Chapter 73

(Bowing to thank "He Jiang Yipian Yun" for the three monthly votes!)

Xiling is a township to the north of Linyang. Due to its remote location in the mountains, Zhou Ming drove on the dirt roads of Xiling, kicking up a trail of dust.

This was Su Han's hometown. Initially, Zhou Ming had left for Nanjiang Harbor City to make money according to his plan. To avoid Su Han being retaliated against by Huang Zheng at the factory, he had her hide back in her hometown. Now that Zhou Ming had returned, he had arranged everything at home, and his parents were being guarded by police officers from the county public security bureau. Confirming there was no danger and that Huang Zheng and Ma Jianjun would not cause trouble for the time being, Zhou Ming was eager to find Su Han. Of course, Su Han's hometown was quite remote, so for convenience, Zhou Ming went to the county agricultural bank to borrow the small car he had recently purchased from Dai Zhenjiang.

Zhou Ming originally thought he would have to do some talking, as in this era, cars were not as common as they were thirty years later, when almost every slightly well-off family had a private car. Cars in this era were considered luxury items. However, after Dai Zhenjiang confirmed that Zhou Ming really knew how to drive, he readily lent the car to him.

Driving the car, Zhou Ming watched the scenery pass by on both sides, thinking about whether he should also get a driver's license and buy a car. After all, having a car would be very convenient, and if he had a car and could drive back, Huang Zheng and Ma Jianjun would at least be wary of whether he had really become a big boss elsewhere, and wouldn't dare to be so arrogant.

With these various thoughts, Zhou Ming quickly arrived at Diantou Village, where Su Han lived, after asking for directions. Private cars were rare in this era, so when Zhou Ming drove into the village, many villagers gathered to watch. Not knowing which house Su Han lived in, Zhou Ming first found the village party secretary, who then helped him locate Su Han's home. However, Su Han was not at home, and no one was there. The village party secretary guessed that she was probably working in the fields. Zhou Ming then asked the village party secretary to help him find Su Han's field.

Su Han's field was not far from her home. Following the village party secretary, Zhou Ming saw Su Han sitting on the field ridge chatting with a few other village women from a distance.

Zhou Ming called out, and Su Han turned to look. Seeing Zhou Ming, her eyes lit up, and she ran over happily. But when she reached Zhou Ming, she suddenly stopped, hesitant to approach.

Zhou Ming, of course, understood her hesitation, opened his arms, and embraced her. Su Han let out a surprised cry and quickly pushed him away, saying, "Zhou Ming, let go! I'm covered in mud, don't dirty your clothes."

Zhou Ming laughed, "How could I? I just like holding you like this."

Su Han then relaxed and leaned into Zhou Ming's embrace.

Seeing this, the old village party secretary was initially stunned, then blushed and coughed. Su Han pushed Zhou Ming away, her face flushed, and stood to one side. Zhou Ming didn't mind; after all, he was a reborn person who had experienced the openness of the future, where even non-couples, just good friends or classmates, could hug without issue, let alone people in their relationship.

Zhou Ming looked Su Han up and down. She wore a small straw hat and a homespun dress, looking clean and spotless, like a real-life Jingqiu from "The Hawthorn Tree."

"Su Han, this Mr. Zhou Ming has driven to our village to find you. It seems you really know each other," the village party secretary said awkwardly.

Hearing the village party secretary's words, Su Han's face lit up. She looked at Zhou Ming and said, "Zhou Ming, you came by car? Did you really make a lot of money in Nanjiang?"

Zhou Ming nodded, "Of course. If I hadn't made a lot of money, would I have come to pick you up with such confidence? I'm responsible for you!"

The village women who had been sitting with Su Han on the field ridge also came over. Hearing that Zhou Ming had come by car, they were immediately surprised, "Wow! So you're the Zhou Ming who Su Han often talks about, making a lot of money outside? It's been such a short time, and you're already back to pick her up in a car. You're really capable and loyal!"

Zhou Ming scratched his head and said thanks, while Su Han, embarrassed, said to Zhou Ming, "I'm sorry, I missed you so much that I told them about you."

Zhou Ming, surprised that Su Han was apologizing for this, smiled and held her hand, shaking his head to show it was no big deal.

Someone else picked up on something else and asked, surprised, "Mr. Zhou Ming, right? You said you're responsible for Su Han. Does that mean you two...?"

Su Han's face turned red as she hurriedly explained, "No, no, nothing has happened yet!"

