Chapter 47: Ma Yanli

  Ye's father stayed in Changsha for two days, and after seeing that Ye Zhen was emotionally stable, he left his mother to take care of their son and returned to Guangbei with his daughter Ye Zhihui. He worked at a state-owned tractor factory in Jinshan County, Guangzhou City, and couldn't take many days off, while Ye Zhihui was worried about her two-year-old son. When they were leaving, Zhang Nianyue saw Ye Zhihui off to the train station. The two of them were reluctant to part at the train station, until they agreed that next Sunday Ye Zhihui would bring her son back to Changsha again. Only then did Nianyue smile and bid farewell with a heavy heart.

  Ye Ziran's ward gradually quieted down. His mother took care of him every afternoon, hanging IV drips for him. Zhang Nianyue arrived punctually at noon every day.

  The cicadas were still lively on the branches outside the hospital room, echoing with the sound of the window air conditioner. Ye Zhenran would occasionally look out the window with interest, watching the tall branches of the ginkgo tree sway gently in the wind, and the green leaves fluttering like butterfly wings. His heart was as calm as water. For Ye Zhenran, such a leisurely day had not been experienced for a long time since saying goodbye to university life, but now it had come again unintentionally. Every afternoon, he could chat with Nian Yue about some interesting things in the J University campus, talk about their expectations and yearnings for future life, and feel an indescribable ease and comfort. It made Ye Zhenran sigh with emotion, sometimes getting sick was also a kind of blessing.

  Yang Hongmei also came to visit him from time to time, and her mood had long since cleared up as Zhang Liren gradually recovered. Every time she came, she would bring some good news, such as the fact that he and Zhang Liren were now famous in the local area, with rumors of their bravery spreading far and wide; and Zhu Huajia's old house was attracting visitors every day, with locals joking that they could absorb some good fortune. Listening to this, Ye Ziran couldn't help but smile, her eyes shining like water. Ye Ziran summarized it as "turning disaster into blessing". Didn't the ancients say that "disaster and blessing are intertwined"? After chatting for a while, Ye Ziran asked about Zhang Liren's situation, and Yang Hongmei gave a detailed report, letting Ye Ziran know their latest news. Of course, after Ye Ziran was able to get out of bed, he had already visited Zhang Liren, Liu Bing, and Huang Rucheng in the next room, so he knew their general situation. But hearing from Yang Hongmei that they were all recovering well still made him feel relieved. After going through this life-and-death experience together, Ye Ziran felt that his friendship with Zhang Liren, Liu Bing, and even Huang Rucheng had deepened to the point where they could trust each other with their lives. He believed that they felt the same way about him. So when Yang Hongmei mentioned another thing, Ye Ziran couldn't help but smile: it was that Huang Rucheng's reputation had undergone a complete transformation in the eyes of the locals, from being known as a "troublemaker" to becoming a heroic figure who had risked his life to save others. As a result, Huang Rucheng had been feeling particularly good about himself these past few days, and even in front of the medical staff, he seemed like a completely different person, speaking with confidence and flair. Zhang Nianyue didn't know who Huang Rucheng was, but listening to Yang Hongmei's story, she was also deeply moved, lost in thought.

  On the sixth evening after admission, Ye Zhenran sent away Nian Yue and hummed a little tune back to his ward to rest. At the door, he met Ma Xiangli, who was holding a bouquet of fresh flowers and had come to visit him specially. In just one week, Ma Xiangli's skin tone seemed to have darkened a lot, and Ye Zhenran knew that she must not have been idle in Shenzhen. Looking at her outfit again, it was much more fashionable: she wore a bright yellow short skirt on the bottom, paired with a black short-sleeved advertising shirt on top, her hair tied in a ponytail, with a distinctive ornament at the end of her hair, and at first glance, it was different from Chang Jiaren's dressing habits. There was a kind of "foreign flavor" or a fashionable feeling. Especially the advertising shirt on top, also known as the "cultural shirt", was absolutely a new thing in the fashion world, and only relatively avant-garde young people wore it.

  "Little horse, we'll meet again in three days and see who's changed!" He couldn't help but tease.

  Ma Yanli beamed with joy, looking at Ye Zhenran and saying: "Ye Chang, you've recovered so quickly! You don't know, when I first found out about your situation on Shenzhen News, I didn't sleep all night." Ma Yanli gazed at Ye Zhenran with an almost worshipful look in her eyes. When she said the words "didn't sleep", she gently patted her high and springy chest with her hand, making Ye Zhenran's hands itch to move.

  "Don't worry." Ye Zhenran glanced at Ma Yanli, feeling quite pleasing to the eye. In Ye Zhenran's eyes, her beauty was completely different from Zhang Nianyue's. Nianyue's beauty was a combination of youth, elegance and temperament, while hers was a mature and enchanting beauty that made people constantly desire more. Ye Zhenran took the fresh flowers from her hand and said softly, "Come in."

  Ma Yanli responded with a sound and followed Ye Zhenran into the ward, put down the fruit in her hand, and before she had time to sit down, she said excitedly: "Ye Chang, this time I came to Shenzhen, I've gained a new perspective."

  Ye Ziran listened to her tone with a hint of childish familiarity and asked with some interest, "Oh? You're so excited, tell me."

