“Oh?” Liao Anping looked at Jiang Lianyue with interest. “How did you tell it was iron deficiency, Comrade Jiang?”
Jiang Lianyue took out the yellowed jasmine leaf she had brought back from Nahuan Village and explained while pointing at it.
Liao Anping nodded slightly after hearing her explanation and pondered for a moment. “Then do you know where iron fertilizer can be purchased?”
Jiang Lianyue shook her head. “I only know that a PLA chemical factory produces it, but I’m not sure which one.”
“In that case, Comrade Jiang, do you have time right now?” Liao Anping asked.
“Yes,” Jiang Lianyue replied.
“Then please come sit in my office for a while,” Liao Anping said. “I’ll make some calls to ask about iron fertilizer. I’d like you to help me assess which types would be suitable. Would that be alright?”
Jiang Lianyue was more than willing and immediately agreed.
Liao Anping’s office was very simple. One desk, two chairs, and a filing cabinet against the wall. That was all.
Compared to the luxurious offices of big bosses in later years, the difference was enormous.
Looking at the director’s office, decorated only with three honorary banners, Jiang Lianyue could not help but feel emotional. This really was a simple era, when even the offices of major factory directors were so plain.
Liao Anping invited Jiang Lianyue to sit, asked the secretary to bring over a porcelain enamel mug, then took a thermos from under the desk and poured her a cup of water.
“Have some water first, Comrade Jiang. I’ll make a few calls about the iron fertilizer.”
Jiang Lianyue smiled. “Please go ahead. I’ll take the chance to rest for a bit.”
Liao Anping nodded approvingly.
On the way back to the office, he had chatted with Jiang Lianyue for a while and learned that she came from the countryside, had only graduated from junior high, and had never been to other places. Yet with such a background, she possessed this level of insight and eloquence. Her learning ability had to be strong. Now that he saw how articulate she was, he felt even more that this young woman was a rare talent.
Liao Anping first called the provincial capital’s general fertilizer distributor to ask whether they carried iron fertilizer. After receiving a negative answer, he followed Jiang Lianyue’s suggestion and called several tea factories and fertilizer distributors he was familiar with, asking whether they knew where iron fertilizer could be purchased.
After making six calls, Liao Anping finally obtained contact information for an iron fertilizer factory. He called them and asked whether they could sell some iron fertilizer to them.
The reply was that their fertilizer could only be sold to distributors.
Liao Anping then contacted the provincial distributor, asking them to bring in some iron fertilizer since the factory needed it.
The provincial distributor did not agree immediately and only said they would apply to their superiors.
Liao Anping tried to persuade them at length but failed. He had no choice but to thank them and hang up.
Given the current policies, Jiang Lianyue could not really say much and only remarked, “As long as we know where iron fertilizer is produced, there will always be a way to buy it.”
Liao Anping sighed softly. “I wonder when this kind of situation, where we’re restricted at every turn, will finally change.”
“Soon,” Jiang Lianyue said.
In two more years, the country would allow individuals to do business. By then, the circulation of goods would speed up, and all kinds of production and daily necessities would be much easier to obtain.
Liao Anping assumed Jiang Lianyue was simply comforting him. He smiled at her and did not pursue the topic further.
“Thank you for your help today, Comrade Jiang. It’s getting late. If you have time, shall we go to the canteen and eat while we talk?”
Jiang Lianyue nodded. “Sure. I’ve heard the tea factory’s canteen is quite good. I finally got the chance to try it.”
Liao Anping called Huang Xing over, and the three of them went together to the tea factory canteen.
The dishes in the canteen were very ordinary. Bean sprouts stir-fried with pork slices, plain stir-fried fried tofu, and plain stir-fried lettuce. There was very little meat in the bean sprouts dish, mostly pale bean sprouts that looked completely unappetizing. The stir-fried lettuce was dry and clearly had little oil. Only the fried tofu was passable, since fried tofu tasted good even when eaten plain.
