Chapter 68
By Friday, Lu Manman couldn’t hold it in anymore.
“Why don’t you give it a try?” she urged Qiao Wei, guaranteeing, “I’ll be right here. If you forget anything, I can just reach over and fix it.”
She was referring to those knife switches and buttons.
Qiao Wei said: “Alright, I’ll give it a try.”
She sat in the chair, first turning on the machine to warm it up. Timing it carefully, she pulled the knife switch: “Xiahekou Town People’s Commune Broadcasting Station, broadcasting now. It is 10:05. We will now rebroadcast the Yongming County People’s Broadcasting Station program.”
Her voice carried through the speakers across the entire town.
Many people were stunned when they heard it.
The few people in the office were also taken aback, lifting their heads from their work one by one.
Yan Xiang: “Wow, it’s my mom!”
Station Chief Lu shook his head with a smile: “This girl.”
Lu Tianming scoffed: “She’s impatient, terrified that Qiao won’t be able to cover for her on Sunday.”
He was talking about Lu Manman.
Hu Sui giggled, knitting her yarn as she remarked: “Qiao’s Mandarin is really good.”
People in other departments within the Town Committee Residential Compound were also stunned.
“Did I hear that right? Is that our town’s Broadcasting Station?”
It turned out he hadn’t heard wrong, because the speaker immediately switched to the county Broadcasting Station’s channel: “Yongming County Broadcasting Station, broadcasting now. It is 10:05. We will now rebroadcast the news and newspaper summary from the Central Peoples Broadcasting Station.”
Although she was trying hard to speak Mandarin, it still carried the familiar local accent.
Shortly after, the county station switched to the Central Peoples Broadcasting Station, and standard, crisp Mandarin filled the air.
Except for being slightly more affected, there was almost no difference in accent compared to that earlier line, “Xiahekou Town Broadcasting Station, broadcasting now.”
“Is that the new woman?”
“Which one?”
“The one who’s young and married to an old cadre.”
“Tsk.”
“What’s going on? Tell me more.”
“I heard her family couldn’t even put food on the table, so someone introduced her to this old cadre. He’s been married before and even has three kids…”
After finishing the opening broadcast script, Qiao Wei immediately pushed the switch to turn off the mic and switched the channel to the county broadcast, all in one smooth motion.
Lu Manman: “Wow~”
“You’re really something. It’s your first time, and you’re so efficient,” Lu Manman exclaimed. “When I did it for the first time, my hands were shaking from nerves.”
After all, going from farming to machines, and from a 108-key keyboard to fewer than ten buttons, is a different experience.
One is an upgrade, facing something entirely new and unseen, which makes your hands shake. The other is purely a downgrade in complexity.
Qiao Wei said: “I’ve been watching you operate it for several days, and every day I’ve been standing behind you, mimicking your movements.”
She hadn’t, actually.
“No wonder,” Lu Manman praised her. “You’re truly a diligent comrade; I need to learn from you.”
Qiao Wei said: “I’ve already written what I need to read on Sunday. Could you take a look at it for me in a bit? If you think it’s fine, I’ll ask the Station Chief to review it.”
Lu Manman was even more pleasantly surprised.
She had originally thought that if Qiao Wei couldn’t write anything, she could just have her read from the Selected Works. Yue Xiufen often couldn’t write anything and just read from the Selected Works, and no one ever said anything to her.
She hadn’t expected Qiao Wei’s work attitude to be so much more proactive than Yue Xiufen’s.
“Let’s go, I’ll take a look.”
The two of them went to the office affectionately.
There were only two women in the office, Hu Sui and Lu Manman.
To others, Qiao Wei and Hu Sui were both married women with children, and both were military dependents, so theoretically, they should have been closer.
But in reality, compared to a stubborn rural sister-in-law, Qiao Wei was definitely happier hanging out with a vibrant young girl like Lu Manman.
After reading it, Lu Manman was very satisfied: “I think it’s no problem. Show it to the Station Chief.”
Station Chief Lu looked up: “What is it?”
She handed what Qiao Wei had written to Station Chief Lu: “Qiao Wei wrote this, it’s the script for Sunday. I think it’s quite good.”
Qiao Wei said: “Station Chief, please take a look and see where it needs to be changed.”
Station Chief Lu read it through once. The short essay was steady and balanced, with no errors to be found. Just like Qiao Wei herself—reliable.
Station Chief Lu nodded inwardly, but still picked up his fountain pen to change two sentences, then handed it back to Qiao Wei: “Make these changes.”
Qiao Wei glanced at it quickly; the changes didn’t make any real difference, it was just a different way of expressing the same thing.
She said in a crisp voice: “It flows much better now. I’ll go transcribe it.”
After saying that, she returned to her desk to find paper and rewrite it.
Station Chief Lu nodded with a smile.
Lu Manman rested her elbows on his desk and leaned over: “Second Uncle~”
“Call me Station Chief,” Station Chief Lu scolded her. “How many times have I told you?”
