Reporter 087

  After the Spring Festival, everyone became tense again, just like the whole country at that time, red and hot, busy and bustling, every person was running at high speed.

  The busiest person in the family is naturally Lin Fanghua. She has entered the sprint stage before the college entrance examination, although her brother is supporting her from behind, but every day's study is still very hard, and she goes out early and returns late every day, and her face, which was just fattened up by Lin Zhenhua, is showing signs of becoming pointed again.

  Lin Zhenhua was busy with company affairs. Chu Hongyang's business was booming, and a large number of orders were pouring in. Wei Jingwen, after developing the automatic target system for the Public Security Bureau, also developed several other automated devices based on market needs, which were all sold at high prices through Lin Zhenhua's efforts, making Wei Jingwen feel that he could finally be at ease with the salary and research funding provided by Lin Zhenhua.

  Due to the busy business, Labor Service Company almost every day has to work overtime, Zhao Yongqun and Peng Shaozhe one in charge of production, one in charge of technology and administration, are also busy with joy. However, in such a busy situation, their abilities are unknowingly gradually improving, and they have become two different people compared to a year ago.

  In comparison, Yang Xin is a bit more laid-back. She has already mastered the operation of CNC milling machines and can complete some tasks independently. Every day, except for working in the workshop and going home to sleep at night, she spends almost all her time at Lin Zhenhua's house, helping Lin's siblings with cooking, sweeping the floor, washing clothes, and being a good helper.

  Under Lin Zhenhua's guidance, Yang Xin has started studying high school courses. Lin Zhenhua tailored a perfect study plan for her and explained one or two problems to her during his free time. When he was busy, Yang Xin would stay in the room reading books, doing exercises, and memorizing vocabulary. The conditions of the single apartment were originally much better than her family's small bungalow, and since she had already considered this as her own home, staying there felt wonderful.

  "Knock, knock, knock...". A series of knocks on the door startled Yang Xin, who was doing math problems on the table in the Lin family's living room. She got up and walked over to open the door.

  Standing at the door was a 21 or 22-year-old girl, who looked like she had received good education. Yang Xin believed that he had never seen this person before.

  "Excuse me, is Comrade Lin Zhenhua at home?" the girl asked.

  "Oh, he's not here, is there something you need him for?" Yang Xin replied.

  "Excuse me, what is your relationship with him?"

  "I am his fiancée." Yang Xin replied defiantly. In the factory, everyone knew her relationship with Lin Zhenhua, so she never needed to introduce herself like this before. If it were a different situation, she might be embarrassed to call herself Lin Zhenhua's fiancée, but now, she felt she had to introduce herself this way, because in front of her was a mysterious young girl who specifically asked for Lin Zhenhua by name.

  "Oh, I'm Song Ying, a reporter from Jiangnan Daily. This is my press card." The girl pulled out an ID card from a small bag on her back and flashed it at Yang Xin.

  "Reporter?" Yang Xin felt a bit relieved, it seemed this wasn't a potential rival in love. "Do you have business with Lin Zhenhua?"

  "Can we go in and talk?" Song Ying hinted calmly.

  "Oh, please come in." Yang Xin hurriedly opened the door and invited Song Ying to enter. She moved a stool for Song Ying to sit on, and poured her a glass of water, doing everything flawlessly.

  Song Ying symbolically sat on the stool for a few seconds before standing up and starting to wander around the house, looking here and there. After getting Yang Xin's consent, she went into Lin Zhenhua and Lin Fanghua's rooms one after another, taking a look at all the furnishings in the house, even going to the kitchen to take a turn, asking Yang Xin how to use the electric rice cooker.

  "Song, are you looking for Lin Zhenhua for something?" Yang Xin finally couldn't help but ask again.

  Song Ying still didn't answer her, but instead turned around and asked: "You and Lin Zhenhua, when are you planning to get married?"

  The question was quite abrupt and had a somewhat aggressive tone. However, Yang Xin is just a small worker and has an innate respect for reporters, so he didn't dare ignore the question and honestly replied: "We're still early, it may take four or five years before we can do anything."

  "Oh..." Song Ying dragged out a long tone, "So, this house, in the next few years, will only have Lin Zhenhua living here alone?"

  He also has a sister.

  "I know his sister is going to take the university entrance exam soon, will she pass?"

  "Of course she can get in, her grades are the first in the whole county." Yang Xin said.

  "First in the whole county?" Song Ying looked a bit surprised, but immediately returned to her previous attitude and said: "So, his sister must be able to get into college. Once she leaves, this house will only have Lin Zhenhua left, right?"

  "What do you mean?" Yang Xin asked, somewhat bewildered by Song Ying.

  "When can Lin Zhenhua come back?" Song Ying still didn't answer Yang Xin's question, perhaps in her opinion, only she had the right to ask others questions, while others were not qualified to ask her.

  "The time he comes back is not fixed, sometimes the workshop is busy and he will come back late." Yang Xin replied somewhat resentfully, she already knew that her status was too low, and Reporter Song was not bothered to answer her questions.

  Two people waited for a short while, and footsteps came from the stairs. Yang Xin hurried to open the door, and turned back to Song Ying saying: "He's back."

  While they were talking, Lin Zhenhua had already come in. As soon as he entered the door, he said to Yang Xin: "Yang Xin, is there food? I'm starving."

  "Haven't you eaten yet?"

  "Haven't eaten yet, was discussing a technical issue with Yongqun and the others, got delayed."

