Text: Puff Xiaofang
This article declares: This article is a short story, the content is pure fiction, please watch it rationally
01
I will never forget the summer of 1982, when I was 25 years old, served in the army for several years, and returned to my hometown, just in time to take my father's class and go to work at the county power plant.
I still remember the scene of stepping into the factory door on the first day, the smell of engine oil and soot wafting in the air, and the roaring sound of machines in my ears, everything was so fresh and strange.
My father had worked in the power plant all his life, and in order for me to take over, he chose to retire early, and my younger siblings also wanted to take over, but my father made the decision to let me go.
Because everyone wants to do the work of the power plant, the salary and treatment are nothing to say, as the second child, I am a good candidate to take over, and my younger siblings and father still hope that they will study and go to university.
The leaders of the factory saw that I used to be a soldier and did things quickly, so they arranged me in the boiler room. Although it is a technical job, the factory arranged a master for me to take me, my master is honest, and he teaches me to be honest, so I get started quickly.
The daily work is to check the instrument, adjust the valve, and write down the data, which is not too hard, and occasionally needs to be on night duty, but most of the time is regular.
It didn't take long for both the neighbors and the people in the factory to want to introduce me to someone. Master Ma's niece, Aunt Wang's niece, and even the cousin of the accountant of the textile factory next door were arranged by enthusiastic people to come to the factory to "meet" me.
But to be honest, I don't feel anything for these girls, I always feel like something is missing. Until one day, I saw her at the art show in the factory - Xu Lili.
She wore a white gauze skirt, swirled lightly with the music, and danced so gracefully that people couldn't take their eyes off it, and danced a "Jasmine" on the stage. I had never seen such a beautiful and touching girl, and I couldn't help but feel ripples in my heart.
Since then, I have always inquired about Xu Lili's news, intentionally or unintentionally. I heard that she is a clerk in the factory office, usually responsible for clerical work, and goes to rehearse when there is a theatrical performance.
As long as there are activities that she participates in, I will find a way to watch them, even if I look at them from a distance, not to mention how happy I am.
There are a lot of people who pursue her, and many boys with good conditions want to chase her, although I also like her, but I know that the conditions are not as good as others, so I only dare to think about it in my heart, and I dare not say anything. I can only secretly like it in my heart, and when I see her passing by, my heart is happy, but I don't even dare to say hello.
02
There is a public bath in the power plant for employees to take a bath after work. In those days, having a public bath was a nice perk.
But the problem is that there is only this bathroom, but there are men and women in the factory, in order to avoid unnecessary embarrassment, the factory leaders set the time for men and women to use separately: Monday, Wednesday, Friday is for gay men, and the rest of the time is for lesbians.
It was a Friday evening, and I was leaving work nearly two hours later than usual to get equipment serviced. When I was packing up and getting ready to go home, I suddenly remembered that today was the day of the gay man to take a shower.
When I looked at the watch on the wall, it was almost eight o'clock, and I thought to myself that it would be rare to catch such a quiet time, so I simply went to wash up and go home.
Sure enough, there is no one in the whole bathroom, to be honest, the bath is always crowded, how can there be this opportunity to enjoy the whole bathroom alone? I felt very comfortable soaking in the water, so I closed my eyes and enjoyed it.
Later, I felt that it was almost there, so I stood up and prepared to go outside to rub it. That's when the unexpected happened – I saw a girl walk in and screamed at me!
I was so frightened that I reflexively shouted, "It's Friday!" It's Friday! ”
The girl said "I'm sorry" in a panic and ran out. My heart was beating so hard that when I came to my senses, I quickly wiped my body, put on my clothes and prepared to go home.
Along the way, I was thinking about today's events, even though I was a big man, it wouldn't be good if I was looked down upon by girls.
But I always felt that the girl's voice was a little familiar, as if it was someone I knew, could it be... Xu Lili? As soon as this thought came to me, I felt hot all over my body and my face was hot.
For the next few days, I kept thinking about it, and on the one hand I was worried that the girl would not go around publicizing it; On the other hand, I couldn't help but guess her identity.
If it's really Xu Lili, then how should I face her? Would you like to ask her? But after thinking about it, saying this kind of thing will only be more embarrassing, and it will affect the reputation of other girls. After thinking about it, I decided to keep it in my stomach and act as if nothing had happened.
