Chapter 337: There Are Still More Good People in the World
Tong Zhen almost thought his eyes were playing tricks on him!
He took off his newly fitted glasses, wiped them down, put them back on, and only then confirmed that he hadn’t misseen.
They really were staff members of the Canton Fair!
How strange. Why were these staff members helping the people from Anxin County set up their exhibition booth?
Su He spotted Tong Zhen at that moment as well, her face splitting into a brilliant smile. “Oh, Uncle Tong! What brings you over here?”
Tong Zhen: “…”
Who is your uncle?!
But there was no way to voice that thought, given how many people were watching!
He had no choice but to say with a smile, “Considering that your delegation consists mostly of elderly veterans, I brought some people over hoping to lend a hand. But it seems I worried unnecessarily. These gentlemen must be staff members of the Canton Fair, right?”
Su He said with a beaming smile, “Yes, these master craftsmen are from the maintenance department. They saw that our group consists of the very old and the very young, so they came over out of the goodness of their hearts to do a good deed. I’m even planning to write them a letter of thanks!”
Tong Zhen: … The old ones are indeed old, but where on earth does the ‘young’ part come from?
Then again, he had heard that this Su He was only eighteen, making her likely the youngest person among all the participants.
He actually believed Su He’s explanation completely. His heart felt rather sour—with so many booths around, why did these staff members happen to come over and do manual labor for them?
With a crummy booth location like this, an ordinary person couldn’t even find it!
Just as Tong Zhen was preparing to offer a few polite remarks and take his leave, Su He spoke up, “Uncle Tong, since you made a special trip to bring people over, I can’t let you all return empty-handed…”
Tong Zhen thought to himself: Oh? Is this Su He actually planning to gift us something?
“It just so happens that the booth area loaned to us by the Steel Mill hasn’t been set up yet. Your arrival is truly like timely rain! Director Hu, please take them over first. Once things are wrapped up on this end, I’ll head over there.”
Tong Zhen: “…”
You really have absolutely no idea what the word ‘polite’ means, do you!
But since the atmosphere had been built up to this point, he could only pinch his nose and accept it.
He had barely taken a few steps with his men when he heard Su He say to Director Tian and the other two, “Uncle Tong really is a good person who loves to help others! When I see Uncle Luo later, I must tell him all about this.”
Tong Zhen stumbled. Su He, you really are wicked!
He had originally come over to watch a spectacle, but it turned out beautifully—he had been seized by someone to be used as free labor!
The master craftsmen from the maintenance department were highly efficient, and since Su He’s booth was limited in size, they finished the job in less than an hour.
Before taking their leave, they even said to Su He, “Little Su, if anything comes up, just give us a shout. We’ll be there at a moment’s notice!”
Principal Chen and the other two: “…”
Once they left, Director Tian asked Su He like an inquisitive busybody, “Little Su, you just cozy up to them and immediately make them do manual labor for you. Aren’t you worried they might feel uncomfortable about it in their hearts?”
Su He replied with a bright smile, “I gifted them a few cartons of instant noodles, telling them it was for market research and asking them to offer their feedback.”
Whether it was truly for market research didn’t matter; the crucial point was that framing it this way allowed the other party to comfortably accept it.
Of course, the most critical factor was that what Su He asked of them required minimal effort and didn’t violate any regulations, so why wouldn’t they gladly do it?!
Director Tian clicked his tongue. “Little Su, this maneuver of yours not only returns a favor but also acts as a hidden form of promotion. Talk about killing two birds with one stone—it truly carries the distinct flair of my style from back in the day!”
Director Feng and Principal Chen shared a rare, perfectly synchronized look, their thoughts strikingly identical:
Tian the Cheapskate, you really are utterly shameless!
Director Tian began sizing up the booth again, remarking, “Little Su, our booth doesn’t look any different compared to everyone else’s. I initially thought you would come up with some fresh, unique tricks!”
Su He burst out laughing. “Director Tian, if our booth were in any other location, we could decorate it to be uniquely unconventional, as that would catch people’s eyes.”
