[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981":3,"chapter-that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-867":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","That Year, the Flowers Bloomed in 1981",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2295285,4489,"Chapter 867: No One Wants to Step Out of Their Comfort Zone","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-867",867,"\u003Cp>On the third day of the New Year, Li Ye went to work for his shift according to the schedule.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After arriving at the deserted No. 1 Plant, Li Ye first walked the entire facility with Lu Zhizhang, who was on night duty, to complete the handover, then returned to his office, lay back on the recliner, and closed his eyes to rest, ensuring he’d have enough energy for the night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thieves and vandals wouldn’t dare show up during daylight, so the patrol team just needed to keep patrolling—it was at night that Li Ye needed to stay alert.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since this was an automobile plant, the No. 1 Plant stored considerable amounts of fuel and lubricants; if anything went wrong, he might lose his position as plant manager.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after dozing off for a while, Li Ye opened his eyes and saw it was only half past ten in the morning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sigh, I should’ve brought two books.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an era without mobile phones, time dragged terribly—even though Li Ye’s desk had a computer, there wasn’t even Minesweeper yet! Not to mention playable games like Half-Life or Prince of Persia; aside from work, it was just a decoration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Li Ye was bored out of his mind, he heard footsteps in the corridor outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He listened carefully and frowned slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye had excellent hearing; he could usually identify familiar people by their footsteps alone. Right now, the sound outside sounded very much like Yue Lingshan from the headquarters’ Supply Department.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough, after a knock came the voice: “Plant Manager Li, are you in?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye sat upright in his chair and said warmly, “I’m in! Come in.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yue Lingshan pushed open the door and walked in with a smile: “Happy New Year, Plant Manager Li! So it’s really you on duty today—I’m on shift at headquarters too, so I came over to pay my respects.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, happy New Year, happy New Year! Sit down, don’t stand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he invited Yue Lingshan to sit, Li Ye asked, “How did they assign you to duty? Isn’t it usually management who takes shifts?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye wasn’t implying Yue Lingshan wasn’t senior enough—he just thought it was absurd to make a low-ranking worker bear responsibility during holidays. If something went wrong, he couldn’t possibly cover for her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yue Lingshan frowned: “Plant Manager Li, don’t even mention it. Ever since you moved from Supply and Marketing to No. 1 Plant, I’ve been unfairly targeted.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“During the Spring Festival schedule, there were so many people in the whole office building, yet somehow they ended up assigning me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye chuckled, but didn’t empathize.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A fence-sitter can reap benefits sometimes—but sometimes, everyone ends up hating them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Li Ye first arrived, Yue Lingshan had closely followed Deputy Section Chief Wu Qingyi and was very hostile toward him. But after Li Ye was promoted to deputy section chief and his master, Old Ding, took over as section chief, Yue Lingshan quickly switched sides and clung to Li Ye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was normal in the workplace to follow the powerful and abandon the weak; Li Ye didn’t mind too much. But when Li Ye was transferred from headquarters to No. 1 Plant and asked if Yue Lingshan wanted to come along, she refused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She probably thought that with Li Ye gone, her chance would come again—but she didn’t expect Zheng Jiemin, whom Li Ye had already punished, to be promoted to deputy section chief, leaving her stranded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Pan Dachuan, who had followed Li Ye to No. 1 Plant, went from being a nobody to becoming the head of the Supply Department there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So now, Yue Lingshan coming over to pay New Year’s respects was almost certainly another attempt to “seek refuge” under Li Ye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But could such delayed loyalty ever work?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, Yue Lingshan pulled out two lunch boxes from her bag and placed them on Li Ye’s desk with a forced smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Plant Manager Li, you’re on duty today—hard to get a decent lunch, right? The canteen food’s awful. I happened to cook extra this morning.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Are these real meals—or something else entirely?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye quickly declined: “No, no, you keep them for yourself!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yue Lingshan’s smile froze. She looked wounded: “Plant Manager Li, I know you don’t accept gifts, so I only made two dishes—please don’t reject them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye’s head ached. Today was a holiday; the entire No. 1 Plant had only a few people. If this lone woman burst into tears in front of him, word would spread and become gossip among all the workers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he took one lunch box and pushed the other back, then said bluntly: “I appreciate your thoughtfulness. You know me—I don’t beat around the bush. Just say what you want.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yue Lingshan didn’t hesitate: “Plant Manager Li, I read your No. 1 Plant’s technical talent recruitment standards. So please transfer me over—I’m willing to start as a clerk and work hard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Technical talent recruitment standards?” Li Ye said in surprise. “That standard applies to college graduates. You’re a vocational school graduate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yue Lingshan nodded: “I know. I enrolled in night school last year—I’ll graduate next year. I fully meet No. 1 Plant’s requirements.