Chapter 475: Chapter 474 Uncle Wong Cos of Age
Building houses in the ice and snow is as difficult as one can imagine. From clearing the snow to digging foundations, to mixing and laying cent walls, no step is easy. Even the workers’ midday al is a struggle—the freshly baked bread turns cold in an instant when blown by the Northwest wind. Even if one eats next to the pot, they can only manage a lukewarm bite.
But they have no choice. Ti waits for no one, and this is the only and necessary opportunity they must seize.
Fortunately, it’s the slack season in farming, so the strong labor force from the commune’s production teams joined the construction crew, ensuring there was no shortage of hands for the work. Wong Xiao, to encourage labor, decided to award ten points per day to villagers who participated in the factory construction, and also, by pulling on Factory Director Ji’s coattails, made him hand out 50 cents a day in subsidies to each person.
Nothing promotes productivity like tangible points and money. Led by more than a dozen veteran craftsn, they built houses against the wind and snow with unprecedented enthusiasm for work.
When Lin Nianhe made the phone call, Wong Xiao was still at the construction site, and the call was answered by a female comrade.
When asked about any difficulties, the female comrade hesitated for a long ti before saying, “I haven’t heard the leaders ntion any difficulties, but I don’t understand these matters. All the male comrades from the commune have followed the leaders to the construction site to move bricks.”
“Well… okay, please relay the ssage to Wong Xiao when he returns. If there’s any need, be sure to give a call.”
“Sure, sure.”
Lin Nianhe hung up the phone and, looking at Minister Huang, said: “Uncle Wong and the male comrades from the commune have all gone to move bricks at the construction site. There won’t be a reply anyti soon.”
Minister Huang opened his mouth, and after a long mont, he said, “Xiao Wong is a good leader.”
Hearing Minister Huang praise Wong Xiao, Lin Nianhe couldn’t help but smile … feeling a sense of pride as if our Uncle Wong is finally coming into his own.
Minister Huang didn’t realize Lin Nianhe was thinking about all sorts of ssy things; after pondering for a while, he made the call to the Hei Province Military District under the pretext of “assisting foreign trade production.”
The next morning, while Wong Xiao was moving bricks at the construction site, he saw a row of military trucks neatly arrive. The vehicles stopped in an orderly fashion by the side of the road, soldiers climbed down in succession, and after forming up in lines, joined the construction army.
“Hey, why didn’t you speak to Uncle Huang earlier? If the military had been involved since before New Year’s, I guess the building would almost be finished by now, right?”
Inside the chanical factory, Sie Yufei held his beloved cara and clicked photos while he asked Lin Nianhe.
Lin Nianhe, with a sugar-coated hawthorn on a stick in his mouth and hands in his pockets, replied nonchalantly, “Do you want to hear the serious reason or the not-so-serious one?”
“Don’t joke, of course the serious one.”
Lin Nianhe let out a “hmm” and his expression turned more serious: “Firstly, the construction of the new Textile Factory is Lan County’s own affair. Whether to ask for military assistance can only be proposed by Uncle Huang after weighing the pros and cons, we absolutely cannot request it proactively; secondly, the journey upwards is bound to be tough. If everything depends on being dragged up by others without one’s own efforts, the Textile Factory won’t last long—it would fall apart without a breeze.”
“We can boldly assu that ten or twenty years later, grandfathers and fathers who participated in the arduous construction will point at the Textile Factory and tell their offspring about the old days. They would say ‘Your dad was building the factory warehouses in the negative twenty or thirty-degree snow’, not ‘Your dad was munching on roasted sweet potatoes in the negative twenty or thirty-degree weather while watching the excitent.’ They would say that the good life now doesn’t co easy, not leading their progeny with open hands waiting for fortune to fall from the sky.”
Sie Yufei fell silent for a good while before silently raising his hand and wiping his face forcefully, “Forget it, just tell the not-so-serious reason.”
The serious reason was too complicated, not suitable for him.
Lin Nianhe: “I forgot.”
“Ah, now that you say that, I understand!” Sie Yufei snapped his fingers, wearing a mischievous smirk like a little rascal, “No problem, I definitely won’t tell Uncle Team Leader!”
