174 Along the way
Clearly, Guan Yuehe's excitement far outweighed her nervousness at this moment.
The trip abroad has only just begun; there are still procedures such as selection of the inspection team and political review to follow, but that doesn't stop Guan Yuehe from being happy right now.
Since the leadership has spoken with her, it means they recognize her abilities. Besides, investigating foreign companies considering joint ventures in China is entirely within her scope of work.
The most crucial step next was the political background check, but that wasn't something she needed to worry about. She was a military dependent, and her family members were all workers in state-owned factories; the chances of them using this opportunity to stay abroad were slim.
Like a mouse that has found an oil vat, it was so excited that it immediately grabbed Lin Yiku's hand and spun around on the spot.
"I don't know which country we'll be visiting for the research trip. It would be best if we didn't go to Big Brother's country, since I don't speak Russian!"
With Sino-Soviet relations easing this year, it's not surprising that the delegation went to the Soviet Union.
"It's too late to start learning now." Guan Yuehe felt a little regretful, after all, she hadn't predicted that she would have to go abroad on business when she was learning foreign languages.
Lin Yiku suspected that she might learn this foreign language in the future. Of course, she would also drag him along.
"No, no, we'll definitely arrange a translator for you," Guan Yuehe said happily. "I've never been on a plane before, so I'll definitely have to fly to go abroad, right?"
She didn't give him a chance to interrupt, talking non-stop while shaking his hand, as if her trip abroad for research was a done deal.
Lin Yiku felt that she would definitely get this opportunity.
"I will try my best! I will definitely live up to Comrade Lin Yiku's trust!"
Lin Yiku said enviously, "I've never been on an airplane before."
"It's alright, you can practice riding a motorcycle sometime and be Captain Lin for a day. That way you'll have experienced flying." Guan Yuehe laughed heartily.
Lin Yiku also laughed.
Trapped in the small wooden bed, Lin Ting grinned foolishly along with her parents. Seeing them spinning around, she clapped her hands with joy, proving herself to be a very cooperative and supportive person.
Jiang Guiying saw that Guan Yuehe had been in a great mood these past two days and assumed that she was happy to be going to Haishi on a business trip.
"I'm going to Haishi at the end of August. The weather there is pretty much the same as here, right?"
"It's hot all summer long, so I don't need to bring any thick clothes this time."
Upon learning that Guan Yuehe was going to Haishi on a business trip at the end of the month, Luo Guifang brought a watermelon to Guan Yuehe's door and asked her and Bao Ning to take it with them.
“Neither Bao Ning nor I have ever left Beijing. I heard that things are not safe outside right now. It’s just the two of us, and I’m scared. I was thinking of buying a ticket with you so we can go together.”
After Bao Ning's admission results came out, Luo Guifang was happy for a few days, but then she began to worry.
It's great that your child got into university, but registering at the university isn't an easy task.
She pleaded with her supervisor and finally got five days off. She kept revising her packing list, worried that if she didn't bring enough, Bao Ning wouldn't have anything to use at school, and that if she brought too much, Bao Ning would be robbed on the way.
Baoyu even went to the bookstore to buy a map and studied the travel routes.
Her colleagues in the workshop told her about someone who had been robbed on a train, which made her very worried for a while.
Sure enough, as soon as Luo Guifang heard that Guan Yuehe was going to Haishi on a business trip at the end of the month, she quickly came to find her.
Guan Yuehe readily agreed, told Luo Guifang her departure time, and asked her to buy a ticket for the same train.
Knowing that her workplace had provided sleeper berths, Guan Yuehe said, "I'll leave your luggage with me and I'll keep an eye on it for you."
Luo Guifang breathed a sigh of relief, her heart finally settling back into her stomach.
Her biggest worry was encountering thieves and human traffickers on the train. Now that she had received Yuehe's assurance, she could leave her valuables with Yuehe and just watch over Baoning.
"Oh, they're neighbors, it's just a small favor." Perfect, she doesn't have much luggage, so she can help them carry some of it later.
After some initial reluctance, the watermelon that Luo Guifang brought was left on Guan Yuehe's dining table.
