Chapter 33: Handling

"Get out of the way! I want to see Section Chief Liu!"

"Liu Ergou, you get your ass out here right now!"

"You tricked me into bed in the woods when I was a teenager, took everything you wanted, and then acted like nothing happened. Don't even think about it!"

Li Aiguo was walking out with Zhou Tiehu after receiving his reward supplies from the Section Logistics Department.

As they passed the office building, he heard the sound of a woman shouting from upstairs.

He looked up.

Hey, wasn't that Liu Chunhua?

At this moment, Liu Chunhua was a far cry from her usual glamorous self.

Her hair was disheveled and her face was a mess. During a scuffle with the security guards, a large piece of her labor cloth shirt had been torn away, revealing bright red underwear.

The way she was jumping up and down while cursing was as pathetic as it could get.

When Liu Chunhua saw Li Aiguo, her eyes flashed with hatred.

The Section Administration Office had suddenly issued a notice removing her from her position as the Director of the Locomotive Section Education Office and transferring her to serve as the Director of the Education Office at the Hangou Maintenance Worksite.

Setting aside the fact that her rank had been downgraded by one level.

The Hangou Maintenance Worksite was located in the middle of the Baocheng Railway, situated in the middle of the Gobi Desert, with no signs of human life for dozens of miles around.

Liu Chunhua had heard that the place was filled with swirling yellow sands and was extremely water-scarce; usually, the water they drank was nothing more than muddy sludge.

The maintenance workers there rarely bathed, and their bodies constantly emitted a foul stench.

Furthermore.

There were many wild wolves in the Gobi Desert.

Even though the maintenance workers carried firearms, they were frequently attacked by wolves driven mad by hunger, and casualties were a common occurrence.

And another thing.

The maintenance worksite was composed entirely of male workers. What was the point of sending a woman like her to be in charge of ideological education?

The Section's arrangement was a clear attempt to force her to resign.

And the culprit behind all of this was Li Aiguo!

Seeing Li Aiguo standing in the sunlight with such a bright smile, Liu Chunhua was so angry she nearly bit through her teeth.

Unable to care about the commotion with the communicator any longer, she stomped down the stairs and rushed up to Li Aiguo.

"Li Aiguo, you have such a poisonous heart!"

Liu Chunhua roared in uncontrollable fury.

Her voice rolled like heavy thunder, carrying a long distance and drawing the attention of everyone in the compound.

People stopped in their tracks and gathered around.

Seeing Liu Chunhua acting like an enraged lioness, Zhou Tiehu feared Li Aiguo might get the short end of the stick and tried to step in front of him.

Li Aiguo gave a slight wave of his hand, signaling he was fine, and stepped forward to stare directly at Liu Chunhua.

"Director Liu, don't make a scene. Your transfer to the Hangou Maintenance Worksite was a decision made by the Section Committee.

"Although the Hangou Maintenance Worksite is remote, it is an important part of our Locomotive Section, and ideological education work cannot be neglected.

"It is precisely because the conditions are harsh that it demonstrates the Section's trust in you.

"You should feel honored; how can you be making such a racket here?

"Are you dissatisfied with the Section's decision?

"Are you complaining that the conditions at Hangou are too difficult and trying to be a deserter?

"If that is the case, it only proves that there is a problem with your ideology!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Li Aiguo's continuous volley of verbal mortar shells left Liu Chunhua speechless.

No matter how dissatisfied she was, she could not admit that she was afraid of suffering or that she wanted to be a deserter.

Liu Chunhua's face turned bright red, her brows knitted into a knot, and the veins on her arms were clearly visible.

*Huff... huff...*

She took several deep breaths before finally calming down.

She sneered, "You silver-tongued brat. Don't think that just because you've gained the favor of the Section leadership, you can do whatever you want.

"We'll see about that!"

Realizing she couldn't get the upper hand, Liu Chunhua ran off unsteadily.

She had to find Vice Section Chief Liu immediately.

Otherwise, resignation really would be her only option.

After Liu Chunhua left, the crowd burst into loud laughter, giving Li Aiguo thumbs-up.

