Section 2, classmates
Wu Changqing's eyes lit up as he took the cigarette, struck a match to light it, and greedily inhaled a deep puff, the pale blue smoke slowly billowing out from his nostrils
Hmph, don't think I don't know. Even those from the Jiangmiao Police Station's joint defense team are smoking Hongmei jade, and they don't even have to spend money to buy it. Every day, each person who goes to your police station for business gets a round, which is enough to show their respect.
Guodong, I can only regret that I did not study seriously back in the day. Look at how you are doing now. Sigh, Ashima, heh heh, I usually only dare to look at them at the cigarette stand. A pack costs as much as my smoking budget for a week. Wu Changqing took two puffs, satisfying his craving before speaking.
"What? Boiler room?" Zhao Guodong could hardly believe his ears
When the joint defense was mentioned, Zhao Guodong frowned and said, "Changqing, how do you expect your brother to do this? Moreover, the joint defense usually requires veterans who have served in the military, but your brother has never been a soldier. Is that feasible?"
"Hmm, the boiler room." Wu Changqing's expression also turned somewhat grim, "His father got into trouble and was dismissed from his position. He just happened to join the factory at this time; isn't he destined to be a scapegoat?"
Ah, don't even mention the house; it's truly unfortunate. You wouldn't even imagine where he would arrange it.
Well, just keep it in your heart. Alas, in our cohort, you are the only one who has made something of yourself. Although Kong Yue and the others also managed to get into Jiangmiao Middle School from our school, they ended up returning in disgrace, ultimately relying on arrangements from the factory.
"Alright, let's not talk about that anymore. You mentioned that Kong Yue and the others have returned to work at the factory?" Zhao Guodong changed the subject.
Boiler room! Wu Changqing said word by word
A car accident, driving under the influence, two people seriously injured, fortunately no fatalities, and now they have been taken to the workshop Wu Changqing said casually
Zhao Guodong also felt somewhat helpless. The teaching quality at the factory's affiliated school is just like that; the teachers at the affiliated school receive better treatment than those in local schools, but when it comes to teaching quality, they are not on the same level. Compared to Jiangmiao Middle School, they fall significantly short, not to mention Jiangkou County Middle School. Coupled with a poor academic atmosphere, it is not surprising that the chances of students getting into university have remained at zero.
Since he went to the county high school to board, he has become less concerned about the factory's affairs. Later, after being admitted to the police academy and assigned to the criminal police team, he became even more indifferent to the factory's matters. Every time he returned home, he would only stay for a day or half a day, mainly to catch up on sleep, and after having a meal, he would have to return to the team immediately. The young recruits in the criminal police team are closely monitored by the leadership, and being able to go home once a month is already considered fortunate.
Go to the workshop? Zhao Guodong thought for a moment, this is too ruthless, going all the way without stopping
Wu Changqing raised his head and shook it, the blood vessels in his eyes more pronounced. "When they come out, who wouldn't want to save face? Just take a stroll down the street, and you can fill both ears with offers, ensuring you have enough to enjoy for half a day. If you run into someone familiar, you might even get a meal or drinks. Isn't this life still carefree?"
Oh, what about the house? The relationship between Fang Zhuquan and Zhao Guodong has always been good, but over the past six months, Zhao Guodong has hardly had any time to return home while working overtime on cases at the criminal police team. They have not been in touch much, and all he knows is that Zhao has also joined the factory, but he is unclear about where he is working.
During my junior high school years, I ranked among the top in my grade across two classes, yet I narrowly passed the entrance exam for Jiangkou County Middle School. Over the years, I have been the first student from the entire affiliated school to gain admission to Jiangkou County Middle School.
"Where is the arrangement?" Zhao Guodong was taken aback, as it seemed that something had gone wrong with the house.
"Hehe, isn't it up to you? Must all the members of the joint defense team have served in the military?" Wu Changqing laughed with a hint of drunkenness, his eyes slightly reddened. A bottle of Liulangchun was already empty, while Zhao Guodong, considering that he still had to report to the police station in the afternoon, only casually drank two cups, leaving the rest to Wu Changqing.
