dognovel Chapter 125 Outstanding Employees
Chapter 125 Outstanding Employees
It was 3 PM on the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month.
The assembly line in the workshop stopped. The machines fell silent, save for the hum of the radiators. More than fifty female workers sat at their workstations, waiting for the meeting to begin.
Workshop foreman Lao Chen walked in, holding a red envelope and a certificate of merit.
"Quiet down for a moment." He stepped forward. "I have an announcement to make. The results of this year's outstanding employee selection are in, and one of our workshop's employees is among them."
The female workers looked at each other.
Old Chen opened the certificate.
"Wang Ping, come up here."
A female worker, around forty years old, stood up at the workstation by the window. She was not tall, wearing faded blue overalls, and her hair was tied in a neat bun at the back of her head. She walked over, her steps steady.
"Comrade Wang Ping," Old Chen read from the certificate, "is conscientious and responsible in her work, has a strong sense of quality, and achieved a 100% product qualification rate throughout the year. She is hereby awarded the title of Outstanding Employee of 1996, and this certificate is issued as encouragement."
He handed the certificate to Wang Ping.
Wang Ping accepted the certificate with both hands. The certificate was red with gold lettering. She looked at it for two seconds, then looked up.
Old Chen handed over the red envelope again.
"Bonus. Specially approved by General Manager Ling, three months' salary for outstanding employees."
Wang Ping took the envelope. It was thick.
"Open it and take a look," a female worker called out.
Wang Ping opened the envelope. Inside was a stack of hundred-yuan bills, tied with a strip of paper. She counted them: twenty-one bills. Two thousand one hundred yuan.
A hissing sound filled the workshop.
"How much?" someone asked.
"Two thousand one," Wang Ping said.
"Oh My God……"
The female workers gathered around.
"Sister Wang, it's your treat!"
"Wow, that's amazing! Three months' salary!"
"How did you do that? A 100% pass rate?"
Wang Ping held the prize money and certificate in her arms, her face slightly flushed.
"It's all about doing things meticulously," she said. "I check each keyboard three times. When installing the mouse wheel, make sure it's aligned correctly and the screws are tightened properly."
Old Chen clapped his hands.
"Alright, everyone back to your seats. I have something to tell you. We're on holiday starting tomorrow, and we'll resume work on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year. Have you all received your New Year's gifts?"
"We've accepted!" everyone said in unison.
"Okay. One last thing: please be careful during the holiday. I've checked all the power supplies in the workshop, and they're all turned off. Okay, meeting adjourned."
The female workers packed their belongings and left one after another.
Several people who were close to Wang Ping surrounded her.
"Sister Wang, this is great! We can have a prosperous New Year."
"Didn't your daughter want a new bicycle? Now you can buy it for her."
"Not just bicycles, I think even color TVs could be traded."
Wang Ping smiled but didn't say anything. She carefully put the prize money into her inner pocket and wrapped the certificate in newspaper.
Stepping out of the workshop, a cold wind blew. The factory area was full of people leaving get off work, each carrying boxes of New Year's goods. Everything was bright red, very festive.
Old Zhang was warming himself by the fire in the guardhouse.
"Wang Ping, I heard you got an award for excellence?"
"Mm." Wang Ping nodded.
"Okay, okay," Old Zhang laughed. "It's your turn. I know you're meticulous in your work."
Wang Ping walked out of the factory gate.
The sky was overcast, and it might snow again. She tightened her scarf and headed home.
Her home is in the old town, four bus stops away from the factory. She usually rides a bicycle, but today she didn't and planned to walk home.
The streets were crowded. People were buying New Year's goods, visiting relatives and friends, all carrying gifts. Wang Ping felt at ease watching them.
She recalled this time last year.
On the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month last year, the electronics factory hadn't paid wages for six months. She went to the factory manager's office, which was packed with people. Everyone was clamoring for money to celebrate the New Year. The factory manager hid in the inner room, too afraid to come out.
She went home empty-handed. Her husband was squatting at the door smoking, and her daughter was doing her homework. She glanced up at her but didn't say anything.
The New Year's Eve dinner consisted of four dishes. The most expensive was a carp, which cost two yuan.
The daughter said, "Mom, all my classmates' families have bought new clothes."
She said, "Next year, Mom will definitely buy it for you next year."
Later, the factory went out of business. She was laid off and went to work at the labor market. She could only get ten yuan a day for odd jobs, and even that was hard to come by. Once, she strained her back while carrying boxes and stayed home for three days, too afraid to go to the hospital.
Later, Xinghuo Electronics Factory started recruiting workers.
She came for a job interview. The recruiter asked, "What did you do in an electronics factory before?"
She said, "Assembly. I have delicate hands and I'm meticulous in my work."
She was hired. On her first paycheck, she received 420 yuan. On her way home, she bought a roast chicken.
That evening, while her daughter was munching on a chicken leg, she said, "Mom, your workplace is really great."