Lu Manman acted spoiled: “Station Chief~”
“Alright, I get it.” Station Chief Lu snorted through his nose, “Let Qiao cover this Sunday. You can take a break.”
Finally agreeing, Lu Manman cheered.
“I’ve already made plans with others to go to the county on Sunday,” she said happily.
It was only two steps between the desks, but she still had to rush over to notify Qiao Wei, afraid she wouldn’t hear: “Qiao Wei, I’m counting on you for Sunday. You’ll be okay on your own, right?”
Qiao Wei guaranteed: “You can go with peace of mind.”
On Friday afternoon, there was a study session for the Propaganda Section. Since the Broadcasting Station was also under the Propaganda Section, they had to study together.
Section Chief Xie first introduced everyone: “This is Comrade Qiao Weiwei, our new broadcaster.”
Qiao Wei stood up to greet everyone: “You can just call me Qiao Wei. I am very honored to be your colleague, and I look forward to studying and making progress together with everyone.”
Everyone clapped enthusiastically.
That’s how welcoming a new colleague goes; you have to show some enthusiasm.
But as Qiao Wei scanned the room, she noticed two colleagues whispering to each other, their gazes and smiles towards her a bit strange.
Section Chief Xie was very kind: “Qiao Wei, now that you’re new on the job, have you encountered any difficulties?”
“I have the nervousness that any newcomer feels when arriving in a new environment,” Qiao Wei said, “but thanks to the Station Chief’s guidance and my colleagues’ help, I’ve adapted quickly.”
Station Chief Lu smiled reservedly.
Lu Manman felt she was the one who had helped her colleague, and she straightened her back.
Section Chief Xie nodded and praised: “I heard your voice this morning. It was very good; you’re learning fast.”
“Lu Manman taught me step by step.” After praising her colleague, she also had to show herself off in front of the leader: “The Station Chief has already reviewed the script I wrote and approved it. This Sunday, I will be broadcasting independently for the first time.”
Section Chief Xie was surprised: “So soon?”
Lu Manman, afraid she wouldn’t be able to take her Sunday off again, quickly said: “Section Chief, Qiao Wei will be fine. You can rest assured.”
Section Chief Xie said: “You can’t just be reckless just to get Sunday off.”
In terms of their relationship, Section Chief Xie was Lu Manman’s cousin-in-law.
Lu Manman protested: “I’ll bet my head on it, Qiao Wei definitely has the ability to broadcast independently.”
“Alright,” Section Chief Xie joked, “If there are any problems, I’ll hold you accountable.”
“Okay!”
Qiao Wei smiled: “I will not let the leadership’s trust down.”
Like Station Chief Lu, Section Chief Xie was extremely satisfied with the newcomer sent over by the Military District.
He offered a few words of praise for Qiao Wei and the Broadcasting Station, and then the entire section began the day’s study session.
Everyone studied the Central Committee’s policies and the Selected Works of Great Man’s Thought together. Then came the discussion session.
Free discussion was impossible. In this type of fixed twice-a-week study session, if it were truly free discussion, everyone would probably just sit in silence.
They still had to be called upon by name, just like elementary school students answering questions in class.
The fear of being called upon, even after leaving school, remained like a shadow. Everyone tried to shrink their necks, focusing their eyes on the desks, avoiding eye contact with the leader.
The most relaxed person in the room was Hu Sui, who continued knitting her yarn as usual.
She only had the education level of a literacy class, so Section Chief Xie wouldn’t call on her at all; he always skipped her automatically.
Others weren’t very willing when called upon, dryly reciting their study reflections. It was all the same repetitive jargon that had been said so many times before, just brought out to be repeated again.
Mountains of paperwork and seas of meetings, just wheels spinning in place.
Section Chief Xie called on another person, but that person was unhappy: “I already spoke on Tuesday.”
Why call on me to speak again on Friday?
Suddenly, someone raised their voice: “Section Chief, why don’t you ask our new colleague to speak?”
All eyes immediately fell on Qiao Wei.
Section Chief Xie had originally intended to let Qiao Wei observe since she was new, and wait until next Tuesday to call on her to speak.
But when he cast his gaze over, he saw Qiao Wei sitting upright, her eyes meeting his.
Teachers and leaders alike like this kind of engaging gaze; it signals that she is ready.
“Then Qiao Wei, why don’t you say a few words,” Section Chief Xie said.
Scattered applause broke out.
The people from the Broadcasting Station all looked at Qiao Wei. Even Hu Sui stopped her knitting needles.
In the Broadcasting Station, everyone was an individual. But once in the Propaganda Section, the Broadcasting Station became its own unit.
People have an innate instinct to stick together. Besides, Qiao Wei had cultivated a harmonious atmosphere in the Broadcasting Station.
Qiao Wei opened her plastic-covered notebook: “Regarding this study session, I have four takeaways. I’ll start with the first point.”
