Chapter 330: Arriving in Guangzhou
Luo Dongchuan was in high spirits, but Tong Zhen looked as though he had been thoroughly pickled in a jar of sour sauerkraut.
His heart was incredibly sour!
How come their Capital North Province delegation didn’t have someone as capable as Su He?!
Even someone with half her ability would do!
He felt a particular surge of anger whenever his eyes landed on Section Chief Jin of the Chucheng Food Factory.
Because of this blockhead, Ji Tong from the Ministry of Foreign Trade had given him a harsh dressing down. He had been forced to hold a two-hour political education seminar yesterday, to the point where his throat had gone entirely hoarse.
To make matters worse, his glasses had been cracked from his fall, leaving his head buzzing and his vision blurred.
At that moment, Section Chief Zhu of the Chucheng Textile Factory walked over and said, “As the old saying goes, ‘a mouse dragging a shovel leaves the biggest load for the end.’ Don’t look at how much glory Northern Liao Province is basking in right now; who knows what will happen once we actually get to the Canton Fair!”
“If nothing else, I reckon this is the absolute limit of Anxin County’s orders. They’ve already used up all their good luck on the train.”
“Rest assured, Deputy Director. We will definitely secure multiple orders at the Canton Fair, far exceeding the transaction volume of the Anxin County Textile Factory!”
Tong Zhen thought about it and realized it made sense. A person couldn’t possibly maintain good luck forever; Su He was only human, and she would be no exception.
Thus, he offered Section Chief Zhu a few words of encouragement.
The following morning, the train finally pulled into the Guangzhou Railway Station.
After a wave of bustling chaos, the crowd made their way out of the station.
The weather in Guangzhou was exceptionally hot, so everyone had changed into their summer clothes in the restrooms beforehand.
The vast majority of the delegation members had been to Guangzhou multiple times, so they didn’t feel any sense of novelty.
However, the few representatives from the Anxin County joint delegation were visiting for the very first time, and their eyes were filled with fresh wonder.
Director Tian, in particular, was scanning everything like a radar, finding every single sight fascinating.
Starting from the autumn session of the 1970 Canton Fair, the organizers had ceased providing shuttle buses for domestic participants, leaving the provincial delegations to arrange their own accommodations.
Fortunately, most provincial delegations maintained a local office in Guangzhou, and their staff had already made arrangements in advance.
Therefore, the moment Luo Dongchuan and his group stepped out of the railway station, they spotted Officer Yu, who had come to receive them.
Officer Yu was drenched in sweat. “Section Chief Luo, you’ve finally arrived! Quick, quick, get in the vehicle immediately. They have another reception task at eleven o’clock.”
“I only managed to get them to spare this window of time for us after exhausting my entire store of sweet talk…”
Luo Dongchuan also knew that vehicles were in extremely short supply during the Canton Fair. Because every effort had to be made to guarantee transportation for foreign merchants, domestic participants could only rely on their own resourcefulness.
If they couldn’t secure a vehicle, they had no choice but to walk or squeeze onto public buses.
Guangzhou did have vehicles resembling the taxis of later generations at this time. However, they were essentially all deployed to the entrances of hotels hosting foreign merchants, making it impossible for domestic personnel to hail one.
Thus, Luo Dongchuan hurriedly urged everyone to board, and the crowd piled into the vehicle carrying their various bags and packages.
Noticing that Su He had taken the front passenger seat, Officer Yu thought to himself: This female comrade seems a bit aloof from the crowd!
Being so young, could she be a relative of some high-ranking official?
Then, he heard Su He speak to the driver in fluent Cantonese, “Driver, thank you for your hard work in this intense heat! I’ve heard that the cigarettes from our north are a bit more robust than the ones here in Guangzhou. Would you like to try one?”
The cigarette in the driver’s hand happened to have burned down to the stub, so he naturally accepted the cigarette Su He handed over and lit it up.
After taking two puffs, he remarked, “It really does have a stronger kick than the ones here. Was this produced in your Northern Liao Province?”
Taking advantage of the moment, Su He placed two packs of cigarettes beside the driver’s seat. “Yes, the tobacco leaves in our Northern Liao Province are quite strong, just like our people—we have booming voices when we speak, and the moment we open our mouths, it sounds like we’re about to start a fight…”
As Su He spoke, she burst into a laugh, and the driver laughed along with her.
