Chapter 206: It Must Be a Namesake
Old Master Gu rubbed his eyes. Su He?
How could that have the same name as that little country girl?
Wasn’t that girl also from An County, Beiliao Province?
Back when he’d sent someone to investigate the person corresponding with Gu Chiyan, they hadn’t learned much before Gu Chiyan found out, so the information was scant.
All he knew was that she was a country girl from An County in Beiliao. Nothing else.
It must be a coincidence, surely a namesake!
A country girl who could read a few characters was already impressive—how could she possibly write such a polished article?
Just then, the phone rang.
Old Master Gu picked up, and Gu Chiyan’s voice came through, “Grandpa, did you read today’s Huaxia Daily?”
A bad feeling rose in the old man’s heart.
“No… not yet. What happened?”
“There’s an article by Comrade Su He in it. This was her first submission to Huaxia Daily, and it got selected right away. See, I told you, didn’t I? She’s a good girl—talented, capable…”
Old Master Gu promptly hung up.
Hmph! Publish an article and suddenly she’s talented?
Your standards for talent are really low!
He snatched up the newspaper. The more he read the article, the more displeased he became—it looked like something an elementary schooler might write! Awful!
*
Meanwhile, many people in Beiliao Province were also reading that day’s Huaxia Daily.
Though the headquarters were in the capital, the provincial office faxed the pages every morning, so people in the provincial city could read it first thing.
In counties like An County, the paper arrived in the afternoon; in remote areas, not until the next day.
At breakfast, Luo Xiaoling heard her father exclaim in surprise, “An County Broadcasting Station is going to be famous! They actually got an article published in Huaxia Daily! ‘Su He’? Why does that name sound familiar?”
The steamed bun in Luo Xiaoling’s hand fell straight to the floor.
She didn’t even bother to pick it up—snatching the newspaper from her father instead.
Luo Dongchuan frowned, “Xiaoling, what are you doing? So careless! Look how steady Ruyi is—why can’t you learn from her?”
Xiaoling fumed. Ever since Shen Ruyi returned, her parents constantly compared her with Ruyi. Weren’t they just trying to curry favor with the Shen family?!
With a hint of spite, she pointed at the article’s byline: “Dad, do you know who this Su He is? She’s Shen He! She just took the Su surname after returning to the Su family!
Dad, Su He is amazing now. Not only does she write articles, she’s also the secretary to the director of An County Machinery Factory.
I heard she even brought in a foreign trade order for the county—she’s the hottest name in An County right now!”
Seeing her father struck dumb, Luo Xiaoling felt much better.
She picked up her bun, tore off the dirty part, and took a bite.
That shameless Su He—better keep getting more impressive, so my parents will stop mentioning Shen Ruyi every chance they get. So annoying!
Right, Shen Ruyi must have seen this article too—she’d be furious!
The only question was, could Su He deal with Shen’s third uncle’s family…
*
At An County Broadcasting Station, Director Liao was chattering away on the phone, “Our Comrade Su He really is talented, very bright—yes, yes, and the article’s theme is excellent!
Of course, this is also thanks to my guidance.
I recognized her potential early on, so I didn’t stick to formal qualifications and let her become our special correspondent.”
…
Putting down the phone, Director Liao’s grin nearly reached his ears!
Little Su hadn’t lied—the article really had been published in Huaxia Daily!
This was a first for An County!
After chuckling to himself for a while, he headed to Tian Xiaotao’s office, “Xiaotao, go find Su He and bring her here!”
Tian hesitated, “Director, you know Little Su has so many side jobs now—I’m not sure where she is!”
“Then go door-to-door! Tell her there’s good news!”
Xiaotao’s eyes lit up, “Director, what good news?”
“You’ll find out when Little Su gets here.”
Seeing he wanted to keep it a surprise, Tian didn’t ask further and happily set out to find Su He.
The food factory was closest to the station, so she went there first.
And sure enough, Su He was at the food factory—Master Jin had been working on seasonings these past few days, so Su He had been helping out there.
“Little Su, the director wants you. Says there’s good news, all mysterious.”
Su He thought for a moment and immediately knew what it was. By the calendar, the publication date should indeed be today.
That was just how confident she was.
She followed Tian to the broadcasting station.
Director Liao beamed the moment he saw her, “Little Su, your article ‘Ideological Work Blossoms, Women’s Federation Work Bears Fruit’ has been published in Huaxia Daily…”
He kept gushing, but Su He stayed calm. Surprised, he asked, “Little Su, why are you so composed?”
Su He replied lazily, “There’ll be plenty more of this in the future—you’ll get used to it.”
Director Liao: “…”
*
By the afternoon, many people in An County had seen that day’s paper and Su He’s article.
Principal Chen, after reading it, felt even more determined to urge Su He to attend university—such talent couldn’t be allowed to go to waste!
Director Hu of the machinery factory became more convinced that Su He should be given free rein.
Director Feng of the textile mill felt reassured about opening a branch in Huaijie Commune—if nothing else, that place produced outstanding people!
Director Tian of the food factory patted the seat under him: Ah well, I’ll enjoy this chair as long as I can.
*
That evening, Su He brought a copy of Huaxia Daily back to the flat.
Unlike later generations, there weren’t many newspapers; the most authoritative were Huaxia Daily and Inquiry News.
Ordinary folks were more familiar with Huaxia Daily.
Although Old Madam Su had only learned a few dozen characters from Su Xiaoman, she recognized both “Huaxia Daily” and “Su He.”
She immediately burst into a grin, “Su He, your article’s in the big newspaper?
No wonder I heard magpies chattering this morning—they were bringing us good news!
I’m not bragging, but not just in An County—even all Beiliao Province doesn’t have anyone as capable as my precious eldest granddaughter!”
Just as she finished boasting, Su Xiaoman was already copying the article with pen and paper, muttering, “Sis, I’m writing down your article. When school starts, I’ll read it to the whole class—no, the whole school—so they can all learn from you!”
Grandma Su’s eyes lit up, “Su He, give Grandma a copy of the newspaper. When I visit the village, I’ll show everyone so they can learn too.”
Su He: … Got it.
