In the fiery red era of the heavens, refrigerators are refreshed daily.

Chapter 13. Smoke Emerging from Ancestral Graves

As dusk settled, the courtyard of the Shikumen (stone gate) was filled with the mingled smells of cheap coal smoke and various family meals.

People crowded around the tap to wash rice and vegetables, the sound of water splashing and the chatter of neighbors filling the air.

With slightly tired but undisguised excitement, Yang Guangming stepped through the heavy, black lacquered door.

"Oh my, Mingming's back?"

Grandma Chen, who was carefully rinsing rice under the tap, looked up with her usual kind face. "Going out to look for work again today? Don't rush, take your time." Her words were full of well-intentioned comfort.

"Oh, Grandma, you're back," Yang Guangming replied with a smile.

Mrs. Feng, Lin Fengjiao, was carrying a bowl of washed vegetables in the kitchen. She turned around and saw Yang Guangming. She nodded gently and said, "Mingming, you must be tired after a long day out."

Her family had a decent relationship with the Yang family, and Mrs. Feng spoke with a touch of warmth.

Teacher Feng Yunliang was fiddling with a coal stove under a shed he had set up in the corner of his courtyard. Hearing the sound, he pushed up his glasses, glanced at Yang Ming, and nodded slightly as a greeting.

The harsh noise of a spatula scraping against a cast iron pot came from the rooftop, along with a woman's shrill scolding voice:

"Zhao Aihua! Are you blind? I told you to keep an eye on Jianping, and look at him, covered in coal dust again! Do you think you can wash clothes without soap? You spendthrift!"

This is He Caiyun from the Zhao family in the three-story pavilion scolding her ten-year-old daughter.

Although He Caiyun only had one daughter, Zhao Aihua, among her four children, her preference for sons over daughters did not change.

Because Teacher Feng's family moved into their original kitchen after renovating it, the Feng family and the Chen family on the first floor each built a kitchen shed in the courtyard, and both families cooked in the courtyard.

The Ming family on the second floor and the Zhao family on the third floor each built a stove shed in the corner of the second-floor balcony, and both families cooked on the balcony.

However, there is only one water tap in a Shikumen house, so all four families have to get water to wash clothes in the courtyard.

All four families were vying for a spot on the drying platform when hanging their clothes out to dry.

The four families often had minor conflicts over trivial matters such as fighting over water and occupying the drying platform.

Immediately afterwards, He Caiyun's sarcastic voice rang out again, clearly raised deliberately so that everyone in the courtyard could hear:
"Oh my, our 'college student' is back after another day of playing?"

Are you looking for a job? The streets are like a relentless death knell for you, yet you're so sure of it!

If we can't find it again, we'll really have to go to the countryside and starve!
Other people are honorably going to the countryside in response to the call, but you, squatting at home eating for free, tsk tsk..."

The mocking tone trailed off for a long time.

Her husband, Zhao Tiemin, seemed to respond from the balcony, a muffled sound that was hard to hear clearly, but the scraping of the pot bottom grew louder, seemingly carrying a sense of irritation and inexplicable superiority.

Yang Guangming ignored the sarcastic remarks coming from the rooftop, his smile unchanged, and his gaze swept past the busy crowd in the courtyard before heading straight up to the second floor.

Mother Zhang Xiuying was standing at the door of her own house on the second floor (a Shikumen-style house with doors on the front of the second floor opening onto the public corridor, overlooking the courtyard), holding an empty basin in her hand, her brows furrowed, her eyes anxiously scanning the courtyard, clearly waiting for him.

"Mom!" Yang Guangming strode up the narrow, steep stairs.

Upon seeing him, Zhang Xiuying's tense nerves seemed to relax for a moment, but were quickly replaced by deeper worry, and she began to nag habitually:

"Mingming! Where have you run off to again? You've been gone all day! You can't find any work, and you don't even eat!"
Have you had lunch yet? Are you hungry? You must be starving!

Look at yourself...

As she spoke, she instinctively tried to find something for her son to eat.

"Mom, don't worry, I've already had lunch." Yang Guangming looked at his mother's tired and worried face, his heart warmed, and he quickly replied, his voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible joy.

"You've already eaten? What are you going to eat? Gnaw on the hard steamed bun in your pocket?" Zhang Xiuying clearly didn't believe her, her brows furrowing even more. "Don't lie to your mother! No matter how hard things are at home, you'll always get a meal! You..." "I really have eaten!"

