Chapter 176: Just a Stubborn Seed
Su He’s long-lost conscience momentarily returned after being away from home for eight hundred years.
It suddenly struck her—she might’ve tricked Doggie into becoming a little fool!
“Doggie, even if you want to hit your KPIs, you still have to balance work and rest. As the saying goes, ‘a tight and a loose rhythm make a well-rounded approach to life and strategy.’ It’s okay to relax once in a while.”
The system hesitated a bit, then shyly said, “Okay then, I’ll just wear it for a little while every day and sneak a peek when no one’s watching.”
Su He: “…Alright.”
So Su He spent 9.8 yuan to buy the system the koi skin.
[Host, you’re such a good person! In life I’m your Doggie, in death I’ll be your Doggie ghost!]
Su He: …You’re so simple-minded, I almost feel guilty conning you!
*
The next morning, Su He brought Principal Chen to the textile factory.
Wu Qiang and the others had already begun learning about foreign trade from the textile factory employees.
The staff were very responsible—they even compiled a handy booklet on foreign trade basics.
Su He asked for a copy and skimmed through it, quickly grasping the general idea.
Besides, she wouldn’t need to handle the business details personally in the future—just understanding the general process was enough.
So, after scoring lunch at the textile factory, Su He took Principal Chen on a bus to the Jinqiao Vegetable Processing Plant.
Though Principal Chen didn’t know why Su He wanted to go there, by now he was used to tagging along.
Wherever Su He went, he followed—after all, it’s not like he was going to get cheated.
The Jinqiao plant was bustling with activity, with trucks coming and going nonstop.
You had to admit—factories in S City during this era were booming.
Su He walked up to a gatekeeper. “Comrade, may I ask what kinds of dehydrated vegetables your factory produces?”
The gatekeeper glanced at her and snapped impatiently, “Can’t you see I’m busy? I don’t have time to chat with you! Move aside—don’t get in the way!”
Su He pulled out a pack of cigarettes from her small shoulder bag and slipped it into his hand. “Comrade, I’m from out of town—I don’t know anyone here. Please help me out.”
“Well, alright. You’re just a young girl, looks like it’s not easy for you. I just happened to be free—let me tell you…”
Never underestimate a factory gatekeeper—they know all the insider info.
From him, Su He learned that the Jinqiao Plant currently produced over twenty kinds of dehydrated vegetables, including carrots, red onions, cabbage, green peas, and mushrooms.
That reassured her—these varieties would be perfect for instant noodle vegetable packets.
But then, she heard the bad news:
Half of these dehydrated veggies were for export; the other half were reserved for military and essential supplies. None were sold to outside buyers.
Su He handed over another pack of cigarettes. “Is there any workaround?”
The gatekeeper lowered his voice: “Well… there is a small portion set aside for domestic sales, but that quota gets fought over like crazy every year. You’d best not waste your time.”
Su He nodded and chatted a bit more before walking back to Principal Chen.
Only then did he ask what was going on.
Su He didn’t hide anything—she explained the situation clearly.
After listening, Principal Chen said, “Little Su, if that’s the case, I think you should give up. Your usual tricks won’t work here. The processing plant’s vegetables sell themselves—they don’t need foreign orders. Even though you know people at the S City food and textile factories, they probably won’t help you connect with the processing plant. Even if they did, the plant might not care.”
Su He nodded. “You’re right, but I still don’t want to give up. Let me think of another way.”
Principal Chen thought to himself: This girl really is a stubborn seed!
What other way could she possibly think of?
Then Su He said, “Let’s walk around the factory’s family housing area—maybe we’ll get lucky.”
Even though Principal Chen thought she was just wasting time, he still followed her.
There, under the shade of a tree, two old men were playing Chinese chess, with a few others watching.
It was sweltering hot, but these old men were clearly addicted to chess.
Su He walked over.
Principal Chen: “…”
True gentlemen don’t speak while watching chess, so Su He simply stood there quietly.
One of the onlookers noticed her and asked, “Little girl, you know how to play?”
Su He smiled slightly. “A little.”
The old man’s eyes lit up. “Come, let’s play a game together!”
As he spoke, he set up a board on another stone table.
The onlookers began chattering:
“Girl, don’t play with him—he’s a well-known lousy player and always takes back his moves! No one in the housing area wants to play with him.”
“Exactly. Old Lü is shameless, addicted to chess, and a sore loser. Be careful—he’ll cling to you and never let you leave!”
“That’s right. Girl, don’t fall into his trap!”
…
Old Lu was afraid she’d back out. “Don’t listen to their nonsense! I’ve got great chess etiquette! If you play with me, I’ll treat you to a sweet melon!”
Su He smiled. “Old man, you’ll have to go easy on me. Let me go first!”
Old Lü nodded. “Okay, okay, you start!”
Su He picked up a cannon piece and placed it on the sixth file.
Old Lü slapped the table in excitement. “Nice! ‘Cannon to the palace center!’ This girl’s got some skill!”
As he spoke, he made his own move.
Su He smiled. “Old man, your hooked cannon is powerful too—bold and decisive! You clearly have great vision!”
Old Lü laughed heartily. “Exactly! My chess style is bold and open—I hate those sneaky, cautious players…”
Standing on the sidelines like a quiet quail, Principal Chen stared at the sky.
Here we go again!
Old Lü’s going to get talked into a corner sooner or later.
But he still didn’t understand why Su He was trying to cozy up to this old guy.
He’s a retired man—could he really help her secure a quota?
Su He and Old Lü battled it out for nearly half an hour, with neither side winning.
Old Lü kept taking back his moves—even a few moves back sometimes.
Principal Chen could barely watch!
No wonder no one plays with this guy—he’s shameless!
But Su He just kept smiling, happily playing the whole time.
The game ended with Old Lü winning by a narrow margin.
He felt refreshed—playing with Su He had been an absolute delight.
Finally, a worthy opponent! A true talent!
They played another game, and then Su He stood up. “Old man, I’ve got things to do, so I can’t keep playing.”
Old Lü looked disappointed. “Which building do you live in? I’ve never seen you before.”
Su He smiled. “I’m in S City on a business trip. I wanted to purchase some dehydrated vegetables, but I found out they aren’t for public sale. I didn’t know what to do, so I came here to take a stroll. Honestly, I was hoping to get lucky and maybe meet a benefactor!”
Old Lü suddenly understood and smacked his lips. “You’ve got a quick mind, I’ll give you that. But I’m afraid you came for nothing. We old geezers used to be somebody back in the day, but times have changed. The tea goes cold once the guest leaves—even if we wanted to help, we couldn’t.”
