Chapter 6: A Glimpse of Abs

Chapter Six: A Glimpse of Abs

The sugar factory is not too far from the Seventh Branch Farm, about 30 to 40 kilometers away, which can be reached in an hour by car.

Lin Su vaguely knew that Director Zhou had asked her to organize the data so that she wouldn't be criticized while she was resting, but after arriving at the sugar factory, she was indeed assigned work.

Zhou Yunqi led her to the cashier's office and said, "Sister Cheng, she's been learning from you these past few days. You've been teaching her how to issue invoices and reconcile accounts."

Cheng Dongmei, nearly forty years old, had been working at the sugar factory. When she saw Lin Su yesterday, she had been asking who this girl was. Now that Lin Su was in her office, she worried that she was there to replace her. She agreed verbally, but as soon as the factory manager left, she tentatively asked, "Are you a new employee hired by the factory manager?"

Lin Su could clearly sense her unease and explained, "No, I work at the branch farm and have only come here to learn in the last few days."

"Do I want to work as an accountant after studying this?"

"Probably not. During the harvest season, they only come to help with registration and such; they won't stay long."

Cheng Dongmei was relieved and her tone became more amiable: "The pressing season is indeed busier, and the off-season is very quiet, but even when it's quiet, someone has to be there. I've worked in this factory for twenty years."

Lin Su: "Twenty years."

Cheng Dongmei smiled and asked, "How many days will you need to learn?"

"Maybe only five or six days." Her plan was to go back to the farm after her period ended. Otherwise, she felt guilty about hiding here and avoiding farm work.

Sister Cheng said, "If it's five or six days, then let's learn some basics."

"good."

Sister Cheng first showed her the different types of receipts currently used in the factory. When Lin Su was in good health, her mind was sharp, and she remembered them very quickly.

Sister Cheng looked her over and asked curiously, "You're quite quick-witted, didn't you take the college entrance exam?"

Lin Su said, "I was sick the first two times I took the college entrance exam, so I missed it. I'll take it again next year."

Sister Cheng nodded: "If you can pass the exam and go back to Beijing, you won't have to suffer here. There's still a future for you."

Before long, it was lunchtime. Cheng Dongmei poured hot water from the thermos into a small basin and then put the lunchbox in to heat it up.

She asked Lin Su, "It's lunchtime now, did you bring any lunch?"

Lin Su: "I didn't bring it."

"So what will you eat?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a figure appeared at the door. Zhou Yunqi said, "Let's go, I'll take you to eat."

Lin Su followed Zhou Yunqi eagerly, while Cheng Dongmei watched the two figures with curiosity, lost in thought.

As she walked towards the car, Lin Su asked, "Where's Dong-ge?"

"I went to visit a client."

So, since it was just the two of them having lunch together, Lin Su didn't feel awkward at all.

Sitting in the state-run restaurant, he asked, "What would you like to eat?"

Lin Su said, "You can have some, I'm fine with anything."

"Would you like some braised pork?"

"I'll eat everything."

These days, it's rare to even see meat, so who would be picky?

Zhou Yunqi ordered a braised pork dish, a tomato and egg dish, and a water spinach dish.

The aroma of oil and meat in the restaurant was so tempting. When a bowl of braised pork belly, with its perfect balance of lean and fat and coated in glistening sauce, was served, Lin Su almost reflexively swallowed.

A large bowl of rice was placed in front of Lin Su, and Zhou Yunqi handed her a pair of chopsticks: "Eat quickly."

After saying that, he first picked out two pieces of braised pork with more lean meat for her.

"Okay, thank you." Lin Su nodded with great conviction, and without any hesitation, picked up the bowl, picked up a piece of braised pork, and tasted it.

The braised pork was sweet, tender, and melted in her mouth. After swallowing it, Lin Su felt completely at ease. Sure enough, her stomach was missing these good things.

She said it was delicious, and Zhou Yunqi glanced at her, a slight smirk playing on his lips: "How long has it been since you've had braised pork?"

"I don't remember, it was a long, long time ago," Lin Su replied.

Zhou Yunqi ate quickly, while Lin Su ate slowly. Seeing that there were still several pieces of braised pork in her bowl, she asked, "Have you finished eating?"

He poured her a cup of tea: "Finish your food, don't waste it."

How could it be a waste? Lin Su ate all the food on her plate, leaving not a single grain of rice in her bowl.

Seeing this, Zhou Yunqi smiled and asked, "Are you full?"

Lin Su nodded.

"Let's go then."

...

In the following days, Lin Su followed Zhou Yunqi around, going to work at the sugar factory obediently in the morning, and going to eat before returning to the farm after work in the evening. There was always at least one meat dish at each meal, and even Sister Cheng said that Lin Su's complexion had improved significantly.

In the dormitory, her roommates would ask her what she was doing. Lin Su had indeed learned some things, and she could talk about them in a logical and organized manner.

Someone asked curiously, "Didn't we tell you to organize the data before?"

"The manager has changed his mind and thinks I can learn some new skills."

Roommate Sun Xiaoqing exclaimed, "You're so lucky!"

Another roommate, Feng Yuxia, said, "There's nothing we can do; we're just unlucky."

Sun Xiaoqing glanced at Feng Yuxia: "You're pretty lucky, aren't you? You'll be able to go back to the city soon, right? Your boyfriend is waving to you from the city."

"Why are you waving? We've broken up."

Lin Su: "..."

