Chapter 21 Qian Qing changed her clothes and headed over, only to discover upon arrival that the gathering was quite formal. In a large office, a long table was set up, around which sat Engineer Fang, Li Hongmei, and several other individuals who, though unfamiliar to her, clearly held leadership positions. Qian Qing felt somewhat uneasy, wondering if she had arrived late. Engineer Fang had already risen to greet her, while Director Li warmly pulled her into an empty seat beside him.

"I hope I'm not late?" Qian Qing asked softly.

"Late? Some people haven't even shown up yet."

Qian Qing glanced around; indeed, all relevant personnel were present, including the gatekeeper and a small boy sitting properly on a chair with flushed cheeks. The only person missing was Wan Zhenzhen. Li Hongmei still seemed puzzled: "Didn't you see her on your way?"

By "her,"

Li Hongmei meant Wan Zhenzhen; she now disliked Wan Zhenzhen so much she didn't even want to say her name. Qian Qing shook her head: "No, I didn't see her. As soon as I heard the news, I changed clothes and came straight here. I didn't encounter anyone along the way."

The group waited and waited until the man in the Zhongshan suit seated at the head of the table turned pale with anger, yet Wan Zhenzhen still hadn't appeared.

"Let's not wait any longer; we'll begin."

Today's meeting had been convened urgently due to rumors spreading across the oilfield that afternoon, especially since several factories were located close to one another. If these rumors were left unchecked, new versions would likely reach other factories by tomorrow.

"I've heard a general outline of what happened, but I'll need each of you to recount the specific details again."

The speaker in the Zhongshan suit was Chen Yan, Director of the Comprehensive Management Department at Factory No. 2. All matters concerning the residential compound fell under his jurisdiction. Upon hearing the news that afternoon, he had broken out in a cold sweat, fearing some serious incident had actually occurred. In this era of family planning, children were the lifeline of every household; if even a few had gone missing, could he possibly retain his position? The school principal sitting beside him was equally unsettled, still feeling chilled down his spine. The gatekeeper, surnamed Xie, knowing he couldn't escape responsibility for this incident, honestly recounted everything, occasionally interrupted by the little boy adding his "testimony."

"That auntie blocked the road; no matter how much we shouted that we needed to pass, she wouldn't let us through."

"Later, when we went to confront her, we watched her ride away on her tricycle."

"Then this older sister told us to go find the younger girl's parents."

… Combined with Engineer Fang's attitude, the sequence of events was basically reconstructed. It didn't take long before Director Chen reached a conclusion.

"Alright, since we've established the causes and consequences of this incident, let's discuss the measures to be taken and our future approach. First, I'd like to hear Principal Guo's thoughts."

Principal Guo, somewhat advanced in years, wore a white Dacron short-sleeved shirt and glasses perched on his nose. Even now, cold sweat trickled down his face. The gatekeeper had already informed him once at noon, yet hearing it again remained startling.

"Here's the situation: today's incident has made us aware of deficiencies in our security arrangements. Going forward, we will assign teachers to take turns guarding the school gate during dismissal hours. I myself will also be present at the school entrance during dismissal. Furthermore, street vendors will no longer be permitted near the school, and children will be instructed to return home immediately after school. Do you think this arrangement is acceptable?"

Qian Qing's heart sank; this was precisely what she had feared most. Beside her, Director Li interjected: "Following your reasoning, does this mean Xiao Qian won't be allowed to operate her stall either? I believe such a blanket approach is inappropriate. Moreover, the factory… Well, changes will inevitably occur later anyway. But if we block paths now only to reopen them later, constantly altering policies every few days, who will take the factory's directives seriously anymore?"

