Chapter 63

Section Chief Sun directly announced that Qiao Wei passed the exam.

Clear pronunciation, proper tone, and coherent speech. With just these criteria, she was already qualified.

Actually, when military dependents are sent over, even if they fail the exam, they cannot be sent back, and they still have to be given a position. But this time, they were looking for someone who could actually get things done. If the military spouse who came was really not up to par, they would have to find another one.

That’s how redundancy in personnel occurs.

A position might have several employees at the same time, but only one person might actually be doing the work.

After passing the exam, Qiao Wei didn’t immediately get up. She said, “I have a few questions I’d like to ask.”

Section Chief Xie said, “Go ahead.”

Qiao Wei asked, “Who do I report to for my work?”

“Me,” Lu, the station chief, said. “I am your direct supervisor. If there’s something I can’t decide, we’ll consult Director Xie.”

That meant that the broadcasting station was placed under the propaganda department.

Qiao Wei continued, “I have a child who is less than four years old. Can I bring him to work with me?”

Section Chief Xie said, “I remember there’s a nursery in the military district?”

Qiao Wei said, “The teachers at the nursery are all military dependents from various… um, communes. Many of their childcare philosophies conflict with mine, so I didn’t send my child to the nursery.”

Both leaders understood immediately.

Although Qiao Wei was also a military spouse, it was clear that she was a cultured urbanite. They also knew that most military spouses were from rural areas.

Look, when Qiao Wei spoke, she avoided the term “rural” and used “commune” instead.

Of course, it was to show that she didn’t disdain the countryside or the rural brothers and sisters. But… the implications were understood by both of them.

After all, the urban-rural gap was a tangible reality.

Just from this comrade’s shirt, which was as white as snow, they could guess that she probably couldn’t stand those nursery teachers who were military spouses.

Qiao Wei added, “My child is very quiet, likes to read, and doesn’t talk much.”

Listening to the description, one would think it was a little girl. The stereotype was that girls were quieter than boys. Moreover, the broadcasting job had short office hours, so the two leaders didn’t mind: “That’s fine, that’s fine.”

With this matter settled, Qiao Wei didn’t have any more questions to ask immediately.

Everyone got up. Lu, the station chief, said, “Bring your ration book tomorrow and transfer your relationship over.”

Qiao Wei patted her military shoulder bag. “I brought it today.”

The middle-aged men laughed and said, “Comrade Qiao is very thoughtful.”

Qiao Wei smiled, “Just call me Xiao Qiao.”

Section Chief Xie said to Station Chief Lu, “It’s up to you now.”

Station Chief Lu and Qiao Wei walked Section Chief Xie to the door, and he went back to his office.

“You follow me,” Chief Lu said, leading Qiao Wei. “The broadcasting station is over here.”

The broadcasting station was located in one corner of the township government compound.

“This is the office. You can stay here when you have nothing to do, write some scripts, read books, or look at newspapers.”

“As for me, I have to be here all day. I’m on duty, but you broadcasters don’t need to be. There are two broadcasts a day, just don’t be late.”

Further ahead was the broadcasting room.

“Next door is the operator room. Calls come in from our township and are transferred to various villages and communes from here. Our requirement is that besides their own duties, broadcasters should also learn how to transfer calls. Operators, besides phone skills, are also required to operate the broadcasting equipment. This way, in case of special circumstances, they can cover for each other.”

“Got it,” Qiao Wei said.

She took out a plastic-covered notebook from her bag and held it in her hand to take notes.

This demeanor was greatly appreciated by the leaders.

Station Chief Lu was especially pleased, nodding, and took her into the broadcasting room.

There was a young girl in the broadcasting room with two low ponytails. When she turned her head and saw them, she raised a finger to her lips in a “shh” gesture.

The machine was quite large, like an old elm box used for storing clothes at home. It was cleaned very well, but its design was old-fashioned and antiquated.

Filled with a sense of time.

Chief Lu nodded and pointed to a row of square wooden benches under the window, leading Qiao Wei over.

Qiao Wei obediently sat there by the window with Chief Lu.

There was a clock in the room, and it was exactly five past ten.

Chief Lu whispered to Qiao Wei by covering his mouth, “The machine has already been preheated.”

Qiao Wei nodded and noted it down in her notebook: Machine preheated.

It didn’t have much meaning; she would have to learn all these specific things from scratch later on.

