re really strong!” Sun Feifei exclaimed, astonished. The pile of A0 blueprints was half a meter high; it would take two men to lift it, yet Jiang Ci moved them with ease. Sun Feifei admired her greatly.

“I’ve always been strong since I was little,” Jiang Ci smiled.

The two girls divided their tasks, and with Jiang Ci finding some space, they spent the entire morning organizing the chaotic old blueprints, neatly stacking them against half a wall. She clapped her hands and said, “Alright, let’s go eat lunch in the cafeteria first, then we’ll complain to the union. If we get this started, we won’t be bullied in the future.”

“Who are you going to complain about?” Just as they were about to step out, they were blocked at the door of the archives room by Gong Liping, who was glaring at them. “Little Sun, have you found the documents I asked for? I need them urgently.”

Sun Feifei hid behind Jiang Ci, whispering in her ear, “She’s asking me to find the funeral expense registration form for employee families from the past twenty years. Where am I supposed to find something from twenty years ago? Crazy! I wasn’t even born yet back then.”

Sun Feifei had only been there for three months and was already overwhelmed by the amount of work. Normally, she was the only one in the archives building, and with one person coming today to find documents and another asking for inventory sheets tomorrow, Gong Liping piled even more tasks onto her without care.

Sun Feifei was too afraid to offend Gong Liping, but Jiang Ci wasn’t intimidated. “Whoever is causing trouble on purpose will be the one I complain about.”

“Do you really think anyone will pay attention to two little girls like you? Don’t be so naive. Hurry up and find the documents; if you can’t find them, you won’t be allowed to clock out.”

Gong Liping sneered. She was determined to deal with the two girls. “Qinchuan Machinery Factory is an established heavy industry company. This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of its founding, and we’re planning a celebration. You two will have plenty of documents to find in the future. Can’t handle it now?”

She smugly snapped her fingers. “If you can’t handle it, then quit! Just go resign; you know where the Human Resources Department is, right? Do you want me to show you the way?”

These young girls couldn’t handle hardship. There weren’t many positions suitable for young women in such a heavy industry, and even if they wanted to change roles, there were no options available.

She simply wanted to push Jiang Ci out. The sight of this girl in the factory made her feel uneasy.

“Gong Liping, the family of Old Wu is here to collect the funeral expenses, and you’ve been stalling them until now. Are you still here chatting?” Ji Laifeng had been listening for a while; she was the union chairperson and Gong Liping’s superior. “Are you still able to perform your duties as a union official? If you can’t, we’ll replace you!”

“Chairwoman Ji, these two girls aren’t doing their jobs properly. I still haven’t found what I need, and I’m just teaching them a lesson.”

Gong Liping felt a surge of frustration. This widow was her superior, and she had married Gu Jiansheng from the boiler room, which linked her to the Gu family. Gu Jiansheng had been assigned to the boiler room by her husband, and now this widow was beginning to retaliate against her.

Ji Laifeng pointed at the large archives building and said, “With so many documents, how could you possibly find what you need from twenty years ago right now?”

Gong Liping shrugged her shoulders defiantly and replied, “It’s their job. Even if I ask for something from thirty years ago, they must find it for me!”

Ji Laifeng looked at her coldly, then turned to the two girls. “Gong’s point is valid. You should express your difficulties. I’m the union chairperson, and it’s my job to help employees with their problems.”

Jiang Ci quickly grabbed Sun Feifei, who was about to explode, and said, “Chairperson Ji, Gong’s argument makes sense, but the archives are in disarray, making it too time-consuming to find materials. I have a suggestion: let’s recompile the catalog for the archives by categories and years. Once that work is done, it’ll be much easier to find anything in the future.”

Gong Liping sensed something was off. If Jiang Ci managed to get that approved, it would give her a legitimate reason to sift through all the files in the archives! She quickly interjected, “That sounds like a lot of work. Just find the materials we need faster. The archives haven’t been touched in years; why waste manpower and resources on that? It’s unnecessary.”

Ji Laifeng surprisingly agreed with Jiang Ci’s suggestion. “I think it’s very necessary. Many technicians have complained that when they need important documents, it can take months to find them. The union will fully support you since you two young ladies are eager to take on this task.”

