Chapter 184: So-So Efficiency
Old Madam Su grinned ear to ear, holding the shopping bag Su He gave her.
Back in the day, their neighbor Old Lady Liu used to show off with kraft paper bags from the commune supply store. That had made her so envious. But now? That was nothing!
This was a bag from a hotel foreigners stayed in!
*
“Grandma, Old Madam Zhao, I’m going to visit Grandpa Ge.”
Old Grandpa Ge, who had been eavesdropping by the wall, immediately scurried back inside when he heard the door open.
Su He called out from over the wall, “Grandpa Ge, are you home? I’m back!”
Old Man Ge opened the door, frowning. “Why all the shouting?! You’re back, fine, whatever. What, you expect me to set off firecrackers to welcome you?”
Su He giggled, “Firecrackers would be great! Should I go buy some now?”
Old Man Ge: “…”
This girl’s getting thicker-skinned by the day!
Su He climbed over the wall into his yard. Back then, walls were low and easy to climb—way more convenient than taking the long way around through the front gate.
“Grandpa Ge, I brought you some clothes, and here are some bunny milk candies from the S City food factory…”
She laid out a whole table’s worth of stuff.
Old Man Ge kept a stern face. “I’m not short on food or clothes. What are you wasting money for?!”
That’s what he said, but inside he was beaming.
He’d wear the new clothes tomorrow and show that old geezer Yuan what was what! That guy was always bragging about his amazing granddaughter—obviously full of it!
He turned his eyes from the clothes and asked, “So, did things go smoothly?”
“Not bad,” Su He replied. “Principal Chen and I stayed at the Foreign Affairs Hotel for free. I squeezed in time to help the S City food factory and the First Textile Mill secure close to 300,000 USD in orders. I also helped our own An County textile mill get a 30,000 USD hair accessory order.”
“Oh, and I brought back a production line for instant noodles from the S City food factory. That’s pretty much it. The efficiency? So-so.”
Old Man Ge: “…”
The old man silently handed her a sieve full of herbal seeds and a stack of kraft paper bags. “Twenty seeds per bag.”
Su He: “…”
Oof, he still got the last word in!
Just as Su He was filling the seed bags, she heard her second uncle Su Yongshi’s voice from next door: “Ma, I heard Little He is back?”
Her eyes lit up. “Grandpa Ge, my second uncle’s here! I’ll help pack these another day!”
She bolted out the door.
Old Man Ge chuckled and cursed softly, then held the new clothes up against himself, measuring them.
*
When Su He stepped out, she saw her second uncle and his wife, Cao Hongmei, just entering the courtyard. When they saw her, their faces lit up with joy.
The moment Su He climbed over the wall, Cao Hongmei grabbed her hand, choking up, “Little He, you’re finally back! Your second aunt hasn’t been able to eat or sleep well. I’ve been waiting for this day!”
Su Yongshi quickly added, “That’s right! I’ve been marking off days on the calendar, just waiting for you to come home. You must’ve had a rough time in S City—look how skinny you’ve gotten! Tonight, your aunt will cook something special to help you recover!”
*
Su He knew they were laying it on thick, but she still appreciated it deep down.
As she ushered them into the house, she asked, “Second Uncle, Second Aunt, how did you know I was back?”
Su Yongshi replied quickly, “My workshop supervisor told me, and even gave me the day off. Little He, I heard rumors you landed a foreign trade deal for the factory—is that true?”
The deal hadn’t been officially announced yet, so only a handful of people at the textile mill knew.
Though Su Yongshi had caught some wind of it, he wasn’t sure it was real.
Su He smiled. “It’s true. Also, I’ve been made deputy director of the sales department at the textile mill!”
Old Madam Su, who had been secretly hiding away candies, was so shocked her hand slipped, and the bunny milk candies spilled everywhere.
But she didn’t care. She grabbed Su He’s hand and exclaimed, “Su He, did I hear you right?! You’ve become a big official?”
Su He grinned. “Grandma, it’s not a big deal. Just the deputy director of sales, that’s all.”
Su Yongshi and Cao Hongmei: “…That’s all?”
Plenty of people work their whole lives and never rise above being an ordinary worker. She’s only been in the county seat for two months and already she’s a deputy director. What more could she want?!
They felt incredibly lucky—thank goodness they’d backed Su He early on. Otherwise, they might’ve ended up who-knows-where.
Old Madam Su clapped her hands, too happy to even make a sound. “Didn’t I say I’m destined to be the mother of an official? And here we are! I’m not bragging, but there’s no girl in all of An County more capable than my Su He!”
After praising Su He, she turned and scolded Su Yongshi and his wife. “You two still standing around? Go buy meat and vegetables! We need to make something delicious for my granddaughter to build her strength!”
Then she turned to Old Madam Zhao. “Old Zhao, your massages are great. Go give my granddaughter a proper massage to relax her. Maybe sing a little tune to cheer her up.”
Old Madam Zhao: “…”
Su He, of course, wasn’t going to let Old Madam Zhao wait on her. She smiled and said, “I’ve got to run a few errands. I’ll just go straight to Second Uncle’s place tonight.”
*
After saying her goodbyes, Su He took two shopping bags and headed to the textile factory’s family housing complex.
She stopped at Grandma He’s house first, giving the elderly couple two cans of bunny milk candies, then went to Teacher Yuan’s place.
Teacher Yuan was pacing back and forth inside, worried.
Su He had been gone for so many days—why hadn’t she returned yet?
Had she run into trouble? Had she gone to Wenjie for help?
Just as he was thinking this, there was a knock at the door.
He opened it to see a bright, smiling face. “Teacher Yuan! Long time no see!”
“You little rascal, you’re finally back! I thought you’d decided to stay in S City for good!” He ushered her inside as he spoke.
“Well? How did it go? Everything smooth? Any trouble?”
Su He grinned. “Not bad. But that’s not the important part. I met Teacher Nie.”
Teacher Yuan’s expression changed. “You went to her for help?”
Truthfully, he wanted to ask if Su He had caused trouble for Wenjie—but he didn’t want to hurt her feelings, so he held it in.
“Nope, I didn’t ask her for help. I helped her with something.”
Su He then recounted what had happened with Teacher Nie.
By the time she finished, Teacher Yuan’s temples were throbbing with anger. He gritted his teeth and said, “I told her she needed to set boundaries with her family! But no—she’s too stubborn! If I’d known it’d turn out like this, I would’ve had her… ahem… working on research with me!”
After calming down a bit, he said, “Su He, thank you. If not for you, Wenjie would’ve really suffered.”
Back then, he had shared Wenjie’s address with Su He out of goodwill. He never expected the girl to end up helping Wenjie instead.
Su He said a few polite words and then fell silent.
Teacher Yuan started pacing again. This girl’s usually sharp—why isn’t she picking up the cues?
Say something more about Wenjie already!
Especially… did she send me any message?
