Reborn in 1977, I will no longer be my brother's blood bag.

After hanging up the phone in Donghe County, Section Chief Chen was quite pleased.

"Mr. Lin, people are coming directly to you now."

Factory Director Wang also smiled.

"If I stay a few more days, I think I'll have to keep calling you."

Lin Xiuhe clipped the notes into her notebook.

"Deliver the promised goods first."

As soon as he finished speaking, the warehouse staff came in with a material requisition form.

"Factory manager, the batch of steel plates for the base is only enough to last until the day after tomorrow."

The smile on Factory Director Wang's face vanished.

"Isn't there another batch in the warehouse?"

"Yes, that batch was reserved for enamel racks. If we really want to move them, we'll have to talk to them first."

Section Chief Chen frowned.

"The first batch from An County will be ready in three days."

Factory Director Wang took the material requisition form and turned to walk out.

"I'll go find the enamel workshop."

When he reached the door, he turned around.

"Mr. Lin, shall we go together?"

"Your factory uses its own materials, so you should coordinate that yourself."

"You're not going to do anything about it?"

"The order has already been placed; I can't expect everything to wait for me afterwards."

Factory Director Wang laughed after hearing this.

"Too."

"You've run around enough these past few days."

He left with Section Chief Chen.

Lin Xiuhe sat back down at the table.

The orders from Anxian are on the left.

Donghe's phone records are on the right.

Just when we got the delivery sorted out, the raw materials got stuck again.

She picked up her pencil, ready to add a couple more strokes, when the phone on the table rang again.

The office staff chimed in with a couple of sentences, then called out to her:

"Mr. Lin, it's you again."

Lin Xiuhe took the receiver.

"Feed?"

"Are you a forestry worker from Beijing?"

The other party first stated their workplace.

A supply and marketing company in the neighboring county.

"We heard from Donghe that you can now supply goods in batches?"

"There's something we'd like to ask as well."

Lin Xiuhe asked about the name and quantity of the product.

The quantity is not large.

What the other party cares about most is not getting them all at once.

"Just put the first batch on the shelves for us, and we can continue with the rest."

"Mr. Lin, do you think this can be done?"

Lin Xiuhe looked at the research institute project notice on the table.

"Have you contacted the research institute?"

"not yet."

"Then we need to report the project first."

There was a pause on the other end of the phone.

"Do I still need to report it?"

"right."

"How long will it take after the materials are sent over?"

"I can't give you time right now."

"But we're in a rush here."

The other party's tone was clearly urgent.

"If Donghe can do it this way, we should be able to do it similarly, right?"

"It's not the same thing."

"Your project hasn't been approved yet."

"Then could you talk to the research institute on our behalf?"

Lin Xiuhe held the receiver.

The other party was waiting for her reply.

She could understand what they wanted.

The first batch will be put on the shelves first.

We'll replenish the stock gradually.

The method is not complicated.

But the question on the other end of the phone was—

Can I accept this?

She couldn't bring herself to say it.

"I can take the information back with me."

Lin Xiuhe said, "Whether or not to accept it is up to the institute to decide."

"Can't you place an order?"

"cannot."

The people over there seemed somewhat surprised.

"I thought it was over by the East River..."

"The Donghe project has already been approved."

"Is it too late for us to send the materials now?"

"Deliver it as soon as possible."

The other person sighed.

"OK."

"Then please pass on a message."

"We're really waiting to sell."

The phone hangs up.

Lin Xiuhe put the receiver back on the landline.

The project notice was still lying on the table.

She took a pen and wrote down the name of the supply and marketing company, as well as the product and quantity.

At the end, she left a space after "time".

What people most want to know is precisely what she can't answer right now.

In the afternoon, Factory Director Wang returned.

The enamel workshop agreed to give up a batch of steel plates first, and then return them at the end of the month.

"We have enough materials for the first batch."

He handed over the coordination form.

After Lin Xiuhe finished reading it, she returned it to him.

"Then let's stick to the numbers we agreed on yesterday."

"rest assured."

Factory Director Wang put away the order form.

"Did someone call again just now?"

"The supply and marketing company in the neighboring county."

"Do you need a pasta machine too?"

"No, it's a different kind of product."

"You answered?"