But whatever the leaders said, she would jot down. Apparently, it pleased the leaders greatly.

Sure enough, Chief Lu smiled and nodded approvingly at Comrade Qiao Wei’s serious attitude.

The girl with the double ponytails began to broadcast, “The broadcasting station of the Xiahekou Township People’s Commune is now starting its broadcast. It’s five past ten, broadcasting programs from the Yongming County People’s Broadcasting Station.”

Then she flipped a switch, changing the sound from the microphone in the room to the frequency of the county broadcasting station.

Qiao Wei heard the voice of the broadcaster from the county broadcasting station through the radio, “Yongming County Broadcasting Station is now starting its broadcast. It’s five past ten, broadcasting news and newspaper abstracts from the Central People’s Broadcasting Station.”

Then the voice from Beijing came through the radio, “The Central People’s Broadcasting Station is now reporting news and newspaper abstracts. On August 9th, Comrade XXX kindly met with labor model representatives from XX Province at the Great Hall of the People…”

Well, this was one layer nested inside another, just like Russian nesting dolls.

The girl with the double ponytails stood up, “The microphone is off, you can talk now.”

Qiao Wei and Chief Lu stood up together, and he introduced her, “This is the newly arrived Comrade Qiao Wei.”

Before he could finish, the girl asked, “Wasn’t a military spouse supposed to come?”

She was expecting a sturdy sister-in-law, but instead, a pretty young lady arrived.

Qiao Wei said, “I am the military spouse. My spouse is an active-duty military officer.”

Chief Lu reprimanded, saying, “Can you let me finish speaking?”

He was addressing the girl with the double ponytails. The girl stuck out her tongue, giggling.

Judging by her appearance, Qiao Wei thought she was probably not yet twenty years old. Clearly, she had a close relationship with Chief Lu, akin to that of an elder and a younger one. Even the reprimand carried a sense of intimacy.

Chief Lu said, “This is Lu Man.”

“Manman!” Lu Man said, “My full name is Lu Manman.”

“It’s the same.” After Chief Lu finished speaking, he turned to Qiao Wei. “From now on, should we just call you Qiao Wei?”

People from the northern regions often swallowed the last character in double-character names like Lu Manman and Qiao Weiwei. They would simply say the first two characters.

That’s how Yan Lei called Qiao Wei. Probably only when they were angry or quarreling would he say “Qiao Weiwei” in full.

It was just what Qiao Wei wanted. She happily said, “That’s how my family calls me.”

“Alright,” Chief Lu agreed.

He added, “Call her Manman. She’s younger than you.”

Lu Man said, “I’m 19.”

Qiao Wei replied, “I’m 22.”

Lu Man was a little surprised, “You look about the same age as me.”

Chief Lu said, “Oh, shameless. She’s much more stable than you.”

It was very affectionate, and since Lu Man also had the surname Lu, Qiao Wei wisely didn’t ask about their relationship. Anyway, she would find out later.

Chief Lu assigned Lu Man a task, “Take Qiao to establish her connections.”

Lu Man said, “I’m on air.”

“Alright.” Chief Lu rubbed his nose and smiled wryly, “I forgot.”

He then took Qiao Wei out of the broadcasting room.

Through the loudspeakers outside, the voice from Beijing was broadcasting the latest events and news, conveying the central government’s thoughts to every corner.

Qiao Wei followed Chief Lu into the broadcasting station’s office.

Two people were in the office, drinking tea and chatting, one man and one woman.

Chief Lu introduced them to Qiao Wei, “This is Lu Tianming, our line maintenance worker. Any machine malfunctions or line problems, find him.”

He then introduced the woman, “Do you two know each other? Both of you are military spouses.”

Qiao Wei and the lady both shook their heads. Qiao Wei smiled and said, “There are quite a few military spouses. I live in the old district. How about you?”

The lady looked unfamiliar. As expected, she said, “I live in the main compound.”

Perhaps they had met in the canteen, bathhouse, or public restroom, but they didn’t know each other, and neither would pay attention.

“Hu Sui is in charge of the hygiene in our room,” Chief Lu said. “Qiao Wei will be a broadcaster from now on.”

Hu Sui said, “I’m also a broadcaster.”

“Ah, right, right.” Chief Lu was very perfunctory. He assigned the task that hadn’t been sent out before to the line maintenance worker Lu Tianming, “Tianming, take Qiao to establish connections. Also, tell her about our broadcasting station.”

