Chapter 24 Exclusive Competition on Jinjiang
Su Ruyi initially did not intend to reveal her amazing appetite, lest she appear to be eating like a glutton whenever someone invites her to dinner.
Su Ruyi initially resisted, but later she stopped pretending and came clean.
Su Ruyi simply couldn't resist the temptation of the delicious food. The noodles in the cafeteria were exceptionally good, even more chewy than the ones she had eaten at noodle shops before, and the sauce was also perfectly seasoned, making it impossible for Su Ruyi to stop eating.
The steamed buns were exceptionally well-made, with a firm texture and a natural sweetness from the wheat. The more you chewed, the more fragrant they became. Even with some ordinary stir-fried dishes, Su Ruyi could still eat several.
As a southerner, she has a great love for noodles, and she feels that southern noodles are not as delicious as northern ones. Even noodle shops opened by northerners always feel a bit lacking and can't compare to local northern noodle shops.
The canteen chef's noodle-making skills are unparalleled among northerners. Faced with such delicious food, and since Su Ruyi was indeed not full, she simply stopped being reserved.
Once hula hoops become a hit at the Asian Games, Hongxing Plastics Factory will seize the market first and make a fortune. At that point, her meager earnings will be nothing.
As for whether her appetite would make people think she was a monster, she wasn't worried at all.
Decades later, there are many more competitive eater live streamers, many of whom are still petite girls who eat even more than she does now. People are amazed and surprised, but that's all there is to it. Nobody will forcibly take them away for research; who has that much free time?
Just as Su Ruyi was about 70-80% full and began to slow down, a tall figure stood in front of her.
Su Ruyi looked up and saw a pleasing face.
Well, looking at that face, she could easily eat two more bowls of noodles.
"Hello, I'm Lu Ting. We met on the train before, do you remember me?"
Su Ruyi took out a handkerchief to wipe her mouth, stood up, extended her hand to him, and said generously:
"Thank you for helping me with my luggage back then."
Lu Ting shook hands in a formulaic manner, only touching briefly before letting go. Although the moment was short, the soft and warm touch still made his throat feel a little itchy.
He coughed lightly, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "I wasn't much help; you could have carried it yourself."
"That's a different matter."
"By the way, the human traffickers you caught before, their accomplices have also been arrested, and more than twenty women and children they lured and trafficked have been rescued. The children and women they trafficked before are also being tracked down. If you hadn't caught them in time, there would have been many more victims."
Lu Ting witnessed the human traffickers being caught firsthand, so he was very concerned about the matter.
Shi Fengyi just told him yesterday that the case is closed and everyone involved has been apprehended.
Although this was a case in Zhaoguang City, the same group of people had also committed crimes in the provincial capital. As soon as the case there was closed, Shi Fengyi received the news.
"Really? That's wonderful!"
Su Ruyi was delighted to hear this. There were many cases of children and women being abducted these days, and she was very happy to be able to contribute her modest efforts.
Every time she saw similar news on TV, she was so angry that she wanted to torture the human traffickers to death. Now, not only did she feel good, but she also saved so many people, so she was in a great mood.
Su Ruyi quickly realized, "How did you know I encountered human traffickers? Did you see them?"
“I was right behind you and saw how heroic you were back then.” Lu Ting gave her a thumbs up.
Su Ruyi unconsciously puffed out her chest. Although she did good deeds without seeking fame, she was still very happy to be praised.
"It's nothing special, I only used a little bit of effort."
"You didn't leave your contact information at the time, and the police wanted to find you to commend you."
Su Ruyi waved her hand: "It's nothing, nothing."
At the time, she only left her name to cooperate with the police investigation.
I dared not leave the others behind. If Ms. Su Ying knew that I had acted recklessly and dared to take on several people by myself instead of asking for help or outsmarting them, she would definitely nag me again.
Zhao Xianghong looked at Su Ruyi's slender figure, finding it hard to imagine how she could fight four opponents at once:
"Mr. Su, you're amazing."
Su Ruyi pretended to be okay: "It's just that I'm naturally strong. I picked up my mom, who is a famous iron lady in our village. She even won first place in the capital during the militia competition."
