Village chief: ...This old geezer.
Then, with a loving expression, he looked at Gu An'an and asked, "An'an, are you tired? Are you hungry? How about we go to a state-run restaurant for a meal before going back?"
"No need, we ate in the car, we're not hungry."
The village chief had no choice but to comply, thinking to himself that his own people were the most considerate and understanding; if it were any other educated youth, they would have been eager to fleece them.
"Sister An'an."
Seeing that Gu An'an was about to leave, Mu Ling was very reluctant to part with her, but her parents were both in Shuangshan City, so they would definitely have to go their separate ways.
"Come visit Xiaowang Village sometime, I'll take you up the mountain."
Mu Ling had heard a lot about mountain climbing along the way, and now that she was curious, she was naturally willing to accept Gu An'an's invitation.
"Comrade Gu, why don't you come over and have some time at my place before you leave?"
Grandpa Mu also liked Gu An'an, this beautiful and sensible girl, and extended a warm invitation.
"We have things to do when we get back, so we won't bother you any longer."
Besides, if she came to the old man's house right after saving him, people who didn't know better would think she was there to ask for something in return.
As for whether we'll have a chance in the future, we'll have to wait and see.
Not only did the village send tractors, but the garment factory also sent a vehicle to pick people up.
"Brother, how about letting An'an ride in our car?"
The jeeps for the garment factory were definitely better than the tractors from the village. The village chief was actually a little hesitant, but Gu An'an didn't care.
"Uncle, I'll just take the tractor."
Knowing that she was a woman of her own mind, Xiao's father didn't press the matter any further, and the two cars drove one after the other toward the Red Flag Commune.
Upon arriving at the commune, the village chief drove the car directly to the commune government office building.
As soon as she arrived at the entrance, Gu An'an saw a banner hanging there, which read: "Warmly celebrate the garment factory and Xiaowang Village, representing the Red Flag Commune, securing a foreign trade order worth 4.23 million US dollars!"
Originally, Secretary Liu wanted to write that Gu An'an led the team to win an order worth XX million US dollars, but then he was afraid that such a banner would cause trouble for Gu An'an, so he changed it slightly.
Those in the know understand that the new designs for the garment factory were created by Gu An'an, and Xiao Wang Village was built up by Gu An'an herself. This way of writing it makes it seem more low-key and understated.
"Gu Zhiqing, Comrade Xiao, and all the comrades who went to Guangzhou to participate in the exhibition, thank you for your hard work."
As soon as everyone got out of the car, Secretary Liu bowed to them, which startled the group, who quickly told him not to do that.
When Secretary Liu looked up, everyone noticed his slightly moist eyes.
It's not hard to understand. Although Shuangshan City is rich in resources and relies on its mountainous terrain, its overall economic strength is actually quite average, not to mention the Hongqi Commune.
The commune members were able to eat their fill entirely thanks to this land. Other supplies that required ration coupons were hard to obtain, and the commune's factories could hardly compete with factories outside the commune.
Of course, in the past, he only thought about keeping the commune members from starving to death. As long as they were alive, everything was fine.
In just six months, the commune became better and better, so good that it could earn money from foreigners. It was hard for him not to be excited.
Not only him, but also those around him, especially Qin Rui, who was almost in tears.
"Gu Zhiqing, you're amazing."
"Yes, you guys are awesome!"
"Everyone should receive one; let's crown our heroes with flowers."
At Secretary Liu's shout, a group of comrades rushed out from behind, each holding a big red flower, and put it on them without saying a word.
Gu An'an: ...It was quite sudden.
Before anyone knew it, a large crowd of onlookers had gathered around, and when they saw the big red flowers on their heads, they burst into applause.
In the past, Gu An'an would have definitely turned around and left; this is just too ruthless.
But now, seeing the genuine pride and joy in their eyes, I suddenly felt that nothing had happened, and I was genuinely happy.
After the ceremony, Gu An'an and her group went inside for a brief meeting, mainly to discuss the future arrangements for Xiaowang Village and the garment factory.
After the discussion, the garment factory had to expand its production line and build a new factory. All the procedures were handled by the commune, and the garment factory only needed to focus on production.
Needless to say, Xiaowang Village has not only established bamboo product processing workshops, but also expanded the storage and office space for the economic cooperative, which is now thriving.
"I have only one point: no matter what difficulties we encounter, we can ask me for help. If I can solve it, I will do it directly. If I can't solve it, I will report it to higher authorities and try every means to get it done."
He spoke with great confidence, knowing that after Gu An'an and her team's achievements were reported back, he was summoned by his superiors for numerous talks, the core of which was what he was conveying.
It's fair to say that he now has powerful backers.
After the meeting, Secretary Liu prepared a table for them at the commune canteen, and they were allowed to leave only after they had eaten and drunk their fill.
Gu An'an thought that would be enough, but when they saw the dense crowd of people before their car even reached Xiaowang Village, she realized that she had underestimated the situation.
"They're here! They're here!"
"Quickly! Get ready! Welcome our hero home!"
"Welcome home, hero!"
The village chief's wife would shout something, and everyone else would echo it, their faces beaming with smiles.
Wang Xiaojuan and Wang Wende automatically slowed down and followed behind Gu An'an. They knew very well that this was a welcoming ceremony arranged by the villagers for Gu An'an, and they were just supporting characters. Of course, they couldn't steal Gu An'an's thunder.
"Village chief, what's going on? Didn't you say the village was very busy?"
The village chief was very satisfied with everything before him. "I've been quite busy lately, but I won't miss a moment no matter how busy I am."
Someone overheard their conversation and quickly said, "Yes, there will be plenty of opportunities to get busy, but we have to wait for you today."
"Yes! Gu Zhiqing, you sold so many things for our village. Our lives are finally going to get better this year. We are so happy."
A boy of about ten years old started wailing, "Grandpa, if you had died two years later, you would have seen the changes in our village. But don't worry, your grandson will enjoy himself here for you."
Gu An'an: ...You really are your grandfather's good grandson.
Once everyone had arrived, the crowd wasn't in a hurry to disperse. They chattered about interesting stories from Guangzhou, but Gu An'an only gave a few before becoming too lazy to continue, which gave Wang Xiaojuan and Wang Wende an opportunity.
They used to be quite shy, but after meeting the foreign businessmen and putting on a great show for them, they suddenly became much more open-minded and their stories were full of twists and turns, captivating the audience.
"An'an, let's go home."
Zhou Yue and Zhao Hu had been back for more than half a month. Seeing that everyone's attention was drawn to Wang Xiaojuan and Zhao Hu, they quickly pulled Gu An'an away.
"How was your trip?"
Zhou Yue and Zhao Hu exchanged a glance and nodded, saying, "Not bad. Although it can't compare to your record, we still managed to play a small role."
Zhou Yue said something, and Zhao Hu nodded every time. With that sticky look in his eyes, Gu An'an immediately sensed something was wrong.
“You are not quite the same as before I left.”
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