The dance party at the Mechanical Factory, Zeng Qingwen is the announcer there, she definitely needs to be the host.
This is a great opportunity to explore the relationship between the two and secretly gauge the thoughts of the second female lead.
Tian Xiang was leaving home when Hu Honglian asked, "Where are you going?"
Tian Xiang replied casually, "Just going for a stroll by the bridge."
"It’s getting dark, what’s there to stroll around?"
Hu Honglian glanced at her daughter two times and tentatively said, "The Mechanical Factory has a dance party later, why don’t you go check it out?"
The implication was obvious, at the Mechanical Factory, Lu Feng would definitely be there.
Tian Xiang resisted the urge to lecture, "I’ll see."
She realized that as long as she didn’t remove the protagonist label from her forehead, everyone would think she and Lu Feng were meant to be.
Hu Honglian was overjoyed, "Be careful on your way, have someone bring you back if it’s too late."
"Got it."
...
The party at the Mechanical Factory is naturally the most lively among the various factories.
The event started in the afternoon with a quarterly work summary, speeches and awards, followed by a dinner for the whole factory, and then the dance party.
This dance party is specifically prepared for the young people in the factory; it’s basically an opportunity for freedom of courtship or to enhance feelings for those already dating.
Tian Xiang arrived and saw many young men and women heading inside.
Tian Xiang, alone and wearing a military cap, was stopped by the gatekeeper.
"Comrade, which department are you in?"
Tian Xiang thought to herself, I’m from the social department.
"I’m from the textile mill in front."
The gatekeeper: "Who’s bringing you in?"
The dance party is specifically for young people. It’s normal for the young men and women in the factory to invite outsiders to join, but someone has to bring them in.
Today, every pair is coming in together, but she’s alone and half her face is covered with a hat, so the old man was sure to question.
This is the factory area, if a wrongdoer sneaks in, he would be held accountable.
This gatekeeper sure does his job thoroughly.
Tian Xiang pushed the brim of her hat to the side, revealing her delicate little face.
"Sir, my friend is from the factory union publicity department, his surname is Meng. He is busy inside today, I didn’t want to bother him, so I’m here alone."
With no choice, among the young men in the factory besides Lu Zazha, she only knew the background board colleague.
Luckily, she learned his surname last time, otherwise, she couldn’t have maintained this lie today.
Seeing the beautiful woman in front of him, the old gatekeeper smiled, "Alright, hurry inside, it’s over at the auditorium."
"Thank you, sir."
Tian Xiang walked briskly.
The gatekeeper asked the colleague beside him, "The factory union publicity department, surname Meng? Could it be Meng Cheng’an!"
The other old man said, "There are only two unmarried youths in the union publicity department, one is Lu Feng, and the other is Meng Cheng’an."
She really came looking for Meng Cheng’an.
The young lady is so pretty, quite unexpected!
On the other side.
Tian Xiang followed the crowd to the auditorium.
With thousands of employees at the Mechanical Factory, the auditorium isn’t small, similar to a school playground, with a stage in front and tables and chairs below, but today it serves as a dance floor, with space cleared in the middle.
When Tian Xiang went in, there were many people inside. The surrounding resting area had snacks like sunflower seeds and peanuts, which could be eaten freely.
The Mechanical Factory spared no expense!
The program is to start in fifteen minutes, Tian Xiang entered and walked to the side, found a spot with many onlookers, grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and silently sat next to them.
A few minutes later, Tian Xiang figured out the background of several nearby onlookers, one is a quality inspector in the Mechanical Factory production workshop, the other two are from the neighboring button factory.
The three started talking about gossip from their respective workshops, and when the event was about to start, Lu Feng appeared, and the topic shifted to him.
This week’s Red Star Weekly printed another of his poems.
It was really beautiful, "The moon viewed through fog, dreaming about unrequited love..."
"This one is clearly a love poem, who is he actually pining for? Couldn’t be that shrew from Sanli Lane who slapped him back then, right?"
Tian Xiang, in the middle of munching sunflower seeds, paused.
She became a shrew!
Even more exaggerated than a fierce woman.
"No way! Lost a lot of face, if I were Lu Feng, I’d hate that person to death."
"Not necessarily, I heard the follow-up was that shrew came to the gate looking for him, they even chatted, Lu Feng’s a good person, too lazy to bother."
"Came looking for him again? Regret much?"
"Should be. Recently someone saw her near the family dwelling, looks like she’s still clinging to him..."
Beside them, Tian Xiang gnawed her teeth in silent rage.
You’ve got to be kidding, these people just saw her at Red Fifth Street but conveniently ignored her disdainful glare when looking at Lu Feng!
Tian Xiang cracked open two sunflower seeds, casually chiming in, "I think he must be pining for someone he missed before."
"Who?"
The three all looked at her in unison.
Tian Xiang, eating sunflower seeds, lifted her chin slightly.
The three followed her line of sight to the stage ahead.
In the bright lights, Lu Feng was testing the sound equipment with someone.
Not far away, Zeng Qingwen, dressed in a beautiful dress, was comparing the program list with a girl holding a flute.
Before the dance began, there were a few small programs to liven up the atmosphere.
Tian Xiang said nothing, just subtly lifted her chin.
The three began to imagine a drama.
Soon, someone whispered, "They were high school classmates, last year’s snowman building contest, the two teamed up and won a prize. I think Announcer Zeng also likes Lu Feng, just Vice Factory Director Zeng doesn’t agree."
"Exactly. Though not spoken outright, some things are obvious to an insightful eye."
"Vice Factory Director Zeng has planned it out, intending to send his daughter to college next year!"
Tian Xiang interjected, "So, they got split up by Vice Factory Director Zeng?"
This second female lead is something, being the daughter of the Vice Factory Director.
"Could be. They didn’t publicly acknowledge it, so it’s hard to say."
Tian Xiang: "I think Lu Feng is just fickle, the Zeng family doesn’t agree, shouldn’t he try harder? Why is he still going around dating? It’s hurtful for anyone, it’s not Announcer Zeng’s fault her family doesn’t agree, and he turns around and finds someone else, what does he take people for?"
As soon as she said this, the three onlookers began laughing at her.
The quality inspector at the Mechanical Factory asked, "Which factory are you from?"
"I’m from the textile mill."
Tian Xiang’s lie rolled off her tongue smoothly.
"No wonder, you didn’t study at the Second Middle School, so you don’t know. Our factory’s Announcer Zeng has high standards, she doesn’t usually even glance at ordinary men. Back then, sitting next to Lu Feng, she often bossed him around. Everyone has the same two eyes and one mouth, what’s special about her?"
"Exactly. Even Lu Feng, as excellent as he is, was disliked by her family, ’not fighting for bread, fighting for face’, if I were Lu Feng I’d also look around, what’s this about without your daughter, there’s no good girl in this world!"
Right, ’not fighting for bread, fighting for face.’
But if you all knew Lu Feng’s true desire was to have it both ways, you wouldn’t think this way.
Below the auditorium, Meng Cheng’an strolled in with a basket of oranges and as soon as he looked up, he saw Tian Xiang from afar.
She was wearing a red and black checkered jacket, paired with black straight pants, with a military cap hiding half her face, two long braids casually resting on her shoulders, munching sunflower seeds and talking to people around her, the only color in the entire hall.