Chapter 66
After lunch, Qiao Wei took Yan Xiang home to get ready for a nap.
Those who ate at the Cafeteria and didn’t want to go home would just nap at their desks in the office.
Office staff didn’t start work until 2:30 PM, just half an hour earlier than the broadcasters, leaving them plenty of time for a nap. Some even went home to sleep after eating at the Cafeteria like Qiao Wei, since they lived nearby.
Someone like Qiao Wei, who had grown up in a big city with a one-way commute of 1 to 1.5 hours, had absolutely no concept of the leisurely pace of life in this small town.
She could only marvel at it.
But taking a nap was truly a wonderful habit.
Waking up and thinking about going to work in the afternoon, there was absolutely no sense of fatigue or weariness; going to work felt like going to the park—it was just like going for a stroll.
So this was the kind of job people used to have.
Qiao Wei finally understood why some elders would chide young people for “complaining about being tired just from working,” leaving one with a helpless feeling of someone talking down from a position of ease and being incapable of communication.
It was because the jobs the older generation had were fundamentally different from the 996 grind that corporate slaves endured in later generations.
There was no reasoning with that across the span of time.
After waking up from the nap, Yan Xiang asked, “Mom, do we still have to go to work?”
Qiao Wei was surprised: “You like going to work?”
“I like it.”
Qiao Wei couldn’t quite understand it.
But after observing in the afternoon, she vaguely began to understand.
People in the office did their own things without disturbing each other; the only thing they had in common was drinking tea.
There wasn’t even any smell of smoke—in an era where even grain was rationed, cigarettes were a somewhat luxurious consumption for many men. Even if they smoked, they didn’t smoke that much; after all, their economic conditions didn’t allow it.
Therefore, the air in the office was quite fresh, and different flowers bloomed in the pots on the windowsill, with the fragrance of flowers and tea mingling together.
Hu Sui was focused on knitting. Every stitch was regular, constantly repeating in a cycle.
Station Chief Lu and Lu Tianming were reading a book and a newspaper respectively, the sound of paper rustling filling the room.
Beyond that, when one person picked up their teacup to drink, it was as if a switch had been activated; before one mug had even touched the table, the other two mugs were picked up one after the other.
The sound of drinking tea, the sound of mugs landing on the table, sounded in sequence, and then returned to silence.
—A sense of order.
There was a strong sense of order in this office.
Qiao Wei glanced at Yan Xiang, who was sitting at an empty desk reading; it was clear that the quiet and focused atmosphere of the office blended with him like water.
Qiao Wei rubbed her temples.
At two o’clock, Lu Manman arrived right on time. Usually, she might not have been so punctual, and arriving half an hour late was normal.
But since a new colleague had arrived, she had to set a good example. Otherwise, if the new colleague didn’t learn anything else but learned to be late and leave early, it would be her who suffered in the end.
After all, the Station Chief was her own second uncle; others might not care about how the Broadcasting Station fared, but she couldn’t let her second uncle down.
If colleagues weren’t up to the task, were sick, or pregnant, she had to cover for them.
It was so annoying.
Lu Manman was a vibrant girl who bustled in: “Qiao Wei, come on, let’s go broadcast.”
It broke the order and tranquility of the office that people liked.
Yan Xiang certainly wouldn’t say anything to an adult, but the little boy expressed his slight dissatisfaction by knitting his tiny brows.
He looked just like the second-in-command of the office.
Qiao Wei patted Yan Xiang’s head and followed Lu Manman out.
After a while, Station Chief Lu put down his newspaper to drink tea, looked up at Yan Xiang, who was quietly reading a comic book, and praised: “Good child.”
Lu Tianming took a sip of tea: “So well-behaved.”
Hu Sui took a sip of tea: “Why is he so obedient?”
Although the little boy didn’t speak, he straightened his little back even more.
“There’s absolutely nothing worth reporting.” In the broadcasting room, Lu Manman complained to Qiao Wei, “It’s all trivial stuff; what’s worth reporting?”
“Whenever there’s a meeting, Section Chief Xie puts pressure on us. Really, they should be the ones from the propaganda department writing the scripts, and we should just broadcast them. Now they’re pushing the script-writing onto us too.”
