chsdbacks Chapter 38: After selling hunts to accumulate enough points, the factory manager arrives in his priv
Chapter 38: After selling hunts to accumulate enough points, the factory manager arrives in his priv
Qin Huairu tidied up the belongings in the side room, working until the wee hours of the morning, but she didn't feel tired at all. Instead, her heart was filled with a sense of peace. Every table, chair, cabinet, bed, and all the exquisite little ornaments in the room belonged to her completely. She no longer had to live under the thumb of the Jia family, no longer had to scrimp and save every penny. This kind of life was something she never dared to dream of before.
She quietly opened the hidden door leading to the west wing, went to the bathroom to wash up comfortably, dried herself off, and instead of returning to her own side room, she tiptoed straight into Sun Jingyuan's bedroom.
Sun Jingyuan was fast asleep when he vaguely felt a warm figure slip into his bed. He abruptly threw back the covers and was stunned when he saw the person in his arms.
"Sister Qin, aren't you tired after a long day? You have to go to work at the factory before dawn." He lowered his voice, his tone tinged with helplessness.
Qin Huairu buried her face deep in his chest, only humming softly a few times, clinging to him without any intention of getting up or leaving, wanting only to cherish this rare moment of peace.
As dawn broke, Qin Huairu woke up first. She turned her head, quietly gazing at Sun Jingyuan sleeping peacefully in her arms, a gentle smile unconsciously curving her lips. Then, she quietly got out of bed and went straight to the kitchen. She lit a fire to cook porridge, kneaded dough to make pancakes, preparing breakfast for the two of them perfectly before returning to the room to wake Sun Jingyuan.
While Sun Jingyuan was washing up and eating, she returned to her side room, changed into a clean and neat gray work uniform, combed her hair neatly, pushed her brand-new Flying Pigeon bicycle, and headed out to the steel rolling mill.
As I pushed my cart past the Intermediate People's Court, I happened to see Jia Zhangshi sitting listlessly at her doorstep. The old lady had sunken eyes, a sallow complexion, and looked extremely haggard. It was clear that she had just been released from the Joint Defense Office that morning, and there were still clear marks on her face, indicating that she had suffered a lot inside.
Upon seeing Qin Huairu, Jia Zhangshi's eyes instantly blazed with anger. Ignoring the aches and pains all over her body, she immediately launched into a tirade of vulgarities: "You unruly thing! How dare you swagger out the door like that!"
Qin Huairu didn't even stop walking. She glanced at her coldly, her tone calm but full of intimidation: "Looks like you haven't had enough of the joint defense office, have you? Fine, say one more word, and I'll turn around and report you to the police right now. Let's see how long they detain you this time."
After saying this, she continued walking towards the courtyard gate without turning her head, not taking Jia Zhangshi's curses to heart at all.
"Qin Huairu! You stop right there!" Jia Zhangshi panicked instantly. Her experience at the joint defense office yesterday had almost scared her to death. She scrambled to her feet and stumbled after Qin Huairu, calling her name repeatedly.
When she caught up with Qin Huairu, panting, at the courtyard gate, she saw Qin Huairu standing there talking to an old man named Yi Zhonghai.
"Huai Ru, let's just let this go. After all, she was your mother-in-law. You live in the same courtyard every day, and you'll see each other all the time. Don't make things too ugly," Yi Zhonghai advised earnestly, his expression full of helplessness.
Ever since Sun Jingyuan moved into the courtyard house, his control over the property has waned day by day. Qin Huairu's tendency to seek help from the joint defense office whenever something happens is clearly something she learned from Sun Jingyuan. Moreover, she's now part of the factory's women's federation, a different status than before, so he doesn't dare to reprimand her as easily as he used to. He can only patiently and kindly persuade her.
Qin Huairu glanced at Yi Zhonghai, then turned her gaze to Jia Zhangshi, who had caught up with them. She spoke in a cold tone, "Jia Zhangshi, listen to me carefully. I'll let you off this time for the sake of Master Yi. But if you dare to be so foul-mouthed and cause trouble again, I won't let you off easily. Don't blame me for not making this clear beforehand."