Qian Qing remained silent. Although this concerned her small stall, it wasn't the right moment for her to speak out. Outwardly composed, her mind raced rapidly. Earlier that day, Director Li had mentioned establishing a morning market street. That street ran alongside the river, parallel to the route leading to the No. 1 Primary School for Staff Children, so it shouldn't interfere with this area. Based on Director Li's remarks, did the factory perhaps have other plans specifically for the vicinity of the school entrance?Suddenly, her mind jolted. That's right! Since Director Li had told her last time that the office building was being relocated because people coming and going might disturb the students, wouldn't demolishing it and constructing a new office building in its place make no real difference? Moreover, she had recently spent more time at the No. 1 Plant's office building, which actually consisted of two adjacent structures connected together, offering no sense of cramped space at all.

Even someone as insignificant as herself could feel how disconnected the oilfield was from the outside world. With factory leaders rushing about everywhere, how could they not notice? Without even looking far, just consider the other elementary schools in Y City: isn't there always a row of street vendors and storefronts right at each school's entrance? Could the leaders possibly have no thoughts on this matter? Qian Qing instantly felt a surge of warmth in her heart. If the school truly planned to construct buildings directly opposite the main gate, then she absolutely must secure one or two of those storefronts. This would be like owning a hen that lays eggs. Although children's items aren't expensive, small transactions of a few mao still add up. If she could earn over a hundred yuan a day selling popsicles priced at just a few mao or fen, wouldn't she earn even more selling notebooks, pencils, and snacks?

Best of all, it required no running around or hard labor; it was simply sitting there waiting for money to come to her. Qian Qing had already decided: she would let her mother manage this spot by the school gate. Her mother was getting older, loved children, and now stayed home idle after giving up her job. Having a small stall would mean she wouldn't need to wake up early or work late; she could just leisurely earn some money every day. How wonderful that would be! Qian Qing's thoughts had already soared far away, causing her to miss the preceding arguments entirely. By the time she snapped back to attention, Engineer Fang was speaking.

"In my opinion, we could assign older students to take turns on duty at the entrance, with just one or two teachers keeping a careful watch. As for street vendors, their numbers will undoubtedly increase in the future. Therefore, instead of merely blocking them—which is useless—the school should designate specific areas for them. The school can draw a line to prevent them from obstructing the middle of the road, avoid overcrowding, and prohibit the sale of dangerous items. When I was in Beijing, I observed that most schools there operated this way."

After further discussion, Director Chen naturally adopted Engineer Fang's suggestions. With the important matters settled, only the issues of rewards and punishments remained. Beaming with joy, Director Chen praised Qian Qing profusely. He stated that Li Hongmei should give serious consideration to nominating Qian Qing as an outstanding family member of the factory district by year's end. He also highly commended the several young boys who had helped, and the principal announced they would receive notebooks as rewards. After the commendations came the punishments. However, since Wan Zhenzhen was absent, Director Chen could only suppress his anger and instruct Li Hongmei: "After you visit the broadcasting room, go find Wang Hua. Although his wife isn't an employee of our oilfield, she is still part of our oilfield community. It's acceptable for her to be an individual business owner, but she cannot hide whenever trouble arises. Our oilfield does not approve of such behavior. This time, we will issue a public criticism. Also notify his wife that she must not set up stalls at the school entrance in the near future. She needs to seriously reflect on her mistakes."

***** When Wan Zhenzhen heard she was supposed to attend the meeting, she stubbornly refused to go. What for? Just to humiliate herself? Wouldn't it suffice to apologize to the victim's family tomorrow? Why endure another round of scolding today? Determined not to attend, and with Wang Hua still at work, only Old Lady Wang was home. Seeing Wan Zhenzhen's attitude infuriated the old woman, who forcibly shoved her out the door.

"Whether you want to go or not, you must go! You caused this mess yourself, so clean it up immediately! If they want to hit or scold you, you must endure it. Who told you to have a pig's brain?"

