Chapter 52: A Reward Lunch and a Lesson in Ambition

Chapter 52: A Reward Lunch and a Lesson in Ambition

Lunch was arranged by the officials from the Jiangling City Education Bureau, who booked several tables at a nearby government-run restaurant as a treat for the participants from various counties. Jiangbei County had the most people, occupying an entire table.

The children were thrilled. Even at home, on occasions like banquets or feasts, they rarely had the chance to sit properly at the table. Getting a corner seat and grabbing some food was considered lucky. But today, not only did they get to eat at a government-run restaurant in the provincial capital, but each of them also had a proper seat, just like adults!

This was a treat even their parents and grandparents had never enjoyed.

The children's eyes sparkled as they ate with mouths smeared with grease. Zhou Zhaodi, sitting next to Shen Moer, whispered to her, "Teacher Shen, learning to draw is wonderful. You can participate in competitions and eat meat!"

Shen Moer couldn't help but laugh and said, "Then you must continue to study hard in the future."

Zhou Zhaodi nodded vigorously, "Yes."

On the other side of Zhou Zhaodi sat Teacher Hu from Xinxiang Commune Primary School. While others couldn't hear Zhou Zhaodi's whisper, Teacher Hu heard it clearly and rolled her eyes in disdain, saying, "Learning to draw just to eat meat, what a grand ambition."

Zhou Zhaodi immediately blushed with embarrassment.

Shen Moer angrily slammed her chopsticks on the table, and the room fell silent. She turned to Teacher Hu and said, "Comrade from Xinxiang Commune, may I ask if you are a teacher?"

Since everyone leading the teams was a teacher, this was a rhetorical question.

Before Teacher Hu could respond, Shen Moer continued, "Since you are a teacher, you shouldn't say such things. Our country has only been around for a little over twenty years. Twenty years ago, we were still suffering from invasion and war. Twenty years later, we can sit together happily in a government-run restaurant. This is something to be proud of. Of course, we cannot deny that people's living standards are still low, and it's true that many can only eat meat a few times a year. Therefore, I see nothing wrong with children wishing to study hard so they can eat meat."

Teacher Hu sneered and raised her voice, "Deputy Director Ke, look at the mindset of the teachers at the brigade primary school. I’d better keep quiet, or we’ll embarrass Jiangbei County in front of the whole city."

Deputy Director Ke frowned, "Let’s all settle down. Teacher Shen, educating students should guide them to set higher ideals and goals."

Shen Moer looked at Deputy Director Ke, "Deputy Director Ke, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with children at this age having the wish to study hard so they can eat meat. Wishes aren’t trees; they’re seeds. Children need small wishes first to grow into bigger goals and ideals. They study hard now because they want to eat meat, and in the future, they will strive for a better life and to build a better country. This, I believe, is the heart of our educational work. Otherwise, as Comrade Hu said, if students are born with lofty ambitions, what do they need us teachers for?!"

Shen Moer's words were quite blunt, and Deputy Director Ke's frown deepened. Teacher Hu, on the other hand, smirked with glee.

Ke Hongwen was old-fashioned, prideful, and held grudges. By contradicting him in front of other teachers and students, this young teacher from Yangliu Brigade had deeply offended him.

Teacher Hu's husband was a colleague of Deputy Director Ke, so she knew his temper well. She was eagerly anticipating Deputy Director Ke’s outburst when suddenly, applause broke out behind her.

"Teacher Shen speaks well. Children are seeds, not trees. The essence of educational work is to help these seeds grow into towering trees." Liu Yadan had walked over at some point. She glanced at Shen Moer, raised her teacup with a smile, and said, "I’ll toast with tea to thank our colleagues from Jiangbei County and our wonderful students. You've all worked hard."

Deputy Director Ke hurriedly picked up his cup and stood up, "Director Liu, you're too kind. The city has done such a great job organizing this; we should be thanking you."

All the teachers and students from Jiangbei County stood up, raising their cups in return. Mao Mao, sitting closest to Liu Yadan, stood out by clinking cups with her.

Since the city's education bureau had praised Shen Moer, Deputy Director Ke naturally didn't say anything more. Though the mood at the table grew tense afterward, no one in those days would pass up a good meal. All six dishes on the table were completely eaten.