03
That afternoon, my mother asked me to go to the street to buy some gifts, ready to send relatives for the holiday, just turned into the alley, I saw a familiar figure squatting on the side of the road, his shoulders trembling slightly, and when he looked at it, it was Xu Lili! I thought to myself that something must have happened to her, so I couldn't help but come up and care about her.
"Xu... Xu Lili, what's wrong with you? I asked her in a whisper.
She raised her head to look at me, with obvious tears in her eyes, and said in a choked voice, "Master Chen, I... I lost my money! ”
It turned out that Xu Lili's mother was seriously ill in her hometown and needed a large amount of medical expenses. She finally saved enough money to send it back today, but before she reached the post office, she found that the money on her body was missing, and she didn't know if it was stolen or dropped on the road.
I didn't expect Xu Lili to know me and know my surname Chen, which made me very happy, but when I heard that she lost her money, I was worried about her.
I saw that she was so anxious that she burst into tears, and I felt distressed for a while, so I took out the money from my pocket and stuffed it into her hand.
Xu Lili was stunned: "Master Chen, this... How can this work..."
"You're welcome, we are all in the same factory, and we have to help each other if we have difficulties." I smiled and said, "I'm not in a hurry to use the money, you can just pay it back slowly." ”
In this way, Xu Lili accepted the money and thanked her repeatedly, although it was just a gesture, but I felt extremely satisfied to be able to help my sweetheart.
Since then, every time the salary is paid, Xu Lili will come to pay me back part of the money. Later, we got acquainted with each other, and we would talk about work and life.
I found that Xu Lili is not only beautiful, but also has a good personality, gentle and considerate, and very knowledgeable, and I feel very happy every time I chat with her.
During a casual conversation, I learned that Xu Lili likes to read books very much, especially foreign classics. I secretly remembered it in my heart, and when I was resting, I went to the bookstore and bought a book for her.
When Xu Lili received the gift, her eyes lit up with surprise, and she said "thank you" repeatedly. Seeing her happy appearance made my heart melt.
Time passed, and Xu Lili finally paid off the arrears. To thank me, she said she wanted to treat me to a meal, and I immediately agreed. That night, we had a simple dinner in a small restaurant near the factory, and at the dinner table, Xu Lili took the initiative to mention the accident in the bathroom that day.
"Actually... It was me who was in the bathroom that day. She blushed and said, "I've been looking for a chance to apologize to you, but I don't know how to say it." ”
It turned out that my guess that day was true, and Xu Lili continued: "I forgot the time because I worked overtime that day. I didn't pay attention to the date card when I entered the bathroom, and I really appreciate that you didn't make a noise about it. ”
Hearing her say this, my heart beat faster, plucked up my courage, and said: "Actually, I have liked you for a long time, since the first time I saw you dancing on stage, I was attracted to you, but I have never dared to confess, for fear that I am not worthy of you..."
Xu Lili's eyes widened, her face flushed, and she was silent for a while, she whispered: "Yongqiang, you are kind, upright, and reliable, and this period of contact has made me see your goodness."
In this way, we finally came together, and the people in the factory said that we were a match made in heaven, and of course there were many boys who said sour things. My wedding with Xu Lili took place in the spring of the following year, simple and warm.
Later, Xu Lili and I grew old together and had a happy life with children and grandchildren around our knees. That unexpected bathroom encounter became the best beginning of our love story.
Once my little granddaughter asked me how I married my grandmother, I smiled and touched her head and said, "That's a long story, it starts with my grandfather working in a power plant when he was young..."
Xu Lili interrupted me with a smile on the side: "It's your grandfather who looks foreign in the bathroom and is being looked at by grandma!"
Life flies so fast, and in the blink of an eye, we have walked hand in hand for dozens of years. Every time I think about it, I feel how lucky I am to have met her and to be able to spend my life with her.
Nowadays, Xu Lili is no longer the factory flower of the year, but in my eyes she will always be the most beautiful, every morning when I wake up and see her by my side, I will sigh: This life is so good.
Sometimes I wonder if I hadn't worked that shift and taken that shower, wouldn't there have been a story between the two of us? But the reality is that the two of us have become husband and wife, hand in hand for a lifetime, maybe this is fate, in the best years, meet the best you.
This article declares: This article is a short story, the content is purely fictional, please watch it rationally, the pictures are from the Internet and the content of the article has nothing to do with it.