Jiang Ci blinked and smiled, “Thank you, Chairperson Ji. Feifei and I will definitely do a good job.”

Sun Feifei thought, “……No, this task is way too difficult and tedious. The new colleague must be out of her mind.”

Gong Liping was equally exasperated. “Chairperson, if they go to organize the archives, then who will find the documents we need?”

“Then you’ll have to find them yourself,” Ji Laifeng replied lightly. “You know the value of your own time; does that mean others’ time isn’t valuable? I will suggest to the factory director and the union chairman that these two girls get half a year to focus on organizing and categorizing the archives. During that time, if anyone needs something, they will have to do it themselves without interfering with their work.”

Gong Liping was left speechless, unable to refute anything. What was supposed to be a way to keep Jiang Ci busy and out of her hair had turned into her getting half a year of free time.

Sun Feifei hadn’t expected such a reversal. She had been in the archives for three months, stepping in for her father, and had found it exhausting to locate items every day. Now, with six months to reorganize the archives, her future work would be much easier.

She immediately nodded, “Alright, Chairperson Ji, we will complete the task.”

“Director Ji, thank you for today,” Jiang Ci said as she made her way to the union office before clocking out. The factory manager and the union chairman both supported her idea and encouraged her to focus on organizing the materials room. Things wouldn’t have gone so smoothly if it hadn’t been for Ji Laifeng’s help.

“What’s there to thank? Young people have ideas, and of course, we will support you,” Ji Laifeng said with a smile, sizing her up. Jiang Ci’s grandfather was the old secretary of the machinery factory; she could have chosen plenty of positions, but the young girl specifically wanted to go to the materials room, which was quite ambitious. “Thank you for the wedding gifts you had Brother Chuan deliver last time. When you marry Brother Chuan, I’ll make sure to give you both a big gift.”

Jiang Ci felt a bit shy. “Auntie, I’m off work now. Tomorrow, I’ll go to the warehouse to pick up some paper and tools and I’llget started.”

“Okay. You’re doing this for the factory; if anyone dares to make things difficult for you, just come find me.”

After the young girl left, Ji Laifeng pondered momentarily and went to the boiler room to find her man, Gu Jiansheng, so they could head home together.

Old Qin, the master in the boiler room, was on the late shift this week. When he saw the once-gleeful man during the shift change, he noticed Gu Jiansheng looked radiant, no longer in his usual shabby state. He had taken off the boiler suit while tending the furnace and cleaned his face and hands of the soot.

Old Qin laughed and teased, “Having a woman at home really makes a difference. You’re being so delicate; can’t you just wash up at home?”

Gu Jiansheng smiled shyly. “Lai Feng said she would wait for me to get off work together. She likes cleanliness…”

Da Xu’s wife had passed away two years ago, and he had yet to find a suitable woman to share his life with. Ji Laifeng was a striking widow with a figure as slender as a willow. In the factory, not just the single men but even those with families secretly coveted her. Who would have thought that in the end, Gu Jiansheng would be the one to take advantage?

How did Ji Laifeng end up liking him?

Da Xu felt a pang of jealousy. “Aren’t you just marrying a widow too? Look at you showing off. I wonder how long it’ll be before she gets tired of you.”

Gu Jiansheng’s face flushed with anger. “If I marry her, she won’t be a widow anymore! If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll hit you!”

Old Qin could see that Da Xu was feeling jealous. He kicked him toward the boiler and said, “Get to work! If you’re so capable, go find a woman. Just arguing with your mouth doesn’t make you a man.”

Ji Laifeng stood outside the boiler room, boldly waiting for her man among the men. Gu Jiansheng thought of last night and felt a blush rise on his face. “Are you here? Did you wait long?”

“I chatted with Xiao Ci for a bit,” Ji Laifeng said, linking her arm through Gu Jiansheng’s, as they left the sweltering boiler room amid the envious comments from the rough men.

Da Xu sighed with a sound that made his back teeth ache, “What luck that bastard Gu Jiansheng has!”

The machinery factory was a large establishment with thousands of employees. Although workers left in staggered shifts, the factory entrance was still crowded at this hour. There were many dual-income families, but it was rare to see someone as bold as Ji Laifeng casually linking arms with her man.

Gu Jiansheng felt his face flush. He thought to himself, with such a beautiful wife not minding that he was just a boiler operator, what was there for him to feel inferior about?

