Chapter 039

It seemed like Lin Xiaohan's words were spoken casually upon a thought, and he might regret it at any time, so Chu Xia subconsciously responded quickly.

But after she agreed, she immediately thought of the fact that Lin Xiaohan was not the kind of person who would chat casually and say whatever he thought, and would not waste time without any other ideas.

So she thought quickly for a while, connected it to the past, and then looked at Lin Xiaohan and asked, "I mentioned before that I wanted to move out of the educated youth site, and you said at the time that you would wait until the summer vacation when you have time. Do you plan to set up a stall at the market in the commune and use the two months of summer vacation to make more money?"

There is no easy way to move out.

The only way is to earn money and build a house.

Their household registration is in the village and they are teachers at the school, so it is not difficult to ask the production team to give them the land next to the school. The difficult part is getting the materials and hiring workers to build the house.

There are some families in the village whose sons still live together after they have separated from their families. It is not because they do not have housing land, but because the production team allocated housing land to them, but they have no money to build houses.

Lin Xiaohan responded, "I am planning to use the summer vacation to earn some extra money, but I haven't figured out how to make it yet. Let's learn more first. It's still early before summer vacation, so there's no rush."

Chuxia also thought about doing business to make money.

But current policies do not allow it, and she has a serious job as a teacher. If she takes the risk of doing business secretly and gets caught, the impact will be too great and it is not worth it, so she didn't think about it too much.

Now that Lin Xiaohan brought it up again, I might as well go and find out.

So she nodded to Lin Xiaohan and said, "Okay, let's go to the commune on Sunday to ask around."

***

Sunday.

The rising sun is as big as a disk.

Because I didn’t have to go to work, I still slept a little longer in the early summer mornings.

The alarm clock in the boys' dormitory did not ring today, and Li Qiao and the others did not get up early to go to work. When Chuxia got up to wash, they were still sleeping in bed.

Chuxia moved quietly so as not to disturb them.

After washing up, feeding the chickens and having breakfast, he put on his schoolbag and went out of the yard with Lin Xiaohan.

I went to the market today, but there was nothing special to buy.

In terms of feeling, it's more like going shopping and having fun, just to relax.

However, for them, a trip to the commune is not an easy or ordinary thing.

So before leaving get off work last night, Chuxia wrote a letter home in the office, talking about her recent situation in the countryside. She planned to go to the post office to mail it after she arrived at the commune.

After Chuxia and Lin Xiaohan left, the educated youth site fell into silence again.

In the dormitories on the east and west sides, everyone else was sleeping soundly in their beds, except for the six little hens in the corner of the yard, who stood for a while, walked a few steps, and made clucking sounds from time to time.

The sun was rising in the eastern sky.

The sun shone into the yard, and colorful rays of light glided across the little hen's feathers.

The two little hens spread their wings and flapped twice, and suddenly they heard voices coming from the west room.

Among the four girls in the west dormitory, Li Qiao was the first to wake up.

She sat up and woke up from her nap. She first woke up Chen Sisi who was sleeping on her left, then called Su Yun and Gu Yuzhu: "The sun is shining on your butt! If you don't get up now, you will miss the class!"

They took a day off today, and the most important thing was to go to the market in the commune.

When Su Yun and Gu Yuzhu heard this, they immediately woke up and sat up.

Seeing that the sun was indeed very high outside, the four of them said nothing more. They quickly got out of bed, put on the clothes they had prepared last night, and combed their hair and braided it in front of the mirror.

It's so hard to go to the commune to attend the market, so of course I have to dress myself up nicely.

The clothes they wore were ones they had never worn to work in the fields. The fabrics were relatively new, and the patterns were bright and pretty. Their hair was neatly combed and tied into two pigtails.

Gu Yuzhu loved dressing up and even tied a more beautiful red hairband on the end of her braid.

After tying her hair, she was very satisfied with her appearance.

However, when her gaze shifted from the hair tie to her own face, the satisfied smile in her eyes instantly disappeared.

No matter how much you dress up, you can't make your face and skin look the same as before.

She threw down the comb in her hand and turned to look at Su Yun beside her with a depressed and irritable mood.

