Chapter 52: The Person Taolin Village found is a Female Comrade

“The more you cling to her, the less she thinks of you. Didn’t you see it just now? When you ignored Comrade Qian, she actually looked a little unsettled.”

“Huh… yeah, now that you mention it, that did seem to be the case…”

Qiu Yinuo said, “Didn’t you want me to teach you how to chase after Comrade Qian?”

Qiu Qianjin looked like an eager student. “Sis, teach me quick!”

“When you can’t win someone over, you need to learn the art of being near yet far.”

“I already stay around her all the time and she doesn’t even notice me. If I distance myself even more, won’t she forget I exist after a few days?”

Qiu Yinuo shook her head. “Not likely. People remember the good and the bad in life, but they rarely remember what’s ordinary. And someone as chaotic as you? She’s probably never met another person like you in her life.”

 “…”

His sister’s words of comfort didn’t make him feel even a little happy.

“When something doesn’t work, you need to think from a different perspective,” Qiu Yinuo continued.

“Sis, the more you say, the more confused I get.”

“There’s an old saying: ‘It’s like climbing a mountain when a man chases a woman, but like pulling silk when a woman chases a man.’ So why not flip the game? Let her chase you. You’re easy to get, right? One step and she’s caught you.”

Qiu Qianjin pressed his lips together, looking at his sister with a serious expression. “Is this really how you change perspectives? Sis, are you sure you’re not just messing with me? You said I’m a mess, so why would she even like me?”

“And that’s the point. Learn a skill, make yourself better, and give her a reason to like you.”

“…”

Qiu Qianjin found himself falling silent more and more whenever he talked to his sister. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to respond—it was just that he had no idea how to.

The two of them made it home just before lunchtime. As soon as Qiu Yinuo thought of the tender roasted potatoes, her stomach began growling.

“Mom, is lunch ready?” Her voice arrived before she did.

Cheng Hongying came out of the kitchen. “You’re already a mother, and you still act like a child. Go wash your hands and check on the kids. Dabao’s been watching the door all morning waiting for you.”

Qiu Yinuo washed her hands, but instead of going to her room, she slipped into the kitchen and wheedled a roasted potato from her mom.

It was fluffy on the inside, with a slightly burnt, smoky crust—surprisingly delicious.

“Potatoes really taste best when roasted.”

“That’s enough, lunch is almost ready. Don’t keep Dabao waiting. He probably heard your voice already and is about to start fussing.”

Cheng Hongying glanced outside and happened to catch sight of Jinzi trudging in with a sulky face. She frowned instinctively. “What’s with that brat now?”

“What else could it be?”

“He’s hopeless. If he ever gets married, you and I will be shoved aside.”

“Alright, stop picking on him. He probably needs a few days to sulk. I don’t think he’ll be dumb enough to go bother her anytime soon.”

“Let’s hope so.”

Taking advantage of her mother’s distraction, Qiu Yinuo snuck another potato. “Mom, mash them later and mix in some green onions. It’ll taste even better.”

“You just know how to eat!”

 …

Meanwhile, back in Taolin Village, the villagers brought the disassembled parts to get a quote. Their first stop was the tractor factory.

Technician Xiao Wang stared at the parts for a long while before finally speaking, his quoted price making Village Head Lin break into a grin. “Compared to replacing the whole engine, this saves us a ton!”

But Xiao Wang hesitated and asked, “Can I ask—who did the disassembly?”

With just some light understanding, it would’ve been impossible to take apart these specific engine components so precisely… unless the person was a trained technician, just like him.

 “What’s wrong? Is something off?” Village Head Lin immediately mentioned that they had asked Qiu Yinuo for help, speaking cautiously and carefully, fearing that the other party might overthink it.

“Our village really can’t afford such a large sum to buy a new engine. We still need to save money for next year’s seeds and fertilizer. I hope you can understand.”

Xiao Wang wasn’t concerned about that. Instead, he asked what kind of person this Comrade Qiu was.

When he found out she was a female comrade who was self-taught, his curiosity instantly peaked.

“Actually, we don’t sell these parts individually. Unless it’s a large wholesale order—at least fifty units—we don’t sell them separately, so…”

Village Head Lin looked troubled. “What are we supposed to do then? The engine is too expensive, and our village can’t afford it. If the minimum order is fifty, we won’t be able to use the extra parts. It won’t make a difference in the price.”

“Xiao Wang, how about you report this to the higher-ups and ask for a little leeway?”

If it had been anyone else, Xiao Wang would have rejected the request without hesitation. But the man in front of him was the city official’s cousin—there was no way he could refuse to do him this favor.

“I’ll ask the factory director about it. If he says it’s okay, then there shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Alright, you go ask. I’ll be waiting in the village for your good news.”

After sending Village Head Lin off, Xiao Wang went to find the factory manager. But upon learning that he was away in the city for a meeting, he returned to the workshop.

At that moment, the workshop was in an uproar.

“What the hell is this? Secretary, I calculated everything down to the millimeter. Why is it still off? Doesn’t this mean a whole month’s research is wasted?”

Xiao Li held his head in frustration, arms full of data sheets and technical documents. The light in his eyes had dimmed.

“How many times has this happened just this month? We’re always just a hair off. Where exactly is the problem?”

Director Liu inspected the workshop, checked in with the workers, and finally identified the issue.

“Xiao Li, I’ve found the problem.”

Xiao Li immediately scrambled up from the floor. After one look at the data report, his expression darkened.

“How could you all make such a stupid mistake? Where’s the factory director? I need to talk to him. We agreed they would assign us a technical advisor, but the person still hasn’t shown up. If this continues, when will we ever make a breakthrough with our parts?”

Xiao Wang paused, then handed over the purchase order from Taolin Village to Director Liu.

“Director Liu, Xiao Li, have you heard about the issue with the tractor engine in Taolin Village?”

Xiao Li was taken aback. “Why bring that up all of a sudden?”

“Someone had already mentioned the tractor problem. They thought replacing the engine would be too expensive, so they had that Comrade Qiu take a look. This purchase order is what she wrote.”

Director Liu glanced at the purchase list.

“These parts were recommended by Comrade Qiu for Taolin Village to buy?”

“Yes!”

“So, she plans to replace the parts herself.”

“That’s right.”

“…”

Xiao Li couldn’t help but widen his eyes. Finding someone with technical skills these days was harder than reaching the sky.

He immediately asked, excited, “Can I go take a look?”

Director Liu nodded in agreement. “If she can really replace the engine, then she must know how to install it too. Our workshop happens to need a technical advisor. That way, we won’t have to waste time figuring out these issues ourselves.”

“Exactly. Then the two of us won’t have to be constantly pulled away to troubleshoot for others.”

As the two of them grew more and more enthusiastic, Xiao Wang reminded them, “The person Taolin Village found is a female comrade.”

“???”

“!!!”