Seventies Women’s Director
Seventies Women’s Director: Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Director Zhao has a small radar

Zhao Ke and Zhao Feng ran around door-to-door yesterday, playing the role of annoying pests for half the night. They racked their brains to say nice things and completely exhausted their energy, only waking up at nine in the morning.

Feeling uncomfortably hungry, Zhao Ke sat on the bed to gather herself, hearing footsteps outside the door, pacing back and forth.

“Zhao Feng?”

The footsteps stopped, and Zhao Feng’s surprised voice called out, “Er Jie! You’re awake!”

Zhao Ke slipped on her cloth shoes, got out of bed, and opened the door.

Zhao Feng, accustomed to her disheveled “madwoman” appearance in the mornings, raised his hand. “I bought buns; they’re about to get cold.”

Zhao Ke let him in, tidied her hair, went to the communal washroom to freshen up, and then came back to eat the buns.

“I just ran into a Gege, very refined. Do you think it’s Master Yu’s son?”

It was possible.

Locals, even factory workers, generally had a simple and honest demeanor. For Zhao Feng to say this, the person’s temperament must have been quite distinctive.

Zhao Feng, with his jumpy train of thought, asked, “When are we going back?”

Zhao Ke chewed on her bun. “In the afternoon. Later, I’ll go to the state-run restaurant to order a few dishes. We’ll invite Master Yu and her son for lunch.”

By noon, Zhao Feng went specifically to the factory gate to meet up with Da Jie and Master Yu.

From a distance, Zhao Mian noticed that many coworkers greeted her younger brother, and her eyes felt a little sour.

Family was her eternal safe haven.

When Zhao Mian reached her brother’s side, amidst the comings and goings, she felt particularly at ease waiting for Master Yu with her.

Master Yu met up with the two. After a few polite refusals that didn’t hold, she agreed.

Zhao Ke waited at the entrance of the state-run restaurant and waved to the four of them from afar.

Master Yu introduced Zhao Ke to her son, Fang Xu.

Zhao Feng said excitedly, “So, the Gege I met this morning really was Master Yu’s son!”

Zhao Ke wasn’t surprised and casually replied with a smile, “What a coincidence.”

The state-run restaurant was just a small eatery with only four tables inside.

Zhao Ke guided them to sit by the window, took back the document from Master Yu, and learned that the factory complaint had been withdrawn. She expressed her gratitude once again with sincerity.

Master Yu said, “No need to be so polite; we’re not outsiders.”

Zhao Ke said matter-of-factly, “Even if we’re close, I can’t just take advantage without giving back.”

She was always like this—measured, never making those around her feel uncomfortable.

So when Zhao Ke inquired about the cost of the injections, Master Yu didn’t bother with polite formalities.

But Fang Xu, glancing instinctively at the quiet and smiling Zhao Mian, made a token refusal. “It wasn’t much.”

Zhao Ke’s radar instantly went off. Smiling, she said, “The money must be repaid.”

Zhao Mian spoke up, mentioning the cost of the injections and medicine from yesterday. “Before leaving the clinic, I asked the doctor. I didn’t have enough on me at the time and planned to pay today.”

“That works out perfectly.” Zhao Ke took the money from her bag and placed it in front of Fang Xu.

Fang Xu glanced at Zhao Mian again but didn’t refuse further and accepted it.

As they ate and chatted, Zhao Ke occasionally observed the two’s demeanor. Zhao Mian behaved normally, and Fang Xu showed no particularly noticeable signs.

Meanwhile, Zhao Feng focused entirely on his meal, carefree and oblivious.

In Li Village—

Li Dasheng didn’t come home again last night. Accountant Li and his wife were uneasy, arguing the whole night, and by morning wore sour expressions toward each other.

Team Leader Li received a message from his son, Li Dafu, brought back by someone. With a dark expression, he went to Accountant Li’s house and told them that Li Dasheng had ended up in jail.

Li Dasheng’s mother immediately began wailing, “Those wretched Zhao family members! They’ve harmed my son. I’ll fight them to the death!”

Accountant Li wasn’t as dramatic as her but looked equally hateful.

“Fight to the death? Do you even have any grounds? Would you really dare? Even if you dared to cause trouble, do you think the people of Zhao Village are just for show? If you go looking for trouble, do you think the Zhao family would let you off?”

Team Leader Li looked at the expressions on the couple’s faces, thoroughly annoyed. “Let’s be reasonable here. It was your son pestering Zhao Mian again yesterday that made her call the police.”

According to Li Dasheng’s mother, even if her son was pestering Zhao Mian, Zhao Mian should have endured it and not called the police. But she didn’t dare to say it out loud.

