It was noon when I returned to the county town. I walked past the intersection and looked at the ancient bell tower high in the sun. I felt an indescribable sense of intimacy in my heart. I followed Renmin Road and went east. Under the scattered snow on both sides, there were still scattered snow under the sycamore trees with dead leaves falling on both sides. It seemed that on the eve of New Year's Day, the snow here was larger than the city. There were only a few snowflakes floating in the city and stopped in more than an hour.

I walked into the living area and met many workers. Everyone saw me carrying my luggage and asked me if my study was over. They were inevitably greeting each other. When I passed by the cinema, I was about to finish the show. The crowd rushed out in a mess. The man's eyes were blurred, the woman's face was flushed, and she was still talking enthusiastically when she went down the steps, as if she was still immersed in the scene of the video.

"Wu Ping, are you back?" Senior Brother Xiao Wang of the electrician team led a girl down the steps.

"Senior Brother Wang, what movies are you watching? Why are there so many people?" I recognized his girl, who was the wheelbarrower in our former Spinning Class B.

"Lushan Love" is so satisfying, I just chewed it." Senior Brother Xiao Wang was like a little rooster who had just stepped on the egg, and his eyes were red with excitement.

"What's up?" I looked at him inexplicably.

"The next game will begin soon. You can go and see it yourself. You will know at a glance. It's so satisfying." Senior Brother Xiao Wang did not explain, but pointed to the poster in front of the cinema door. There was a pair of handsome men and beautiful women on it, snuggling each other and sitting on a steep cliff.

"Wu Ping, are you back?" With a scream, I saw Xiao Meihua on her forehead standing in front of me, "The movie is so good. I'm going to take a break today and I will accompany you to watch the next game."

"You... haven't you finished watching it?" I looked at Xiao Meihua in surprise, feeling that her face was much whiter than before.

"I've only read it twice. Ask them, I've read it four or five times, right?" Xiao Meihua's eyes were shining and pointed at Senior Brother Xiao Wang and the others and said.

"We'll leave first, you have a good rest. In two days, brothers in the class will welcome you." Senior Brother Xiao Wang ignored Xiao Meihua and pulled his girlfriend away.

I also wanted to leave quickly, but Xiao Meihua grabbed me: "What are you doing? The next game is about to begin."

"Sorry, Xiao Meihua, I just came back. Look, the luggage has not been put down yet." I explained hurriedly, broke free from Xiao Meihua's "claws" and quickly ran to the backyard.

"I'll go to morning shift tomorrow. When I get off work in the afternoon, can we watch the movie together?" Xiao Meihua kept relentlessly and shouted loudly behind me.

"I have to go back to the countryside tomorrow." I made up a reason to make up for excuses.

When I returned to the guesthouse, I immediately carried out my bedding and dried it on the iron wire in front of the building. I probably slept late yesterday and got up early this morning. After eating some cooked noodles, I sat on the steps in front of the building, basking in the warm sun, and even napping in a daze. When I woke up, the sun had already begun to set.

I washed my face with cold water, brought the reporting materials back, and hurried out of the small iron gate of the guesthouse. I entered the factory area, followed the familiar Metasequoia Road to the factory office, found the office on the second floor, went up and knocked on the door, got the acceptance inside, and then pushed the door and walked in.

In the room, Director Tong, who had not seen him for many days, was hunched over with his short body. When I heard a thin man's speech in front of me, I walked up and called out: "Director Tong."

"Oh, Xiao Wu, when will I come back? I've finished studying?" Director Tong asked with a smile.

"What is this?" The thin man sitting in front of him raised a monkey face with raised cheekbones and looked at me in confusion.

"Director Hou, his name is Wu Ping. He is an electrician from our former spinning workshop. He has just returned from the local area to study." Director Tong bowed down and explained in a pleasing manner.

"Is it the training class organized by the city?" The monkey-faced factory director swelled his cheeks.

"It's this training class that trains technical backbones for various enterprises and institutions." Director Tong nodded quickly.

"How did the factory arrange him to go? I used to arrange experienced masters in the fertilizer factory." The monkey's eyes became sharp.

"This..." Director Tong's face showed an embarrassing look, "It was Secretary Cui at the beginning... Oh no, it was Lao Cui who decided."

"Your original management was too chaotic." The monkey face complained, and his round little eyes stared at me, "Do you know Lao Cui?"

"I'm just a little worker, I don't know anything about old Cui Xiao Cui." Looking at the monkey's strange expression on his face, I replied unhappily.

"You..." The monkey face didn't expect me to rush to him, and his face changed.

Seeing me and the monkey face quarrel, Director Tong was a little anxious for a moment, quickly winked at me, lay down beside the monkey face's ear, and muttered in a low voice: "He is Lu Yu's apprentice. Lu Yu, you should know that the eldest son of Minister Liu of the Municipal Party Committee Organization Department, Lao Cui also saw Lu Yu's face. No... it was Minister Liu's face, so he arranged for him to go..."