Su Ruyi wasn't using her mother as a shield; rather, she was subconsciously showing off her mother.
"No wonder! It's because of their family's scholarly tradition."
Those who have been following this story will understand why Su Ruyi can eat so much yet remain so thin; it turns out she converts all her food into energy.
Cao Fei leaned over and said, "Isn't this a coincidence? Our Brother Lu used to be a top soldier in the army!"
Su Ruyi looked at Lu Ting with admiration: "Amazing."
Lu Ting smiled faintly, very modestly, and before he could say anything like "a hero doesn't dwell on past glories," Cao Fei continued:
"They say a tiger mother begets no dog son. We're all from the same military family, Mr. Su, why don't you have an arm wrestling match with our Brother Lu?"
Lu Ting: ? ? ?
Lu Ting almost choked on his own saliva, looking at Cao Fei with disbelief. What kind of nonsense are you talking about?
Cao Fei had no idea what he was crying out in his heart. He just thought he was embarrassed and even winked at him triumphantly.
Brother Lu, I'm creating an opportunity for you to hold hands with someone. Don't think I didn't see the sway when you shook hands.
Don't thank me too much.
Lu Ting wanted to hit someone. He thought Xu Dazhi was the only simpleton around him, but it turned out there was always someone better. What kind of thought process did they have?
"OK!"
Su Ruyi readily agreed, completely unaware that Wang Huiting was constantly tugging at her clothes.
Lu Ting: ...
"That's not necessary..."
Cao Fei: "Brother Lu, are you chickening out? You can't be afraid to go for it just because the other person is a woman."
No, are you really my buddy?
Lu Ting now understood why Cao Fei had remained single: because he was simple-minded.
but……
Lu Ting was unwilling in his heart, but his body told a different story. By the time he came to his senses, the stall was already set up, and he and Su Ruyi were sitting at opposite ends of the table.
Looking at Su Ruyi, who was in high spirits, Lu Ting shook his arm and his expression became serious.
Su Ruyi also did a warm-up exercise and then settled down.
This scene was so astonishing that everyone in the cafeteria rushed over to watch.
What are you doing?
"Arm wrestling, didn't you see their hands are already clenched?"
"No, do you think these two look like they could arm wrestle? Isn't this bullying?"
"You don't understand, that's how young people play nowadays."
Those who didn't understand were greatly shocked.
These days, this is the new trick for picking up young girls?
When Lu Ting held Su Ruyi's hand, his ears were still a little red, but when the game started and she began to exert force, he forgot all his thoughts.
The immense power forced him to use all his strength to cope, and his body quickly tensed up.
Lu Ting had only ever felt this terrifying power from Xu Dazhi, who used to be able to sweep through entire areas in the military.
Su Ruyi also sensed Lu Ting's strength and encountered great resistance, forcing her to mobilize her resources to deal with it.
She's still a bit clumsy at mobilizing her strength, and sometimes she overexerts herself. If she doesn't control it well, she easily becomes exhausted. Her body can't support prolonged power output and will quickly run out of energy.
This is very dangerous. If you run out of energy beforehand, you'll be outmatched in a two-round battle.
Now she can slowly increase the weight and feel her strength gradually increasing.
Lu Ting also sensed the change in the other person; a tense feeling gradually appeared on his face, making it difficult for him to remain as calm and composed as usual.
Cao Fei clicked his tongue in admiration, thinking, "As expected of my elder brother, he really put on a convincing performance."
He used all his acting skills to keep holding the girl's hand, working even harder than he would to fool foreigners at the border.
Almost everyone thought that Lu Ting was deliberately trying to make the girl happy; no one really thought he was putting in effort.
After all, Su Ruyi looks weak and frail. Although she has a big appetite, no matter her gender or body type, there is a limit to how strong she is. Everyone knows this.
Although Lu Ting doesn't come to the factory often, those who know him know that he is a capable person.
Many people present had been humiliated by Lu Ting before, getting thoroughly beaten in the training ground, and knew how formidable he was.
