Chapter 125 1/2

The new library director, Qiao Wei, of course had to look at the roster first.

She opened the personnel files of the library and glanced at the staff list.

Qiao Wei: “…”

Qiao Wei looked up at the people in front of her, counted, including herself, there were a total of nine people, eight of whom wore glasses.

“Is everyone here?” she asked.

A young male staff member with glasses replied, “Everyone is here.”

His voice was not loud, but his tone was very affirmative.

Qiao Wei looked down at the staff list again. Although she had always known that many people in such units were just names on paper collecting salaries, she was still surprised by the number of people who had the roles reversed.

She looked up again at the few people in front of her.

What she saw confirmed her suspicions; the people standing in front of her were the only staff members who actually did the work in the library.

“I am Qiao Wei. I used to work in the County Committee Office. The organization trusts me and has entrusted me with the important task of serving as the director of our library. In the future, let’s learn and progress together, and serve the people.”

Applause filled the room.

Qiao Wei said, “Now let’s introduce ourselves, so I can match names with faces.” 

Everyone began to introduce themselves in order.

The eight people were of different ages and genders, with one common trait: their connections were either weak or non-existent. That’s why they were the ones actually doing the work.

After getting to know everyone, Qiao Wei asked, “Who can tell me about our work here?”

Everyone looked at each other, and eventually, the tall, bespectacled man from earlier stepped forward.

His name was Zheng Ai, and it was apparent that he was a key worker.

However, he spoke hesitantly.

When they introduced themselves earlier, everyone else seemed to struggle to get their words out smoothly as well.

This atmosphere was quite different from the County Committee Office, where everyone was sharp-minded.

Qiao Wei scanned the group; regardless of age or gender, they all avoided eye contact and seemed to shrink back.

Average glasses-wearers, average social anxiety.

Although Zheng Ai’s speech was somewhat hesitant, it was evident to Qiao Wei that they had a mature workflow for their daily tasks.

She asked, “Is there a written record of this?”

“Yes,” a middle-aged woman quickly handed her another folder. “It’s all here.”

Qiao Wei quickly browsed through the contents. It was the daily schedule for everyone’s work.

It was clear that the person who had created it was very familiar with the library’s operations and had done so meticulously. There was no need for any changes.

Qiao Wei closed the folder. “Usually, when a new leader takes office, they shake things up, but our situation here is special. We need to be cautious about changes. So, I won’t shake things up. We’ll keep things the way they were before.”

Even though the joke was cold, as long as someone got it, it was fine.

It was obvious that everyone in the library had been touched by this cold joke, as some of them laughed, and Qiao Wei could sense that everyone’s shoulders relaxed a bit.

At this moment, Yan Xiang came running over.

His little face was flushed, and his eyes were full of excitement, indicating that he wanted to say something.

But when he ran over and saw his mother standing there, with the other people standing on the other side, it was clear that his mother was giving a speech.

He came to a sudden stop, not wanting to disturb the adults’ serious conversation. However, the pleading look in his eyes clearly conveyed: “Mom, I have something to tell you!”

Qiao Wei smiled and pulled Yan Xiang over, patting his head. She told everyone, “This is my child, Yan Xiang. He might be around here often in the future. He loves to read and won’t damage the books. If he accidentally damages something, please let me know. Indulging a child is akin to harming them; if you love your child, you must educate them. Don’t spoil him just because he’s young.”

Upon hearing that Yan Xiang “loves to read,” everyone’s gaze became much warmer.

An old man said, “He can recognize characters at such a young age.”

Zheng Ai adjusted his glasses. “Some children are precocious. I memorized the Three Hundred Tang Poems when I was five.”

Under his mother’s instructions, Yan Xiang greeted everyone, “Hello, uncles and aunties.”

But then he turned to Qiao Wei, his bright eyes unable to contain what he wanted to say.

Curious, Qiao Wei asked, “What’s wrong? What do you want to tell Mom?”

Finally given permission, Yan Xiang’s cheeks flushed with excitement. “Mom! The books here! The books here!”

“Each book is in its proper category!”

This was on a completely different level from the library in the district government office! It was all thanks to Comrade Yan Xiang’s hard work in tidying, categorizing, and organizing the books every day!

Yan Lei was someone who valued order greatly.

Even when twisting a towel, he did it in sequence from one end to the other, unlike some people who just squeezed it all at once.

Clearly, Yan Xiang inherited his father’s sense of order.

He can instantly see the pattern of numbers and also notice when a book doesn’t belong in its specific category within a larger one.

Before, he thought libraries and book rooms were similar. He didn’t expect this place to be managed so well.

He just took a walk around the book room, and the orderly display of books made him feel completely at ease.

He couldn’t hold it in; he had to tell his mother immediately!

This place is just too good!

The air suddenly became quiet.

Then, the tense and anxious atmosphere that had been present when facing the new leader disappeared. The librarians suddenly burst with curiosity and enthusiasm for the newcomer.

“Oh my, he really knows how to read!”

“He even understands classification!”

“Yan Xiang, right? Yan Xiang, do you know what bibliology is?”

“Do you know library classification?”

Zheng Ai pushed her thick glasses again and gave the newcomer a quick rundown: “Our library is currently implementing the draft classification system from 1963.”

Qiao Wei never imagined that fitting into the new environment would rely on Yan Xiang.

The people who really worked in the library all knew that the new library director had a strong background. When talking about her, they didn’t mention who her husband was or that she was personally arranged by the current director of the Revolutionary Committee. They had all read the articles she had published before.

Her pen was very sharp, her articles could capture people’s hearts, stir emotions, and she was adept at playing politics.

In short, after everyone had discussed it, they came up with an image of a cunning, shrewd, skilled, and manipulative woman.

They felt that with such a person coming in, she was bound to shake things up and establish her authority.

All the new leaders were like this.

But things didn’t turn out as they had thought.

Zheng Ai turned out to be the main force behind the work, and they pushed him forward to further collaborate with Qiao Wei.

Qiao Wei asked, “Why was the former director dismissed?”

The neatly arranged and logically structured daily work arrangements undoubtedly came from the former leadership.

Zheng Ai sighed, “He insisted that traditional culture isn’t all bad.”

And he said this at a meeting of the Cultural Bureau. This really stirred things up.

Qiao Wei understood.

Qiao Wei sighed deeply.

With this long sigh, Zheng Ai immediately saw her as one of their own. “You understand! Right, right!”

Someone with such a writing style must be a book lover!

She understood.

She felt like she was dealing with a bookworm. Qiao Wei, helpless, asked, “You don’t want to get involved in any conflict, right?”

Zheng Ai hurriedly shook his head like a drum beating against waves.

Qiao Wei said, “Then keep your mouth shut and don’t speak out of turn.”

Zheng Ai nodded vigorously.

So Qiao Wei settled into the library.

There are three primary schools and two middle schools in the county. She chose the nearest elementary school to the library, personally went there, and met the principal.