Su Yun was braiding her hair with her head slightly tilted. She was doing it based on her feeling without looking in the mirror.

Su Yun was naturally beautiful and always looked pretty no matter how casually she dressed up.

It was easy for her to be beautiful, unlike Gu Yuzhu who had to dress up to look good, so she didn't care much about her appearance. She was beautiful whether she cared or not.

Gu Yuzhu looked at Su Yun like this for a while, and suddenly she was not so unhappy anymore, and said, "I haven't noticed recently, Su Yun, you can also get tanned, this makes me feel much better."

Hearing this, Su Yun's hand that was tying her hair suddenly stopped.

Then she continued to wind her hair, and said in a normal voice, "Really? I haven't looked in the mirror much lately."

Gu Yuzhu lifted the mirror and placed it in front of Su Yun's face.

She forced Su Yun to look in the mirror and said to her, "Look for yourself. It wasn't that obvious before, but it's quite obvious now. Your skin has become darker and rougher."

Su Yun saw her face in the mirror and it was exactly as Gu Yuzhu said.

The heartbeat in her chest suddenly became faster and her breathing became irregular.

But when Li Qiao and Chen Sisi heard what Gu Yuzhu said, they came over and stared at her face.

After looking at it for a while, Chen Sisi nodded and said, "Yeah, it is indeed darker and rougher."

Li Qiao didn't say anything, just turned around and went out to wash up.

She thought to herself, Su Yun is not a fairy. She works in the fields under the wind and sun every day, sweating profusely. What's strange about her skin becoming darker and rougher? Aren't they all like this?

It doesn't matter if they become darker and rougher, but is it worth making a fuss about Su Yun?

If Han Ting hadn't always taken the blame for her, causing her to be lazy, she would have done this a long time ago.

Li Qiao went outside to pump water into the well.

When Gu Yuzhu and the others came out, Han Ting and the others also came out yawning.

It's almost ten o'clock now. It will definitely be too late to have breakfast and then go to the market.

So the ten people quickly washed up and went to the commune on empty stomachs.

Going to the market is a very happy thing.

I don't have to go to work today, so it doesn't matter if I skip a meal.

Everyone was chatting, laughing, and joking together on the road, and they were already having a great time before they even reached the market.

However, Su Yun did not integrate into this atmosphere, and she walked much slower than others.

Han Ting naturally accommodated her and walked slowly with her behind.

Seeing some sadness in her eyes, he asked her with concern: "What's wrong? Are you hungry?"

I didn't eat breakfast and I walked a bit, so I must be hungry.

But Su Yun did not nod, instead shook her head.

Han Ting bent down and looked at her face carefully.

After looking at her for a while, he deliberately smiled and coaxed her and asked, "What's wrong? What's wrong with you?"

Su Yun pursed her lips and looked towards Han Ting.

After a moment, he squeezed out a voice and asked, "Han Ting, have I become ugly now? Am I not good-looking anymore?"

Han Ting was slightly stunned, then he laughed and said, "Who said that? You are born a great beauty, beautiful no matter what. There is no one prettier than you in the whole Qinghe Town."

Su Yun felt better after hearing this.

She raised her hand and gently touched her face, "But now my face has become darker and rougher."

Han Ting continued, "In this countryside, working in the wind and sun every day, who wouldn't be tanned and rough? No one can stay the same, and you are much better than others."

This is indeed the reality. She has changed and is still more beautiful than others.

Su Yun breathed a sigh of relief, looked at Han Ting and asked again: "I'm not as pretty as before, you won't dislike me, right?"

Han Ting immediately said: "What are you talking about? Am I, Han Ting, such a superficial person? Stop imagining things. In my heart, you will always be the most beautiful."

Su Yun's mood improved a little after being coaxed by Han Ting.

She looked at Han Ting and deliberately asked in a petty manner, "Who is prettier, me or Tong Rui?"

Han Ting answered frankly: "Tong Rui is too arrogant and pretentious."

Then he looked at Su Yun and said with certainty: "You are still the most beautiful!"

Su Yun's mood really improved now.