Lu Tianming took Qiao Wei out. On the way, he asked, “Are you a military spouse? Is your dad a military officer?”

“No, it’s my spouse,” Qiao Wei chuckled.

If she had known, she wouldn’t have minded wearing trousers. Lu Manman was wearing trousers.

A white shirt, green military pants, and slung bag – it was the epitome of pure allure, always leading others to misunderstand her age and marital status.

On the way to the Personnel Relations Department, Qiao Wei transferred her grain relations to the township committee and then walked back. In this round trip, Qiao Wei roughly understood the composition of the broadcasting station’s personnel from Lu Tianming.

The direct supervisor is Chief Lu. Besides Lu Tianming, who is a line maintenance worker and a technical staff member, there are four broadcasting personnel on the broadcasting station.

Lu Manman is one of them.

As for Hu Sui, as she mentioned herself, her position is indeed that of a broadcaster.

Additionally, there are two other people. One has been on long-term sick leave, and the other one is experiencing severe pregnancy symptoms and had to stay home.

Among these four individuals, only Lu Manman and the one who just became pregnant and had to stay home are the actual broadcasters.

The pregnant one is nicknamed “unable to control”, as she always pronounces “broadcasting station” as “unable to control”, and no matter how you correct her, she can’t seem to get it right.

With such a level of Mandarin proficiency, they can still work.

“What about Hu Sui?” Qiao Wei wondered, “I think her accent sounds okay.”

It’s definitely better than “don’t care.” Most northern accents are still acceptable.

“Hu Sui… is a hardworking person,” Lu Tianming said, “Well, very diligent. Look at our office, how clean it is.”

Qiao Wei asked, “?”

“But…” There it was, the “but.” Lu Tianming warned Qiao Wei very seriously, “You must remember, never let Hu Sui touch the machines. If she enters the broadcasting room, you have to keep an eye on her.”

When Hu Sui was sent over by the military district, it was said that she was educated, but in reality, she had only attended literacy classes.

She was indeed quite diligent. Military spouses generally have strong labor skills and are capable of manual work.

On her first day, Hu Sui enthusiastically used a dripping wet cloth to wipe the machines.

“…” Qiao Wei asked, “Dripping wet?”

Lu Tianming said, “Thank goodness, you’re a sensible person.”

Of course, the machine broke down when it got wet.

After Lu Tianming repaired it and replaced the parts, Hu Sui went to touch the machine again.

She didn’t follow the steps she was taught: which switch to turn on first, which switch to turn on later, which switch to turn off first, and which switch to turn off later. She couldn’t understand why there had to be a sequence.

In short, she just did whatever she wanted.

“…” Qiao Wei asked, “Short-circuited?”

Lu Tianming looked at her with new respect. “You even know about short circuits.”

The machine was sparking, and then it went silent.

“In short, the stationmaster doesn’t allow her to enter the broadcasting room anymore. She’ll be switched to a shift system and be responsible for cleaning the office. But her official position will still be that of a broadcaster.”

“Can’t she be taught a few more times?”

“It’s no use. She’s too stubborn.”

Qiao Wei fell silent.

Recently, she had expanded her social circle, and indeed, interacting with military spouses gave her this feeling. Many military spouses were uneducated and didn’t know much, yet they were particularly strong.

And the less they knew, the stronger they seemed to be, stubbornly believing in their own narrow understanding.

On the contrary, people like Sister Yang, who have been accompanying their husbands for a long time and have seen more, are aware of their own shortcomings. Faced with people who have more knowledge than themselves, they are more willing to listen to the other party.

Because of discussing Hu Sui, neither Lu Tianming nor Qiao Wei were in a hurry to return.

The task given to Lu Tianming by Chief Lu included “explaining the situation of the broadcasting station.”

After Lu Tianming briefed Qiao Wei on the basic situation, the two returned to the office. “Task completed.”

“I’ve explained the situation of the station to Qiao Comrade,” Lu Tianming signaled to Chief Lu with a glance.

Chief Lu actually wanted him to talk about Hu Sui to Qiao Wei, and it was obvious that he understood. He nodded and asked, “Is there anything else you want to know, Little Qiao?”

Qiao Wei smiled and said, “Not for now. I’ll learn from you and ask for advice anytime in the future.”

She didn’t ask why Lu Tianming also had the surname Lu.