The man straightened his chest. “What did you and Xiao Ci talk about? Was her work smooth today?” He had married Ji Laifeng with Brother Chuan’s help, and Xiao Ci had sent a congratulatory gift; this kindness was something he needed to remember.

“Gong Liping had the two young girls looking for materials from ten or twenty years ago, or they wouldn’t be allowed to leave work. I just happened to see it,” Ji Laifeng explained. “That girl has quite a strong will. She took the opportunity to suggest organizing the entire materials room on the third floor, and I just agreed.”

Ten years ago, Gu Zhengchu was the factory manager. Ji Laifeng had worked there back then, so she had certainly heard about it. Gu Jiansheng had fallen into trouble because of this incident; otherwise, he would have been a key technical staff member by now.

Ji Laifeng continued, “Is Xiao Ci trying to find the original blueprints for the engine that your master designed back in the day? But how did she even know about it?”

“Maybe her grandfather mentioned it to her,” Gu Jiansheng said, his heart sinking at the mention of Gu Zhengchu.

He was his cousin and also his mentor. When he died, Gu Jiansheng had gone to collect the body. Such a knowledgeable and elegant man, his eyes had been burst out. Gu Jiansheng hadn’t dared to wait for ten-year-old Gu Qingchuan; he made the decision to cremate him, fearing that the boy wouldn’t be able to handle seeing his father’s corpse.

“She won’t be able to find the blueprints in the materials room,” Gu Jiansheng said. “They’ve been hidden away, and I don’t even know where they are.” If he could find them, he would have long gone to clear his master’s name.

“It’s fine if she can’t find them. At least it’ll make those people anxious. When they’re anxious, they’re more likely to make mistakes,” Ji Laifeng said, covering his trembling hand with her own in a soothing manner. “Let her stir things up a bit. Who knows, she might even uncover who hid the blueprints. Your master could be vindicated, and you could return to the workshop. Just wait; it won’t be long.”

…

“Brother Chuan, why are you following me? Did I catch you this time?” Jiang Ci suddenly jumped out from around the corner, startling Gu Qingchuan.

“Ah… I just happened to pass by the machinery factory and saw you getting off work, so I thought I’d walk you part of the way,” Gu Qingchuan said, deciding not to hide and walking side by side with her. “I gathered the herbs you wanted; you can head home by yourself.”

“Aren’t you going to check on Dahuang?” Jiang Ci tugged at his shirt. “You used to walk me home when we were kids. Come on, let’s go home together.”

Jiang Ci seemed to be transported back ten years to a time when a tall, slender senior brother waited for her at the school gate every day after classes. In that year, her ordinary working-class family didn’t own a bicycle. Still, Gu Qingchuan had already been pushing a sturdy bicycle behind her, teaching her how to ride. At the same time, a group of younger classmates looked on with envy.

Later… later, Gu Qingchuan stopped looking for her.

At the entrance of the machine factory, dozens of unmarried young men were at a standstill, unable to move. The newly arrived girl was exceptionally beautiful; how could she be walking away with a young man in a dark blue shirt? Who was so quick to act?

One of the familiar old workers slapped the backs of the dazed youths’ heads and scolded, “What are you looking at? That’s the granddaughter of Old Jiang; she’s taken.” Lin Wan and Cui Pingzhou’s wedding was something they had even celebrated at Old Jiang’s home. That tall, slender young man must be the son of Factory Director Gu, right?

It was a pity; his father had died in disgrace. A few of the older employees vaguely guessed that Factory Director Gu had been wronged… Those who dared to mention it were sent off to the hardest and most grueling workshops, and soon, no one dared to bring it up anymore.

With a large bag of herbs, Gu Qingchuan handed it to her at her doorstep. “Xiao Ci, I gathered the herbs for you, but Dahuang’s leg won’t heal. Just don’t fuss over it anymore…”

“Woof woof…” A few strong barks rang out at the yard’s entrance, interrupting Gu Qingchuan’s words. Dahuang had already recognized Jiang Ci’s footsteps and could not wait to push through the yard gate, unsteadily dragging its bandaged back leg.

