Linxia

Chapter 214, Big Dream

"Come on, go in. You will also have to work here in the future. You can take a look today." The party leader smiled and led the people from Xiaohe Village in.

At the factory gate, there were naturally guards similar to "security guards" and no strangers were allowed to enter. But with him leading the way, naturally everything was not a problem.

The people of Xiaohe Village went in to visit and gradually became numb when they saw the densely packed workers in uniform uniforms and the rows of textile machines.

They had heard about how many properties Fang Lin had and how rich he was, but even though he was a fourth-rank official, they didn't feel it was real.

Now, coming to the factory and seeing thousands of people working for Fang Lin and relying on Fang Lin for their food, the shock that strikes the soul... is beyond words!
When the factory workers saw them, they also started talking about them.

——Among them, some are from the city, and some are people who fled here two years ago. However, as they entered the factory, they now have a unified name, 'Workers of Fanglin Factory'. This is considered a relatively decent job in the city nowadays. Looking at these people from Xiaohe Village, they naturally have a sense of superiority.

"Where did these people come from? Why are they wearing tattered clothes?"

"Yeah, how did you get into our factory?"

"You can tell at first glance that he came from a rural village. He looks so unworldly that he can't hide it."

……

Many people in Xiaohe Village felt inferior after hearing these words.

——In fact, the living standard of the people in Xiaohe Village is already considered relatively good among the nearby villages, and even in the villages under the entire Haining County. Now they all wear their best clothes. Although many of them are patched, there are not too many patches, and they are also washed clean. However, compared with the people in the capital city, especially compared with the workers in the Fanglin factory, all of this is naturally dwarfed.

In addition, when they arrived in the provincial capital, such a strange place, they subconsciously had a feeling of "people away from home are inferior", and were naturally uneasy.

"Go, go, go, do your work, why are you talking so much?" The party leader scolded the workers, asking them to shut up. After thinking for a while, he explained, "These are all Mr. Fang's fellow villagers. They will work with you in the future. Please be more polite with your words."

When they heard Fang Lin, the teasing factory workers suddenly stopped talking. This is prestige.

When the people of Xiaohe Village heard Fang Lin, they seemed to have found their backbone and felt confident immediately. They thought that they were from the same village as Fang Lin and were closer to him, so they would probably have a better future than these people!

They didn't realize that they had become subconsciously dependent on each other.

In fact, as they spend more time in the city, these people will realize that as the world changes, in this increasingly competitive city, they can only cling to Fang Lin...there is no other way.

……

At noon, Fang Lin treated the villagers who came to the city to a meal.

After visiting the factory in the morning, their attitude changed again. Unlike the sense of distance in the morning, there was more respect.

Fang Lin came to the provincial capital, and in just a few years, he started from scratch and has achieved what he has today. Naturally, he can be called a 'strong man', and people always treat the strong like this.

Of course, the more this happens, the more cautious they become and the more they dare not get close.

The more people know, the more they know how to be reverent. After this morning's visit, they realized the gap between themselves and Fang Lin, and knew they were not even qualified to please him. Before coming, many of them had thought about meeting Fang Lin, holding his hand, saying nice things to him, and asking Fang Lin to help them get assigned to a better workshop. Now thinking about it, they all felt that they were extremely ridiculous.

"They are all villagers who know me well, and many of them are my elders. I won't say much. Let's eat first!"

As Fang Lin spoke, he saw that most of the villagers were hesitant to speak. He knew that they probably wanted to ask about jobs. He would not feel at ease if he did not ask about this. He shook his head and smiled, saying, "After dinner, in the afternoon, we will assign jobs to everyone. Everyone has different strengths and will be assigned jobs according to their abilities. The dormitories of the 'First Good Product Weaving Workshop' have been put into use; the dormitories of the 'Second Good Product Weaving Workshop' are also nearing completion and will be put into use in ten days. The dormitories of other workshops are under construction. Even if there are no dormitories assigned for the time being, don't worry about where to live. I have arranged everything..."

After hearing this, they felt relieved.

In Fang Lin's eyes, lunch was just average. However, for the people of Xiaohe Village, it was already very satisfying for so many people to have enough food and meat and vegetables.

In the afternoon, Fang Lin assigned tasks to these villagers as promised.

……

You Chaodong was assigned to the "Second Good Product Weaving Workshop". He tidied up and packed up in the afternoon, and entered the workshop the next day, starting a busy and fulfilling workshop life.

For newbies like them, the factory would assign a master. His master was Ye Ping, Tian Wu's neighbor. He was hired after passing the assessment after recruiting people at the "Second Good Product Weaving Workshop".

"Master Ye, I always get stuck here, what's going on? And here..." In order to avoid troubling others too much, You Chaodong accumulated some questions and asked them all at once.

"You are like this..."