Lin Nianhe: “I don’t care, say whatever you want, no one will believe it except you.”
Sie Yufei, of course, didn’t believe it. He caught a glimpse of Rong Zhiguo busily working and scurried over: “Master Rong, did you know, your apprentice Lin Nianhe forgot sothing very important…”
Rong Zhiguo looked at Sie Yufei with an expression one reserves for a foolish son: “Kid, even if you lose your mind and leave it at ho, my apprentice Nianhe could never forget sothing.”
“It’s what she said herself…”
“Co on, say it again—’She made it up herself.'”
Sie Yufei: “…”
Sie Yufei was speechless, but Rong Zhiguo didn’t want to let him off, muttering to himself while shaking his head, and didn’t even stop working: “Hey, kid, why do so people think the whole world is as dim-witted as they are? Wearing a wool coat, leather gloves, carrying a cara—acts just like a spoiled rich kid.”
Sie Yufei looked at his wool coat, leather gloves, and cara, looking as aggrieved as a tall, silly git: “Xiao He! You gotta, gotta control your master! It’s not right to bully people like this!”
It was the Factory Director who asked him to take photos for the workshop, how did he end up being labeled a spoiled rich kid?
Rong Zhiguo: “Getting a little problem and tattling to the girl.”
Sie Yufei clutched his chest, looking at Lin Nianhe with a mournful expression.
Lin Nianhe couldn’t help but laugh: “Why are you looking at like that? You asked for it.”
“Xiao He…”
“Comrade Xiao Sie, let take you inside to take pictures.” The kind-hearted eldest apprentice brother stepped forward, pulled Sie Yufei away, and even gave Lin Nianhe a look, indicating that he was leaving the master to her.
Lin Nianhe responded to the eldest apprentice brother with a gesture of acknowledgnt and took her notebook to Rong Zhiguo’s side: “Master, I’m going back to Lan County next week, and I probably won’t be back in Beijing until the New Year.”
Rong Zhiguo glanced at Lin Nianhe, uninterestedly: “That’s great, I can finally have so peace and quiet for a while.”
“But I heard from Uncle Chang that you’ll also be attending the Spring Trade Fair, supervising the heavy industry factory work here in Beijing. Coincidentally, I also have to represent Lan County Textile Factory at the Spring Trade Fair, so you’ll see again then!” Lin Nianhe said with the cheeriest tone what were the most horrifying words.
Rong Zhiguo: “…”
Lin Nianhe’s smile faded, and she bowed seriously and solemnly to Rong Zhiguo: “Master, thank you for your guidance and patience during this ti. After I go back, I will try to learn as much about machinery as I can. If there are any designs like threshing machines, may I write to you?”
Rong Zhiguo was made a bit uncomfortable by her sudden seriousness, cleared his throat, and still spoke brusquely: “Write if you want to write. If it’s useless, it’ll just serve to light the fire for your mistress.”
That was a yes.
Lin Nianhe continued: “The draft for our machinery factory is ready, but Uncle Huang said it’s best to publish it on the eve of the Spring Trade Fair to maximize its impact.”
“Um.” Rong Zhiguo grunted in response. He looked at Lin Nianhe, frowned, and hesitated for a long ti before he said, “Why don’t you just not go back? With your small arms and legs, what can you do in the countryside other than suffer and cause trouble? Have Old Chang arrange a job for you in the machinery factory.”
“Hehe, that’s not going to work. I have lots of students waiting for to return to teach.” Lin Nianhe smiled and refused.
“No gratitude.” Rong Zhiguo snorted softly, turned around, and picked up a plate: “Co here, tell how this plate should be produced…”
“Oh oh, coming…”
Another day of teaching.
At night, when Rong Zhiguo got ho, his wife brought out a big tin box and said: “Xiao He brought this over this morning. She said you smoke a lot, and this throat lozenge is for you to have one when you’re free.”
“Tch, that little bastard is always up to these useless things.” Rong Zhiguo was full of disdain.
But the mistress understood him well, simply saying: “If you don’t want it, I’ll send it to your brother.”
“Leave it there! Who said I didn’t want it! That’s my apprentice’s filial respect!”
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