"Brother Lu really went to great lengths to make the young girl happy."
"Look at the veins on his arms, look at his expression, how can he be so capable?"
Lu Ting was starting to question his own existence. How could Su Ruyi have such inexhaustible strength? Every time he thought she had reached her limit, she would increase her strength again.
However, this also greatly stimulated his competitive spirit, making him focus on the competition.
Uncle Liang, a veteran, looked rather grim. Even if others couldn't tell, how could he not? He was really putting in his best effort!
On one hand, they marveled at Su Ruyi's strength, but on the other hand, they were worried that she might go too far and break his wrist—such things do happen.
But now the situation is tense, with neither side giving an inch and both completely absorbed in the fight, so there's no way for him to stop them.
"Go! Go!"
Wang Huiting completely forgot her earlier obstruction. As one of the few who understood that this competition was for real and not a performance, she excitedly cheered from the sidelines.
She inspired other young people who were just taking it as a joke to join in the commotion.
As time went on, everyone started to feel that something was wrong.
No matter how much they're putting on an act, it shouldn't be over yet.
Lu Ting wasn't the type to take advantage of others. He would tease them for a while and then it would be over. Whether he would obediently admit defeat or win to demonstrate his masculine strength, he couldn't possibly persist for that long.
Going too far is as bad as not going far enough; it becomes a form of thuggery.
"Uncle Liang, is this for real?"
Uncle Liang glared at the man and said, "Isn't that obvious? Do you think Lu Ting is as foolish as you guys?"
Everyone gasped upon hearing this, exclaiming, "Wow!"
Where did this little girl come from? She's terrifying!
This is Lu Ting, and he's being completely overwhelmed. Even when he's fighting Xu Dazhi, he's not having this much trouble.
In the end, Su Ruyi successfully suppressed Lu Ting, and the scene immediately fell silent.
Then, thunderous applause erupted.
"Incredible! This girl actually beat Lu Ting!"
"Haha, Lu Ting, you've finally met your match!"
Everyone looked at Su Ruyi differently now, especially the veterans. If it weren't for the gender difference, they would have tossed her into the air by now.
Su Ruyi was drenched in sweat, her breathing was rapid, and she was extremely excited.
Although she had a cheat code, this victory was not easy. She had already used up a lot of her energy from the meal she had just eaten, and she felt like she could still eat a few more bowls of noodles.
Most importantly, through the struggle, she gained a deeper understanding of her own power.
"You're amazing," Su Ruyi said sincerely.
Don't think that arm wrestling is just about strength; there are techniques involved.
Lu Ting shook his arm and said regretfully, "It's a real pity that someone with your talent isn't a soldier."
"I'm only good at being strong, that's all."
Lu Ting took it as her modesty: "Having this much strength is enough."
Cao Fei's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. His brother Lu had actually lost! Not the kind of intentional loss to please a girl, but a genuine defeat!
Oh dear, it seems he meant well but messed things up.
However, this kind of girl is the most suitable to be his sister-in-law!
Xu Dazhi, who was standing to the side, also began to get restless, his gaze fixed intently on Su Ruyi.
Lu Ting sensed his curiosity and patted him on the shoulder:
"You are no match for her strength."
Although Lu Ting couldn't compare to either of them, he could still judge their relative strengths and weaknesses.
He knew very well that Su Ruyi could have won much faster, but she was probably holding back to save face for him.
This girl is strong, thoughtful, and considerate, quite different from the girls he had known before.
The tough woman I used to know wanted to take him down instantly and see him humiliated, but the gentle and thoughtful girl didn't have that kind of fierce strength.
If Su Ruyi knew, she would definitely exclaim that you're overthinking it; she just wanted to test her strength.
Upon hearing this, Xu Dazhi looked at Su Ruyi with even more curiosity.
Su Ruyi also felt his passion and, as he expected, said, "Why don't we give it a try?"
Xu Dazhi immediately pushed Lu Ting aside.
If it weren't for his quick reflexes, Lu Ting, who almost slipped and fell on his backside, was speechless.
What kind of friends does he keep?!