She smiled, looked away, and subconsciously walked forward a little faster.

***

Young people walk fast.

They were particularly looking forward to visiting the market, so they arrived at the commune in less than an hour.

When we got to the commune and entered the market, we naturally started to stroll around happily.

Because life has been so hard recently, I really want to buy many things on the stalls, but I am short of money, so there are only a few things I can bear to buy.

They each carried some money and went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some necessary daily necessities.

For example, toothpaste, laundry soap, toilet paper and the like, it is really necessary to not use them on a regular basis.

After completing these, I can only look at the others.

At most, you can spend a penny to buy a few pieces of fruit candy to taste the sweetness.

Han Ting still has his carefree personality.

He and Guogai Chaozi pooled their money together and went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy a pack of cigarettes.

It's true, after having fun today, I don't want to think about tomorrow anymore.

They bought their own things first, and then went together to buy vegetable seeds.

Ten people formed a group and walked on the street, looking for stalls selling vegetable seeds.

After finding a stall selling vegetable seeds, Li Qiao and Chaozi bent their legs and squatted in front of it. They first curiously learned why some vegetables were sold as seedlings and some were sold as seeds.

Others have little interest in any of this.

Su Yun and Han Ting stood at the outside and just listened to a few words casually.

After hearing two sentences, Su Yun was too lazy to listen any further and turned to look at other stalls.

His eyes swept from one stall to the next, and suddenly he saw two familiar faces at a stall selling vegetables - Lin Xiaohan and Chu Xia.

There was nothing special about Lin Xiaohan, but when she saw Chu Xia, she was suddenly stunned.

Chuxia was standing next to Lin Xiaohan, talking to the vegetable vendor together with Lin Xiaohan. She was wearing a simple white shirt, a black knee-length skirt, and a military green backpack with a red five-pointed star printed on the flap.

The clothes are simple in color and ordinary in style, nothing special.

But she wore a straw hat on her head, and a bunch of wild flowers were pinned on the hat, some pink and some yellow, which made the hat look particularly vivid.

Under the straw hat was her ordinary face that had not experienced much wind, frost, or the scorching sun.

She had a smile on her face when she spoke, as if she was still as innocent and carefree as she was in her student days.

I was coaxed by Han Ting and went shopping just now, so I was in a good mood.

But after seeing Chu Xia at this moment, Su Yun felt as if his heart was blocked.

When Han Ting was coaxing her, he said that everyone lives the same in the countryside.

No, they missed Chu Xia and Lin Xiaohan. They lived differently from everyone else.

Su Yun didn't compare her life with Lin Xiaohan's, she only focused on Chu Xia.

These days, Chuxia has been teaching at school and has basically not been exposed to any wind or sun.

They work under the scorching sun every day, and when they go to the market in early summer, they have to wear straw hats to block the sun.

Thinking of this, she felt even more suffocated.

What made her feel so upset was not just the sharp contrast in front of her.

To this day, she still feels in her subconscious that this teacher position should belong to her, and everything that Chuxia enjoys now should be hers.

In the more than two months since Chuxia became a teacher, she has dreamed more than once that she was standing in the classroom of Tanxi Primary School, teaching the children in the classroom to sing.

All the kids at school like her and always smile and praise her for her beauty.

After leaving school, other members respectfully called her Teacher Su and politely asked her if she had eaten.

She is the most dazzling person in the entire Tanxi Brigade.

Wherever she is, everyone else pales in comparison.

Now that Chu Xia has become a teacher, she has the least presence in her dreams.

I always wake up in the middle of the night after having such a dream.

She would be stuck in the dream state for a long time and unable to get out of it.

Because those scenes were particularly clear in her mind, as if they had really happened and were supposed to happen, and were not at all something she had imagined in her dreams.

It should be exactly as in the dream, but why is it different?

Han Ting didn't care much about buying vegetable seeds.

He turned around and saw Su Yun twisting her head in a daze, so he asked, "What are you looking at?"

Su Yun came back to her senses after hearing that and quickly replied, "Oh, I was thinking whether I should go buy a straw hat later. If I wear it while working, it should be able to block some of the sun, as the sun will become hotter and hotter in the future."

