Time Travel: Volume 1! Starting from a Small Mountain Village

"Come on, let's go to my office, Long Zhiqing, let's have a good talk!"

Xu Tiansheng smiled warmly and beckoned Long Lifan toward the office. The two walked briskly, one after the other.

On the way, Long Lifan felt that something was not right, as if something was not natural, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Unbeknownst to her, Zhou Huiji was standing awkwardly behind her, his heart filled with mixed feelings. Watching Xu Tiansheng's enthusiasm for Long Lifan, he couldn't help but feel somewhat annoyed.

"I know you value Long Zhiqing, but you should at least consider me!" Zhou Huiji muttered to himself. He sighed helplessly, knowing he had no presence in Director Xu's eyes, and could only silently follow behind.

He touched the "huge sum" tucked in his bag, feeling even more uneasy. He had come to return the money, but it seemed Xu Tiansheng wasn't paying much attention. Zhou Huiji could only silently follow the two men, his heart heavy with sorrow.

"Director Xu, you are truly remarkable! I never imagined that the machinery factory would undergo such a dramatic transformation in just a few months. Even the layout of this office is completely different from before!" As Long Lifan walked along, she saw the new look of the machinery factory everywhere she looked. She was especially impressed when she stepped into the carefully decorated office.

Upon hearing this, Xu Tiansheng was overjoyed, his face beaming with delight: "It's all thanks to you! Since you left last time, our machinery factory has been working hard to develop, and its scale has doubled compared to before! As for the office layout, haha, we have to thank Xiao Qiu for that! You know, we were all roughnecks before, we didn't know anything about these kinds of arrangements!"

Xu Tiansheng introduced her with a smile. He knew that Long Lifan was a person who understood life and had good taste, which could be seen from the exquisite layout of her home during his several visits there.

To make a lasting impression on Long Lifan, he specially renovated the office. Although he didn't know much about such things, fortunately, he had Qiu Dongdong's help. Her meticulous attention to detail resulted in an exceptionally impressive arrangement. Seeing the satisfied smile on Long Lifan's face, Xu Tiansheng felt relieved.

Just then, Qiu Dongdong pushed open the door and entered, carrying several glasses of water. She moved with light steps. She first skillfully poured water for Xu Tiansheng and Long Lifan, then turned to Long Lifan, smiling broadly, and said, "Long Zhiqing, it's been so long since you've come! I've missed you so much!"

The two were of similar age and got along well. Although Qiu Dongdong was initially grateful to Long Lifan, as time went by, their relationship had long surpassed simple gratitude and was more like that of best friends who could talk about anything.

"Haha, I've been so busy! You don't know, I'm now the Party Secretary of our village, and I'm running around like crazy all day long, I don't even have time to catch my breath." Long Lifan explained with a smile. She remembered that she hadn't been to the machinery factory since she came to the county town in February, and it was almost July in the blink of an eye. It had indeed been almost half a year since she last saw it.

"Wow, you've become the village party secretary! My goodness, Long Zhiqing, you're amazing!" Qiu Dongdong exclaimed in shock, showering him with praise.

The two girls were chatting enthusiastically, and Xu Tiansheng, unable to get a word in edgewise, could only listen with a smile. His gaze inadvertently fell on Zhou Huiji, and he exclaimed in surprise, "Zhou Huiji, you're here too! I'm so sorry, I didn't notice you earlier."

Zhou Huiji smiled bitterly to himself. If Qiu Dongdong hadn't been talking to Long Zhiqing, you wouldn't have been able to get a word in edgewise and would have even noticed me.

"Oh well, what can I do? I have such a low profile!" He could only nod with a wry smile and say helplessly, "Yes, Director Xu, I came to the machinery factory with Long Zhiqing to pay back the money!" His words carried a hint of embarrassment, but more so a sense of relief.

"Pay back the money?"

Xu Tiansheng was taken aback by what he heard. At this moment, Long Lifan also finished her conversation with Qiu Dongdong. She turned around and said with a smile, "Director Xu, when I told you earlier that I was too embarrassed to come because I didn't have the money, that was just a joke. But it's true that I'm here to repay the money."

"You don't know, the brigade leader Zhou Huiji and the others feel terrible whenever they think about the money they still owe the machinery factory. They're always thinking about it. So, the Changbai pigs they bought at the farmers' market last time were sold to the food station yesterday, and today we're here to pay it back."

“Long Zhiqing, why didn’t you ask me for help selling pigs? I know the food station well, and I’ve met their station manager, Ma Guofu, a few times. Maybe I can help you by striking up a conversation!” Xu Tiansheng’s thoughts had already drifted far away. He wasn’t focusing on repaying the money at all. All he could think about was whether Long Lifan needed his help with anything.

Long Lifan smiled and thanked him, "Director Xu, you're too kind. I thought this was a matter for our Dongwan Village, so I didn't dare to trouble you. As for Station Chief Ma, I already met him yesterday."

Xu Tiansheng was shocked to hear that Ma Guofu had personally gone to Dongwan Village. Knowing Ma Guofu's snobbish nature, he couldn't help but ask, "That old bastard Ma Guofu went in person? I know Ma Guofu, he's a bit of a snob. Did he give you any trouble? If he did, tell me, and I'll go and get revenge for you!"

Long Lifan smiled slightly and said, "How could that be? Station Master Ma saw that the pigs we raised had good hides and were plump and strong, so he gave us the highest price."

She didn't elaborate on what happened yesterday, but looking at her mysterious smile, Xu Tiansheng guessed the gist of it. When did Ma Guofu become so easy to talk to? Long Zhiqing must have used some method to impress him.

Xu Tiansheng pondered to himself that Long Zhiqing's methods were sometimes unpredictable, but that was also part of her strength.

Zhou Huiji, who was standing to the side, was already impatient. The money in his hand felt like a hot potato, making him restless. He finally took out a wad of cash from his bag and handed it to Xu Tiansheng: "Here you go, Director Xu, count it. The equipment from last time cost 1380 yuan, it's all here!"

“Okay…” Xu Tiansheng took the money and gestured for Qiu Dongdong to help count it. After carefully counting, they confirmed that there was no more and no less, just right. Zhou Huiji felt a great weight lifted from his heart, and a relaxed smile appeared on his face.

Afterwards, Long Lifan and Zhou Huiji prepared to get up and leave. Xu Tiansheng checked the time and felt it was still early, so lunch wasn't really an option. He suggested, "Long, I'll have Xiao Wang see you off... By the way, how did you get here?"

"I came by shuttle bus," Long Lifan replied.

"Oh," Xu Tiansheng responded thoughtfully, "If only your Dongwan Village had a vehicle, you wouldn't have to go through all this trouble and time waiting for the bus. Speaking of which, our factory has a spare tractor, but the people in your village don't know how to drive it..."

What was said in jest was taken seriously by the listener. Long Lifan's eyes lit up instantly upon hearing the word "tractor."

She had long felt that Dongwan Village should have a vehicle to facilitate hauling and delivering goods. However, vehicles are not something that can be bought simply with money; the approval process is cumbersome, and the number of available vehicles is limited.

She knew that the Red Star Commune only had one tractor, and many brigades were waiting to use it. Xu Tiansheng's words had undoubtedly opened a new door for her. She eagerly replied.

"I can drive a tractor!!!"