country bumpkin

Chapter 326 Going to Luoquan Manor

Bai Yan was assigned to the sewing workshop. The place was filled with the sounds of electric sewing machines at work.

It's also an assembly line operation, with one person making one part. The final process at the end of the assembly line completes the shoe upper and the shoe sleeve.

The soles produced in Yunya's workshop and the uppers and soles produced in the sewing workshop are sent to the final finished product workshop for processing, and then they are taken out to become a finished shoe.

It's warm inside the workshop in winter. When you're out, you can just wear a sweater and work clothes underneath, and then put on a down jacket on top.

Back in the workshop, you can take off your down jacket and just wear your work clothes. In the summer, there are large ventilation openings at the top of the workshop to help cool it down.

The workshop isn't very hot either; it's much cooler than a textile factory. The working environments are incomparable.

After working in the workshop for five days, they adapted to this pace of life.

I get up at 7 a.m., wash up, and then have breakfast. I eat for 15 minutes, and then go to work in the workshop.

I finish get off work at 12 noon to get lunch at the cafeteria, eat lunch and prepare to go back to work at 1:40 pm, and finish get off work at 6 pm.

Yunya is very satisfied with her job, which involves eight hours a day, weekends off, and no night shifts.

The only downside is the morning meetings. No matter which workshop you're in, the morning meetings always have a depressing atmosphere.

The class leaders of each group would crane their necks, glare, and open their mouths wide, spewing profanities as they gave lectures.

Yunya was afraid of her class monitor, who was very young and beautiful.

She had fair skin, was about 1.75 meters tall, wore a short ponytail, and had thick, bright red lips that looked like they had just eaten a child and were covered in blood.

She has a very loud voice; when she shouts, her high-pitched and thin voice can pierce your eardrums.

Once, the team leader scolded the group leader so badly that he cried, and all the employees were secretly gossiping about it behind his back.

Most employees like their team leaders because they have a similar status to regular employees, except for the added worry and expense.

Whenever any of the regular employees ask for leave or go to the restroom, the team leader takes their place.

That's how assembly line work works. Each process requires one person to complete it. Everyone has their own role, and no process can be missing.

Therefore, when there is a shortage of people, the team leader usually fills the gap. The class monitor will only step in if there are many absentees or the team leader is absent due to other matters.

…………

This weekend, Yunya and her friends decided to visit Bai Rui's parents-in-law in Luoquanzhuang.

Before they entered the factory, they stayed at her home for several days, and she genuinely treated them well.

The four girls bought gifts, rented an electric tricycle, and were taken to the village by the driver.

On the electric tricycle, the driver carried the four girls and a pile of fruit, swaying and bumping as they entered the village.

The tricycle stopped at Luo Yunxiang's gate, and Yunya and the others paid the fare together.

Carrying their own purchases, they entered the courtyard. Luo Wanjun heard footsteps and, assuming it was a neighbor coming to visit, came out to greet them.

As soon as he stepped out of the house, he saw these little girls and was overjoyed. Seeing the things they were carrying, he politely took them from them.

"Come visit Auntie's house often when you have time. Why bring anything? It's not easy to earn money when you're away from home. You should save where you can."

The four of them smiled, and Bai Yan replied on behalf of the group, "Auntie, don't worry, it didn't cost much. It was just some fruit and snacks for you to try."

Luo Wanjun was delighted and smiled broadly. She politely invited the group into the house.

Upon entering the room, the furnishings were exactly the same as when they first arrived. A small table on the kang (a heated brick bed) and neatly folded quilts and pillows were piled in the corner.

The girls suddenly felt a sense of familiarity, a feeling of home. Perhaps it was the old lady's warmth that gave them the illusion of coming home.

Since Bai Rui started dating, she has been living with her boyfriend and her in-laws' house.

The place they lived in was a new house built on an empty plot of land south of the old house. It was a wedding house built by the old couple for their son.

Bai Rui usually sleeps until 11 am on weekends before coming to the old house for dinner. Sometimes she comes directly for lunch, skipping breakfast altogether.

After all, it's common for young couples in love to stay up late at night. And no one comes to urge them to get up in the morning.

