Seeing that the accountant had gained the upper hand, Sister Li supported Wei Nan and returned with the others to the main office.
She washed her cup thoroughly and then took out some treasured tea leaves to brew a cup for Wei Nan.
“Xiao Nan, drink some water first to calm yourself. Don’t pay any attention to that Secretary Liu. With Accountant Qiao around, he doesn’t dare make trouble,” Sister Li said reassuringly.
Wei Nan took the cup and sipped the water.
Still, she couldn’t help asking in confusion, “Sister Li, did I ever offend that Secretary Liu?”
During this brief moment, Wei Nan searched through her memory but found nothing, absolutely nothing connecting her to this Secretary Liu. She didn’t even remember knowing him.
At that moment, someone next to her clicked their tongue and said, “What do you have to do with him? It’s your cousin. He’s currently pursuing Wei Jing!”
Wei Nan looked up and saw a girl standing nearby, about her own age.
But this girl looked far more vibrant and lively than the body Wei Nan now occupied.
She wore a pure white turtleneck sweater under a bright red wool coat. Her hair was styled in big waves, rare for this era, tied into a high ponytail. She radiated dazzling beauty from head to toe.
Seeing her look up, the girl smiled at Wei Nan: “No need to get angry over someone like that. He’s just a yes-man, saying whatever he thinks others want to hear.
And now he’s chasing Wei Jing. No need to ask, he saw you going to the director about the money and wanted to use it to show off to Wei Jing!”
At that, she spat toward the door in disgust and muttered, “What a piece of trash!”
“Enough, Mei, watch your mouth,” Sister Li said, nudging the girl lightly, though her eyes were full of approval.
So it was all about Wei Jing!
Finally, Wei Nan understood the underlying reason.
Sister Li and Mei continued talking for a while, and Wei Nan listened, slowly piecing together what had just happened.
By the time she finished her cup of tea, she had it figured out.
Her earlier instinct to go see the director was just a natural reaction.
The accounts that Accountant Qiao had calculated were far beyond what Wei Nan had expected.
Her first thought was naturally to find the top person in the factory to explain the situation and see if she could get some help.
Wei Nan’s original intention had only been to deal with this debt.
If the debt could be resolved, and she didn’t have to repay it herself, that would have been enough.
She had no interest in getting involved with Wei Damin and his family’s messy affairs.
But now, it was clear that this couldn’t just be left alone.
Wei Nan didn’t want to make a big scene, but obviously, someone else didn’t see it that way.
Although the original owner’s memory didn’t hold any strong impression of that cousin, three years ago that cousin had stolen her job. Now, when Wei Nan had been pushed to such a desperate point, the cousin was still scheming behind her back, leaving her with grievances and no one to appeal to.
All of this proved one thing: Wei Jing was no good at all.
If that was the case, then the matter had to be taken seriously. Even if it meant risking everything, Wei Nan was determined to make the other side feel the consequences first.
Once she realized this, Wei Nan stopped crying. Her expression became calm and steady.
But deep down, a small flame had begun to burn fiercely.
When Sister Li and Xiao Mei finally finished talking, Wei Nan put down her teacup and asked softly, “Sister Li, may I use the paper and pens over there?”
“Over there?” Xiao Mei was the first to turn her head.
“The paint and the white paper.”
Wei Nan pointed to an empty seat not far away. On that table, several large sheets of white paper and some paint supplies for writing slogans were scattered about.
“That’s from the propaganda department. They’re not here now. I’ll go get it for you. What do you need it for?”
Xiao Mei walked over, picked up a stack of paper, and grabbed several jars of paint and brushes, bringing them over.
Wei Nan thanked her and took the materials. She laid them out on Sister Li’s desk and said gently, “I want to write a letter of appeal to the provincial women’s federation.
I just thought about it, I had gone to the wrong place before. Secretary Liu wasn’t wrong; I’m not part of the factory, so coming to see the director wasn’t appropriate.”
But the Women’s Federation is supposed to be the home for us women comrades. They can’t just ignore this, can they? I want to ask, given my situation and my little sister’s, what are we supposed to do in the future?
I spent six years in the countryside supporting national construction.
When I came back, first I had to face the news of my parents’ deaths, and now I have to repay someone else’s debt.
I want to ask: does this mean there’s no way for me and my sister to live at all? In this new society, in this new era, do the weak have to be crushed like this, driven to death?”
Wei Nan’s voice wasn’t loud, but her words immediately changed the expressions of everyone around her.