Yang Guangming interrupted his mother's worries with a bright smile. He leaned closer, lowered his voice, and clearly uttered the words that instantly petrified Zhang Xiuying: "We ate at a restaurant! Lao Zhengxing!"

"What? Old... Old Zhengxing?" Zhang Xiuying's voice suddenly rose as if she had been pricked by a needle, sounding particularly abrupt in the relatively quiet second-floor corridor.

Mrs. Feng, who was washing vegetables in the courtyard, and Granny Chen, who was rinsing rice, both subconsciously looked up. The sound of scraping the bottom of a pot on the drying platform also paused for a moment.

Zhang Xiuying suddenly realized something was wrong, grabbed her son's arm, her nails almost digging into his flesh, her eyes wide open, and her voice low with terror:

"You...you little bastard! Have you lost your mind? Is Lao Zhengxing a place you can go?"

Where did you get the money? You're not going to do anything bad, are you?

She was instantly overwhelmed by immense shock and the ensuing panic.

"Mom! Be gentle!"

Should Yang Guangming tell his family that he has already gotten a job? After thinking about it, he still felt there was no need to hide it.

Zhao Guodong is the deputy director of Hongxing State-owned Cotton Mill, and he was just transferred to the position. He would certainly spare no effort in maintaining his prestige.

Since he didn't give any instructions and just told me to report to the factory office on Monday, it means he was very confident that the position he was given was within his authority.

Although Zhao Guodong promised him a cadre position, it was only the lowest starting position and not a promotion through exceptional means. Therefore, there was nothing wrong with Zhao Guodong.

Yang Guangming himself has impeccable political background and nothing to be found fault with, so even if someone wanted to find something to hold against him, they wouldn't be able to.

Moreover, the Yang family has always been kind to others, and they have no enemies, whether neighbors or coworkers, so it is impossible for anyone to report them out of jealousy.

Even if someone were to report him, as long as he is upright and has a clear conscience, Deputy Factory Director Zhao Guodong has the ability to protect him. He has just been transferred to Hongxing State-owned Cotton Mill and will definitely not allow his prestige to be damaged.

Of course, the likelihood of them reporting them is extremely low. No one in their family has done anything outrageous, and none of their neighbors or friends are the type to report them at the drop of a hat.

Since he was absolutely certain that nothing would go wrong, he decided to tell his family the good news now, so that they could be proud and happy too.

Yang Guangming quickly gestured for his mother to be quiet, pulled her half a step further into the doorway to ensure the sound wouldn't carry, and then spoke clearly and excitedly, word by word:
"Mom, don't worry, listen to me! Lunch was paid for by my boss! And my job is settled!"

"It's...it's settled?" Zhang Xiuying was still reeling from the shock of "Old Zhengxing" and her mind was a little foggy. "What leader? What job is it? You're willing to take my place?"

"It's not a substitute job!" Yang Guangming said decisively, his smile brimming with barely suppressed pride. "It's a cadre position! I'll be a clerk in the factory affairs office of the Hongxing State-owned Cotton Mill, administrative level 30, clerk level 12. I'll report for duty next Monday, and from now on, I'll be working at the same factory as you!"

To explain his car repair and driving skills, he quickly added, "Do you remember a classmate of mine? His dad works in the transport team. I learned a little about car repair and driving from him before, and it came in handy this time!"

"Working in... a cadre position? In the factory administration office? A level 12 clerk? Working in... the same factory as me?"

Zhang Xiuying was stunned, as if struck by a series of thunderbolts. She stared blankly at her son, her lips trembling violently.

A tremendous, overwhelming ecstasy, enough to wash away all worries, crashed violently against her chest like a tsunami.

Her son doesn't have to go to the countryside anymore! Not only does he not have to go, he's risen through the ranks to become a cadre! And he works in the same factory as her!

This is absolutely incredible!

"Really! It's absolutely true!"

Yang Guangming nodded vigorously, supporting his mother's slightly weak body, and quickly and clearly recounted how he met Deputy Factory Director Zhao Guodong that day, how he helped repair and drive the car, how they ate together, how he was appreciated, and how he was directly assigned work.

　Fellow Daoist, please wait!

　　This book is meant for you, why not cast your vote?
　　
　
(End of this chapter)