Chronicle of the 70s-Chapter 351 - 338: Foreigner (Second Update)

Seeing how everyone reacted, their eyes turned to Li Xianglu, only to find her looking indifferent and unsurprised. Li Xianglu was skilled at her job, especially when it came to picking up new tasks easily. After what had happened that morning, the Chairman formally introduced Li Xianglu to everyone. She was the new director responsible for managing some loan affairs. At this, Li Xianglu’s expression fell. The loan business was okay in the capital, but this was a county town. The people here were conservative, and it was only the year ’83, who would just get a loan for no reason? People had just emerged from a decade of panic, barely reaching a state of adequate food and clothing, and now expecting them to take out loans to start businesses seemed like a joke to her. Li Xianglu also got acquainted with everyone in the bank. The oldest, Chairman Xu, was called Xu Yongjian. Next in line was the group leader of the savings department, Han Xuemei, who seemed to be in her late thirties, dressing very simply with ear-length short hair clipped back with a black hairpin, black cloth shoes, and clean white socks. When she was handling savings earlier, Li Xianglu noted that Han Xuemei was very serious and meticulous, though there was a hint of evasiveness in her gaze. Following her was Zhang Dahu, a 27-year-old trained at a vocational school specializing in accounting, which made him highly educated, curiously unmarried. Then there was Wang Yanan, whom Li Xianglu had encountered twice. Wang Yanan seemed dispirited after witnessing Li Xianglu’s capabilities, as if a nemesis had paradoxically come to his aid, incredulous and then resigned. Li Xianglu didn’t find such people threatening; they wore their emotions openly—what was there to worry about? Last were the four security officers; because there was cash in the vault, the bank, being the only one in the county, had no choice but to store it underground. However, they wouldn’t keep too much and would request to transfer the excess. This bank was quite small, with not much business to do, mainly servicing local government units and two or three small enterprises, which had just been established in ’81 and had little business themselves. At noon, Li Xianglu went back to have lunch. She had intended to invite her colleagues for a meal, but it seemed they weren’t accustomed to such gestures, not even the Chairman, so she didn’t mention it. The good thing about working in a county bank was the two-hour lunch break, so Qin Xi also returned home. For lunch, Leng Qing made cold noodles and mixed vegetables. Li Xianglu took a few bites and couldn’t help praising, "I didn’t expect the vegetables to be so tender." The old man also complimented, "Not only are these vegetables good, but they’re also very cheap." Qin Xi smiled, "That’s the beauty of a small city. You can eat really well and freshly with just a bit of money." Each of the kids had a bowl of noodles and furiously ate with plastic forks. If anyone touched the bowl, they would get upset. They were growing up, developing their own sense of independence, and wanted to eat by themselves, hence the strong reaction. Li Xianglu left them be; they were both at a small table, and any food they dropped Li Xianglu would pick up and eat, avoiding waste and also teaching the children. The old man watched his two great-grandchildren eat joyfully and sighed, "Your grandmother’s always been overindulgent with these two, forever feeding them by hand. Look at them now, when your grandma comes back, perhaps they’ll be able to eat by themselves. What a pity she missed it." Li Xianglu’s eyes widened in surprise—missing them so much already? It hadn’t been that long. Leng Qing chuckled, which drew everyone’s attention. Feeling embarrassed, she shifted her bowl to cover her face. The old man, face red with embarrassment, changed the topic, "How did you find work today? Did you get used to it?" Qin Xi responded first, "Not bad, but I didn’t expect even a small county town to have so much to do." Li Xianglu raised an eyebrow, wanting to ask what he meant, but since they were at the dining table, she held back, instead sharing her encounter with that girl at the bank. Qin Xi frowned, "She came to our house on her first day?" Li Xianglu replied irritably, "Exactly, looking all around, I don’t know what she was looking at. Luckily you weren’t here, otherwise, I would have overthought it." Qin Xi laughed,"Sounds like you’re overthinking it too." Li Xianglu just grinned and continued eating her vegetables. Qin Xi added, "Today I heard from Director Li at the office that initially, your bank recommended Han Xuemei for the director position, but it wasn’t approved, and then your appointment came through." Li Xianglu blinked, suddenly understanding. No wonder Han Xuemei seemed to have a strange and complex look of guilt. But she had displaced someone else, and yet that person felt guilty? What kind of situation was this?

In the afternoon, Li Xianglu brought a watermelon from a Storage Ring to the bank. She arrived early, cut it up, and offered everyone a piece with a smile, "This is grown by my grandpa, one of the early ripening batches. We brought some over for you all to try and praise it, so I can tell my grandpa and make him happy." Clearly, Li Xianglu knew how to talk. Her words made everyone feel like eating her watermelon was doing her a favor, so they went ahead and ate it unreservedly. The Chairman exclaimed after a big bite, "Wow, this melon is really sweet! Who would have thought the old man would know how to grow melons?" Li Xianglu smiled, "Exactly, my grandpa grew it using oil cake from the oil mill as fertilizer. Not only does it ripen early, but it’s also sweet." Wang Yanan, taking a second bite, was surprised to hear, "Oil cake is feed for big livestock, and he used it to grow melons? That’s quite extravagant!" Li Xianglu laughed, "Well, good varieties of melons can sell for more than a dime a pound easily. How much can a little oil cake cost?" Chairman Xu paused from wiping his hands after a third bite upon hearing this, with a thoughtful face he asked, "Xiao Li, are you saying the melons grown with oil cake are especially good and early ripening, so they can be sold for a good price?" Li Xianglu nodded, "That’s right. Some might know I worked at a bank in the capital before. Around the capital, there are melon farmers who use oil cake to plant early. By June, there are already early ripening watermelons for sale, and they’re not cheap." The Chairman’s eyes brightened at this, "If someone were to grow melons, they would need money, and if they need money, they could get a loan from our bank!" Li Xianglu’s mouth twitched slightly at the thought—indeed, but Chairman, you’re so eager to lend money to others. After pondering, she shook her head, "While it’s a good project, our bank can’t guarantee it’ll make money, so we can’t promote it like this. But if we really wanted to do it, we could—it would involve working with the government. The government would act as a link, and our bank would be responsible for the loans. That way, we don’t have to bear the risk." Chairman Xu was beyond excited, nodding eagerly, "Ah, you’re a high-caliber graduate indeed. You think so far ahead. Great. However, I don’t know if the county would agree to it." Li Xianglu’s lips curved into a smile, "That could be worth a try." Xu Yongjian’s eyes shone even more brightly—yes, Li Xianglu’s husband is ******** after all!