Forced to marry a disabled man in the countryside? I'll repay you tenfold!

He paused, then said hurriedly, "I'll tell Professor Qian this good news right now; he'll probably jump for joy. But right now, we need to deal with the tungsten production line first. Since you said the goods are already at Mingyue Lake, we need to quickly organize people to receive them. Comrade Xiao Su, will you come with us?"

Su Wanqing waved her hand: "I'm not going. You guys can handle the things. You all have the keys. Just remember to lock the door when you're done."

She paused for a moment, then said, "Oh, right, I also want to apply for something."

Deputy Commander Zhao immediately straightened his back and waved his hand, "Xiao Su, just say it! This doesn't need to be reported. I'll agree to it first."

Although he didn't actually have that authority, given Comrade Xiao Su's contributions, even if she wanted the moon, the organization would have to find a way to get it for her.

Su Wanqing didn't mince words: "First, I heard that the organization will be purchasing a batch of rare earth this month or next month, and I'd like to go with them. Second, I'd also like to go abroad to investigate some things."

Before the reform and opening up, ordinary people couldn't even dream of going abroad, and it was difficult even if they had a mission.

Although the policy has been relaxed now, the procedures for going abroad are still complicated. Moreover, Su Wanqing is too important to the country. She is afraid that someone will harm her in Bincheng. The risks will be even greater if she goes abroad. How can the organization easily let her go?

Upon hearing this, Deputy Commander Zhao indeed hesitated.

This is difficult, extremely difficult! Isn't this making things difficult for him? If he were to submit this message, he'd probably be drowned in their spittle.

But the next second:

"Okay, no problem! I thought it was something serious. Don't worry, no matter how difficult it is, I'll get it done for you!"

He had already made up his mind. At worst, he would cry and make a scene. If all else failed, he would personally lead a team, a special forces unit, with translators, foreign trade officials, and a medical team, with over a hundred people fully armed to escort Comrade Xiao Su abroad.

He risked his life to accompany the gentleman, and even in death, he was a great hero who protected the country.

Su Wanqing was unaware that Deputy Commander Zhao had staked his entire life on this. She considered herself just an ordinary person, who at most would take Zhou Yanshen with him to fly the fighter jets.

However, flying a fighter jet abroad doesn't seem to work either, as it could easily be seen as a provocation. If a missile were to come, even thousands of pounds of gold wouldn't be enough to burn it.

Never mind, we'll see when the time comes.

Since Deputy Commander Zhao had agreed, she didn't think much of it. Her goal was simple: to go to some secret places and get some good stuff for free.

As for her destination, she goes wherever there are good things.

"Oh, right," another thought popped into her mind, "I also need to check which places abroad have gold mines. If I could find a gold mine for free, I'd never have to worry about gold again."

Deputy Commander Zhao and Lin Meihua hurriedly took their leave, and the two of them split up to work overtime again.

Old Wang came over and said that gifts had been sent from next door and the movie theater: two baskets of fruit and a banner that read "May your business prosper." Su Wanqing nodded and made a note of it.

She didn't stay any longer, but said to Old Wang, "Uncle Wang, let's go to the disabled veterans' mutual aid center."

The place has been officially open for two or three days now, no wonder I haven't seen Zhou's mother come over for meals these past few days—she and Gu Yuan have already moved in and seem to be quite satisfied with their living situation, so satisfied that they're too lazy to come over for meals.

"Come on, I just took a day off. I'll go with you wherever you want to go, and we can also look at some houses while we're at it."

Old Wang now understands perfectly well that it's better to serve Su Wanqing well than to earn that meager salary at the housing management office. Even a little bit of her money is better than a year's worth of work.

However, he couldn't lose his job, since his current position made it convenient for Su Wanqing to find suitable land and houses, and he could lend a hand whenever she wanted.

Su Wanqing didn't refuse: "Okay." She was quite well-off now, and since Bincheng was her base, she did want to acquire a few more plots of land.

Soon, we arrived at the Disabled Veterans Mutual Aid Center in Xiao Wang's car.

As he walked, Old Wang explained, "We've already taken in fifty-three people, plus their families and spouses, making a total of seventy or eighty. We found them around the Lunar New Year, and some even came from other places. The canteen currently has five cooks, six cleaners and managers, and a doorman. All we need now is a retired doctor."

Su Wanqing nodded: "I'll go back to the hospital and ask. It shouldn't be difficult to find someone to come and see patients. But there are still too few people. This place can only accommodate more than 300 people. If it really doesn't work, we can hire a few people to go all over the country to find eligible disabled veterans. The sooner we find them, the sooner they can get rid of their suffering."

"Ah, very good." Old Wang couldn't help but sigh. There are really not many people in this world who are as sincere as Su Wanqing.

Su Wanqing continued, "I plan to buy the land next door to expand it, making it our headquarters, a mutual aid center that can accommodate at least a thousand people. I'll trouble Uncle Wang to handle the purchase and paperwork for that land. By the way, what are the arrangements for the current fifty-odd people?"

The two got out of the car and walked along the newly paved cement road. The first thing they saw was a small square with several stone tables and benches, and a newly built small pond next to it.

"These people all have terrible tempers," Old Wang said in a low voice. "We told them there were jobs for them, and that's why they agreed to come. But after only two or three days, they started complaining about wanting to work. They can't stand being idle. Some of them are actually quite capable, but others have trouble even walking. I think we should just not assign them any work."

Su Wanqing shook her head: "No."

She knew these veterans too well—they were people who had been strong-willed all their lives, and they would feel uncomfortable being fed and cared for for free.

Her mutual aid center isn't meant to spoil people; rather, it's meant to make them feel capable and useful.

As long as you're alive, you need something to look forward to and something to do. Even something as simple as sweeping the floor or watching the door is better than lying around waiting to die.

"Those who can walk, some will go to the chicken farm. There are several hundred chicks there now, and we're short-handed. Those who can't walk will also need to be given tasks, at least six hours a day, even if it's just sitting there weaving straw hats. When you see them later, you can't show them a pitiful look."

Old Wang nodded repeatedly. Little Wang followed behind, silently giving Su Wanqing a thumbs up.

Soon, they arrived at the entrance of the activity room, only to find a large group of disabled people gathered together, craning their necks to see what was going on.

When Su Wanqing approached, she discovered that Zhou's mother was sitting inside painting. An old-fashioned gramophone next to her was playing opera, and she was humming the tune as she painted with great enthusiasm.