The Hu family, the only family in the apartment building that had ever had a conflict with the Qiao family, had already been thoroughly intimidated by the father and son. Even if the two men were away on business for a long time, the Hu family probably would not have the courage to come looking for trouble.
As for everyone else, they probably were not foolish enough to try anything either. After all, the father and son were only away on business, not gone forever. Anyone who took advantage of their absence to bully their family would have to think about what would happen when the two men came back. Wouldn’t they be torn apart?
Although the chances of anyone coming to cause trouble were small, Qiao Qiusheng still reminded his wife, “If anything happens at home, go to my two apprentices. They’ll help you. I’ll tell them before I leave and ask them to come by more often to check on things.”
“No, no, don’t trouble them! Wouldn’t that be too much trouble for them?” Qiao Zhufang immediately refused. She had always disliked bothering other people.
“They call me Master and you Master’s Wife. What’s the big deal about helping you out? They’ll be happy to do it.”
“That’s settled. Listen to me. Otherwise, with just the three of you at home while Heping and I are away, I won’t be able to leave without worrying.”
“All right, all right! But you’ll have to thank them properly afterward.”
Qiao Zhufang couldn’t argue with him and finally agreed.
Once that was settled, Qiao Qiusheng turned to his son and daughter-in-law and brought up another matter.
“These days, every industry is focusing on increasing production and construction. Our factory is working on the big steelmaking campaign, for example, and we’re short of workers. The factory has just issued a new policy, and another large recruitment drive is about to begin.
“There won’t be an entrance exam this time. As long as applicants meet the age and health requirements, they can apply.
“What’s more, they’ve relaxed the requirements. People with rural household registration can apply too. The only additional requirement is that, unlike applicants with urban household registration, rural applicants must be literate.
“The requirements may sound strict, but they’re recruiting a lot of people. If someone can read and write, there’s probably a ninety percent chance they’ll get in. Even if they don’t get into the steel factory, some of the other factories under it will soon start recruiting as well. There are going to be plenty of opportunities to become workers this time.”
In the previous few years, the government had strictly controlled rural residents entering the cities. It had even issued regulations specifically governing urban household registration. Except under special circumstances, factories were required to recruit workers with urban household registration, which was intended to prevent farmers from flooding into the cities.
Changing a rural household registration to an urban one required going through more than a dozen procedures. Every level of the relevant authorities had to stamp and sign off before the transfer could be completed.
Even going to the city to work as a temporary laborer or staying with relatives was not allowed. At that time, neighborhood offices conducted inspections every few days, checking for unfamiliar faces. And even if someone without urban household registration managed to find temporary work in the city, they would not receive a monthly grain ration.
That was why the Qiao family had never tried to pull strings to get members of the He family into the city as workers. It was simply too difficult.
Right after the founding of the country, things had been much easier. Entire families could move to the city and become workers. But because controls were too loose back then, farmers had poured into the cities, leaving no one to cultivate the countryside. Much farmland was abandoned, so the government gradually tightened its policies and imposed increasingly strict controls on household registration.
Now, however, because the government was pushing hard for increased production, factories in the cities were desperately short of workers. That was why the requirements had been relaxed enough to allow people with rural household registration to apply.
Knowing the situation of his daughter-in-law’s family, Qiao Qiusheng had specifically gone to the factory director and carefully read through the document so he could remember the details.
Naturally, Qiao Qiusheng hoped that both families would continue to prosper. If some of his daughter-in-law’s relatives could become workers in the city, the two families could support each other in the future. And when Jia Jia grew up, she would have more cousins in the city who could help her if she ever needed anything.
As soon as He Yingying heard this, she knew exactly who her father-in-law was talking about.
She quickly asked, “Then what’s the age requirement for this recruitment?”
Qiao Qiusheng patiently replied, “Applicants have to be between sixteen and thirty-five years old. People who are too young or too old aren’t suitable, since factory work requires physical strength. But exceptionally outstanding applicants may be allowed outside the normal age range.”
“Then I guess only my eldest brother’s oldest son can come and apply. The other nephews aren’t old enough yet.”
Although this was good news, He Yingying couldn’t help sighing. If her second nephew were just two years older, he could come with her eldest nephew and apply together.
