Chapter 1
Zheng Wei sat in the mud near the construction site, the October sun in the sky blazing down. Besides the sight of the place, the whole scene was pure white. The construction hadn’t even begun and was still in the engineering phase. After leveling the site, there wasn’t even one sheltered place. A drop of sweat fell on her eyelashes. She used her hand to wipe it, and the sweat stuck onto the mud on her hand, and became a cloudy gray color. The helmet stuck to her hairline, sticky, and itchy. She had been nakedly exposed to this for a month. When she looked in the mirror at night, she found that her originally white face had already changed into a face like that of Bao Zheng. She might as well be tan, but why was the helmet lacing always so white as snow. After she put on the helmet, and looked from far away, it looked like she had brushed on a coat of white paint on both sides of her cheeks. It was very comical, and she had been laughed at for this by the uncouth fellows that were helping out. She drank a mouthful of water, vainly fanning her hand. If it hadn’t been for the project manager, supervisor, or the older worker who had given her three separate commands that she must wear her helmet, she really would have immediately thrown her helmet away, to liberate her neck and her head.
Her original intent in taking this job, was to be with the person she liked. That person left, the job opportunity stayed. Zheng Wei didn’t know if she should feel irony or fortunate. But the fact that she could enter Zhong Jian, actually said that she had still caught up to the last train of all the former workers. This was something very fortunate in the eyes of many of her cla.s.smates, especially after Zhong Jian’s early announcement “Don’t Recruit Girls”. It couldn’t be said that her recruitment hadn’t been an accident that made her the envy of all the people.
Talking about this, it was really ridiculous. She had originally wanted to study Civil Engineering because she thought, if she could see a huge skysc.r.a.per that she had made, that would feel very good. But now that she was formally inducted into the world, she knew that the existence of this industry wasn’t without a purpose. No matter if it was based off of physical strength or stamina, girls were far inferior to boys. It hadn’t been too long after she had returned from Wu Yuan before she receieved Zhong Jian’s notification that they would like her to come back for testing. During that time, her life was like a wandering soul in general, she didn’t know what had happened, but in her sleepwalking, she was hired. After she reported for the job, she and some 10 other guys experienced some two weeks of pre-service training at headquarters. Then they were all exiled to their respective project departments. According to Zhong Jian’s personnel system, newly recruited college graduates must have six months of internship experience, and after they pa.s.s another exam, then they could be matched with a project position. These six months weren’t long or short. They seemed to have been short but they weren’t. Really being among the company wasn’t that easy either. Zheng Wei had just been a.s.signed to a project department, when all her colleagues on the construction site all shook their heads at her at first sight. They all said that sending this pet.i.te maiden over, if it wasn’t ruining people, then what was it? She pa.s.sed two days like this. Her heart complained incessantly but her temperament was strong, especially she refused to show weakness in front of other people, not only for herself. Everyone thought she couldn’t stand bitter work, but she would definitely make these people see that she, the Jade Flying Small Dragon was definitely not like this!
The words were like this, but to make one taste hardship and bitterness wasn’t so easy either. The manager said that everyone could rest for a while, when she sat down immediately, and didn’t want to stand up again. She tried to dawdle for as much as possible, when she saw the person chasing behind the manager to ask for more teachings on the blueprint.
Sometimes it will be like this, in your life, someone like this will appear. She is always opposite from you, she will argue with you about anything. She will never let anything go. To Zheng Wei, this was someone called Wei Shao Yi. Wei Shao Yi was the only other girl besides Zheng Wei who had been recruited this year for Zhong Jian. But she had tested with Zheng Wei. When she took the next test, she experienced a different situation from Zheng Wei. She actually said that she was indirectly related to the old boss. The company originally didn’t want her at all, but on one hand the fact that the old lead of the company had recommended her before retiring, and on the other hand her professionalism and her impeccable resume made the company reluctantly give her an additional indicator (um cheatsheet or freebie to get into the company?)
Wei Shao Yi entered the company later than Zheng Wei. She didn’t go through pre-service training and was directly a.s.signed to Zheng Wei’s project department. When they met for the first time, Zheng Wei’s instinct was that this girl was not her cup of tea. She hated it most when someone was too aloof, or too purist. And the more unfortunate thing was that this was typical for someone like Wei Shao Yi. And from her standpoint, the other person wasn’t too cold towards herself. They say the enemies should not get together- the fact that they worked on one construction site could be overlooked, but the most scary thing was that in the nighttime when they returned to their single living quarters, she had to face that cold cold stinky face–Zhong Jian gave them this new living quarters that were originally for college students and were used for two people. One hostel had two rooms, and one kitchen. This year, of all the new people, there were only the two girls (ZW and WSY), so they didn’t have a choice as to their roommates.