In the village, the Team Leader was like a local despot, his word almost always final and authoritative.

Now that he spoke with severity, Accountant Li and his wife didn’t dare to make a fuss.

Furthermore, Li Dafu had intentionally relayed the message about the coworkers’ change in attitude toward Zhao Mian that morning—it was thanks to Zhao Ke’s efforts behind the scenes.

Team Leader Li had already noticed yesterday that the girl from Zhao Village wasn’t someone easy to deal with.

He didn’t want to offend her, fearing it might affect his son’s factory job. What if his son lost his iron rice bowl?

So, he sternly rebuked Accountant Li and his wife: “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re scheming. You took one look and didn’t act early. Now that the Zhao girl’s become a worker, you want to bite off a piece of her. Don’t you have any conscience?”

“We’ve already paid compensation and signed the document. Why is my son still locked up?”  

Tears streamed down Li Dasheng’s mother’s face. She regretted it now, but it was too late.

She looked pitiful, but her actions had been far from deserving of sympathy.

Team Leader Li turned to Accountant Li and warned him, “Do you know what those signed documents mean? It means they’ve secured evidence against you. You better keep an eye on your son from now on. If they use those documents to file a report with the commune, it’ll definitely go through. You won’t be working as an accountant anymore, understand?”

Li Dasheng’s mother stopped crying abruptly, panic setting in. “Will they really report us?”  

If they lost their jobs too, their family would truly be finished.

Accountant Li grew nervous as well. “Team Leader, is there any way to talk to them and get them to promise not to report us?”  

“What can I do? This is the mess you brought on yourselves.”

In truth, Team Leader Li figured the Zhao family probably had some reservations as well. After all, the girl still had to work, live in the commune, and get married in the future.

But he couldn’t say this and give the Li family any confidence. Instead, he spoke harshly: “I’ll make some time to go to Zhao Village and have a word with their Team Leader. From now on, you should avoid the Zhao family. Don’t go looking for trouble and stirring up more resentment. If you provoke them again, even if they didn’t plan to go all the way, they might decide to report you after all.”

Hearing this, Accountant Li nodded and bowed repeatedly. “Yes, yes, yes. We’ll avoid them from now on.”

Having settled the matter, Team Leader Li prepared to leave.

Li Dasheng’s mother, her voice choked with tears, anxiously asked, “Team Leader, what about our Dasheng?”

“Don’t bother trying to get him out. Let him stay in there for a few days and learn his lesson.”  

With that, Team Leader Li left without looking back.

Without his help, the couple had no way out. But they couldn’t stop worrying about Li Dasheng and decided to go to the commune to check on him.

Their bicycle was gone, so they had to borrow an ox cart from the village.

Everyone in Li Village knew that Li Dasheng had been arrested, and they all avoided the couple, especially families with daughters. They were afraid of their daughters’ reputations being tarnished by association. When they saw the couple, they made detours.

Even the family they borrowed the cart from, which had daughters of their own, showed their disdain. Though they lent the cart, the women of the house made a racket while gathering the items, their attitude obviously impatient.

In the past, these people used to curry favor with their family. Now, things had completely changed…

The couple, Accountant Li and his wife, felt extremely embarrassed but still forced themselves to smile.

And things got even worse.

When they passed by Li Baoqiang’s house, Li Baoqiang’s mother was scolding her daughter-in-law: “Lazy donkey on the mill, can’t even lay an egg. Are you just going to eat without working?”

But as soon as she glanced at Accountant Li and his wife on the road, she immediately stopped scolding and rushed into the house.

Leaving her daughter-in-law alone, head down, silently increasing her effort to push the mill.

Li Dasheng’s mother was furious, “She deserves to be childless!”

She wanted to lash out at the ox, but Accountant Li stopped her, “If you break it, are you going to pay? Can you make the ox work? Is your ox worth more than a cow?”

The ox was collective property, and if anything happened to it, the whole Production Team would blame them.

Li Dasheng’s mother sat on the cart, crying about her “miserable fate,” but Accountant Li didn’t respond.

On the way, the couple ran into Zhao Ke and her younger brother, who were riding their bikes. They instinctively lowered their heads and turned their faces away.

Zhao Ke rode past without glancing sideways, and Zhao Feng followed her.

Li Dasheng’s mother watched as their bicycle disappeared into the distance, and suddenly cried even harder.

After Zhao Feng had ridden off, he turned his head and, eating the wind, said, “Are Li Dasheng’s parents going to see him? Will they try to find Big Sister?”

“They don’t dare.”

