suspicion

She definitely couldn't tell the truth, otherwise it would definitely cause a lot of trouble if her family knew. She could only pretend to be confused, "Mom, how would I know? If you want to know, you have to ask Brother Kaikai. They are classmates."

Xu Nian said this mainly because she understood her mother and would not easily go to see her aunt. It seemed that the two of them staying together would spread fleas. They would jump up after just a few words, and it was so unlucky during the New Year.

Xu's mother didn't know that her daughter was making up stories about her in her mind. She thought that Xu Nian didn't like Xu Hongqi. Her other daughter did too well in the exam this time. She believed that Xu Hongqi's tutoring of Nian Nian accounted for half of the credit. She knew her own daughter better than anyone else. She must have not wanted to cause conflicts, otherwise Nian Nian would have been so indifferent to them when they came back this time.

Xu Nian also didn't know what her mother was thinking about her. She could only say that this was a beautiful misunderstanding.

After getting off the donkey cart, Xu Nian, who was familiar with the route, took Xu's mother and two sisters-in-law and took a shortcut to the supply and marketing cooperative. Before they reached the door, the three of them were dumbfounded.

At the same time, they said, "There are too many people!"

Mrs. Xu folded her handkerchief and said to the group, "I came here around this time last year. There were a lot of people then, but not as many as this year. Everyone is getting richer now."

Seeing the crowds of people, Xu's mother said to them, "Go buy some things first, otherwise they'll be sold out and there won't be anything left."

When Xu Ersao came today, her husband gave her the private money he had saved and asked her to buy her a new scarf to tie her hair for the New Year. After hearing what her mother-in-law said, she immediately became anxious and was the first person to rush in.

Xu Nian had never seen such a grand spectacle before and didn't want to squeeze in, so he shouted to them, "I'm not going in, I'll wait for you outside to look at something."

She didn't know whether they heard clearly or not. Anyway, the three of them were submerged in the crowd and she couldn't see anything, so she immediately moved away from the group.

There are so many people buying things today, and it seems that they won’t be able to get out for a while. Xu Nian felt extremely cold after standing outside for a short while, and could only jump around to keep warm.

I can only pray that I don't catch a cold during the New Year. Thinking of the cold, I thought of Xu Hongqi who had just recovered from a cold. Today, Xu Hongqi went out earlier than them. He really didn't want to delay for even a minute and was in a hurry to make things for people.

Xu Nian's thoughts were similar to Xu Hongqi's. He rode his bike out early this morning. He had been thinking that Xu Nian had been unhappy in recent days because he had to continue assembling those things, so he decided to go to the black market, buy some tickets, and spend money to buy a new radio fan for Qi Meiyue.

But when he went to the black market, he didn't expect that the prices of radios and fans had risen so much during the Chinese New Year. He could have bought three sets for so much money. Moreover, the gifts were too expensive and he would be too conspicuous, so he went to several long-term partners to buy their used equipment parts.

But he didn't tell them in advance that they didn't have any. Later, a new man next to him whispered, "I remember the Lin family in Shuizhao Lane is looking for a new radio. I heard that the old ones need to be replaced. Do you want to go and have a look at this place?"

Since Xu Hongqi had already come, he naturally didn't want to go back empty-handed, otherwise he would have to wait for several days. So he asked the man to lead the way and he would go to see if he could get it.

As the two were leaving, Wang Lin, their frequent collaborator, said, "Be careful, both of you. It might be the Lunar New Year, and security has tightened up a lot lately. They're all waiting to catch someone and get a reward so they can have a good Lunar New Year."

Xu Hongqi felt a pang in his heart for some reason, but finally thought that if he was more cautious, he would probably be fine. He seldom traded in the county town, and usually asked Brother Hong to take him to other places.

Xu Hongqi followed the man who led the way and walked through the alleys of the residential area. Because of Wang Lin's reminder today, they were so cautious that it seemed unnatural.

He didn't feel relieved until he knocked on the door and went in. Xu Hongqi wanted to leave quickly, so he told the family his purpose directly. The family probably really wanted to buy some old items to replace new ones, and it was obvious that they had some money, so they took out the old radio from the house and showed it to him without saying much.

Xu Hongqi saw that the appearance was really well protected, so he turned on the button and turned the knob to listen to the sound. He could tell whether it was good or not because he had been playing with it for a long time. He guessed that only the appearance was good, and the parts inside were badly damaged, so it should be an internal problem.

He thought that if it was more cost-effective to buy this one, it would be more cost-effective to buy one that was 60% to 70% new. If he bought this one, he would have to buy another one with good parts. Otherwise, Brother Hong would have to go out of town to buy parts for him, but buying parts would take a long time, and he still remembered the agreement he had made to Xu Nian.

The seller next to him saw him staring at the radio for a long time without saying anything and thought there was something wrong, so he couldn't help but ask, "Hey, what do you think of it? Do you want to buy it?"

Xu Hongqi turned off the radio and glanced at him. "Your radio looks OK on the outside, but has water gotten into it?"

The seller's eyes widened. "It's amazing! It did get flooded. My kids left it outside listening to music and forgot to bring it in. It got soaked by the rain for a long time. We later had it repaired, but it's been working intermittently."