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye sighed and said: “You must’ve misread—the requirement is for original academic credentials.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The technical talent recruitment at No. 1 Plant wasn’t just a job—it came with housing too. In the 1980s, when vocational school graduates were considered highly educated, Li Ye had insisted on setting the bar at junior college level, excluding night school and radio\u002FTV university.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Yue Lingshan protested indignantly: “Plant Manager Li, nothing’s absolute! The state recognizes night school degrees—why won’t our plant? No. 1 Plant is a state unit too!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye waved his hand to stop her, then said calmly: “Next year, No. 1 Plant will definitely hire more staff, but the technical talent recruitment standard won’t change.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you want to come, wait patiently for the official announcement. But I’ll tell you this—you might not get an office job. You could start in a workshop role, like data recording.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Workshop?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yue Lingshan’s face twisted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was used to the quiet, easy office work. The thought of working in a workshop full of oil fumes and clanging machinery was unbearable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for No. 1 Plant’s higher salary, it held little appeal to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, she was still a cadre in headquarters’ Supply Department, holding the lifelines of several suppliers—she had some hidden income. If she came to No. 1 Plant, she wouldn’t get housing, and she’d have to work in the workshop—it didn’t seem worth it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, a brisk, chaotic clatter of footsteps echoed down the corridor. Fu Yiruo, Li Juan, Li Ying, and Zhao Meiwen burst in laughing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bro, we brought you lunch!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The four sisters entered and noticed Yue Lingshan—and the lunch boxes on the desk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their eyes instantly lit up with gossip. In this era, a woman bringing lunch to a man—what was that relationship?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fu Yiruo glanced at Yue Lingshan and smiled sweetly: “Bro, we’re not interrupting your work, right? Sister-in-law made us come early—otherwise we wouldn’t be here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye rolled his eyes: “No problem. A colleague came to pay New Year’s respects—no work talk.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh~ Then this sister came at the perfect time—join us for lunch!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Little Li Ying stretched out the word “oh” and opened her lunch box, placing each dish on the table one by one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yue Lingshan looked at the four dishes and one soup on the table—colorful, fragrant, appetizing—and compared them to her own dried bamboo shoot with pork. Suddenly, she felt ridiculous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, no, I have to get back to duty! Hehe, don’t mind me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye was famous for refusing gifts—he didn’t need money, and others couldn’t afford to give him anything valuable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She’d gone out of her way to bring lunch, only to be so clearly outdone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Yue Lingshan didn’t realize: Li Ye accepting even one lunch box already meant he still held some old goodwill toward her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, people stuck in their comfort zones never want to endure hardship—and so lose better opportunities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Yue Lingshan left, the four sisters immediately bombarded Li Ye with questions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No. 1 Plant’s performance is better, so she wants to transfer—but there’s no suitable position. I expect this will fizzle out again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean ‘again’? Tell us the whole story, bro!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s the point? I’m eating! Go play yourselves...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s fun here? Hey, this computer’s okay—let’s play!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey hey hey, let Xiao Juan watch for you! Don’t mess around!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Okay okay...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sisters left Li Ye alone and gathered around the computer, chattering excitedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before Li Ye finished his meal, high-heeled footsteps echoed down the corridor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sisters immediately asked: “Bro, is that woman coming back?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye shook his head slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The footsteps weren’t Yue Lingshan’s—and he didn’t recognize them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when the person walked straight to his office door, knocked, and entered, Li Ye realized—she wasn’t entirely unfamiliar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ying pointed in surprise: “Hey, aren’t you Ning Pingping from the Fenghua Clothing ad?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ning Pingping smiled and turned to Li Ye: “Li Tongxue, long time no see!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Long time no see!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye studied Ning Pingping—her demeanor clearly different from two years ago—and wondered: What the hell are you doing here?\u003C\u002Fp>",1554,"2026-06-20T05:05:02.628Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","467b798617c990525501a1ff2de0e24b5e62e09fda48d36282cdb956b97ebf0f","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-868","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-866",884,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthat-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-cover.jpg"]