Chapter 111: Work

When Sun Rende heard from the gatekeeper that Wei Yujin had arrived, he nodded to Zhenzhen and gave her a look, then told the gatekeeper, “Have Comrade Wei come straight to my office.”

After hanging up the phone, Zhenzhen quickly reminded him, “Factory Director Sun, you mustn’t tell her that this factory is mine. Just say you’re a family acquaintance, that’ll be enough.”

Sun Rende chuckled teasingly. “Looks like President Li keeps a low profile outside.”

Zhenzhen nodded proudly. “Getting rich quietly, that’s the way.”

Meanwhile, outside the entrance of Tengda Furniture Factory, Wei Yujin was anxiously watching the gatekeeper make the call, terrified the young man would brush her off with a “The director’s busy.”

When the gatekeeper came out of the reception room after hanging up, Wei Yujin’s heart was about to leap out of her chest. Her hands clenched tightly together, and she forced a stiff smile on her face. “So, what did the director say?”

The gatekeeper opened the door with a polite smile and gestured inside. “The director asked you to go see him in his office.”

Wei Yujin let out a huge sigh of relief. As she walked in, she kept thanking the gatekeeper profusely. “Thank you, Comrade. Sorry to trouble you.”

Following the directions, Wei Yujin quickly found the factory director’s office. She took a couple of deep breaths at the door, then summoned her courage and knocked twice.

The door swung open at once. When Wei Yujin saw Zhenzhen standing inside smiling at her, her whole body relaxed and her heart settled. “Zhenzhen, you’re here too?”

“Mm.” Zhenzhen motioned for her to sit on the sofa. “Chief Editor Yu assigned me an article today that requires interviewing a few companies. Tengda Furniture Factory happened to be one of them, so I came by on the way. Oh, I forgot to introduce you—this is Factory Director Sun of Tengda Furniture.” She pointed to Wei Yujin. “My classmate and now colleague, Wei Yujin.”

Wei Yujin and Sun Rende stood and shook hands. Just as Wei Yujin was wondering how to bring up her family’s situation, she heard Sun Rende say, “Li… ahem, Li Mingzhen already told me about your situation. Normally, our factory has strict hiring procedures, and someone in your husband’s position wouldn’t meet our requirements.”

Hearing this, Wei Yujin’s heart clenched. She thought she was being rejected and her face turned pale. She was just about to say she understood when Sun Rende continued, “But as it happens, our current workshop workers can no longer meet production demands. We’re about to start hiring. When that happens, your husband can come in with the new batch of workers and start working.”

Wei Yujin hadn’t expected such a dramatic turn. She was momentarily at a loss, then stood up and thanked him over and over. Sun Rende smiled. “Mingzhen has never asked me for any favors. Since she did this time, I have to help to the end.”

Wei Yujin grabbed Zhenzhen’s hand. Seeing that she was about to cry again, Zhenzhen quickly said with a smile, “Big Sis, Brother Sun is an old family friend. If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have dared make that promise to you this morning. Since everything’s settled now, you should call your husband and have him bring the child over soon.”

Sun Rende pulled a set of keys from the drawer. “Mingzhen mentioned earlier that you might not have a place to stay for now. The factory happens to have an empty house you can use temporarily. But once your husband arrives, remind him not to mention this to the other workers—it wouldn’t look good.”

“Don’t worry, we won’t say a word. You’ve already gone out of your way for us,” Wei Yujin said, bowing. Sun Rende quickly responded, “No need to be so polite—we’re not outsiders. It’s getting late, let’s go see the house.”

The house was just two streets away from the factory. Its gate faced the main road, with two large rooms directly behind it. One side of the yard was the kitchen, the other a storage room.

Sun Rende unlocked the door, and Zhenzhen led Wei Yujin inside. The front room had only a sofa, a coffee table, and a dining table, making it feel a bit empty. The inner room was a suite, with a single bed and nightstand in the inner section, while the outer room had a large wardrobe, a bookshelf, and a writing desk by the window—all arranged by Sun Rende when Wang Xinzhi lived there before.

Sun Rende handed the keys to Wei Yujin. “Dorms are usually assigned for three years initially. If you still don’t have housing after that, we’ll extend the arrangement. The paperwork can be handled after your husband starts working.”