Her eldest brother, second brother, and their wives were old enough, but none of them could read.
At this point, Qiao Qiusheng said, “I was originally thinking of having you and Heping go back to your parents’ village and explain everything properly to your family. But since Heping is going on a business trip, Yingying, don’t go back alone. The roads aren’t very safe. Instead, have someone take a message to your family and ask your brothers to come here to discuss it.”
The roads to the countryside really weren’t safe in those days. There were plenty of young thugs along the roadside. Sometimes, when they saw someone riding a bicycle, they would even put nails in the road to puncture the tires and then rob the cyclist.
The couple had encountered such people before when they went to the countryside. Fortunately, Qiao Heping was tall and strongly built, which was intimidating enough. Whenever they encountered someone reckless enough to attack them, Heping had beaten them down. After that, they rarely encountered any trouble.
But if He Yingying went back alone, it would be a completely different situation. Someone might see a woman riding a bicycle alone through a deserted area and decide to take advantage of her.
He Yingying wasn’t foolish and understood this perfectly well. After hearing her father-in-law’s warning, she immediately nodded.
“All right. I’ll have someone take a message back instead of going myself. Thank you, Dad, for telling me about this.”
“We’re family. There’s no need to thank me. Once I’m gone, just keep an eye on your mother while you’re at home. Your mother is too softhearted. Don’t let anyone sweet-talk her into giving things away.”
Qiao Qiusheng smiled as he said this.
His Amei wasn’t exactly foolish. She was simply too softhearted—and she had always had a weakness for good-looking people.
She had been like that since childhood.
When she was little, she saw that he was handsome and nearly starving to death. Without caring whether he was a good person or a bad one, she brought food from home and gave it to him.
Later, when the old woman wanted to choose a boy from among the refugees to become her child husband, she ignored all the boys who were healthier and stronger than him and insisted that the old woman choose him.
It could be said that if Amei hadn’t been so kindhearted, he might not have survived.
But Qiao Qiusheng was selfish in one respect. He didn’t want Amei to waste that kindness on other people.
He was a good person. After Amei saved him, he had always remembered her kindness and sworn that he would treat her well. But not everyone was like him. There were plenty of ungrateful people in the world. He didn’t want all of Amei’s kindness to be wasted on people who didn’t deserve it.
Take the Hu family, for example.
The wife of Hu Shifu had once tricked Amei by saying she was sick and didn’t have money to buy medicine. After saying a few pitiful things, Amei’s heart softened and she immediately lent her ten yuan.
But the Hu family were completely ungrateful. They treated borrowing the money as though it were their right and had never intended to repay it. Worse, after borrowing the money, they actually resented the Qiao family.
There were plenty of people like the Hu family.
Qiao Qiusheng was probably one of the most cold-hearted people around. Whenever someone he wasn’t close to came to their home asking to borrow money or seeking help, he usually didn’t even bother responding.
But he was afraid that once he and his son were away, people might take advantage of Amei’s softhearted nature and sweet-talk her into helping them.
Fortunately, his daughter-in-law was fairly sharp. With her at home, he felt a little more at ease.
Qiao Zhufang, however, immediately objected when she heard this. She turned around and glared at her husband.
How was she foolish?
Seeing her expression, Qiao Qiusheng immediately corrected himself.
“You’re not foolish, you’re not foolish. I was just talking nonsense.”
Not long afterward, Qiao Qiusheng and Qiao Heping both left on their business trips.
With two people suddenly gone from the household, the apartment felt much quieter.
Still, life went on as usual. Qiao Zhufang had also completed all the paperwork for her new job and would soon begin working at the neighborhood office, so she would have something to occupy her time.
“Hello, Master’s Wife. My name is Wang Yi, and this is Li Fugui. Master instructed us to come by regularly for the next half month or so.
“If you need anything, please tell us. We’ll make sure it’s taken care of properly. And please don’t hesitate just because you think you’re troubling us. If you don’t let us help with anything, we’ll actually feel uncomfortable.”
Wang Yi and Li Fugui had deliberately come to their master’s home early in the morning before work to report in to their master’s wife.
They wanted to make a good impression on her so that she would speak favorably of them to their master later.