Zheng Wei didn’t understand, they were all new children under the Chinese flag, but why were there people who had such a resentful appearance. After one said two sentences, you would be at a loss, and when other people said jokes, she didn’t laugh. If this wasn’t arrogance what was it? But it was someone who had leaned on connections and come in through family relationships, as she was pulled into this. She hadn’t been living under the same roof with Wei Shao Yi before small situations that created friction began. She wasn’t accustomed to Wei Shao Yi’s cleanliness, Wei Shao Yi also hated her messiness. The good part was that after the two people got off work, they each tightly closed their own room doors and never came out. Otherwise they would not give way, and thus not fight.
But back to work, it was in Zheng Wei’s nature to be undisciplined. Her heart thought that everyone else in the world was just like her, with her same ambitions. Muddling along. This way, her guilt brought her to the lowest point. Wei Shou Yi’s OCD diligence gave her a lot of pressure- it was the same in internship and at the workplace. Wei Shao Yi never had a bit of laziness, she was like a guy, feisty. What was perfection- if it was harder to grasp, she would reach for it. Thus even during break times she would always grab a picture and chase senior colleagues around to ask them to teach her. If she didn’t understand, she would invest herself completely in it. Thus, she looked down on people who would be a goof and occasionally lazy. The person who would plan out her leisure time, Zheng Wei, developed a slight trace of contempt for this person. The two people had once fought over small trivial things in the dormitory. It hadn’t even reached 9:00 pm yet when Wei Shao Yi accused Zheng Wei playing music was influencing her drawing skill.
In the end, the quarrel seriously deviated from the main point, and a lot of ugly words were said. Zheng Wei pointed at Wei Shao Yi and said, “I just can’t understand, what you can be arrogant about. Don’t think that just because you work so tirelessly and a.s.siduously, other people don’t know you entered through connections.”
Wei Shao Yi retorted, “I just don’t understand, how Zhong Jian would allow someone like you to be recruited. If you were hired and you didn’t have a disease, I think we did not enter by the same means or work with the same effort either.” The two people finished, furiously threw the door open and returned to their rooms. From then on, they were always water vs. fire. Thus, when the two didn’t see each other all the time, they began to meet each other with cold faces. If things happened, or even if they didn’t, they would always coldly say some cynical words. Everyone could see that these two girls were not compatible, but on the expertise and hard working side, Wei Shao Yi was above Zheng Wei. Zheng Wei was always good to people, and a lot of people liked her, so if she made some little mistakes, her managers were willing to cover up for her. Thus, in work, the two people were tied.
Zheng Wei entered the workplace. She didn’t only immediately taste the bitterness of working life, but her hostility with Wei Shao Yi made her feel depressed. After she got off work, lonely, without anything to do, she found that the memories of those days became days of the past. She refused to bring up that part of her memories when she was set aside. The crucial point of university, looking back now, lay in the many beautiful things. When she had nothing to do, she liked to talk on the phone with Ruan Ruan, and spew out all the bitter water in her stomach [1]. Then, her heart would feel more comfortable.
Ruan Ruan was already in S City, working formally. The Zhou Yu Yong who had told her that he would never separate with her still didn’t bend towards his family’s arrangements. For him, Ruan Ruan chose to go to a place she wasn’t familiar with, S City. But after she signed the contract, he gave into the coercion at home and obediently returned home to his parents’ city. Under his family’s arrangements, he received a hot governmental position. Maybe that old saying was right. For women, love was their entire life, while for men, that was only a small part of their life. No matter what promises he had made before, in the face of choice, they would always be more realistic than women.
Zheng Wei felt resigned and angry for Ruan Ruan. She had no way to understand. Why was Zhou Yu Yong’s family always against the perfectness of him together with Ruan Ruan and decided to choose a girl who had an undesirable temper. This was obviously the blessing that not many people could even dream of asking for. Could it be that it was because he was born in a family of parents who were cadres, while Ruan Ruan’s parents could only be primary school teachers?
(I’m think the cadres and primary school teachers are just comparisons since a primary school teacher position obviously cannot compete against a cadre position (which is someone specialized in a specific field))
It wasn’t that Ruan Ruan had never been sad before, but she still forgave this boy that was her first love. She had no way to give up on the S City job, and before Zhou Yu Yong moved out from his parents’ house, in her spare time she would always go rush to see him from S City. Sometimes Zheng Wei would ask her, “How long do you have to sit on your train before you reach the end?”
Ruan Ruan only laughed, “Maybe until the day when I can no longer sit down.” Zheng Wei only lamented what love was. It could actually let the smart Ruan Ruan unable to see clearly, inevitably vulgar.
She would often think of the scene of the last time they ate their ‘farewell dinner’. After the department’s bustling dinner, a lot of people from their cla.s.s were drunk. She didn’t know if this hearty swig was born from the emotional departures or a sentimental farewell to their own real era. Before the six of the dormmates scattered, they got together to go to the small restaurant that they had often frequented in the past that was in front of the school.
