Chapter 40.3: Director Zhao leads a team to the County Town

So, Zhao Ke and Zhao Mian walked in front, with four tall, strong young men following behind them, their faces devoid of any smiles.

It looked like they had four bodyguards with them.

Passersby couldn’t help but glance at them repeatedly, even taking a detour to avoid them.

But the more people stared, the more nervous Zhao Rui and the others became, their faces tightening even further, creating a vicious cycle.

Zhao Ke was utterly helpless.

Zhao Mian stifled a laugh and said to her younger sister, “When I came to the Commune for the first time, I wasn’t much better than them.”

Zhao Ke: You were still a bit stronger than them.

Zhao Mian changed the subject, “Poor home, rich road^[1]穷家富路 – Idiom: Be frugal at home but when travelling prepare to spend.. I got my wages, I’ll hand them over to you.”

Zhao Ke shook her head, “Already rich enough. If we get any richer, they’ll be on edge all the time.”

Zhao Mian couldn’t hold back her laughter.

When Zhao Ke brought four big men to knock on someone’s door, the coworker’s mother was startled, her panicked gaze flitting over them repeatedly.

Zhao Ke quickly explained her purpose. Zhao Feng grinned sheepishly and lifted two old hens for her to see.

When Zhao Mian, dressed in her bearing factory uniform, came out from behind the door, the coworker’s mother finally relaxed completely.

Initially, she had planned to haggle over the price. But after glancing at Zhao Feng and the others, she didn’t dare say a word and settled the remaining payment at market price.

It took seven hours to travel from the Commune to the County Town, with the minibus departing at 8:30.

They hurriedly finished their meal and rushed to catch the bus.

The ticket seller sat by the bus door, holding tickets in her hand. She had a poor attitude and a loud voice. Those who boarded before them were scolded a few times. Zhao Feng didn’t mind, trusting his sister entirely and not overthinking it, but Zhao Rui and the others were so embarrassed they couldn’t lift their heads.

Originally, Zhao Ke was walking in the middle of the four of them, but seeing this, she stepped forward. When she paid for the tickets, she deliberately revealed the introduction letter issued by the Commune.

The ticket seller caught a glimpse of the semi-open paper with the Commune’s stamp and immediately broke into a smile. “Where is this Comrade going? How many tickets?”

People on and off the bus began to look at Zhao Ke with a mixture of curiosity and respect.

Zhao Feng and the others showed expressions of surprise.

Zhao Ke returned a polite smile to the ticket seller and pointed to Zhao Feng and the others behind her, saying, “To the County Town, five tickets.”

After buying the tickets, they got on the bus. The remaining seats were scattered, and Zhao Ke courteously asked a few locals to switch seats. They all agreed readily.

Once seated, the four men instinctively turned toward Zhao Ke.

Zhao Ke reassured them, “Relax and sit tight, it’s fine.”

Zhao Rui and the others forced smiles and nodded. Even as they curiously looked out the window, they kept their sewn pockets containing money away from others and pressed their arms over them.

In fact, this was Zhao Ke’s first time leaving the Commune too.

However, apart from woods and wasteland, there were just fields along the way. With the bumpy ride, any initial curiosity quickly faded.

Seven hours of sitting was uncomfortable enough, let alone as the bus filled with more people. The aisle became crowded, and over time, the smell became unbearable.

Even though Zhao Ke didn’t get carsick, she felt nauseous, pulling out her handkerchief to cover her nose. She barely endured until they reached the County Town, where she rushed off the bus to breathe in the fresh air as quickly as possible.

The County Town was completely different from the Commune. The roads were wide and smooth, with two-story buildings lining the central street, their signs reading “Supply and Marketing Cooperative,” “Post Office,” “State-Run Restaurant,” and so on.

Zhao Ke didn’t have the energy to look around, but Zhao Feng and the others couldn’t take it all in fast enough.

Zhao Ke leaned against a tree on the roadside, weakly instructing them, “Ask the ticket seller if the bus can carry piglets and where the guesthouse is.”

Zhao Rui and the others exchanged looks, hesitant to speak to the ticket seller. In the end, Zhao Feng went over to ask.

The ticket seller glanced at Zhao Ke, who was pale, and said, “The guesthouse is along this road heading west; you’ll see it. The bus can take one or two piglets, but no more.”

Zhao Feng got the information and returned to tell Er Jie.

The ticket seller called after him, “Tell that little comrade to eat something sour to suppress it—it’ll help a lot.”

Zhao Feng thanked her and returned to Zhao Ke, relaying the message.

Zhao Ke smiled faintly at the ticket seller and told them, “Let’s head to the guesthouse to wash our faces before eating.”

The four of them obediently followed her.

To save money, they only booked two rooms at the guesthouse, with Zhao Ke and Zhao Feng squeezing into one room, and the other three sharing the other.

Zhao Ke rested briefly and felt much better. She then took them to eat at the state-run restaurant.

Coincidentally, as soon as they entered, they saw someone they recognized—Duan Shuyi’s ex, Liang Hui.

When Liang Hui saw them, his face showed nothing but disdain and contempt.

Across from him sat a scholarly-looking girl who asked, “Do you know them?”

Liang Hui mocked, “Unruly countryside people.”

The restaurant was a large open space. Zhao Feng and the other three heard it clearly and stared at him with shame and anger, truly looking a bit like “unruly people.”

Liang Hui sneered and said to the restaurant waiter, “They can’t even afford apples. Make sure to check properly so they don’t skip out on the bill.”

The waiter’s gaze toward Zhao Ke’s group turned disdainful.

Zhao Feng, impulsive, clenched his fist.

