Chapter 13 Bait

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It never occurred to me that by the middle of last month, Fang Xiaomei's partner had suddenly proposed breaking up with her, the reason being a lack of common interests.

As a result, Fang Xiaomei never sought out Qiao Qingyu again, and Qiao Qingyu hadn't visited her.

At this moment, when Fang Xiaomei saw that it was Qiao Qingyu, she really froze for a moment then seemed to remember something, snorted coldly, and turned her head away.

Qiao Qingyu sat down in front of her and patted the table, "Mr. Fang, please turn your head around, this is my family certificate; I need you to write me an introduction letter to Xichuan City."

Fang Xiaomei turned her head sharply, looked down at the family certificate, and recalled the times they played together when Qiao Qingyu had shown it off to her. At that time, she had proudly claimed that she would soon have a family certificate too.

Remembering this, Fang Xiaomei felt her face burning hot; she glared at Qiao Qingyu and blurted out, "Qiao Qingyu, you did this on purpose to humiliate me, didn't you?"

Qiao Qingyu knocked on the table, sternly saying, "Comrade Fang Xiaomei, it's working hours now, please fulfill your job responsibilities and write the introduction letter for me."

Fang Xiaomei, "..."

Qiao Qingyu's serious demeanor, coupled with her beautiful brows and eyes, actually made Fang Xiaomei relax all of a sudden.

Fang Xiaomei snorted with laughter, quickly wrote the introduction letter, but she didn't have the authority to stamp it, "Wait here, I'll go to the vice director to get the stamp." Saying this, she stood up to leave, but Qiao Qingyu stopped her, "Xiao Mei, I'll go with you."

Fang Xiaomei didn't think much of it and led Qiao Qingyu to find the vice director. The commune's location was quite large, with three single-story buildings, and after crossing a courtyard, they arrived to the vice director's office.

The vice director's surname was Qian, a man in his forties, whom everyone called Mr. Qian. He stamped the introduction letter and casually asked, "Are you going to Xichuan City today?"

Qiao Qingyu smiled, "Yes, Vice Director Qian. My uncle is on a business trip this time, and I can't delay his work, so I'm going early to buy some of our Xichuan specialties for them. I heard that this time they've introduced a type of corn seed with a yield of three thousand jin per mu, and they are preparing to make a big effort."

Not only Mr. Qian but even Fang Xiaomei was taken aback.

Three thousand jin per mu, is that true?

Although the land here was infertile, they had also grown quite a bit of corn and naturally understood what a yield of three thousand jin per mu meant.

Mr. Qian's eyes revealed an eager glint, yet he still suppressed it, his voice calm as he asked, "Hmm, such a high yield, not bad."

Because of Fang Xiaomei, he knew that Qiao Qingyu's family was in North City, and he also knew that Qiao Qingyu's uncle was a small team leader.

That's right, Fang Xiaomei was his niece.

The land in North City was so good, the yield of corn was already high, plus corn is quite delicate, demanding high soil and environmental quality during its growth period, so even with good seeds, they couldn't grow them at Xiaxi Commune.

However, Qiao Qingyu looked at Vice Director Qian, seemingly asking casually, "Vice Director Qian, who owns the wasteland around our family courtyard now?"

"Qiao Qingyu, what are you asking this for, planning to farm?" Fang Xiaomei couldn't wait for her uncle to speak, directly asking.

She had heard from Qiao Qingyu herself that she rarely worked in the fields because her family was very fond of her; her dad not only did not favor sons over daughters, but it was actually the opposite.

"The wasteland around the family courtyard has just been assigned to Tenghai Research and is no longer managed by the commune," Vice Director Qian did not conceal anything since the other party was the wife of Chief Engineer He Xiuyu of Tenghai Research Base; he didn't say anything because Qiao Qingyu would find out sooner or later.

Qiao Qingyu spoke slowly, "I was just curious." Then she changed the subject, "My uncle mentioned a crop called thousand silk hemp that not only requires very little from the soil and environment but can also improve the land. It seems quite suitable for us in Xichuan to plant, and the value of its produce is even higher than that of castor..."

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Vice Director Qian's eyes lit up as he hurriedly asked, "Comrade Qiao Qingyu, can you be more specific? Can we plant it here?"

"I'm not clear on the specifics myself; my uncle just mentioned it in passing. I'll ask him when I see him," Qiao Qingyu decided not to continue. She had set the bait; now it was up to Vice Director Qian to show some courage.

She slipped the introduction letter into her purse, smiled at Mr. Qian, and said her goodbye, "Vice Director Qian, thank you for stamping the introduction letter. I know you're busy!"

In fact, Vice Director Qian had many more questions to ask, but after opening his mouth, he held back. Matters regarding seeds were no small thing; any delay could mean going hungry.

After all, the planting plans for this year had already been reported to the county.

Fang Xiaomei escorted Qiao Qingyu to the gate. Seeing Qiao Qingyu's beaming smile made her feel somewhat stifled. Fang Xiaomei said with some malice, "Qiao Qingyu, Chief Engineer He is a Ph.D., and you didn't even finish elementary school. You're worlds apart and don't have anything in common. There are so many beautiful female college students at the base, beware he might kick you to the curb one day!"

"I'm not worried because I see better than you do."

"Qiao Qingyu, what do you mean by that? Are you saying I'm blind?" Fang Xiaomei glared angrily.

"Yes, I am. Even with my eyes closed, I can pick better than you can with eyes wide open. Doesn't that mean you're blind?"

It was true; when Qiao Qingyu had crawled into He Xiuyu's bed, she really had her eyes closed.

"Qiao Qingyu, you're insulting me!"

Qiao Qingyu smiled slightly, turned around, and left, leaving Fang Xiaomei stomping her feet in frustration on the spot.

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That evening, Qiao Qingyu finally got off the crowded, smelly public bus. Her face was pale as she clung to a pillar, retching for a while before feeling a little better.

Traveling really was miserable in this era.

She rested for a while, then used the introduction letter to check into a hostel near Xichuan City's bus station. Dinner time had passed, but she still found a privately-run noodle shop.

1980 marked the first year of reform and opening up, and Xichuan, being a provincial capital, had seen some people start their own businesses.

The noodle shop just had a sign at the front. Upon entering, Qiao Qingyu found the interior to be very clean. The owners were a young couple. She ordered a bowl of hot oil noodles, and when they were served, the fragrance made her squint with pleasure.

People from the Northwest loved their noodles and had developed many different varieties. The strength of the young wife was evident in her dough kneading, resulting in chewy noodles that were quite delicious.

After stirring in a layer of fragrant fried scallions, Sichuan pepper powder, sesame and other toppings into the noodles, each bite was a delight.

The land of the Northwest wasn't all barren; most of it was quite fertile, and the wheat and millet grown there were especially tasty.

They just couldn't compare with the yields from the lab.

Qiao Qingyu went back to rest after having her fill, as she was too tired. She slept until dawn, had a simple breakfast at the noodle shop, chatted with the young wife for a while, then took her 300 yuan and a bicycle ticket to head to the city's department store.

Her bicycle ticket was nationally accepted, and since it was from the engineering department, she smoothly picked up her ride, a Peacock brand bicycle, for 180 yuan.

She rode it directly to the Tenghai Research Base's office in Xichuan.