After saying this, she took a long stride, hopped on her bicycle, pedaled hard, and rode straight toward the steel mill, leaving Jia Zhangshi standing there, trembling with anger. Only after Qin Huairu had ridden away did she dare to hide to the side and mutter curses under her breath.
On the other side, Sun Jingyuan arrived at the steel mill's infirmary. After confirming that no one was around, he locked the door behind him and entered the Myriad Realms Thief Space with a thought.
As soon as he entered, he remembered the wild boar he had hunted earlier, which was still piled up in the storage area. The wild boar meat had a fishy and pungent taste, and even after processing, the odor was hard to mask. He had no intention of keeping it for consumption. He made up his mind that in the future, if he hunted wild cattle, goats, or deer, which had more tender and delicious meat, he would keep it for consumption. It was best to dispose of this wild boar directly.
Sun Jingyuan immediately chose to sell the whole wild boar to the system, exchanging it for system points. After exchanging all the space resources, he only had 2.58 points. After selling the wild boar, he had exactly 3 points. According to the system rules, 1 point can be exchanged for one chance to randomly draw from the myriad realms, and 3 points can be used for three draws.
"Let's start with the first draw." He casually waved his hand, and the system notification immediately rang in his mind.
[Obtained several seeds of the fast-growing, everlasting flower.]
The Thief's Space was divided into planting, storage, and safe zones. It already had ample reserves of various seeds, grains, oils, and seedlings. While the flower seeds he drew weren't rare, they weren't useless either. He understood that the system's draws were random, and it was impossible to predict the types of supplies beforehand, so he didn't dwell on it too much.
"Second draw."
[Obtained several fast-growing Virginia creeper seeds.]
"Third draw."
[Obtained several insect-repelling herb seeds.]
After drawing three different kinds of plant seeds, Sun Jingyuan casually sorted and put them into the storage shelf in the space planting area. Without lingering, he returned to the real scene of the infirmary.
The infirmary was quiet, and Sun Jingyuan slowly let out a sigh of relief. Although he had locked the door when he came in, people came and went in the factory, and someone could knock on the door at any time. Entering the space from the infirmary was always risky. But compared to the risks in the factory, the inconvenience caused by the hidden door at home made him feel even more helpless.
He had just sat down at his desk when there were three knocks on the door.
"Come in." Sun Jingyuan immediately sat up straight, straightened the collar of his white coat, and spoke in a deep voice.
The door was gently pushed open, and a middle-aged man dressed in a crisp cadre uniform with a neatly combed back hair walked in, his face beaming with a very polite smile. He was Li Huaide, the deputy director of the steel rolling mill.
"Dr. Sun, I apologize for disturbing you." Li Huaide greeted him humbly as he entered, showing no airs of a deputy factory director.
"Director Li, you're too kind. Please have a seat." Sun Jingyuan stood up to greet him, and took out his cigarette case to offer him a cigarette.
"Take mine, take mine!" Li Huaide waved his hand hurriedly, his smile becoming even more enthusiastic. As he spoke, he took out two unopened packs of Zhonghua cigarettes from his briefcase and gently placed them on the desk.
Looking at the Zhonghua cigarettes on the table, Sun Jingyuan was secretly on guard, but his face remained calm.
He knew perfectly well that the factory leaders treated him with utmost respect because of his skill in massage, bone setting, and body conditioning. Most of the factory cadres, who worked at their desks for many years, suffered from back strain and relied on his physiotherapy.
Li Huaide's act of sending two top-grade Zhonghua cigarettes out of the blue must mean he has something important to ask of him.
"Director Li, please speak frankly. I will do my best to help if I can." Sun Jingyuan calmly put the cigarettes into the drawer and spoke in a peaceful tone.
"Dr. Sun is indeed very helpful!" Li Huaide immediately gave a thumbs up in praise, then leaned closer and lowered his voice to say, "My father-in-law has been unwell recently, and we have seen many doctors, but the treatment has not been very effective. We have heard that Dr. Sun's medical skills are superb, so we specifically wanted to ask you to come and take a look. Thank you for making the trip."
