After the farce ended, Wu Jun felt a wave of relief wash over him, leaving him utterly exhausted. Just as he was about to collapse to the ground, Li Gong caught him swiftly and held him tightly, as if he were a precious treasure.
Feeling the strong arms around him, as if silently offering support, Wu Jun finally let out the emotions he had been holding back since his rebirth. Tears silently fell from his eyes, drop by drop onto Li Gong’s neck, like an offering for his past life.
Just as Li Gong thought this tender moment would last a long time, Brother Cai’s loud voice shattered the warm atmosphere.
“What are you two doing hugging each other? Is something wrong? Oh my, little brother, why are your eyes so red? Did Xiao Gong bully you? Don’t worry, with your Brother Cai here, I’ll make sure to set things right for you.”
Brother Cai’s mouth rattled on endlessly. Only then did Wu Jun realize he had been hugging the other man for too long. Without time to think about why, he jumped out of Li Gong’s arms as if shocked.
“Brother Cai, I’m fine. I just nearly tripped, and Gong Ge caught me. I have something to take care of, so I’ll be going now.” With that, without waiting for their response, he hurried away, as if staying any longer would cause something to slip out of his control.
“Xiao Gong, are you two really okay? Do you want Brother Cai to mediate?” Straightforward Brother Cai couldn’t figure out what was going on with the two young men, but he felt the atmosphere was a bit strange.
“We’re fine. By the way, Brother Cai, thank you for your help earlier. I’ll treat you to a drink after work.” Li Gong thought to himself that it was fortunate Brother Cai had returned in time; otherwise, with how well the atmosphere had been today, he might have done something reckless. After all, the time wasn’t right, and he didn’t want to scare the other man away.
Meanwhile, Wu Jun, having left, glanced at his watch. Seeing that it was about time, he headed toward the textile factory. The watch he wore had once belonged to his father in his younger days—a Shanghai Meihua (Plum Blossom) watch. After his father passed away, Wu Jun’s grandfather had kept it tucked away. Only recently, seeing that Wu Jun needed to travel to the county town frequently, had he brought it out. In his past life, this watch had been given as a gift to Li Xue and had ended up on her older brother’s wrist.
“Hello, Uncle. I’m Wu Jun. I’m here to see Factory Director Hua. Could you please help me get in touch with him?” The gatekeeper of the textile factory put down his newspaper upon hearing Wu Jun’s words. After carefully examining him, he said happily, “You’re Wu Aijun and Lin Biyao’s son, aren’t you? You’ve grown into such a fine young man. You really look like your mother. Wait here—I’ll go ask for Factory Director Hua for you.”
Delighted to see the young man he remembered, the gatekeeper hurried into the factory to call for Factory Director Hua.
Before long, Factory Director Hua came out. Seeing Wu Jun, he said cheerfully, “Wu Jun, why did you come this time? How are your grandparents doing?” He gestured for Wu Jun to follow him into the factory.
Once they were seated in the factory director’s office, Factory Director Hua began, “If I remember correctly, you’re already 16 this year, and after the New Year, you’ll be 17. You should know that the factory’s subsidy for you will only last until you turn 18. Have you thought about what you want to do after that?”
“Factory Director Hua, my grandfather told me about the subsidy. I came today first to collect next month’s subsidy, and second to ask if I could get a job at the factory after I turn 18. I heard that most of the good jobs here require a middle school education, and I’ve already graduated from middle school.” Wu Jun wanted to see if the factory could arrange a job for him.
“We did discuss this job issue with your grandfather back then. Since your parents sacrificed themselves to save public property, our factory will definitely arrange a good job for you in the future. If you’ve made up your mind, we can arrange a position for you. However, jobs are tight right now, so it might not be a good one.”
Factory Director Hua thought about the factory’s current situation. Although the textile factory was profitable, every position was filled by someone, and jobs were typically passed down from parents to children. Creating a new position suddenly would be difficult.
“Factory Director Hua, I understand the factory’s difficulties. I’d like to ask if I could be assigned to the factory cafeteria. I’ve been learning to cook from my grandfather for a while now, and I can make simple dishes. Besides, I still have over a year before I turn 18, and I’ll work even harder to learn during that time.”
Upon hearing that Wu Jun only wanted a cafeteria position rather than an office job, Factory Director Hua breathed a sigh of relief and laughed. “That’s easy to arrange. I can promise you that right now. When the time comes, we’ll get you into the cafeteria, and you can learn a few more tricks from the head chef there.” With that, he opened his drawer and handed Wu Jun the voucher needed to collect the subsidy for this month. “Take this to the accounting office next door to get your subsidy. I’ll take care of arranging the job.”
With Factory Director Hua’s assurance, Wu Jun took the voucher and went to the accounting office. Because it was the end of the year and the factory had been profitable, in addition to the agreed-upon subsidy, Wu Jun also received an extra 2 catties of rice, 2 catties of pork, and 2 cured sausages. Overjoyed, he couldn’t wait to get back and show his grandparents.
“Director, who was that young man who just left? I haven’t seen him around the factory before. Is he a new employee?” asked a woman around 50 years old in the accounting office, squinting slightly as she watched Wu Jun leave.
“Hong Hua, it’s normal that you don’t recognize him. He’s not an employee—he’s the son of Wu Aijun and Lin Biyao, workers who died in the line of duty. I can’t believe he’s grown so big. You weren’t at the factory back then, so you wouldn’t know. That couple sacrificed themselves to save the factory’s assets. It caused a huge stir at the time. Everyone in the whole city knew about it.”
Upon hearing this, Hong Hua thought for a moment and said, “You really wouldn’t have guessed. That couple truly were heroes for the country and its people! Director, I’m going to go get some hot water.” With that, she stood up and left.
The accounting director looked at the thermos on the table—it was still full of water. Why was that woman going out to get hot water? So strange. Still, Hong Hua had been brought in by the Party secretary, so no one usually dared to offend her.
Carrying the subsidies from the textile factory, Wu Jun returned to the village. The villagers he met along the way looked at the supplies in his hands with envy. They, as farmers, worked all year long and still couldn’t get as much food as this. And Wu Jun collected this much every single month. It was no wonder those who were green with envy found it hard to bear.