Yao Naiwen and Wei Ling came in a jeep this time.

After having breakfast early in the morning, they headed to the city.

The jeep moved quickly on the national road.

Wei Ling had to return to the newspaper office for work, so Yao Naiwen drove Lin Shu and Lu Da directly to the tractor factory.

Yao Naiwen first took them to the factory office to get the approval for the photo shoot, which would make the process cheaper.

When the factory leaders saw Sister Lu Da, they praised her, saying, “Sister Guo Ying(Lu Da’s real name), keep it up! Aim to win the March 8th Red Banner title this year. Next year on May Day, come to the city for the award ceremony.”

Lu Da confidently replied, “You just wait and see. I’ll definitely win.”

She was motivated and wanted to excel in everything.

Leaving the factory office, Yao Naiwen asked, “Do you know how to do makeup?”

Sister Lu Da responded, “What’s makeup? Like those performers on stage?” She waved her hand dismissively, “No, no, I don’t want that. It looks awful, like a monkey’s backside.”

Yao Naiwen explained, “It won’t be that exaggerated. We’re working-class people.”

He went to find Xiao Yang, the factory’s announcer, who was also responsible for organizing cultural performances and had experience with makeup.

Xiao Yang was not in the broadcasting room at the moment, so Yao Naiwen called for the accountant.

The accountant, a woman named Zhu Mingjing, was friendly with Xiao Yang and often did makeup for performances.

Zhu Mingjing looked at Lu Da and Lin Shu with a sneer.

She thought, “What’s there to make up for these country bumpkins? They’d just look like they’re covered in muck if they put on powder.”

She thought Xiao Yang was sweet and pretty, with a good voice and kind nature.

She wondered why they didn’t use Xiao Yang for the promotional video instead of these outsiders.

Was there really a better option for the camera than Xiao Yang?

Yao Naiwen said, “Accountant Zhu, could you help Lu Da and Lin Shu with their makeup?”

Lin Shu wasn’t keen on makeup.

The quality of makeup products at that time was poor, and the results were mediocre.

Plus, they were taking black-and-white photos, so makeup didn’t seem necessary.

Yao Naiwen insisted, “It makes a difference. Actors on TV and in movies are also made up.”

Zhu Mingjing signaled Yao Naiwen to come over for a private conversation.

Yao Naiwen avoided her gesture and continued to explain.

“What’s all this fuss about? It’s not good for the image.”

Zhu Mingjing and Yao Naiwen walked outside the broadcast room.

Zhu Mingjing said quietly, “Comrade Naiwen, you and Comrade Xiao Yang are from the same system. She’s young and beautiful. Why don’t you let her take the photos? Why do you insist on using two country people?”

Yao Naiwen frowned, adjusted his glasses, and said seriously, “Does Comrade Xiao Yang know how to drive a tractor? Does she know how to repair one?”

Zhu Mingjing wasn’t convinced. “Well…”

She realizes Sister Lu Da does, and then criticized Lin Shu, “What about that delicate young wife? Can she drive?”

Yao Naiwen had an instinctive pride and replied confidently, “Of course, she drives very well!”

Zhu Mingjing snorted and had to defer to Yao Naiwen’s decision.

She begrudgingly applied makeup on Sister Lu Da.

Lin Shu found it hard to watch.

Sister Lu Da’s face was getting too much powder; it didn’t need it.

Besides, Sister Lu Da had very strong eyebrows that didn’t need any drawing, and her lips were fine as they were.

There were no proper lipsticks here, just some lip balm and rouge, which was similar to ancient lip gloss.

The traditional bright red was intense, blood-red!

Sister Lu Da already had big lips, and with this application, it made her lips look excessively large.

Lin Shu pointed out, “Comrade Yao, we are working people. Isn’t it enough if we don’t need to look so pale or have such bright red lips?”

Yao Naiwen agreed, finding it a bit glaring himself, and decided to let it be.

However, Sister Lu Da looked at herself in the mirror and actually liked how she looked.

She was reluctant to wipe it off and wanted to show it to her husband later.

She urged Zhu Mingjing to do Lin Shu’s makeup.

Lin Shu was wary of Zhu Mingjing and said she would do it herself.

The original owner’s face was quite similar to hers—large eyes naturally had eyeliner, and her eyelashes were long, thick, and curled.

Her lips were naturally red and full, and her eyebrows didn’t need drawing, so she saved on makeup.

She used an eyebrow pencil to slightly draw the tail of her eyes downward, as the original eye shape was a bit too flirtatious. She also emphasized the lower eyelid a bit more.

She had natural tear troughs, but they might not be very noticeable in photos, so she drew them more clearly to appear more approachable.

Her lips needed only a light touch of color since they were already full and rosy.

After applying a bit of rouge, the thin red layer made her lips even more tempting.

She felt her cheeks were too pale and didn’t look like a working person, so she mixed some blush with an eyebrow pencil color in her palm and applied it to her cheeks.

Yao Naiwen couldn’t help but exclaim, “Why is someone deliberately trying to look unattractive?”

Lin Shu flashed a cheerful, working-class smile and said, “All done.”

