Chapter 119
Zhao Xianzhi and the others who were sitting up immediately: "Captain, you are back. I heard that you went to buy clothes. What did you buy? Let us see."
It was impossible not to look at it. Xia Juhua took out the clothes and was forced to change into them in front of everyone, which stunned everyone. The first person to react was Zhao Xianzhi: "Captain, your clothes are worth buying. How much are they? I will buy one tomorrow."
"How do you know whether it's worth it when you don't even know how much it costs?" Xia Juhua was really impressed by her.
Zhao Xianzhi had a good reason: "No matter how much it costs, it's worth it as long as you look good in it, Captain. My dear, who would have thought that you are almost fifty years old when you wear this."
Can he speak? Xia Juhua, who often forgets her own age, couldn't help but glare at Zhao Xianzhi, and found that she was covering her mouth and blinking her eyes as if begging for mercy.
What else could Xia Juhua do about the editorial team leader she had chosen? She had no choice but to tell her, "Two sets cost thirty-eight in total. Would you like to buy them tomorrow?"
"Two sets cost thirty-eight. We can buy cloth and make four sets ourselves." Zhao Xianzhi figured out the cost immediately and said distressedly, "Captain, you should wait until you come back from the Expo and lend me the clothes as a sample. I will ask my sister-in-law to make one for me."
Everyone was amused by the fickle Zhao Xianzhi and put aside their worries about Xia Juhua going on a long journey.
There is really nothing to worry about - in the eyes of the people in Ping'an Village, Xia Juhua is almost omnipotent. They think that there is nothing that Xia Juhua cannot do. If they are worried about other people going out, how can they be worried about Xia Juhua going out?
This time, Xia Juhua first took a car from the county town to Chengping District, and was picked up by Director Zheng. That day, the two of them took a train to the provincial capital. It was funny to say that Xia Juhua had only seen trains on TV in her previous life, and this was the first time she had ridden one in two lifetimes.
Seeing that she was looking out the window, Director Zheng was afraid that she might get carsick, so he asked, "Captain Xia, are you dizzy?"
Xia Juhua shook her head and said, "No."
"I'm glad you're not motion sick. We still have to take a train for more than two days from the provincial capital to Guangzhou. It would be very painful if we get motion sickness." Director Zheng felt very fortunate: people who have never taken a train before will easily get motion sickness if they look out the window for a long time. Xia Juhua didn't get motion sick even after looking out the window for a long time, so she should be fine after sitting for two more days.
Sometimes people really shouldn't celebrate too early. After the success in Yangcheng, Director Zheng felt the same way when he saw Xia Juhua vomiting all over the place: She didn't feel dizzy when sitting at the beginning, so why did she feel dizzy again later?
Xia Juhua didn't bother to explain to him that she got motion sickness because there were too many people on the train and there was no place to sit down if she stood up, and the air was too turbid. Plus, she was always worried about the money in her pocket, so she didn't sleep much during the two days on the train. It would be strange if she didn't get motion sickness.
Now Xia Juhua felt as if she was about to vomit out all her internal organs. She felt a sour feeling in her throat that made her vomit again and again. Her mind seemed to be not her own, and she felt as if she was still sitting in the car. She was squatting on the ground, but her body felt like it was still shaking.
"Chief Zheng, I think we should send Captain Xia to the hospital." The people who were traveling with him looked at Xia Juhua's pale face and suggested to Director Zheng with some concern. In their hearts, they also felt a little disgusted with Xia Juhua, and couldn't understand why the leader had to let such a rural woman go to the expo.
Look, he exhausted himself to the point of being unable to stand up when he just arrived, and he kept vomiting in front of so many people. If people knew that he was from L Province, wouldn't that bring discredit to the province?
What can we do by letting someone who has brought discredit to the province come to the expo?
After hearing this, Chief Zheng thought that there was a solution, so he asked, "Captain Xia, how about I take you to the hospital?"
