Chapter 108: A Little Sweet
Su He briefly outlined the program for the upcoming performance and then asked Gu Chiyan, “Do you think this is appropriate? Is there anything that needs improvement?”
Gu Chiyan, who had just regained his ability to think clearly, asked in surprise, “You enrolled in night school? Are you planning something else?”
County-level night school was equivalent to a high school education. Since Su He had already graduated from high school, there was no real need for her to attend.
Was it for a college recommendation slot?
If that was the case, he could help her. The only question was whether she would mind accepting his help.
Just as Gu Chiyan was thinking about this, Su He’s crisp voice came through the receiver:
“I joined night school to educate and nurture future talents and to contribute to the Four Modernizations!”
Gu Chiyan: …Why do I not believe that?
He hesitated for a moment and said, “Comrade Su He, if you’re aiming for a college recommendation, I can help you.”
“Thank you for your kind offer, but that won’t be necessary. Even our Principal Chen offered me a recommendation slot, and I politely declined it. Didn’t you tell me in your last letter to consider the bigger picture? I must follow your advice!
So, I’ve decided to stay at the grassroots level and shine from there—leave the college spots to comrades who need it more!”
Gu Chiyan: “……”
She listened to his advice?
That meant she actually took his words to heart—and seriously, at that?
His heart felt as though it had been gently tickled by a feather: itchy, but in a sweet way.
Of course, he knew Su He’s talk about “shining at the grassroots level” was pure nonsense—but did it matter?
Not at all.
What mattered was that she remembered and valued his words.
While Gu Chiyan was momentarily dazed, Su He repeated the rundown of the performance again.
Gu Chiyan quickly said, “Comrade Su He, the line seems a bit unclear—I didn’t catch what you just said. Could you repeat that?”
Su He didn’t think much of it. After all, the phone lines during this era really weren’t that reliable, so she repeated the details again.
Only then did Gu Chiyan offer a few suggestions for improvement, and the two began discussing the program in detail.
Once that discussion wrapped up, Gu Chiyan brought up Old Man Ge again.
Although Su He had already mentioned him in her letter, Gu Chiyan was just trying to keep the conversation going.
After exhausting the topic of “Old Man Ge the tool guy,” he found himself with nothing more to say—but still didn’t want to hang up.
Su He, fully aware of this, still said, “Comrade Gu Chiyan, thank you for helping me with my questions. I won’t bother you further—goodbye!”
Even though the fish was already on the hook, it could still escape. Best to play the long game.
Gu Chiyan didn’t want to hang up but also couldn’t find a valid reason to keep talking, so he tried again: “Comrade Su He, I think the line’s still not great—I didn’t quite catch that last part. Mind saying it again?”
Su He frowned. Communication facilities really were poor these days!
Grumbling internally, she repeated her words again. This time, Gu Chiyan had no choice but to stop pretending. “Alright, goodbye.”
He had wanted to say more, but before he could figure out the right words, the dial tone cut in—Su He had already hung up.
Holding the receiver, Gu Chiyan felt a sense of loss.
For a moment, he even had the impulse to buy a train ticket to An County right away.
But the experiment he was in charge of was at a critical stage—he couldn’t leave just yet.
He took a deep breath and hung up the phone.
Just as he stepped out of the office, someone called out in surprise, “Chiyan! I was just looking for you! I have a few questions about the mainframe computer. Could you help me out?”
The speaker was a young woman with braided pigtails, wearing a light blue dress and white leather shoes. Her outfit alone revealed her well-off background.
Gu Chiyan responded coolly, “I’m busy. No time. Also, we’re not close. Please address me as Engineer Gu or Comrade.”
Without sparing her a glance, he hurried off toward the lab.
Shen Manli stomped her foot in frustration as she watched him walk away.
*
Back in An County, after hanging up the phone and locking her office, Su He strolled out of night school at a leisurely pace.
Just as she stepped out, she saw Tian Xiaotao rushing toward her.
“Little He, I finally found you! Something’s happened!”
Su He’s heart skipped a beat. “What happened?”
Tian Xiaotao looked worried. “There’s a rumor going around the broadcasting station. Someone reported you to the station chief for abusing your authority and wants to strip you of your special correspondent status!
At first, I didn’t think it was serious, but today the station chief called me in to ask questions.
Judging by the way he talked, it sounds like someone powerful spoke to him. Whether or not you actually did anything wrong, it seems they’re determined to revoke your position.”
Su He blinked. Who was behind this? Someone at the station jealous of her? Or was Shen Ruyi trying to cut her off?
Seeing Su He stay silent, Tian Xiaotao urged, “Little He, say something! What are we going to do?”
Su He remained calm. “No rush. Come on, I’ll treat you to a nice meal.”
Tian Xiaotao was exasperated. “Are you seriously thinking about eating at a time like this?”
Hooking her arm through hers, Su He smiled, “Relax, I have a plan. Let’s get some good food first. This afternoon, I’ll go have a chat with the station chief. Someone as talented as me? He won’t want to let me go.”
Although Tian Xiaotao felt Su He was being overly confident, seeing her so assured made it hard to argue.
They arrived at the state-run restaurant. Tian Xiaotao noticed today’s server wasn’t the usual Sister Lu—it was someone new. Probably just a shift change.
With no familiar face, she assumed they’d only get plain vegetable dishes today.
Sure enough, the server walked over with a sour face.
Before Su He or Tian Xiaotao could say anything, she snapped, “The meat dishes and dumplings are all sold out. We’ve only got steamed buns and spinach soup. Take it or leave it.”
Su He frowned. “Yesterday, when I was chatting with your Director Yu, he said the restaurant’s reserves were well-stocked. But from the sound of it now, supplies seem tight.”
The server looked flustered. “You—you know Director Yu?”
“Know him? He donated a bunch of supplies to our night school. If your restaurant is struggling, we shouldn’t keep accepting donations. I’ll go speak to Director Yu about this—”
As she stood up, the server panicked completely.
“Comrade, no need to trouble Director Yu over something so small! I only said that because I didn’t want you to wait. The buns and soup were already prepared.
If you don’t mind waiting, we can cook whatever you’d like fresh.”
Su He hesitated. “Wouldn’t that be too much trouble?”
The server rushed to say, “Not at all! It’s our job to serve customers. What would you like? Braised fish? Sweet and sour meatballs? Pork and radish dumplings?”
Su He sat back down. “Then let’s have those three. Add one more light dish—anything will do.”
The server let out a sigh of relief and hurried off to the kitchen.
Tian Xiaotao: “……”