Everyone: “?”
Qiao Wei: “The first point is further divided into three sub-points.”
Everyone: “…”
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Since she was in this era, she had to act like someone from this era.
Moreover, when Qiao Wei did her homework, she wasn’t doing it alone; her study partner was Yan Lei, the male lead of this story, a steadfast communist fighter.
More importantly, these points, which in others’ eyes were just theory, in Qiao Wei’s knowledge, had already been validated and occurred in the future. They fit across time and space, making one want to bow down in admiration.
Qiao Wei had simply too many reflections. She had to express them! Starting from the first point of the first item!
“…The above are all my reflections from this study session. I hope we can make progress together.” Qiao Wei let out a long breath and closed her notebook.
There was no internet here, no Weibo, and she couldn’t express her thoughts using a keyboard, but there was this tangible, three-dimensional, real-life study session.
The storm of output was over, and it felt great.
The meeting room was very quiet.
Qiao Wei blinked: “Does anyone have any different thoughts?”
Clap, clap, clap—Section Chief Xie took the lead in applauding. Everyone woke up as if from a dream and hurriedly followed suit. The meeting room was filled with the sound of applause.
“No. Comrade Qiao Wei really surprised me.” Section Chief Xie was very happy. “This clearly shows you’ve been studying seriously at home, right?”
Qiao Wei had to praise her study partner: “My husband is a very steadfast communist fighter. I study with him, and I’ve learned a lot. Of course, there are still many areas where my understanding is insufficient, and I hope to progress together with everyone in the future.”
Teachers like active and serious students, and leaders are the same.
Section Chief Xie presided over the twice-weekly study sessions, and everyone always had a listless, half-asleep attitude, which he had long been dissatisfied with.
Just as Section Chief Xie was about to praise Qiao Wei’s active attitude toward learning, someone suddenly scoffed: “As expected of a cadre.”
The phrase “As expected of a cadre” was something family members of cadres actually heard often.
But Qiao Wei glanced at the person, and her intuition told her the tone was off.
It felt a bit sarcastic; was it her imagination? She didn’t even know that person; they weren’t in the same office, and there shouldn’t be any conflict of interest, so why be sarcastic towards her?
Section Chief Xie glanced at that person, and the person shrank their neck.
This reaction made Qiao Wei very certain that he was indeed being sarcastic.
But she couldn’t just go and ask, “Why are you being sarcastic to me?” Qiao Wei smiled and responded to the leader’s praise, though in her heart, she was just wondering when she had offended someone.
That evening, Qiao Wei said to Yan Lei: “I have to be on duty this Sunday.”
Yan Lei said: “That works out perfectly. On Sunday, I’ll have Xiao Zhang drive me to the countryside to find a masonry team. The double-harvest season is almost over, so the commune should be able to take on work.”
Qiao Wei had transmigrated here for twenty-five or twenty-six days. From mid-July to the end of early August, it was almost mid-August. The double-harvest season was coming to an end, and the countryside was about to enter the slack farming season.
Qiao Wei described it repeatedly to Yan Lei: “…It’s just a kind of light yellow soil.”
Yan Lei felt like rolling his eyes.
“I’ve lived in houses like that my whole life; I was born in a place like that.” He was speechless.
“…” Qiao Wei, “Alright then.”
They asked Yan Xiang: “Xiangxiang, do you want to go to work with Mom on Sunday, or go to the countryside with Dad?”
Yan Xiang thought for a moment and decided: “I’ll go to the countryside with Dad.”
“Oh? Why?” Qiao Wei asked.
Yan Xiang said: “I want to see the crops.”
Qiao Wei understood. He had finished reading that agricultural technology manual, but in his life, he had never actually seen crops.
He had only seen some small green vegetables grown in their own small courtyard and Regimental Commander Zhao’s small courtyard. He wanted to go see the things written about in the book.
Yan Lei grabbed him under the armpits and lifted him high: “Exactly! We have to go see the crops! How can we not even recognize crops?”
He spun around and tossed Yan Xiang high into the air. Yan Xiang giggled.
Qiao Wei: “Who are you scolding?”
Yan Lei didn’t admit it: “I’m not scolding anyone.”
“You’re calling me someone who doesn’t work and can’t distinguish the five grains. Don’t think I can’t tell.”
“Then can you tell the difference between wheat seedlings and chives? Can you tell the difference between winter melon vines and watermelon vines?”
“…” Qiao Wei changed the subject, “Why don’t we plant watermelons in the yard? In the summer, we won’t need to buy watermelons; we can just pick them right from our own yard.”
Yan Lei was silent for a moment, then said slowly: “So you really thought that vine of mine was a winter melon vine?”
Qiao Wei: “…”
In this regard, Qiao Wei was completely defeated.
It didn’t matter; winning and losing are common occurrences in war. Anyway, as long as there are watermelons to eat next year, that’s all that matters.
