Chapter 693 New Appointment
Suddenly, there was the roar of a motorcycle in the yard, and Director Song's nephew Xiao Song rushed in with messy hair and mud on the knees of his overalls:
"Uncle! I heard there's something urgent to deliver? I just came back from the next village where I was repairing my bicycle!"
He took the sealed envelope and pulled out the crumpled timetable from his pocket:
"There's a bus to the city at six tomorrow morning. I promise to be there an hour early!"
Wang Jianguo looked at Xiao Song's back as he got on the motorcycle. The taillights gradually shrank into red dots in the night, and his heart finally settled down.
He reached out to straighten the bicycle that was leaning against the corner, and the crisp sound of the bicycle bell woke up the tabby cat that was napping on the doorstep.
"Director Song, I'll go back to the brick factory first."
He turned around, holding the handlebars, and the moonlight stretched his shadow very long.
"Cheng Erhua and the others are still waiting for news. I'm afraid they won't be able to sleep well tonight."
The night wind blew through the sheets drying in the yard, making rustling sounds. Director Song stood on the steps and watched Wang Jianguo ride away on his bike. The squeaking sound of the wheels rolling over the cobblestone road gradually dissipated in the night.
He took out a cigarette case and lit it. The spark flickered in the darkness. Thinking of the young man's confident look, he looked down at the recommendation letter in his hand and suddenly chuckled:
"This chess game has really been played."
Wang Jianguo pedaled his bicycle along a country road, the wind blowing into his collar, bringing a slight chill. The corn leaves on both sides of the road rustled, and the towering chimneys of the brick factory in the distance outlined a familiar outline in the moonlight.
Thinking of Cheng Erhua's eyes widening when he heard the news, Liu Erzhu would definitely slap his thigh and shout "Great!" again. The corners of his mouth rose unconsciously, and the car bell rang happily in the silent night.
At noon in summer, the scorching sun made the brick factory look like a big steamer.
Wang Jianguo rode the old 28-inch bicycle, the bell jingling non-stop, and the wheels rolled over the bumpy dirt road in the factory area, raising clouds of yellow dust.
He anxiously parked his car next to the brick pile, without even locking it, and ran towards the two busy people. Beads of sweat on his forehead rolled down his cheeks and soaked his collar.
Not far away, Cheng Erhua and Liu Erzhu were busy in the brick stacking area.
Cheng Erhua is a big man with skin tanned by the sun. He holds the two sides of the brick tightly with both hands. The muscles in his arms bulge instantly, and he moves the heavy brick steadily onto the cart in one go.
Liu Erzhu is a little short in stature but agile. He ran to the pile of bricks in two steps, bent down, stretched out his hands, and stood up. He completed the series of movements in one go and quickly stacked the bricks neatly, his eyes full of a spirit of not admitting defeat.
The two of them chased each other, neither willing to give in.
Cheng Erhua quickened his pace and pushed the cart faster and faster. The wheels made a "squeaking" sound as they rubbed against the ground, as if cheering him on.
Seeing this, Liu Erzhu gritted his teeth, rolled up his sleeves, and gathered his strength. The frequency of moving bricks increased significantly. Beads of sweat the size of beans kept dripping from his forehead, making small pits on the ground.
Whenever one person is slightly ahead, the other will immediately speed up to catch up. The fighting spirit is so intense, as if they are really engaged in a fierce competition.
Wang Jianguo stood there, with his hands on his hips, panting and shouting loudly:
"Erhua, Erzhu, come here quickly, I have something good to tell you!"
His voice echoed in the empty brick factory, startling several sparrows perched on the roof of the brick kiln.
When Cheng Erhua and Liu Erzhu heard the shouting, they stopped what they were doing and straightened up.
Ever since Cheng Erhua and Liu Erzhu followed Wang Jianguo to start a brick factory business, their lives have been getting better and better.
In the past, in the production team, the two of them worked hard all day, but the work points they earned were barely enough to fill their stomachs, and they had to scrape together money to buy medicine for their sick elderly mother at home.
But now, following Wang Jianguo in sales and learning technology, not only has his work points increased several times, but his family has also bought new quilts and bicycles, and he can even have meat every now and then.
This kindness made the two regard Wang Jianguo as a great benefactor who changed their destiny, and they naturally listened to his words.
When working in the brick factory, even if the scorching sun made people dizzy, as long as Wang Jianguo said "work harder", the two of them would immediately grit their teeth and move the bricks quickly.
If Wang Jianguo assigned them a new task, they would never frown no matter how hard or tiring it was.
The old people in the village joked:
"Erhua and Erzhu, Wang Jianguo's words are more effective than your biological father's!"
This was true. Normally, their father would ask them to save money, and the two of them would always complain and nag. But Wang Jianguo said that he wanted to save the money to learn new technologies, so they handed over all their wages without saying a word.
That day, the two men were sweating profusely as they moved bricks when they suddenly heard Wang Jianguo calling them.
Before Cheng Erhua put the brick in his hand firmly, he hurriedly spat on his hand and rubbed it on his trouser leg.
Liu Erzhu even threw away the towel around his neck, not even bothering to wipe the sweat off his face. The two looked at each other, shouted "Let's go!" in unison, and ran towards Wang Jianguo.
Their footsteps raised clouds of dust. They ran so fast that Cheng Erhua's shoes almost fell off. He didn't even bother to pick them up and continued to jump forward.
Liu Erzhu's face turned red as he ran, his chest heaving violently, but he didn't slow down at all.
When they ran in front of Wang Jianguo, they were so tired that they were gasping for breath, their chests heaving violently, but they still had ingratiating smiles on their faces.
Cheng Erhua straightened his crooked collar, while Liu Erzhu quickly put down his rolled-up trouser legs.
The two men stood straight, their chests held high, their eyes full of anticipation.
Suddenly, Cheng Erhua nudged Liu Erzhu with his elbow. The two understood each other and raised their right hands at the same time, imitating the soldiers in the movie and performing a not-so-standard military salute. They shouted in unison at the top of their voices:
"Report to the leader, all personnel are in place, please give instructions!"
After shouting, the two couldn't help but smile at each other, with a mischievous gleam in their eyes, as if they were waiting to see Wang Jianguo being amused.
The brick factory was scorching hot at noon, and the loud shouts of Cheng Erhua and Liu Erzhu scared away the sparrows on the roof of the brick kiln.
Wang Jianguo instinctively took a half step back, put his hand on his chest and smiled:
"You two little brats almost scared the hell out of me!"
He pretended to be angry and patted both of them on the shoulder, his palms still warm from the bicycle handlebars.
"Stop being so frivolous, I really have something important to announce!"
Cheng Erhua rubbed his brick-dust hands, his Adam's apple rolling up and down, while Liu Erzhu nervously tugged at the corner of his clothes, with unwashed dirt still embedded in the cracks of his fingernails.
Wang Jianguo took out a crumpled brown paper envelope from the inner pocket of his Zhongshan suit and carefully pulled out the letter. The red seal on it shone glossily in the sun:
"I just came out of Director Song's office. He spent three nights writing this letter of recommendation! The city government has approved it—"
He deliberately dragged out the last word and his eyes swept back and forth between the two people's faces.
"Cheng Erhua is the director of the brick factory and deputy director of the kiln factory, and Liu Erzhu is the director of the kiln factory and deputy director of the brick factory!"