Zhao Ke grabbed his wrist, suppressing his anger. With a calm expression, she told them to sit down and then walked toward Liang Hui, speaking with considerable poise, “Administrator Liang, long time no see. Secretary Duan from our Commune asked me to go to the Revolutionary Committee Office tomorrow to collect some documents for him. I didn’t expect to see you today.”

Her attitude was generous and polite, and her words didn’t convey the impression of an “unruly person.” The girl sitting across from Liang Hui looked increasingly suspicious.

Liang Hui noticed the girl’s expression, his face darkened, and he sneered, “You’re even making things up now? Do you even know where you are?”

Zhao Ke calmly took out the proof and introduction letter issued by the Commune, bearing the stamp of Shuangshan Commune.

Liang Hui was stunned, “How is that possible?!”

The girl across from him also had a change of expression, looking at Liang Hui with suspicion and dissatisfaction.

Liang Hui hastily explained, “She’s not actually working at the Commune; she’s just a Women’s Director from a Production Brigade.”

Zhao Ke coollyinstigated, “A Women’s Director from a Production Brigade isn’t an unruly person, is she? Being so mean-spirited—doesn’t seem like good character, huh~”

The girl across from Liang Hui suddenly stood up, glared at him, and said, “You can eat by yourself.”

With that, she strode out.

“Xiao Hui^[2]慧 meaning intelligent while Liang Hui’s is 辉 meaning splendor.!” Liang Hui stood up to chase after her.

Zhao Ke called out, “Waiter, has Administrator Liang paid the bill? Don’t let him skip out.”

Liang Hui had to stop, pointed at Zhao Ke, and asked angrily, “What grudge do I have with you? Why do you keep ruining my marriages predestined by fate?”

Zhao Ke innocently said, “The one who provoke first are despicable.”

Liang Hui nearly ground his teeth to dust, “Fine, you’re something else. Just you wait.”

Zhao Ke exaggeratedly covered her mouth and raised her voice, “Oh my~ Administrator Liang Hui, are you planning to make things difficult for me, a young Women’s Director from Shuangshan Commune?”

The state-run restaurant had other customers. Now, not only were their gazes toward Liang Hui strange, but even the cooks in the kitchen poked their heads out to look.

Everyone present now knew Liang Hui’s name, knew he was an Administrator, and knew he might make things difficult for someone.

Liang Hui almost exploded with anger.

Zhao Ke returned to her normal tone, “That sentence just now—was it belittling the vast majority of poor peasants? If you don’t want me to report you to the Revolutionary Committee Office, be more polite to farmers in the future. I think that comrade would be more than happy to testify for me.”

Liang Hui’s face alternated between red and green. Unable to provoke her, he decided to leave.

Liang Hui slammed down a few yuan, turned around, and stormed out, only to return a moment later to tell the waiter, “Give me my change.”

The waiter handed it to him.

Liang Hui grabbed a few bills and once again stormed out furiously.

Zhao Ke shrugged at the waiter.

The waiter forced an awkward smile, afraid Zhao Ke might cause trouble for her.

Zhao Ke returned to sit beside Zhao Feng, the four people all stared at her in a daze.

Zhao Ke coughed.

The four came back to their senses.

Zhao Rui leaned in close and whispered, “Zhao Ke, aren’t you nervous coming to the county town?”

They entered the county-run state-owned restaurant, not knowing where to put their hands.

“No matter how nervous you are, you have to pretend you’re fearless. If you don’t act timid, even if someone looks down on you and wants to talk trash, they’ll have to think twice,” Zhao Ke said with an utterly natural expression. “Act natural; it’s all minor issues.”

Who wouldn’t be nervous the first time they came from the countryside to the city? Zhao Ke had been nervous once too, but she wouldn’t allow herself to show it. Over time, she truly became calm.

Zhao Rui and Wang Xiangquan seemed thoughtful but indeed looked much more at ease.

Zhao Feng was already focused on the menu on the wall. Wang Lao San glanced at Zhao Ke, then at Zhao Feng, and went over to study the menu with him.

Zhao Rui also gradually adapted and joined them to look at the menu.

Only Zhao Shuanzhu remained unsettled. It was just his nature to be a people-pleaser, and having been given away to another family by his birth parents, he always seemed a bit overly cautious and hesitant, making it hard for him to adjust.

The three spent a long time studying the menu, finding everything expensive, and felt embarrassed to order the cheapest option. They glanced at Zhao Ke, seeking her opinion.

For this trip, all expenses came out of the 800 yuan they had. Naturally, they aimed to save wherever they could.

Zhao Ke found a server and calmly asked if the braised meat noodles could be ordered without the braised meat.

The restaurant allowed extra charges to add braised meat or orders of plain noodle soup. Normally, if someone made such a request, the server would roll their eyes dramatically and mock, “If you’re broke, why are you eating at a state-run restaurant?”

But when Zhao Ke made the request, the server said nothing of the sort and simply answered straightforwardly, “Yes, you can.”

Zhao Ke ordered five bowls of plain noodle soup, without braised meat.

The server called out the order to the kitchen.

Hearing the shout, Zhao Rui and the other three unconsciously glanced at the reactions of other customers.

No one reacted in any particular way.

Zhao Ke then asked the server, “Do I pay now?”

For some poor-looking customers, the server would judge based on their appearance and demand payment upfront.

But for Zhao Ke, who was clearly not to be trifled with, the server put on a professional smile and said, “After you eat, settle the bill then.”

Zhao Ke sat back down, took out a notebook, removed the cap from her fountain pen, and started bookkeeping.

The others’ gazes fell on her face, finding her presence a bit overwhelming.

While writing, Zhao Ke said, “Act natural; it’s all minor issues.”

So what if they came from the countryside? So what if they were poor?

They were spending money, just ordering noodle soup, skipping the braised meat—so what?

It was all minor issues.