Chapter 7

Jiang Lian felt a little put off. She had never realized before that this girl could talk so mushily.

The staff dormitory wasn’t far from the family housing building. The Jiang sisters entered just before the dormitory was about to be locked for the night.

The housing provided by the factory wasn’t spacious. Many families had to squeeze in with several generations living under one roof.

On regular days, families could still manage to crowd together, but if out-of-town relatives or friends came to visit, they had to be brought over to stay in the staff dormitory.

Though it was called a staff dormitory, in many ways, it also served the function of a guesthouse for the Daily Chemicals Factory.

If family members of factory workers were allowed to stay temporarily, then factory workers themselves could stay all the more so.

Using the excuse that there wasn’t enough space at home, Jiang Ling temporarily moved into the staff dormitory. Once her application was approved by the Logistics Section, she would be able to officially move in.

Jiang Lian didn’t want to go home with a slap mark on her face. If her husband and in-laws saw it and went to the Jiang family to cause trouble, it would be a mess. So she simply stayed in the dorm with her younger sister. Once the slap mark faded enough by tomorrow, she could return home without drawing attention.

The staff dormitory of the Daily Chemicals Factory housed eight people per room, and space was tight. The two of them were squeezed into a room that hadn’t yet been filled to capacity.

Perhaps because this room often hosted outsiders, the female workers inside were already used to it and went about their usual routines—washing up and going to bed.

Jiang Lian had originally planned to have a heartfelt talk with her sister before sleep, hoping to ease any resentment Jiang Ling might feel toward their parents. But with outsiders present, and family shame not to be aired publicly, she had to suppress the urge and wait for a better opportunity to speak privately.

Staying in the dorm wasn’t as free as being at home, and yet, strangely, sleeping in a room with five unfamiliar female workers made her feel a kind of privacy.

Jiang Lian’s mother-in-law was the section chief in the Sales Section—considered a small-ranking cadre of some status.

Since Jiang Lian hadn’t returned home the previous night, she was worried her in-laws might be concerned. So she took Jiang Ling along to the Sales Section to explain her whereabouts from the night before.

She still wanted to say a few heartfelt words to her sister, but Jiang Ling raised Jiang Lian’s wrist and glanced closely at her watch. “You’re going to be late. Go to work. Whatever it is, let’s talk later.”

Jiang Lian had actually gotten up very early. According to her original plan, the two sisters could’ve held hands and chatted for half an hour, sharing what was on their hearts.

But all that time was eaten up because Jiang Ling had lazed in bed. Even after Jiang Lian returned from the washroom, Jiang Ling still hadn’t climbed out from under the covers.

Sleeping in an unfamiliar place, Jiang Lian hadn’t rested well at all. She’d woken up before dawn but, afraid of disturbing the sleep of the other women in the dorm, had simply lain there with her eyes open, waiting quietly.

Hearing the steady breathing from the bunk above, Jiang Lian couldn’t help but reflect—just yesterday Jiang Ling had gotten into a fight with their parents, and yet here she was, sleeping soundly as if nothing had happened. Jiang Lian sighed inwardly. This girl really had a big heart. Something that serious hadn’t even kept her from getting a good night’s sleep.

As the eldest sister, Jiang Lian naturally had to worry more than her younger siblings.

When conflicts arose between their parents and her younger sister, she always had to be the one to step in and mediate.

Once the other women in the dorm had all gotten up and begun washing up, Jiang Lian finally felt free to climb down from bed. But Jiang Ling still hadn’t moved, curled up under the covers, sleeping soundly.

Jiang Lian worried that she might have overslept and even reached out a hand to check her breathing. Still breathing.

Sensing the cool air brushing against her face, the girl mumbled in her sleep with a nasal whine, “Sis, let me sleep a little longer.”

Jiang Lian had no choice but to let her sleep a little longer, then a little longer still.

Although the two sisters didn’t end up being late, the time Jiang Lian had originally planned to use for a heartfelt conversation was gone.

Jiang Ling rushed to the Accounting Section, where everyone was already present except for Section Chief Tang.

There were seven workers in the Accounting Section. Besides Section Chief Tang, who liked to drink, and Deputy Section Chief Li Chunjiao, who enjoyed knitting sweaters during work hours, there was another deputy section chief named Wei Ming.