Liu Chunhua's specialty was being unreasonable and litigious; she often used her sharp tongue to bully others.

Seeing her silenced by Li Aiguo was incredibly satisfying.

"Aiguo, don't worry, Liu Chunhua will definitely resign.

"But her brother, Liu Erfeng, only ranked fifth, so he is definitely staying in the Locomotive Section.

"You need to keep an eye out," Zhou Tiehu instructed, watching Liu Chunhua's retreating figure.

The exam results had been announced.

Li Aiguo had taken first place with a perfect score of 200.

Second place went to Comrade Han Dongfang from the Harbin Locomotive Section.

Third place was Zhang Dahua.

According to the regulations, the top three could go straight onto the trains to serve as assistant drivers.

As for the rest, if they wanted to become train drivers, they could only start as stokers.

Those unwilling to work on trains, or those who failed the driver exam, could take other positions within the Locomotive Section.

In this era, the value of a technical secondary school diploma far exceeded that of a modern undergraduate degree.

As long as you obtained your graduation certificate, the state would assign you a permanent job.

"Remember to go to the sub-district office the day after tomorrow to handle the paperwork, and then report to the Locomotive Section on time.

"If Cao Wenzhi wants to take you on as an apprentice, do not refuse.

"His skills are excellent, his prestige is high, and he has a very close relationship with Section Chief Liu.

"Following him will be very helpful for your future development."

"Uncle Zhou, I've noted everything. Don't worry, I know what to do."

"Mm, you're much more easy to manage than that kid Zhou Ke."

After a bit of small talk, Li Aiguo, thinking about his plan to save up for a bicycle, agreed to visit the Zhou family that evening and then departed.

In this era, plastic bags were not common, and specialized woven bags were hard to find.

Finding a bag large enough to hold "Fuqiang" flour was no easy task.

To ensure the flour wouldn't leak, the comrades in the Logistics Department had specially given the flour bag to Li Aiguo.

The bag was made of tightly woven cotton, with "Produced 1956" printed on the front; Li Aiguo assumed this was the production date.

On the back, there were bold red prints saying "Supervised by WX City Grain Company" and "Private Langhua Flour Mill."

It seemed that the transition from private to public ownership was not yet complete; private factories still existed in remote areas.

Carrying the flour bag on his shoulder and a bottle of sanitary oil in his hand, Li Aiguo was undoubtedly the most striking figure on the street.

Passersby cast envious glances his way.

One couldn't tell if they were staring at the handsome young man or eyeing the flour bag.

By the time he returned to the courtyard, it was noon. Smoke rose from every household, and the air was thick with the scent of cooking.

Just as he entered the gate, Li Aiguo ran into Third Aunt.

Third Aunt was squatting on the ground picking vegetables. When she saw the flour bag, her eyes instantly lit up.

She dropped the vegetables in her hand and rushed over.

Her eyes widened: "Aiguo, you... the bag, the bag..."

She was so anxious she could barely get her words out.

"There's Fuqiang flour inside; it was a reward from the Locomotive Section," Li Aiguo said calmly.

"The bag... can you give the bag to your Auntie?" Third Aunt stammered for a long time before finally squeezing out the question.

Li Aiguo looked at the flour bag and paused. "What do you want this bag for?"

He had originally thought she wanted to steal the flour.

"Oh, you're still so young," Third Aunt said animatedly. "This bag is made of cotton cloth; it's incredibly useful! Small pieces can be made into towels or pillows, and a large piece like this is enough to make a skirt for Yan Jiedi..."

She seemed to realize something, and her voice cut off abruptly. She looked at Li Aiguo with a timid gaze.

She felt a bit of regret.

After talking so much, she feared Li Aiguo would feel stingy about the bag and refuse to give it to her.

Li Aiguo did not hesitate and nodded. "Alright. Once the flour inside is finished, I'll give the bag to you."

He didn't care much about a flour bag.

Besides.

He also wanted to see if a skirt—one side printed with "Private" and the other with "Produced"—would look beautiful on Yan Jiedi.