Chapter 66: You’re Just Too Used to the Comforts of Taoyang, Spoiled by a Life of Luxury
The day after Zhong Gaoyi returned to the Eastern District, Gu Mingchi called to check in, “Boss Su really knows how to win people over. Not to mention Dr. Zhong, even the transport workers I sent to you came back saying you’re not only beautiful but also kind-hearted.”
Su Tao was busy feeding the pets, “If you’ve got something to say, Boss Gu, just say it. If you’re only calling because you suspect I’m trying to poach your people, then let’s end this call here. They’re your people—if they run away, that’s on you, not me.”
Gu Mingchi’s tone turned cold, “Su Tao, I don’t care what you’re thinking, but I hope you don’t cross the line. Maintain a friendly cooperative relationship, so I can keep my water supply, and you can still have access to medical help. What do you think?”
Su Tao immediately stopped what she was doing, “Is that a threat? I only offered Zhong Gaoyi fair treatment. I never intended to use that to poach him from you. If I really wanted to, I’d cover all his living expenses and offer him even more benefits and rights than you ever could. But I didn’t do that.”
“Gu Mingchi, don’t project your petty mindset onto me. Even if I wanted talent, I’d recruit openly and legitimately. If you’re truly worried about losing him, let’s end our collaboration now. Don’t send Dr. Zhong over. That would be more effective than threatening me—clean and simple!”
With that, she hung up the phone.
Gu Mingchi’s face darkened as he turned to Zhong Gaoyi, “Did Su Tao promise you any benefits during your days in Taoyang?”
Zhong Gaoyi almost wanted to swear an oath, “Apart from the same daily treatment as other employees, there were no extra perks or promises. She never even spoke to me privately. She always directed me to her manager if I needed anything.”
Gu Mingchi’s expression softened slightly, and he let out a cold snort, “At least she wasn’t lying to me.”
Recalling her straightforward and self-explanatory response, he felt a bit uncomfortable—he had indeed misjudged her.
Zhong Gaoyi understood Gu Mingchi’s possessive nature. Whether it was people or things, even if he didn’t particularly value them, he would never allow others to lay a finger on them.
Seeing his mood improve, Zhong Gaoyi cleverly added, “It must be my fault somewhere, causing a misunderstanding between you and Boss Su. Next time I go to Taoyang, I’ll apologize to her.”
Of course, it wasn’t really his apology—it was an apology on behalf of his boss for wrongly accusing Su Tao.
Hearing this, Gu Mingchi felt at ease and was quite satisfied:
“Yes, you should apologize.” As long as it wasn’t him apologizing, all was well.
*
When Su Tao arrived at the office, Zhuang Wan noticed her gloomy expression and asked what was wrong.
Su Tao briefly recounted what had happened, not forgetting to vent:
“Gu is so narrow-minded, just like a rat guarding its tiny plot of land, terrified someone might intrude.”
Zhuang Wan hesitated for a moment, then asked worriedly, “Will Dr. Zhong still come over after this?”
Su Tao replied, “As long as Gu Mingchi isn’t completely brainless, he’ll let Dr. Zhong come.”
Zhuang Wan sighed, “I almost thought Dr. Zhong was one of us. Everyone really likes him—especially Chen Xi. I’ve never seen her so attached to anyone before.”
Su Tao was more relaxed about it: “Well, for those five days he was here, he was indeed one of us.”
In the afternoon, Zhuang Wan went to meet the last batch of tenants, while Su Tao planned to have Guan Zining drive her to the farm to buy some meat.
As they stepped out, they ran into the couple from the Grain Bureau. The moment they saw Guan Zining, their faces turned sour. The woman even shot a vicious glare at her before turning away in a huff.
Su Tao, puzzled, asked Guan Zining, “Do you have a grudge against them?”
Guan Zining, full of disdain, said, “I reported their filthy lifestyle directly to their supervisor. I just didn’t expect them to be related to the director of the Grain Bureau.”
Su Tao’s eyes widened, “So they’re still working at the Grain Bureau?”
Guan Zining nodded indignantly, “They are. That director even took a roundabout way to hint to Major Shi that I was meddling. But Major Shi shot him down immediately. The issue is still dragging on, with no resolution in sight. Anyway, I’ve definitely made enemies with those two.”
Since Su Tao had no influence in Dongyang, she didn’t say much more.
But the more Guan Zining thought about it, the angrier she got:
“It’s disgusting! You have no idea. I’ve seen that Ma Ying woman—her fingernails are full of dirt. They’re supposed to put their hands into rice bags for sampling, and that’s not even the worst of it. This couple hasn’t changed their clothes for an entire month, even with the weather so hot outside—”
Su Tao quickly stopped her: “Enough!” No wonder the couple had left behind a sour stench just now!
It was hard to imagine such filthy people managing food supplies. How could the families in Dongyang still eat with peace of mind?
Guan Zining, for one, couldn’t. She hadn’t collected her grain and oil rations from the Pioneer Army lately, relying entirely on Taoyang for food and drink.
After a trip to the farm, Su Tao spent 500 contribution points on two small racks of ribs, a tenderloin, and two pounds of animal offal—less than eight pounds in total.
She felt a pang of distress:
“Meat prices are rising too fast. I remember Grandma Cen saying pork was just 20 contribution points per pound not long ago. Now it’s how many times higher?”
Guan Zining explained, “Poor livestock performance. The high temperatures make animals prone to illness, and piglet survival rates are low.”
On the way back, Su Tao was sweating in the car and asked Guan Zining to turn on the air conditioning.
Guan Zining refused, “Even if the car is yours, I still need to remind you—air conditioning consumes too much fuel. Gasoline isn’t easy to come by now. Bear with it; we’ll be there soon. You’ve just gotten too used to the comforts of Taoyang, spoiled by a life of luxury…”
Hearing this, Su Tao immediately opened the system panel and searched the public facilities store. Sure enough, she found a fuel dispenser for 15,000 federal credits, which could fill her car four times, costing about 10,000 credits.
She could afford it—turn it on!
In the end, Guan Zining couldn’t argue with her and turned on the air conditioning, but not without continuing to nag, “I’ve been hearing rumors lately—oil production is way down. The problem won’t just be skyrocketing prices, but having money and still not being able to buy any.”
Su Tao immediately thought of setting up a small gas station in Taoyang. Since there weren’t many tenants with cars, two fuel dispensers would be enough.
Oh, and she’d need to build a garage too, making it easier for vehicles to enter and exit Taoyang. Otherwise, parking in front of the cafeteria every day was inconvenient.
It just so happened that new tenants moved in today, bringing in 55,000 in rent. She finally had a bit more financial freedom. She could even choose better-quality tiles from the public facilities store to pave the entire area of Taoyang.
At home, Su Tao’s mind was still preoccupied with construction plans, but she needed to deal with the meat and offal first.
Xuedao, the old dog, had weakened jaws. Su Tao minced the tenderloin and mixed it with dog food. The dog devoured it, licking the bowl clean and wagging its tail wildly in delight.
The cats preferred the offal.
While they were engrossed in eating, Su Tao groomed them carefully.
But as she focused on combing their fur, she suddenly felt a bit dazed, as if her vision overlapped with two different scenes.