“Now they require us to produce at least one script a week, and one script can be read for a whole week.”
Qiao Wei smiled: “I’ll study them.”
“Here.” Lu Manman handed them to her.
Qiao Wei quickly scanned through them; they were study notes on the Great Man’s thoughts.
“Where are the previous ones? I’ll study them all,” Qiao Wei said. “I’ll get the hang of it as soon as possible so you can have it easier.”
“I could tell just by looking at you that you’re a capable person.” Lu Manman beamed.
She pulled open the filing cabinet and took out two folders: “You look at these first. The rest are in there. You can get them yourself later. The key usually hangs on the office wall.”
Although they were in the same position, salaries increased based on seniority; once you reached a certain seniority, your salary would naturally go up.
There was no performance pressure, no KPI.
Competition simply didn’t exist.
As for promotion? For grassroots personnel, they could create new slots to fit people in, but leadership positions were one slot per person.
As long as one didn’t make major mistakes, in this kind of small-town government unit, the staff turnover was shockingly stable; most positions were adjusted only by birth, old age, sickness, and death.
Lu Manman and Qiao Wei not only had no competition but were partners working together. In fact, they were the ones who truly carried the banner for the whole department. If Qiao Wei could get the hang of it quickly and do a little more work, Lu Manman would have it easier.
Therefore, she helped the new colleague without holding anything back.
In the office, a leader from another department strolled over carrying his mug: “Busy, everyone?”
Station Chief Lu shook his newspaper, indicating he was busy reading. Lu Tianming turned a page of his book, indicating he was busy reading. Hu Sui was knitting, her mind already zoned out.
The leader from the other department strolled over to Yan Xiang’s side, looked at him twice, and praised: “The little friend is reading, eh?”
Yan Xiang was very polite: “Hello, Uncle.”
“Hello, hello. So well-behaved.” He bent down, revealing the tail of a big bad wolf: “Little friend, who was the one eating with you at noon? Is that your older sister?”
Yan Xiang was surprised and was about to answer that it wasn’t, when Station Chief Lu shook his newspaper with a rustling sound: “They are mother and son. Go back and tell those bachelors in your section that our new colleague is a Military Unit family member; her husband is a regimental-level officer, and the child is already this big.”
The man had come with a mission and was deeply disappointed: “Sigh. A wasted trip.”
“I knew you were up to no good the moment you walked in.” Station Chief Lu scolded with a laugh, “My person reported for duty yesterday, and your side is already targeting her today.”
“There are many bachelors; as a leader, I have to serve the masses.”
At noon in the Cafeteria, everyone had seen that beautiful girl in the white shirt and green army pants. Their department had the most men, and many young bachelors, all of whom had set their sights on her. As a leader, he naturally felt duty-bound to come and inquire.
Lu Tianming chuckled: “Qiao Wei does indeed look young.”
It turned out she was a military family member, bringing her son to work.
Come to think of it, if they were siblings, the younger brother would naturally be taken care of by their mother; it wouldn’t be the older sister’s turn.
The few bachelors had been so excited that they were like blind men, unable to think of that.
The leader strolled back.
Back on his own turf, the bachelors gathered around: “Section Chief, did you find out anything?”
The Section Chief slowly sipped his tea: “She’s a military family member, and the one she brought is her son, so stop thinking about it. Disperse, disperse.”
The few bachelors were deeply disappointed.
Someone still asked: “Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure,” the Section Chief said. “Her husband is a regimental-level officer. Is that the kind of treatment you can compare with?”
Now, not only the bachelors but even the bystanders were surprised: “Her husband is a regimental-level officer?”
“That must be a grade fourteen or fifteen salary, right?”
“Sister Liu, is your husband regimental-level?”
“No, he’s battalion-level. Regimental-level officers are older; my husband is still young.”
Now some people muttered: “She looks about the same age as Lu Manman. She married someone that old?”
Grapes you can’t reach are always sour, and immediately someone sneered: “With the treatment of a regimental-level officer, can anyone else compare? If I were a young maiden, I’d marry a regimental-level officer too, regardless of whether he’s old or not.”
