“Young people nowadays still have plenty of ideas. Master Zhang, don’t be so harsh. Take another look, another look.”
Factory Director Zhu Aihua glanced through the exam papers a couple of times and felt the young applicants were not quite as hopeless as Zhang Xinmin claimed.
“Exactly, Master Zhang. Don’t jump to conclusions so quickly. We should give young people more opportunities.”
Deputy Director Bao Shouren stroked the little mustache above his lip and nodded in agreement.
After all, his wife’s niece was among the applicants. If she failed, there would definitely be trouble waiting for him at home.
Still, Zhang Xinmin remained displeased.
“No good. Our plate-making workshop is desperately short on staff. With foundations like these, how can they possibly do the job?”
Wouldn’t hiring them just mean collecting state wages for nothing and burdening the organization?
People of the older generation possessed an almost stubborn devotion to collective honor. No matter what, Zhang Xinmin refused to compromise.
If Liu Chengguo had not seen Zhang Yunqing’s drawing, he too would have thought Zhang Xinmin was being overly demanding.
In these times, being able to eat one’s fill was already fortunate enough. How many people actually knew how to draw propaganda posters? As long as they were usable, wasn’t that good enough?
With a master craftsman like Zhang Xinmin overseeing things, it did not matter much if the workers underneath were a bit slow.
But after seeing Zhang Yunqing’s artwork, Liu Chengguo finally understood why Zhang Xinmin’s standards were so high.
Because there truly were people capable of meeting them.
As the factory director and the old master remained deadlocked, one psychologically fragile girl had already begun secretly crying. Her soft sniffles sounded especially sharp in the silent room.
Even Ma Guangming, who had earlier picked a fight with Zhang Yunqing, stood frozen with a pale face.
Someone had leaked the exam topic ahead of time, and they had even practiced for it in advance, yet they were still criticized this harshly.
It was like being slapped across the face from afar.
“Master Zhang, don’t rush. Look at this one.”
Liu Chengguo stepped forward, pulled out Zhang Yunqing’s paper, placed it on top, and recommended it with absolute confidence.
He simply refused to believe that no matter how high Zhang Xinmin’s standards were, he could possibly find fault with this drawing.
Zhang Xinmin waved dismissively.
“No need to look anymore.”
He turned to leave, but the moment his peripheral vision caught sight of the paper, he let out a surprised, “Eh?”
His footsteps immediately stopped.
Pushing up his glasses with the back of his hand, he picked up the unusual drawing and examined it carefully.
As he looked, he nodded repeatedly.
“Good… very good… Clean linework. Solid fundamentals.”
Then he saw the name written in the lower right corner, and interest lit up in his eyes.
“Which one is Zhang Yunqing?”
“That’s me.” Zhang Yunqing raised her hand.
“Good, good, good.” Zhang Xinmin praised her several times in succession. “Very well done. Go complete your paperwork later and report to work as soon as possible.”
The meaning was obvious.
She had passed the assessment.
Hearing this, Zhang Yunqing finally let out a sigh of relief.
It seemed her guess had been correct. Compared to later generations, this era still cared about connections and favors, but there were also people who genuinely upheld principles.
As long as she had ability, opportunities would exist.
“Why?! I refuse to accept this! I studied art for two whole years! How could I possibly lose to her?!”
Upon hearing the result, Ma Guangming forgot all about his nervousness. He shot to his feet indignantly, practically ready to point at Zhang Xinmin’s nose and accuse him of being unfair.
“This comrade…” Liu Chengguo frowned and moved forward.
But Zhang Xinmin stopped him with one arm.
Perhaps because he had finally found someone satisfactory, the brows that had earlier been furrowed tightly enough to crush flies had now relaxed.
He did not seem angered by the young man’s offense at all.
Instead, he stepped forward and placed Zhang Yunqing’s drawing between them.
His fingernail tapped lightly against the table.
“Since someone has doubts, then let everyone take a good look. Look carefully at the difference between yourselves and others. Young comrade, you should understand that there is always someone better.”
The moment they saw the drawing on the table, even the girl who had been quietly sobbing held her breath in astonishment.
The composition was split down the middle.
On the left was an industrial factory belching smoke. On the right stood golden rice stalks heavy with grain.
A worker brother in factory overalls holding a wrench stood shoulder-to-shoulder with a farmer brother in rough clothes and a straw hat carrying a hoe.
The image perfectly embodied the idea of unity between workers and peasants.
The six large characters—“Grasp Production, Promote Revolution”—were not as perfectly neat as printed fonts, but they carried a strong personal style.
Most importantly, everyone else’s posters had been simple and straightforward, little more than flat line drawings. They were not exactly ugly, but they lacked any sense of design.
Yet Zhang Yunqing had used the darkness of the pencil itself to create depth, shadow, and contrast on plain white paper.
Especially the eyes of the figures—
They shone with almost lifelike brightness.
Compared side by side, the overwhelming difference in skill forced everyone to lower their heads in defeat.
Ma Guangming’s face alternated between green and white in a truly spectacular display.
Seeing that no one else spoke, Zhang Xinmin lost interest as well.
At his age, what was the point of arguing with a bunch of youngsters?
He waved dismissively, reminded Zhang Yunqing once more to finish her paperwork and report to work quickly, then selected two of the remaining drawings with somewhat better foundations and handed them to Liu Chengguo.
“These two are barely acceptable. Put them in the printing workshop first and let them help with miscellaneous work.”
After saying that, he made no further arrangements. Humming the tune of Shajiabang, he clasped his hands behind his back and strolled away.
The factory director and deputy director who remained behind were long accustomed to the old master’s temperament and merely shook their heads helplessly.
After all, his skills were truly exceptional, and his seniority was unmatched. He had been there since the factory was first established.
If he had not devoted himself wholeheartedly to technical work, there was no telling who would be sitting in the factory director’s seat today.
Soon after, Director Zhu Aihua and Deputy Director Bao Shouren exchanged a few instructions with Liu Chengguo before also leaving.
Liu Chengguo then said, “Zhang Yunqing, Ma Guangming, Liu Suqin—you three come with me. The rest of you can head home.”
That was the final result.
The rejected applicants were disappointed, but after seeing Zhang Yunqing’s poster, they had already lost all confidence. One by one, they lowered their heads and left silently.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yunqing followed Liu Chengguo together with the other two toward the factory’s Labor and Wage Department to complete the employment procedures.
Liu Suqin was the girl who had been sniffling earlier.
She had originally thought she had no chance at all, but the sudden reversal left her so excited that a little snot bubble popped out from her nose.
When Zhang Yunqing saw it, she could not help laughing out loud.
Liu Suqin’s face immediately turned scarlet red.
Now that Ma Guangming knew he had passed, he returned to his usual arrogant and self-important demeanor. Seeing Liu Suqin like that, a trace of disgust flashed through his eyes as he quietly quickened his pace.
But once they reached the Labor and Wage Department and Liu Chengguo asked for their documents, Zhang Yunqing was dumbfounded.
Ma Guangming and Liu Suqin both had everything fully prepared.
But Zhang Yunqing had only suddenly remembered the plot from the original novel and rushed over on impulse. The only identification she carried was her student ID.
She had brought none of the household registration documents or paperwork required for employment processing.
Only then did Liu Chengguo realize that Zhang Yunqing truly had no background whatsoever.
Running into this recruitment opportunity had been pure coincidence.
He could not help sighing inwardly.
Some people were simply lucky.
By sheer chance, they encountered a recruitment exam perfectly suited to their talents—and even managed to catch the eye of the old master craftsman.
At that point, anyone thinking of pulling tricks behind the scenes would have to think twice.