After gathering, Yu Yao and Fang Qiaoqiao went to the truck number five that Master Liu had mentioned.
This is the smallest and most dilapidated of the five vehicles. The body is covered with scratches and mottled rust, indicating that it has been in use for more than ten years.
The truck bed is covered with a cloth to prevent the contents from getting wet in the rain.
The truck bed was filled with baskets and other miscellaneous items; it was cramped, stuffy, and poorly ventilated, and the ground was dirty.
Just as the two were about to climb up, they heard Zhou Qiang's voice.
Zhou Qiang glanced at the situation in the truck bed and said to Master Liu with a displeased look, "Master Liu, I asked you to arrange for people to ride in the truck, and this is how you arranged it? The comrades from the cannery workshop are here to assist us in our work. How can you give comrades from our brother workshop to sit in a place like this?"
Master Liu rubbed his hands together with a fawning expression: "Comrade Yu, Comrade Fang, it's my fault, I didn't arrange it well. I'll find you another place right away."
Fang Qiaoqiao and Yu Yao both knew what was going on, and since their master had a tough job, they didn't say anything more.
Zhou Qiang looked at Fang Qiaoqiao and said with a smile, "Comrade Fang, it was an oversight on the part of our purchasing department. Your vehicle is number three. By the way, I just heard Master Liu say that you were bringing bicycles?"
Fang Qiaoqiao winked at Yu Yao, feigning composure, and said, "That's true, but wasn't it rejected by Director Zhou?"
Zhou Qiang laughed and said, "It's all a misunderstanding, nothing like that. It's all Master Liu's fault for not explaining clearly. Luckily, I asked one more question, otherwise we would have made a mistake. Your bicycles are in the bike shed, right? Master Liu's bike will be passing by the bike shed in a little while, so ask him to stop and help you load your bikes onto the truck."
Just as Fang Qiaoqiao was about to agree, she saw Yu Yao shake her head slightly at her, and looked at Yu Yao in confusion.
Being able to bring a bicycle is certainly a good thing for her, but if someone like Zhou Qiang makes a big deal out of it, it could cause unnecessary trouble, so it's best not to take the risk.
Yu Yao said, "Director Zhou, this isn't right. After all, this truck belongs to the government. Using it to do favors for us under the guise of official business could lead to trouble if it gets out and people make a big deal out of it."
Upon hearing this, Fang Qiaoqiao immediately became alert.
This week, Qiang probably did this on purpose, trying to find something against her so he could complain about her to his brother-in-law.
Fortunately, Ayao was clever, otherwise she would have fallen into their trap.
Zhou Qiang's face stiffened.
Could the person Yu Yao was referring to be him?
Although he had this idea before, he didn't dare to now. He just wanted to flatter the factory manager's sister-in-law and had no other intentions.
Because of what happened before, Fang Qiaoqiao didn't believe him at all.
“Ah Yao is right, we can’t do something that makes us a mistake. Director Zhou, please don’t try to trap us. And don’t change seats, we’ll just take car number five.”
Zhou Qiang knew immediately that this was bad; his attempt to flatter had backfired.
We're currently in the process of selecting a purchasing manager. If this matter isn't handled well today, what if Fang Qiaoqiao tells the factory manager that he's been giving them a hard time, and the factory manager has a bad impression of him?
Zhou Qiang was extremely anxious and kept explaining to the two of them until his mouth was dry.
If you tell us not to bring it, we won't bring it; if you tell us to bring it, we'll bring it. That would make us lose face.
Fang Qiaoqiao rarely used her brother-in-law's status to act arrogantly, nor did she like to bully others, but this time someone used their status to pressure them.
She didn't mind using Zhou Qiang's power to her advantage; she absolutely couldn't let him off so easily.
"Comrade Yu, Comrade Fang, please take your bicycles with you, really." Zhou Qiang pleaded with them earnestly, almost kneeling down to them.
Fang Qiaoqiao pointed at him: "Didn't we make a mistake by bringing bicycles?"
Zhou Qiang immediately said, "You came back without taking a truck, how can that be considered a mistake? You've done us a great favor. The space you save can be used to load more goods."
Fang Qiaoqiao looked at Yu Yao, and Yu Yao nodded.
Making things difficult for Zhou Qiang was just a side effect; bringing the bicycle would also benefit them. As long as Zhou Qiang didn't cause trouble, it wasn't a big deal.
It's time to get going; there's no need to keep this up.
Fang Qiaoqiao coughed and said, "Everyone heard that. It was Director Zhou who urged us to bring our bicycles. It's our honor to save space for the organization."
After saying that, she said to Yu Yao, "Yao, let's go get the bicycles."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Qiang told Mr. Liu, "You don't need to push it. Mr. Liu, you'll be driving through the bike shed. When you get there, just stop for a bit."
Yu Yao and Fang Qiaoqiao looked at Master Liu, who nodded: "The convoy does indeed have to pass through the carport."
"Thank you very much, Director Zhou."
After Fang Qiaoqiao finished the pretense, she and Yu Yao got into the truck bed of vehicle number three.
Zhou Qiang stood behind them, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.
Between Yu Yao and Fang Qiaoqiao, Yu Yao was in control, and Fang Qiaoqiao listened to Yu Yao.
Thinking of this, Zhou Qiang couldn't help but feel a chill.
Who would have thought that Yu Yao, an ordinary military wife, would know the factory director's sister-in-law and have such a good relationship with her? She might even have met the factory director before.
If he had known she had such powerful connections, he would never have dared to cause her trouble.
Yu Yao had no idea that such a small thing had caused Zhou Qiang to overthink things.
She and Fang Qiaoqiao found vehicle number three and got into the truck bed.
Actually, five vehicles went this time, and there were only a dozen or so loading and unloading workers in the purchasing department. Including the passenger seat, there were plenty of empty seats.
Vehicle No. 3 is a Jiefang brand truck that was just purchased from the machinery factory this year. It has a large and well-ventilated space, and the environment is much better than that of Vehicle No. 5.
There were straw mats on the vehicle.
Yu Yao took two, one for herself and one for Fang Qiaoqiao.
Not long after they got on, the others got into the cars, and soon the convoy started moving slowly.
The driver of car number three was Mr. Liu. After the car stopped near the bike shed, he helped Yu Yao and Fang Qiaoqiao load their bicycles onto the car.
Yu Yao thanked Master Liu and got into the car with Fang Qiaoqiao.
The Hongxi Forest Farm we visited this time is quite far from the factory, as it's close to the mountains. It would take at least two hours to get there by bicycle.
On the way, Fang Qiaoqiao said, "Yu Yao, before we set off, I called my classmate at the call center. She said that the honey from the farm is ripe and we want her to exchange it for us with her share. It's enough for us to try it out in the early stages."
Fang Qiaoqiao mentioned that the educated youth on the farm could exchange a certain share for the crops they grew.
Yu Yao was worried about how to talk to the farm.
In this era, private property cannot be bought or sold, nor can it be purchased with money. In China's society, which is based on personal connections, having acquaintances is indeed very convenient.
"Qiaoqiao, thank you and your classmate for helping me a lot."
"No need to thank me. You're my friend, and my classmate is your classmate. We should help each other out."
"I've remembered this favor. If there's anything I can help you with in the future, please don't hesitate to ask."
Fang Qiaoqiao suddenly blushed and said shyly, "Ayao, I really do have something I'd like to ask you for help with."
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