Chapter 105

·

·

·

Protagonist:

Shen Yao

When Shen Yao and Zhou Shujuan came to the canteen, there were relatively few people around.

Holding their lunch boxes, they went to the canteen window to get their cooked food back, then sat together facing each other, eating and chatting.

"Xiao Shen, after you turn eighteen this year, do you have any thoughts on choosing a partner?"

Shen Yao had no thoughts, only saying she was still too young and could work a few more years first.

Zhou Shujuan slapped the table, "Hmph, you can't think like that."

You should still seize the time to find one, otherwise what will you do if all the good ones are chosen by others?"

As an experienced elder sister who has been through it, Zhou Shujuan could be called experienced in this regard.

She began to impart some of her theoretical knowledge to Shen Yao while eating.

Shen Yao:...

Shen Yao swallowed with difficulty the piece of pork belly with just the right amount of fat and lean in her mouth, "Sister Zhou, do you have someone in mind?" Want to introduce her to someone?

It wasn't that Shen Yao was picky; in this era, those with slightly better conditions weren't very safe.

Zhou Shujuan shook her head, but she added that the Canning Factory would hold a social mixer for young men and women together with the Machinery Factory, Rolling Mill, Glass Factory, and several other nearby factories in a few days.

"Sister Zhou plans to let you go sign up and take a look; whether it works out or not, we won't lose out."

Speaking of this, Zhou Shujuan deliberately whispered, the food and drink at the mixer were provided by the Machinery Factory and Rolling Mill; except for the money needed to take the bus there, everything else was completely free.

Shen Yao:...

"Sister Zhou, rest assured, I will definitely go on time."

A matchmaking assembly of this era, not bad; she could broaden her horizons by going.

Anyway, in the sixties and seventies, the marriage age for men and women was twenty for men and eighteen for women.

Shen Yao, at this age, after this year's Spring Festival, could go to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get their marriage certificate next spring.

Hearing Shen Yao nod and agree, Zhou Shujuan immediately smiled so broadly she couldn't close her mouth.

It had to be her favored Xiao Shen who knew what was good; others said they still had the leisure to dislike this and that.

Hmph, she had the latest news in her hand; several expert-level young talents from the Machinery Factory were going to participate in this mixer.

Let those young ladies with high standards on weekdays not go, so the good young men would all be cheaply given to others.

Shen Yao was naturally not the "others" in Zhou Shujuan's mouth; otherwise Zhou Shujuan wouldn't have deliberately said it out loud.

Of course, Zhou Shujuan kept a trick up her sleeve; some words weren't said too directly, also fearing the Machinery Factory side might change their minds at the last minute.

Then she would lose face, and how could she maintain her authority in front of Xiao Shen in the future.

Shen Yao:...

After the two finished lunch, they rested for a while, seizing the time.

When the afternoon time came, they immediately changed clothes and went to the workshop to work busily.

Until it was time to get off work in the evening, Shen Yao changed her clothes, first went to the Logistics Office to report her name, then slung her backpack and took the bus home.

"Taking the bus every day is still too slow; in a couple of days Grandma will take you to buy a bicycle."

Grandmother-in-law Zhou looked at Shen Yao coming back in the dark again, and felt heartache to the extreme.

Only after starting work did Shen Yao know the happiness of going to school.

It wasn't that the work was tiring, but that too much time was wasted on the road; in this era there were no highly developed means of transportation, so she could only endure it.

"Grandma, bicycles require tickets."

Shen Yao pouted; it was rare for Grandmother-in-law Zhou to come to the Shen Family side for a meal, and Yuan Li specially took out several boxes of canned food Shen Yao had brought back to arrange on plates.

Speaking of which, ever since Shen Yao worked at the Canning Factory, she could bring back some 'Defective Cans' every now and then.

Naturally it was impossible for them all to be welfare from the factory; quite a few were bought by Shen Yao herself with money from other people's hands.

Anyway Shen Yao was not short of money, and now she had such an aboveboard source of goods; she definitely couldn't let her mouth lose out.

Yuan Li had said this to Shen Yao several times, but under Shen Yao's attitude of nodding to admit wrong but firmly refusing to change, she could only admit defeat.

Nowadays their Shen Family truly had no worries about food and drink; even Shen Zizai, who lost five jin per trip, had gained his weight back.

Grandmother-in-law Zhou patted her pouch, "There are tickets; when the time comes Grandma will take you to pick a car."

"We'll buy a Phoenix Brand Bicycle, a big brand product, it's expensive but worth it, and durable."

Shen Yao nodded excitedly, and at the same time didn't forget to say she had money.

"Mom, you and Yao Yao come eat. Old Shen, go call the two little ones back."

Yuan Li shouted from the kitchen, and the other Shen Family members immediately moved.

Soon, the dishes were served, and several people sat together eating, drinking, chatting, and gossiping.

First Yuan Li sighed that the Hospital was unstable, with chaos every day, making a big fuss.

Then Shen Zizai spoke of transportation difficulties; someone hijacked a vehicle and that wasn't the end of it; the worst was that the vehicle and people were taken away together.