The monkey's face became solemn. He glanced at me with a slant, and said nothing more. He stood up and walked out the door: "Old Tong, what happened just now is my opinion."

"Okay, OK, I'll do it right away." Director Tong's head lit like a chicken pecking at rice. When the monkey's face disappeared in the corridor outside the door, his face changed and he complained angrily, "This Nanman is too domineering and not a fuel-efficient lamp."

"Director Tong, this is the procedure for me to come back to report." I did not look at Director Tong's face and handed over the materials in my hand.

"You send these materials to the administrative department. According to the city's regulations, you can set a higher level." Director Tong muttered while looking through my materials, "Xiao Wu, you really took advantage of it. I just said that it has nothing to do with Lao Cui. In fact, you not only want to thank Lu Yu, but also entrusted Lao Cui's blessing."

The administrative department changed a section chief, who was the former female clerk of the factory department, and was quite humble. After I finished the procedures, I thought about going to the workshop. Just after the New Year and the Spring Festival approached, the workshop was filled with the busyness before the festival. In the distribution duty room, I met Captain Xia and several masters on duty. Everyone was very enthusiastic when they saw me. I told Captain Xia that he had come back to report and asked him when he would arrange work for me. Captain Xia asked me to take a good rest for two days first and wait for work next week.

After leaving the factory office building, I wanted to go to the hospital to get some anti-inflammatory drugs. I have been busy these days. I blew the cold wind one day yesterday, and my throat hurts a little. I have had the problem of tonsil hypertrophy since I was a child, and maybe I have gotten a little inflammation again. I came to the factory hospital in the southeast corner. The veterinarian happened to be on duty in the outpatient clinic. He was listening to a female worker's chest carefully. The sound of my pushing the door was so shocked that both of them raised their heads.

"Oh-Wu Ping, when did you come back?" Li Qin stood up excitedly. The veterinarian took the receiver's hand and slid down from her towering chest.

"Li Qin, is it you? I... I just came back today." I was a little surprised and replied with a hurried smile.

"I haven't seen you for a long time. Where have you been recently?" the veterinarian looked up and down and asked in confusion.

"Hey--don't mention it, I stayed in the bureau for more than half a year." I looked at his obscene expression, and when I thought about it, I talked nonsense.

"What? Something happened to you!" The veterinarian suddenly became interested, and his little eyes widened, "Tell me, what's going on? Are you messing with a woman?"

"It's really this." I felt funny in my heart. This veterinarian is really a pervert, and he started to get off the lane after just a few words.

"You..." Li Qin couldn't help laughing and almost laughed out loud. I quickly glanced at her.

"How about it, is the handsome woman? Can you compare to the bright red one in our cotton mill?" The veterinarian stared at me lustfully and asked urgently.

"How can I compare? It's all phoenix and local chicken. It's all because I drank that night and didn't see it clearly. It's so ugly. I regret it so much now." I paused deliberately, saw the covetous mouth of the veterinarian's mouth, and then slowly added, "By the way, that woman seems to be from your hometown, and it seems to be the same surname as you."

"Is that true!" The veterinarian was shocked and his face turned pale. "I... why haven't I heard of it..."

"This matter has spread throughout the factory. Why don't you know? It's really your sister, right?" Li Qin also pretended to be serious and teased me according to my words.

The veterinarian was a little angry and embarrassed. When Li Qin and I walked out together, the two of them could no longer hold it in and laughed loudly. Li Qin laughed so hard that tears flowed out: "Okay, Wu Ping, it seems like it is true to tell lies."

"I regret it a little now. Will this veterinarian spread everywhere? I really say that I used to be a hooligan and squatted in the detention center for half a year." I stopped smiling and said to Li Qin with regret.

"No, you should not make your family's shame public. I said it was his sister. He would definitely inquire secretly. When you know you lied to him, you will be very angry." Li Qin wiped her tears and hit me hard.

"Let's not talk about the veterinarians anymore. Let's talk about you. When will you get married and treat me to wedding candy?" I looked at Li Qin and joked.

"What kind of marriage?" After hearing my words, Li Qin's eyes dimmed. "You know the situation of Xiao Cai's family. There is only a small courtyard, a total of five or six bungalows, and a whole family is full of people. We are really going to get married, where can we live?"

Housing in a yarn mill is the most difficult thing. When I saw Li Qin's face full of sorrow, I quickly comforted him: "No matter how difficult you are, can you still be more difficult than those who are carrying children and still crowding in the collective dormitory now? No matter how big the house of Senior Brother Xiao Cai's family is, at least there is a place of his own in the county town. If I get married now, I'm afraid I can only live in the open air."

"If I marry you, I'd rather live in the open air." Li Qin moaned and glanced at me.

"You are talking angry." I looked embarrassed and quickly changed the conversation.

The cold wind was blowing, and the dusk was getting thick. Li Qin and I broke up in front of the workshop door.
Chapter completed!