Qiao Zhufang, however, felt rather awkward seeing two men who seemed even older than her husband calling her “Master’s Wife.”
“You two look like you’re older than me. It feels a little strange having you call me Master’s Wife. Just call me Comrade Qiao instead. I’m working as a clerk at the neighborhood office now, so I’m just a junior staff member.”
At the neighborhood office, clerical staff were generally addressed as “cadres” or “clerks,” so Qiao Zhufang, who had just started working there, naturally received the same title.
Wang Yi and Li Fugui exchanged a glance before smiling.
“Master’s Wife, you’ve misunderstood. We’re both a few years younger than Master. I’m thirty-six this year, and Li Fugui is thirty-two. We probably just look older than we really are.
“But we have to admit, Master really does look young. He’s forty-three, yet he looks younger than my thirty-six-year-old self. And you’re the same, Master’s Wife. You look very young too.”
Qiao Zhufang became even more embarrassed.
Had she really misjudged their ages that badly?
But then she thought about her husband’s face and immediately felt that she could hardly be blamed.
Even though he was already forty-three, he was still as handsome as he had been when he was young. Somehow, that made him look younger than his own apprentices.
“Then thank you both. I’ll be troubling you during this period. Once your master comes back, I’ll definitely put in a good word for you.”
Qiao Zhufang smiled at her husband’s two apprentices.
Wang Yi and Li Fugui’s eyes immediately lit up.
Why had they worked so hard to make a good impression on Master’s Wife?
Wasn’t it precisely so that she would mention them to their master and say a few good things on their behalf?
Now that she had said it herself, they were instantly filled with enthusiasm. They almost wished they could split themselves in two—one person could go to work at the factory while the other stayed behind to run errands for Master’s Wife.
Qiao Qiusheng had been right. To his two apprentices, having their master ask them to help with family matters was a sign of trust. How could they possibly be unwilling?
At that time, most masters expected their apprentices to be available whenever called.
It wasn’t enough to help the master at the factory or occasionally handle tedious and exhausting tasks for him. Even after work, if the master had dirty or tiring chores to do at home, apprentices were expected to help without complaint.
If you couldn’t even take good care of your master, why would he pass down the skills that would allow you to make a living?
But Qiao Qiusheng was different from most masters.
At the factory, he treated his two apprentices almost entirely as a matter of work. When it was time to teach them, he taught them. Otherwise, he rarely called them over.
And after work, he certainly never treated his apprentices as free labor.
One would think that having such a considerate master would make the apprentices happy.
But the opposite was true.
The two apprentices were actually uneasy.
Their master was so distant that they couldn’t help wondering whether they had done something wrong or failed to please him, and whether he might refuse to pass on his most important skills to them in the future.
There was an old saying among apprentices:
“If you want to learn the craft, sleep beside the master.”
In other words, apprentices believed they needed to spend as much time as possible eating, living, and sleeping alongside their masters, building a close relationship and making the master value them. Better yet, they should develop a good relationship with the master’s family and become like family themselves.
Then, when the time came to pass down the craft, the master would naturally teach them wholeheartedly.
This was the most common way apprentices thought at the time.
Most apprentices believed that if a master entrusted his personal affairs to them, it meant he considered them close and trusted them.
So this time, Qiao Qiusheng had finally found something he needed his apprentices to do—and it was something involving his family.
In their minds, this meant their relationship with their master had finally become closer. Their master was treating them like members of his own family, which was why he was willing to entrust such an important matter to them.
Now Master’s Wife had even said she would speak well of them when Master returned.
As a result, Wang Yi and Li Fugui almost wanted to visit the Qiao household eight hundred times a day.
They would stop by in the morning before going to the factory to see whether Master’s Wife needed anything.
They would come again at noon after work.
And another visit in the evening was naturally indispensable.
Even while they were at work, they instructed their own family members to stop by the Qiao household whenever possible and make sure Master’s Wife wasn’t bullied while Master was away.
As for whether this looked too sycophantic or spineless?
Wang Yi and Li Fugui didn’t care at all.
One of them was a Level Four worker and the other a Level Five worker. They were already among the factory’s core skilled workers. In some smaller factories, either of them could have worked independently.