It didn't make sense to talk about what was in her mind, so she couldn't tell Han Ting about it as if it was a grievance. She didn't want to destroy her image in Han Ting's heart.

She still has to rely on Han Ting here.

Without Han Ting to protect her, her life would be very difficult.

Since I can't say it, I can only keep it in my heart.

Every time I have a dream, every time I think about it, I feel so uncomfortable that I can’t breathe.

After Su Yun finished speaking, Han Ting hadn't said anything yet, and Gu Yuzhu immediately followed up, "Yes, a straw hat should be able to block the sun. I'll buy one later."

Chen Sisi was also moved after hearing this, and said, "Then I'll buy one too."

Li Qiao was unhappy, and he squatted and turned back and said, "Please choose the vegetable seeds first!"

***

At a vegetable stall across the street and four or five stalls away from the vegetable seed stall, Chu Xia and Lin Xiaohan were still chatting with the stall owner.

The reason why I talked with him for a long time was because he was also from the Tanxi Brigade.

Chuxia and Lin Xiaohan asked many vendors at the market.

They all have state-owned enterprises, but not all of them are from the town.

In the past two years, policies have been relaxed and the abolished markets have been reopened.

The commune stipulated that there would be a small market every Sunday, and then a big market before festivals such as the Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival, and a big market for several days before the Chinese New Year.

When the market opens, naturally there will be people selling things.

The policy does not allow individuals to sell things, so these vendors are still doing state-owned business, selling collective or national items.

For example, the vegetables sold by this vegetable stall owner are not from his own fields.

The villagers' families had leftover vegetables, so they handed them over to the production team in exchange for work points, which he then brought to sell.

Those who can squat on this street to sell things are not just random people.

They all have formal procedures and were arranged by the commune and the brigade.

After understanding the general situation.

Seeing that there was no one in front of the stall, Lin Xiaohan asked in a low voice: "Can you make money?"

The stall owner waved his hand, came up to Lin Xiaohan, and said in a low voice: "The work points for handing over the vegetables to the production team are too few, and many members would rather take the risk and sell them secretly, so the production team doesn't receive many vegetables. A pound of vegetables can only be sold for a few cents. After deducting the cost of collecting the vegetables, the production team takes half of it. How much money can be earned at the end of the day?"

Lin Xiaohan indicated that he understood and nodded to the stall owner.

After basically understanding the situation, Lin Xiaohan and Chu Xia exchanged a few polite words with the stall owner, and then waved goodbye to him and left without disturbing him from selling vegetables.

Walk out of the market, away from the noise.

Chu Xia looked at Lin Xiaohan and said, "Then we can also set up a stall, but it has to be state-owned."

Lin Xiaohan continued, "If it's a noodle stall, it would be impossible to make it if it's not state-owned. From top to bottom, all food is strictly controlled throughout the country, and individuals simply can't get that much food."

Chu Xia nodded and said, "So we have to discuss this with Secretary Liu, and get all the cadres in the brigade to agree. Then the brigade will provide the food, vegetables, meat, and seasonings, and we will just be laborers. The money we earn will also be shared by the brigade first."

Lin Xiaohan turned to look at Chu Xia, "So you have decided to open a noodle stall? The old man selling vegetables just now said that he can't make any money in a day."

Chu Xia thought about it and nodded, "I want to try it."

Even if you don't make any money, you can still gain some experience.

When policies change in the future and we no longer have to rely on the collective to do things ourselves, we will have some real experience to rely on.

Not knowing what Lin Xiaohan was planning, Chu Xia looked at him and asked again, "Will you come with me?"

She didn't know whether Lin Xiaohan planned to set up a noodle stall with her, or set up another stall on his own and do their own things separately from her.

Lin Xiaohan looked at Chu Xia, "You want to come with me?"

Chu Xia smiled at him and blurted out subconsciously: "Well, I want to be with you every day."

Hearing this, Lin Xiaohan's gaze towards Chu Xia suddenly froze.

Chu Xia immediately realized that something was wrong, so she smiled and continued, "Make money."

Lin Xiaohan: “…”