Xia Juhua had already vomited all the way, so she stood up and waved her hands: "No, I'm much better now."
If her face wasn't so pale and her body wasn't shaking, Section Chief Zheng would have believed what Xia Juhua said: "No, I see you can't even stand steadily, let's go to the hospital."
Xia Juhua insisted on not going to the hospital. She thought that there was no point in going to the hospital if she was carsick. It would be better to lie down and take a nap.
Section Chief Zheng had experienced her stubbornness when he was the director of the regional supply and marketing cooperative. Now he did not argue with her. He picked up the bag that was obviously used by farmers for her and reached out to help Xia Juhua walk.
Xia Juhua, who had just vomited, felt that she was still holding her breath in her chest and throat. She stood up and took two deep breaths before she felt relieved. Looking at the mess on the ground, she rejected Section Chief Zheng's suggestion to leave immediately. "Section Chief Zheng," Xia Juhua called out like everyone else, "I have to get someone to clean up here, otherwise if someone steps on it?"
"There are cleaners in the station." The person who first suggested that Section Chief Zheng take Xia Juhua to the hospital said somewhat dissatisfiedly, "That's what they do. They'll clean up when they see it."
Xia Juhua glanced at the man and said nothing, her eyes already roaming around looking for a broom. When she finally borrowed a broom from an old lady who was cleaning the toilet, she found that who came with her, except Section Chief Zheng, stood far away with a look of disgust everyone on their faces, and kept fanning themselves with their hands, as if they were afraid of being choked by the smoke.
This is human nature. Xia Juhua felt that the other person had done nothing wrong, so she walked over, bowed her head and said sorry to everyone. Without caring about the expressions on their faces after hearing her apology, she poured half a dustpan of soil that she had just brought with her on the vomit, and then swept the matter into the dustpan with a broom.
The old lady who lent Xia Juhua the broom had been following her. When she saw her cleaning up the vomit by herself, she said a lot of things to Xia Juhua. Unfortunately, Xia Juhua didn't understand a word. When she borrowed the broom just now, the two of them talked and gestured for a long time before they understood each other. Now that the old lady spoke Cantonese, Xia Juhua was confused again.
"She told you to just leave it to her and sweep it." Someone who knew Cantonese hesitated for a moment and then began to translate for Xia Juhua.
Xia Juhua smiled gratefully at the man, and then gave the old lady an even bigger smile: "I made it dirty, so I should clean it up." The person traveling with her translated her words to the old lady.
The old lady spoke to Xia Juhua with gestures and gave her a thumbs up, but Xia Juhua didn't take it seriously and insisted on cleaning up the vomit before returning the broom and dustpan to her.
Not to mention, after this interruption, Xia Juhua felt less dizzy and had some strength, so she wanted to take the bag from Section Chief Zheng and carry it herself. Section Chief Zheng did not let her, thinking that as a grown man and younger than Xia Juhua, it was his duty to carry her bag when they were out.
As the two were pushing each other, a strange voice interrupted: "Excuse me, Lei Hou, I am Ji De from Yangcheng Daily..."
There were a few words in it that Xia Juhua could understand, thanks to watching the Spring Festival Gala in her previous life. In some years, singers from Hong Kong participated in the show, and the host spoke this kind of half-baked Mandarin when interviewing them.
But that was only limited to a few words. If there were more words put together, Xia Juhua really couldn't understand much. She looked at the person in front of her with a confused look on her face as his mouth opened and closed.
Fortunately, the colleague who knew Cantonese was shocked and stepped forward to help Xia Juhua translated again: "Captain Xia, this person said he was a reporter from Yangcheng Daily. He just saw you clean up the floor after vomiting. He wanted to interview you why you did that."
The reporter is just sitting around doing nothing, right? Xia Juhua had this thought in her mind, but she still put on a smile: "Isn't it normal for you to clean up the place you made yourself? What's there to interview about?"