After returning to the guesthouse, packing up, and checking out, Shen Moer took the two children to the entrance to wait for the bus.

She had already packed up early, and since Mao Mao and Zhou Zhaodi didn't require much attention, they were the first to come down.

Soon, Teacher He also came down with two students. He looked around and, seeing that no one else had come down yet, whispered to Shen Moer, "That Deputy Director Ke is nicknamed 'Chicken Intestine' because he's very narrow-minded. You've probably offended him today."

Shen Moer chuckled, "You're really well-informed. Thanks for the reminder, but it's fine. I'm just an ordinary teacher at a brigade primary school. I probably won't have much contact with the county education bureau."

Teacher He reminded her, "You're a contract teacher, right? If Mao Mao and Zhaodi win honors in the provincial competition, this could help you become a full-time teacher, or even be transferred to a commune or county primary school."

He paused, then looked at Shen Moer sympathetically and added, "But converting contract teachers to full-time teachers is handled by Deputy Director Ke."

Shen Moer: "..."

If there was an opportunity to get a permanent position, she certainly hoped to do so, as the monthly salary would be significantly higher.

However, she did not regret refuting Deputy Director Ke at the dinner table. With so many children watching and listening to her, if she hadn't spoken up, the children might have thought that those clearly problematic ideas were correct.

"We'll deal with that when the time comes," said Shen Moer.

As they were talking, a woman wearing glasses hurried over and, after glancing at Shen Moer and Teacher He, politely inquired, "Excuse me, are you from Liuqiao Commune in Jiangbei County?"

Teacher He, thinking she was looking for him, quickly responded, "Yes, I am He Mingda from Liuqiao Commune Elementary School. And you are?"

The woman turned to Shen Moer, "Then you must be Shen Moer from Yangliu Brigade. Shen Moer, He Mingda, I am Chen Jiahua, the workshop manager of the first workshop at the South Province Embroidery Factory. Yesterday, one of our workers, Niu Xiaoli, messed up a piece of embroidery. I heard it was Shen Moer who offered a suggestion for the modification?"

Shen Moer was surprised, "If you're referring to that peony embroidery, I did offer a suggestion. Did you come today because there's an issue with that piece?"

Chen Jiahua quickly shook her head, "No, no, there's no issue with the piece. It came out very well. Shen Moer's painting skills are excellent, and the modification idea was brilliant. I came today mainly to ask if the stitching techniques you mentioned are your own or if they come from your family?"

Shen Moer looked too young, and Chen Jiahua guessed it was more likely that her elders were skilled in embroidery.

After thinking for a moment, Shen Moer vaguely replied, "I'm glad there's no issue. I know a bit, but it's mostly theoretical. We need to catch a bus to the station shortly, so I'm afraid we can't discuss this in detail with Manager Chen."

She had helped Niu Xiaoli on a spur of the moment and didn't want to get involved in any trouble because of it.

Moreover, the bus arranged by the city should have arrived by now, and teachers and students from various counties were arriving one after another. They needed to hurry and board the bus.

Having finally found her, Chen Jiahua wasn't about to let it go.

Chen Jiahua had come to the guesthouse in the morning to inquire and knew that the people from Lingjiang City were returning in the afternoon. To save time, she had gone to the Embroidery Factory specifically to borrow a car.

"Shen Moer, are you going to the bus station? Our factory car is parked outside. I can take you there, and we can talk on the way. How does that sound?"

"..."

Unexpectedly, the other party was so persistent, but being unfamiliar with the place, Shen Moer was indeed reluctant to take a ride from a stranger.

Perhaps sensing her hesitation, Chen Jiahua immediately added, "Our factory car is quite spacious. Let's bring Teacher He and the children along! Don't worry, our driver knows the city's roads well and has many contacts at the bus station. He can definitely get you there on time and even help with buying tickets."

Curious, Teacher He went out to take a look. A bus was parked by the roadside, likely arranged by the city to take them to the bus station. Not far from the bus, there was also a cool jeep!

Teacher He had only seen such a car occasionally in the county town and had always thought it looked incredibly cool, wishing he could ride in one someday. He never imagined the opportunity would come so quickly.