“Driver, once the Canton Fair kicks off, it’s going to be exhausting for you all. But it can’t be helped, as transportation is an incredibly vital link. To put it without a shred of exaggeration, without you all, the transaction volume of the Canton Fair would be cut in half…”
The driver knew perfectly well that Su He was laying it on thick, but he thoroughly enjoyed hearing it!
Consequently, the two of them quickly fell into a warm, lively conversation.
Officer Yu: “…”
I begged on bended knee for ages before this grand ancestor finally agreed to spare two hours to help me pick people up, and I even handed over some perks.
Yet he didn’t even crack a single smile for me, looking exactly as if I owed him money!
Now he’s chatting away so enthusiastically with this young girl. Talk about tailoring your treatment to the person!
By the way, how does that young girl speak Cantonese?
He leaned close to Luo Dongchuan and asked in a low voice, “Section Chief Luo, whose relative is that young girl?”
Luo Dongchuan straightened his spine. “My niece.”
Officer Yu: “…”
Are people using the back door without even trying to hide it these days?!
Just flaunting it out in the open like this?!
He didn’t feel it was appropriate to pry any further, so he shifted the topic. “Section Chief Luo, we’re staying at the Jinyang Guesthouse again this time. I’ve already settled all the arrangements…”
During the spring session of the Canton Fair earlier this year, the Northern Liao Province delegation had stayed at the Jinyang Guesthouse. Although the conditions were basic, accommodation in Guangzhou was extremely tight right now, so being able to secure such a place was already quite an achievement.
Half an hour later, the vehicle pulled up to the entrance of the Jinyang Guesthouse.
As the others got out of the vehicle one after another, Su He drew two packs of instant noodles and two hair accessories from her briefcase, placing them on the passenger seat.
“Driver Hou, I’ll be getting off now. Please keep these little items as a souvenir!”
With both cigarettes and souvenirs provided, Driver Hou felt a bit bad, so he spoke up, “The place you’re staying is quite a distance from the venue. If you ever need a vehicle, give me a heads-up in advance, and I’ll see if I can spare some time.”
Su He, who was already on her way out, sat back down in the passenger seat upon hearing this.
At this point, only she and Driver Hou remained in the vehicle.
Lowering her voice, she said, “Driver Hou, I originally felt too embarrassed to bring it up. But since you mentioned it, I’ll be thick-skinned enough to say it.”
“We will definitely have a need for a vehicle. After all, it’s unrealistic for so many people to squeeze onto a public bus, and walking over would waste too much time.”
“You’re so charismatic that you must have excellent connections. Could you help us coordinate things so that after the fair opens, you can give us a ride every morning?”
“It can be a bit earlier; we can just wait outside the venue.”
“Rest assured, we won’t let you down on the fuel costs and labor pay. If cash isn’t convenient, we can also settle it using coupons—national grain coupons and cloth coupons both work!”
Who would ever turn away a source of income?
No matter how busy things got, there would always be moments of downtime. Even if he wasn’t available, he could have his close buddies step in! Everyone could earn money together, which would also prevent anyone from turning him in.
Therefore, Driver Hou only hesitated for a brief moment before agreeing, subsequently settling a time and price with Su He.
The fundamental reason he hadn’t given Officer Yu a pleasant expression earlier was because the money offered by Officer Yu felt like a chicken rib—tasteless to eat, yet a pity to discard!
This young girl, on the other hand, was truly generous!
Su He offered a few more polite remarks before finally stepping out of the vehicle.
The others had already gone inside the guesthouse to handle the check-in procedures, leaving only Director Tian and a few others waiting for Su He.
Seeing Su He walk over, Director Feng asked, “What were you talking to him about?”
Su He briefly explained the arrangement she had made to book the vehicle.
Director Feng frowned. “Little Su, although your intentions are good, if this matter is handled well, it’s fine; but if it falls through, I’m afraid it will only bring you blame.”
Su He smiled faintly. “Director, I’m not afraid of drawing blame. Because the grander the responsibility a person can shoulder, the grander the achievements they can attain.”