"So that's how it is. I understand. Thank you, Master Ye." You Chaodong smiled and thanked him repeatedly.

He could feel that Ye Ping's attitude towards him was lukewarm. He would answer if asked, but would not take the initiative to give guidance if not asked.

However, in comparison, Ye Ping was already good, at least he could answer. He had heard that some masters just let you watch for yourself and often said unpleasant things.

——These workers had all passed strict assessments to get in. They naturally felt unbalanced towards the people from Xiaohe Village who came in just because they were from the same village as Fang Lin. Besides, the 'master' was not a 'master' and he only taught them for some subsidies, so naturally they would not put in much effort.

Of course, the factory workers were still grateful to Fang Lin, but Fang Lin was Fang Lin, and they were them. No matter what, these people were just from the same village as Fang Lin.

After a busy morning, You Chaodong felt hungry, and then a whistle sounded.

He knew it was time to eat.

Wow!
The workers flocked to the canteen like a tide.

You Chaodong ran fast, but there were others who were faster. He came to a window to queue up. He smelled the fragrance coming from the front and couldn't help swallowing his saliva. After a while, it was finally his turn: "I want a portion of radish and cabbage, and a portion of dry rice!"

This cost him twelve cents, which made him feel a little distressed. However, when he saw that the portion was large and the money was good, he thought it was a good deal. Then he thought about his monthly salary, and he felt better.

"I heard that excellent workers have various benefits, such as monthly meal allowance, dormitory accommodation fee reduction, lucky draws during the New Year, etc.... Work hard, even if you don't make it this year, you will be selected next year."

He made up his mind secretly and went to a dining table where two people from Xiaohe Village came in: Qiao Sheng and Geng Cong.

Geng Cong glanced at his own bowl, then looked at You Chaodong's bowl: "Hey, Chaodong, I think my dishes are quite affordable, how come yours are more than mine?"

"I came here earlier and saw that there were many people at my window, but few at other windows. But the old workers still came to this line, so I followed them... When I came here, I heard an old worker say that people at this window would get a little more food."

You Chaodong was indeed a little clever, and asked with a smile: "Brother Qiao, Congzi, how did you do this morning?"

"It's just like that. My master doesn't know how to teach me. He just asked me to watch more. How can I figure it out?" Geng Cong complained.

"Me too... Well, I'll just have to learn slowly!" Qiao Sheng also sighed.

...While the three were talking, Fang Lin came over and greeted them one by one. He asked Qiao Sheng about Qiao Cunzheng's health and asked Geng Cong about Geng's father.

Then, he looked at You Chaodong and said, "Brother You, are you okay? Are you used to working in the factory?"

——Compared with Qiao Sheng and Geng Cong, it was only because of the relationship between Qiao Xu and Geng Shi that You Chaodong helped his family pass on the news. Later, it was heard that this person was a "Fang Chui" in the village and said a lot of good things about him, so naturally their relationship was closer.

"No, no, just call me Dongzi... I, I'm fine in the factory, everything is fine." You Chaodong stood up suddenly, bent over, his face flushed with excitement, and spoke haltingly and incoherently.

Fang Lin looked at the other person and sighed secretly in his heart.

At first, I called you 'Brother You' and you called me 'Linzi'. Now I can still call you 'Brother You', but you only call me 'Sir'.

He sensed the distance between them and said nothing more. He patted You Chaodong on the shoulder, said "Do a good job", and paid for a portion of meat and vegetables for each of the three people out of his own pocket before leaving.

Needless to say, Fang Lin's actions showed that these three people were not just ordinary people from the same village. This made the other factory workers envious, and at the same time, they also felt less repulsive.

At this time, the storytelling began. The factory suddenly became quiet, leaving only the ups and downs of the storytelling sounds, and the workers were all immersed in it.

……

After listening to the storytelling and eating, on the way back to work, Ye Ping came over and asked, "Chaodong, you and Lord Fang are very close. I saw Lord Fang pat you on the shoulder?"

"Master Fang and I are from the same village. We fled to the capital together and looked for work together... But later, Master Fang stayed and I returned to the village. I also sent a letter to Master Fang..."

"No wonder."

Ye Ping's face showed a look of realization. "Speaking of the workshops under Lord Fang, let's not talk about the women's workshop for now. Let's talk about the others. The 'First Quality Weaving Workshop' is the best. It was Lord Fang's first workshop. He was treated like a son, with the most comprehensive benefits and the best treatment. However, there are no vacancies, and it is extremely difficult to get in... I have a fellow villager named Tian Wu, who worked at the 'First Quality Weaving Workshop'. I envied him very much in the past."

"Besides the 'First Quality Weaving Workshop', our 'Second Quality Weaving Workshop' is the best. It was expanded after the 'First Quality Weaving Workshop'. It has top-notch workers and the construction is also the fastest... To be honest, it can be considered as a half-son, which is different from the workshops that were later purchased from other big families."

