Upon hearing the man call the girl "Jingru," Wang Dabao understood why the girl looked familiar.
Isn't this Qin Jingru, Qin Huairu's cousin? She's a country girl, so her clothes are a bit rustic, but her big, bright eyes are really endearing.
Qin Jingru was curiously looking at Wang Dabao and the motorcycle he was riding. These days, even bicycles were rare items, let alone motorcycles. There wasn't a single bicycle in the entire Qin Family Village.
Wang Dabao got off the motorcycle and casually took out a rope from the sidecar. He had been thinking of using it when he was smuggling rice and flour from the warehouse, but he never expected it to come in handy now.
Approaching Qin Jingru, he took one end of the rope from her hand and tied it to the one in his own hand.
"Don't worry, uncle, the motorcycle won't break."
As Wang Dabao spoke, he pulled Qin Jingru aside, saying, "Little sister, you can just stand here. Don't get bumped into."
Qin Jingru stared wide-eyed at Wang Dabao. His appearance and demeanor were those of a typical city cadre, especially since he was so young. Her brother-in-law, Jia Dongxu, was also from the city and worked at a large factory, but he was far inferior to the man in front of her.
"Oh dear, how can you do that, comrade?"
Qin Mancang, Qin Jingru's father, looked extremely apologetic.
Wang Dabao waved his hand, returned to the motorcycle, and tied the rope securely: "Uncle, it was nothing, just a small favor. Hold on from below, I'm going to start pulling you up."
After saying that, Wang Dabao got on the motorcycle, started it, and gently turned the throttle.
Two puppies were jumping around wildly in the sidecar, as if cheering each other on.
Soon, the cart was pulled out of the ditch by the motorcycle. Wang Dabao got off the motorcycle, untied the rope, and handed one end to Qin Jingru with a smile, "Alright, isn't it much faster than you two pulling it up?!"
Qin Jingru nodded repeatedly: "Boss, this must be a motorcycle!"
Seeing Wang Dabao nod with a smile, Qin Huairu's eyes were full of stars as she stared intently at the two little ones in the sidecar.
After Qin Mancang finished setting up the cart, he hurried over to express his gratitude: "Comrade leader, you have been a great help to us this time. If it weren't for you using this motorcycle to help pull it up, my son and I don't know how long we would have taken to get there."
"Uncle, you're too kind. It's nothing."
Wang Dabao smiled, took out a cigarette, and handed one to Qin Mancang. "Even if I didn't have this motorcycle, I would still get off and help you push it if I passed by."
Qin Mancang shook the mud off his handcart and wiped it on his clothes before reaching out to take the cigarette Wang Dabao offered. Although he didn't know the brand, he figured that someone with such a refined air, riding a big motorcycle, must smoke better cigarettes than the village chief.
"I feel really bad that my boss helped me out and even gave me such good cigarettes."
Qin Mancang awkwardly accepted the cigarette with both hands, then reached into his pocket to get a match to light Wang Dabao's cigarette, only to find it was wet, probably from the ditch water when he was pushing the cart.
Wang Dabao chuckled as he lit a cigarette for Qin Mancang.
"Boss, you've helped us a lot. There's nothing to thank us for. It's almost lunchtime, so please come to my house for a meal before you leave!" Old Qin said earnestly, taking a puff of his cigarette.
"Yes, we don't know how to thank you, so let's go grab a bite to eat," Qin Jingru said, blushing, a hint of anticipation in her eyes.
Wang Dabao initially wanted to refuse, but seeing Qin Jingru's shy appearance, he agreed, "I'll skip the meal. I'm thirsty anyway, I'll go get some water."
Wang Dabao insisted on not eating at Qin Mancang's house, firstly because he considered that no family was rich in food these days, and secondly because he really couldn't stomach their food.
Wang Dabao let Qin Jingru sit in the sidecar of the motorcycle, while she held the two little ones in her arms.
Along the way, Wang Dabao slowly drove the motorcycle in front, Qin Jingru pointed the way, and Qin Mancang followed behind pulling the cart.
Qin Jingru kept her head down, teasing the two little ones, occasionally stealing a glance at Wang Dabao, her heart pounding like a deer.
In her heart, the man before her was extraordinary. He was handsome, far more so than the ugly ducklings in the village. Moreover, he was kind-hearted and possessed an indescribable charm that deeply attracted her.
Qin Jingru is eighteen years old this year, which is considered an age for marriage in rural areas. Her cousin, Qin Huairu, married into the city at the age of eighteen.
The matchmakers in the surrounding villages all know about the sisters Qin Huairu and Qin Jingru. Now that Qin Huairu has married into the city, many people have their eyes on Qin Jingru. Since she is of marriageable age, many families have asked matchmakers to help them find a husband.
It can't be said that matchmakers wore down the threshold, but they certainly wore it down quite a few times, which shows how famous Qin Jingru's beauty was in the surrounding area.
But the more this happened, the more ambitious Qin Jingru became.
When the matchmaker came to their house to arrange a marriage, Qin Jingru refused to even meet the man, which greatly worried her parents.
The two elders knew what their daughter was thinking. She envied her cousin Qin Huairu for marrying into the city and living a good life. She also wanted to find someone from the city, but these days, it's rare for someone from the city to marry a girl from the countryside!
But Qin Jingru didn't care about all that and was determined to marry into the city.
Firstly, life as a farmer in the countryside was too hard; secondly, she didn't want to marry someone worse off than her cousin, Qin Huairu.
"Boss, is this big motorcycle yours?"
After stealing a few glances at Wang Dabao, Qin Jingru finally mustered up her courage and said, "I've never even ridden a bicycle before. I never thought I'd be riding a motorcycle. It feels so good to be sitting on it."
Qin Jingru is an eighteen-year-old girl, so it's understandable that she's vain; otherwise, she wouldn't yearn for city life.
She wanted to ask Wang Dabao what life was like in the city, but she didn't know how to bring it up.
"This motorcycle belongs to the factory. I work at Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, and I borrowed it from my supervisor."
Wang Dabao said casually, but he was already making plans in his mind. "Also, don't call me boss. I think you're not much younger than me. My name is Wang Dabao. You can call me Brother Dabao if you don't mind."
"My name is Qin Jingru, you can just call me Jingru, Brother Dabao."
Qin Jingru didn't expect Wang Dabao to be so easy to talk to. As for Wang Dabao saying that the motorcycle was borrowed, she automatically ignored it. What leader would be so easy to talk to, lending out a motorcycle just like that? She didn't believe it.
Immediately afterward, Qin Jingru realized, "Brother Dabao, you mean Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill?"
"Yeah," Wang Dabao thought to himself, "Here it comes."
"My brother-in-law seems to work in this factory too. His name is Jia Dongxu. Do you know him, Brother Dabao?"
Qin Jingru blinked her big eyes at Wang Dabao, as if afraid he would say he didn't recognize her.
Wang Dabao pretended to be taken aback: "Your brother-in-law is Jia Dongxu? Doesn't that mean your sister is Qin Huairu?"
"Brother Da Bao, do you know my sister?"
"We know each other, and we're quite familiar with each other!"
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