On the way, Zhu Fanfan chatted with Uncle Niu the whole time. Uncle Niu was very easygoing with generous people and answered all her questions. By the time they arrived at their destination, Zhu Fanfan had already found out everything she wanted to know.
After joining the Green Leaf Brigade, Liu Zi took Zhu Fanfan to the brigade leader's house, where they unexpectedly ran into Dai Xinghuo. Dai Xinghuo happily asked, "Did you come to see me?"
Zhu Fanfan replied, "I heard there's a wild vegetable here that can keep you full, so I came to take a look."
Liu Zi spoke up: "This is our factory director's granddaughter, Zhu Fanfan. She heard that the wild vegetables and wild sheep here are very interesting, so she came here specifically to see them."
Zhu Fanfan chimed in, "I'm going back this afternoon. Sorry to bother you. I brought my own food. Could you please have the captain cook me a meal? Let's not waste the rest of the food, everyone can share it."
After saying that, he opened his suitcase. There were about three pounds of polished rice, five pounds of wheat flour, at least three pounds of pork belly, and a lot of fish and shrimp. Even if the whole family ate together, they might not be able to finish it. The brigade leader's eyes lit up with an alarming light when he saw the food.
Dai Xinghuo said directly, "I live here too, let's go to my house! I'll take you to the mountains to have some fun, I know this place well."
Such a sucker is hard to find. Grain is so precious, and it's all fine grain. My goodness, if I had known Zhu Fanfan was so generous, I would have begged and pleaded to invite her home. He was the one who guided her to be so interested in the mountain on the way. He should be credited for that. Besides, he grew up here and knows everything. He can introduce her to people.
The captain immediately said, "Fanfan is a guest of our family. Now that you've finished speaking, hurry home!"
These things are all for his family; they clearly want something from him. What is this kid doing causing trouble here? So what if he's the son of the commune director? Here, he's an elder and can lecture him.
Even after understanding the captain's threat, Dai Xinghuo still didn't give up: "Fanfan, our friendship started on the train. Let me tell you how amazing this place is, and I'll take you for a walk in the mountains. We can also have dinner at my house. That way, we can get to know each other first."
If the other person hadn't been a woman, he would have definitely put his arm around her and become sworn brothers. Although he was the son of the commune director, he hadn't eaten meat in a long time. He had no money or ration coupons to buy meat, and the animals in the mountains were too cunning to catch.
Zhu Fanfan looked at Liu Zi, who was also quite helpless. Dai Xinghuo was particularly thick-skinned, and he really had no choice: "Xingxing, this is our factory director's granddaughter. I promised him that I would take good care of Fanfan. I will take her to the mountain. I heard that you went to Beijing to inquire about information for your father and see if there are any suitable projects for us here. Have you reported to your father?"
Seeing that his sixth uncle was changing the subject, Dai Xinghuo said with dissatisfaction, "Sixth Uncle, that was official business, and it has already been reported. This is a private matter, and we can't mix them up. Zhu Fanfan and I are young people, and we can talk about it more easily."
Anyway, he had to get the meat. Zhu Fanfan also said he wanted to see if there were any medicinal herbs here. If there were, it would be a source of income for the brigade. They could exchange them for grain and meat from outside. He didn't want to eat wild vegetables every day. He felt like the word "wild vegetables" was written all over his face.
Zhu Fanfan said, "Thank you for your kindness. You told me the general location, and I'd like to go and explore the nearby mountains to see if there are any medicinal herbs. I'm with the wolf king, so there won't be any danger."
He then took out a bag that took up about a third of the box and said, “I brought you a gift. Didn’t you say you haven’t eaten meat in a long time? This is dried meat and some snacks. You can come to my grandfather’s house to visit me in the future. I’ll treat you to a state-run restaurant. My grandfather has moved. I’ll tell you the new address.”
She guessed she might run into Dai Xinghuo, so she prepared extra food. It's never a bad thing to be polite; she's very generous when she has plenty of things.
Dai Xinghuo's anger subsided a bit, and he smiled and said, "Let me take you up the mountain. Don't be fooled by the fact that all the houses here are built on the mountain and are not far apart. The place is very big, and you'll get lost if you don't have a guide."
Zhu Fanfan didn't mind: "Wolf King is a retired military dog, and my home is close to the military base. It is still undergoing training, so it won't get lost. I like to wander around by myself."
After Zhu Fanfan finished speaking, everyone in the room understood that he was the descendant of an official, and their attitude immediately became much more amiable.
Dai Xinghuo wasn't worried. After all, although the mountain was large, there were no large wild animals, and even small ones were scarce, not to mention poisonous snakes, insects, or ants. The only concern was getting lost.
The captain immediately said, "I'll have Liu Zi introduce you to our place. You can also go by yourself. The people in our brigade live quite far apart, so just call us if you need anything."
Dai Xinghuo added, "My home is nearby. I'll take you up the mountain. Sixth Uncle, you don't need to come along. Don't worry about me."
Zhu Fanfan also said, "Uncle Liu, I'm fine with the Wolf King."
Liu Zi instructed, "It's almost noon, remember to come back for lunch later, don't go too far."
Zhu Fanfan agreed and followed Dai Xinghuo and the wolf king away. Once they were out of sight, the captain asked, "Who is she?"
Liu Zi hurriedly explained, "Dad, she really is just the factory director's granddaughter. Her family spoils her and gives her whatever she wants. She probably heard from Xingxing that there are herbs here that can fill her stomach, so she was curious and wanted to come and see. The factory director said that there is a high-ranking official in the Zhu family, and she is the only heir of that family. There is no danger here, and the people are kind. She will be fine if she goes out."
The captain couldn't bear to look at his son: "You're a father now, be more mindful!"
There wasn't a kind person in their brigade. They were kind to him because he was one of their own. They weren't kind to outsiders at all. Otherwise, why would their village be completely unscathed when the Japanese pirates came, leaving nine out of ten houses empty? Zhu Fanfan was fine with Xing Xiaozi leading the way. Xing Xiaozi was much smarter than Sixth Son.
Liu Zi felt hurt: "Dad, don't underestimate me. I'm very capable at the factory, and everyone respects me a lot."
The team leader didn't say anything because you've met a fair and good factory manager. Otherwise, with that kind of temper, you'd be sold out and still be counting the money for the seller.
Zhu Fanfan and Dai Xinghuo, who had already walked a distance, chatted casually, mainly about the wild vegetables here. Zhu Fanfan wasn't very interested because all wild vegetables looked the same to her now. If she had to distinguish them, she would just say that this one was bigger and that one was smaller.
Dai Xinghuo was speechless: "You can't even tell the difference between wild vegetables, and you're telling me you came here specifically to find medicinal herbs? It would be more believable if you said you came specifically to find those people who were sent down to the countryside."
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