"I don't have that authority."

Factory Director Wang realized what was happening.

"That's true. The institute decides what projects your research institute takes on."

Lin Xiuhe stuffed the notebook into her bag.

"I'm going back to Beijing this afternoon."

"Leaving today?"

"Everything that needed to be done has been done here."

"After the first batch of goods was delivered in An County, the actual quantity was reported according to procedure."

"OK."

Factory Director Wang escorted her to the door.

As he was leaving, he called out again.

"Forest worker."

Lin Xiuhe turned around.

"Thank you for these past few days."

"I'll thank you again once the goods are delivered to Anxian."

Factory Director Wang laughed.

"Okay. I'll personally inform the research institute of the good news when the time comes."

It was already dark when the train arrived in Beijing.

Lin Xiuhe left the station with her bag and soon saw Zhou Zhiyuan next to the exit.

He was pushing his bicycle, with an aluminum lunchbox hanging from the handlebars.

Lin Xiuhe walked over.

"They really came?"

"Tell me."

Zhou Zhiyuan handed her the lunchbox.

"Eat first."

"What?"

"steamed stuffed bun."

The lunchbox was still warm to the touch.

Lin Xiuhe opened it and took a look.

Four meat buns.

She picked one up.

How did you know I hadn't eaten?

Zhou Zhiyuan pushed the cart out.

"You came back at this time last time too."

"Last time was last time."

"As long as you guessed right this time, that's fine."

Lin Xiuhe took a bite of the steamed bun and followed him out of the station.

After walking for a while, Zhou Zhiyuan asked:

"How's it going in Linzhou?"

"The deal in Anxian has been secured, and Donghe is willing to wait as well."

"That's good."

"A supply and marketing company is looking for me this afternoon."

Zhou Zhiyuan turned his head.

"Another project?"

"Um."

"Did you accept it?"

"Can't receive it."

Why?

"I have no right to agree."

After Lin Xiuhe finished speaking, she took a second bite of the steamed bun.

Zhou Zhiyuan pushed the cart around the crowd in front of him.

"Then take it back and ask."

"This is the only way."

"urgent?"

"The other party is in a hurry."

"Then let's go earlier tomorrow."

Lin Xiuhe glanced at him.

"You're more open-minded than I am."

"Now that you're back today, can you really go knocking on the research institute's door now?"

"Too."

Zhou Zhiyuan pushed his bicycle to the side of the road.

"So let's eat first."

Lin Xiuhe was amused by his words.

"Is that all you're thinking about right now?"

"You've been thinking about work the whole way back, someone has to be thinking about it."

Her hand holding the steamed bun paused for a moment.

Then I took another bite.

"Then the remaining two are yours."

"I've already eaten."

"Then I'll eat them all."

"It was always yours."

The streetlights outside the station lit up one by one.

The two walked forward side by side.

As they approached the intersection, Lin Xiuhe suddenly said:

"When that person asked me in the afternoon if I could pick them up, I actually really wanted to."

Zhou Zhiyuan turned his head away.

Why?

"I think it's possible."

"Then I'll ask tomorrow."

"What if it doesn't get approved?"

"That means it won't be approved."

Lin Xiuhe frowned.

"But they can't wait."

Zhou Zhiyuan pushed his bicycle a few steps.

"Then you should say what you need to say tomorrow."

"We'll worry about the rest tomorrow."

Lin Xiuhe looked at him for a while, then smiled.

"OK."

"Let's not worry about it today."

When they arrived at the dormitory building of the research institute, Zhou Zhiyuan parked the car.

When Lin Xiuhe took the keys out of her bag, the phone record she had written down that afternoon was also brought out with her.

A corner of the paper was sticking out of the bag.

Zhou Zhiyuan pressed it back down for her.

Don't forget tomorrow.

"I can't forget it."

The next morning, Lin Xiuhe took the project records from Linzhou and the phone records from the supply and marketing company directly to the office.

Several people were already seated in the meeting room.

Engineer Sun was also there.

The director took the materials she brought back, and when he turned to the last sheet of phone records, he asked:

Who approved this project?

Lin Xiuhe pulled out a chair.

"It hasn't been approved yet."

The director looked up.

"Then why did you bring it back?"