Chapter 10: Checking the Records

Wang Cuilan pointed to the second office and said, “This is the personnel department.”

As she spoke, she walked over. The door was open, so she knocked symbolically twice.

Inside the room, there were four desks arranged in two rows—two desks in the front row and two in the back, with an aisle in the middle.

At the front desks sat two young female workers—one was wiping a desk, while the other was sweeping the floor. At one of the back desks, a woman in her forties was watering the flowers on the windowsill, while the man at the other desk, who appeared to be in his early thirties, was drinking tea while reading a newspaper.

Hearing the knock, everyone in the room paused what they were doing and looked toward the door.

“Oh! Director Wang, what brings you here?” The woman watering the flowers spoke first. Upon seeing the visitors, she quickly put down her watering can and walked toward them with a smile.

Wang Cuilan said, “Section Chief Chen, I’ve brought someone over to ask for your help.”

Section Chief Chen laughed and said, “Come on, there’s no need to be so polite! Just tell me what you need, and if I can help, I absolutely will.”

Wang Cuilan gestured toward Meng Yufei and introduced her, “This is the wife of Regiment Commander Xia, Meng Yufei. She just arrived on the island yesterday. I’d like to trouble you to handle her record transfer.”

Meng Yufei smiled and greeted her, “Hello, Section Chief Chen. Sorry to trouble you with this.”

Section Chief Chen waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, it’s no trouble at all. This is our job.” She then turned to the young woman wiping the desk and said, “Xiao Zhang, come help Mrs. Xia review her documents. If everything checks out, process the transfer.”

Then she asked Meng Yufei, “You brought your ration book and identification, right?”

Meng Yufei took out her ration book from her bag and said, “Yes, I have them here.”

Hearing the instruction, Xiao Zhang immediately set aside her cleaning, took the ration book from Meng Yufei, and flipped through it. She was surprised and said, “Oh, you’re from Haishi?”

Meng Yufei smiled and nodded. “Yes, that’s right.”

Xiao Zhang’s attitude instantly became even more enthusiastic. She closed the ration book and said, “Come with me to the archives room to verify your records. After that, you just need to fill out a form, and we’ll be done.”

Meng Yufei’s records had already been sent over before her arrival. The military had reviewed them before approving her request to join her husband at his post.

Xiao Zhang turned to Section Chief Chen and said, “Chief, I’ll take her to the archives room now.”

Section Chief Chen nodded. “Alright, go ahead. The key is on my desk—just take it.”

Xiao Zhang grabbed the key and led Meng Yufei out, turning left toward the archives room. Meanwhile, Section Chief Chen continued chatting with Wang Cuilan.

The archives room was at the very end of the corridor. On the way, they passed the General Affairs Department, the Material Supply Department, and the Finance Department offices.

“You actually moved all the way here from Haishi to be with Regiment Commander Xia? You two must have a really good relationship,” Xiao Zhang said with a sigh.

Meng Yufei replied, “I think this place is quite nice.”

Xiao Zhang sighed again, “That’s because you just got here. After a while, you’ll realize how inconvenient everything is. Even if you want to buy a dress, you have to take a boat to the city.”

When they reached the archives room, Xiao Zhang unlocked the heavy iron door and pushed it open with effort. Inside, the room was filled with rows of neatly arranged shelves, each packed with carefully labeled document folders.

She turned to Meng Yufei and said, “Wait here for a moment while I check your records. According to regulations, you’re not allowed to view your own file.”

Meng Yufei nodded to show she understood.

Xia Qinqin leaned over to take a look inside the archives room and curiously asked, “Is this a library?”

It looked similar to a library her grandfather had taken her to before, with tall shelves filled with rows of “books.”

Xiao Zhang chuckled. “This isn’t a library—it’s the archives room. There’s no way a small island like ours would have a library.”

She casually pulled a few dried squid strips from her pocket and handed them to Xia Qinqin. “These were sun-dried by the island residents. They taste pretty good.”

Xia Qinqin stared at the dried squid in her hands—it had a strange shape. She looked up at her mother, and when she saw her mom smiling and nodding, she gripped the squid tightly and said to Xiao Zhang, “Thank you, Auntie.”

Xiao Zhang couldn’t resist pinching her chubby little cheeks gently. “No need to thank me. Just be good and wait here with your mom for a bit. Later, Auntie will get you some candy from the office.”

The archives were arranged in numerical order, so Xiao Zhang quickly found Meng Yufei’s file and took it out to review.

When she saw the word “university” in the education section, her mouth fell open in shock—Sister Meng was a graduate of Tongji University!

In an era when even high school graduates were considered well-educated, a university degree was incredibly rare.

Not to mention this small island—even in the entire Qiongzhou City, university graduates were few and far between. And she wasn’t just any university graduate—she had studied at a prestigious university in Haishi.

When Xiao Zhang finished reading the file and came out, she looked at Meng Yufei with newfound respect and admiration.

“Sister Meng, you’re a university graduate! That’s amazing!”

Meng Yufei replied, “My parents were strict about studying when I was young.”

Xiao Zhang sighed. “That still means you’re smart. My dad used to push me to study all the time when I was a kid, but it was useless. I barely managed to graduate from junior high school, and that’s already the highest level of education in my family.”

She turned around and locked the archives room door. “Alright, I’ve checked your file—everything is in order. I’ve already added your supporting documents. Now, let’s head back to the office and fill out the forms.”