Looking at the spacious house, Wei Yujin’s eyes turned red. She clutched Zhenzhen’s hand, too moved to speak. Zhenzhen gently patted her hand and turned to say, “I think the room still needs a double bed.”

Sun Rende nodded. “I already told the warehouse before we left. Someone should be bringing it over soon.”

Wei Yujin quickly said, “This is already too much trouble for the factory. If anything’s missing, we can buy it ourselves. We can’t ask the factory for a bed too.”

Sun Rende smiled. “It’s not just for you. Every employee living in the dorms gets a full set of our factory’s furniture.”

As they chatted, four young men arrived with a tricycle cart carrying a double bed and mattress. After helping set it up, Sun Rende told Wei Yujin, “I’m leaving the keys with you. Have your husband report to the factory on the first of next month.”

Though a top graduate from the Chinese Department of Imperial Capital University, Wei Yujin was so overwhelmed with gratitude she couldn’t even speak. Sun Rende noticed and nodded to Zhenzhen before quietly leaving.

Just as he shut the door, he heard a loud wail of crying from inside and couldn’t help pausing. He recalled his own past—no job, no family, huddled alone in a crumbling old house in his hometown, often going hungry. If Li Mingzhen hadn’t found him and brought him back to the capital, he might’ve long since ended it all. Listening to Wei Yujin cry, Sun Rende completely understood—this wasn’t just help in dire need; it was a life-altering grace.

Zhenzhen waited until Wei Yujin cried her heart out before pulling a handkerchief from her bag and handing it to her. “Go wash your face. I won’t tell anyone you cried in front of me.”

Wei Yujin let out a tearful laugh, wiped her eyes, and pulled Zhenzhen into a hug. “Sis, thank you.”

“No need for that.” Zhenzhen patted her back. “Just treat me to a meal once your family is reunited.”

“Of course,” Wei Yujin replied, mimicking Xu Jiajia’s favorite phrase. Both of them burst into laughter.

Wei Yujin turned on the faucet, washed her face, then rinsed the handkerchief and clipped it up in the yard to dry. Back inside, she grabbed Zhenzhen’s hand and tugged her toward the door. “Today’s a good day. Come on, sis is treating you to dinner—we have to celebrate.”

“Big Sis Wei… Big Sis Wei…” Zhenzhen was dragged several meters before coming to her senses and stopping her. “Let’s not rush today. You can either tidy up a bit or head back to the dorm early. This place isn’t that close to the factory, and I need to get home—my grandma’s waiting to hear how my first day at work went.”

Seeing that Zhenzhen really couldn’t stay, Wei Yujin didn’t insist. She squeezed her hand. “Then let’s do it Sunday. I must treat you.”

Zhenzhen smiled. “Whenever you’re free one week, cook at home and invite me over. I want to try your Northwestern cooking.”

“Deal!” Wei Yujin laughed heartily. “It’s settled.”

Zhenzhen saw it was getting late, said goodbye, and hurried home on her bike. Wei Yujin, now with a home of her own in the capital, excitedly took some money to a nearby store to buy daily necessities for cleaning. On the way back, she passed a grain shop and bought two meat buns as a personal celebration.

When Zhenzhen got home, Wang Sufen had already prepared a full table of food and was waiting eagerly. Li Muwu peeked out the door every few minutes, and on his eighth time, finally spotted Zhenzhen.

Overjoyed, Li Muwu dashed back into the yard and shouted, “Zhenzhen’s back!” then rushed to the door to meet her.

As soon as Zhenzhen reached the gate, Li Muwu came over with a large fan and started fanning her. “Was your first day at work smooth? Did you manage to nap at noon? Your grandma made you green bean paste with honey—it’s delicious.”

Zhenzhen pushed her bike into the side yard and laughed. “Everything went great. You know me—born lucky.”

Li Muwu immediately broke into a relieved smile. Zhenzhen followed him into the house, poured half a basin of warm water, and washed her face. When she looked up, she saw Grandma Li and her parents standing around her, gazing at her with eager, admiring expressions.

Zhenzhen burst out laughing. “What are you all staring at? It’s only been one day since we saw each other! You’re acting like it’s been half a century!”

Grandma Li squinted happily. “Just looking at my eldest granddaughter. Time really flies—blink of an eye and you’re already working.”