No one would have thought that in front of that small restaurant entrance, Zheng Wei encountered someone who had graduated before them. The Xu Kai Yang, who had never contacted her later. She happily walked over, and then only found that a clear and delicate girl stood by his side. They all knew that girl, it was a junior sister who was only two periods lower than Kai Yang and in the Electrics Department. She lived in the same building with Zheng Wei and the others.
She laughed and called “Kai Yang”. She would never forget what he looked like. It was a careful and alert look. He glanced at her, and subconsciously tightly hugged the girl by his side. This type of alertness and carefulness hurt Zheng Wei’s heart more than his coldness. She very quickly understood. No one knew of his pursuit of her before, but everyone knew that the valuable Xu Gong Zi, was an obsessed mess when it came to the Jade Small Flying Dragon, and she had fallen in love with a poor rascal. Now, everything was all right now, the poor rascal had flew away faraway, she had only become a loner. Xu Gong Zi had also found another love for his heart. Of territories, he was so careful now, but he was only afraid that the girl by his side would misunderstand. He was afraid that this would incite the things that had happened in the past, and this made him take his troubles to heart towards the person he was deeply in love with.
Zheng Wei’s happy smile in the midst of stiff embarra.s.sment, grief and sorrow crested up, but she really only wanted to tell him, Kai Yang, I am only very happy that I could meet you, really, nothing more. But she finally chose not to say anything at all, and only faced the two and nodded her head. Then she followed Ruan Ruan from behind, entering the restaurant. When she walked past him, her shoulders accidentally lightly brushed his arm. These two arms used to have so much warmth when they brushed her, this boy had, with red eyes, said “Wei Wei, I hope to give you happiness……”
Nothing could surpa.s.s the so called ‘brushing past another’.
Does this world have anyone who will always wait for you? No. Zheng Wei knew this reasoning, but she had no way to let go. Those alert eyes still stung even after such a long time after he had pained her. They used to be such a good friends, but it turned out that estrangement between two people would forever be stronger than tacit understanding.
She didn’t remember how much beer she drank, but what did that matter. This may have been the “Six Great Empresses” last hearty swig together. Their time together would end tonight, unable to be renewed. It was probably that she had been muddled, Li Wei Juan didn’t see Ruan Ruan keep winking, and said with a big mouth to Zheng Wei, “Wei Wei, I really am afraid it’s not worth it for you. Chen Xiao Zheng, that rascal isn’t anyone good. I said it earlier, especially such a guy from a poor family will strive for more and will be more fickle, but you just didn’t listen to me, and thus you would suffer such a big loss.”
Zheng Wei winked and t.i.ttered, “What did I lose? Who forced me at gunpoint? Don’t talk to me about losses. There has been no one who hasn’t been forced into prost.i.tution [2], this thing is like mutual consent. I am willing to be silly, he is willing to leave, no one owes the other….thus he left. It is impossible for those years of happiness to feed a dog [3].”
While she said this, she began to feel emotional again- the nosy Li Wei Juan, annoying Li Wei Juan, had become someone she cared about. Feeling a little tipsy, she hugged Li Wei Juan’s shoulders and cried, “Juan, in the future I won’t have you to get on my nerves, I will also not be accustomed to it…..and you, Pig Bei, you go everywhere, why would you go Xinjiang, that strange place though, if I miss you, what will I do?” Li Wei Juan hadn’t tested into graduate school and found a job in Beijing. Zhu Xiao Bei was confident of success, it was only that the school she planned to attend was in Urumqi (the capital of Xinjiang) She said that her crush and first love was there.
Zhu Xiao Bei pushed Zheng Wei, “Don’t try to make me cry, I’m happy. I am about to be with my crush and eat Turpan raisins. I am not like what you just said, I only knew that he also liked me in the old years of university. Don’t lose the hammer that I gave to you. If anyone bullies you, hit them with it on the heads.” She said this nonchalantly, but her eyes were wet. As if she was trying to please the sad atmosphere, Xiao Bei held a cup in her hands and said, “Comrades, sisters, we are about to become positive and progressive, fervent. Today we are good students of a university, tomorrow we will become the pillars of society…..” In the retching sounds of her companions, she soared to a yell, “I’ll send off my sisters with some lyrics from Xiao Su’s song to sweep away your emotional dispirited spirit. Whenever you guys become successful, return home, and drunkenly accompany 30,000 people, without complaints, keep drinking and drinking, without any bowels…..[4]”
Maybe after we are drunk, we can do anything regardless of hate or love, regardless of gains and losses, and regardless of everything sentimental.
Zheng Wei’s last memory was that she was on Ruan Ruan’s shoulder, her tears wetting Ruan Ruan’s clothes.
After the sky brightened, the “Six Great Empresses” scattered just like that, going their separate ways.