The Accounting Section wasn’t a large department, with no more than ten employees. Under normal circumstances, there would be only one section chief and one deputy section chief.

But Wei Ming was the factory director’s brother-in-law, and to accommodate him, the factory office had added an extra deputy position in the Accounting Section.

Li Chunjiao was in charge of funds. The two cashiers in the Accounting Section, Yu Jiafeng and Zhou Yingchun, were both under her supervision.

Wei Ming was in charge of accounting. Two accounting clerks and an administrative staff member worked under him.

Jiang Ling was one of the accounting clerks. The other was a man in his forties named Lu Jianguo, who was nearing retirement. Balding and potbellied, his desk was directly across from Jiang Ling’s.

Jiang Ling didn’t have a great impression of him. The sleeves of his shirts always had shiny black grease stains on them year-round.

No sooner had she sat down than Lu Jianguo tossed a stack of invoices over. “You weren’t here just now. These were just delivered by the Purchasing Section. Trouble yourself, Xiao Jiang, and get these invoices registered.”

The eight members of the Accounting Section were squeezed into one large office. On Jiang Ling’s left sat the two cashiers.

As long as it wasn’t payroll time, Yu Jiafeng and Zhou Yingchun were usually quite idle.

The two of them followed Deputy Section Chief Li Chunjiao’s lead—listening to the radio while knitting sweaters.

The radio had been brought from home by Wei Ming. When he first brought it in, he claimed it was to enrich the Accounting Section’s leisure time.

Everyone else rather enjoyed listening to it during downtime. Thanks to this radio, Wei Ming, who had parachuted into the department as a deputy section chief, quickly gained popularity.

Others were lucky enough to be able to listen to the radio while doing their own thing, but Jiang Ling could only toil away miserably.

The key to the file cabinet, which should have been kept with Wei Ming, had ended up in Jiang Ling’s drawer since she was the only one who ever used it.

With Section Chief Tang absent, Wei Ming had attended a meeting in his place. This sort of thing happened often—sometimes the factory office would even take the initiative to call on Wei Ming to attend meetings.

By the time Wei Ming returned, the others in the office had already tidied up their desks and were just waiting for the noon break to head to the canteen for lunch.

Seeing Jiang Ling still buried in her work, Wei Ming teased, “Jiang Ling’s still sorting out the accounts? What a diligent comrade. The old comrades in our section ought to learn from the younger generation—learn from Comrade Jiang Ling’s enthusiasm for her work.”

Jiang Ling was the youngest in the Accounting Section, and also the most recent hire, with the least seniority. If not for that, all the tough and tedious tasks wouldn’t have fallen squarely on her shoulders.

In this era, people were highly responsible and valued honor. So when Wei Ming singled Jiang Ling out for praise, it rubbed the others the wrong way.

Everyone cared about saving face, and instantly, the whole room was filled with displeasure.

The looks directed at Jiang Ling were filled with wariness, as if she were deliberately working hard in front of the leadership just to steal the spotlight.

Jiang Ling felt deeply frustrated. She had done more than her share of work, yet not only did she receive no recognition, now she was also being suspected of putting on a show.

As for trying to stand out or cozy up to leadership in hopes of promotions, raises, or reaching the pinnacle of life—Jiang Ling didn’t even dare to entertain such thoughts.

The factory valued seniority and connections. Those with ties to the leadership’s families always had an easier path to advancement.

Doing a good job couldn’t compare to being born into the right family.

Lu Jianguo chuckled twice. “It’s a good thing for young people to be motivated. I’m getting old now—just a couple more years until retirement. Eventually, the accounting responsibilities in our section will be handed over to Xiao Jiang. The more knowledge she picks up now, the better she’ll be able to guide the newcomers in the future.”

Jiang Ling sat near the door, where cold drafts constantly blew in. Her hand gripping the pen was red from the chill, and from time to time she would blow warm air onto her palms and rub them together.

There was a radiator under the window. Section Chief Tang and the two deputy section chiefs had their desks near the windows—good view in summer, warmth in winter.

Jiang Ling glanced up at the wall clock in the office, getting ready to tidy up and head to lunch.

But Wei Ming stepped forward, coming up beside her. “Let me take a look at the account you’re working on.”

He reached out his hand, aiming straight for the back of her hand. Jiang Ling swiftly pulled her hand back, deftly dodging the touch.