  "I'll go cook for you." Yang Xin said, as she walked towards the kitchen, pointing at Song Ying and saying to Lin Zhenhua: "Xiao Hua, that's reporter Song from the newspaper, she has something to discuss with you."

  Lin Zhenhua only then discovered that there was an extra person in the room, and hurriedly apologized: "Ah, sorry, Reporter Song, I didn't see you just now."

  "It doesn't matter." Song Ying replied calmly.

  "Which unit's reporter are you?"

  "Jiangnan Times, Ministry of Industry and Commerce Finance and Trade Department intern reporter, Song Ying."

  "Oh, Reporter Song, you look very young." Lin Zhenhua was momentarily unclear why a reporter would run to his home and could only pretend to be familiar for the time being, waiting for the other party to explain their intentions.

  Song Yingru treated Lin Zhenhua in the same way as Yang Xin, directly filtering out his casual words. She took out her notebook and made a recording gesture, saying: "Comrade Lin Zhenhua, our newspaper received a letter from the masses exposing that there is an unfair phenomenon in the allocation of employee housing in your Hanhua Machinery Factory. The newspaper has sent me to understand the situation. May I interview you?"

  Lin Zhenhua was annoyed by Song Ying's attitude, he and Yang Xin were different, in his eyes, reporters were nothing special. When he heard Song Ying's question, he understood what was going on, so he replied calmly: "Reporter Song, I think you've come to the wrong door? I'm not the factory leader in charge of housing allocation, are you asking me the wrong person?"

  "Not at all." Song Ying said, "The letters of accusation we received specifically mentioned your name and pointed out that you used your power for personal gain and occupied the staff quarters. This afternoon, I have already inquired about this matter with your factory leaders and confirmed that there are only two people in your household, and your sister is going to university soon, which means you alone will be occupying a two-bedroom apartment. Do you think this is reasonable?"

  Lin Zhenhua didn't take Song Ying's questioning to heart at all, he chuckled and asked: "Reporter Song, since you've interviewed the factory leaders, didn't they tell you why they allocated this house to me?"

  "Of course, they said that you made outstanding contributions to the factory. I don't know how great your contributions can be, but I don't understand one thing: does a person who has made some contributions to the country have the qualifications to ask the country for a big house?"

  "Are you saying that no matter how great a person's contribution is, they can't live in a big house?"

  "That's right, it is."

  Lin Zhenhua smiled and said: "Song journalist, have you been to Beijing?"

  Song Ying was taken aback and subconsciously replied: "I've never been there."

  "Oh, I haven't been there either." Lin Zhenhua said, "However, I heard that Chairman Mao used to live in Zhongnanhai, and the area is said to be several hundred square meters. Can you go ask him why he can live in such a big house after making some contributions to the country?"

  "You..." Song Ying suddenly choked, in those years, no one dared to use the great leader as an example to discuss things, but history seemed to have passed the era of being guilty for speaking out. She couldn't say that Lin Zhenhua's words belonged to "malicious attacks". As for the example Lin Zhenhua raised, she also couldn't refute it, wasn't it true? The moral starting point she chose at the beginning was too high, so much so that even the leader was included.

  "Comrade Song, you should know that our country is a socialist country and has not yet reached the stage of communism. The distribution principle of socialism is 'from each according to his ability, to each according to his work'. If I make great contributions, I have the qualifications to get a big house. Others who make small contributions can only live in small houses. If someone makes no contribution to society at all, he should not be entitled to a house, do you think that's right?"

  "This..."

  "Since the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee, our country has abandoned the traditional method of managing the big pot of rice. First, we implemented the contract responsibility system in rural areas, allowing some people to get rich first. A peasant, if he works hard, can become a ten-thousand-yuan household and build a big tile-roofed house. Do you think it's wrong for him to live in a big house? Do you think the party's policy of letting some people get rich first is wrong?"

  "When did I say that?" Song Ying was almost in tears. As a journalist, she was of course familiar with the country's policies, and Lin Zhenhua's words were all undeniable truths to her. But why did these truths clash so sharply with the moral principles she believed in?

  Little girl, come and argue with me! Lin Zhenhua muttered disdainfully in his heart. In the later generations, after 30 years of reform and opening up, various viewpoints had been hammered out thousands of times, and that kind of straightforward thinking was only scolded as two words: naive. Lin Zhenhua casually picked a few big principles to refute, which was enough to smash this self-righteous little reporter into confusion.

  "But, Comrade Lin Zhenhua, I just carefully looked around your home and saw that you have all sorts of high-end appliances. Just the high-end rice cooker in your kitchen alone is probably something that your salary can't afford. Can you explain the source of these assets?" Song Ying grasped at a straw in her desperation.

  Lin Zhenhua said, "Song journalist, didn't you come to investigate the housing problem? How did it turn into investigating my family's property? How I make money has nothing to do with you. If you're envious of our electric rice cooker, you can go back and write a report, publish it in your newspaper, and say that a certain factory's certain person's home actually has an electric rice cooker, which is even more affluent than the home of this self-proclaimed king of journalists. Then let everyone come and criticize me."

  "Who's getting angry? You'd better have evidence when you speak!"

  "Haha, Reporter Song, you're also worthy of mentioning the word 'evidence'? When you came to my home and pointed fingers at me, did you mention evidence then?"

  "You, you, you...you're bullying me!" Song Ying finally collapsed, she stomped her foot, opened the door and ran out, a faint sobbing sound echoed in the corridor.