The rural women were quite open-minded about this, "Even if something did happen, it's nothing. You're young, and we can understand."

This made Su Han's face even redder, and she was too embarrassed to know what to say.

It wasn't the busy farming season, so Zhou Ming took Su Han home. Seeing the black car parked at the door, the village women who had come with Su Han were surprised, "Mr. Zhou, is this your car? It's so beautiful!"

Zhou Ming smiled and said thanks. Actually, it wasn't his car, but it didn't matter since he knew he could afford to buy one if he wanted to.

Back at home, Su Han took a bath and changed into clean clothes, packed her things, and got into the car. Zhou Ming started the car and drove back to the 760 Factory.

In the car, Zhou Ming looked at Su Han's slightly thinner face and said, "You've been through a lot these past two months."

Su Han shook her head, "What hardship? I'm a half-urban, half-rural resident. I was lucky to stay at the factory. If I were back home, I'd probably be working in the fields every day."

The transportation in this era was not as convenient as in the future, and the distance from Xiling Township to Nanhui County was quite far. It took Zhou Ming nearly three hours to drive back to the factory. Once back, Su Han's first thought was to go see her small restaurant.

Zhou Ming drove Su Han to the door of her restaurant. Su Han fell silent, rolled down the window, and looked at her restaurant, her expression very sad. On the front and walls of her restaurant, large posters had been painted, saying that Su Han was a prostitute and a slut, and that they would kill her when she returned. It was obvious who had done this—no one else but Huang Zheng, the bastard.

"I'm sorry, Zhou Ming. I should have listened to you and not come back to see it," Su Han said, her voice trembling.

Actually, when Su Han wanted to come back, Zhou Ming had advised her not to, but Su Han was a very emotional person. She had put a lot of effort into the restaurant, so she insisted on coming back to see it.

"It's okay. It's good to come back and see it. It's a way to put the past behind you," Zhou Ming comforted her. "But don't worry, now that I'm back, I won't let anyone who bullied you off the hook. These things only show me that those people deserve what they get. No matter how harsh I am, I'll feel justified."

Su Han nodded and asked, "You said you're going to buy the entire 760 Factory, right? But I heard that the 760 Factory is just starting the reform process. Nanhui isn't at the forefront of the reform and opening up, so the reform shouldn't start so quickly. Should we leave the 760 Factory and go somewhere else to avoid trouble? Huang Zheng and Ma Jianjun still have a lot of influence in the factory. You're a big boss now, so you need to be careful about your and your parents' safety."

Zhou Ming could feel the deep concern in Su Han's words and said, "If it were a normal situation, the reform wouldn't be implemented until after the New Year. But since I'm back, the reform will be accelerated. I can't stand to see scum like Huang Zheng and Ma Jianjun continue to get away with their actions!"

"What do you plan to do? Don't confront them head-on! You're young and have a bright future. It's not worth it to fight to the death with them," Su Han worried.

"Fight to the death? You're overestimating them. They're just small officials in the factory. Even if Huang Zheng has connections in the county, they're not significant. They might be completely destroyed, but my network will still be intact."

Zhou Ming thought for a moment and continued, "You forgot what I told you before. I met a prince from Yanjing in Nanjiang. With his family's connections, it's easy to take down these people. Moreover, to buy the entire 760 Factory and accelerate the reform, I also need his family's help."

Su Han let out a long breath, "That's good. But you're really amazing, Zhou Ming, to have such connections!"

Seeing Su Han's excited, clenched fists, Zhou Ming chuckled, "Yes! So when I buy the 760 Factory, my dad and mom can be the factory managers, and you can come and be a manager to help me run the factory, okay?"

Su Han quickly shook her head, "No, I can't do it."

"No? Why not? I think your strategies and ideas for running your restaurant are great!" Zhou Ming said. He wasn't just trying to boost her confidence; he had genuinely discussed this with Su Han and believed she had a talent for business.

"But running a restaurant and managing a factory are completely different," Su Han said urgently.

Zhou Ming shrugged, "What's the difference? And... women shouldn't say they can't do something!"

Su Han blinked, confused, "Why can't women say they can't do something?"

"Because if women can't do something, it means they can't have children. If women can't have children, they're not really women, are they?" Zhou Ming said.

Su Han had never heard such a statement and didn't react at first. After a moment, she blushed and said, "Zhou Ming, what are you talking about? No one talks like that. It's too vulgar and embarrassing!"

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