Yes, that's great.
Wang Ping arrived at her doorstep.
It was an old-style tenement building, three stories high. Her apartment was on the first floor, facing north. The room was warm when I went inside.
The husband, Li Jianguo, was in the kitchen, wearing an apron and chopping vegetables. Their daughter, Li Na, was doing her winter vacation homework.
"You're back?" Li Jianguo poked his head in.
"Okay." Wang Ping changed her shoes.
Li Na ran over: "Mom, have you picked up your New Year's gifts?"
"I've received them." Wang Ping pointed to the door. "There are two boxes at the door."
Li Jianguo wiped his hands and came out: "I'll move them."
He opened the door and brought the boxes in. He opened them and took things out one by one.
"Rice, oil, noodles, pork, eggs, apples, pastries... and also wood ear mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms," Li Jianguo listed them one by one. "So many?"
"Everyone has one," Wang Ping said.
She took off her coat and took out a red envelope and a certificate of merit from her pocket.
"This one is separate."
Li Jianguo took the envelope and opened it. He was stunned when he saw a stack of hundred-yuan bills.
"What... what is this?"
"An outstanding employee bonus," Wang Ping said, "is equivalent to three months' salary."
Li Jianguo counted them, his hands trembling slightly.
"Two thousand...two thousand one?"
"Um."
Li Na leaned closer to look, her eyes widening.
"Mom, so much money?"
"Mom was named an outstanding employee." Wang Ping unfolded the certificate. "Look."
The certificate, with its red background and gold lettering, sat on the table. Li Jianguo looked at it again and again.
"Outstanding employee... Comrade Wang Ping..." he read aloud, then looked up at his wife, "You...you're really something."
Wang Ping smiled.
"It's my treat today," she said. "Let's go shopping for new clothes. The whole family will get some."
Li Na jumped up: "Really?"
"Really. Let's go right now."
Li Jianguo hesitated: "Why don't we save it first? It's a lot of money..."
"What are we saving?" Wang Ping said. "We've earned money this year, so we should spend it. The company has already given us New Year's goods, so we don't need to buy any more. We'll use this money to buy clothes."
Her tone was firm. Li Jianguo fell silent.
The family of three went out and took a bus to the department store.
The bus was packed with people. Wang Ping protected her daughter, and Li Jianguo protected Wang Ping.
The department store was even more bustling. It was packed with people, and the counters were overflowing with people.
Wang Ping bought one for her daughter first. Li Na took a fancy to a red down jacket, priced at 280 yuan.
"It's too expensive," Li Jianguo said softly.
"Give it a try," Wang Ping said.
Li Na tried it on, and it fit perfectly. In the mirror, the little girl's complexion was rosy.
"I'll buy it." Wang Ping took out her money.
I bought another pair of jeans and a pair of sneakers. The total came to 430.
Then I bought it for Li Jianguo. He saw a jacket he liked, it cost 120 yuan. He tried it on, but couldn't bear to spend the money.
"Buy it," Wang Ping said.
"I don't need it to be this good..."
"Just buy it when I tell you to."
Finally, Wang Ping bought something for herself. She took a fancy to a dark blue wool coat, priced at 150 yuan. After trying it on, the person in the mirror looked much more energetic.
"Mom, it looks good," Li Na said.
Wang Ping bought it.
He bought Li Jianguo a pair of trousers and himself a pair of leather shoes. When they left the department store, all three of them were carrying bags.
It cost over 800.
Li Jianguo felt a pang of heartache: "Spending so much all at once..."
"Isn't the point of earning money to spend it?" Wang Ping said. "Before, I didn't even have the chance to spend it."
It got dark. The streetlights came on.
Wang Ping and her family of three had dinner at a roadside restaurant. Three dishes and a soup. It cost thirty yuan.
Li Jianguo was about to pay, but Wang Ping paid first.
"I'll do it today."
I got home after eight o'clock.
Li Na tried on her new clothes and twirled around the room. Li Jianguo hung up his new jacket and looked at it again and again.
Wang Ping carefully put away the remaining money. There was still over a thousand yuan left; she planned to save a thousand and keep a few hundred for the New Year.
Li Jianguo boiled water and brought over a foot bath basin.
"Let me soak my feet, I'm tired from walking today."
Wang Ping sat down and put her feet in the hot water. It felt very comfortable.
Li Jianguo squatted down beside her and massaged her feet.
"Your legs must be tired from standing all day, right?"
"I'm used to it," Wang Ping said.
"I was so immature before," Li Jianguo said, head bowed. "I didn't care about anything at home, and it made you suffer."
Wang Ping didn't say anything.
"I'll take care of all the housework from now on," Li Jianguo said. "You just need to focus on your job."
Wang Ping looked at him. This man, who used to not even bother to pick up a fallen soy sauce bottle, now cooks, cleans, and massages her feet. Her status in the family had risen dramatically.