"You don't need to comfort me. You know the situation at home. My dad can't even make a sound with two sticks; there's no way he could approach the leaders. My mom is also unemployed. The fact that the factory has allowed me to get a job there is already quite considerate. My younger brother is about to graduate from high school, and there's still a younger sister below him. We really don't know what to do." Wu Changqing said with a hint of melancholy.
What happened to his father? Zhao Guodong knew that the house belonged to his father, who was the captain of the factory's vehicle team. He was responsible for the allocation of dozens of vehicles of various sizes in the factory, and he had a good relationship with the leadership, making him quite a notable figure.
Zhao Guodong nodded silently. A new emperor brings new ministers; the factory party secretary is indeed a person of authority within the factory. However, once retired, their influence naturally diminishes, especially since he has already been retired for three years. The position of team leader in the transport department is inherently a lucrative one, and the current leadership will naturally arrange for someone they favor. It is already quite remarkable to have endured for so long and to seize this opportunity to take action.
This is about all there is to it. In the past two years, the factory has recruited quite a few workers, mainly female, but there are also some male workers. I estimate that it might be difficult to recruit next year. My younger brother is graduating this year; if he can't find a place to work, how about having him come to your Jiangmiao Police Station to serve in the joint defense?" Wu Changqing thought for a moment and suddenly seemed to recall something.
I see, Zhao Guodong has pondered over the flavor. After all, he is also an officer in the student council at school. To hold a position in the student council requires some skills. Although being the deputy captain of the inspection team is not a significant role, he has a vague understanding of the intricacies involved.
Zhao Guodong threw the cigarette back, saying, "I don't smoke, but I have cigarettes in my bag, so just smoke mine instead
Because the female workers deal with fluff and dust every day, and the temperature in the workshop is high with heavy dust, almost all the female workers finishing their shifts in the three shifts need to take a shower. The boiler room is busy twenty-four hours a day, also operating in three shifts. This is a job that is both arduous and exhausting, and generally, external workers are recruited to do it. How could the children of this factory possibly get involved in such work?
Upon arriving at the county middle school, I immediately felt the disparity in my abilities. The academic atmosphere and teaching quality were entirely different. Despite my numerous efforts, I consistently lingered among the last few in my class, only managing to barely reach the middle tier by my senior year. Ultimately, I was admitted to the Provincial Police Vocational College, which caused quite a stir in the entire Andu First Cotton Spinning Factory.
It seems that Changqing is not doing well, as it is said to be in a bad state. The cigarette brand Jiaxiu is priced at only 1.5 yuan per pack, and almost no one in the Public Security Bureau smokes Jiaxiu, except for some older comrades from rural backgrounds. Young people at the very least smoke Feicui or Hongmei, or else they opt for Chahua.
Although Zhao Guodong has not officially started working at the police station, he has been working in the Public Security Bureau for over half a year. He is aware that recruiting auxiliary police officers from among veterans is a common practice at the police station. Generally, each police station has a number of auxiliary police officers equivalent to that of regular police officers, and the number of auxiliary police officers at township police stations is even greater. They are mostly organized under the name of the district work committee, but are managed operationally by the police station.
Feicui Sanyuan 5 per pack, Hongmei 3.8 per pack, Chahua 4.1 per pack, are considered relatively respectable cigarettes in the Public Security Bureau
Seeing that Zhao Guodong seemed skeptical, Wu Changqing casually added, "Secretary Xie, who had a good relationship with his father, retired at the age required two years ago"
Later, Zhao Guodong performed excellently in the high school entrance examination and was admitted to Jiangkou County Middle School, while Kong Yue only managed to get into Jiangmiao Middle School. During the three years of high school, Zhao Guodong did not maintain much contact with her; when they met at home, they merely exchanged greetings. After being admitted to the police academy, they basically lost all contact.