Guan Yuehe didn't intend to soak it in the water bucket. Under Lin Ting's staring gaze, she cut it into slices and stuffed a small slice about the length of her index finger into Lin Ting's hand.
"You can only eat a little bit. Next year, you'll be able to eat big slices."
Lin Tingcai didn't care about next year's matters; as soon as he got the information, he immediately opened his mouth.
—
In mid-August, the No. 2 Courtyard held another university banquet. The last time was when Baoyu was admitted to university.
This time, even more people were invited; half were neighbors and colleagues who were close to Luo Guifang, and the other half were classmates and friends of the three sisters.
Therefore, Guan Yuehe was not surprised to see Wan Xiujuan in Courtyard No. 2.
"My eldest and second eldest sisters have been watching us the whole time," Wan Xiujuan whispered to Guan Aiguo. "I'm a little nervous."
Wan Xiujuan was a factory worker's child and had heard many stories about Guan Aiguo's two older sisters. Especially the second sister, who had been featured in the newspapers twice and was famous for her impressive skills. Now she was a high-ranking leader. Every time she talked to the second sister, she felt like a mouse seeing a cat.
To everyone's surprise, Guan Aiguo shrank back and whispered, "I'm afraid of them too. But they'll only beat me up, they won't deal with you, so eat without worry."
Wan Xiujuan's expression was complex, "..."
On the other side, Guan Yuehua and Guan Yuehe, who were sitting next to each other, would occasionally glance at Guan Aiguo. The two sisters couldn't understand what Wan Xiujuan saw in him.
Before Luo Guifang's banquet even started serving the dishes, new gossip was already circulating in the alley.
"They want to exchange rooms with Sister Luo? Give them 500 yuan? Have they lost their minds?" Guan Yuehe really couldn't understand it.
The old lady at the table kept cracking sunflower seeds without stopping, and said, "If Guifang is willing to switch, our family will pay six hundred."
Guan Yuehe pursed her lips and remained silent, but the meaning in her eyes was clear: Have you lost your mind too?
"Oh dear, you're a well-fed man who doesn't know the hunger of an starving man!" Aunt Bai stopped eating sunflower seeds. "Look at this house, it's already produced three college students and one vocational school graduate. Whoever moves in here will benefit from the God of Literature."
Grandma Bai remains as superstitious as ever.
Guan Yuehe felt it had nothing to do with where you lived, it was mainly about the person. But she thought it was useless, because others didn't believe her.
Offering money to exchange rooms didn't work, and some people even approached Luo Guifang wanting to rent a room to live in. Luo Guifang had to spend the whole day entertaining guests and rejecting these requests to exchange or rent rooms.
Guan Yuehua strongly disapproved, saying, "They're just doing crooked and unorthodox things. They could have used that time to read a few more pages of a book and have a better chance of success."
“Exactly! You’re such a perfect role model, yet we don’t know how to learn from you!” Guan Yuehe chimed in.
Guan Yuehua glanced at her, intending to hand Lin Ting over to someone else, but Guan Yuehe noticed and pretended not to see it. She got up and muttered to herself, "I'll go see if Uncle Quan needs any help."
As he spoke, he slipped out.
Guan Yuehua's plan failed. Seeing that Lin Ting was about to make a fuss, she skillfully broke off a cookie and stuffed it into her hand.
—
Guan Yuehe had three rounds of university-style drinks at Ginkgo Hutong, and with her business trip date fast approaching, Ding Xuewen still hadn't treated her to a meal.
Even if Ding Xuewen offered to treat her to a meal, she wouldn't have time to go.
So he said to Lin Sitian, "He's not trying to renege on his debt and not treat us to dinner, is he?"
"It's also possible that they feel the time isn't right yet." Lin Sitian was worried for Ding Xuewen. "With such a large age gap, Comrade Ye's family might not agree."
Another possibility, they both guessed at the same time: "Could it be that they were busy earning foreign exchange on Sunday?"
Upon closer reflection, it's quite possible that Ding Xuewen and Ye Zhiqi were capable of doing such a thing.