  Ma Yanli smiled brightly and said to Ye Zhenran: "Ye, before I went to Shenzhen, I really didn't know how out of touch I was. After staying there for a week, I realized that I was actually an old-fashioned person. Not to mention their dressing style, the concept of Shenzhen people is also full of reform and innovation spirit. Everyone knows their own positioning and understands how to develop the economy. It makes me feel that in Shenzhen, as long as you are willing to work hard, you can make money everywhere."

  Ye Ziran smiled slightly and said: "It seems that Little Ma has gained a lot this time." After sighing, he asked again: "How's the recruitment going?"

  "We've recruited three people," said Ma Yanli excitedly. "My classmate Lin Jun is the workshop director of a garment factory in Shenzhen, and he's very familiar with garment production. His wife is a technician on the production line there, and they both came back with me this time. We also hired a designer. With these three people on board, our textile mill can start producing garments."

  "Did you get the clothing pattern?"

  "Three sets of suit styles, three sets of jeans styles, all thanks to Lin Jun's connections." Ma Yanli giggled: "However, the money is also used up."

  "Money is for doing things, don't mention this. Since we have the people and the drawings, we can prepare for production now. You come up with a plan and at the same time finalize the fabric sourcing and sales channels." Ye Zhenran thought for a moment and said: "Also, the textile factory's team needs to be rebuilt, what suggestions do you have?"

  Ma Yanli put away her smiling face and said, "Ye Chang, I was just thinking of talking to you about this. I want to leave the Party and Government Office to work at the textile mill."

  Ye Ziran was taken aback: "You want to leave the Party and Government Office?"

  Ma Yanli nodded affirmatively: "Ye Chang, this time going to Shenzhen gave me a great feeling. I feel that going to work in an enterprise is more challenging and more suitable for my development."

  Ye Ziran looked at Ma Yanli with some surprise, not expecting that after going to Shenzhen once, she would have such a big determination. It's worth noting that the Ma Shi Textile Factory is just a township-run enterprise, and the factory director has no administrative rank, and compared to the Party and government offices, the status is very different. Moreover, the risk is great, and the responsibility is heavy.

  "Do you really want to go work in a textile mill?" Ye Zhenran asked.

  "Yes, Ye Chang, I want to give it a try." Ma Yanli looked at Ye Zhenran sincerely and said: "You know that I have no future in the system, I won't be able to get promoted, so it's better for me to go to an enterprise to try my hand. Through this trip to Shenzhen to inspect and learn, I am determined to make the textile factory a success and create my own brand, making the enterprise bigger and stronger." Ma Yanli's eyes sparkled when she talked about her prospects.

  Ye Zhenran was moved, and in his heart he acknowledged that Ma Yanli made sense. A person like her, who is both beautiful and capable, has no future in the official circle, but if she enters the business world, she can fully utilize her strengths. As long as she really makes up her mind to do it, she might be able to make a name for herself. If she succeeds, she can also bring a breath of fresh air to the reform of Ma Shi Xiang. Thinking of this, Ye Zhenran said: "Little Ma, you have such great courage and confidence. It's really beyond my expectations, I support you. Let's do it this way, the position in the party and government office will be reserved for you, if the enterprise doesn't work out, you can come back."

  Ma Yanli's face immediately lit up with joy, and she said excitedly: "I knew Ye Chang would support me. I believe in myself that I can make a good show of it. But I have one condition."

  "Want to try?"

  Ma Yanli's face slightly reddened as she said with a hint of reproach, "It's very simple, Ye Chang. Just because I went to the company doesn't mean you should stop caring about me and let me drift."

  It sounds like there's some kind of intimate relationship between Ye Zhen and her!

  Ye Ziran scratched his head, unsure of how to respond.

  Seeing his awkward expression, Ma Yanli burst out laughing and said with a glance: "It's not like you're responsible for my whole life, what are you spacing out for?"

  Ye Ziran thought: "What's going on here?"

  Ye Zhenran couldn't help but feel a bit awkward, but Ma Yanli was after all his closest assistant and friend at work, so he couldn't put on an official face. He had to pretend as if nothing was wrong and warned her: "Look at you, getting excited and talking nonsense." When he looked up and saw those sparkling eyes still shining with an unusual light, worried that she would say something out of line again, Ye Zhenran deliberately joked: "Little Ma, it seems Shenzhen is indeed a place where cadres can be educated. You just went once, and our Changxia has already produced a female entrepreneur."

  Ma Yanli smiled and said: "Ye Chang, you can't look down on women, I feel like you're sarcastic to me?"

  Ye Ziran shook his head and said: "No sarcasm, I really think highly of you."

  "Thank you." Ma Yanli smiled, shook her head, and swung her ponytail-like hair back, saying: "Ye Chang, I want Lin Jun to be the deputy factory director, as my assistant."

  "No problem." Ye Zhenran looked at her and nodded: "I'll do my best to help you with work-related things."

  Ma Yanli didn't consider herself an outsider at all, clapping her hands and saying: "I knew it, Ye Chang will help me." After saying this, she changed the subject and asked excitedly: "Ye Chang, now I want to ask about 'Two Lis'." She said with a slightly tense tone: "It must be very intense and exciting, please tell me everything, don't hide anything." After finishing, she put on an attentive listening expression.

  Ye Ziran: "......"