Chapter 131: A Vast World Full of Possibilities
Principal Chen inwardly lit a candle for the troublemakers.
After what had just happened, they still dared to provoke her?
Truly like people who’ve eaten a hundred beans and still don’t mind the stench!
Just wait—Su He is not someone who takes losses lying down!
But to his surprise, Su He simply put her book away without saying or doing anything.
Seeing this, Li Xia grew even more brazen. She sat up and deliberately stretched her legs down from the upper bunk, her big feet swinging around. The two young men followed her lead, swinging their legs as well, making Principal Chen frown in displeasure.
Then Su He stood up. “Principal, I’m going for a stroll.”
Principal Chen nodded without a word.
He was certain—this girl was going to make her move!
But what was she planning? Maybe she was going to call that bearded man to scare them a little?
Probably wouldn’t help much. Even if they promised to behave, they’d go back to their old ways soon enough.
After all, you can’t stop people from “getting back up,” right?
A short while later, Su He returned—alone.
Now Principal Chen felt a bit disappointed. Did I guess wrong?
Soon after, a train conductor came by, asked a few questions at the adjacent cabins, then walked over with a stern expression.
His eyes on Li Xia’s group were as if he were staring at class enemies. “I’m Yue Zhongcheng, the conductor of this train. Someone reported that you’ve intentionally damaged sleeper facilities. I’ve already confirmed the report. Please come with me to give a statement.”
Li Xia and her friends were dumbfounded!
We just swung our legs a few times—how is that ‘intentional damage’?
Li Xia angrily turned to Su He. “Was it you? You’re falsely accusing us!”
Su He blinked innocently. “The conductor has already confirmed it. The evidence is conclusive. Arguing won’t help you now. I suggest you admit fault and compensate for the damages to seek leniency.”
Li Xia tried to protest, but Yu Dandan quickly stepped forward and pleaded with Yue Zhongcheng, “Comrade, they didn’t mean to. They didn’t realize it was that serious. Please tell us how much the damage is, we’ll pay in full.”
After some begging, Yue Zhongcheng issued a fine—200 yuan.
The three of them turned green—but they still paid.
They had no choice. If it got reported to their workplace, they’d be done for.
As Yue Zhongcheng left, he told Su He, “Comrade Little Su, please keep an eye on them. If they act up again, come find me immediately.”
Su He nodded seriously. “Don’t worry, I’ll defend national property with my life!”
Principal Chen: “……”
Once Yue Zhongcheng left, the trio didn’t dare move a muscle. They lay on their bunks like three mummies, too afraid to even turn over.
An hour later, they finally dared to shift their position slightly.
Principal Chen sighed: Why did you bring this upon yourselves?
At this moment, Yu Dandan climbed up to the upper bunk, and the four of them started chatting.
From their conversation, Su He learned that they were all employees of Chucheng Textile Factory, headed to S City’s First Textile Factory for a learning trip.
Yu Dandan sighed, “Just last year we graduated from university. Hard to believe it’s already been a year.”
The four then began reminiscing about college days. Along the way, they took passive-aggressive jabs at Su He, implying she was uneducated.
Principal Chen sighed inwardly again. This girl insisted on not going to college—will she regret it in the future?
Just then, Yue Zhongcheng returned, visibly anxious.
Li Xia and the others jumped in fright, thinking he was here to scold them again.
“Which one of you speaks English? We urgently need a translator.”
Li Xia’s eyes lit up. “We do! We’re all top graduates from Chucheng Industrial University!”
Yue Zhongcheng’s tone flipped instantly to friendly. “Perfect! Come with me quickly!”
The four climbed down eagerly, following him out—with smug looks aimed at Su He.
Li Xia even sneered, “You probably can’t even recognize the English alphabet, huh? Hick!”
Although she had heard Su He call Principal Chen “Principal,” she assumed he was just an elementary school principal or something.
Yue Zhongcheng heard this but didn’t say anything. He was too busy dealing with the translator crisis.
After they left, Principal Chen overheard someone say, “When I got on the train, I saw a bunch of blond-haired, blue-eyed foreigners board the soft sleeper carriages. Probably need a translator for them.”
Principal Chen found it odd. Foreign guests usually had official escorts and professional translators. Why would they need to pull one from among the passengers?
Still puzzled, he turned to Su He. “Little Su, see? This is why you need to go to college. How else are you going to learn English?
If you could speak English, that opportunity would’ve been yours!
Think about it carefully. It’s still not too late to change your mind. Once I give the recommendation spot to someone else, there’s no going back…”
Su He didn’t respond. What she was really wondering was—Were there already foreigners traveling openly by train in 1975 China?
She opened her trading terminal and began researching.
What she found upended some of her assumptions. Though 1975 was still a turbulent time, China had already established diplomatic ties with the Soviet Union, and even the U.S. President had visited China in 1972.
So yes, there were foreign delegations in China by then, and even foreign-only stores had been established.
In fact, since 1957, China had already been hosting export fairs in Guangzhou every spring and autumn.
Of course—China needed foreign exchange to import goods. And to earn that, it had to sell things to foreigners.
Su He smiled to herself.
What a vast world—full of opportunities!
Principal Chen had been patiently lecturing her, but when he saw her sitting there giggling, he nearly exploded with frustration.
“You’ll regret not listening to your elders!”
He grabbed his tea mug and sulked on a chair in the corridor.
Just as Su He was about to explain, Li Xia and her group returned—dejected.
Yue Zhongcheng followed, furious. “Top students, you say?! You’re a disgrace to our country—pretending to know English when you clearly don’t!”
The tall young man looked miserable. “We really are top students. We always scored high in exams. But those foreigners spoke so fast, we couldn’t understand a word!”
Li Xia gritted her teeth. “They must’ve been doing it on purpose to embarrass us!”
Yue Zhongcheng scoffed, “Embarrass you? Don’t flatter yourselves. Next time, weigh your capabilities before opening your mouth—don’t make our whole country lose face!”
Taking a deep breath, he asked again, “Is there anyone truly proficient in English? Someone with real skills, or we’ll be embarrassed again!”
Su He timidly raised her hand. “I can.”
Pfft!
Principal Chen was mid-sip—he sprayed water everywhere.
