Secretary Zhang is a rigid woman nearing retirement. Her work ability is unquestionable, but she has a stubborn personality and a tendency to bully others because of her seniority in the government office. She doesn't show much respect to Lu Di.
Qin Xiaoyu initially had some concerns. Being alone with a man and a woman, and with their journey involving visiting over a dozen cities and long distances, it might not be very convenient. Lu Di had also suggested that they visit two places together first, and if she was too busy with work, they wouldn't need to continue.
This is a good way to give her a way out.
However, after traveling through the city, Qin Xiaoyu discovered that going out with Lu Di was not inconvenient at all.
This person is probably the legendary workaholic.
In Qin Xiaoyu's opinion, he could work himself to death.
Furthermore, in his view, people in this world are not divided into men and women, but into capable people and useless people.
Qin Xiaoyu was fortunate enough to be seen as the former in his eyes, and therefore received his utmost respect.
Wherever he went, he went straight to struggling businesses, refusing to eat the meals offered to him, no matter how much the people receiving him tried to persuade him with smiles and pleasantries.
"With this entertainment budget, give some money to employees in need, don't waste it on this useless thing!" He showed no mercy when he scolded people.
Before leaving, Factory Director Xie reminded Qin Xiaoyu that these days, when leaders take the factory director on inspections, it's mostly because they want the factory to subsidize their travel expenses. Since Lu Di refused to accept the company's invitation to dinner, Qin Xiaoyu should be sensible and pay for it herself.
Unexpectedly, Lu Di led them directly to a roadside stall.
The weather suddenly changed these past two days, and even the wind was chilly. They each got a bowl of wontons.
A gust of wind blew by, and a layer of fine sand floated on the surface of the wonton soup.
Qin Xiaoyu hurriedly scooped it up with her spoon. Sister Zhang, who was sitting opposite her, looked up at her with a half-smile, which was quite meaningful.
"Boss, I'm still hungry." Xiao Lu was really hungry. He wolfed down his wontons and pushed his rice bowl away as he cried out.
"Drink the soup," Lu Di said without looking up.
Qin Xiaoyu almost choked to death.
"Damn it!" Xiao Lu cursed and got up to smoke. Qin Xiaoyu saw that someone had given him a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes when he was at the factory.
“Don’t accept their things again. If I see you doing it again, you’re going back to the motorcade,” Lu Di said without looking up.
"Heh." Xiao Lu stubbed out his cigarette and threw it on the ground, stomped on it a few times, and swaggered over.
Lu Di was still focused on dealing with the wontons in his bowl.
"Xiao Lu, go back to the car after you're done eating. It's windy outside." Sister Zhang, being a seasoned veteran, sensed the awkward atmosphere and immediately came over to smooth things over.
“My old man once said that if some people don’t know what’s good for them, just tell them that he can make one phone call and make them get lost.” Xiao Lu stood provocatively behind Lu Di.
"Then tell him to make the call quickly, why wait?" Lu Di finished the last mouthful of soup.
Qin Xiaoyu still had two-thirds of her food in her bowl. She simply couldn't get over the feeling of eating sand; every bite was crunchy and unpleasant.
Everyone was so frugal that she felt bad about wasting money, but now that the situation was tense, she thought it was a good opportunity to take advantage of the chaos.
"Let's go back, it's too cold." Qin Xiaoyu stood up abruptly and pulled her trench coat tighter.
The two men were at loggerheads, and it was just the right time for a woman like her to speak up.
She is gentle and delicate, beautiful, and speaks sweetly.
Like a gentle spring breeze and nourishing rain.
Xiao Lu is a toad trying to eat swan meat; he'd already given Qin Xiaoyu plenty of hints. But Qin Xiaoyu was giving Lu Di face and didn't openly sever ties.
Now that Qin Xiaoyu had spoken, he immediately softened and said with a grin, "Factory Director Qin, are you cold? Let's go."
Qin Xiaoyu was worried that they would make noise if they got in the car, so she sat in the passenger seat, which was usually Lu Di's seat.
Needless to say, the guesthouse was the most dilapidated, with drafts coming from all the windows.
Having stayed in places like this before when visiting farms, Qin Xiaoyu was mentally prepared when she left home, bringing a blanket as a precaution against her worn-out, yellowed sheets.
Sister Zhang was much more efficient than her; she pulled the blanket over, shook it a few times, and then crawled into bed.
Qin Xiaoyu struggled for a long time but couldn't lie down, so she sat up and leaned against the headboard, her eyes open as she thought about the factory she had visited during the day.
The factory I visited during the day produces spare parts. It has hundreds of employees, including retirees, and they are already struggling to make ends meet.
It seems that the harsh winter has quietly arrived for the heavy industrial base of Northeast China.
"Xiao Qin, are you asleep?" Xiao Lu knocked on the door from outside.
"What is it?" Qin Xiaoyu couldn't pretend to be asleep; Sister Zhang was watching.
"You're still hungry, shall I take you out to get something to eat?"
"Thank you, but I'm not hungry. I'm going to sleep." Qin Xiaoyu declined directly.
Sister Zhang rolled over, turning her back to the door. Qin Xiaoyu gritted her teeth and lay down as well.
Whether it was from the unclean wontons she ate or from catching a cold, her stomach started to ache more and more. The thought of the stinking restroom at the end of the corridor filled Qin Xiaoyu with despair.
But no matter what, she still had to go. She heard Sister Zhang already snoring softly, so she tiptoed out of bed.
After leaving the bathroom, Qin Xiaoyu went to the washroom to wash her face. The icy water washed away the last bit of sleepiness she had.
"Xiao Qin is still awake." Lu Di walked in carrying a large enamel mug filled with strong tea.
"Don't drink tea at night, it will make you have trouble sleeping," Qin Xiaoyu couldn't help but remind her.
"I'm used to it. There's still so much work to do, and I'm relying on it to prop up my eyelids," Lu Di said, rubbing his red and swollen eyes.
"Get some rest, goodnight." Qin Xiaoyu walked past him.
"Xiao Qin, we're going to a clothing factory tomorrow, so be careful. Also, it's best to bring a notebook to write things down. Some details can't be remembered just by thinking about them; it'll be troublesome to organize them later." Lu Di was still giving instructions at this late hour.
"Okay." Qin Xiaoyu felt like a student who had skipped class and been caught by the teacher.
She slunk towards the room, only to find Xiao Lu standing at the door, leaning against it, squinting at them as if he had discovered something extraordinary.
Qin Xiaoyu dared to come out, so she wasn't afraid of gossip. She walked past Xiao Lu with her head held high, not even glancing at him.
Qin Xiaoyu was very satisfied with the garment factory she visited the next day. Although the machines were old, the factory buildings were good, and there were many skilled young and middle-aged workers, which were all potential assets.
The factory manager was a very down-to-earth middle-aged woman who insisted on taking them to the canteen at noon. Upon seeing the radish soup on the table, Lu Di immediately sat down.
Qin Xiaoyu finally had a full meal. She didn't care about the quality, but she did care about hygiene.
She finished the entire bowl of soup, a few beads of sweat appearing on the tip of her nose, her face beaming with satisfaction.
“I thought Xiao Qin was a picky eater, but this is not bad at all.” Lu Di smiled as he looked at her.
"Those who are picky eaters are just not hungry enough," Qin Xiaoyu said with a smile, sticking out her tongue.
"Director Qin is truly kind," the factory director said with a smile.
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