Feng Yuxia's boyfriend was originally a sent-down youth from the same farm. Last year, his family found a way to let him return to the city, while she took the college entrance examination, hoping to return to the city. However, she doesn't know what the admission results will be.

Someone asked, "Did they really break up?"

Feng Yuxia said, "He has already found a new partner in the city, and I have been kept in the dark the whole time."

"But how did you know?"

“My classmate told me that,” Feng Yuxia scoffed. “I was angry before, but I’m not angry anymore.”

Lin Su packed her clothes, took a bucket and a basin to wash her hair and take a bath. In the summer, the men on the farm were used to taking cold showers, but the women mostly took hot showers. The large pot in the kitchen didn't have much water, so if you went late, you had to wait in line.

When Lin Su went in to scoop water, she found that the pot was filled with cold water, so she had no choice but to wait patiently.

The mosquitoes kept buzzing. Lin Su planned to go back to her dormitory first, but when she got close to the dormitory window, she heard the people inside gossiping about her and Zhou Yunqi.

"Don't you think the farm manager is especially nice to Xiaolin? Although the farm manager is a good person, he's just a little bit nicer to her, and he even saved a watermelon for her."

"Are you trying to say that the farm manager has taken a liking to Kobayashi?"

"I didn't say that, I'm just discussing it with you guys."

"It's normal for them to have taken a liking to each other, they're all from Beijing, and Xiaolin is good-looking too."

"Yes, I just think she's really lucky. I heard from Xu Yaodong that the factory manager has been taking her out to restaurants these days to give her extra nutrition."

Lin Su didn't listen to the rest, left the dormitory, and returned to the kitchen.

I lifted the lid and took a look; there was a huge pot of water, but not even steam was coming out.

Lin Su closed the lid and squatted in front of the coal stove, deep in thought.

She knew, of course, that Zhou Yunqi's kindness towards her went beyond the norm, but she didn't believe he harbored any romantic feelings for her. On this point, she had her own judgment...

It's normal for people to discuss them, but she really should come back.

Her period will end tomorrow. Thanks to eating meat, eggs, and occasional snacks and fruits recently, she can clearly feel that her physical condition is different from before.

As she was thinking, a sharp itch came from her ankle, and with a snap, Lin Su slapped it there.

I missed; the pesky mosquito flew away.

A click of the tongue came from outside the door: "Why are you squatting here feeding the mosquitoes?"

Looking up, Zhou Yunqi stood at the door, his clear eyes looking at her with a puzzled expression.

Lin Su stood up and replied, "Waiting for the water to heat up."

Zhou Yunqi walked in and also lifted the pot lid to take a look.

"Is it urgent?" he asked.

"No rush, I just need to wash my hair, it dries slowly."

"I have a kettle of hot water; you can take it to wash your hair first."

Lin Su quickly said, "No need, no need."

However, before she could finish speaking, he had already walked out. Lin Su watched his retreating figure and sighed inwardly.

Would he have taken such good care of other female educated youth?

She didn't think so.

Before long, Zhou Yunqi came over carrying a kettle of hot water and poured it all into her bucket.

Is that enough?

Lin Su said, "That's enough, I'll add some more water to the pot."

"Go wash your hair first, and get some rest once it's dry," he said, then left without lingering, putting away the kettle.

The whole process was crisp and smooth, without any hesitation or delay.

An older woman walked in and asked, "Is the water boiling?"

"No."

"What's in your bucket?"

"It's from the kettle. I'm going to wash my hair first."

Lin Su washed her hair at the outdoor laundry sink, dried it with a towel, tied it into a bun, and then scooped some hot water to take a bath...

After hanging up the clothes, Lin Su returned to the dormitory. The roommates were gossiping about other things. As usual, Lin Su said a few words to everyone, then took a palm-leaf fan and went outside to cool off.

The summer night is filled with the chirping of insects, and the sky is dotted with stars. Some people are playing cards together, while others are chatting. Occasionally, a breeze blows by, dispelling the sweltering heat.

Lin Su walked over to Wang Ping and the others, holding a palm-leaf fan as she listened to them chat.

Later, when someone mentioned watermelon, Wang Ping asked, "Susu, can you eat watermelon now?"

Lin Su responded, "It should be fine."

"Can we go cut a watermelon?"

“Yes, that’s fine.” She said, taking a step forward. “I’ll go ask the manager’s office.”

Reaching the office door but seeing no one there, Lin Su called out, "Manager."

"What's wrong?" Zhou Yunqi came out from the inner room, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, a belt he had just pulled out, and his white shirt open, as if he was about to take the belt to take a shower.

Lin Su stared blankly at the man's well-defined, muscular abs under the orange light.

The men on the farm all liked to go shirtless, which she ignored and didn't think much of. But she had never seen Zhou Yunqi shirtless before, and just that exposed part of his body inexplicably made her feel stunned.

When Zhou Yunqi looked over, he saw that she was in a daze.

Her long, black hair, still slightly damp, hung down, and her fair face seemed to have gained some color. If you got closer, you could smell a faint fragrance.

The man looked at her and asked patiently, "What's wrong?"

Lin Su snapped out of her daze and looked up: "Can I cut that watermelon?"

He laughed: "Of course, it's right there. You can take it over and share it with everyone."

"Oh, okay." Lin Su walked quickly to the watermelon placed against the wall, creating a gust of wind that tossed her hair and brushed against his open shirt.

The man looked at it and it did smell quite nice; it must be the pleasant scent of shampoo or soap.

...

A note from the author:

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