Chapter 66: Back to the Village in a Mini Truck
Three days later, the materials for the hair accessories were ready and delivered by mini truck to the Huaihua Commune.
Su He hitched a ride back to the commune with the delivery.
After unloading the goods, Director Luo called Su He into his office.
“Xiao Su, you’ve made a great contribution to our Huaihua Commune. We’ve decided to give you a subsidy.”
Su He made a show of politely refusing, but in the end, she still accepted the stack of ration coupons and Huaxia currency.
It wasn’t greed—she was genuinely short on money!
Lately, she had only been spending without any real income. The balance in the trading exchange was running low.
She still needed to buy nutrition for the Su family, books for Teacher Yuan, and was also planning to get the Qing Nang Book for old man Ge.
In short—she had to speed up making money.
She pinned her hopes on the hair accessory business, so she told Director Luo: “The first batch is critical. It’s not just about follow-up orders, but also about the feasibility of building a branch factory. We have to ensure quality—no mistakes.”
Director Luo said seriously, “Don’t worry, I’ll personally supervise this. We’ll definitely complete this order with quality and quantity guaranteed.”
He then asked, “How are you getting back to Huangxi Village? Take my bicycle!”
Su He sighed, “No need. Master Zhang who delivered the goods insisted on taking me back. He was so enthusiastic, no matter how I declined, he wouldn’t hear of it. I could only ‘reluctantly’ agree.”
Director Luo: “……”
He didn’t quite know how to describe Su He’s attitude, but it made him feel itchy with irritation.
In the end, he just waved his hand. “Fine, fine—get going!”
Actually, Su He wasn’t exaggerating. When she casually mentioned she would walk back to the village, Zhang Quansheng immediately offered, “Xiao Su, I’ll take you! Just a press on the gas pedal!”
Unable to decline further, Su He had no choice but to “reluctantly” agree.
At the entrance to Huangxi Village, a group of elderly ladies were gathered, all sewing patchwork cushions.
Old Madam Su was the center of attention, basking in their compliments like a flower swaying in the wind.
She lightly dabbed her needle on her hair and sighed, “Speaking of which, my precious granddaughter hasn’t been back for days. I miss her so much—I can’t eat or sleep. If I weren’t needed at home, I’d have gone to the county to see her.”
Old Madam Liu next door said sarcastically, “Funny, you look like you’ve gained weight?”
Old Madam Su had indeed put on weight—Su He had been bringing home a lot of food recently, and being a bit of a foodie, Old Madam Su often snuck off to make herself powdered milk.
In just a few days, her figure had noticeably filled out.
She was feeling awkward when suddenly, another old lady exclaimed, “Wh-what kind of vehicle is that? It’s way bigger than a tractor! And it’s got a cargo bed!”
Old Madam Su immediately had a hunch—her precious granddaughter was back!
After all, in all of Huangxi Village, only her precious granddaughter made such a grand entrance!
By now, many villagers had gathered after hearing the commotion.
“Look, it’s a truck! It can carry way more than an ox cart!”
“Of course! That thing runs on oil—not grass like a cow!”
“Isn’t that Su He (Su He Su) sitting next to the driver?”
“Isn’t it obvious? First it was a bicycle, then a car, now a truck—what’s next, a jeep?!”
…
Su He jumped down from the cab. She was about to invite Zhang Quansheng in for tea, but he politely declined.
Once the truck drove off, Su He was immediately surrounded by a crowd.
“Su He, how come you came back in a truck?”
Su He smiled, “I secured another order for our commune. The truck was delivering materials. The driver was a kind soul and offered to drop me off.”
The crowd thought to themselves: whether he’s kind or not, we don’t know, but “dropping you off” is clearly nonsense. That road leads straight into the mountains!
Old Madam Su was grinning from ear to ear. She grabbed Su He’s hand and gushed, “Su He, you’re finally back! I’ve been dreaming about you!”
Su He knew to take those words with a grain of salt. The Su family was notoriously opportunistic—none more so than Old Madam Su.
She managed to escape the crowd and returned home.
Old Madam Su became extremely attentive—more diligent than the palace maids serving the empress.
“Su He, go lie down in the west room. Granny’s going to mince the dumpling filling—tonight we’ll make dumplings for you!”
Su He had bought two strips of pork belly at the supply and marketing co-op—gave one to Zhang Quansheng and brought one home.
She really was tired, so she agreed and went to rest.
When Su He woke up, Su Xiaoman had already returned from school.
The village primary school often dismissed students early for random reasons—unlike the more regulated county schools.
Su Xiaoman clung to her like glue. “Sis, you’re finally back! I missed you so much—I even dreamed about you last night!”
Su He, knowing how she was, had already stocked up on biscuits from the trading exchange and tucked them in her little satchel.
Su Xiaoman became even more affectionate after seeing the biscuits.
“Sis, I’ve been watching over Grandpa and Granny’s literacy lessons. Even Granny now knows over twenty characters!”
Su He tugged at the little cowlick on her head. “Not bad—keep it up. Now go give some biscuits to Tie Dan.”
When Su He returned, Su Yufen wasn’t home.
Back when she was single, she was close to the wife of the Tian family’s eldest son. Lately, she often brought Tie Dan over to chat while helping make patchwork cushions.
Upon hearing Su He was back, she rushed home with Tie Dan, but since Su He was asleep, they didn’t wake her.
During dinner, Su He talked about the hair accessory business.
Old Man Su beamed with pride—his eldest granddaughter had done the commune another great service, further cementing his prestige in the village.
He picked up his pipe, ready to enjoy a puff, but caught Su He’s disapproving look and awkwardly put it down.
His granddaughter was looking out for him—smoking was bad for health. He should smoke less.
Su He stayed home for three days before returning to the county.
One, because connections need maintenance. If you’re gone too long, the ties fade.
Two, she still had to work for Teacher Yuan!
The moment they met, Teacher Yuan greeted her in a rush: “Finally! You’re back! Quick, the books have been here for days—I didn’t even open the package. I’ve been waiting for you!”
Su He: “…Should I go wash my hands and light some incense first?”