He immediately switched sides, helping Chen Jiahua persuade Shen Moer, "Teacher Shen, it seems Manager Chen really has something important to discuss with you. It's hard to refuse such hospitality. Why don't we trouble them?"

With such thorough preparations and the offer to help with tickets, Shen Moer thought it was hard to refuse, so she nodded in agreement.

Teacher He quickly ran to the city-arranged bus to explain the situation, and then the group squeezed into the jeep.

Thanks to his larger male frame, Teacher He secured the front passenger seat, while Shen Moer and Chen Jiahua each held a child in the back seat, with the other two children sharing the remaining space.

Decades later, such seating would definitely violate traffic rules and be unsafe. But in those days, overloading was common; people just squeezed in, and as long as the car could move, it wasn't a problem!

Whether it was Teacher He in the front or the kids in the back, everyone was excitedly looking around after getting in the car.

Chen Jiahua, however, was racing against time to explain the situation of the first workshop at the South Province Embroidery Factory to Shen Moer.

In short, the South Province Embroidery Factory was a state-owned factory specializing in embroidered textiles. Their production tasks were mainly divided into two areas: producing high-end embroidered products as "national gifts" and producing embroidered products for export. This meant their products were essentially not sold domestically.

The first workshop had two tasks: producing high-end embroidered products and creating samples for other workshops.

In other words, the first workshop is almost considered the technical heart of the South Province Embroidery Factory.

However, in recent years, due to the political climate, many old employees with unfavorable backgrounds in the first workshop have been sent for labor reform. New recruits are either transferred from other workshops or simply inserted through various connections. The skill levels of the embroiderers are not just uneven; they have declined sharply.

With declining technical skills and repetitive embroidery designs lacking any innovation, the sales of the South Province Embroidery Factory at the Canton Fair have been declining sharply in recent years. Not only are the factory leaders under great pressure, but Chen Jiahua, the workshop director of the first workshop, is also under immense stress.

This is precisely why Chen Jiahua was so excited when she saw the half-finished embroidery piece brought back by Niu Xiaoli.

"Comrade Shen must know embroidery, right? If you have any ideas, you could embroider a piece and send it to us after you return. I can try to get the factory to directly hire you as a full-time employee," Chen Jiahua said.

She observed Shen Moer's expression and noticed that the other party did not show any emotional reaction at her proposal, which made her feel somewhat helpless.

For anyone else, hearing they could become a full-time employee at a state-owned factory in the provincial capital, even if not thrilled, should at least be very surprised, right?

Just like Comrade He sitting in the front seat, from Chen Jiahua's angle, she could see that he was so surprised that his mouth was almost agape.

Actually, Shen Moer was also a bit surprised, but being a full-time employee at a provincial factory really didn't hold much appeal for her. After all, her father and her partner were still in Liuqiao Commune. What would she do running off to the provincial capital to be a worker?

So she quickly declined politely, "Thank you, Director Chen, but I currently have no plans to work in the provincial capital."

As expected.

Chen Jiahua sighed inwardly but still tried to make another effort, "If you don't have plans now, you can always contact me if you change your mind in the future."

After a moment's thought, she added, "I also have an unreasonable request. I guess Comrade Shen must have some good embroidery designs. If our factory wants to purchase them, would you be willing?"

Shen Moer raised her eyebrows slightly. Earlier, when Chen Jiahua was introducing their factory's situation, she wasn't very straightforward, but Shen Moer could infer from her words that their factory was currently in urgent need of skilled embroiderers and innovative designs.

Now that Chen Jiahua had brought this up, Shen Moer felt that the factory's situation might be more problematic than she had imagined.

Shen Moer absentmindedly rubbed the small belly of Zhou Zhaodi sitting on her lap, her fingers touching the rough fabric and the edges of the patches. Her gaze swept over the wide streets outside the window, the tall trees, the people riding bicycles, and the rows of unevenly spaced concrete houses along the street.

After a moment of contemplation, Shen Moer asked, "Director Chen, would your factory be interested in setting up a branch in our Liuqiao Commune, or perhaps establishing a branch workshop of your first workshop there?"