Zhenzhen chuckled. “By that logic, I’ve been working for a while now. Don’t forget, I have that furniture factory. I’m the factory director, too.”

“That’s different—that was just fooling around. This one’s a proper job,” said Grandma Li, who still believed that only working in a state job counted as real employment. No matter how much someone earned privately, it didn’t qualify as “having a job” in her eyes. Even now, Guihua’s clothing shop was doing very well—earning more in a day than Mingdong’s monthly salary—but Grandma Li still didn’t see it as a proper job.

Zhenzhen knew it wasn’t just the older generation who thought this way. Many people her age also treated government-assigned jobs as iron rice bowls, willing to settle for meager wages rather than venture out to start something of their own.

Grandma Li took the towel from Zhenzhen’s hands and hung it on a nearby rack, then pulled her to the dining table. “Your mom made a lot of good dishes today, come eat.”

Zhenzhen took a bite of rice, then a piece of braised fish, nodding repeatedly. “Mom’s cooking is the best—tastes just like when I was a kid.”

Wang Sufen beamed with joy, quickly adding more fish to her plate and spooning some fish broth over her rice.

“Grandma, I want to hire a housekeeper,” Zhenzhen said while eating, speaking to Grandma Li. Wang Sufen frowned. “I’m still able-bodied—what do we need a housekeeper for?”

Zhenzhen knew the older generation hated to spend money and gently persuaded her, “Mom, if we were still back in Beicha, I wouldn’t even bring it up. You could handle everything yourself there. But this house is too big now. Just keeping the floors and dusting would wear you out. And now that your daughter is making good money, if we don’t spend it, it’s like hoarding a pile of waste paper. Please, let me take care of this. I’ll find two good housekeepers for you—just enjoy life.”

“Two housekeepers?” Wang Sufen was startled. “I can’t even bear to hire one, and you want to get two? What would I do with that many?”

She hesitated for a moment and bargained with Zhenzhen. “Zhenzhen, there are only four of us in this house. Even the old landlords weren’t this extravagant. If you must hire one, fine—she does half the work, I’ll do the other half.”

Zhenzhen continued to coax her patiently. “Mom, look at Mrs. Junjie next door—she’s younger than you and her household is smaller, but she has two housekeepers. They handle all the chores and cooking, and she spends her time gardening, watching movies, hiking—that’s real living.”

Wang Sufen was clearly tempted but still clung to her pride. “How could I sleep well at night doing nothing?”

Zhenzhen explained, “I’m not saying you have to do nothing—you can still do things you enjoy. Just don’t waste your energy scrubbing floors and cooking every day.”

After listening quietly for a while, Grandma Li finally nodded. “Let the child handle it. You’ve worked hard your whole life—time to enjoy your children’s success. Look at Muwu—he used to feel restless if he didn’t work, but now his heart’s all in fishing. If he doesn’t go one day, he gets all antsy. Just like Zhenzhen said, find something fun for yourself and enjoy some easy days.”

Wang Sufen thought it over for a long time, then finally said, “I think the thing I enjoy most is farming—especially working the garden here at home. I always feel so accomplished.”

Zhenzhen laughed and nodded. “Okay, that counts as a hobby too.”

The four of them happily finished dinner. Zhenzhen helped Wang Sufen carry the dishes into the kitchen. When she returned to the room, Grandma Li couldn’t wait to ask, “So what did you do at work today?”

Zhenzhen sat cross-legged on the chair, holding a teacup. “Today I just checked in and got my first assignment—interview ten companies and write a report. I won’t need to go to the office this week. I’ll just bring the finished report next Monday.”

It was all a bit too technical for Grandma Li, who was more concerned about her granddaughter’s well-being. “That’s a lot of companies. Can you manage? Isn’t it tiring?”

“Not really. I’m just going there to ask some questions and such.” Zhenzhen suddenly remembered the snacks she bought at the food factory and got up to fetch them from her bike basket. “Grandma, I stopped by the Capital Food Factory this afternoon and got some treats for you.”

Since it was summer and snacks could spoil within four or five days, Zhenzhen separated a few pieces into smaller bags to be eaten within a couple of days.

Grandma Li took the bag, saw several types she didn’t recognize, and couldn’t help reminiscing. “People sure eat better nowadays. Back then, white flour was a luxury—you only got dumplings once a year, and even then you didn’t dare eat your fill. But now look—you’re not satisfied with just white flour, you want sugar and milk too. Life’s really changed.”