You Chaodong listened and thought that people like himself, Qiao Sheng, and Geng Shi who came in all had some relationship with Fang Lin, while people like Song Ye, Bai Rao, etc. basically went to other factories. He was indeed benefiting from it and being taken care of.

In his heart, he was even more grateful to Fang Lin and said, "Yes, I also think our workshop is good. We even have storytelling during meals. Our village can't compare to that..."

"That's right! I also came from a village in the countryside. I have been in the city for two years and I have a deep feeling. The difference between the city and the countryside is really huge!"

"Oh, Master Ye, you are a veteran in our factory!" You Chaodong complimented.

"No, I just told you that our 'Second Quality Weaving Workshop' is expanding. I have only been here for a few months. I was in another factory before. I didn't catch up with the 'First Quality Weaving Workshop'. I don't know how much I regret it!"

Ye Ping sighed, "Speaking of this factory, Lord Fang's is the best. It has many benefits and good treatment. In the eyes of ordinary people in the city, it is considered a good job. You can even find a wife..."

……

In the afternoon, You Chaodong could clearly feel that Ye Ping had begun to teach him with all his heart, including some of the things he had pointed out before and those he had kept to himself in the past.

He naturally knew why this happened, because Fang Lin showed up at noon, talked to him and patted him on the shoulder.

This made You Chaodong feel extremely complicated. He did not expect that just the closeness of his relationship with Fang Lin could become an asset and bring huge benefits.

Of course, Ye Ping's arrogance at first and then his respectfulness also made him feel a little uncomfortable.

However, after work in the afternoon, Ye Ping's frank words made people think deeply: "Chaodong, don't think I'm snobbish. In this world, no one owes anyone anything. The factory lets the old people teach the new ones, but basically they just teach them until they are proficient. We have learned the skills by chance, so why should we rush to teach you for free? Am I cheap? Or stupid? I have said these things, and I don't want anything from you. I teach you seriously because I hope you will remember my favor."

……

In the evening, You Chaodong returned.

——The dormitory of the 'Second Good Product Weaving Workshop' is still a little short of completion, and it will take another ten days or half a month before it can be put into use. The place where he lives now is a piece of land that Fang Lin bought, intending to demolish it and build a dormitory in the future, but he has not started yet.

The You family's wife also entered the factory, but she was in the women's workshop. Both husband and wife brought vegetables from the factory. You Chaodong also had a meat dish prepared by Fang Lin, which he could eat after heating it up.

"Look at the dishes cooked in this factory. They are all filled with so much oil. We don't even dare to cook like this in the village ('造' is a dialect term, probably meaning extravagant)." The You family's wife said as she licked the oil on her hands.

"Working in a factory is considered physical work, and it has to be profitable. I see there are many oil presses in the city, and the price of oil in the city is cheaper than in our village."

"Yes, not only is it easier to eat oil, it's also easier to eat meat. When I came back, I saw the dock workers eating rotten meat noodles."

The You family's wife sighed, "There are so many nobles in this city, and they kill so many pigs, sheep, and cows every day. It's convenient for us poor people to eat meat with those offal."

"Yes!" You Chaodong echoed and talked about his relationship with Ye Ping.

"What Master Ye said makes sense. He doesn't owe us anything. He is teaching us sincerely. You should learn well and remember his kindness."

The You family’s wife said, “It’s not so bad here. In the women’s workshop, we have Aunt Fang, Guihua, Xiaoqing… No one dares to look down on our village.”

The couple talked about the factory and time passed quickly.

After dinner, they discussed and planned to go out for a walk. Since they worked in the factory during the day, this was a rare time at night.

In fact, if you are in Xiaohe Village, there is not much entertainment. After dinner at night, you can only close the door and do that thing. But it is different in the capital.

When you go out, you will see the streets lit up by lanterns, with many vendors displaying their wares, many of which are cheap and useful.

The You family’s wife picked and chose, compared and bought some.

There was also a storyteller. The couple stood outside and listened to a passage. The storyteller didn't chase them away. They were very satisfied and felt that they had gained something by listening to the story.

Going further ahead, there was a half-open door, attracting passers-by to attract customers. You Chaodong looked at it for a few more seconds and was pinched by his wife.

"This city is nice, but it also has many temptations." You Chaodong sighed secretly.

"Get out of the way! Everyone, get out of the way!" At this time, a shouting voice came from behind, and a gorgeous carriage gilded with gold and jade came rumbling over.

You Chaodong imitated the passers-by and quickly pulled his wife away, watching the carriage go away. He then looked into the distance and saw bright lights, endless sounds of stringed instruments and orchestras, and the bustling and noisy scene was like a fairyland.

At this moment, he suddenly felt that the past few decades were just like a dream, and now he woke up and saw the real world.

……

(End of this chapter)