Chapter 5 Following the Boss Means Prosperity
Chapter 5: Following the Boss Leads to Success
It was past 1 p.m. when Lin Su left the hospital. She had received a glucose injection, so she didn't feel hungry. The painkiller was also very effective; after going to the restroom, the pain in her lower abdomen was about the same as when she usually had her period.
As the car drove out of the hospital, Lin Su glanced at the county town. Although the overall infrastructure was still drab and not exactly prosperous, there were a few decent buildings, and the roads were no longer dirt tracks.
The jeep eventually stopped at a state-run restaurant. After getting out of the car, Zhou Yunqi asked her, "What would you like to eat?"
Lin Su glanced at the person sitting at the table eating a bowl of rice noodles. She remembered seeing others eating rice noodles with gusto back in the commune, and how her mouth watered at the time. So she said, "How about rice noodles?"
Zhou Yunqi ordered three bowls of beef rice noodles from the waiter.
Lin Su sat opposite Zhou Yunqi, looked at him, and said sincerely, "Manager, I will pay back the medical expenses after I get my salary."
He said in a flat tone, "No need, it can be reimbursed."
"Can it be reimbursed?" Lin Su asked in surprise.
“I can get reimbursed.” He then glanced at Xu Yaodong.
Having followed Zhou Yunqi for a long time, Xu Yaodong understood perfectly and chimed in, "Our boss has a reimbursement limit, so it's fine."
Lin Su didn't know if it was true or not, so she could only accept it and replied with a thank you.
Three steaming bowls of rice noodles were served. Zhou Yunqi picked up his chopsticks and put all the beef into Lin Su's bowl.
Lin Su was stunned, and quickly said, "No, no, I have some in my bowl."
He ignored her and said, "You're malnourished. Eat more meat and you'll get better."
Xu Yaodong also picked up a few slices of beef from his bowl and gave them to her, saying, "Don't be shy. I often have meat to eat when I'm with the boss. Eat more."
Lin Su was incredibly grateful, but she didn't want to be polite anymore. She really needed nutrition, and even if she wanted to thank them, she had to recover first.
She not only finished the delicious beef and rice noodles, but also drank the rich and tasty soup. Immediately afterwards, her body felt warm and she was sweating on her back and forehead.
Zhou Yunqi noticed that she was eating slowly, but didn't urge her. Watching her face gradually turn red, he couldn't help but chuckle: "Luckily, this time it's hot sweat, not cold sweat. I was scared when you were covered in cold sweat just now."
Lin Su pursed her lips: "I'm sorry."
"Did you often faint before?" he asked.
Sometimes I feel dizzy.
"You should rest for the next few days and not go to work."
Lin Su looked up at him and said, "That's not a good idea, and it doesn't hurt anymore."
Zhou Yunqi pondered for a moment and replied, "That's true. Then I'll arrange some factory work for you to do these next few days."
Lin Su was taken aback.
"Go work in the factory?"
"What, you're not happy about it?"
"Isn't it said that there's only work during the oilseed crushing season?"
He didn't say much, only, "Have you finished eating? Let me take you to the factory first."
The sugar factory is located on a road in the county town. Although it is not the crushing season, there are still people working in the factory. There are people guarding the warehouse, as well as sales staff, cashiers, and others.
Zhou Yunqi took her to the factory director's office and said to her, "Have a seat first. If you want to sleep, you can lie down on the sofa."
After saying that, he poured her a cup of hot water and placed it on the coffee table in front of her.
Lin Su, seemingly unable to stay idle, asked directly, "What kind of work can I do?"
Seeing that she was afraid of being disliked if she didn't do anything, Zhou Yunqi couldn't help but smile and say, "Rest now, we'll talk about it tomorrow."
"oh."
Lin Su didn't ask any more questions. She was indeed very tired, so she leaned against the sofa and unconsciously dozed off.
Zhou Yunqi sat at his desk, flipping through today's newspaper.
The ceiling fan creaked and whirred, the breeze causing a few strands of hair to flutter across Lin Su's forehead. Zhou Yunqi glanced at the person leaning against the sofa, seemingly asleep. She was holding her small military green backpack, resting it on her lower abdomen, as if this was the most comfortable position.
Upon closer inspection, the man noticed that the rosy color of her lips, which he had finally managed to achieve, had faded again, causing him to frown.
Xu Yaodong shouted at the door, "Boss, boss!"
Zhou Yunqi glared at him: "Why didn't you bring a megaphone?"
Xu Yaodong looked at Lin Su: "Is she asleep? I was just wondering if we should go to Tianzhai Production Team to buy watermelons later?"
Zhou Yunqi flicked some ash into the ashtray: "We'll go buy it after she wakes up."
Lin Su was half asleep, in a daze, feeling as if she had returned to reality. But when she opened her eyes, she was still in the factory director's office, with the thermos, enamel mug, and other furnishings exuding a sense of nostalgia.
She drank a few sips of the cooled boiled water when Zhou Yunqi walked in: "Awake?"
"Um."
"Let's get ready, we're going to buy watermelons."
