Chapter 36: To The Oil Field

Taiqing was an oil field city, so there were many buses going to the oil field.

Guo Xiang inquired about the buses going to the first oil production plant and got on the bus.

The bus gradually drove to the suburbs. From afar, she could see some pumping machines pumping oil up and down from the ground. It was as if people were nodding their heads, so the pumping machines were also called "Kowtowing machines".

Guo Xiang felt quite at home when she saw this. In her previous life, her father was a professor at the University of Petroleum, and he would often talk to her about the oil fields. He had even taken her to the oil fields a few times. Now that she saw these things again, she felt a little emotional.

When they arrived at the first oil production plant, the bus stopped. To go to the oil production team, she would have to take the commuter bus from the plant to the other teams.

Look, they already had a commuter bus here, but there was still no food in Southern Hunan. It felt like they were decades behind. The gap was really too big.

Guo Xiang sat in the oil field commuter bus and looked all the way over. The entire oil field was on the plains, as far as the eye could see. It was even bigger than the few counties in South Hunan.

This place was completely different from the inland cities. It was so advanced. There were brick houses everywhere, busy trucks going back and forth. In the distance, there were huge chimneys and tall steel factory buildings. It was completely a modern industrial city.

The entire Taiqing oil field occupied an area of more than 100,000 square kilometers. Not only were there oil extraction teams, but there were also oil factories, machinery factories, chemical factories, as well as their own schools and hospitals. It was more advanced than ordinary cities.

An oil field was a city.

The commuter bus arrived at the third oil extraction team. It was the oil team that Gu Zhennan was in.

Guo Xiang got off the bus and walked toward the headquarters of the oil team.

"Young lady, who are you looking for?" The guard at the door saw Guo Xiang and asked. This girl was really pretty. She was looking for someone, right? Which family's daughter-in-law was she?

"I'm looking for Gu Zhennan!" Guo Xiang answered.

"Who's looking for Gu Zhennan?" A person wearing a blue uniform walked out from inside. When he saw Guo Xiang, he asked, "You are?"

"Uh..." Guo Xiang didn't know what to say. If she said that she was Gu Zhennan's wife, she actually was here to divorce him. If she said that she was his sister, their ages wouldn't match.

Therefore, she said tactfully, "I'm from Plum Blossom Village in Southern Hunan."

"Plum Blossom Village? Then you are Zhennan's wife? You... you're not stupid..." the man was too embarrassed to continue.

Guo Xiang was speechless. Gu Zhennan had also told others about this? But it was true. How could he not spread the news of him marrying a fool?

She smiled. "I was a little slow in the past, but I'm better now."

"Really? That's great! I was worried about Zhennan." The man's face showed joy.

He knew that when Gu Zhennan went back to visit his family last time, he saved a person but found trouble instead. He married a fool. He didn't expect that the other person would be so beautiful after getting better.

He and Gu Zhennan used to be on the same forest farm. They were assigned to this place after the fire, so they had a good relationship.

"Hello, Guo Xiang. My name is Li Chun. I'm on the same oil team as Zhennan."Li Chun smiled at Guo Xiang and reached out to help her with her luggage, "Zhennan is at the oil well. Let me take you to his dormitory. Zhennan and I are good friends. I have the spare key to his dormitory."

"Do you have a guest house here?" Guo Xiang asked. Since she was here for a divorce, it was impossible for them to live together.

"No, we don't. Only the oil factory has it," said Li Chun.

"Then... I'll have to trouble you!" Guo Xiang was helpless. She should find Gu Zhennan first.

"No trouble!" Li Chun smiled brightly.

Taking Guo Xiang's luggage, Li Chun brought Guo Xiang to the staff dormitory area.

"Guo Xiang, you came at the right time. Zhennan just got a single room. If you came early, you wouldn't have any place to sleep," said Li Chun.

"How could it be?" Guo Xiang was surprised.

"We used to live in the collective dormitory, four people in one room. Now that Zhennan is married, he just got promoted, so he got a single room for himself," said Li Chun.

"It's just a bungalow. Only the big cadres can get those multiple-room buildings," said Li Chun.

When they reached Gu Zhennan's dormitory, Li Chun took out the key and opened the door.

Guo Xiang looked at the room. It was very simple. There was a basin rack by the door, a table and a chair across from it, and a huge bed by the right wall.

It was the first time Guo Xiang saw a real traditional bed that had a stove underneath to keep it warm in winter. It was so big that it could sleep three or four people.

Li Chun looked around the room and felt a little embarrassed. "Zhennan just moved here. There are still many things to do. Don't mind it the mess, Guo Xiang."

Guo Xiang smiled and didn't say anything.

"Actually, this is considered good. We used to live in the dorms. The conditions are much worse than this. Zhennan is really impressive. We entered the oil field at the same time. He taught himself mechanics and now he's the vice-captain. I'm still an ordinary worker. I can't be compared to him." Li Chun sighed.

"Vice-captain?" Guo Xiang raised her eyebrows. He became an official?

"Don't underestimate this vice-captain title. Our captain is in charge of the overall situation. Zhennan is in charge of the specific work. There are two to three hundred people in an oil team."

"Our team produces thousands of barrels of oil every day on average. A barrel of oil costs 20 dollars. The daily output value is more than a hundred thousand dollars," Li Chun said proudly.

More than 100,000 US dollars? Guo Xiang was a little shocked.

She did not expect a person with a monthly salary of only 70 yuan to create such a large value. Of course, it was not his own credit, but it was still very impressive.

Only then did Guo Xiang fully understand what was meant by "People move to live, trees move to die".

If Gu Zhennan had not left his hometown to become a stevedore, if he had only chosen to work in the local area when he first chose to work, then he might have been a farmer or an ordinary worker for his entire life, he would have to work hard all year round for only a few yuan.

His departure had realized such a great value.

It seemed that he was a visionary.

Moreover, Li Chun was also a worker. Yet Zhennan had worked from a mechanic to a captain. It was evident that he worked harder than others.

Guo Xiang was a little curious about Gu Zhennan.

Li Chun put the luggage beside the bed and looked at the room. "Zhennan doesn't know that you're coming, right? There's nothing at home. I'll get dinner for you from the canteen. You don't have to make it yourself."

"Thank you so much," Guo Xiang said gratefully. She wouldn't cook even if she had a cooker. Besides, she didn't plan to stay here for long.

"You don't have to be so polite with me." Li Chun smiled and revealed two rows of white teeth, which made Guo Xiang like him.

"Zhennan is on the day shift today. He will only get off work at seven o'clock. It takes an hour to get here from the oil well. If you're tired, you should rest first. I'm staying in the dormitory across the street, Room 107. If you need anything, you can look for me!" Said Li Chun.

Guo Xiang nodded. "Thank you!"

Li Chun smiled and walked out of the door.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Guo Xiang called Li Chun.

"Do you have anything else?" asked Li Chun.

"I want to ask, do you... have any teachers from the University of Petroleum Here to guide you?" Asked Guo Xiang.

She remembered that her father had come to the Taiqing oil field in her previous life when she had just been born. However, at that time, her father was not a professor. He was just an ordinary teacher.

"Yes, two days ago. They were still in the factory!" Li Chun said.

Guo Xiang was delighted. "Is there a person named Guo Chongming?"

Li Chun thought for a moment. "I don't think so. I heard that one is Mr Zhang and the other is Mr Wang."

Guo Xiang immediately felt discouraged. Yes, she had transmigrated here. She was already 20 years old. She had just been born in her previous life. How could it be the same? Her parents might not even exist in this world.