Chapter 568 Three People Are Hungry

Chapter 568 Three People Are Hungry

Walking into the lobby of the guesthouse, under the dim light, a staff member in a dark blue uniform was dozing off behind the counter. Wang Jianguo gently knocked on the counter, and the staff member woke up and raised his head sleepily.

Wang Jianguo said politely:

"Comrade, we need two rooms."

The staff rubbed his eyes, opened the registration book, and said as he wrote:

"Beds are tight right now, so I can only make two large bunk beds for you. One for three people, and one for two people. Is that okay?"

Wang Jianguo and Zhao Shuzhuo looked at each other and nodded. After all, in this era of relative scarcity of materials, it was good to have a place to stay.

After completing the check-in formalities, the staff handed Wang Jianguo two keys and pointed in the direction of the stairs:

"Second floor, turn left to the first and second rooms." Wang Jianguo took the key and turned to say to everyone:

"Brother Hai, Erhua, Erzhu, let's save costs and just stay in these two rooms. The three of you stay in one, and Shuzhuo and I stay in another. Let's just make do for one night, and we'll plan the rest tomorrow."

Cheng Hai took the key, looked at Cheng Erhua and Liu Erzhu, and said with a smile:

"Okay, no problem, as long as I have a place to sleep."

Everyone dragged their tired bodies and slowly walked up the narrow stairs. The wooden stairs creaked in protest under their feet.

Reaching the second floor and turning left into the first room, Cheng Hai opened the door and an old smell hit him in the face. There were three simple wooden beds in the room. The sheets looked a little pale and had a few patches on them, but they were still clean.

Cheng Hai walked to the bed, patted the mattress, and said to Cheng Erhua and Liu Erzhu:

"Erhua, Erzhu, you'll sleep here tonight. Hurry up and pack up and go to bed early."

Cheng Erhua and Liu Erzhu put their bags on the bed, began to take off their shoes, and prepared to rest.

In the next room, Zhao Shuzhuo and Wang Jianguo also opened the door. The furnishings in the room were similar to those in Cheng Hai's room. Wang Jianguo walked to the window, opened it, let in some air, closed it again, turned around and said to Zhao Shuzhuo:

"Shuzhuo, although the journey today was hard, we have gained a lot. Secretary Dong has given us confidence. We must work harder and get the brick factory business done properly."

Zhao Shuzhuo sat on the bed, nodded, and said firmly:

"Don't worry, Jianguo, if we work together, we will definitely succeed."

At this moment, the sound of Cheng Erhua and Liu Erzhu talking in low voices came from the next room, with occasional laughter. I guess they were sharing what they had seen and heard that day.

Wang Jianguo gently pushed open the creaking door of Cheng Hai's room and walked in with a look of concern.

Cheng Hai was sitting on the edge of the bed, using the dim light to carefully flip through a somewhat worn notebook, which contained densely recorded key points about the supply and marketing cooperative during this trip. He frowned slightly, as if he was thinking about some key link.

Cheng Erhua and Liu Erzhu were squatting in the corner, talking in low voices and chuckling from time to time, perhaps sharing their new experiences along the way to dispel the fatigue of the journey.

Wang Jianguo took a few steps closer, glanced at the three people one by one, and said in a gentle and caring tone:

"Brother Hai, Erhua, Erzhu, I'm in the room next to you. If you need anything tonight, whether it's daily necessities or any unsolvable problems, please don't hesitate to come to me."

As he spoke, he paused slightly, his eyes full of heartache, and continued.

"You've been tired all day, traveling for such a long time and busy with other things. Go to bed early and get enough rest. There are still many things waiting for us later."

After saying that, Wang Jianguo patted Cheng Hai's shoulder gently, as if giving him silent encouragement, and then turned around and prepared to leave.

Just at this moment, a "gurgling" sound suddenly rang out in the quiet room, and it was particularly clear in this quiet atmosphere.

Everyone's eyes were focused instantly. Cheng Erhua's face turned red. He unconsciously covered his stomach with his hands and forced an awkward smile on his face, trying to hide his embarrassment.

Wang Jianguo paused, his face full of confusion. He turned his head and looked directly at Cheng Hai, and asked:

"Brother Hai, didn't you have lunch?"

There was a hint of blame in that tone, but more of it was concern.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Hai lowered his head slightly, rubbing the corners of his clothes nervously with his hands. After hesitating for a long time, he stammered:

"Well... everything in this city is more expensive than where we are. We didn't bring much money with us, so we thought we could save as much as possible, so... we each bought a sesame seed bun to fill our stomachs at noon."

His voice became lower and lower, and at the end, it was almost inaudible, as if he was filled with guilt for letting his companions starve.

When Wang Jianguo heard this, his brows instantly twisted into the shape of a "川" character, and his face was full of heartache and anxiety.

He strode up to Cheng Erhua and Liu Erzhu, stretched out his hands, patted their shoulders vigorously, and said in a louder voice:

"That won't work! Erhua and Erzhu are both strong young men, they are in the period of growth and eating, what can a sesame seed bun do to them? Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

As he spoke, he looked around, his eyes full of unquestionable determination.

"Don't sit there, follow me now, let's go eat."

The tone was like that of a decisive parent who would not tolerate any evasion from the children.

Cheng Hai was about to say something, as if to explain that they could still afford it and didn't need to spend so much money. But Wang Jianguo seemed to see through his thoughts and interrupted him with his hand, saying in a tough tone:

"Brother Cheng Hai, don't say anything. Have you forgotten what I told you last time? When you are out, take care of each other and listen to me."

Cheng Hai opened his mouth and wanted to persuade Wang Jianguo not to spend more money on them. They could just make do with it for one night and eat something casually tomorrow.

But when his eyes met Wang Jianguo's firm and unquestionable gaze, his heart trembled and he swallowed back the words that were about to come out of his mouth.

He knew Wang Jianguo's temper too well. Once this man made up his mind, even ten oxen could not pull him back.

Besides, Wang Jianguo was really thinking about everyone, and he must feel bad seeing his companions starving. Cheng Hai sighed helplessly, shook his head slightly, and had to give up, following Wang Jianguo's footsteps and walked out.

Wang Jianguo walked hurriedly without stopping for a moment and went straight back to his room.

As soon as I pushed the door open, I saw Zhao Shuzhuo sitting by the bed. In the dim light, he was carefully flipping through an old booklet about brick factory construction. His brows were slightly furrowed, as if he was thinking about some difficult problem.