After hearing this, Grandmother-in-law Zhou sighed, "This matter is making a fuss; you two be careful yourselves."

【56 "Especially Xiao Li; you have a hasty temper and always like to rush to the front when things happen."

Especially Xiao Li — you have a hot temper, and whenever something happens, you always like to rush to the front.

"As for Xiao Shen, I'm not worried; your brain is flexible; when the time comes, take some sick leave and first run short-distance routes within the city."

After speaking about this couple, Grandmother-in-law Zhou again cared about Shen Yao's work and life.

Shen Yao naturally said everything was fine; while swallowing the food in her mouth, "Next week the Machinery Factory and several other factories will hold a mixer together; our Group Leader told me, so I simply signed up."

Yuan Li's chopsticks paused while picking up food, "Mixer?"

Shen Yao nodded, "There are quite a few talented young people inside; it wouldn't hurt to go take a look."

Grandmother-in-law Zhou agreed, "You should take a look; at your age, you're not exactly in a rush."

"But if there's a good one, we'll start seeing him first. We can't be like others, shy and useless—you have to learn to seize the initiative."

Compared to the backdrop of this era, some of Grandmother-in-law Zhou's ideas were too avant-garde.

This was also related to Grandmother-in-law Zhou's own experiences; without her unremitting efforts, there would be no liveliness of the Shen Family today.

"Grandma, don't worry, I understand everything."

Although there are many inconveniences in coming to this era, Shen Yao will still complete the tasks she should complete.

Not only for the rewards after the task ends, but also because it concerns her survival.

For Shen Yao, who hasn't lived enough, isn't it just about having children? A small matter~

After dinner, Grandmother-in-law Zhou stayed at the Shen Family for a while before preparing to leave.

Yuan Li had Shen Zizai see off her own mother, then turned back into the room and took another hundred yuan for Shen Yao.

Yuan Li worked at the Hospital and was a Group Leader; with her own seniority plus the face of her biological parents, her monthly salary was nearly fifty.

Shen Zizai was a long-distance driver; with subsidies for trips plus some invisible benefits, he also made fifty or sixty yuan a month.

Just the salaries of the two of them were enough for the daily eating and drinking of the five members of the Shen Family.

Moreover, Grandmother-in-law Zhou was a retired cadre with forty yuan a month, and she also had those coffin funds left by her grandfather, so the Shen Family's days were quite decent.

It was just that Yuan Li and Shen Zizai were relatively low-key, and Grandmother-in-law Zhou was not a carefree person either, so their family was not well-known in the Tongzilou, and ordinary people would subconsciously overlook them.

"Keep it safe yourself; don't let your Grandma spend too much money on the bicycle."

Shen Yao took it and nodded; she still had some private money of her own, and the Phoenix Brand Bicycle sold for one hundred and seventy yuan each at the Department Store—they could definitely afford it.

With the matter of buying a bicycle hanging over her head, Shen Yao worked especially hard these past few days.

The colleagues of the Counting Group saw Shen Yao's outstanding data and couldn't help but sigh to those around them, "Little Shen looks fair and delicate, weak and frail, but she actually can really work."

"With such performance, her salary will be at least double that of others."

"Whoever manages to marry her in the future is guaranteed not to lose out."

In these times, marriage is all about comparing both parties' respective conditions.

Shen Yao's various aspects, once laid out, directly crushed most of the female workers at the Canning Factory.

It was a pity Shen Yao didn't want to find a coworker from the Canning Factory; otherwise, what mixers—Shen Yao didn't need to participate at all.

"Who says otherwise? But Little Shen's side isn't easy to marry into; the family she'd marry into has a bad situation, and Little Shen would be the one losing out."

"Yes yes, among the youth of our Canning Factory, there really aren't many worth looking at."

"......"

It seemed that these idle gossips generally wouldn't reach Shen Yao's ears.

Because Shen Yao, apart from going to work, just went home after work; she didn't have much contact with these people, and even at lunchtime she had Zhou Shujuan accompanying her.

Zhou Shujuan was very concerned about Shen Yao's personal situation, like a hardworking old mother.

Shen Yao:......

Shen Yao didn't know what was going on; since coming to this era, she had received a lot of concern from others, all of the very sincere kind.

To the extent that Shen Yao suspected whether she had secretly used some kind of charm pill; otherwise, why would everyone have a filter for her?

She couldn't figure it out, completely couldn't figure it out.

After laughing and telling Zhou Shujuan that she was currently doing quite well, Shen Yao continued to lower her head and eat her food.

Looking at Shen Yao's cute and obedient appearance, besides sighing, Zhou Shujuan was more inclined to have her prepare well for the upcoming mixer.

"Those coming are all ambitious youths, especially those from the Machinery Factory."

"Little Shen, seize the opportunity; once this village is passed, there's no such shop."

Shen Yao made two affirmative sounds, and by the way, put the remaining meat slices into her mouth.

The work at the Canning Factory was one day off per week; apart from holidays and festivals, these were normal leave systems implemented by regular state-owned large factories.

Shen Yao had worked six days straight and hurriedly took the opportunity to adjust her rest.

