Chapter 177: Some Traffic on the Way
Su He chuckled. “Old man, how can you say I came here for nothing? Didn’t I get to meet you, my chess friend? If I didn’t have something to do, I’d definitely play another two rounds with you!”
Old Lu also laughed happily.
“You’ve got a great personality, little girl—just looking at you makes me feel cheerful! Too bad I’ve got the heart but not the strength…”
As he spoke, he suddenly spotted a middle-aged man coming out of the building and shouted at the top of his lungs, “Zhou Wa-zi! Zhou Wa-zi! Come over here!”
Zhou Gang looked exasperated.
He was in his forties and worked as a workshop director at the processing plant, yet these old men still called him by his childhood nickname.
“Uncle Lu, what do you need?”
Old Lu pointed at Su He. “This young lady wants to buy dehydrated vegetables. See if you can help her out.”
Zhou Gang looked even more helpless.
“Uncle Lu, you know how tight the internal sales quota is at the factory. Everyone fights over it—I really don’t have the pull.”
Old Lu gave him a glare. “You’re a workshop director, for heaven’s sake. Don’t tell me you can’t pull any strings!”
Zhou Gang sighed. “Uncle Lu, I really can’t! And besides, I’ve got my own problems right now. A few days ago, our equipment malfunctioned, and a whole batch of dehydrated vegetables turned out defective. They’re piling up in the warehouse, and if things don’t get resolved, they’ll end up as compost!”
Old Lu waved dismissively. “Alright, alright, I don’t want to hear about those messes. Go do your thing.”
After Zhou Gang left, Old Lu turned to Su He and said, “You heard it, young lady. It’s not that I won’t help—it’s just a tough situation.”
Su He nodded. “I understand. But just now, Director Zhou said the defective vegetables could only be used as compost? Couldn’t they be used for something else?”
Old Lu sighed. “Those substandard products are too finely chopped, the color’s off, and I heard some are even scorched. The moisture content is all wrong. And right now, fresh vegetables are cheap and abundant. There’s really nothing else to do with them but compost.”
Su He didn’t push further. She said a few polite words, accepted the two sweet melons Old Lu insisted on giving her, and left the residential complex.
She gave one melon to Principal Chen, and the two strolled slowly toward the bus stop.
Seeing her distracted, Principal Chen said, “You’ve had a string of successes lately, so you think there’s nothing you can’t handle. But not everything in life goes your way. Sometimes you just have to accept reality. You’ve already done your best—if they won’t sell, they won’t sell.”
Su He responded vaguely, still mulling over the defective dehydrated vegetables.
If she could find a use for those rejects and sell them, the factory might be willing to supply her with a proper batch.
The question was—what could those defective veggies be used for?
Feed pigs?
But fresh vegetables were everywhere now. Why would anyone pay for old, burnt ones?
Even pigs would prefer fresh produce!
By the time they returned to the hotel, Su He still hadn’t come up with a solution.
After a few more words of consolation, Principal Chen went back to his room.
As soon as he left, the Exchange System popped up.
[Host, I’ve found a solution for you!]
Su He perked up. “What is it? Tell me!”
She thought, At least buying that koi skin for Doggo wasn’t a waste—it actually came in handy at a critical moment!
The Exchange System wiggled with pride, then spoke in its robotic voice:
[Host, according to my data, after the 1980s, dehydrated vegetables become hard to sell. So all you have to do is wait another five years—they’ll be begging you to buy them! Host, aren’t I a genius?]
Su He: “…Maybe try using a little bit of energy to actually think now and then.”
[No! I want to train my brain by following your lead and become the smartest system in the whole industry!]
Su He: “…”
She decided to stop thinking for now. After all, the production line still needed to be transported back and adjusted. Official production would take time.
She’d figure something out eventually.
The next day came in a flash.
On the train from An County to S City, Director Tian of the An County Food Factory was chatting casually with Office Director Yu Guodong.
“Xiao Yu, we’ll be in S City in about half an hour. That Su He girl’s probably already waiting for us.
I came to S City a few years ago and stayed for nearly a month, so I know the place fairly well. There’s a spot near the station where you can rent a tricycle—I bet little Su doesn’t even know that.
She’ll probably drag us onto a bus. When that happens, I’ll take the chance to teach her a thing or two.
Young people, even if they’ve done something impressive, need to be reminded of their shortcomings…”
Yu Guodong hesitated. “Director, the textile and machinery factories are all fawning over Su He now—they practically worship her. Are you sure now’s the right time to knock her down a peg?”
Director Tian scoffed. “You don’t understand. When managing people, you need both kindness and discipline. If you only give them benefits, they’ll get greedy.
Besides, that Su He girl is no saint—she clearly has her own agenda with bringing in the instant noodle production line. I’ve got her figured out.”
Yu Guodong didn’t dare argue further.
He thought to himself: True, Su He isn’t easy to deal with, but she’s still just 18. How can she beat a seasoned veteran like Director Tian?
Half an hour later, Tian and Yu stepped out of the S City train station.
They craned their necks, looking around, but didn’t see any sign of Su He.
Tian checked his watch. “What’s going on? I told her we’d arrive at ten. Why isn’t she here?”
Yu said, “Maybe the bus broke down or got delayed? Let’s give her a little more time.”
Tian huffed, “She’s just a kid, after all—unreliable. When I see her, I’ll have to straighten her out. If she doesn’t show soon, we’ll just rent a tricycle and head to S City Food Factory ourselves!”
Just as he was grumbling, a shiny new car pulled up in front of them.
The driver got out quickly and opened the back door. A young girl in a white dress stepped out gracefully.
“Director Tian! Director Yu! Sorry I’m late—there was a bit of traffic on the way!”
Chen, stepping out from the other side: “…”
Traffic? You mean traffic from bicycles?
You were clearly stalling across the street for half an hour!
Tian nearly popped his eyeballs out.
How the heck did Su He show up in a car?
And judging by the driver’s respectful attitude, anyone would think she was some VIP!
Yu Guodong was thinking: Director, you said she wouldn’t know about renting a tricycle… but turns out she didn’t need to. Who needs a tricycle when they have a private car?