Even though they’d already had dinner, Grandma Li still pulled out a snack, broke it into three pieces, and handed them to Li Muwu and Wang Sufen. “Your daughter bought these with her own money—try it.”

The cake was small, and both Li Muwu and Wang Sufen ate it in one bite, nodding. “Tastes great, nice and soft—not hard on the teeth.”

Zhenzhen smiled. “Glad you like it. I’ll get you more. Eat a couple during the day if you get hungry.”

While the family was chatting and laughing, Xi Junjie dropped by from next door. Grandma Li quickly invited him in and asked cheerfully, “How was your first day at work? Getting used to it?”

“Pretty good,” Xi Junjie nodded. “Mostly just reviewing documents about recent communications with European countries. I haven’t started on specific tasks yet.”

Zhenzhen brought out the mung bean dessert Grandma Li had made and served him a bowl. “Aren’t you tired after a full day at work? Still running over here?”

Grandma Li gave Zhenzhen a light tap on the arm. “Watch your mouth, child. He came to see you!”

By now, Xi Junjie and Zhenzhen had long stopped fussing over formalities. He didn’t mind at all, and after some small talk, he brought up the reason he came. “Grandma, I’m thinking of installing a telephone in our new house. That way, if the office needs to reach me, it’ll be easier. Since you don’t have one here either, do you want me to help submit an application for you too? Save another trip later.”

Zhenzhen had been thinking about that as well and quickly nodded. “We’ll need one eventually. Since you’re already handling it, help me apply too. Let’s put it in Grandma’s room.”

“In my room?” Grandma Li lit up with joy. “Then I can call your uncle and your third uncle and aunt whenever I want. Once the phone’s in, I’ll call them to let them know when your wedding banquet is.”

Zhenzhen’s greatest joy was using her own hard work to improve Grandma Li and Wang Sufen’s lives. Seeing the two of them happily chatting about the phone, she took a bite of her mung bean ice and turned to Xi Junjie. “Do you know where I could hire housekeepers? I want to get two to help around the house.”

Xi Junjie was always attentive to Zhenzhen’s needs and asked right away, “Do you have any specific requirements?”

Zhenzhen thought for a moment and listed them. “Quick hands, efficient and clean, honest. That’s all I can think of. Help me figure out the rest.”

Grandma Li chimed in, “They need to cook well. If they can make Northeastern dishes, even better.”

Xi Junjie smiled and nodded. “Don’t worry, Grandma—I’ll take care of it.”

Since he had to work the next day, Xi Junjie finished his dessert and went home. Zhenzhen also returned to her room to rest. The roses in her room bloomed softly under the night sky, releasing a gentle fragrance.

Following her planned schedule, Zhenzhen visited all ten companies in five days and gathered a thick stack of material. During that time, Wang Xinzhi also finalized the contract with the clothing factory and brought the sample of the Xingzi Shirt for Zhenzhen to review. Thanks to Zhenzhen’s clear design sketches and Wang Xinzhi’s meticulousness, he had stayed at the factory for two days overseeing the production of the sample. Zhenzhen inspected it thoroughly and found it to be exactly as she remembered, so she immediately instructed the factory to begin full-scale production.

The factory was running at full speed to meet deadlines, while Zhenzhen devoted all her energy to writing. Over the weekend, she not only completed the newsletter Editor-in-Chief Yu had requested, but also organized her rich material into four feature pieces on corporate development.

Night had already fallen. Zhenzhen copied the final line of her draft onto the manuscript paper, then finally set down her pen and rubbed her sore wrist. Two days of intense writing—she’d lost count of how many drafts she’d gone through, how many times she’d revised her sentences—had finally produced the finished pieces. Looking at the mess of discarded papers strewn across the table, Zhenzhen couldn’t help but long for the computers of the future. Typing on a keyboard was far faster than writing by hand.

First thing Monday morning, Zhenzhen went straight to Editor-in-Chief Yu’s office after arriving at work and pulled out a thick stack of manuscripts. “Editor-in-Chief Yu, here are the articles I’ve written. In addition to the piece you requested, I also wrote four feature articles. I’d like to ask for your feedback.”

