Chapter 608: Passing the Secondary Specialized School Exam is the Right Path

"Factory Director He, my eyes were dim, I didn't see you!" Xu Damao said with a sheepish laugh.

"I don't think it was that you didn't see me, but that you were afraid I'd make things difficult for you!" He Yuzhu said with a smile.

"That couldn't be! You manage a factory of tens of thousands of people, how could you still remember a small fry like me?" Xu Damao hurriedly buttered up He Yuzhu.

"Damao, the factory is currently working overtime to build blast furnaces, so don't go to the countryside for now. Work overtime in the auditorium to show movies and boost the workers' morale. In three months, you can go back to the villages," He Yuzhu instructed.

"Factory Director He, that wouldn't be appropriate, would it? I've already made arrangements with the commune over in Qinghe!" Xu Damao argued.

"Go over and show one last time today, and explain to the commune leaders that this is an assignment. If you don't comply, don't bother working at the factory anymore." He Yuzhu walked away after saying this.

Xu Damao stood where he was, his fists clenched until they creaked, his lips moving, but he didn't dare make a sound.

He Yuzhu pushed open his front door and heard a chattering sound inside.

He Yushui was huddled together with a few young girls, whispering.

"What are you girls chatting about?"

He Yushui looked up: "Brother, you don't care about me at all! We're about to have our middle school entrance exams, what do you think we should apply for?"

He Yuzhu was stunned for a moment and asked: "Haven't I always told you that if you girls like music, you should apply to the Central Conservatory of Music Middle School? Didn't you take the professional exams in advance?"

He Yushui smiled: "Brother, we've already passed our arts exams; we were just discussing whether or not to apply for university in three years."

He Yuzhu shook his head: "Didn't I tell you all long ago? Don't apply for university!"

"But our dad supports me applying for university!"

"Then let Brother ask you: do you believe me, or do you believe Deputy Factory Director He?"

He Yushui, Xiaomi, Dahua, and Xiaoqi looked at each other and said in unison: "We believe Brother!"

Xiaoqi added with a grin: "Brother is the Factory Director, and He Daye is the Deputy Factory Director; of course we listen to the Factory Director."

He Yuzhu shook his head helplessly. Among these four children, Xiaoqi was the most slick, good at talking, good at handling things, and even had a bit of humor.

He Yuzhu said: "Brother has calculated it: if you go to university, there might be major social changes the year you graduate. Before you even graduate, you might be assigned to labor in the countryside, and you could be stuck there for several years. Are you willing to do that?"

The young girls shook their heads one after another.

"Then listen to me and go to the secondary specialized school of the Music Conservatory," He Yuzhu said. "After you graduate, Brother will do his best to make arrangements for you!"

He Yushui's eyes lit up, and she asked again: "But Dahua's grades aren't good; it's possible she won't get into the secondary specialized school of the Music Conservatory. What should we do?"

Dahua's face turned red, and she asked in a low voice: "Brother, if I can't get in, can I go work at your factory?"

He Yuzhu thought for a moment: "If you're willing, I'll arrange for you to be in the factory's Propaganda Section."

Upon hearing this, Dahua immediately felt reassured. Although her father was the Section Chief of the Rolling Mill's Security Section, he wouldn't dare claim he could get her directly into the Propaganda Section.

He Yushui quickly asked again: "What about Yu Haitang? Her grades aren't very good either; can she go to the Propaganda Section too?"

He Yuzhu nodded: "The Rolling Mill is hiring recently, and graduating from middle school counts as being educated; the chances of getting hired are very high!"

Only then was He Yushui happy, pulling her little friends along to chatter and discuss it.

He Yuzhu continued: "After you girls finish your exams, come to our factory's Propaganda Section to perform! That bunch of people in our factory's Propaganda Section are all lifeless and lack any vitality; you go sing some songs and boost the morale of our workers."

"Okay! Okay!" He Yushui immediately agreed happily.

Xu Damao went to Baying Commune in advance.

Xu Damao walked up to the office of Commune President Lao Cui, saw the door was open, and walked straight in without knocking.