But even a Level Seven worker was still separated from a Level Eight worker by a seemingly impossible gap. Without seven or eight years—or even more than ten years—of effort, it was nearly impossible to cross that gap.
It was entirely possible for someone to remain stuck at Level Seven for their entire career.
And without their master’s guidance, the two of them might have needed another ten or twenty years to advance.
Now that they had an eighth-level master, it was like winning a prize that had fallen from the heavens. They might even be able to advance another level as early as next year!
They had also seen some Level Eight workers treat Level Seven workers like servants, yet those Level Seven workers still had to smile and flatter the Level Eight workers.
Compared with that, acting a little subservient toward their master’s wife was nothing.
Other people might want to flatter such a master and not even have the opportunity.
The two of them had worked incredibly hard, practicing day and night, before finally being chosen from among so many people to become Qiao Qiusheng’s apprentices.
Those who had failed to surpass them were still regretting it.
Everyone in the apartment building knew that both Qiao Qiusheng and Qiao Heping had gone away on business.
Only Qiao Zhufang and He Yingying, along with one child, remained at home.
Therefore, no one found it strange that Wang Yi and Li Fugui came over frequently. With their master away, it was only natural for apprentices to help look after their master’s family.
During the day, Jia Jia went to kindergarten, He Yingying went to work at the steel factory, and Qiao Zhufang went to work at the neighborhood office.
The apartment was left locked with no one inside.
Since the Qiao family’s home was on the first floor, it was indeed less secure than the apartments upstairs and more vulnerable to theft.
Still, it was broad daylight, so there wasn’t much to worry about. The doors were locked, the families of Qiao Qiusheng’s two apprentices frequently came by to check on the place, and there were neighbors all around.
Even though neither Qiao Zhufang nor He Yingying was home, no thief would dare come easily.
“It’s Yingying’s eldest and second brothers! You’re here. Come in and sit down. I’m going to take Jia Jia to kindergarten first. You two go inside and chat with Yingying.”
Qiao Zhufang held her granddaughter’s hand as she walked out.
When Jia Jia saw her two uncles, she obediently greeted them.
“Hello, Eldest Uncle. Hello, Second Uncle. I’m going to school now.”
“All right, go on. Don’t be late,” He eldest brother said to his niece.
He Yingying had just been combing her hair inside when she heard the commotion outside. She quickly tied her hair up and came out of the room.
“Eldest Brother, Second Brother, you’re here! I thought you wouldn’t arrive for another couple of days.”
“How could we wait that long? As soon as we received the message you sent, we came straight here. Yingying, is that recruitment information really true?”
“Of course it is. Heping’s father personally told me. In another couple of days, the notice will probably be posted on the public bulletin board.”
He Yingying answered as she took a thermos and poured water for her brothers.
“No need, no need. We’re not thirsty. Let’s keep talking about the recruitment. Your second brother and I already discussed it with Mom and Dad. As long as the recruitment notice is genuine, we’re definitely sending Chengwen and Chengliang to apply. No matter what, we can’t let them stay in the fields digging for a living with us.”
He Chengwen was He eldest brother’s oldest son, while He Chengliang was He second brother’s oldest son. Both boys were currently attending middle school in town.
Hearing her eldest brother, He Yingying looked puzzled.
“Has Chengliang turned sixteen? The factory recruitment requires applicants to be between sixteen and thirty-five. Isn’t Chengliang only fourteen?”
She remembered that Chengliang had been born four years after Chengwen. If she remembered correctly, Chengwen was eighteen now, which would make Chengliang fourteen.
He second brother explained, “Chengliang was born at a rather unusual time. He was born just before the Lunar New Year. Babies were counted as one year old at birth, and then the next New Year came earlier than the previous year’s New Year. Before he was even one year old, he’d already gone through two New Years.
“So by the time he actually turned one, he was already counted as three years old in the traditional age system. That’s how we registered his age on his household registration. And wouldn’t you know it, that worked out perfectly. According to his household registration, he’s already sixteen.”
“But Chengliang is still just a child. He’s only fourteen. Can he really handle factory work?” He Yingying asked worriedly.
The law said people didn’t become adults until eighteen. Sixteen-year-olds were considered old enough to work in factories, but fourteen was still a child’s age. Yingying felt that making a fourteen-year-old work in a factory would be too harsh.
