Sure enough, it was an easy job.
Li Chuchu spread out the manuscripts and thought happily that she might even be able to go to the canteen for lunch before going home. She had heard that the food in the steel factory was quite good.
She turned to her senior sister and said, "Senior Sister Mu Wan, shall we go for lunch together today?"
Mu Wan stopped writing and looked at Li Chuchu with a hesitant look in her eyes. "Why not prepare the manuscripts first?"
At first, Li Chuchu didn't understand what her senior sister meant. She thought that her eagerness to slack off on her first day had given a bad impression to her senior sister.
It wasn't until she finished the two morning broadcasts.
She was called to Teacher Xie's desk and severely scolded. Only then did she understand the hesitation in her senior sister's eyes that morning.
"Is this how you're supposed to punctuate? Who taught you this?"
"Is this how you're supposed to pronounce these words? Did you practice properly last night?"
The suffocating feeling of these rhetorical questions hit her all at once. For a moment, Li Chuchu felt as if she had returned to the high school classroom.
Her senior sister threw her a look that said "good luck" and then quietly packed up her things and slipped out of the door.
"Mu Wan, come here."
Mu Wan's retreating figure visibly stiffened.
She slowly turned around and forced a smile on her face. "Haha, Teacher Xie, um... what do you need me for?"
Teacher Xie was flipping through the afternoon manuscripts. "Did you practice properly on the speed issue I mentioned to you yesterday?"
"I thought about it... maybe."
Mu Wan pursed her lips. Her lowered head and flustered eyes gave away everything.
Teacher Xie's stern gaze fell on her. "Well, since Li Chuchu also has problems in this regard, you should communicate with her properly. I hope to see your progress this afternoon."
"... Okay."
Mu Wan felt as if all the vitality had been drained from her body.
...
"I can't do it. It's too difficult. This is how my life is going to be."
Half an hour later,
Mu Wan walked out of the broadcasting room looking as if she'd rather be dead.
"Who on earth said it's easy to be a broadcaster? I shouldn't have sent my resume to Lotus Factory in the first place."
Speaking of which, Mu Wan was a professional in this field, yet she still couldn't get into Teacher Xie's good books. Li Chuchu, who wasn't from a relevant major, felt even more dejected.
Mu Wan cast a mournful look at Li Chuchu.
Li Chuchu immediately apologized. "I'm sorry. If it weren't for me, senior sister wouldn't have been kept by Teacher Xie until now. How about I treat you to lunch?"
Mu Wan's look changed from mournful to helpless. Finally, she let out a long sigh. "Forget it. I'm used to it anyway."
Li Chuchu was a bit curious. "Is Teacher Xie the person in charge of the broadcasting room?"
"Sort of. She used to be a host on the municipal TV station. Factory Director Chen specially invited her to take charge of the factory's broadcasting station."
When Mu Wan mentioned the TV station, there was a look of longing in her eyes.
"Teacher Xie not only manages the broadcasting room. If there's a factory get - together or important visitors come, she needs to come out and guide and explain. Anyway, she's a very capable person. You can learn a lot from her."
"However, Teacher Xie won't be here this afternoon, and she probably won't be here for the next few days. We'll have an easier time from now on!"
Her expression suddenly became excited.
Her smile and the white shirt complemented each other, shining brightly in the sun.
Li Chuchu let out a sigh of relief. If she had to endure such mental pressure every day at work, even if she could learn a lot, it would probably be torture.
Mu Wan patted Li Chuchu on the shoulder. "It's your first day at work today, and you've done great. Your voice condition is very good. Some of my classmates in the same major may not be as good as you. Don't be discouraged!"
Only then did Li Chuchu notice that Mu Wan was beaming when she spoke. She had the spirit of this era. Whether it was when reading the broadcast or in daily interactions, one could feel her strong vitality.
"Okay, thank you, senior sister."
Mu Wan, Mu Wan...
Li Chuchu slowly chewed on this name in her heart.
No, this name was so familiar. It seemed to have been mentioned in a book.
Mu Wan didn't notice Li Chuchu's momentary distraction. She thought that Li Chuchu had been scared by Teacher Xie's strictness on her first day at work. "I'm going for lunch first. Be careful on your way home. Keep working hard."
With that, she left.
She still had to go back to the factory to prepare for the afternoon broadcast.
Watching her retreating figure,
Li Chuchu slapped her forehead.
Right, she remembered! There was indeed a person named Mu Wan in the original book. But she was a marginal character, only mentioned when Wu Gui entered the factory.
There was a female broadcaster named Mu Wan in Lotus Factory. She was young, beautiful, from a good family, and had a good personality.
Her family introduced a fiancé to her, a retired soldier.
In this era, the identity of a retired soldier was a very prestigious calling card.
It was originally thought to be a powerful combination and a perfect match. But unexpectedly, that fiancé had a violent tendency. After getting married, Mu Wan was beaten black and blue several times, and a leg was even broken by the man with a stool.
When Mu Wan's family found out, they were heart - broken and wanted to go to the man's family for an explanation. But the man's family had connections in the officialdom. They not only sent Mu Wan's family back but also suppressed this matter.
Mu Wan's mother and brother appealed everywhere. It took them three or four years to finally get a divorce.
By this time, it was already too late.
A good girl had her leg broken and was trapped in a narrow room forever, living in the shadow of an unfortunate marriage.
When Li Chuchu read the book, she only felt sorry for this girl. Now that the words had turned into a real person, she couldn't help but worry about Mu Wan.
There was still some time before Mu Wan's family introduced a marriage partner to her. Maybe she could subtly remind her then.
...
During the Dragon Boat Festival, Wu Li took time to go back to her natal home. She carried big and small bags to visit her mother.
Mother Wu was standing in the kitchen. Hearing the noise outside, without taking off her apron, she immediately rushed out to greet her. "Oh, you're finally back! I've been waiting for you with the meal ready for ages." She looked around behind Wu Li. "Hey? Where's Jianmin? Why didn't he come back?"
"Mom, Jianmin got promoted recently and is very busy with work. I took some time to come and see you."
The enthusiasm on Mother Wu's face faded a bit. She took off her apron and threw it on the stool beside the stove. There was no need to be so polite with her own daughter.
"Have you settled your brother's job?"
Wu Li put the large pile of chickens, ducks, fish, and various supplements on the table and complained. "Don't even mention it, Mom. You don't know. That Li Chuchu came back a few days ago and took the job away."
"The job is gone?"
Sister - in - law had just come in from the vegetable garden. She threw the vegetable basket heavily on the ground and said sharply, "The job that was promised is gone? Wu Li, is this how you mess up our family?"
"No, sister - in - law, listen to me."
Wu Li didn't expect her sister - in - law to come in just then. She didn't even have time to defend herself.