They had eaten better at Village Head Chen’s home at noon. Looking at the food on the table, Huang Xing could not help thinking of Jiang Lianyue mentioning that jasmine flowers could be used in cooking. He swallowed and said, “Comrade Jiang said jasmine flowers can be cooked as dishes. Now I’m really curious. What do jasmine flowers actually taste like?”
Hearing this, Liao Anping asked in detail about the methods of cooking with jasmine flowers.
Jiang Lianyue answered everything she knew, holding nothing back.
The way Liao Anping looked at Jiang Lianyue grew increasingly appreciative. He himself had not known that jasmine flowers could be used as an ingredient, yet this rural young woman explained it all clearly and logically. Her knowledge was truly remarkable.
After thinking for a moment, he asked, “Comrade Jiang, the factory is still short of some workers. Recruitment will open next month. Would you be interested in coming to work at the factory?”
Huang Xing froze.
How many people wanted to get into the tea factory but couldn’t. Yet the director was actually asking whether Comrade Jiang wanted to come?
There was no need to ask. Of course she would. These days, there are countless rural people who want a stable job.
After speaking, Liao Anping looked at Jiang Lianyue expectantly.
A talent like this was naturally someone he wanted to keep.
Jiang Lianyue was briefly startled, then smiled. “Thank you, Director, but I don’t plan to enter the factory for now.”
Her purpose today had indeed been to build a good relationship with the tea factory, but that did not include becoming a factory worker.
Huang Xing’s hand holding his chopsticks froze midair. His mouth fell slightly open as he slowly turned to look at Jiang Lianyue.
Did she know what she was saying?
She had rejected a job that didn’t require working under the sun or in the wind and paid twenty-five yuan a month.
Liao Anping was also stunned for a moment. He clearly had not expected Jiang Lianyue to refuse.
However, he quickly came to his senses. Judging from her insight and manner of speaking, Jiang Lianyue was no ordinary person. Having her work as a factory laborer really would have been a waste of her abilities.
“Haha, it’s good for young people to have their own ideas,” Liao Anping said, giving himself a graceful way out.
Taking the opportunity, Jiang Lianyue explained her plans. “Director, I’ve been interested in flowers since I was young and have read some books. I know jasmine flowers can be used to make tea, so I’ve always wanted to try it myself. I originally planned to open a jasmine tea workshop. I heard that Nahuan Village grows jasmine, and I thought that once the flowers bloom, I could purchase some from the village to make jasmine tea. But Village Head Chen said the jasmine belongs to the factory, so he couldn’t decide where it goes. That’s why I came to see you, hoping the factory could spare a portion for me when the time comes.”
“Oh?” Liao Anping put down his chopsticks, leaned forward slightly, and asked, “You know how to make jasmine tea? Who taught you?”
Jiang Lianyue gave the explanation she had prepared in advance. “I taught myself by reading books at home.”
The original owner of this body had been doted on by her family and did not need to work in the fields. She stayed at home every day, often alone. Claiming she learned tea roasting at home was something no one could verify.
Self-taught?
Liao Anping was stunned again. A self-taught tea maker who even dared to think about opening a tea factory?
“Young people really are full of drive,” Liao Anping remarked, then offered advice seriously. “But opening a tea factory isn’t such a simple matter. You should think it through carefully.”
Jiang Lianyue smiled. “Thank you, Director. If there’s anything I don’t understand, I hope you’ll be willing to give me some guidance.”
“As long as I can help, I certainly will,” Liao Anping replied with a smile. He advised her, but seeing that she was determined, he did not get angry.
That meant the matter of allocating her some jasmine flowers was basically settled. Jiang Lianyue revealed two rows of white teeth. “Thank you, Director Liao.”
“Oh, that’s nothing,” Liao Anping waved his hand. “You helped us a great deal today. Without you, we would have taken many detours.”