"Buying a watermelon?"
As Lin Su stood up, she felt as if a spring of water was gushing through her body, and she paused for a moment...
Zhou Yunqi looked over: "Still feeling dizzy?"
"No, no, I'm not dizzy." Lin Su was extremely embarrassed. "I'm going to the restroom, wait for me."
As she spoke, she carefully walked out, still clutching her little schoolbag.
...
Once she got in the car, she learned that Zhou Yunqi had bought some watermelons to reward everyone for the heavy work of harvesting and planting rice recently. The watermelons from Tianzhai Production Team had always had a good reputation.
The melon field was not far from the roadside. Lin Su stood under the melon shed, looking at the round, green watermelons in the field, and felt happy.
The villagers who were tending the watermelons cut a few slices and offered them some.
Lin Su dared not eat; she was already feeling unwell, and now she was even more afraid of getting diarrhea.
Seeing this, Zhou Yunqi said, "I'll keep one for myself. Let me know if you can eat it."
Lin Su nodded: "Okay, thank you, Manager."
The two of them picked out more than a dozen watermelons, put them into two large fertilizer bags they had brought themselves, and placed them in the trunk.
When Lin Su returned to the farm, it was lunchtime. She went back to her dormitory to chat with her roommates about the situation before taking her lunchbox to get her food.
The two bags of watermelons were moved to the hand pump well, where someone was pumping water diligently and soaking the watermelons in the cool water.
When Wang Ping saw her, she exclaimed, "Susu, you scared me to death today! Your hands were as cold as ice."
Lin Su smiled sheepishly: "I suddenly had low blood sugar and collapsed."
"It's good that everything is alright now."
Wang Ping's daughter tugged at Lin Su's sleeve: "Auntie, teach me to draw."
Wang Ping said, "I'll teach you when Auntie is better; she's not feeling well right now."
Li Nana looked up at her and asked in a childish voice, "Auntie, are you sick?"
Lin Su said, "I'm not sick, I'm just feeling a little unwell. How about I teach you to draw again in a few days?"
Li Nana nodded obediently: "Okay."
Zhou Yunqi happened to walk over, overheard the conversation, glanced at them, and then looked away. Accountant Li asked, "Manager, do we have receipts for the watermelons?"
"I'll get it for you later."
At eight o'clock, while cutting watermelons by the well, Lin Su had already finished washing her clothes and went over to join in the fun.
Someone offered her a watermelon, but she resisted the urge to refuse and simply sat quietly to the side listening to their conversation.
The moonlight is beautiful tonight, shining on the rooftops and the ground, while crickets chirp all around.
Some people say, "The Torch Festival is almost here."
"It seems that the event can only be held in early August, after the busy farming season has officially ended."
"Will it also be held at the commune's main playground this year?"
"It should be."
Lin Su asked curiously, "Is the Torch Festival fun?"
"It looks like a lot of fun. You haven't participated before?"
"No, what kind of shows are there?"
Someone said, "Actually, there weren't many programs, but the atmosphere was very interesting. Last year, when the Torch Festival was reinstated, they lit a bonfire at the commune. Several ethnic minorities celebrate this festival, and those people are good at singing and dancing. They brought out all their musical instruments, and everyone sang and danced around the bonfire. The dance they danced was called something like the Left Foot Dance. Oh, and there was also a movie being shown nearby..."
Lin Su was quite interested in these things and chuckled, "That sounds like a lot of fun."
Wang Ping said, "Many young people get to know each other and fall in love during this festival, so this year may be even more lively than last year."
Lin Su responded with an "Mmm," saying, "I'll go check it out then."
Accountant Li joked, "Aren't you afraid of fainting while jumping around?"
Lin Su was annoyed: "I don't necessarily have to jump."
"It's no fun if you don't dance. If some young men take a liking to you, they might drag you to dance."
Lin Su: "Then I'll only stay with the people in the venue."
Xu Yaodong said, "It's alright, Xiao Lin, stay with me, no one will take you away."
Zhou Yunqi walked over with a cigarette between his fingers: "What are you talking about? It's so lively."
"Let's talk about the Torch Festival," someone replied.
Zhou Yunqi tapped his chin: "Hmm, it's quite interesting."
"Manager, I remember you were surrounded by several girls last year, right?"
"Yes, yes, I was worried that the farm manager would be taken back to the village by them."
"I didn't even notice that."
Zhou Yunqi calmly denied it: "That's not true, they mistook me for someone else."
They were probably more familiar with the manager, which is why they dared to joke about him. Lin Su imagined the scene: lively and cheerful ethnic minority girls surrounding the handsome and aloof boss, asking his name, enthusiastically inviting him to dance, while he coldly refused…
The sight... Lin Su couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Zhou Yunqi glanced at her and asked, "Laughing so loudly, doesn't your stomach hurt anymore?"
Lin Su was embarrassed and stopped smiling, whispering, "It doesn't hurt anymore."
"Come with me to the sugar factory after breakfast tomorrow to help organize the documents."
"Oh, okay."
...
A note from the author:
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Second update tonight~~
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