Although she was a very good driver, she was still a girl, and she was always a little timid when driving on unfamiliar roads. But since Lu Di had already said so, she couldn't refuse, so she decided to take it one step at a time.
From another perspective, Director Lu really thinks highly of her; he probably treats her like a man.
Through this incident, Sister Zhang and Qin Xiaoyu's relationship progressed rapidly, and they quickly became friends.
"At first, I wondered who you were, so beautiful, a factory manager and running a specialty store. To be blunt, I wonder how many beds you slept with to get to this point," Sister Zhang said with a grin.
"Sister Zhang, please don't belittle me. I've worked my way up from the bottom, okay? I'm exhausted, but who would even notice?" Qin Xiaoyu pouted.
"That's just how the world is. When a man does something, it's because he's capable and competent. But if a woman does something, and she's even a little bit pretty, she's labeled a 'pretty face' and accused of being slept with by the boss. Who ever looks at your actual abilities?" Sister Zhang lamented.
"Judging from what Sister Zhang is saying, you've also suffered losses?" Qin Xiaoyu asked curiously.
“Let me tell you, back in the office, I was capable of handling things on my own. I started as a junior staff member, and I was the best at everything, from taking meeting minutes to submitting reports. But guess what? Everyone started saying something about me and the office director. After a while, things got out of hand, and my deadbeat husband threw a tantrum. In the end, I was relegated to this run-down place, the Policy Research Office. I accept it; I'll retire in a few years, so it doesn't matter.” Sister Zhang sighed heavily.
"No way, I think Sister Zhang is a good match for you. Why don't you come and help me after you retire, and make the most of your remaining energy? To be honest, with your abilities, it would be a waste for you to retire and go home to take care of your grandchildren."
"Look at what you're saying, I don't have that kind of skill at all," Sister Zhang said, but she was secretly pleased.
“I’m being serious, Sister Zhang, you know why Director Lu brought me out here. He’s truly dedicated to his work, wishing he could revitalize all those factories in a single day. He’s counting on me to save as many people as possible; I need a lot of talent.”
"This Director Lu, I can really tell, he's completely dedicated to his work and has no ulterior motives. You're pretty enough, but he doesn't treat you like a woman at all." Sister Zhang also has her gossipy side.
"Perhaps he suffered heartbreak." Qin Xiaoyu suddenly remembered something she had heard before; Lu Di was hurt badly enough.
“I heard that his ex-wife came back to see their daughter and said she wanted to take her to America. He disagreed, and his father-in-law sided with him and kicked his ex-wife out of the house.”
"It seems his ex-wife is at fault; even his father-in-law isn't on his daughter's side." Qin Xiaoyu felt a little sorry for Lu Di.
"Such a good man, it's such a pity that a woman ruined him. Hey, Xiaoyu, you said you have a boyfriend, is that true or not?" Sister Zhang started eyeing her again.
"Really, really! We're getting married soon!" Qin Xiaoyu exclaimed in surprise, quickly trying to deny it.
"Look at you, kid, you're really too silly. You're so pretty, you could just eat, drink and have fun every day, why do you still run around and suffer? You're not short of money, are you?"
"I don't lack money, but I think it's about the value of life." Qin Xiaoyu didn't want to say more. Seeing that she didn't move, Sister Zhang quickly started snoring.
Qin Xiaoyu couldn't sleep, trying to figure out where the money was going, the rental fees, and so on. She went through the accounts several times, but found that she was still short of money.
The next day, they were heading to another city, an eight-hour drive away. Before leaving, Qin Xiaoyu called A Lei, and upon hearing that she was coming home soon, A Lei was overjoyed, like a child.
Lu Di drove us out in the morning. His suggestion was to drive himself as much as possible, and let Qin Xiaoyu take over when he got tired.
Without Xiao Lu, the atmosphere among the three became more relaxed. Qin Xiaoyu and Sister Zhang chatted enthusiastically along the way, and although Lu Di didn't interrupt, a smile occasionally slipped out from his lips.
It had just rained, and the road conditions were terrible. There were no highways in the 1980s, and the intercity roads weren't in good condition either, with some sections riddled with potholes. It was past 1 p.m., and they still hadn't reached their planned town.
The Northeast is vast and sparsely populated. When Lu Di finally saw a village, he quickly pulled the car over to the side of the road. Getting a meal was the most important thing.
This is a small village with twenty or thirty households, their houses scattered here and there, not forming a continuous area.
"Why isn't the chimney smoking?" Qin Xiaoyu wondered.
"There's not much work to do in the fields at this time of year, and to save money, many families only eat two meals a day. If we come any later, we'll be ready for dinner," Sister Zhang said with a smile.
"Find the village chief's house?" Qin Xiaoyu had a sudden inspiration; the village chief's house always had food to eat.
A few dirty-faced children came running out with a stray dog. Qin Xiaoyu took out a few White Rabbit milk candies from her bag and walked over.
"Little friend, where does the village chief live?" She handed out candy to everyone.
“Go straight to the end of this road, and you'll reach the Great Black Gate.” A child tilted his head, looked at Qin Xiaoyu, and pouted.
"Thank you." Qin Xiaoyu straightened up, took a step forward, and stepped into the mud. She slid down and, if she hadn't grabbed the railing in time, would have fallen flat on her back.
The three carefully moved to the village chief's house, and looking through the fence, they saw that the house was also extremely poor.
The village chief glanced at Lu Di's letter of introduction and immediately became enthusiastic, urging the women to quickly start a fire and cook.
Lu Di understood that if he didn't eat his fill this meal, he didn't know when he would get his next meal, so he didn't refuse and just left some extra money when he left.
Qin Xiaoyu and Sister Zhang took two steps into the house, then stepped back. The house was too dirty; there was chicken droppings on the floor, and they couldn't even put their feet down.
The farm woman was capable; upon hearing that distinguished guests had arrived, she slaughtered a goose on the spot. Qin Xiaoyu was timid and couldn't bear the sight of blood, so she hid behind Sister Zhang, too afraid to look.
Seeing its companion killed, the other goose flew into a rage and pounced on them with its wings spread.
Qin Xiaoyu had heard of the geese's fighting prowess and screamed in fright. Suddenly, a tall man rushed over, grabbed the goose by the neck, and casually tossed it over the courtyard wall.
The big man glanced at Qin Xiaoyu with disdain, then turned around, picked up the carrying pole, and went to fetch water.
"Da Ya, go and herd the pigs back! This is my eldest daughter, she's a big, clumsy girl and doesn't like to study, don't bother with her." The village chief smiled and told them to come into the house.
They had no choice but to bite the bullet and go inside. Lu Di was already sitting cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed), and a large rooster was strutting around in front of him, making him feel uneasy.
The village chief grabbed the rooster by the wing and flew out the back window, thus averting the crisis.
The hygiene conditions were worrying, but Qin Xiaoyu was already full.
But a big pot of stewed goose and potatoes was really delicious. Qin Xiaoyu ate one and a half bowls of rice and couldn't sit still anymore. She got up from the table and went for a walk in the yard, because she would feel uncomfortable sitting in the car later.
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