Xia Xiaolan had completely withdrawn from the Shi family matters.
Guan Hui’e, hoping to wake her son up, also decided to step back. Fortunately, Kang Wei remained supportive, preventing Zhou Cheng from being alone. Even if Zhou Cheng was anxious, he couldn’t do anything – he couldn’t even take time off right now!
Wei Juanhong’s mindset was problematic. While Zhou Cheng was unwilling to believe it, he had no choice when faced with the facts.
The tobacco factory job was secured through the Zhou family’s connections. Kang Wei had pulled strings to transfer Wei Juanhong from the workshop to the office.
Kang Wei deliberately wanted to see how things would play out. Those unfamiliar with office work assumed it was easy – no exposure to weather, no workshop shifts, just enjoying electric fans in summer and heaters in winter while collecting a paycheck.
Hah, if only it were that simple!
Without intelligence, one couldn’t succeed in an office environment.
Even though Wei Juanhong was a martyr’s family member, she couldn’t just sit idle while others worked, could she?
Within a week of Kang Wei arranging Wei Juanhong’s office transfer, problems had already emerged.
With July 1st Party Founding Day approaching, everyone participated in Party celebration activities. The factory needed new posters and slogans, Party members and candidates had various events, and non-party members were expected to show support. Wei Juanhong arrived at the office amid these preparations and found herself quite busy.
Creating posters, writing slogans, and making bulletin boards?
She couldn’t do any of it.
When colleagues needed help, Wei Juanhong couldn’t contribute.
Naturally, others became too busy to consider her feelings and fewer people initiated conversations with her. Anxious to prove herself right, and grateful for Kang Wei’s help in securing the office transfer, Wei Juanhong wanted to make the most of this opportunity.
Though Xia Xiaolan and Guan Hui’e had opposed it, Zhou Cheng still helped her, reinforcing Wei Juanhong’s belief that men’s decisions mattered more than women’s.
Not completely lacking awareness, when she couldn’t help with important tasks, she eagerly served tea. Xia Xiaolan had mentioned there was skill in serving tea, but Wei Juanhong dismissed this as condescension, not taking it seriously.
No one competed with her for this task.
But with everyone busy, no one guided her either.
When the office director called a meeting about factory activities, Wei Juanhong automatically went to serve tea.
She added tea leaves to the cups, thought she’d added too many, and removed some with her hands. A colleague saw this, but the director didn’t.
The colleague’s eye twitched, deciding never to drink Wei Juanhong’s tea again.
She had just seen Wei Juanhong wipe her nose with her hand, unsure if she’d washed before handling the tea leaves.
The director spoke enthusiastically until his throat became dry.
Wei Juanhong awkwardly carried the teacup by its handle and, instead of setting it down, thrust it directly at the director.
The director, caught off guard, automatically accepted. However, interrupted mid-speech by Wei Juanhong’s action, he managed to say:
“Little Wei, in future during meetings just put it- Ouch, hot!”
Before he could finish saying “on the table,” the overfilled cup burned his hand.
His exclamation startled Wei Juanhong, who trembled, causing most of the tea to spill on the director’s legs.
In June, one of the year’s hottest months, the director wore thin trousers. The scalding tea immediately floored him. For a man in his fifties to have tears in his eyes, one can imagine the pain.
The meeting clearly couldn’t continue. Office staff scrambled to cool the burn with water and apply ointment.
“This needs medical attention.”
They rushed the director to the hospital, leaving Wei Juanhong alone in the office.
This happened on her third day in the office.
The director didn’t blame her, considering she was new and a martyr’s widow – life wasn’t easy for her.
But others couldn’t help but gossip.
“This Little Wei is really—”
Really what?
A hot potato – too sensitive to criticize harshly, yet too difficult to teach.
If she couldn’t serve tea, couldn’t she learn? Placing tea on the table was basic etiquette. Not just in Beijing – even in rural areas, people weren’t so awkward… Pushing hot tea into someone’s hands while gripping the handle herself – how was anyone supposed to accept it?
The director could be understanding about his burn.
But what if she scalded other visitors to the office?
The factory sympathized with her status as a martyr’s widow and her rural background, expecting some initial clumsiness. But she couldn’t wear a “Martyr’s Widow” sign demanding universal understanding.
Many capable young women wanted Wei Juanhong’s position but hadn’t gotten the chance!
The factory was stuck – they couldn’t fire her. Current permanent positions were lifetime appointments unless the factory failed.
Terrified by her tea-serving disaster, they could only keep her ceremonially employed.
Wei Juanhong soon realized that while workshop work was tiring, at least it proved her value to the factory. Now, lacking cleverness and education, she spent her office days in idle frustration.
It felt like Xia Xiaolan’s predictions coming true, which was particularly humiliating.
Wasn’t it just one mistake?
The workshop allowed new workers to make defective products, why wouldn’t the office extend the same courtesy?
Wei Juanhong couldn’t grasp this logic.
Despite her scalding the director, the factory still proceeded with her housing allocation. Understanding her special circumstances, they expedited the process.
Though Guan Hui’e had stepped back, Zhou Cheng couldn’t abandon the situation.
The factory allocated housing to the Shi family according to Xia Xiaolan’s suggested plan: a two-room and a one-room apartment on the same floor. Despite the factory’s good benefits, not everyone was satisfied with their housing allocations, and the Shi family’s treatment made many envious.
People contained their complaints only because of the Shi family’s special circumstances.
Over the phone, Kang Wei vividly described Wei Juanhong’s performance after her job change as if he’d witnessed it himself:
“Brother Cheng, your girlfriend was right – putting unsuitable people in the wrong positions is disastrous. Working in a unit isn’t like being self-employed where you can set up shop as you please and run your business however you want, bearing your profits and losses. In a work unit, each position has specific requirements – either you’re qualified or you learn properly. Trying to skip several levels at once is asking for trouble!”
Look how excellently Shao Guangrong worked, far better than the idle Kang Wei.
Yet now even Shao Guangrong felt his education was insufficient and planned to take the college entrance exam this year. Wei Juanhong had nothing, yet insisted on occupying a position beyond her abilities. Over time, not only would Zhou Cheng have to keep cleaning up after her, but wouldn’t the factory workers come to resent her?
As a newcomer, people could be tolerant.
But after years without improvement, people would surely lose patience.
It might be better if Wei Juanhong could focus on learning, but her entire attitude was wrong – what could be done?
After listening, Zhou Cheng remained silent for two minutes:
“You haven’t mentioned the housing situation yet. When will the Shi family move?”