After getting up in the morning and braiding two beautiful hemp braids, Shen Yao went to the Department Store with Grandmother-in-law Zhou.

"Let's buy fabric and clothes first, and leather shoes, then go buy the bicycle."

"The matter of the mixer, we have to care about it ourselves; what your leader said wasn't bad."

"Among those many ambitious youths, we don't ask for many; just one will do."

Grandmother-in-law Zhou spoke in a low voice, making Shen Yao's face full of black lines.

"Ugh, in this era, control over male and female conduct is still quite strict."

Shen Yao wanted to be a sea king, but unfortunately she didn't have that prerequisite condition.

"Grandma, don't worry; I'll definitely pick the most outstanding one to come back as your granddaughter-in-law."

Shen Yao said it with a hehe haha tone, and Grandmother-in-law Zhou gave her a lecture: "No need for the most outstanding; just someone more outstanding than ordinary people is enough."

"We're not some golden and jade noble Young Lady; if too outstanding, Grandma's afraid you can't be managed."

Shen Yao expressed agreement with this, but she just liked this kind of challenging high-difficulty thing.

"And with her special charm, unmanageable? Completely nonexistent."

The grandmother and granddaughter entered the Department Store; the shop layout of three floors wasn't luxurious, but the variety of goods inside was diverse.

The two of them weren't just buying those things just mentioned; for things like biscuits, candy, snacks, and the like, if Grandmother-in-law Zhou thought they were good, she would buy some back.

"There are still two little ones at home; you can't just care about the big ones and not manage the little ones."

Grandmother-in-law Zhou loved every child equally; as for Shen Yao and the others, besides other things, their food, clothing, and material needs were definitely not lacking.

"How about that tender yellow plaid fabric?"

Grandmother-in-law Zhou pointed at the hanging ready-made clothes, thinking they suited Shen Yao more and more.

Shen Yao was fair-skinned and fresh-looking, standing at a standard 166 centimeters—she could be described as having fair skin, beautiful looks, and long legs.

If she hadn't dressed low-key on a daily basis and didn't wear much makeup, her reputation would be even more widespread than it is now.

Nowadays, everyone at the Canning Factory knew that a new Factory Flower had been recruited into their factory.

It was just that the Factory Flower was too capable, with her heart set only on work, so she could only be admired from afar.

Shen Yao waved her hand, decisively pulling Grandmother-in-law Zhou to give up and buy cloth to make clothes instead.

Besides, at this time, the weather outside was absurdly hot; wearing a thick, suffocating layer of fabric like that, Shen Yao felt she couldn't endure this kind of hardship.

"Hey, you child."

Grandmother-in-law Zhou was helpless; before she could finish speaking, she saw that pale yellow garment bought by a girl.

However, the girl who bought it had slightly dark skin, so Shen Yao could only wish her good luck.

In the end, Grandmother-in-law Zhou only bought a few feet of light greenish-blue striped cotton fine cloth.

"What about leather shoes?"

"No, buy cloth shoes, or rubber shoes?"

Shen Yao took a liking to a pair of shoes that looked somewhat like sneakers, with white laces.

The rubber sole was soft, paired with a pair of white socks, then matched with the greenish-blue striped pinafore long skirt Grandmother-in-law Zhou made, wearing a white long shirt underneath.

Tsk tsk.

Shen Yao felt that by then she could style a vibrant, beautiful ponytail.

Having already envisioned the corresponding image in her mind, Shen Yao then prepared toward that direction.

By the time the next weekend arrived and the social gathering began, Shen Yao's fresh attire immediately attracted the vast majority of gazes as soon as she appeared.

Praise and compliments poured in; Shen Yao looked straight ahead, walking slowly to the spot belonging to their Canning Factory, then was circled and observed by others.

Shen Yao:... There's no need to be so excited.

Knowing they had taken a liking to her outfit, Shen Yao didn't hide it, and moreover, this kind of clothing was easy to make; Shen Yao's strength lay in the many memories in her mind.

Compared to the monotonous clothing styles of men and women in this period, her knowledge would undoubtedly bring a fashion trend.

It was a pity she couldn't make money using these methods, because once reported, it would be a situation of losing both person and wealth; Shen Yao felt regret in her heart.

"Shen Yao, do you have a target for this social gathering?" a female worker who was somewhat acquainted with Shen Yao asked softly.

Shen Yao shook her head, curiously looking around, "Is everyone interested?"

Feeling that everyone was dressed very formally, and some were even wearing military uniforms.

In such hot weather, I'm afraid it would be hard to endure.

"There is, why wouldn't there be?" That person then pointed to the place blocked ahead, "The people from the Machinery Factory all have very high salaries."

Shen Yao: Bringing up income right away, how direct.

Like their Canning Factory, temporary workers and interns earned no more than eighteen yuan a month; if performance was good, there would be commissions. Someone as capable as Shen Yao could earn thirty-five or six yuan, while ordinary people got around twenty.

Formal workers would be slightly higher than interns, twenty-three yuan a month.

Above that were various group leaders, workshop group leaders, and so on.

Salaries increased level by level, and the performance system remained unchanged.