Forced out of the house, Wan Zhenzhen dawdled until she reached the entrance of the Oilfield No. 1 Elementary School. Overwhelmed by fear, she lingered outside, unwilling to move. Would it really matter if she didn't go? She would get criticized anyway. She didn't think this was a major issue; everyone was fine, so was such a fuss really necessary? Besides, since she had left the house, as long as she kept quiet, who would know she hadn't attended? Could they possibly go tell Wang Hua? After hesitating repeatedly, she never entered. Instead, she hid by the riverside for an hour, returning home only after being bitten mercilessly by mosquitoes.Halfway there, he heard the music on the broadcast cut off, replaced by a voice booming from the loudspeaker. A deep, resonant male voice droned on at length.

"Regarding the incident that occurred this noon at the entrance of No. 1 Primary School for children of Oil Plant No. 2, the plant has conducted an investigation and wishes to clarify the situation for everyone."

"An ice cream cart was selling popsicles at eight fen each right outside the school gate, causing a crowd of students to gather and ultimately leading to one elementary student suffering heatstroke and fainting. Thanks to the timely assistance of the popsicle vendor across from the school entrance, the student is now out of danger. All related rumors are false."

"In response to such emergencies, starting tomorrow, No. 1 School for Employees' Children will assign duty teachers and student monitors to assist with crowd control at the entrance, ensuring such incidents do not happen again."

"Hereby, Wan Zhenzhen, a family member of Plant No. 2, is criticized for leaving the scene immediately after the incident without staying to accompany the heat-stricken student to receive medical care. Meanwhile, Ma Xiaozhuang, Xue Dabao, Xu Sijin, and Huang Youwei, fourth-grade students at No. 1 School for Employees' Children, are commended for their courageous assistance today."

"The oilfield is our home; its glory depends on the joint efforts of all us oilfield workers."

Wan Zhenzhen felt as if all strength had been drained from her body; her limp legs could barely support her weight of less than fifty kilograms. She had merely skipped that meeting—how had it escalated to being publicly denounced over the loudspeaker? With this broadcast, her reputation was utterly ruined. And what about Wang Hua?… Wan Zhenzhen shuddered. What would Wang Hua say? Wang Hua had heard the broadcast on his way home from work, and听完 it, he felt completely devastated. Just yesterday, after making promises and carefully weighing pros and cons with his mother, he had finally managed to get two hundred yuan from her. He hadn't kept a single cent for himself: one hundred forty yuan went to buying Wan Zhenzhen a tricycle, and sixty yuan served as her startup capital. So Wan Zhenzhen had taken his money only to make him lose face? What colossal stupidity had she committed to get their names broadcast over the loudspeakers?

Wang Hua's mind went numb. Returning to the residential compound, he kept his head down,不敢 daring to look up and see how others were judging him. Was it pity? Or contempt? Pity that he'd been blind enough to marry a troublemaking wife? Or contempt that he, like a broken pot matched with a rotten lid, had brought such a woman into his home? During those few short minutes from entering the compound to climbing the stairs, Wang Hua even hallucinated people pointing at him and sneering.

"That's the big fool who married a stupid wife!"

"Like attracts like—what good could come from such a match?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, and his father was even a martyr!"

… In all his twenty-plus years, Wang Hua had never felt so humiliated, so utterly disgraced as he did today. He rushed home, but Wan Zhenzhen wasn't there. Like an enraged beast, he panted heavily, unable to calm himself. Seeing him like this, his mother's heart ached; she embellished every detail of Wan Zhenzhen's actions, spilling everything. Pushed to the extreme, Wang Hua反而 started laughing. He had never been handsome to begin with, and now his smile looked somewhat grotesque. Old Lady Wang's heart trembled so violently she could hardly stand; she wanted to rush over, grab him, and persuade him—or if necessary, urge him to divorce Wan Zhenzhen. After all, she wasn't pregnant; once divorced, he could find someone else. Wang Hua paced around the room twice, then rummaged under the cabinet in the inner room and pulled out a large wrench. Grabbing it, he headed downstairs.

Old Lady Wang followed behind, screaming as if her own mother had died.

"Hua-zi! Hua-zi! Where are you going?! Don't do anything foolish!"