Chapter 245: Chapter 243: A Small Disturbance
Hearing what Yue Yihan said, the soldier was very unhappy. He felt the commander was targeting him personally!
He wanted to argue with Yue Yihan, but the men around him held him back.
The smarter ones, however, understood what was happening.
"Alright, it’s normal for her to set conditions. Let’s face it, our own circumstances aren’t as good as those girls’."
"Why should they? We were all raised by our parents. What makes them so superior!"
"Because their parents are factory workers who earn a monthly salary, while your parents are farmers who toil in the fields."
That statement silenced the crowd.
But some were still upset, feeling that the women were looking down on them.
"If you think they’re looking down on you, then just don’t go. Why are you so angry about it?" someone asked, confused. You could always choose not to participate if you were upset.
"And why shouldn’t I go?"
"Because you’re upset they’re setting conditions. The whole point of conditions is to screen people. After all, those women are Second or Third Level Technicians, and they earn over thirty yuan a month."
Their own stipends weren’t as high as the women’s salaries.
Their family backgrounds weren’t as good, so it was perfectly reasonable for the women to have some requirements.
Every man wanted to marry a girl from a worker’s family, but daughters from those families rarely lowered their standards. This was especially true considering most of the soldiers had several brothers and sisters back home.
They would all need financial support down the line.
The workers’ families, on the other hand, usually had only one or two children and didn’t plan on having more.
They didn’t have a long line of siblings needing support.
Compared to them, the soldiers’ own situations were clearly weaker.
"But aren’t there guys in our ranks who aren’t from farming families?"
"It’s a two-way street. They can choose to come or not, right? The reason you’re so worked up is simply because you want to go, isn’t it?"
Exposed, the man flushed red to the tips of his ears and stormed away.
A thoughtful look passed through the eyes of the now-silent crowd.
’It’s true, the women’s circumstances are excellent. If we don’t meet their criteria, it just means we’re not the ones they’re looking for.’
Yue Yihan had started to walk away, but when he saw them still arguing at the gate, he went back to listen in. He finally cut in, "What’s all this noise about!? If you think it’s unfair, then work harder! Make something of yourselves instead of standing around whining about every little thing!"
With Yue Yihan there, everyone quieted down immediately.
After Yue Yihan’s lecture, they all fell silent, not daring to utter another word.
After all, their side had been the one to request this social mixer. If they kept complaining and Commander Yue told his wife what happened, the whole event might get called off.
And so, the men nudged each other along and dispersed.
Once everyone was gone, a flicker of annoyance crossed Yue Yihan’s eyes. ’What a thankless job,’ he thought. ’No wonder my wife didn’t want to get involved.’
Yue Yihan thought it over and decided he should speak to He Liuzhang about it.
"I think we should just call off the mixer. A lot of the men are unhappy with the conditions Changning set. It would be better to just cancel the whole thing..."
He Liuzhang had already heard about it.
After the meal, everyone was talking about what Xie Changning had said. Some felt her conditions were reasonable, while others thought she was sticking her nose where it didn’t belong.
’It’s not like she’s the one marrying off a daughter, so who is she to set conditions?’
’She was asked to organize a mixer, and that’s all she should have done.’
He Liuzhang had heard all the talk and had already reported it to his superiors. What he hadn’t expected was for Yue Yihan to come and ask to cancel the event.
He looked at Yue Yihan, surprised.
"Aren’t you worried your men will be upset?"
"They’re not exactly thrilled right now, either." Yue Yihan would rather his men be upset with him than have them gossip about his wife.
As Yue Yihan saw it, those men didn’t know what was good for them.
With Yue Yihan set on this course, He Liuzhang didn’t try to stop him. Instead, he picked up the phone to call the leadership and explained the situation. "The conditions Ms. Xie proposed in the cafeteria today have caused quite a stir. Comrade Yue Yihan is requesting to cancel the mixer."
The higher-ups knew Yue Yihan was protective of his wife, but they hadn’t expected him to request a cancellation so quickly.
"The reason?"
"They’ve been gossiping about Ms. Xie behind her back," He Liuzhang explained.
The leadership had known Xie Changning’s conditions would spark discussion, but they were surprised by how many men had such backward thinking. It was no wonder Xie Changning had felt the need to set conditions in the first place.
Ideologically speaking, the common soldiers in their unit were clearly in need of political education to elevate their progressive thought.
Yue Yihan lowered his gaze to the floor, listening to the conversation on the other end of the line.
"I’ll handle this. Tell Yue Yihan not to worry. Ms. Xie’s reputation won’t be harmed." The mixer had been the army’s idea, so since they had caused the trouble, it was their responsibility to resolve it.
That was precisely why Yue Yihan had come to request the cancellation.
He knew that an event proposed by the leadership wouldn’t be canceled lightly, but that didn’t mean they would wash their hands of the matter after suggesting it.
And so, that very evening, the entire unit was assembled for a meeting.
The meeting was led by the political commissar and focused primarily on the topic of the social mixer.
Of course, the official reason given by the leadership was that they wanted to identify eligible comrades who hadn’t had the time to find a partner and ask their thoughts on the matter.
There was no mention of criticizing the soldiers.
While the base was holding its evening assembly, Xie Changning was already fast asleep.
Did she have any idea what consequences her words from earlier would have? She did. She just didn’t care.
’It’s said that a hundred families will line up for one good girl. The women at her factory weren’t desperate to find husbands. If the soldiers weren’t happy, fine, cancel the event. What did it matter?’
’She couldn’t care less.’
Xie Changning slept exceptionally well that night, without a single dream.
The next morning, Xie Changyi came to pick her up. Xie Changning brought her "product samples" to the meeting venue and handed them out one by one.
Everyone was very fond of Xie Changning. Not only was she tactful and capable, but she also frequently brought "product samples" for everyone as a little perk.
This was something the managers from other factories never did.
As a result, the entire department had an excellent impression of Xie Changning.
Xie Changning wasn’t trying to curry favor with everyone; handing out the samples was simply a way to avoid causing trouble for her superiors. After she finished with the department, she took the remaining items up to the senior leaders and their secretaries.
The leaders’ secretaries were also quite fond of Xie Changning. They all smiled when they saw her coming.
"The director is waiting for you in his office."
"These are new products from our factory. I’d appreciate it if you’d help test them out."
"You’re too kind, Manager Xie."
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Xie Changning and Xie Changyi arrived at the director’s office.
KNOCK KNOCK—
The sound had barely faded when a voice from within called out, "Come in."
Hearing the voice, Xie Changning and Xie Changyi pushed the door open. Inside, they found not just the director, but several other leaders as well, all waiting for them in the main office.
Seeing all the assembled leaders, Xie Changning couldn’t help but feel relieved.
’Good thing I brought all the samples.’
’Otherwise...’