Under the old locust tree in Zhao Village—

The women were sitting together, gossiping about what happened when the Village Team Leader went to Li Village yesterday.

Aunt Dong clicked her tongue in admiration, “People with education handle things differently, they got so much money. Now, Yu Xiulan’s family is really turning things around.”

She spoke as if it were a good thing.

The women exchanged glances, and Aunt Sun said, “Zhao Ke and her brother went to the commune, not sure how Da Guniang is doing. I didn’t expect the Li family to be like this, they almost dragged my Dong Ni’er[1]妮[ni] – girl/phonetic in female names into the fire.”

Aunt Dong laughed heartily, “Who’d look at your Dong Ni’er? You’re taking it too seriously.”

She was straightforward, and sometimes her words hit a sore spot.

The two families were neighbors and had frequently quarreled over various matters.

Aunt Sun didn’t hold back, retorting, “Keep talking, and I’ll tear your mouth off.”

“Look at you, can’t take a joke,” Aunt Dong said with a disappointed look on her face.

Aunt Sun rolled her eyes.

Nearby, Changshan Saozi tried to mediate by changing the subject, “So, about that guarantee letter, does it work?”

When the Production Team members had disputes and reconciled, they had signed similar letters. The women were skeptical, wondering if it would really make a difference.

At that moment, Zhao Ke and Zhao Feng appeared at the village entrance on their bikes. Some of the women eyed their bikes, while others asked about the guarantee letter.

Zhao Ke casually explained to them.

As for whether it would work, she was blunt, saying, “These things are definitely better than nothing. Otherwise, you wouldn’t even have the right to argue your case.”

Upon hearing this, the women all nodded in agreement.

Zhao Ke had to go to the team committee to talk to the Village Team Leader, so after leaving the old locust tree, she separated from Zhao Feng at the crossroads.

At the yard’s well, two people were drawing water.

The young man, wearing only a coarse cloth vest in May, had muscular arms exposed. As he swung the handle, the muscles in his arms bulged.

Beside them, the girl with slightly darker skin shyly dared not look.

The young man deliberately left a little water at the bottom when pouring, and when he lifted the bucket, the water splashed onto his arm. Using the excuse that it was inconvenient to wipe it off, he asked the girl to help him.

The girl half-heartedly took out her handkerchief to wipe his arm, her movements very light.

The young man, feeling his arm itch, teased her, “Why are you touching me?”

“Who’s touching you?”

The girl, angry, raised her hand to hit him. After just two swipes, her hand was caught by a large hand, firmly gripping her palm.

She struggled with all her might but couldn’t break free, so she glared at the young man.

The young man didn’t let go, staring at her with a silly grin.

The two of them locked eyes, their gazes growing softer, and the girl finally, embarrassed, looked away, but she didn’t pull her hand back, allowing him to hold it.

The atmosphere grew increasingly flirtatious…

“Wang Si Ge, Dong Ni’er, you’re drawing water!”

A cheerful female voice suddenly interrupted. The two of them jumped, immediately pulling apart.

The young man, like a headless fly, glanced left and right. His gaze landed on the well, and he grabbed the handle, quickly turning it.

Meanwhile, Dong Ni’er tugged at her clothes, then touched her braids, her face turning from dark to red with embarrassment. “Oh~” she stomped her foot and hurriedly ran off.

“Hey—”

Zhao Ke, one hand on her bicycle, raised the other to call out to her, but Dong Ni’er was running too fast, and her figure was already gone.

Zhao Ke then turned to the other person present, asking with a puzzled expression, “Aren’t you two here to draw water together? Why didn’t she wait for you?”

The young man Zhao Ke called “Wang Si Ge” was Wang Xiangping.

Wang Xiangping immediately became flustered, quickly denying, “No, we didn’t come together.”

Is that so?

Zhao Ke raised an eyebrow and pointed to the empty bucket hanging on the well rope. “Si Ge, no water was drawn.”

Wang Xiangping only then noticed he had wound up with an empty bucket. He quickly let go and hurriedly picked up two full buckets of water from the ground, saying, “I’m done, I’ll go now.”

Zhao Ke watched his suspicious retreating figure, amused.

What’s so hard to admit about drawing water with a neighbor?

Clearly, something’s off…

References

References
1 妮[ni] – girl/phonetic in female names

EuphoriaT[Translator]

Certified member of the IIO(International Introverts Organization), PhD holder in Overthinking and Ghosting, Spokesperson for BOBAH(Benefits of Being a Homebody), Founder of SFA(Salted Fish Association), Brand Ambassador for Couch Potato fall line Pajama set.

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