*

After arriving at the bus station, Chen Jiahua had the driver buy tickets for Shen Moer and her group, personally escorted them to the bus, and left them a mesh bag filled with fruits, canned goods, and some local specialty snacks from the provincial capital.

Even after Chen Jiahua left, Teacher He was still speechless with shock.

How could he not be shocked?

One nonchalantly offered a full-time employee position at a state-owned factory in the provincial capital, and the other casually declined.

One proposed to buy designs, and the other directly asked if they could set up a branch factory or workshop.

The key point was that after a long silence, Director Chen actually agreed, saying she would discuss it with the factory management as soon as possible.

Of course, the premise was that Shen Moer would send them an embroidery sample.

Presumably, they would evaluate based on the quality of the embroidery sample Shen Moer sent. If unsatisfied, the matter would naturally fall through; if satisfied... given Director Chen's desperation for talent, Teacher He felt she would spare no effort to make it happen.

After all, Shen Moer had clearly refused to sell her designs, and she also declined to move to the provincial capital. For the South Province Embroidery Factory to obtain Shen Moer's embroidery pieces, it seemed the only option left was to establish a branch factory or workshop in Liuqiao Commune.

Teacher He sat in his seat, stunned for a long time, and finally silently gave Shen Moer a thumbs up.

Just then, teachers and students from other schools who had taken the city's arranged bus arrived. Deputy Director Ke led the way, and Teacher He, with great tact, proactively greeted them. Shen Moer then smiled at him, and Deputy Director Ke nodded coldly before heading straight to the back.

Because Shen Moer and her group had taken the Embroidery Factory's jeep, they indeed arrived at the bus station much earlier, as Chen Jiahua had said, and their tickets were for seats near the front. The others, who had taken the city's arranged bus, arrived a bit later and got seats further back.

Following closely behind Deputy Director Ke, Teacher Hu rolled her eyes, muttered "Petty people getting ahead, you'll cry when you can't get regularized later," and with her chin held high, followed him.

After the group had passed, Teacher He chuckled softly and whispered, "Hah, what's the big deal about getting a permanent teaching position? Teacher Shen, I bet you're about to land a managerial role at the South Province Embroidery Factory!"

Whether it's establishing a branch factory or a workshop, since the South Province Embroidery Factory values Shen Moer's skills, they would surely offer her a managerial position.

Sure, moving from a temporary to a permanent teaching position is great, but it pales in comparison to a managerial role at a provincial state-owned factory.

First of all, the salary difference is huge.

Shen Moer laughed and reminded, "Teacher He, I haven't even sent any embroidery pieces yet. What if they're not satisfied?"

"How could they not be? Yesterday, it was clear your skills are way beyond that girl crying in the corner."

Not to mention, Teacher He was already thinking about whether any of his relatives or friends knew how to embroider. After all, if this branch factory is established, it can't just be Shen Moer working alone. They would definitely need to hire more workers.

Working at a provincial state-owned factory—just the thought gets him all excited.

By the time the bus reached the county town, it was already night. Fortunately, the commune had arranged for the bus, which had usage rights three times a week, to wait for them at the bus station. They immediately switched buses and continued their journey. After dropping off Teacher He and two students from the commune's elementary school at the commune stop, the bus continued on, taking Shen Moer and the others directly back to Yangliu Brigade.

As soon as the bus stopped, the door of the Shen family's courtyard opened, and a group of people came out.

After letting the passengers off, the bus turned around and left. Mao Mao hopped off the bus, cheering, and leapt into his mother's arms. Shen Moer, holding Zhou Zhaodi's hand, was immediately surrounded by everyone.

Shen Shaoyuan looked his precious daughter up and down and immediately said, "Our Moer's had a tough couple of days; her chin's all pointy now."

Everyone else: "..."

Aunt Chen couldn't help but say, "It's only been a few days; how could her chin have gotten so sharp? I think the two little ones' faces have actually filled out."

Shen Shaoyuan argued logically, "If the kids' faces have filled out, then naturally Moer's has thinned out. She's been taking care of two children alone, with so many things to worry about, how could she not lose weight?"

Mao Mao peeked out from his mother's arms and said, "We had some awesome noodles and a feast with braised pork, fish, and soup—all super tasty! We also had snacks on the bus, and they were really good too!"

