Chapter 128: How Flashy Would That Be
Su He spoke to the two elderly ladies again: “Grandma, Nanny Zhao, I have to go on a business trip to S City. If anything comes up, just talk to my second uncle and aunt. If it’s urgent, find Grandpa Ge or Aunt Qian.”
Old Madam Su instantly perked up. “My eldest granddaughter is amazing! Just started working and already sent to S City on a business trip! I heard everything over there is really fashionable—especially the clothes! Last time that ungrateful Ru Yi came back, she said whenever the supply and marketing co-op gets goods from S City, people fight over them…”
Su He, being sharp, immediately picked up on what her grandmother was hinting at. “Don’t worry, Grandma. First thing I’ll do when I get to S City is go to the co-op and buy clothes for you and Nanny Zhao!”
Old Madam Su waved her hands hastily. “Oh no! Money’s not easy for you to earn, and besides, their co-op won’t even take our fabric coupons.”
Old Madam Zhao chimed in, “You’ve already spent so much on my leg, don’t waste more on clothes.”
Su He smiled. “Even if local fabric coupons aren’t accepted, there are designated spots to exchange them for interregional ones. As a younger generation, it’s only right to care for my elders—I’m happy to spend a little!”
Old Madam Su still made a show of declining but quickly added, “Well, since the child is so filial, we shouldn’t hurt her feelings. Let her buy it!”
Old Madam Zhao was about to speak when Old Madam Su shot her a glare. She immediately fell silent.
Su He wanted to laugh but held back. Looks like her grandma had completely dominated her nanny.
Old Madam Su was feeling smug. When she walked back into the village wearing clothes bought from S City, how flashy would that be! No worse than those noblewomen with phoenix crowns and embroidered robes!
And that Liu old hag? She still thought she could take over while Su He was away? Dream on!
*
That day, Su He had gotten up early and was feeling sleepy. She lay down on the kang bed for a nap.
As soon as she lay down, the trading system’s interface popped up—looking like it couldn’t wait.
[This exchange system is now localized to An County. If the host leaves An County, all deposits, withdrawals, and purchases will incur additional service charges:
Depositing/withdrawing items costs 10 yuan per transaction.
Purchases are charged an additional 10% of the item price. Please be informed.]
Su He: “…”
This damn system must’ve overheard Grandma talking about fabric coupons being non-transferable between regions and got salty after she scammed it with copper coins—so now it’s pulling this nonsense!
And she was right—that’s exactly what the system thought.
Although each service charge wasn’t huge, over time, it would add up. “You want to steal my money? I’ll make you pay back a hundred or a thousand times more!” Su He: I’m such a clever little fox!
To make it look more legitimate, the system even displayed official regulations on the screen. It expected Su He to be furious—maybe even pick a fight.
But Su He just asked calmly, “If those are the rules, of course I’ll follow them. But I’m curious—how exactly did you set your location?”
The system felt triumphant, assuming Su He had finally submitted.
“There’s a location button on the interface. Once activated, I can pinpoint your position.”
And then… nothing happened.
Because Su He just turned the location button off.
System: &%@￥@%%#@#
Su He yawned and went back to sleep.
*
After waking up, Su He went to the night school to find Principal Chen.
He was staring mournfully at two strands of fallen hair, sighing heavily. His thinning hair just got even worse!
When he heard the knock on the door, he tossed the hair into the trash. “Come in!”
Su He walked in with a bright smile. “Principal, everything on my end is sorted. Let’s go buy the train tickets!”
Principal Chen jumped to his feet. “Yes, let’s go now!”
He was eager to get the food factory donation funds.
*
They left for the train station. Although An County was small, it was a transportation hub, so many trains passed through. However, there weren’t many ticket allocations.
As they walked, Principal Chen said, “You just started working and don’t have much money. I’ll cover the travel expenses for now.”
Su He nodded. “Okay!”
Principal Chen was slightly annoyed. Not even a polite refusal?
“We have to be thrifty. A hard seat from An County to S City is 22 yuan each. Round trip for both of us is 88 yuan. With food and lodging, that’s at least 200 yuan…”
Su He interrupted, “Principal, we’re taking hard seats? I’m young, I can handle it—but you’re not. You should take a sleeper!”
Principal Chen started lecturing her on frugality and hardship.
Su He blinked innocently. “Factory Director Tian said it’ll all be reimbursed.”
Principal Chen paused for half a second. “Well, my old bones really can’t take the discomfort. A sleeper it is.”
Su He: …Sure enough, spending other people’s money doesn’t hurt at all!
Truth be told, it wasn’t just about comfort. In this era, trains—especially hard seat carriages—were chaotic and crowded.
Theft was common.
*
When they got to the ticket window, the clerk looked like someone owed her money. “Sleepers? Sold out. No tickets!”
Principal Chen was disappointed. “None at all?”
“Nope. None. Are you buying or not? If not, move! Next!”
With no choice, Principal Chen stepped aside and suggested, “Should we just buy hard seats?”
Su He glanced at the clerk. Though rude, customer service back then was just like that.
She told Principal Chen, “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”
Confused, he nodded.
Su He walked up to a uniformed worker patrolling nearby. “Hello, comrade!”
The man looked her over. “Hello, can I help you?”
She pointed to Principal Chen. “That’s Principal Chen of An County’s night school. He’s been sent on a business trip to S City by our county’s top leadership. He’s elderly and really needs a sleeper seat. Could you please help?”
Once he heard “county leadership,” the man’s tone became much warmer. “I’ll go check in the dispatch room. If there are any spare tickets, I’ll sell them to you.”
Su He beamed. “No wonder our train station is always praised as an advanced unit—truly putting travelers first! By the way, comrade, what’s your name? When we return from S City, I’ll send a commendation letter to your unit. If everyone had your service attitude, we’d achieve the Four Modernizations in no time!”
The man instinctively stood straighter. “No need for that. My name’s Liu Dong. I’m just doing my job. I’ll go check now.”
Su He slapped her forehead. “Oh! Please try to get me a sleeper too—so I can take care of Principal Chen during the trip.”
“No problem.”
*
Before long, Liu Dong waved her over.
Su He happily brought Principal Chen along. They paid and got two sleeper tickets from An County to S City—both lower bunks.
Principal Chen: “…”
He didn’t know what to say. Just felt completely outclassed.
*
On the way back, Principal Chen muttered, “I’ll have my wife steam some buns. I’ll bring some pickles, too—we can eat on the train.”
Su He rolled her eyes. “No need. We’ll eat in the dining car.”
“That’s such a waste…”
“Factory Director Tian’s reimbursing us.”
“…Okay then.”