It took Xia Juhua a lot of effort to listen to the reporter, but the reporter could understand what Xia Juhua said - the accents in northern provinces are mostly close to Mandarin, so it doesn't take much effort to listen to them.
This time the reporter did not speak to Xia Juhua, but to the companion who could understand Cantonese. The companion said, "The reporter asked, do you know that there are cleaning staff at the station? It is their responsibility to clean the station. Besides, you did not dirty the floor on purpose, so why did you clean it yourself? He also asked why we came to Guangzhou now."
Okay, reporters always have a unique perspective. Xia Juhua put away the smile on her face and said to the reporter seriously: "There is no right or wrong in anyone's work. I vomited on the floor and caused trouble for the staff. I should be the one to solve the problem myself, not increase their workload."
"We are here to attend the expo in Guangzhou, which is a beautiful city. I don't want this beautiful city to become dirty because of my behavior."
Xia Juhua admitted that she had somewhat hit the mark, but if she didn't say so, she was afraid that she would not be able to get rid of the reporter with strange ideas in front of her.
Unexpectedly, after hearing this, the reporter gave Xia Juhua a thumbs up, praised her for her good words, and said that it was no wonder that she was able to attend the Expo, and that this awareness was enough. After that, he insisted that Xia Juhua pick up the broom and dustpan again and take a photo of her.
"Because of the Expo, we are carrying out a national hygiene campaign in Guangzhou. However, the station area has too many people, and some people are not aware of it and litter everywhere. So our newspaper, according to the leadership's request, wants to expose those litterers, but I didn't expect to see you take the initiative to clean up. I think your behavior will be more inspiring if it is reported."
The reporter saw that Xia Juhua was reluctant to cooperate, so he asked the person traveling with him to translate the situation to Xia Juhua. Only then did Xia Juhua understand that she had become a positive example by running thousands of miles.
This was not the first time that she had been in the newspaper, so Xia Juhua cooperated with the reporter to take a photo. She thanked the old lady who had borrowed her broom again, and then went to the guesthouse arranged by the expo with Director Zheng and others.
Because Xia Juhua was the only female comrade from L Province attending the Expo, she was assigned a single room. Although it was a single room, there were two single beds, a small table facing the door, and a chair against the table.
"Captain Xia, you should take a rest first." Section Chief Zheng sent Xia Juhua to the door and let her rest first. Xia Juhua also felt that she urgently needed to sleep, so she didn't say hello to him and closed the door and fell on the bed.
Xia Juhua slept soundly and felt lost when she woke up. When she woke up, she realized that she was in Yangcheng, thousands of miles away from Ping'an Village.
In Guangzhou, where the spring breeze has not yet begun to blow, I wonder if there are those rare things of later generations?
Xia Juhua didn't rush to get up and wash, but counted the money she brought from home: this trip was a business trip, and she didn't have to spend any money along the way, so the five hundred yuan was still lying safely in her pocket.
That's right, before Xia Juhua left, she thought her destination was Guangzhou, so she brought some extra money without hesitation, thinking that in case Guangzhou already had those rare things, she would not be unable to buy them just by looking at them.
Just after counting the money, there was a knock on the door, and then the voice of Section Chief Zheng came: "Captain Xia, are you awake? Let's go eat something?" He came to call once at noon, but failed to wake him up. This time, the knock on the door was a little louder, thinking that he had to wake him up.
The leader of the team had to hold a meeting in the evening to arrange the tasks for setting up the exhibition stand tomorrow. If Xia Juhua did not attend, the leader would have opinions. Besides, Xia Juhua had not eaten much on the last day of the train ride, and had not eaten for lunch. If she did not get up to eat something, even the strongest person would not be able to bear it.
Fortunately, Xia Juhua responded this time: "Chief Zheng, wait a minute and I'll come find you."
