Chapter 174: The Home Turf Was Stolen
Director Gao was just about to change the subject to avoid having his heart poked by the old and the young when he heard Su He say, “Principal, Director Gao, you two chat for a bit—I’m going to check on the younger comrades.”
Director Gao: “…”
Young comrades? You’re the youngest one here!
At that moment, Su He had already wandered over to Wu Qiang and the others’ dormitory.
There were three men and two women in the group, so they had been assigned two dorm rooms.
Su He first visited the men’s room, then the women’s. She chatted with them about everything—from the weather in S City to foreign trade orders, from the car ride to the foreign affairs guesthouse—leaving the five young people so dazzled they didn’t know which direction was north.
“Deputy Director Su is amazing!”
“She’s such a caring leader too!”
Young people naturally admire strength, and now, Su He’s status in their hearts had already surpassed Director Gao’s and was approaching that of Director Feng.
Of course, Su He wasn’t just idle and bored—these young people were the future backbone of the textile factory. She was already cultivating them into her trusted inner circle.
Director Gao could never have imagined—even in his dreams—that in such a short time, his “home turf” had been stolen by Su He!
After her little heart-to-hearts, Su He strolled back.
“Director Gao, you’ve had a long journey—get some rest. I’ll come by tomorrow.”
Director Gao was tired. Mentally exhausted!
Su He left the dormitory but didn’t want to trouble Section Chief Yu to send a car, so she and Principal Chen just walked leisurely toward the factory gate.
When they passed by the gate guards, Su He stopped to greet them and exchanged a few warm words.
The guards nodded and bowed in return, respectfully watching her leave.
Nearby, some out-of-town business agents in line began whispering:
“Who’s that young girl? She’s got quite the presence!”
“Didn’t you see that bald old man carrying her bag? She must be a big shot at the factory—or related to one!”
Principal Chen stumbled.
Bald old man? Your whole family’s bald! Young people these days really need their eyes checked! All that effort I put into fixing my hair—wasted!
It wasn’t peak hours, so the bus wasn’t crowded. Su He and Principal Chen got on smoothly, and someone even gave up a seat for the principal.
Unfortunately, Principal Chen’s mood still wasn’t great.
All he could think about was that guy calling him bald.
Su He wanted to laugh but held it in, and instead tried to distract him with conversation.
They chatted in Mandarin, with a slight An Country accent.
Sitting behind them, two elderly women began gossiping in S City Dialect:
“Ugh, another pair of bumpkins! Probably here to sponge off relatives! I’ve seen enough of their type—thick-skinned as anything!”
“Exactly. Can’t stand these outsiders—don’t know a thing, and broke as hell! Why can’t they just stay in their own villages instead of coming to S City and getting in our way? Fighting with us for buses, fighting with us in the department stores—so annoying!”
…
Su He blinked but didn’t say anything. Sure, she could easily tear the two old ladies to shreds verbally, but why bother?
Every place has its rude people—nothing new.
The two grannies thought Su He and the principal didn’t understand S City Dialect, so they got bolder and more vicious—basically one step away from saying they were beggars.
Su He pulled a handful of Little Bunny Milk Candies from her bag and handed one to Principal Chen. “Principal, have a candy! I know we’re sick of them, but with all this heat, it’s good to replenish some sugar.”
Principal Chen took one, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth.
Su He added, “Just a few stops till we get to Jinxiang Hotel. The food’s been too greasy lately—tonight I’m asking them to make me a cold noodle dish to balance it out.”
Principal Chen nodded. “My appetite hasn’t been great either. I’ll have them make me a bowl too.”
Over the past couple days, while Su He stayed at the hotel, Principal Chen had been spending his free time chatting—somewhat awkwardly—with the old man at the phone booth.
To be fair, Principal Chen had quite a talent for languages—he could already catch snippets of S City Dialect.
He didn’t understand everything the grannies said, but words like “bumpkin” and “outsider” were clear enough.
Which was why he deliberately played along with Su He.
The two old ladies went completely silent.
As quiet as chickens.
Being seasoned gossips, of course they knew how expensive Little Bunny candies were—and even more so, how exclusive the Jinxiang Hotel (a foreign-affairs guesthouse) was.
Su He and Principal Chen exchanged a knowing glance and changed the subject.
When they got back to the hotel, the receptionist greeted her, “Little He, not long after you left this morning, someone called for you. Said it was Director Tian from your An Country Food Factory.”
Since the hotel lobby wasn’t ideal for calls, Su He took Principal Chen to the phone booth.
The old man at the booth was all smiles, handed Principal Chen a cigarette, and wandered off to chat with someone nearby.
Su He: “…”
Well now—Principal Chen has leveled up! Used to be him offering the old man a cigarette—now it’s the other way around!
Su He dialed Director Tian.
He had been waiting anxiously by the phone all day—only dashing to the restroom and back as fast as possible, terrified of missing the call.
So the moment the phone rang, he grabbed the receiver, “Hello? Is that Little Su?”
“Director Tian, yes, it’s me. I heard you called?”
“Yes, yes. The county leaders have preliminarily approved the instant noodle production line. They’re sending me to S City to inspect it. If everything checks out, we can sign the agreement.”
Su He wasn’t surprised. Even if she had already helped the textile factory secure a big export deal, she was still a newbie in the eyes of the county leaders—they wouldn’t fully trust her yet.
Of course they’d send Director Tian to double-check.
“Did you get your train ticket yet?”
“Got one for tomorrow morning. Should arrive the day after tomorrow around 10 AM. Little Su, I called not just to let you know, but also to inform you that, after discussion, the factory has decided to officially promote you to Deputy Director of Sales—with full director-level benefits. Your start date is retroactive from New Year’s Day. When you get back, we’ll arrange to issue your back pay and benefits.”
Su He: The leaders of An Country’s factories are getting better and better at doing things right!
Sigh. One of these days, I’ll have to keep a notebook to track all the paydays and bonuses from each factory.
So many side jobs… what a hassle!
This money—there’s just too much of it to count!