The people who had been sitting at their stations, quietly murmuring to each other while working, stopped talking. One by one, they instinctively stood up and gathered around.
All their eyes fell on the three large characters Wei Nan had painted in bright red on the white sheet: “LETTER OF APPEAL.”
Her handwriting was beautiful, delicate yet with strength and character.
But written in red on a white sheet, the letters still made people uneasy.
The vivid strokes somehow evoked the feeling of blood…
Thinking of everything that had recently happened to the Wei family, and looking at the girl in front of them with her pale, almost colorless face, everyone instinctively looked away.
The huge, urgent characters seemed to stab at their eyes, impossible to look at directly.
At that moment, everyone realized the seriousness of the situation.
It was already November, and there was only one month left in the year.
At this time, any factory or government office would prioritize safety and stability above all else.
Production was important, of course, but safety and stability were even more crucial.
If any unit caused a problem now and stirred unrest, the consequences could erase a year’s worth of achievements.
Although Wei Nan was technically not a factory worker, she was still a child of the factory.
Even though her parents had passed, she grew up there and still lived in the factory housing.
Her situation was even more exceptional, she was a recently returned educated youth.
This was the peak time for returning educated youth, the moment when government pressure was at its highest, when nothing could go wrong.
If Wei Nan’s family matters were mishandled and public attention or pressure arose, the impact could extend far beyond the textile factory itself.
Wei Nan could understand the situation clearly, who else present didn’t?
Anyone working in the offices of a large textile factory like this had to be sharp and perceptive.
Seeing that bright red, almost blood-like “Letter of Appeal,” if most people had been cautiously sympathetic before, now their hearts tightened with tension.
The pressure and urgency made them no longer dare to underestimate the frail-looking girl in front of them.
“Xiao Nan, don’t worry, we can talk this through!”
Mei, one of the staff members, was the first to react. She stepped forward and firmly held Wei Nan’s hand as she was about to write.
“Xiao Nan, our factory has a union. I’m a union officer. Part of our job is to serve the women and children in the factory and protect their rights.
You are a child of this factory, and your matters fall under our union’s responsibility. Don’t worry, don’t worry. Sit for a moment; our chairperson has gone down to the workshop. I’ll call her back!”
Saying this, she grabbed Sister Li’s hand from nearby and unceremoniously pressed it into Wei Nan’s hand.
Without waiting for a response, she dashed out of the office.
Her action prompted the others to respond. Several people quickly moved around Wei Nan, comforting and reassuring her. Someone even took her teacup and went to refill it.
At the same time, a few others, like Xiao Mei, ran outside the office.
Soon, the union chairperson Wang Qiuping returned with Xiao Mei.
She was a woman in her forties, wearing a blue officer’s uniform faded from repeated washing, with short hair, walking briskly, her brows carrying a sharp, commanding presence.
At first glance, she didn’t seem like someone who handled union work and daily interactions with female workers, she looked more like a female officer in the military.
She carried a strong aura.
Entering the main office, she walked straight toward Wei Nan.
Once there, she held Wei Nan’s hands in both of hers, looking apologetic. “Xiao Nan, I’m your Aunt Wang. Do you remember me? We’ve met before in the residential compounds.
Oh my, it’s so cold, why did you come over? Weren’t you still sick?
See, this is because we haven’t been careful enough with our work. I was just saying we need to go to the hospital to check on you after returning from the workshop.”
Wang Qiuping’s face was full of concern as she fussed over Wei Nan, asking after her like she would a younger relative.
She held Wei Nan’s hand, repeatedly sighing in concern. “Look at these little arms, so thin! You haven’t been eating well out in the countryside!
Xiao Nan, have dinner with Aunt Wang tonight! Today in the canteen they have braised pork with potatoes, come with me, I’ll make sure you get a good meal!”
Wei Nan smiled faintly but didn’t respond.
She knew that anyone who could rise to be the union chairperson in a factory with over a thousand workers didn’t rely solely on this kind of warm, comforting demeanor.
There was, of course, a sharp, shrewd side to her.
The reason Wang Qiuping acted this way was to prevent the situation from escalating further, it was a deliberate effort to soothe her.
But once an arrow is released, it cannot be pulled back.
Wei Nan knew that the moment she wrote the three characters “Letter of Appeal,” this matter had to be made public.
Only by doing so could she attract the attention of the leadership and reclaim what was rightfully hers.
In twenty years of life, Wei Nan had never suffered such grievance and humiliation!
For herself, and for that unfortunate girl who had grown up soaked in hardship, she had to fight to take back every bit of justice she deserved!