Xu Hongqi nodded and said with determination: "I can accept it, but yours is not worth much."

Seller: "How much do you want to pay?"

Xu Hongqi counted to fifteen.

"That's too little. I paid ninety-five dollars for it."

Xu Hongqi exchanged glances with the man who brought him over, made the number two gesture, and said, "This is the most I can give you. If it doesn't work, forget it."

The seller thought for a long time and sighed, "That's it. My mother is not in good health and can't go out. What she likes most at home is listening to the radio. I'll remember to buy a new one."

Xu Hongqi rarely spoke outside. He nodded, and the two parties handed over the money with one hand, took the goods with the other, and then left.

Xu Hongqi did not follow the man who led the way back. Instead, he went deep into the alley, checked that there was no one around, and handed the man two dollars. This was their custom, a fee for leading the way.

He gave them the money and they left immediately. They never expected to be seen by a man in his forties wearing a military uniform.

The man watched the two men walk away with a frown on his face. The two men were very alert and had a strong sense of defense. If it weren't for his strong anti-reconnaissance ability, he really wouldn't be able to catch up with them. The two men came into the yard empty-handed and picked up a radio when they came out. In the end, there was a money transaction. It wasn't that he found it suspicious, but he had seen many people who violated laws and regulations like this.

But this time, I came to visit my relatives, so I didn't really want to get involved in this matter. My wife and children were still waiting outside the alley...

Xu Hongqi searched several places but still couldn't find the parts he needed. It was still early, so he rode his bike to put the things in the rented house, left a note, and asked Brother Hong to help look for them.

He sat in the workshop and disassembled the radio, repairing what could be used. It took him quite a while to assemble everything that could be assembled before he closed the door and left the yard.

While riding his bike, he saw a farmer selling fish. Thinking Xu Nian would like to eat fish, he got off his bike and bought two. It happened to be around three o'clock in the afternoon, so he could get home in time for dinner.

——

Xu Nian thought she would have to wait a long time for her mother to come out, but it turned out to be much better than she expected. After they left the crowd, Xu's mother curled her lips and said, "I was thinking that so many people were here to buy things, and we might not be able to buy anything. It turned out that I thought so much for nothing. They may not buy anything even after picking for a long time."

Mrs. Xu was also panting, "I've been busy for most of the day, and it was all spent squeezing with those women." Then she winked at Mrs. Xu Er, "But it was worth it this time, my sister-in-law, because she grabbed a big red square handkerchief with a beautiful flower pattern."

Xu Nian saw that her second sister-in-law just smiled and didn't say anything back. Her eyes looked at the bright red square scarf in her second sister-in-law's hand. The fabric was probably wool and looked soft.

She and Xu's mother were indeed mother and daughter. They were both about to touch each other when they heard her sister-in-law say with a smile, "Brother-in-law is still good at loving his wife."

Xu Nian asked, "What do you mean?"

Mrs. Xu looked at the other person and said, "The money your second sister-in-law used to buy the handkerchief was your second brother's private savings."

Xu Nian wanted to ask her eldest sister-in-law how she knew so much, but then she heard her second sister-in-law speak directly, "Sister-in-law, why are you still listening to what my husband and I say in private?"

Mrs. Xu: "I wasn't eavesdropping on you two. You two were being so loud, and I happened to be passing by and heard you. You can't blame me, can you?"

Xu Ersao was naturally unhappy that the couple's private conversation was overheard and spoken in front of her mother-in-law. What would her mother-in-law think? She would definitely think that Feng Kang only bought things for his wife and not for his mother.

She said angrily, "Sister-in-law, if you want it, just ask your brother to buy it for you. You two are as close as one person."

This was so embarrassing. Who would normally say such a thing? In this era, it was not popular to show off emotions. Subtlety was the mainstream. What Xu's wife said was deliberately flirtatious. She wanted to retort, but Xu's mother, who had been watching for a long time, was speechless. Fearing that another quarrel would break out, she lowered her voice and said, "Stop talking. Hurry and go to Fengcheng first."

Xu Nian saw that her two sisters-in-law were silent after her mother finished speaking, so she tried to lighten the mood, "Oh, Mom, you bought apples. Are there still apples at this time?"

Mother Xu didn't want to make Nian and her son uncomfortable, so she said, "I saw someone bought six. They're a bit expensive, but we can try something new. Isn't the Chinese New Year about the whole family celebrating the new year happily and joyfully?"

This was a direct call. Xu Nian glanced at her two silent sisters-in-law, then accidentally made eye contact with her mother and said quickly, "Of course, the whole family should be happy and harmonious and spend the New Year with love."

The supply and marketing cooperative was not far from the wood furniture factory. It was almost noon when they went there. The four of them simply didn't ask the guard to call anyone and just waited outside the furniture factory. The last time they went back, Xu's mother had agreed with Xu Fengcheng to come today.

Firstly, they wanted to see Xu Fengcheng who had not been home for almost two months, and secondly, they wanted to take back the New Year's goods distributed by his factory so that he wouldn't have to bring too many things when he returned.

After waiting for about ten minutes, Xu Fengcheng still hadn't come out, when I saw Xu's mother suddenly stand up straight with joy.