The boiler room in this textile factory is not like those in other factories. The female textile workers operate in three shifts: day shift, night shift, and middle shift, collectively referred to as the three-shift system. The day shift refers to the regular working hours, the night shift runs from 4 PM to midnight, and the middle shift is from midnight to 8 AM the following day
You rascal, I knew you would ask this question. "Wu Changqing smiled mysteriously and said, 'Kong Yue did not pass the entrance exam for Jiang Miao High School, and after two years of supplementary study at the county middle school, she still did not pass, so she had no choice but to return to the factory. She is now settled in the personnel department of the factory.'"
Wu Changqing took out a cigarette from his pants pocket and threw one to Zhao Guodong, which was Jiao Xiu
Zhao Guodong turned around and took out a pack of Ashima, unwrapping the foil on the top, and tossed one over. A pack of Ashima costs 6.5 yuan, and generally speaking, it is the middle-ranking officials from the bureau who smoke the long-brand cigarettes. Today is Zhao Guodong's first day reporting to the Jiangmiao Police Station. He initially planned to endure the expense of buying a pack of Hongta Mountain, but then reconsidered that since he had come down here under unclear circumstances, purchasing such high-quality cigarettes might leave a bad impression on the leaders of the Jiangmiao Police Station, so he opted for Ashima instead.
Fortunately, the factory's performance has been relatively stable over the past two years, and employment for the factory workers' children is still not a major issue. However, it is not easy to find a department that offers both a relaxed environment and good salary benefits. The machine repair workshop where Wu Changqing works can only be considered an average department; it is not particularly strenuous, just a bit dirty, but the income is not satisfactory.
Zhao Guodong certainly understands that there are exceptions, but those require the approval of leadership, specifically individuals such as the director, instructor, or deputy director, or leaders at the level of the work committee or township. As a newcomer, how could he possibly have a say in these matters? However, he also did not want to dampen the other party's enthusiasm; it would not be appropriate to spoil the mood during their first meeting.
"Changqing, don't think that the Public Security Bureau is that good. I don't smoke, and today isn't my first day reporting to the Jiangmiao Police Station, is it? I have to at least bring a pack of decent cigarettes to establish some rapport. Do you think anyone can just smoke Ashima in the Public Security Bureau? It can't be that easy."
"Changqing, you have a job to start with. As long as you perform well, there's a good chance the leadership will notice you, and a reassignment is also possible." These bland and flavorless words of comfort were deemed meaningless even by Zhao Guodong himself, yet he could not find suitable words to console the other party
Zhao Guodong explained with a mix of amusement and exasperation that this guy tends to associate everything with something else, becoming so sentimental like a woman. Could it be that the factory's environment, which favors the feminine over the masculine, has caused the men working there to become more effeminate? The Wu Changqing of the past was not like this
Zhao Guodong awkwardly scratched his head. Back in the third year of junior high, Kong Yue was quite the class beauty. At that time, Zhao Guodong, who had a bit too much energy, had some interest in dating Kong Yue, but she had no intention of reciprocating.
Well, let's leave it at that and see how it goes when the time comes Zhao Guodong was aware that his words carried a somewhat bureaucratic tone, but there was nothing he could do In front of others, one could boast confidently, and if things didn't work out, so be it However, in front of this old classmate, even though his relationship with Wu Changqing had always been just average, how could he afford to lose face when he returned to the factory and encountered those classmates?
In other words, as long as one is studying in a school for the children of workers, at most one can only obtain a high school diploma, and then wait for an opportunity to enter the factory for employment. Aspiring to be admitted to a vocational school or university from such a school is simply more difficult than a bull giving birth.
Zhao Guodong certainly knows that the other party is speaking the truth. The auxiliary police are already one rank lower than the regular officers at the police station, and their welfare benefits are also inferior. If they cannot even gain this little advantage, who would still be willing to come and work? However, Zhao Guodong is also aware of the hardships faced by the auxiliary police. Once an incident occurs, the tough, dangerous, and thankless tasks are ones they cannot shirk. What the regular officers do, they must do; what the regular officers are unwilling to do, they must also do.