She bent down and took Xia Qinqin’s hand, who was still chewing on the dried squid. “Come on, Auntie will take you to get some candy.”

As they passed by the Finance Department’s office, they noticed the door was still locked. Meng Yufei glanced at her watch—it was already close to 8:30. Had no one arrived for work yet?

Government offices usually started work between 7:30 and 8:00. Every other department on this floor already had people working, except for the Finance Department.

Inside the Personnel Office, Sister Wang was sitting in Section Chief Chen’s chair, drinking tea, while Section Chief Chen pulled up a stool to chat with her.

As soon as Xiao Zhang entered, she said, “Section Chief Chen, I’ve checked Sister Meng’s file—it’s all good. Oh, by the way, Sister Meng graduated from Tongji University!”

“Oh wow, Xiao Meng, you’re a university graduate?” Wang Cuilan said in surprise.

Section Chief Chen added, “I was also shocked when I saw her file the other day. I never expected a university graduate to come to our little island. Director Wang, this is exactly what I’m struggling with—how should I arrange a position for someone so talented?”

The Personnel Department wasn’t just responsible for managing family members’ records and processing their transfers—it also handled job placements for them.

Normally, job assignments were based on the order of arrival. But this time, they had a university graduate. Surely, they couldn’t just leave her waiting—she needed to be placed quickly. Otherwise, it would be a waste of talent.

The only suitable job opening at the moment was a teaching position at the island’s elementary school. But many people had been eyeing that position for a while.

Previously, to avoid dealing with the family members who had been pestering her for a job, Section Chief Chen had gone to Division Commander Li to complain about the difficulty of the situation. After much effort, she had managed to push the responsibility of making the final decision onto him.

And now, another university graduate had shown up. Section Chief Chen shook her head internally—this was going to be a tricky problem to solve.

Wang Cuilan felt a slight stir in her heart when she heard this, but she didn’t show it on her face.

She stood up and said, “Section Chief Chen, I’m leaving now. Since the Finance Department staff hasn’t arrived yet, I’ll go straight to her house and wait for her. I have to settle this with her today!”

Section Chief Chen quickly got up to see her off, but Wang Cuilan waved him off. “You stay here and take care of your work. No need to see me out.”

At the door, she greeted Meng Yufei. “Xiao Meng, I’m heading out.”

Meng Yufei replied, “Take care, Sister Wang. Come visit my place when you have time.”

—

After leaving the Logistics Office, Wang Cuilan walked briskly toward Accountant Zhou’s house.

Accountant Zhou was the wife of Battalion Commander Fang from the Third Regiment and lived in the row houses. When Wang Cuilan arrived, she found her washing dishes at home.

“Xiao Zhou, why didn’t you go to the Logistics Office for work today?” Wang Cuilan asked as soon as she stepped inside.

Xiao Zhou looked up, saw who it was, and wasn’t surprised. She knew exactly why Director Wang had come. Without stopping what she was doing, she continued washing the dishes and said calmly, “Director Wang, I resigned yesterday.”

Wang Cuilan was shocked. “Resigned?! What do you mean?!”

Without any expression, Xiao Zhou replied, “It means I’m not doing this accountant job anymore. Whoever wants it can take it.”

Wang Cuilan hurried forward two steps and asked, “Who did you resign to?”

The Finance Department currently had no section chief. The previous chief was the wife of the former Regiment Commander and had transferred out with him earlier in the year.

There had been a deputy section chief, but she had also transferred out with her husband a month ago.

With two people gone, only a young clerk—who was pregnant—was left. As a temporary solution, Xiao Zhou, a math teacher from the elementary school, had been reassigned to the Finance Department.

But now, they really had no one qualified to handle accounting. Since the family compounds were under military jurisdiction, hiring someone from outside wasn’t an option.

Xiao Zhou shook the water off her hands and said, “I went directly to Division Commander Li’s house and told him. If you don’t believe me, go ask him yourself.”

Director Wang was momentarily stunned by her blunt response. She hadn’t expected the usually mild-mannered Accountant Zhou to have such a tough attitude today.

Thinking for a moment, Director Wang realized that Xiao Zhou truly didn’t want to return. She tried persuading her, “Xiao Zhou, you can’t just walk away like this. The families in the compound haven’t received their ration coupons for this month yet. Everyone left their homes and traveled far to be here with their husbands. It hasn’t been easy for anyone.”

Xiao Zhou slammed the dish onto the stove with a frustrated expression. “Director Wang, so you do know this is a mess? I was pulled into this job last minute, and now suddenly everything is dumped on me!”

Her voice grew more agitated as she continued, “Anyway, I’m done with this. Whoever wants to take over can take over. I’m not going back no matter what. If you force me, I’ll just go back to my hometown.”

Seeing her firm stance and sharp tone, Wang Cuilan also started feeling frustrated. “Fine. If you won’t do it, someone else will. You’re not the only one in this compound who can do accounting. But you can’t just walk away from everything that’s been under your management.”

Xiao Zhou sneered. “No problem. Once you find someone, I’ll hand over all the accounts immediately. I’ve only been in the Finance Department for two months. Don’t think you can dump this entire mess on me.”

With a stern face, Wang Cuilan left Xiao Zhou’s house. She had originally planned to head back to the Logistics Office to ask if something had happened yesterday that made Accountant Zhou resign so suddenly.

But halfway there, she stopped in her tracks, thought for a moment, then turned around and headed home instead.