Zhu Mingjing rolled her eyes, thinking Lin Shu was really foolish.

Yao Naiwen then took the camera and…

Yao Naiwen also asked Accountant Zhu Mingjing to prepare two sets of work uniforms for Lu Da and Lin Shu.

He wanted to take promotional photos of them in the factory.

Currently, Lu Da and Lin Shu were wearing everyday clothes.

Lu Da had changed into a new set of clothes, while Lin Shu wore a shirt and pants made from new fabric provided by Zhao Meifeng.

Accountant Zhu Mingjing wasn’t pleased but complied.

The factory manager had emphasized the need to sell their tractors throughout the province and become the most influential tractor factory in the area.

This would allow them to apply for more production lines, produce more tractors, hire more workers, and become the top tractor factory in the province!

Although their tractors were in high demand, their reputation, status, and production capacity were insufficient.

Increasing their visibility with provincial leaders could help them quickly add another production line.

The promotional brochure was crucial, so the photos had to be perfect.

Yao Naiwen arranged for two tractors of different models, one large and one small, for Lu Da and Lin Shu to drive in and out, either one at a time or both together.

They also needed to recite promotional phrases: “XX Tractor, it’s the best!” and “XX Tractor, a great helper for farmers!”

Since this was for a brochure and not a film, he knew their words wouldn’t be recorded, but he still wanted them to say the phrases.

Factory workers who weren’t too busy came out to watch.

By lunchtime, even those who usually rushed for food like eagles after rabbits stopped to watch Lin Shu and Lu Da.

“Look at Mu Guiying(Lu Da)! She’s great at repairing tractors!”

“Has she repaired tractors for you?”

“Look at that beautiful girl, she weren’t from the countryside, I’d want her as my wife!”

“That woman is so beautiful, much prettier than our factory’s flower!”

“She really looks like a movie star!”

“If she played a beautiful spy, it would make sense if she converted the comrades!”

The crowd’s chatter made Lu Da and Lin Shu feel less comfortable.

Yao Naiwen had to pause the shoot and continue in the afternoon.

He told them, “Let’s go. I’ll get you a room at the guesthouse.”

Lu Da protested, “Yao, let’s finish the shoot in one go. We need to get back home after lunch.”

But Yao Naiwen was meticulous. “Since we’re doing this, let’s do it perfectly. Stay overnight, and the jeep will take you back tomorrow. It won’t delay your autumn harvest.”

“After all, the autumn harvest isn’t that urgent.”

Sister Lu Da agreed.

They went to a guesthouse and checked into a room. Yao Naiwen then invited them to a nearby state-run restaurant for dinner.

On the way, they encountered an ice pop vendor, and Yao Naiwen bought ice pops for them.

Lin Shu declined, but Sister Lu Da happily ate two ice pops.

The restaurant was much smaller than the one next to the city hospital, with only two storefronts and seven or eight old, peeling wooden folding tables.

Since the meal expenses could be reimbursed, Yao Naiwen treated them to a lavish meal: a small bowl of braised pork bones, a large plate of ribs stewed with green beans, and a plate of scrambled eggs with chives.

“Comrades, eat freely and don’t hold back.”

Recently, Lin Shu had been eating fish and salted meat at home, so she wasn’t particularly craving meat.

She ate normally and didn’t overeat just because there was meat on the table.

Sister Lu could eat a lot, even if there was just steamed bread and salted vegetables, she could finish a whole bowl.

Halfway through the meal, Sister Lu went to the restroom.

Although she was healthy, she wasn’t used to eating cold things in summer, which sometimes affected her.

While waiting for Sister Lu Da, Yao Naiwen chatted casually with Lin Shu.

He found her insights impressive and quite unlike the rural women he had met before.

Even among the rural women who had received some education, such as women’s directors or commune female cadres, they didn’t come across as cultured like Lin Shu.

It wasn’t that she was showing off her knowledge, but rather she gave an impression of being well-informed.

No matter what topic came up, she seemed to know about it, never showing a clueless or foolish expression.

She didn’t pretend to understand when she didn’t, nor did she just parrot slogans without knowing their meaning.

The more he interacted with her, the more curious he became and the more he wanted to learn about her.

“Comrade Lin Shu, do you read books regularly?”

Lin Shu replied, “Yes, I do. My husband is a soldier and educated, and my father-in-law is a barefoot doctor with some education. Of course, I can’t fall behind.”

Yao Naiwen then asked her what kind of books she read.

Lin Shu mentioned a few things, including common newspapers and books lent to her by Wei Ling, such as the first volume of “Li Zicheng” by Yao Xueyin.

Yao Naiwen’s astonishment grew.

A rural woman with only a few years of schooling could understand such books?

“Isn’t this just flattery?” he thought.

He couldn’t help but ask, “Have you read ‘Li Zicheng’? Do you know what dynasty Li Zicheng was from? Who was the emperor? What was his name?”

Lin Shu was momentarily speechless.

Is it a common habit for men to quiz women?

She didn’t show any irritation, understanding that Yao Naiwen was simply curious and hadn’t done anything inappropriate.

After all, he was someone who could help her.