He second brother, however, didn’t seem concerned at all.
“Why wouldn’t he be able to handle it? No matter how tiring factory work is, it’s still easier than working in the fields. Next year, once he finishes middle school, he’ll have to come home and work with us anyway. Farming isn’t any easier than factory work. The days are hard, too. He’d be better off becoming a factory worker and eventually getting a secure state job with state-supplied grain.
“If I stop him from applying because I feel sorry for him, then I’d actually be hurting him as his father.
“For years, the government wouldn’t allow people with rural household registration to enter the cities. Now they’ve finally relaxed the rules and allowed rural residents to apply for factory jobs. If we miss this opportunity, who knows when the next one will come?”
Seeing that his younger sister still looked worried, He second brother added, “You’ve sent so many good things home over the years. Chengliang has had plenty of nourishment. Look at him—he’s already over 1.7 meters tall. He looks no different from a sixteen-year-old. There may even be boys two years older than him who don’t look as strong.”
Everyone in the He family was tall.
He Yingying herself was 1.7 meters tall. Her eldest and second brothers were both close to 1.8 meters. It wasn’t particularly unusual for fourteen-year-old Chengliang to have already grown past 1.7 meters.
He eldest brother also spoke firmly.
“Your second brother is right. This recruitment is a great opportunity. If we miss it, we really don’t know when another one will come.
“Right after the country was founded, you and Heping encouraged us to come to the city and become workers too. But back then, we were used to making a living from the land and didn’t know much about the outside world. We were afraid there might still be fighting in the cities and thought the village was safer, so we didn’t dare go with you.
“That was how we missed the chance to become workers and get secure state jobs.
“After a few years, even if we wanted to become workers, there was no opportunity. The cities stopped recruiting people with rural household registration. If I said your second brother and I didn’t regret it, I’d be lying.
“So this time, no matter what, Chengwen and Chengliang have to apply. If they get in, their futures will be secure, and our family’s situation will improve. Struggling for a couple of years now isn’t a big deal.”
Hearing this, He Yingying nodded.
“All right. Since you’ve decided, have them both come and apply when the time comes. The announcement hasn’t been posted yet. It should take another three or four days. Have them come over in a few days, and I’ll take them to apply.
“Don’t worry. They’re recruiting a lot of workers this time. Even if they don’t get into the steel factory, they can try some of the smaller factories outside. Quite a few factories are recruiting these days. Chengwen and Chengliang can both read and write, so they’ll definitely be able to find a job.”
He eldest brother and He second brother smiled in relief.
“All right. I’ll have them come over a few times. We’ll have to trouble you, their aunt, to help them.”
“We’re family. Why are you talking like we’re strangers? I’m their aunt!”
He Yingying waved her hand dismissively.
This was also the first time that He eldest brother and He second brother sincerely felt that sending several of their children to school had been one of the wisest decisions they had ever made.
If Chengwen and Chengliang hadn’t gone to school, this recruitment opportunity would have passed them by completely.
Of course, the two brothers also felt a little regretful.
When the village had organized literacy classes before, they had thought they were already too old and would never become factory workers anyway, so they hadn’t taken their studies seriously.
Even now, they could only write their own names and recognize a few simple characters for everyday necessities.
If they had studied seriously back then, perhaps they could have applied this time too. They were both within the required age range and neither was over thirty-five.
Still, the current outcome was already very good.
At least two of their children would have the chance to enter the city, become workers, and receive state-supplied grain. That alone made all the money they had painfully squeezed out to send them to school worthwhile.
Afterward, He Yingying continued talking with her brothers for quite a while about the steel factory, giving them a better understanding of it.
She was even planning to have them take several technical books home when they left, so Chengwen and Chengliang could study them.
Although the recruitment requirement for rural applicants was only literacy, if they knew more than the minimum, wouldn’t they have a better chance of receiving a better assignment after entering the factory?
Just then, a neighbor’s loud voice came from outside.
“Yingying’s mother-in-law! Come out quickly! The kindergarten teacher just sent someone over with a message. Your daughter led the other children in a fight at kindergarten and injured another child! The teacher wants the parents to come over right away!”