Beautiful beauties in the 80s courtyard

Chapter 803 Aren't you worried and sad for your good friend?

Lu Qiaoge knew very well that it would be more convenient for her to set up the pilot project in a textile factory in Beidu, and it would also be easier to allocate resources.

She needs a place where she can have complete control.

In the initial stages of a project, there can be no room for any obstruction. What she needs is the power to "make the decisions," the space to push forward her ideas without reservation. Once the entire system is running smoothly and the processes are running well, she can naturally step back and simply be the helmsman.

After finishing her work, Lu Qiaoge strolled over to the cafeteria.

As soon as she entered, she ran into Director Lin. The two exchanged a few familiar pleasantries, and then she went to update the menu on the small blackboard by the door.

"Come, come, Xiao Lu, try some fresh out of the oven." Director Lin warmly handed her a small shortbread and scooped out a small bowl of canned yellow peaches.

The canteen's homemade pastries just taste different. The shortbread has a golden-brown, crispy exterior and a soft, fluffy interior; one bite fills your mouth with the aroma of wheat. The canned yellow peach syrup isn't cloyingly sweet; the cool juice glides down your throat with a refreshing fruity fragrance, making it particularly refreshing.

While eating in small bites, Lu Qiaoge joked, "Director Lin, you've been so good to me, how can I ever repay you?"

The two were close and didn't need to be polite. Director Lin was very direct and said bluntly, "I heard there are a lot of roe deer in Jiangcheng. You have many connections, could you get some for the canteen? If you can, you can process them into braised meat and distribute them to the staff. It would be a way for the canteen to provide some welfare for everyone during the Spring Festival."

She knew Lu Qiaoge's capabilities well. Although this young girl wasn't exactly a big shot in Jiangcheng, she was still a local bigwig with a wide network of connections and many ways to get things done.

Lu Qiaoge smiled and agreed: "I can't say it's 100% no problem, but getting some goods shouldn't be a problem. How about this, you make a list, what you want, how much, and what price is suitable. Who knows, I might actually be able to get you a whole train carload."

This was actually an idea she had for a while, but she had never been too embarrassed to bring it up.

The main canteen has its own independent purchasing system, and if she were to interfere rashly, it could easily overstep her bounds and cause gossip. Now that Director Lin has taken the initiative to speak up, it's naturally a win-win situation.

Jiangcheng has no shortage of local specialties. While it may lack dragon liver and phoenix marrow, it has everything: chicken, duck, fish, meat, mushrooms, wood ear fungus, and all sorts of wild vegetables. A single phone call will bring long queues to the purchasing points in each commune.

This is thanks to a widespread acquisition network, much like the distribution points set up by the craft factories.

Xiangyang Food Factory happens to control one of the important acquisition channels.

Every autumn, she would arrange for people to buy large quantities of these mountain delicacies and wild game. One reason was to stockpile raw materials for the factory, and the other was to put her idle funds to use, turning the "mountain goods" in the hands of ordinary people into real money for the New Year.

Compared to some impoverished areas, Jiangcheng is a vast and resource-rich place. As long as people are hardworking, they won't starve to death.

But who doesn't hope that life will get better and better?
When Lu Qiaoge met Qi Qi, she felt that this girl was probably living too comfortably and was bored out of her mind.

Her expression turned cold, and she asked bluntly, "How do you know that Sang Juan and I are close?"

She had just come out of the office and, at the corner of the corridor, bumped into Qi Qi, who was waiting for her.

Because they had previously agreed to discuss private matters, the two found a secluded corner.

Qi Qi immediately said sarcastically, "Lu Qiaoge, aren't you and Sang Juan quite close? Now that the Sang family has caused such a huge scandal, and Sang Juan hasn't been to school for several days, why do you still look so happy? Don't you seem worried or sad about your good friend at all?"

It seems that the truth about the Sang family can no longer be hidden.

But Lu Qiaoge didn't ask Qi Qi where she heard the news from. Instead, she directly seized on another key point: "How did you know that Sang Juan and I are close?" The people in the Development Department had heard about her at school, but they didn't know the specifics.

Qi Qi was taken aback by her question. Looking at Lu Qiaoge's expressionless face, she felt inexplicably scared and a little regretful.

She originally wanted to find an excuse to show off her well-informed connections to Lu Qiaoge, hoping to leave the latter speechless and put her in a superior position. After all, within the bureau, the outstanding Lu Qiaoge was her strongest rival.

But the words had already been spoken and couldn't be taken back.

She braced herself and admitted, "I heard it from Xia Yinghe, your classmate."

Lu Qiaoge then realized that Xia Yinghe and Qi Qi also knew each other.

She remained silent for a moment, her gaze sweeping over Qi Qi.

The proportion of female staff at the State Administration of Foreign Trade is not high; while they may not be considered extremely rare, they are certainly not numerous either.

Every girl who gets to stand in the spotlight and be seen by everyone, regardless of her family background, has put in real hard work.

After all, this is the country's window to the outside world; without real skills, one would truly embarrass oneself.

"If it works, it works; if it doesn't, it doesn't. There's no room for faking it."

Qi Qi is actually very capable. In a sense, she is a language genius.

She is capable of handling translation work or on-site interpretation in many high-profile occasions.

Lu Qiaoge softened her voice: "What kind of answer are you hoping to get when you ask me these questions?"

Qi Qi was taken aback for a moment, then immediately retorted: "Just say what you're thinking, why beat around the bush?"

“What I think is not important,” Lu Qiaoge shook her head, her gaze sharpening. “What is important is, did you come here today specifically to talk to me about the Sang family just to watch the show? If you did, then I’m sorry, but I hate people who kick someone when they’re down and make sarcastic remarks.”

"I wasn't watching the commotion!" Qi Qi hurriedly explained. "I... I was just concerned about Sang Juan. Actually, although we're not close, we do know each other."

"You didn't watch the show, and you specifically told me about this, so do you have any good ideas that can help?" Lu Qiaoge pressed on.

"What good ideas do I have?" Qi Qi looked out the window, her tone somewhat irritated. "These kinds of things are the hardest to handle. That Jiang Wan is no pushover. My grandma said she's like someone who has nothing to lose. If Jiang Wan really goes all out, the Sang family really won't be able to do anything about her."

Lu Qiaoge still didn't respond to her question and asked again, "So, you neither have a good solution nor are you just watching the show. Then what exactly do you want to achieve by bringing me here to talk about the Sang family?"

Her tone was calm, yet it carried an invisible pressure.

“Although my time isn’t so precious that every second counts, I don’t want to waste my energy on this kind of thing.” Lu Qiaoge looked at Qi Qi and said, word by word, “I have no interest in discussing my good friend’s family affairs with someone I don’t know very well, and I also believe that a person should not only have a conscience but also a moral bottom line. Some things in this world are worth discussing, while others are absolutely off-limits. Do you understand this principle?”

(End of this chapter)