"Alright, alright, we know you had good food."

Li Xinmei patted her son's head, glanced at Zhou Zhaodi, who was holding Shen Moer's hand, and sighed softly, saying, "You've come a long way back, you must be tired. Moer, you've worked hard too, go rest early. Zhaodi will come back with us, Mao Mao and I will walk you home first."

Mao Mao and the others were supposed to come back tonight, as agreed before they left. When they came to the Shen family to wait, Chen Zhuangzhuang even went to the Zhou family to inform them. Yang Daniu is the stepmother, but Zhou Xiaoshuan is the biological father. Who would have thought that after hearing this, Yang Daniu would start cursing, saying things like the money-wasting girl hasn't been home for days and has made the house a mess. Zhou Xiaoshuan didn't dare to speak up, much less join them to wait for the child.

Aunt Chen directly took Zhou Zhaodi's hand and said, "Come on, kiddo, we'll walk you home."

Zhou Zhaodi hugged her small, tattered bundle tightly, looked up at Shen Moer, and smiled, "Teacher Shen, I'll head back with Mao Mao's grandma."

Shen Moer patted her head and said, "Mm, rest early."

After the Chen family had gone far, Shen Shaoyuan turned and went into the house, "I've got work tomorrow, so I'm heading to bed first. Grab a bite and hit the hay early too."

Shen Moer touched her nose, obediently agreed, and watched as Shen Shaoyuan walked away. She then handed the luggage to Fu Mingze, who was standing nearby, and whispered, "Come on in and grab a bite with me."

Although they had snacks on the road, eating on the bus didn't really whet the appetite. Now, Shen Moer was indeed a bit hungry.

A big bowl of wontons was keeping warm in the pot. Naturally, this couldn't have been made by Shen Shaoyuan; it was probably bought from the commune's state-owned restaurant.

Eating a lot late at night can make it hard to sleep, so Shen Shaoyuan must have left this much with Fu Mingze in mind. Shen Moer grabbed a bowl, split half for Fu Mingze, and they both plopped down on little stools in the kitchen to eat.

Shen Moer quickly filled him in on the last couple of days, including the bit about the South Province Embroidery Factory.

Fu Mingze was familiar with the South Province Embroidery Factory. After all, it's a unit capable of producing "national gift" embroidery products. Although their products are not sold domestically, some families in the capital can still get their hands on them through special channels.

But he didn't bring that up, just noted that their embroidery had been quite the hit in the capital a few years back, and now the talent shortage is probably due to the current climate.

"Do you want to get the villagers involved in embroidery?" Fu Mingze asked.

Shen Moer indeed had this idea. She knew that Aunt Chen, Aunt Cai, and others actually had some basic embroidery skills, and there were several young wives in the village who also knew a bit about embroidery. If someone taught them, their skills could certainly improve, and it shouldn't be hard to reach the level of Niu Xiaoli, the girl who cried.

If the scope is expanded to the entire Liuqiao community, it shouldn't be difficult to select some more outstanding and talented individuals.

The lack of embroidery talent boils down to the fact that this skill was originally only mastered by a small number of people, and ordinary folks had no way to pick it up. If there were real opportunities to learn, training a few skilled embroiderers wouldn't be too difficult.

As for the situation at the South Province Embroidery Factory, it's probably because the veteran craftsmen might not be too keen on teaching newcomers, and those who become apprentices may not necessarily have talent in this area. With all the red tape, how can they nurture talent?

"Let's give it a shot—no guarantees it'll work out," Shen Moer said.

Fu Mingze nodded and didn't ask further, instead bringing up another matter: "Something came up in the village while you were away in the city."

As he spoke, he glanced at Shen Moer with a meaningful look.

Shen Moer looked puzzled: "Hmm, does it have something to do with me?"

Fu Mingze chuckled softly and said, "It's more like the people involved have some connection to you."

Shen Moer: "Ah?"

Fu Mingze said, "Your cousin Shen Lingling and Zhang Junliang from the textile factory hit it off on their blind date. Rumor has it they’re planning to tie the knot before we do."

Shen Moer: "..."