Although everyone just saw Su Ruyi defeat Lu Ting, and Uncle Liang said that Lu Ting did not hold back, some people still refuse to believe this fact.
They still firmly believed that Lu Ting was just teasing the young girl.
It's no wonder they were so stubborn; Su Ruyi was like Lin Daiyu, someone they couldn't believe even with their own eyes.
But now that it's Xu Dazhi, things are different.
Xu Dazhi is a simple-minded person who doesn't know how to be tactful, unlike Lu Ting who still cares about girls.
He didn't care about any of that, he was straightforward and didn't hold back his energy.
Everyone knows his strength, because when he was moving machines before, he was as good as several people.
He possesses a body shaped like a pagoda, and his strength matches his stature.
Previously, some people caused trouble near the factory, and he easily took down a group of them.
There are no skills involved, it's all about sheer strength.
"Maybe we should just forget about it. Dazhi has no sense of proportion."
Some kind-hearted people advised Su Ruyi not to be fooled by Lu Ting and to stop her from thinking she was incredibly strong.
Wang Huiting sneered: "You all underestimate my sister."
A new round of competition began, and Xu Dazhi was unable to last as long as Lu Ting.
Now no one questioned her anymore, and everyone looked at Su Ruyi with admiration.
That's some serious strength! No wonder those two young girls dared to come over to discuss business on their own, without any concern for their safety. They must have something to rely on!
Su Ruyi was extremely pleased with herself, basking in the astonished gazes of everyone, and her ego inflated even further.
These two competitions gave her a qualitative leap in understanding her own strength.
In the second match, she was able to use her strength precisely to defeat Xu Dazhi, with just the right amount of force, without wasting a single bit.
However, Su Ruyi, who had just finished eating, felt hungry again and looked at the noodles in front of Lu Ting... no, Lu Ting's noodles looked so tempting.
But I've already eaten so much, it's really not appropriate to say anything more.
Lu Ting was just about to start eating. He hadn't even had a chance to eat before being dragged off to the competition. As soon as he picked up a bite of noodles with his chopsticks, he felt a burning gaze.
He silently moved the bowl over: "You used so much effort just now, are you hungry now?"
"Oh, I can't accept this, you haven't eaten yet."
Although Su Ruyi said no, her eyes couldn't leave the canteen chef's knife-cut noodles, which were delicious.
Uncle Liang: "Eat without worry. No one leaves hungry while I'm here. I'll go and cook some noodles for you right now."
Unable to refuse Su Ruyi's hospitality, she reluctantly sat down and continued eating.
She noticed that she ate much faster when she was with Lu Ting.
The other person was just too fast, and for no apparent reason, it made her speed up too, as if someone was trying to steal her food.
The result of doing this is that before the stomach can react, the mouth has already eaten a lot, and so the person feels stuffed.
When Su Ruyi left the cafeteria, she was extremely satisfied; she was truly full now.
Previously, one either had to be reserved or, in order to save money, just accept whatever was acceptable.
She doesn't actually have to eat that much; she just won't have enough energy to perform at her best. As long as she maintains a basic level, that's fine.
When she left, Uncle Liang was the most reluctant to part with her:
"Girl, come over whenever you have time. I'll make sure you eat your fill!"
Some people can eat a lot, but they don't eat well, like pigs eating feed. Example: Xu Dazhi.
Su Ruyi is different; when she eats, you feel that the food tastes exceptionally good, which makes Uncle Liang feel extremely accomplished.
"I'll drive you back," Lu Ting offered.
After that battle, the two quickly went from strangers to acquaintances.
Therefore, Su Ruyi did not stand on ceremony, "Then I'll trouble you. I want to go to my aunt's house. Her house is in Xinghua Village, not far from here."
“I know that place.” Lu Ting frowned slightly.
Su Ruyi noticed his expression was off. "What's wrong? Is the road difficult to walk on? It's okay, we'll walk there ourselves."
Cars are very expensive these days, and Lu Ting was worried that the bad road conditions would damage the car, which Su Ruyi understood.
"It's not because of that, it's okay, let's go."