“But with our current location, even if you decorated it into an imperial palace, no one would see it!”
“Therefore, the decorations aren’t important; what matters is drawing the people over here.”
Director Tian thought about it and realized the logic was sound, so they could only pin their hopes on the fancy pins and straw hats Su He had gifted to the Northern Liao Province delegation.
As for the aroma of the instant noodles, it could at most only attract people who wandered into the immediate vicinity.
Su He kept the Steel Mill’s booth in mind. Leaving Director Tian and the others to continue refining some minor details, she strolled over to the Steel Mill’s display space.
The two male comrades brought over by Tong Zhen were quite efficient at work, and coupled with the limited area carved out by the Steel Mill, the setup was largely complete by now.
Director Zhao of the Steel Mill was also present, and he thought even more highly of Su He now.
Look at that—Su He not only maintained excellent connections within the Northern Liao Province delegation, but she was also highly influential within the Capital North Province delegation.
If that weren’t the case, the deputy leader of the Capital North Province delegation wouldn’t have personally brought men over to help her out.
If Tong Zhen found out about this interpretation, he would absolutely die of anger!
He had wanted to elevate his own fine reputation, not come over to hold up the stage for Su He!
Once the work was finished, Su He rubbed her hands together. “Uncle Tong, you’ve been such a massive help to me that I feel rather bad about it in my heart. How about this? The weather is so hot and sunny, why don’t I donate some straw hats to your Capital North delegation?”
Tong Zhen’s mind wasn’t slow either, and he instantly grasped Su He’s underlying motive!
You just want to use the members of our Capital North delegation as mobile display racks!
The most critical point is that the handicraft factory within our own Capital North delegation also has straw hats!
Don’t even think about it!
“Little Su, I appreciate your kind intentions. But there’s no need for the straw hats; we’ve prepared them ourselves.”
Su He let out a sigh. “Alright then. Since you bestow kindness without seeking reward, I won’t insist on making a gesture.”
Tong Zhen: “…”
So it turns out you hadn’t actually intended to give them away at all?
You really are incredibly stingy!
Just when he thought Su He truly wouldn’t pull out a single cent, Su He drew four packs of cigarettes from her briefcase, presented them to the two male comrades who had done the work, and offered her sincere thanks.
Those four packs of cigarettes were all brands that were usually highly difficult to come by, so the two male comrades were thoroughly delighted.
They thought to themselves: No wonder everyone says this Su He is generous; she truly handles matters with absolute openness and flair!
Su He said to Tong Zhen with a beaming smile, “Uncle Tong, we’re all close connections here, so I won’t stand on ceremony with you. I’ll treat you to a meal some other day!”
Tong Zhen: “…”
Beautiful. Not only did I do manual labor for you for nothing, but you even seized the opportunity to win over the hearts of my men?
If I had known it would turn out like this, I wouldn’t have come anywhere near you!
After Tong Zhen took his leave, Su He pulled out another two bags of Little Rabbit Milk Candies to distribute to the people from the Steel Mill.
Having hitched a ride on their booth, she naturally had to foster an excellent relationship.
The exhibition spaces were essentially fully set up by now, lacking only the placement of the actual products, which could easily be done the day before the exhibition officially opened.
Seeing that nothing else required her attention, Su He said, “Since the setup is largely complete, let’s head back to the guesthouse!”
The group hadn’t walked very far when they crossed paths with Luo Dongchuan and Officer Yu coming from the opposite direction.
“Little Su, how is your booth setup going? Is there any work that requires climbing high structures? Little Yu and I have nothing on our hands right now, so let us handle it!”
Su He pursed her lips and smiled. “Uncle Luo, our setup is mostly complete.”
“This is all thanks to the master craftsmen from the venue maintenance department. They were incredibly enthusiastic and helpful, taking the initiative to help us set up our display.”
“We also have to thank Uncle Tong from the Capital North Province delegation. He specially brought two male comrades over to help us sort out the display over at the Steel Mill’s booth as well.”
“Uncle Luo, it’s like the old saying goes—there are still more good people in the world!”