Sun Jingyuan nodded slightly upon hearing this and asked, "When is it scheduled?"
He understood that Li Huaide was able to get the position of deputy factory director entirely because of his father-in-law's support. An elder of that status would naturally have his own medical team. The fact that he had specially invited him to his home must mean that ordinary physical therapy was ineffective and would not be difficult for him. If he could establish a relationship with him through this, it would be of great benefit to him in the future.
"Right now, the car is already waiting at the factory gate; it's my father-in-law's car," Li Huaide said earnestly. "Thank you so much, Dr. Sun, for making this trip. I will definitely repay you handsomely later."
Without further hesitation, Sun Jingyuan nodded in agreement: "Okay, I'll pack my medical supplies."
He got up, opened the cabinet, took out his medical kit, organized commonly used items such as acupuncture needles and massage medicated wine, locked the door of the clinic, and followed Li Huaide straight towards the factory gate.
At this time, the kitchen of the No. 1 canteen in the steel rolling mill was at its busiest time before lunch. The sounds of washing vegetables, chopping vegetables, and clattering iron pots were all mixed together, creating a lively atmosphere.
As Sun Jingyuan followed Li Huaide past the canteen entrance, they were spotted by a worker who was peering out the window for fresh air.
"Look, isn't that Dr. Sun and Deputy Factory Director Li?" a worker shouted, instantly attracting the attention of everyone in the kitchen.
Everyone looked towards the entrance, just in time to see Sun Jingyuan following Li Huaide as he bent down and got into the black sedan parked at the factory gate.
"Wow, it's a car! Dr. Sun must be on his way to do something important!" Ma Hua exclaimed enviously as he peered out the window.
In those days, cars were extremely rare items, and only people of high status could ride in them. It was inevitable that people would envy Sun Jingyuan, who was so young, being able to be personally accompanied by the deputy factory director and ride in a special car.
"Hmph, what's there to be proud of?" Sha Zhu said with a disdainful tone, holding the spatula in his hand. "I think he's just a good-for-nothing who only cares about currying favor with the boss. He doesn't have any real skills."
Ever since Qin Huairu left the Jia family and moved into the side room in the front yard, Sha Zhu has harbored resentment towards Sun Jingyuan.
He always felt that Sun Jingyuan's lending of a huge sum of money to Qin Huairu was simply pushing her into a fire pit. A woman couldn't possibly bear such a debt. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that Sun Jingyuan's intentions were impure, and the more he disliked him.
"Hey Shazhu, you're just being a sour grapes, aren't you?" Liu Lan teased with a laugh. "Dr. Sun is truly skilled, which is why Director Li personally came to invite him. Instead of wasting your time being jealous of others, you should focus on improving your culinary skills."
"I'm jealous of him?" Sha Zhu instantly bristled, glaring and sternly retorting, "What's a car! Back when my dad, He Daqing, was cooking for big shots, we had a chauffeur-driven car picking us up every day. I've seen that kind of thing countless times!"
"So it's your father who left home." Liu Lan casually replied, but immediately realized her mistake and her expression changed instantly.
Everyone in the factory knew that Sha Zhu was most sensitive about others mentioning his father's past, and these words undoubtedly struck a nerve.
Sha Zhu's face instantly darkened, veins bulging on his forehead. He slammed the spatula he was holding onto the stove and roared at Liu Lan, "Get to work! Stop gossiping and causing trouble!"
The kitchen fell silent instantly. Everyone lowered their heads and busied themselves with their work, no one daring to utter a sound for fear of offending Sha Zhu. A tense atmosphere permeated the entire kitchen.
Only Qin Huairu, standing by the vegetable washing sink, remained silent throughout, focusing solely on washing the vegetables in her hands with steady and orderly movements.
She always kept Sun Jingyuan's advice in mind: do more work and talk less. She no longer got involved in the gossip in the yard or factory as before. She just wanted to do her job well and live a peaceful life. The noise and disputes around her had nothing to do with her.