The crowd laughed, and someone else said: “Older cadres know how to cherish people too.”
Another round of laughter.
Seeing that the conversation was getting out of hand, the Section Chief exerted his authority: “You have too much free time, is that it? Have you finished writing your study reports? You, you, and you, bring them over for me to see.”
The crowd immediately scattered like birds and beasts.
Qiao Wei didn’t know yet that a rumor about “the new woman at the Broadcasting Station married an old cadre to live a good life” had been born.
She hugged the old scripts Lu Manman had given her and went back to the office to study.
There were many staff members, and many office desks, some of which were empty. She and Yan Xiang could each have one.
Lu Manman’s voice rang out over the broadcast.
Station Chief Lu picked up his teacup: “It’s still this script.”
He took a sip of tea, saw Qiao Wei studying, and encouraged her: “Qiao, get the hang of it early, produce a lot, and you must innovate.”
“Innovation is a bit difficult.” Qiao Wei praised his niece: “The scripts Manman writes are earnest and rigorous, and of a very high standard; I must study them well.”
Station Chief Lu was satisfied and said reservedly: “Don’t praise her; if she hears you, her tail will go up to the sky.”
Qiao Wei said: “She is young, she should have that vitality.”
Hu Sui continued knitting, her mind zoned out.
Lu Tianming glanced at Qiao Wei and nodded inwardly.
He saw Yan Xiang nearby. He had already had two daughters in a row, and now with the fourth pregnancy, he didn’t know if he would be able to have a son.
Seeing someone else’s little boy, he couldn’t help but like him.
He closed his book and waved it: “Yan Xiang, have you finished reading your comic book? The Library has comic books too, do you want to go see them? I’ll take you.”
“Oh?” Yan Xiang looked up.
Actually, he had read all his books several times, including the agricultural technology manual and the pig-raising technology manual at home.
Because books were limited, he could only read them repeatedly.
He turned his head to look at Qiao Wei: “Mom?”
Qiao Wei was new and not yet familiar with the environment; she was pleasantly surprised to hear there was a Library and immediately agreed: “Go ahead, don’t run around, follow the uncle. If you get lost, remember that this is the Broadcasting Station.”
Lu Tianming said: “How could I let him get lost? I’ll keep an eye on him.”
His job was maintenance, and he only had work to do when there was a breakdown; day by day, he just spent time in the office.
Suddenly a little boy had arrived, and teasing the child could help pass the time.
He took Yan Xiang and left.
Qiao Wei asked Station Chief Lu: “I don’t seem to see anyone else bringing their children; surely I’m not the only one, am I?”
“There really aren’t many people who bring them. Occasionally, there are.” Station Chief Lu said.
Hu Sui had the right to speak on this topic and directly gave the explanation she had derived from long-term observation: “We military family members have a nursery; the little ones can just be thrown into the nursery. The older ones can be thrown into school once they are old enough.”
“As for others, they are locals, and they have elderly family members at home to take care of the children, so they don’t need to bring them to the unit.”
It was also common for one elderly person to take care of a whole string of children. Anyway, the children were all free-range; taking one out was a walk, and taking a whole group out was also a walk. As long as everyone had food to eat and didn’t go hungry, that was fine.
This was the advantage of the locals.
But military families also had nurseries.
“Why didn’t you send Xiangxiang to the nursery?” Hu Sui asked.
Qiao Wei said: “If the teachers at the nursery were as clean as you, keeping everything spotless, I would feel at ease sending him there.”
Hu Sui clapped her hands: “Exactly! I can’t look at those few at the nursery; they are all filthy and slovenly. If I were to go, I would keep the children clean. You can rest assured and leave Yan Xiang to me!”
Qiao Wei sighed: “What a pity.”
She sighed in such a way that it made Hu Sui feel that staying at the Broadcasting Station was truly a waste of her talent.
Station Chief Lu picked up his mug and blew on the tea leaves.
The new Comrade Qiao is able to get along harmoniously with every colleague at the Broadcasting Station; hmm, very good, very good.
