Chapter 38: The Bird Factory and the Bird Factory Director

  This bonfire dinner completely eliminated the strangeness between them and pulled the distance between the two people closer. From then on, the two people who were forgotten by the world lived a bitter and happy life in this corner of the school that was forgotten, under the care of many kind-hearted people, and they opened up their own "two-person world" and "small days".

  In the past, Yu Songyuan would get up very early every morning and practice martial arts with General.

  Now, after he gets up, Lin Xue will also get out of bed and come out of her dormitory to rush to the toilet. Then, she starts making breakfast. Afraid that she would be left alone in the "ghost house" and be scared, Yu Songyuan leaves Da Jiang behind to accompany her, while he goes for a morning run and reads early.

  Then, the two of them will go to and from work together.

  At night, Yu Songyuan returned to the dormitory and still wanted to read for a while. Lin Xue would finish washing up early and go to sleep. Although Yu Songyuan and Da Jiang lived next door, she was still very afraid. After going to bed, she kept the light on and covered her head tightly with the quilt. At night, listening to the howling wind outside, she dared not get out of bed, nor did she dare open the door or go to the toilet.

  As the year-end approaches, the school-run textile factory becomes busier, and Lin Xue starts working overtime constantly.

  For several days, Yu Songyuan had to wait in the snowy ground for two or three hours before a little girl would come running over, panting and out of breath. Each time, she apologized profusely for making Yu Songyuan wait so long, feeling extremely apologetic.

  That morning before going to work, Lin Xue's face was full of worry and she seemed to want to say something but hesitated. Yu Songyuan asked her: "What's on your mind? You can tell me."

  Lin Xue said with a sigh: "Yu Ge, it's the end of the year, and these days are likely to be overtime every day, what to do?"

  "Don't be afraid, I'll probably arrive around a few points, I have to study at night and sleep very late. I'll wait for you there when the time comes."

  "I don't know, it's really uncertain."

  "What's with the uncertainty? Alright, I'll study until 10 PM and wait for you at the factory. If you finish early, come find me in the classroom."

  "Alright, but I just think it's too much trouble for you."

  At 10:00 pm, Yu Songyuan didn't see Lin Xue arrive, so he went to the school's factory office to wait for her.

  Only two large trucks were seen, parked in front of the warehouse door, loading goods. Next to the workshop, a loud hum of sewing machines was heard. At the end of the year, there is more work, and the garment factory's workshop is working overtime. After Lin Xue's cutting group finished their work, they were arranged to help load the truck.

  In front of the warehouse, two male loaders and four female workers were loading boxes onto a truck. Lin Xue was inside, the boxes were almost as high as her chest. The male worker carried one box, while the female workers lifted one box at a time with two people, carrying it to the front of the truck. Lin Xue was small in stature and didn't have the strength to lift, so she could only pull from the front while someone else pushed from behind.

  A middle-aged man occasionally scolded and complained about Lin Xue. A tall female worker couldn't bear it anymore, and shouted: "Are you done yet? You're a grown man, letting this little girl carry boxes, do you still have the nerve to complain?"

  The man retorted: "Do you understand? I'm talking about statistics, can she do it? Besides, even if she's young, she's still a formal apprentice worker, with a monthly salary of 18.6 yuan, did she get less? Should she be treated specially just because she's young? Who let her come and take over at such a young age? You're not in charge, so don't speak carelessly, it affects the project schedule, where can I go to cry?"

  The tall female worker stopped what she was doing, pointed at him and said: "Is he a man? His grandma's, all night long listening to his nagging, it's infuriating, doesn't even let people work, do you believe I'll withdraw everyone?"

  The man showed no fear at all: "Withdraw, or you'll miss the delivery and I'll deduct your bonuses. Dare to try if you have the guts?"

  Both sides refused to give in, while Lin Xue wiped away tears on the side and struggled to push the trunk with all her might.

  Yu Songyuan stood in the shadows, really couldn't help it anymore, put the book on the windowsill beside him, and walked over quickly. He patted Lin Xue's shoulder and said to her and the female worker: "You two take a break, watch me."

  As he spoke, he picked up the two trunks they were pushing and pulling, and easily tossed them into the high carriage. Then, to the warehouse, one hand holding one trunk, floating out lightly, striding swiftly to the front of the car, effortlessly lifting and tossing it into the carriage.

  Lin Xue was apparently exhausted, supporting his knees and bending his waist to pant heavily.

  That man was still quarreling with the tall female worker, Yu Songyuan said: "Lin Xue is short and holds everyone back. Tonight Lin Xue's and this sister's work I'll do it myself, guaranteeing that you won't miss your train."

  The man looked at him with displeasure and said, "Who are you? Do you think anyone can come to work in the factory? Your unit is not welcome here. If you don't leave now, I'll have someone throw you out! And Lin Xue's bonus for this month will be deducted completely!"

  The tall female worker couldn't take it anymore, furious and scolding loudly: "You try deducting your mom's salary for once, either you're a big egghead or a small intestine (Northern Jiangsu dialect, describing someone who is fussy and not straightforward), who are you biting, really not human!"

  The man's verbal abuse towards the tall female worker didn't seem to bother her, and she even appeared to be enjoying it. "Beatings are a sign of affection, scolding is a form of love; go ahead and scold if you want to. But the factory has its own rules..."

  Yu Songyuan carried the box out while saying: "I am Lin Xue's brother, Lin Xue did not do well, as a leader you can criticize and educate. But like today, you are bullying her. You say I, as her brother, will watch my own sister being bullied without doing anything?"