"No need to force yourself. I just ate too much, so I'll just treat it as a digestive aid. Otherwise, the road is too bumpy, and I'm afraid I'll throw up."
Seeing her serious attitude, Lu Ting explained, "I had contact with people from that village before, and my impression of them wasn't particularly good."
Feeling that his good intentions had backfired, Cao Fei, who had been shrinking back like a quail, finally couldn't help but speak up:
"It's not just a bad impression, it's absolutely terrible!"
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Lu Ting glared at him. "That's where her aunt lives. You're saying that place is bad?"
"Don't listen to Ah Fei's nonsense, it's just a few individuals."
Cao Fei curled his lip: "Forget it, the atmosphere in that village is just not good."
Su Ruyi became even more curious: "What's going on? I grew up in the south and have never been to my aunt's house, so I don't know what's going on."
Worried that Lu Ting might have reservations, she added, "My aunt's family isn't doing well, but she always reports good news and never bad, so I want to find out more."
Cao Fei: "If your aunt were an honest person, she would definitely have a very difficult time."
Although Wang Huiting had been there before, she was young at the time and left quickly each time, so she didn't know much about it. However, her impression of the place was not very good.
"Sister, the people in that village are such gossips. I got gossiped about a lot when I went there before. They even tried to scare me by saying that my dad brought me here so I could marry my older cousin."
These were the nicest things she'd heard; there were other things she couldn't bring herself to say. For example, that her stepfather was doing this to take advantage of her and her two daughters, and so on.
Every time she spoke, she would use foul language. At that time, she was just a little girl, and she couldn't stand hearing such words. So no matter how good her aunt was to her, she was unwilling to go.
Su Ruyi frowned: "These people are disgusting! This is just nonsense, Dad would never have such a thought."
Tong Aihua has her own little schemes, but she is also a person with principles.
“I know, so I didn’t tell my family, afraid that my dad would overthink it. But later I just didn’t like going anymore.”
Lu Ting then explained the whole story without any hesitation.
The matter is not complicated. There was a soldier in Xinghua Village who unfortunately died while on duty, leaving behind an orphan and a widow.
As a result, the martyr's widow and children were not treated well; they were not only harassed in various ways, but their pensions were almost stolen.
Cao Fei: "If it weren't for Brother Lu's intervention, I don't know how badly this mother and son would have been bullied. She was almost forced to marry a widower in his fifties. His ex-wife died by drinking pesticide because she couldn't bear the torment."
Not only that, they even tried to sell the child. The woman's sister-in-law knew there were many veterans at our plastics factory, so she came to us for help, and that's how we got the child back.”
The plastics factory has a good reputation in the area. Everyone knows that the factory has an unusual staff, mainly serving veterans.
The district government hopes that the factory can also solve the local labor problem, so it also recruits some local workers.
The military wife had already been imprisoned, but luckily her sister-in-law was clever enough to sneak out.
Su Ruyi immediately sensed something was wrong: "The young lady didn't call the police?"
Lu Ting put it cryptically: "The village party secretary has connections in both the town and the county."
Su Ruyi understood instantly.
"The village officials there were all local tyrants, extremely arrogant and bullying men and women. If we hadn't outnumbered them, we might have been in trouble."
The security situation now is far worse than it would be decades later. While opening up to the outside world has led to economic development, it has also brought many negative impacts, including a proliferation of crime. Moreover, gun control is not yet fully implemented, and some arrogant individuals even dare to drive tanks into the streets.
In some villages, there are tyrannical bullies who oppress and exploit the villagers, causing them immense suffering.
Eliminating these people is no easy task, as they have deep-rooted influence in the local area.
Su Ruyi understood why her aunt's family had been so badly taken advantage of during the demolition and relocation process. With such a major undertaking as demolition and relocation, if the villagers united and the village officials took action, the developers wouldn't be able to act so arrogantly, and they would inevitably slip through some loopholes.
After all, this is the provincial capital, where farmers' voices are more easily heard.
However, if village officials collude with external forces, ordinary farmers are powerless to resist and will almost have to hand over their land and houses.
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