The next day, in the morning

"Is this all you brought me? What am I supposed to eat on the way?"

Qin Huairu was about to board the train with her luggage when she noticed that her mother-in-law, Jia Zhangshi, had only brought two small steamed buns for her and nothing else.

"What's wrong with this? You shouldn't even bring this! You're on official business, so the government should provide meals!"

Jia Zhangshi gave Qin Huairu a cold shoulder.

"Then you should at least bring me some money and food coupons so I can buy some things outside!"

Qin Huairu was helpless. Although she was on official business, at this time, whether she ate well or not was up to her.

"They say a poor family should travel with plenty of money; you can't go empty-handed, can you?"

Jia Zhangshi whispered to Qin Huairu, "Isn't there Sha Zhu and Wang Qiang...?"

"you?"

Qin Huairu was both amused and exasperated. She usually wished she could stay far away from these men, but now she was being forced to…

"What do you mean, 'you'? You're not losing out! If you save a little, the family will be better off, and we can eat better!"

Jia Zhangshi stopped Qin Huairu from saying anything more and pushed her into the carriage.

"Xiao Wang, please take good care of my Qin Huairu. She's a woman and has never been far from home!"

"Hey, ma'am, don't worry, with me, Sha Zhu, here, I won't let Sister Qin suffer!"

When Sha Zhu saw Jia Zhangshi asking Wang Qiang to take care of Qin Huairu, he immediately took over the task.

"That's great! With the two of you taking care of her, I can finally relax!"

Qin Huairu sat uncomfortably in the driver's seat, feeling as if she had been sold.

"Auntie, look, these eggs. Let Sister Qin eat them on the way!"

Sha Zhu took out a few boiled eggs and showed them off to Jia Zhangshi. When Jia Zhangshi saw the eggs, she couldn't help but swallow.

"Hehe, good stuff, good stuff. Qin Huairu, Banggeng hasn't had breakfast yet. Why don't you make him breakfast before you leave!"

Jia Zhangshi called out to Qin Huairu, who was already sitting in the driver's seat.

"Auntie, what time is it? Making breakfast? Aren't we leaving or not? Here, take these two eggs and give them to Banggeng!"

Sha Zhu took two eggs from the boiled eggs and gave them to Jia Zhangshi.

"It would be better to go on a business trip; at least you can eat eggs!"

Jia Zhangshi took the eggs and put them in her bosom.

"Hey, Sha Zhu, get in the car, we're going to pick up Li Man!"

Wang Qiang started the car.

Alright!

"Hey, aren't you sitting in the same carriage?"

Sha Zhu threw his luggage into the carriage and climbed into the driver's cab.

"I haven't picked up Li Man yet, I'll warm up in the driver's seat for a bit."

"You're such a cunning kid! Did you get your leave approved?"

"Oh, I got an old man to give me a month of sick leave!"

Wang Qiang drove the group to the steel rolling mill.

Is Li Man there?

Wang Qiang entered the finance office.

"Brother Wang Qiang, I've been waiting for you for ages! I've already packed my bags!"

"Sister Chen, we'll be leaving now. Is there anything else you'd like to say?"

"Li Man, I'm giving you a letter. You must deliver it to your father, understand? Don't lose it!"

"Auntie, don't worry, I will definitely deliver it!" Li Man nodded.

"How many times have I told you, kid, you have to address people by their job titles at work!"

Although Sister Chen said that, a smug smile was indeed on her face.

"Okay, we're off then!"

"Let's go, be careful on the road!"

Li Man got on the bus and found there were other people there.

"You don't recognize them yet? Let me introduce you. This is Qin Huairu, and this is Shazhu. They both work at our factory."

"This is Li Man from the finance department!"

Wang Qiang introduced everyone, and the group got to know each other. Li Man and Qin Huairu sat in the driver's seat, while Sha Zhu could only sit in the back of the vehicle.

He spread out the blankets, then covered himself with another layer of cotton blankets, leaned against the back of the driver's seat, and drove the truck away, swaying precariously.

The road conditions were bad at the time, and it took us four or five hours to get out of Beijing and travel more than 200 kilometers. It was already noon, and we were all starving.

"Shall we stop the car and get something to eat?"

Wang Qiang asked.

"Great! I've been starving!"

Li Man was very happy, and Qin Huairu agreed. Wang Qiang parked the car on the side of the road and saw a restaurant next to them. The storefront was not big, but it was very clean.

"Silly Zhu, come down for dinner!"

"Why!"

Sha Zhu was swaying and about to fall asleep on the train when Wang Qiang knocked on the carriage door to wake him up.

Where did you come from?

Upon entering the restaurant, the waiter asked a question.

"We are from the Sijiucheng Steel Rolling Mill, this is a letter of introduction!"

Wang Qiang opened the letter of introduction, and the other party glanced at it.

"So you're from the steel rolling mill. Come in, have a seat!"

The waiter let Wang Qiang and his group sit inside, then left. A short while later, a man who looked like a manager came in.

"Which one of you is in charge?"

"Hello, that's me. My surname is Wang!"

"Hello, Comrade Wang. I heard you're from the steel rolling mill?"

"Yes, we're from the steel rolling mill. This is a letter of introduction; we're going to northern Shaanxi on official business!"

The manager took the letter of introduction, looked at it carefully, and then returned it to Wang Qiang.

"Hello, I'm the manager here. I'd like to know what the food standards are for you? So I can make arrangements!"

What standards do you have here?

"There are so many! There are 36 cents, 78 cents, and even 1.24 yuan. They have all kinds of prices! I suggest our workers get the 1.4 yuan ones. It's a large quantity and you can eat your fill!"

The manager was all smiles, chubby, with a round face, squinty eyes, and a slight stubble.

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