  "Wow, you're quite bold, let's ask one by one and see?"

  "It's not decided yet what I'll do, but if you continue to bully Lin Xue like this, I really will take action. Be careful, I'm a person who never speaks empty words!"

  "How dare you hit someone! This is a joke, this is a school where we teach and educate people! If you don't leave now, I won't be polite to you anymore!"

  Yu Songyuan threw the two large boxes in his hands onto the car, then said to Lin Xue and the female worker: "You two go take a bath and change your clothes, don't catch a cold. Today I'm going to see how he dares to be impolite!" He ignored the middle-aged man and continued working.

  Although the man found it boring, he still kept talking nonstop.

  After finishing work, Lin Xue also took a bath and changed into clean clothes. The female worker from Gaogong wiped the sweat on her face and said: "Thank you, Little Lin, we finished half of the time today, thanks to you."

  Yu Songyuan said, "Don't be polite. These days after finishing my evening self-study, I'll come to help you load the car. Usually, I also need to finish my exercises before going to bed, just consider it as exercise."

  The man who had just quarreled muttered disdainfully in a low voice: "Burn the bun, ghost big cow blow..."

  Before his voice had fallen, Yu Songyuan was already lightly kicking off the ground and soaring into the air. He stretched out his hand in mid-air, using the force to pinch the edge of a tile on the eaves of a warehouse about five or six meters high, and then hung lightly in the air. His other hand slowly rolled the clean snow on the tile into a ball, pinched two snowballs tightly, and floated down silently like a falling leaf.

  "My goodness..." A collective gasp of shock from several male and female workers.

  He handed a snowball to Lin Xue, and while licking the snowball, he wiped the sweat from his face. Only then did he turn to the female worker at Gao Gong and say: "Hello, I've seen you before. Thank you for taking care of Lin Xue. My surname is not Lin, it's Yu, and I'm Lin Xue's cousin."

  "I know." The woman worker said in a low voice, and then loudly said: "Look at my memory, I forgot what your surname is. My surname is Huang, you can call me Master Huang. Lin Xue this girl is really lucky to have a brother like you to protect her. If anyone bullies Lin Xue again, you skin him alive..."

  Lin Xue covered her mouth, happily and sweetly smiling as she watched the two of them acting. Outside their group, the middle-aged man who had previously looked down on Lin Xue had already quietly slipped away.

  After work, Yu Songyuan carried a book and took Lin Xue back to the dormitory. "Brother Yu, you're so awesome! No wonder you dare to live in such a haunted place alone."

  "That's nothing impressive, just some trivial skills. My master and I, that's what you call truly impressive."

  Lin Xue's small figure followed Yu Songyuan's back with infinite happiness, giggling non-stop: "Do you know who was arguing with you?"

  "Who else could it be, if not the factory director?"

  "Yes. Tonight, let him show off in front of me again. Usually, it's him who leads the way in looking down on me, saying I'm not capable of doing things, that I'm too small and weak, actually it's just because he's dissatisfied with my poverty and not giving him gifts. Otherwise, those female workers wouldn't dare to bully me openly." Lin Xue was in a great mood, her face beaming with joy, her silvery laughter floating above the riverbank.

  "No wonder they would abandon a little girl in such a place and ignore her. Only the boss of this bird factory could do something so outrageous."

  "What a birdbrain, it's so annoying. Hehe, now I'm not mad at him anymore, in fact, I should thank him instead. Now, even if he makes me move again, I won't be willing to."

  "Why?"

  "Because I met you... and General! Besides, if you're this tough, is there anywhere safer than here?"

  "Heavens, what a reason. Besides, I'll be taking the college entrance exam next June. After I go to university, my parents will send me back home, what will you do then?"

  "Don't think too much, take it one step at a time, we'll see when the time comes."

  "Your master is really a good person, he insisted on helping you like this, it's very touching. For people like us from the countryside, who are extremely poor and considered insignificant by others, it's not easy to meet someone willing to help us."

  "Do you know? The factory director is really afraid of my master. One time, Master was working overtime late at night and was taking a bath alone. He actually sneaked a peek at Master bathing and got caught red-handed by Master, who was stark naked, pressed into the pool, almost drowned, and had a belly full of yellow soup."

  "He has this hobby too? Why didn't your master report him? This kind of person should be locked up for a few days."

  "You call this a hobby? What kind of crappy hobby is this? Only Master has the heart to plot, although he didn't report it, from now on, only Master dares to deal with him, not even a single move."

  "Your master seems very beautiful, but unfortunately was seen through by this pervert."

  "You men are all like this. The master said that it's just a look, and nothing is missing. Let him drink a bellyful of muddy water, now he can still command him, not at a loss."

  "Stop it, I'm not included. Wow, your master really thinks openly. Right, the factory director won't really deduct your bonus, will he?"

  "You'd better not think wildly, that's my master. As for the bonus, I reckon he wouldn't dare to deduct it, with my master backing me up. If he really dares to deduct it, my master won't let him off."

  From then on, every evening at 10:01 after self-study, Yu Songyuan would arrive at the school-run factory on time to help Lin Xue load the car, and the work efficiency was greatly improved. The loading workers and cutting girls all liked him and began to take care of Lin Xue. Until the school was about to start winter vacation, the school-run factory had basically completed that year's orders.

  Just as the busiest time at Lin Xue's factory had passed and winter vacation was about to arrive, the "haunted house" suddenly received an "uninvited guest".