Chapter 3 Labor is the most glorious


    Before I knew it, it was almost dusk.


    Chen Qi looked at the time, put away the manuscript paper on which he had written a few pages, and put it under his bed.


    When the soft light of the setting sun fell on the table, the large courtyard that had been quiet all day finally became lively. The ringing of bicycle bells, the noise of children, and the clinking sound of chopping vegetables were mixed together, and wisps of smoke were scattered in all directions. Come.


    "Mom, you''re back!"


    "Did you buy something delicious?"


    “If it’s not the New Year or the festival, what can I buy that’s delicious? Cabbage, potatoes, and pickles.”


    Yu Xiuli got off work on time and didn''t care about anything else. She took off her coat and started working when she came in. She also gave instructions: "Put the pickles on the plate. Take out the half piece of tofu left in the morning!"


    "How to make tofu? Do you roll tofu with pickles?"


    "Take your head, boil it with hot water, mix with sauce and eat!"


    There are two kinds of pickles, pickled cucumbers and sweet and spicy dried radish, both of which are from Liubiju.


    Liubiju was formerly known as the "Red Flag Pickles Sales Department". When Japanese Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka visited China in 1972, the delegation asked to visit Liubiju, so the old plaque was re-hanged.


    The small kitchen was set up outside the house, a simple shed made of bricks and linoleum, and it was fully occupied by a stove and a cupboard. Next to the kitchen is a place where briquettes are kept. They are also covered with linoleum and neatly stacked. This is a clean house.


    If you are lazy, just let it go. On rainy days, puddles of black water flow out of the coal.


    Chen Qi took the initiative to help.


    He has only been here for a few days, how can he have any feelings for his parents?


    Of course not, but when people treat me well, I don''t hesitate to respond. Yu Xiuli was cooking quickly, glancing at him from time to time, wondering in her heart, this guy was like a salted fish a few days ago, why did he suddenly become a carp?


    When the sky was dark, the food was on the table, and the cheap dad Chen Jianjun also came back.


    He is also in his forties, tall and thin, with a gentle temperament. Although his clothes are old, they are neat and clean, and he has a pen in his chest pocket.


    Chen Jianjun is a salesman.


    Xinhua Bookstore is the largest book distribution unit in the country. If you want to distribute a book or magazine, you have to contact each salesperson. The salesperson will make a preliminary judgment based on the content of the book and report a number to the bookstore, such as 1,000 copies. , the bookstore will order 1,000 copies first, and then wait and see the market response.


    But later the salesperson''s job changed and became sales, because the book industry was liberalized and the monopoly was gone.


    "dad!"


    "Are you going to the meeting?"


    "Go!"


    "Well, let''s talk after dinner."


    Chen Jianjun smiled, and his smile was very gentle. He had never used foul language in his life.


    Dinner is very simple, potato vermicelli stewed with cabbage, tofu and pickles.


    It’s not that I can’t afford meat; Urban residents only get 3-5 taels of pork per person per month. During the three-year difficult period, the capital only supplied 8 and a half taels of pork per capita every year. Other places were even worse, not even this little bit of meat.


    My parents both went to school and are a bit particular at heart, so they don’t talk about things during meals.


    After finishing eating, Chen Jianjun asked, and Chen Qi repeated the contents of the meeting.


    "What do you think?"


    "I…"


    Just as he was about to answer, someone outside suddenly shouted: "Is Chen Qi at home?"


    "Hey, Aunt Wang!"


    "Come in, come in, come in, why are you here?"


    The person who came was an old lady with gray hair and a kind smile. She was a street cadre. She sat down and said with a smile: "There will be a meeting this morning, and we will assign tasks in the afternoon. The street has entrusted 13 people to me, and I must find jobs for them.


    I thought I would be at home at night, so I came over to take a look. You are the first household. "


    "That''s really troublesome for you. You can''t rest at night..."


    Yu Xiuli poured a glass of water, just in time to ask about this matter, and said: "Aunt Wang, I heard from my children that they want to establish a production service cooperative. You also know that it is a collective unit and has always been ignored. I am not saying that collective units are not Okay, but there isn’t a third garment factory in our street? Can’t it be installed in the factory?”


    "Oh, that''s putting it lightly. Do you know how many unemployed young people there are in the district?"


    Aunt Wang slapped her thigh and made a gesture: "80,000 people! Where can the government find 80,000 jobs? Everyone is worried to death from top to bottom. And many of them are in their mid-twenties and have not had jobs for several years. jobs, we must prioritize their placement.


    That No. 3 Garment Factory, we managed to get more than 100 people in through hard work, so don''t worry about it. "


    "Then what do you want them to do?"


