"Let me tell you, back in my hometown, there was a pair of wild ducks that were messing around outside, and in the end, they got caught!"
You wild duck are really wild...
"Mmm..." The older woman's friend held her breath.
"These days, you can't do that kind of nonsense..."
"Ah, right, right..." the auntie's friend continued to hold back...
"In the past, such indecent behavior would have been grounds for public criticism and denunciation..."
"call……"
The woman's friend couldn't take it anymore and slapped her face away. She took a breath of the air, which smelled of sweat and other odors, and found it much better than the garlic smell from the woman's mouth.
"What are you doing?" the woman asked, bewildered.
The woman's friend, not wanting to be blunt, smiled and said, "Sister, I'm a little carsick. Could you calm down for a bit? I'm afraid I'll throw up on you..."
This statement carries a hint of personal grudge. Of course, if someone is vomiting because of the other person's bad breath, they should vomit on her instead, otherwise the two steamed buns they ate that morning would have been a waste.
The woman's face flushed red, then turned pale, then bluish. She silently squeezed past the person next to her, managing to leave a gap between the two of them. Her disdain was palpable.
Howard heard it, but because of his status, he couldn't argue with her. After all, he had done something wrong, and he only thought that if it affected Mingzhao, he would go back and give this woman's son a good beating.
Mingzhao didn't care, because she didn't feel like she was being talked about at all. Then, she closed her eyes slightly, as if to rest, but in reality, she continued to work out the optimization path of yesterday's energy conversion formula in her mind.
This is a habit she developed during the interstellar training camp: blocking out irrelevant environmental distractions and focusing on the core mission.
Howard looked at her calm demeanor, as if Mount Tai had collapsed before him, and then thought back to his earlier worries, and couldn't help but chuckle.
Indeed, how could a "genius" patient who can calmly fight back under the gun and draw amazing formulas get carsick?
It's good that he doesn't get dizzy, so he won't feel bad or upset seeing it.
The truck swayed and bumped along the dirt road.
The people in the carriage chatted about everyday matters and talked about the latest happenings in the city.
Howard silently protected Mingzhao, like a silent guardian deity, shielding her from the disturbances of the outside world.
He looked at Mingzhao's profile as she closed her eyes to rest. Her long eyelashes cast a faint shadow under her eyes, and the gauze on her forehead had been removed, leaving a faint pink scar.
The afterglow of the setting sun shone through the gaps in the carriage, dancing on her serene face.
An unprecedented sense of tranquility quietly grew in Howard's heart.
Putting aside her astonishing abilities and mysteries, at this moment, she looks so frail, so... in need of protection.
He subconsciously leaned his body closer to her to shield her from further swaying and squeezing.
...
The supply and marketing cooperative in the city center was one of the most bustling and prosperous places in that era.
The two-story Soviet-style building had a constant flow of people coming and going at its entrance.
The glass counter was polished to a shine, displaying a dazzling array of goods: enamel basins printed with bright red peonies, brightly colored thermos flasks, neatly stacked fabrics of various colors, and a pastry counter exuding a sweet aroma.
Mingzhao followed Huo Hua through the gates of the supply and marketing cooperative, her steps faltering slightly for the first time. Her gaze, like the most sophisticated radar, swept across the entire space in an instant.
Color! Sound! Smell!
This is an information explosion completely different from the military compound and that truck!
The fabrics stacked on the shelves were in highly saturated colors, such as bright red, indigo, emerald green, and bright yellow...
Against the backdrop of the gray, white, and black color scheme that prioritizes efficiency and protection in interstellar space, this pure and intense visual impact is revolutionary!
A cacophony of sounds: the loud calls of salespeople quoting prices, the haggling of customers, the clattering of abacus beads, the wailing of children… all creating a massive wave of noise.
The air was filled with a mixture of the smells of fabric dyes, the sweet aroma of pastries, the chemical odor of new plastic products, and the sweat of a crowd gathered together…
Information overload! Mingzhao's brain processing center flashed a slight warning signal for a moment.
She stopped instinctively, her brows furrowing habitually, a barely perceptible hint of... confusion and wariness flashing in her clear eyes.
This environment is even more complex and chaotic than a probe site on an unfamiliar planet filled with unknown radiation.
Howard immediately noticed her discomfort. He reached out and naturally took her slightly cool wrist, his deep voice carrying a soothing power: "Don't be afraid, come with me."
The warmth and firm pressure on his wrist acted like a stable anchor, instantly pulling Mingzhao back from the deluge of information.
She tilted her head slightly to look at Howard's resolute profile. The confusion quickly faded, and she nodded, letting him lead her towards the clothing counter.
The counter was packed with people.
The glass display case held a few ready-made garments, mostly in dirt-resistant colors like gray-blue, military green, and navy blue, with extremely simple styles, mainly Lenin suits and work clothes.
Occasionally, a few brightly colored women's shirts or dresses would immediately become the focus of everyone's attention.
Howard's gaze swept across the counter, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.
He glanced at Mingzhao beside him, still wearing that drab old clothes, and then at the ready-made clothes in the counter that were equally drab or gaudy in color and rough in fabric. A strong sense of guilt and dissatisfaction welled up in his heart.
"Comrade, do you have... women's clothing in simple colors and made of good quality?" Howard squeezed to the front of the counter and asked a middle-aged female sales clerk who was eating sunflower seeds.
The saleswoman glanced at him, then at Mingzhao standing quietly behind him, and lazily spat out a sunflower seed shell: "Plain? That's just gray and blue! They're all hanging there! The material? Khaki, denim, sturdy and durable! What more do you want? Tch!"
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