Jiang Ci opened the yard door, surprised to see Dahuang had made it to the entrance. Could it be that the spring water worked better on new injuries? The last time she drank milk mixed with spring water, her scrapes had healed. Dahuang stood with great difficulty; as soon as the yard door opened, it lost its balance and fell to the ground, fresh blood seeping through the bandage on its back leg.

She hurriedly picked up Dahuang. The little dog whimpered and licked her hand vigorously. “Brother Chuan, your herbs are effective! Did you gather some legendary herb that’s a thousand years old?”

Gu Qingchuan: “…” They were just ordinary herbs. How was the little dog recovering?

He checked Dahuang’s back leg and replaced the bamboo splint and gauze. “Dahuang has been quite restless today; it can’t be allowed to jump around. It needs to lie quietly.”

“Well, I’ll do my best. During the day, while I’m at work, I’ll let Xiao Tingxiang watch over Dahuang.”

Gu Qingchuan scratched his head in confusion. “My judgment shouldn’t be wrong. Is it possible that the feng shui in your yard is particularly good?”

Jiang Ci couldn’t help but chuckle. “It’s your herbs that are effective. Can you gather some more for me later? I’ll brew it for Uncle Cui; maybe he’ll be able to stand up again.”

Gu Qingchuan: “…” Cui Pingzhou had been paralyzed for over a decade. Did she really think a few ordinary herbs could help him stand again?

Girl, you’re thinking too much.

“Then, give it a try,” Gu Qingchuan nodded. “The herbs will be hard to dig up in half a month. I’ll gather some extra for you in the next few days, dry them, and store them.” He wondered if he should remind Cui Pingzhou not to drink the strange herbal medicine Jiang Ci brought over recently.

He glanced at the sky, then turned to the girl beside him. “I’m going to find Jiang Dazheng. Lock the door while you sleep.”

After Gu Qingchuan left, Jiang Ci hurried back to her bedroom and took out the medical glass bottles containing the accumulated drops of spring water from her cabinet. She poured out a third of the newly bought eye drops and filled the bottle with spring water before running to find Grandma Miao.

“Grandma Miao, I bought you eye drops.” The room was dark, so Jiang Ci turned on the light. Xiao Tingxiang was curled up at the foot of the bed, and the two were sleeping soundly.

Xiao Tingxiang woke up and rubbed her eyes. “Sister Xiao Ci, you’re here!”

Miao Xiulan also opened her murky eyes. “Is that you, Xiao Ci? What time is it? Has Chuan returned yet?”

“Grandma, it’s only a little past six! Chuan just left,” Jiang Ci said as she helped her sit up and handed the eye drops to Xiao Tingxiang. “Xiao Tingxiang, you’re in charge of giving Grandma her eye drops. Use them once in the morning and once at night. Let me know when you run out.”

“Okay, okay.” Xiao Tingxiang nodded eagerly. She would definitely do what her sister asked.

Gu Qingchuan had prepared dinner in the kitchen: egg fried rice and a pot of wild mushroom soup. Jiang Ci took a few random bites before putting down her chopsticks. “Xiao Tingxiang, your brother really can’t cook.”

Xiao Tingxiang wholeheartedly agreed. “Brother said it’s not good for you to come cook every day. If you want to eat, you have to learn to cook yourself. You’re not a babysitter, sister. Teach me to cook! I learn really quickly.”

Jiang Ci: “…” If she married over, would she stop cooking? Men could be so finicky.

Gu Qingchuan was always coming home late and leaving early. By the first weekend after Jiang Ci started work, he finally had all the materials ready for the greenhouse he planned to build. She didn’t have to work that day, and Jiang Ci slept in at home. Dahuang started barking outside in the yard, prompting her to put on a coat and get up to open the door.

“Brother Chuan.” She rubbed her sleepy eyes. “You’re back an hour earlier than usual today. Next time, could you not knock? Just climb over the wall; Dahuang recognizes you and won’t bite.”

Dahuang circled Gu Qingchuan twice, wagging its tail affectionately.

Gu Qingchuan: “…” He pointed at Dahuang, who could now jump around. “I haven’t seen Dahuang for a week, but can it run now? You can’t tell me that its leg was healed by those wild herbs!”

Jiang Ci: “It’s the herbs you picked that healed it! Starting today, I’m going to use the wild herbs you collected to treat Uncle Cui’s leg.”