Section Chief Zheng agreed and went back to his room to wait. It didn't take long for Xia Juhua to wash up. When the two of them came to the cafeteria, all the people from L Province who were attending the Expo had already arrived.
"How are you, Captain Xia? Are you feeling better?" The team leader who arrived in Yangcheng earlier than them, Deputy Director Gu of the Provincial Supply and Marketing Cooperative, asked Xia Juhua very kindly, making her feel a little embarrassed:
"Report to the leader, I have rested."
"That's good. You will have to oversee the layout of your Ping An Village exhibition stand." Deputy Director Gu nodded with a smile and asked Xia Juhua and the others to eat quickly.
Time was tight and the task was heavy, so everyone ate quickly. No one savored the flavor of Guangzhou and the difference between it and their hometown. Xia Juhua was thinking about what Deputy Director Gu had just said about the Ping An Village booth, so she ate absent-mindedly. After finishing her meal in a hurry, she followed everyone to Deputy Director Gu's room to listen to his detailed assignment of tasks.
Although there were more than 20 people from L Province, only 17 of them could enter the venue. They had to set up six booths, which was a huge task. Fortunately, Xia Juhua was very experienced in displaying her own products. She finished the work in less than three hours and was able to help others from time to time. Those who had some complaints about her participating in the expo now called her "Sister Xia" in a very friendly way.
"I think the Ping An Zhuang booth can be moved forward." After everyone finished setting up the booth, Deputy Director Gu came to inspect it and found that the exhibits of the province were mostly local specialties. There were many varieties, but they looked a bit gray and not as bright as the colorful woven products of Ping An Zhuang, so he made such a suggestion.
But many people disagreed. They thought that compared with other exhibits, the things in Ping An Village were not suitable for eating or drinking. The reed mats in there were still useful, but what were the other things for? Giving them a separate exhibition stand would already squeeze out the space of other local specialties, and putting them in the most conspicuous position would make people feel that they were being coveted.
Xia Juhua said nothing. She put things wherever she was told to. She had just looked at the booth of the neighboring province. They were indeed all food and drink. Compared with those, the fabrics specially woven by Pingan Village for decoration did look a bit different.
It can only be said that the difference in times has caused people today to pay more attention to practicality and ignore spiritual needs - when most people are still struggling to fill their stomachs, how many people pay attention to optimization and beautification?
However, Xia Juhua disagreed with their opinion in her heart. Not only was she confident because of the news she had heard in her previous life about small straw hats being sold overseas, but she was also confident because of the surge in orders for small baskets and roosters after the last expo.
She believed that as long as the textiles from Ping An Village could be displayed at the Expo, someone would see them. In front of a crowd of foodies, there would be buyers for the brightly colored and cute textiles. Her colleagues had forgotten that most of the people who came to the Expo were from friendly countries, and they would be willing to take the textiles with Chinese characteristics back as souvenirs.
While listening to everyone's different opinions, Deputy Director Gu was also observing Xia Juhua's reaction. He found that Xia Juhua seemed to have not heard anyone belittling Ping An Zhuang's textiles. He nodded in his heart and did not change his decision: "Chief Zheng, please work with Comrade Xia to put Ping An Zhuang's booth in the front."
The few people who were talking excitedly looked at Xia Juhua and Section Chief Zheng with changed eyes, and quietly stepped aside, without anyone helping. When the two finally moved the booth to the location designated by Deputy Director Gu, Section Chief Zheng said with some anger: "Captain Xia, you must introduce these textiles well tomorrow."
He couldn't help but get angry. Ping'anzhuang's textiles were the exhibits strongly promoted by the Chengping District Supply and Marketing Cooperative, and he had brought Xia Juhua to the expo. Those people looked down on Xia Juhua at first, but he thought they were superficial and didn't take it seriously.
But when Xia Juhua helped them, they called her "Big Sister Xia" affectionately and asked her to do all the hard work. When Xia Juhua needed help, they stood aside and watched the excitement. Aren't they afraid that Ping An Zhuang's textile orders would be too many and their exhibits would be outshined?