This time was no different; Bai Rui didn't arrive at the old house until 11 o'clock. She found that her younger sister and several other girls had already arrived.

So for lunch, she asked her boyfriend to go to the market and buy some pork and half a chicken to treat the girls.

Yunya and the others stayed at Luoquan Manor until the afternoon before preparing to go back. The journey wasn't short, so Bai Rui asked her boyfriend to take them home.

Luo Yunxiang obediently escorted them to the shoe factory gate before driving his motorcycle tricycle home.

His job is to repair motorcycle tricycles, motorcycles, electric vehicles, and bicycles.

He opened a repair shop in the village, which was just a simple wooden hut. He didn't need to pay rent, and all the money he earned was pure profit.

They don't earn much money in the village, but enough to make ends meet.

The villagers either work in factories or farm, but he was used to freedom and didn't like being constrained by factories.

So Bai Rui wanted him to work in the factory, but he refused.

When Yunya and the others returned to the factory, everyone went to her dormitory to play.

Bai Yan envied the three of them for being assigned together; all four of them had come in together, but she was the only one who was assigned elsewhere. But she had no other choice but to obey the arrangement.

They chatted in their dorm room while busy crocheting and knitting. They had learned these crafts from the girls in the next dorm.

After get off work and dinner, when there's nothing to do, everyone goes to the TV room to watch TV dramas. Some people even bring their handicrafts to watch TV dramas.

The new girls were curious and came over to chat, and they gradually became familiar with each other. Later, a craze for handicrafts was sparked.

Some people crocheted floral bedspreads, while others made floral covers for the TV. Some even crocheted cute floral cardigans.

The simplest example is the patterned quilt cover that Yunya is currently learning to use.

First, make 72 flowers, then connect them together using a special pattern. Her roommates are also learning this craft.

Since they shared common interests, the roommates naturally became more and more familiar with each other and their relationship improved.

At this moment, Bai Yan also became interested in this. Watching their hands busy, with thread and crochet hooks flying back and forth, and soon a beautiful flower shape was crocheted, she wanted to learn even more.

The girl opposite Yunya's bed lent Bai Yan her extra crochet hook.

Yunya gave her a ball of yarn and began to teach Baiyan how to start crocheting and how to continue...

Just as Bai Yan was trying her best to learn how to crochet from Yun Ya, the dormitory door was suddenly pushed open.

It turned out that the dorm leader had returned from shopping and asked everyone, "Have you all had dinner yet?"

As she spoke, she placed a large handful of fried skewers, which were in a plastic bag, on the dormitory table.

Everyone stared blankly at their dorm leader, Qi Qiaodi, completely bewildered. She smiled broadly and said, "I bought some fried skewers, why don't you try them and see how they taste?"

After everyone came to their senses, they politely declined, feeling embarrassed. Qi Qiaodi continued with a smile, "It's okay, I bought quite a lot, enough for everyone to have one skewer."

Seeing how enthusiastic their dorm leader was, everyone got up and took a string of skewers from the table, thanking him profusely.

After taking a bite, everyone exclaimed, "Delicious!"

The dorm leader also grabbed a skewer and started eating, saying as she ate, "When I was shopping today, I saw that this fried food stall was packed with people, so I thought I'd bring some back for you guys to try."

Everyone was enjoying their meal when suddenly Bai Yan cried out "Ouch!" and spat out a small steel wool thread from her mouth.

All eyes immediately turned to her.

The dormitory head's expression changed, and she quickly said, "This was probably accidentally put in by the skewer vendor. Bai Yan, are you alright?"

Bai Yan shook her head and said, "It's nothing serious, it just gave me a fright."

Just then, Yunya frowned, clutched her stomach, and said, "I feel a bit of a stomachache." Immediately afterward, several other girls also expressed that they were feeling unwell.

The dormitory head panicked and quickly said, "Don't eat, don't eat! These fried skewers might not be clean. I'll take you to the infirmary right away."

Everyone hurriedly tidied up and, led by their dormitory head, rushed to the infirmary, leaving the unfinished fried skewers sitting alone on the table.