Transmigration: On the Gossip Front-Chapter 1942 - 1943: Female Intellectual Youth Bystander 85
As soon as the end-of-work bell rang, Zhang Jie rushed out of the office. He had it all planned out; today was the day Zhang Yu was coming home, a day for the Zhang Family to reunite. How could anyone be absent on such a joyous occasion?
Since they were a family, of course, they should be together, neat and complete.
Watching Zhang Jie’s retreating figure, everyone felt a mix of emotions.
"He’s already gone to the farm as an intellectual youth, and yet he’s still able to come back." Someone’s tone was filled with jealousy.
"Before, people were saying Zhang Wei was getting old and useless. As soon as he left the technical department, things there fell apart." The finance department, typically uninvolved in technical matters, had to be swift in preparing funds and processing reimbursements for what the technical department needed.
Over the years, the technical department came out with new developments frequently. As someone in the factory office familiar with the technical department’s inner workings, it wasn’t hard to guess that these were likely Zhang Wei’s research outcomes.
Yet, the spotlight for such work usually went to the leaders and others, with Zhang Wei ranked behind. Several times he could have been promoted, but it was consistently pushed aside.
They even heard that the new deputy director of the technical department was a relative of Director Zheng. If things went smoothly, he’d be promoted to director after Zheng retires.
Originally, everyone thought that even if Zhang Wei couldn’t become director, at least he would be deputy director because of his capabilities. Who could have anticipated that an illness before the festival would take Zhang Wei down, seemingly quite seriously?
While everyone was feeling all sorts of emotions, a leader made a comment, suggesting a leader should always be at the forefront in all matters, and so on.
Initially, nobody paid much attention since leaders had too many things to say, making it hard to pinpoint. However, more information trickled out later, indicating that the leader was concerned about Zhang Wei’s health, fearing he couldn’t handle more responsibilities.
The message was clear enough for anyone with some sense to understand: the deputy director position in the technical department had nothing to do with Zhang Wei.
People pitied the situation, pondering why Zhang Wei fell ill. Wasn’t it because of overwork?
But there’s nothing to be done. Since leadership made a statement and none of the other leaders objected, it meant there was consensus from above.
Everyone thought that no matter how unwilling Zhang Wei was, he had to reluctantly accept this reality. But, Zhang Wei was even more straightforward; after the Spring Festival, the research institute sent a transfer letter, seconding Zhang Wei to them.
It wasn’t the first time this had happened. People thought Zhang Wei would work there temporarily and then return. But no one expected that in early March, the research institute sent another transfer letter, officially transferring Zhang Wei’s personnel relations to them.
This caught the machinery factory off guard because they were counting on Zhang Wei’s research skills to land a military project.
But now that Zhang Wei wasn’t part of the factory’s staff, even if the factory secured the military project, completing it would be a question.
Some suggested that since the institute could borrow Zhang Wei initially, perhaps the factory could also borrow him back.
Anyone with a bit of sense would know this idea was unreliable, yet the leaders listened and even sent a secondment letter to the institute.
Unsurprisingly, the institute rejected the request, explaining Zhang Wei was involved in a research project.
The factory leaders weren’t too shocked by this outcome since they were prepared, but they still felt displeased.
Of course, as leaders, they never admitted that Zhang Wei’s departure would lower the factory’s research capabilities. Instead, it strengthened their resolve to secure the military project.
Leaders made their stance clear: the deputy director of the technical department had experience working in major factories in big cities. If it weren’t for returning to take care of his parents, he wouldn’t have taken the job at the machinery factory.
The leaders believed that someone who could be a deputy director in such a large factory couldn’t possibly be lacking in capabilities; naturally, they wouldn’t be.
Director Zheng certainly knew his relative’s true capabilities. He thought as long as Zhang Wei was around, his relative could secure the director position.
Who could have predicted Zhang Wei would just leave for the research institute? Zheng considered stopping it or having a talk with Zhang Wei, even resorting to coercion if necessary. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎
But who would have thought Zhang Wei would stay continuously at the institute, working overtime, making it impossible to intercept him.
Zheng tried talking to Zhang Jie in the finance department, asking him to persuade Zhang Wei because, after all, he still worked at the machinery factory’s finance department.
Right after Zheng approached Zhang Jie, the finance department went straight to the factory director to lodge a complaint about Zheng overreaching his bounds, suggesting if the deputy director were capable, Zhang Wei’s working at the institute wouldn’t affect the factory; unless, of course, the deputy director wasn’t as capable.
Following this, Zheng dared not seek Zhang Jie for further conversations nor make minor troubles, nor could he oppose the factory allowing Zhang Wei to leave.
Thus, Zhang Wei left the machinery factory smoothly. Everyone knew that even if the factory opposed Zhang Wei’s departure, they couldn’t stop the institute’s determination to second him.
Director Zheng grew increasingly agitated, thinking Zhang Wei didn’t respect him, so he stirred up various rumors, insinuating that Zhang Wei shouldn’t occupy the factory’s housing since he already worked at the institute.
Zheng was aware that the Zhang Family got a three-bedroom housing partly due to Zhang Wei’s past contributions that distinguished the machinery factory among others and secured a large military order. Another factor was that Yao Ying worked in the factory’s finance department.
Even if Zhang Wei didn’t work at the factory anymore, the house couldn’t be confiscated. Zheng merely wanted to upset Zhang Wei.
Unexpectedly, things escalated, with accusations of Zhang Wei occupying factory assets.
In the end, Zhang Wei directly moved out, returning the house to the machinery factory. On moving day, the institute arranged for transportation to move the Zhang Family’s belongings.
The commotion was significant; not only did everyone know within the machinery factory, but other factories were aware too.
This matter could have ended there, but as the institute’s logistics chief left with the truck, he remarked to the arriving machinery factory leaders, "So, any staff member leaving the machinery factory is required to return the house. What a great example."
The factory leaders’ faces turned grim hearing this; they knew many factory leaders who were transferred elsewhere hadn’t returned their housing.
They realized the situation had blown up. They weren’t ignorant of the cause but were displeased with Zhang Wei, feeling threatened by a mere researcher, using the situation to unsettle him.
However, they didn’t anticipate the turn of events that ended up upsetting them instead.
"Sigh," the finance department staff sighed when they thought about the recent atmosphere in the factory.
Zhang Wei seemed to be the big loser, forced out of the factory, and his house was taken back. But at the institute, he was allotted a house, and his daughter returned from the farm to work there.
It’s incomparable, really, and everyone suspected Zhang Wei had planned this all along.