Just like the competition between the county supply and marketing cooperatives in a region, there is also competition between the regional supply and marketing cooperatives. Don't think that Chief Zheng can't see that these people want to embarrass Xia Juhua, which means they want to embarrass the Chengping Regional Supply and Marketing Cooperative!
For Zheng Miaochang, who had just been transferred to the regional supply and marketing cooperative and whose first task was to take Xia Juhua to the expo, anyone who had this idea was his opponent.
Defeating your opponents is the best way to improve yourself! Don't tell them that we are all from the same province. As long as there are more orders for products in Chengping area, these people will realize this after the expo.
Xia Juhua was not as angry as Section Chief Zheng. She said to him calmly, "Don't worry, I'm ready."
The word "ready" calmed Chief Zheng strangely. He felt that it was a little funny that he was so angry just now: he had been working for such a long time and had been transferred from the county supply and marketing cooperative to the regional supply and marketing cooperative. He had seen all kinds of storms, so why did he get so angry just because of a few looks from others?
In the final analysis, it was because he attached too much importance to this expo and wanted Ping An Zhuang's textile products to achieve better results - to be frank, Chief Zheng could be considered a mentor to Ping An Zhuang's textile products, so he naturally didn't want others to question his vision.
But look at Xia Juhua. She was the one who suffered, and she was the one who helped the ungrateful person out of kindness. Yet, she faced everything calmly and just said that she was ready. This shows that she has confidence in her product and does not take those people seriously.
Only those who are strong have the confidence to turn a deaf ear to a few tiny flies, right? Section Chief Zheng figured it out, and the angry tone in his voice disappeared: "Just prepare it. I will help you bring the reed skin over tomorrow and weave it on the spot for those international friends to see."
Although she didn't know why Section Chief Zheng's tone changed so much, Xia Juhua still nodded. She wasn't angry, she really wasn't angry. She had seen enough ungrateful people in her previous life, so she just ignored them. She had a good life this time, so do you think there are still ungrateful people? !
They all surround her, hoping to get some benefits from her, and dare not show her teeth.
The same goes for these people in front of me. They haven't seen my abilities yet, so they are naturally unwilling to accept it. When they want to be convinced, whether I am willing to accept it or not depends on Xia Juhua's mood.
Deputy Director Gu actually did not walk far - he had to observe the exhibits of other provinces and compare the strengths and weaknesses of Province L. Because he did not walk far, he saw everything that happened at his own province's booth.
At the meeting that evening, Deputy Director Gu mentioned it casually: "Everyone has worked very hard to set up the booths these days, and they were able to help each other complete the task. For example, Comrade Xia Juhua not only set up her own booth twice, but also helped other comrades, reflecting the spirit of teamwork. Her spirit is worth learning from for all of us. After returning to the provincial capital, the Provincial Supply and Marketing Cooperative will make specific commendations."
Leaders always speak in an artistic way. Praising is advocacy, while praising peers is criticism. So after hearing what Deputy Director Gu said, many people blushed and had to reflect on whether their behavior was inappropriate. Most of them were worried about the impression they left on their leaders and hoped to make up for it in time.
But until the opening of the expo, there was no chance to make up for it. Even when I wanted to say a few more words to Xia Juhua during the meal, Chief Zheng always intentionally or unintentionally changed the subject.
"Sister Xia, why did you bring these reed skins with you?" The companion who could speak Cantonese finally found an opportunity to talk to Xia Juhua, looking at the colorful reed skins in Xia Juhua's hand with some confusion.
"I think some people should be interested in how Ping'an Village's woven products are made. I'm not good at explaining it, so it's more convenient for me to weave it for them to see." Xia Juhua answered nonchalantly, sat on a chair that Section Chief Zheng brought for her, and slowly began to tidy up the reed skins.
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