    Chen Jianjun asked.


    "That''s what I thought..." Aunt Wang took a sip of water and said, "The front door is a treasure. People in the capital love to visit, and people from out of town also like to visit. Every year, I don''t know how many out of town people come here for business trips. You have to come and take a look. ? But there are so many shops at the front door, but no one sells water. When these people come, they can''t even drink.


    You said you want to buy Arctic Ocean soda, but it only costs 15 cents, and you also need a ticket, so everyone is reluctant to part with it. I saw with my own eyes that someone was drinking water from a flower-watering pipe.


    So we thought, if we set up a stall selling tea at the front door, someone would definitely buy it. "


    Selling tea? ? ?


    The parents looked at each other, this is so inappropriate! We are both cultural people, working in Xinhua Bookstore, but my son went to sell tea? In the old society, that was the work of the lower class!


    How inferior?


    It is written in "Camel Xiangzi" that an old man can no longer pull a rickshaw, so he can only carry a load and sell tea along the street, barely making a living. It is very miserable... Look, the tea seller can''t even compare with Xiangzi. At least Xiangzi has He had a house (rented), a car (bought three times, but lost them all), and a wife (died in childbirth).


    "Aunt Wang, is there really no other position?"


    "Yes, technical position. Does your boy know carpentry?"


    "Won''t!"


    "Do you have tailoring skills?"


    "No!"


    "Can you cook with a spoon?"


    "cannot!"


    "That''s it!"


    “…”


    The parents looked at each other again, even a little ashamed. So my son is a waste? What''s even more annoying is that that loser is still having fun, as if it''s not him.


    "Okay, you guys discuss it, I have to go to the next house!"


    Aunt Wang stood up and dodged.


    The family of three was silent for a while, and Yu Xiuli said, "Speak, what do you think?"


    "I obey the organization''s arrangements and do whatever they ask me to do!" Chen Qidao.


    "You''re asked to sell tea, so why don''t you sell tea? Or at the front door. How far is it from the bookstore? My colleagues can''t laugh at me to death?"


    "No, because your colleague''s child is selling tea with me."


    puff!


    Yu Xiuli was almost angry to death, and said angrily: "Stop talking to me, I will apply for early retirement tomorrow, and you will take over my shift!"


    "I don''t need you to retire. If you do, I will set up a stall overnight."


    "Xiao Qi, don''t be so glib. Tell us the truth. Why do you want to go?"


    Chen Jianjun, who had been silent all this time, asked.


    "There is no special reason. I just think that labor is glorious and I can contribute to the motherland wherever I go. It''s because you have serious old ideas and look down on tea sellers. Shi Chuanxiang can become a deputy to the National People''s Congress and a national model worker even if he picks up excrement. How can I sell tea? I will be able to stand in the General Assembly Hall and shake hands with leaders in the future!”


    Good guy, Chen Qi’s party spirit is brilliant.


    Shi Chuanxiang was a manure collector in Chongwen District. On National Day in 1966, he climbed onto the Tiananmen Rostrum.


    At that time, there was also a craze for voluntary **** removal in Beijing. Teachers and students from universities, writers, reporters, and actors lined up to do the **** removal with him. It is said that there was a female student from Tsinghua University who pretended to be Shi Chuanxiang''s goddaughter because she couldn''t get a place in the ranking, and finally got her wish and took out the **** together with her godfather.


    There used to be stories about Xiang in primary school textbooks, but I don’t know if they exist now.


    That was the most awesome era for working people!


    After hearing these irrefutable words, Chen Jianjun suddenly choked up and looked at Yu Xiuli, "Shall we have another one when we have time?" This kid is stupid!


    The spirit of dedication is all about others.


    When it''s your or your loved ones'' turn, you can still donate without hesitation. That''s a role model, but many people can''t do this.


    I couldn''t continue talking, so I could only sleep.


    There is no TV at home, and there are frequent power outages. There is no entertainment except a broken radio.


    The yard gradually became quiet, the moonlight illuminated the curtains, and spring insects chirped quietly. Chen Qi was lying on the bed in the outer room, listening to the whispers inside, and he must still be studying his work.


    He really didn''t want Yu Xiuli to retire early, because he knew that he would not be able to stay at the job for long, and it would be a waste.


    Moreover, he has no interest in the job of Xinhua Bookstore. There are three generations of tobacco people, three generations of oil people, three generations of electricity people, three generations of banks, and I, the third generation of bookstore people?


    “…”


    Chen Qi turned over and closed his eyes.


    In fact, it didn''t matter whether he was selling tea or doing anything else. He was ready to run away with the bucket at any time.


    (End of chapter)