He assumed it was just a coincidence. A simple girl like her probably wouldn’t think too much about such things.

Wei Ming reached out again, this time intending to place his hand on Jiang Ling’s back.

Jiang Ling had seen all kinds of people in the workplace, how could she not see through his intentions?

A trace of impatience flashed in her eyes, though the smile on her face remained.

“You go ahead and look at the accounts. I’m going to get a cup of hot water.”

She had already finished processing all the invoices Lu Jianguo had given her; all that remained was to find time to double-check them.

Wei Ming, seeing that she had already finished, instinctively assumed that someone like her couldn’t have done it properly. He was certain she must have scribbled things down carelessly.

“Jiang Ling, I have to criticize you here. In our line of work—accounting—the most important thing is attention to detail. You can’t just write whatever you want. If the factory audits these records in the future and finds mistakes, it’ll be a serious issue. Even if my brother is the factory director, he won’t be able to help you.”

What Wei Ming said was a serious matter, and the rest of the Accounting Section immediately turned their eyes toward them.

Jiang Ling, holding her enamel mug, hadn’t even walked far before she was subjected to a full lecture.

With a half-smile, she asked, “Deputy Section Chief Wei, do you not believe in my ability?”

Of course, Wei Ming couldn’t admit that. He always maintained the image of a friendly and approachable leader in front of subordinates, and his intention had been to make Jiang Ling feel his “special attention.”

But Jiang Ling hadn’t responded the way he expected, which left him somewhat frustrated.

Under normal circumstances, when he raised a doubt, Jiang Ling should have responded by explaining and proving herself, giving him the opportunity to express his full trust in her afterward.

That way, he could first hit her with a stick, then hand her a sweet date—and even the cleverest girl would eventually fall in line.

“How could I not?” Wei Ming said warmly. “Of course I trust your ability. When we were hiring, you actually didn’t quite meet the Accounting Section’s requirements. You were too young and inexperienced. The organization originally wanted a strong young man, but I thought you were a promising girl. I took a lot of pressure to bring you in. If I didn’t believe in your capabilities, why would I have insisted on recruiting you into the Accounting Section?”

Wei Ming waited eagerly for Jiang Ling to respond with gratitude and admiration. Instead, she scrunched her nose and said, “The factory leadership discriminates against women? I’m going to report them to the Women’s Federation. Deputy Section Chief Wei, please help testify for me. Let’s go together to the Women’s Federation. You’re an upright and honorable person, so be sure to tell the ladies there the truth. Tell them exactly which leader discriminated against us female comrades!”

Wei Ming couldn’t help but raise a hand to his forehead. Of all the things he had said, he never expected the one piece of information Jiang Ling would latch onto was that the factory leadership discriminated against women.

Yes, the “factory leadership” who discriminated was terrible—but wasn’t he the hero who defied them to bring her in? Shouldn’t his brave and selfless act be moving and praiseworthy?

Wei Ming was beginning to feel a little afraid of this girl. He hadn’t noticed it before, but now it seemed—this one was feisty.

Of course he couldn’t actually go to the Women’s Federation to file a complaint. Not wanting to offend the factory leadership was just a surface-level excuse—the real reason was that the so-called “factory leaders who discriminated against women” were entirely made up by him. His story wouldn’t hold up under scrutiny or confrontation. His true intention had only been to win admiration from his female subordinate.

Not only could he not go, he also had to stop Jiang Ling from going.

Wei Ming shook his head with a chuckle, wearing a look of indulgent amusement. “No wonder the leadership always says young people aren’t reliable. Comrade, you really take everything too seriously. A few decades ago, you’d have been one of those Red Guards^[1]Red Guard (红卫兵): A student-led paramilitary movement that emerged during China’s Cultural Revolution (1966–1976). Mobilized by Chairman Mao Zedong, the Red Guards were tasked with attacking … Continue reading running around organizing struggle sessions.”

Jiang Ling’s smile didn’t waver. This man was truly insidious. Ordinary folks tried to keep their distance from Red Guards, there was no admiration there.

By comparing her to a Red Guard, he was planting seeds to have her ostracized by others in the department. Yet Jiang Ling couldn’t even call him out directly.

If she accused him of insulting her, she would be implying the term “Red Guard” was derogatory, which would amount to making a political error.