Chapter 229: 229 Smooth
Accountant Zhang also took out some cornbread and steamed sweet potatoes. The brother and sister had the same cornbread.
"Yuanyuan, I already put your cottonseed oil directly in the cellar," Zhao Yanli said in a low voice.
"Alright, thank you for the trouble."
"It’s nothing, it’s nothing. If you’re home for New Year, I’ll make sure my big sister fries some twisted dough for you."
"Even if I’m not home, you can still eat it."
"My big sister definitely won’t bear to let me eat it. She’ll definitely wait for you to come back."
"Alright, I’ll come back and fry twisted dough. I’ll bring back some sticky rice flour to make rice cakes then."
As long as it was about food, Zhao Yanli was very happy. She just loved to eat.
So she nodded with a smile, "You must remember to bring it back."
Actually, this was also what her big sister said yesterday, waiting for Su Yuanyuan to come back and fry twisted dough to eat.
After resting for two hours, the two donkey carts continued on their journey.
Once they arrived in the city, they got directions and went to the oil mill. Then Zhao Yanli stayed behind while Zhao Qingjie drove them to the train station.
Su Yuanyuan knew that with Accountant Zhang on board, there wouldn’t be any sleeper beds to rest in. So after finally squeezing onto the train, she didn’t look for a conductor and looked through several carriages before finding a seat. But there was only one seat.
"Xiao Su, this is fine. You take the seat, I’ll sit on the burlap bag."
Su Yuanyuan understood what Accountant Zhang meant. This was doable and safer too. f.(r)eewe/bnov\
So she didn’t refuse, and the two of them settled down on the train.
The train was really crowded, and by evening, quite a few were laying mats on the floor. Su Yuanyuan endured the unpleasant smells, having no choice; it was like this now. She hadn’t taken a train in the summer before but imagined it must be even more unbearable.
After two days, the two of them got off the train and went straight to the fertilizer plant. Holding the note given by the director last year, they easily paid the accountant and got the receipt.
The person in charge there arranged accommodation for them; they wouldn’t be able to load the truck for three days.
Su Yuanyuan went out for a bit to find the director from the spring. She still wanted a truckload of fertilizer; even if she couldn’t use it herself, it could go to the farm.
This task was completed very smoothly, proving that money can indeed make the world go round, an age-old truth.
"Accountant Zhang, let’s go to the transport team to book a truck. Let’s not wait until there are no trucks available."
"Alright, let’s go now."
"Xiao Su, you’re really amazing," he said as they walked down the street, now able to speak freely.
"What’s so amazing about me? Isn’t everyone like this? Honestly, I’m not nearly as capable as the farm girls. At least the three Zhao sisters are very capable."
"Yes, I’m still thinking about introducing Eldest Sister Zhao to someone. My nephew is twenty this year and also works on the farm. Since I’m in a hurry, I’ll ask the Zhao family when I go back."
"Eldest Sister Zhao is indeed quite good, capable and low-maintenance."
"Mm, I’ve heard at home that quite a few families have taken a liking to the eldest Zhao daughter."
Su Yuanyuan laughed, thinking it’s normal for a good woman to have many suitors. It’s only right that a girl gets to choose.
They reached the transportation team in half an hour; it was arranged by Tan Shaoting this spring. They produced the farm’s introduction letter and the fertilizer factory’s receipt, and four trucks were directly arranged for them.
"Xiao Su, you’ve secured another truckload of fertilizer?"
"Yes, spent a bit more money, but I think it’s worth it."
Accountant Zhang nodded in agreement; it was indeed worth it. This year, he had truly experienced the benefits of fertilizer.
Everything was arranged, and the two of them returned to the fertilizer plant.
Su Yuanyuan decided that she must endure these three days. Once Accountant Zhang left, she’d be free.
Accountant Zhang couldn’t stay still and went outside to chat with others. Su Yuanyuan stayed in her room reading, only going out once to pay the bill and get the receipt. She didn’t go out again, finding it much more comfortable inside than out.
Three days passed quickly, and at dawn, four trucks arrived.
They didn’t have to worry about loading the trucks; they just watched over it and counted.
Actually, Accountant Zhang and the other one had already counted once, but they counted again while loading.
That noon, after eating at the fertilizer plant, the four trucks set off together.
Su Yuanyuan watched the trucks drive away before heading towards the train station.
This time, she wanted to head east but didn’t have a specific destination in mind; she just followed her intuition.
When buying her ticket, she bought a sleeper ticket directly and boarded the train alone.
There were already two young men in the carriage, appearing to be in their twenties. They both had lower berths, so she had no choice but to take the upper berth.
The two were curious about the young woman who boarded but didn’t start a conversation.
Su Yuanyuan took out her bedsheet and toiletries, then placed her luggage under the lower berth.
Once she was settled, she didn’t immediately climb into bed but went to fetch hot water. After all, she planned to stay put once she got up today, so she wanted to be prepared.
The two young men chatted among themselves but would sneak glances at the young woman.
Now, Su Yuanyuan was quite thin, but she hadn’t tanned much and had grown taller, now about 1.63 meters. This was partly due to her growth spurt, which was why she appeared rather thin.
Once she got on the berth, Su Yuanyuan closed her eyes and slept, doing nothing else. In truth, she hadn’t rested well at the fertilizer plant.
When she opened her eyes, it was already past ten at night. Still lazily lying on the upper berth, there was nothing she could do now.
She thought she’d wait a few more days before getting off the train. Getting off too soon would be troublesome since such opportunities to offload were rare.
She dozed off again and only got off the train carefully during a midnight stop.
After stretching her legs outside, she returned.
The next morning, she went to wash up and then took her lunchbox to get breakfast.
In the morning, they served a sweet potato noodle soup. She ordered a portion with two large scoops, so she didn’t need anything else.
After some thought, she returned to the carriage. It was empty, likely because others had gone to eat. She sat on the bench to eat.
And so, she didn’t interact with the two young men until three days later. Hearing the station announcements, she knew they’d passed a city and decided to get off there.
After alighting, Su Yuanyuan looked around and found the place quaint and charming. But even in broad daylight, the streets were almost empty.
She used her introductory letter to get a room and struck up a conversation with that Aunt.
"Is this your first time here, young lady?"
"Yes, Aunt. Is this place quite prosperous?"
"It’s alright. We’ve just recovered from a natural disaster. Life is still tough; supplies have increased compared to last year, but there’s really not much refined grain."