Lao Cui was burying his head in his abacus. Hearing movement, he looked up and, seeing it was Xu Damao, hurriedly stood up to welcome him, greeting him with a booming voice: "Oh, Comrade Damao! Sit, sit! Why are you here so early today? Do you have something to find me for?"

Lao Cui's loud voice made Xu Damao stagger backward. He rubbed his ears and joked: "Lao Cui, is your hearing not working well? Why are you using so much force when you're this close?"

"Heh, my hearing isn't good; it was all blasted by the little devils' artillery! When there are a lot of people, I don't like to talk, and that's why."

Xu Damao smiled and lowered his voice: "Our factory has a new Factory Director. As soon as he took office, he gave a strict order that within these three months, I'm not allowed to run to the various villages anymore. I have to show movies in the factory to entertain the workers building the blast furnaces."

Lao Cui's brow furrowed into a knot, and his tone carried a bit of dissatisfaction: "Isn't this something we already agreed on? How can it change just like that?"

Xu Damao curled his lips and began to exaggerate: "Ever since the Soviet Union Experts packed up and left, that new Factory Director has been determined to produce results! He's declared that in two months, he must get that blast furnace up. He has the workers working in three shifts; how can a small projectionist like me fight against the Factory Director?"

After hearing this, Lao Cui sighed: "Sigh, with the children all on vacation, we were counting on a movie to at least give the little ones some fun and a bit of mental sustenance. In these times, if their stomachs aren't full, and they're starved mentally as well..."

Xu Damao waved his hand, putting on an act of having made good arrangements: "Lao Cui, don't you worry. After three months, I'll be back, and the first show will definitely be at our commune!"

Lao Cui had no other way, so he could only nod and agree: "Fine, fine, let's do it that way."

Having finished his business at the commune, Xu Damao pedaled his bicycle and sped off toward Zhang Village.

Xie Guafu was busy in her small vegetable garden. As soon as she saw Xu Damao's figure, she put down her tools and went to meet him: "Damao, is there something up today?"

Xu Damao took a small red booklet out of his green satchel and handed it over: "Take a look, does it look like the real thing?"

Xie Guafu took it, turned and went into the house, dug out the old marriage certificate of herself and her late husband from the depths of the cabinet, placed them side by side to compare them again and again, and studied them for a long time. A hint of surprise appeared in her eyes: "Oh my, it really does look quite similar! You must have spent a lot of money to get this made, right?"

Xu Damao waved his hand and said triumphantly: "Didn't spend a cent!" As he spoke, he took two large bags of soap out of the box he was carrying on the back of his bicycle. "I originally wanted to buy matches, but I couldn't find any. Just take two bars of soap for the family; consider it our wedding gift. However... I have to tell you something first: for the next three months, I'm afraid I won't be able to come as often."

The joy on Xie Guafu's face immediately stiffened, and she asked anxiously: "Ah? What happened? Why?"

Xu Damao sighed: "Haven't I mentioned that guy to you? The one who grew up in the same courtyard as me, he's now the Factory Director. Last time you even said he was broad-minded and wouldn't make things difficult for me. But what happened? I ran into him at the factory, and he immediately tripped me up, not letting me go to the countryside to show movies. He said the factory is building blast furnaces, and for three months, I have to show them to the workers at the factory."

Xie Guafu's heart sank as she listened, and she asked again: "Don't you have other people in your Propaganda Section? Can't you swap shifts?"

Xu Damao waved his hand with a look of bad luck: "Don't even mention it! They want the Propaganda Section to run around the clock, showing movies twenty-four hours a day! Four projectionists are working in rotating shifts; there's absolutely no free time."

Xie Guafu opened her mouth, unable to speak for a long time. Finally, she sighed low: "Then... then our wheat is still hidden here with me. What will you do if you want to eat noodles?"

Xu Damao leaned in a step closer, hugged her, and said: "It's fine. Just because I'm not coming to show movies doesn't mean I'm not coming to this village. They have to give me one day off a week, right? When that day off comes, I'll sneak over to see you."

Hearing this, Xie Guafu felt slightly relieved and nodded gently, though the unease in her eyes did not completely dissipate.