Instead of Ding Xuewen's invitation to dinner, Jingjing, who had been staying in her hometown for nearly a month, treated her whole family to a meal at a restaurant.
Before returning to her hometown, she was a fair-skinned and pretty little girl. After earning pocket money and coming back, her skin had turned wheat-colored.
He grinned, showing off his neat white teeth, looking incredibly smug, as if he had just returned from a victorious battle.
"Grandpa, have you booked a table yet? I'll treat you tomorrow night." Jingjing patted her pocket.
"It's all set up now, we're just waiting for you to bring the money back."
No one asked her how much money she made, but it looked like she certainly made a lot. During this time, Gu Mannian even restocked her stock once, so Gu Mannian had a good idea of how much she could earn.
After less than a month of running her small business, the shy girl became much more lively, chattering about how she did business back in her hometown.
When Gu Mannian heard that she had also developed her own sales staff, he praised her, saying that she would be a good person in the future.
Jingjing smiled, her eyes crinkling with delight at the compliment.
Guan Jianguo and Lin Yufeng took their two sons back to Ginkgo Hutong for dinner. Seeing that Jingjing had changed a lot, they no longer felt that it was bad to do some small business to earn pocket money.
Making money can be addictive.
Jingjing experienced the joy of earning money for the first time, earning more than sixty yuan in less than a month, which was comparable to the income of a worker with several years of experience. However, she was about to start high school, and the thought of giving up such a large sum of money was hard for her to bear.
Gu Mannian saw through her thoughts but didn't say it directly. Instead, he smiled and said, "You haven't started working yet, so you think sixty-odd yuan a month is a lot. Look at your second aunt, she earns over a hundred yuan a month now, much more than that."
"Study hard in high school, get into university and get a good job. Your salary in the future won't be less than what you're earning now."
Jingjing suddenly became clear-headed, and her heart, which had been adrift for some time, finally settled down.
After glancing at my aunts sitting across from me, my resolve only grew stronger.
Guan Yuehe secretly gave Gu Mannian a thumbs up. As expected of a cadre from Zhuoyue Garment Factory, look at how well he did ideological work, so patient and persuasive!
—
Guan Yuehe slung her bag over her shoulder and kept looking back at Lin Ting, who was sleeping soundly on the kang (a heated brick bed).
She wasn't reluctant to leave Lin Ting during normal working hours, but now that she's going to be away for more than a week, Guan Yuehe has already started missing him even before she's boarded the train.
She only understood how quickly children grow up after she raised them herself.
Lin Ting changes every day; who knows how much she will have changed by the time she returns from her business trip.
Seeing her going back and forth between the bedroom and living room door, Aunt Fang checked the time, went over and stuffed a net bag of food into her arms, and then pushed her out the door.
"Lin Tingyou is under our watch, you just go and do your work."
"Mom, wait for me to bring you gifts."
"Okay. Let's hurry up and go, or we'll miss the bus."
As soon as Guan Yuehe stepped out of the courtyard gate, she saw Luo Guifang and Bao Ning already waiting at the alley entrance.
Luo Guifang had changed into new clothes and even permed her hair, a rare sight. The large snakeskin bag, stuffed full to the brim, made her back hunch over. Bao Ning, standing next to her, was also carrying heavy luggage bags in both hands.
"Guifang, are you going to Haishi too?"
“There are a lot of bad people outside, I won’t feel at ease until I get her to school.”
The neighbor suddenly remembered that Bao Ning from Bao'an was almost abducted back then. Every night when Bao Ning took the factory bus back, Luo Guifang would wait for him at the bus stop in advance. It is estimated that the trauma left by that year was still quite significant.
"That's true, it's the child's first time going on a long trip, so we still have to see him off."
Upon closer inspection, they discovered that Guan Yuehe had also gone to Haishi with them.
The neighbor joked, "Then there's no need to worry. With Yuehe around, bad people will have to take a detour."
Guan Yuehe chuckled. It was true! When she went out, she always used the name of the Municipal Public Security Bureau. Bad guys wouldn't deliberately go after the police.
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