Seeing that Li Mingzhen had barely clocked in and was already proactively contributing work, Editor-in-Chief Yu couldn’t help but nod at her studious attitude. “Alright, leave them here. I’ll look at them shortly. The first desk against the wall in the editorial office is yours—go check out the latest newspapers.”

Wei Yujin and the others already had their own desks. Though Yu Shoujing had assigned Li Mingzhen to fieldwork, he still gave her a workstation and supplied her with essentials like a fountain pen, ink, and manuscript paper.

Zhenzhen returned to her desk with a stack of newspapers. She had just finished reading the front-page headline when Wei Yujin came in from outside. Her eyes lit up at the sight of Zhenzhen, and she quickly slipped over and sat beside her, speaking softly: “I’ve tidied up the whole courtyard. I called my husband last Tuesday—he’s already cleaned up the house and sold the food supplies and such. Tomorrow, he’ll bring the child and take the train here.”

Zhenzhen was genuinely happy for Sister Wei. “That’s great news! Just that commuting from home won’t be as convenient as living in the dormitory.”

Wei Yujin chuckled. “It’s only a twenty-minute bike ride to the office—really not far. I moved everything over yesterday. I just went to the Personnel Bureau to return the dormitory key. Let me know when you’re free, and I’ll treat you to a meal at my place.”

Zhenzhen thought for a moment. “How about this Sunday? We can celebrate your housewarming too.”

The two set the date. Wei Yujin went back to her desk to begin drafting news stories, while Zhenzhen glanced at her newspaper but couldn’t help checking on Editor-in-Chief Yu’s office with a bit of apprehension.

Editor-in-Chief Yu had already reviewed Zhenzhen’s submissions. The feature pieces needed no commentary—her interviews were thorough, and through her portrayals of corporate growth, changes in workers’ lives, and comparisons between past and present, she vividly illustrated the transformations brought about by the Reform and Opening-up. As for the commissioned article, Zhenzhen had not only interviewed company personnel but also visited relevant government departments and obtained recent economic data that clearly reflected rapid development. The article opened with authoritative statistics, interspersed with relevant leadership quotes, and used comparisons among different companies—particularly examples like Tengda, which had been on the brink of bankruptcy, unable to pay salaries for half a year, yet within just two years had transformed into the largest furniture manufacturer in China. The piece clearly conveyed how Reform and Opening-up presented new opportunities, highlighting whether companies clung to the old ways or embraced bold innovation and exploration.

Yu Shoujing had originally given Zhenzhen the assignment as a way to train her in interview techniques and information gathering. He hadn’t expected her to produce anything publishable—after all, Huaguo News Agency was known for its rigorous standards. New reporters typically had to shadow veterans for at least three months before attempting their own submissions. But to his surprise, Zhenzhen’s article was impressively comprehensive; with just a few additional remarks, it would be ready for publication. He picked up his pen and began revising the manuscript directly.

Two hours later, Yu Shoujing finally called Zhenzhen into his office. If a week ago his attitude had been cordial, now it could be described as warmly friendly. Handing her the revised manuscript, Yu Shoujing looked at her with satisfaction. “As expected of a student who won the top scholarship at Imperial Capital University four years in a row—your writing skills have exceeded my expectations. This news article is very well done. I’ve made some edits; it can be submitted this afternoon and might be published as soon as tomorrow.”

“Really?” Though Zhenzhen knew she’d worked hard, having her efforts recognized still thrilled her. “Thank you, Chief Editor!”

Yu Shoujing smiled. “These four feature articles are good too. We’ll publish them one by one when the right time comes.” In her heart, Zhenzhen secretly gave herself a victory sign. By the time she walked out of the office, she felt like her legs were floating.

That afternoon, the newspaper layout was finalized and the various editors reviewed the articles. Zhenzhen discreetly checked where her article had been placed—it was positioned as the lead story on page two. For a newcomer, that was already an outstanding achievement.

That evening, upon returning home, Zhenzhen dashed into the courtyard and shouted at the top of her lungs, “Grandma, my article got approved! Tomorrow’s Huaguo Daily will have my piece!” Granny Li was overjoyed. “Zhenzhen’s mother! Hurry, send a telegram back home!”

At dawn the next morning, Granny Li was already waiting outside the post office. As soon as the doors opened, she charged inside. “Comrade, give me a hundred copies of today’s Huaguo Daily!”