As he spoke, Liao Anping said to Huang Xing, “Technician Huang should consult Comrade Jiang more in the future. She knows far more about jasmine than we do.”
Huang Xing naturally agreed without hesitation.
While Jiang Lianyue was chatting enthusiastically with Director Liao and the others at the tea factory, Zhou Jiajing returned from Xiaoyi Town and found the house empty, with a cold stove and cold pots. A sense of disappointment rose in him.
He stood at the kitchen doorway for a while, thinking of how at this time over the past two days, Jiang Lianyue had been busy in the kitchen. The rising steam, the aroma of food, the sounds of cooking had filled the house with warmth and life. And now…
Zhou Jiajing silently turned away, took some money and grain coupons, and went to the factory canteen to buy food.
He arrived late, and only some unappealing dishes were left.
Holding his enamel mug, Zhou Jiajing sat alone in the canteen and ate.
The food tasted far worse than what Jiang Lianyue made. As he ate, a sudden sense of bleakness washed over him.
He was not a sentimental person. He had lived away from home for three years, two thousand kilometers away, returning only for a few days each Spring Festival, and he had never felt sorry for himself or missed home much. But today, he unusually thought of his parents and his grandfather. At this moment, they were probably eating as well.
From his family, Zhou Jiajing’s thoughts shifted to Jiang Lianyue, who in the eyes of outsiders barely counted as his family, then to the Dongpo pork he had eaten last night. He figured it must have been because last night’s meal was too delicious and had spoiled him, making everything he ate today seem inferior by comparison, which was why he kept thinking of her.
Zhou Jiajing ate without much appetite. Nearby, the middle-aged woman responsible for cleaning the canteen wiped the tables and asked with concern, “Comrade Zhou, aren’t you married? Why are you eating alone in the canteen? Where’s your wife?”
Although the canteen food was decent, once factory workers got married, even if they didn’t cook at home, they usually brought food back to eat. It was rare to see someone still eating alone in the canteen.
Zhou Jiajing was silent for a moment. “She’s busy with work.”
The woman praised him. “I heard she’s a rural girl. She found a job so quickly. That’s impressive. Comrade Zhou, you’re very fortunate.”
Zhou Jiajing did not quite know how to respond and simply smiled politely.
Whether he himself was fortunate or not, he wasn’t sure. But she really did seem impressive.
Seeing that Zhou Jiajing did not look displeased, the woman continued chatting. “She’s really good-looking, and doesn’t look like a rural girl at all. She looks like she came from a big city, just like you. You two are a good match. Don’t listen to the nonsense those gossips say. I think she’s a good girl. She’s a rural girl who married into the county. There must be many things she doesn’t understand. You should teach her more and be patient, alright?”
There had been gossip in the factory, saying that Jiang Lianyue had forced Zhou Jiajing to marry her, otherwise how could Zhou Jiajing possibly have taken a fancy to her?
The woman was also from the countryside. When she first came to Hengzhou to work, she suffered a lot because she was unfamiliar with the city. Seeing Jiang Lianyue looking like a student and assuming she was an inexperienced young girl, she subconsciously worried that Jiang Lianyue would suffer as she once had. Hearing people speak badly of her stirred her sympathy, so she urged Zhou Jiajing to take better care of Jiang Lianyue.
Thinking of how Jiang Lianyue had saved an elderly woman on just her second day here and then gone alone to Fucheng, Zhou Jiajing gave a dry laugh. “She knows quite a lot. She doesn’t need me to teach her.”
Jasmine tea, jasmine cakes. He had never even heard of them, yet she explained them fluently. If anything, she should be the one teaching him.
“Comrade Zhou, listen to me,” the woman said, seeing that he hadn’t taken her words to heart. She stopped cleaning, sat down across from him, and spoke earnestly. “A new bride feels it’s rude to ask too many questions. You’re the man. Be more proactive. If you don’t take care of your own wife, who will?”
Suddenly forced to attend a lesson on married life, Zhou Jiajing fell silent.