Dog Egg sat in the driver's seat, mimicking driving, grinning broadly with his missing front tooth.
Xia Qingqing was a little disappointed that she didn't have a camera with her right now, otherwise she could have taken a picture of Gou Dan and kept it as a memento.
After waiting in the transport team for about half an hour, Xia Qingqing waved to Gou Dan, who was playing happily in the vehicle: "Lele, we have to go."
Dog Egg glanced at the steering wheel with some reluctance: "Sis, can't we play a little longer? Just for a little while."
"Well, that depends on whether Uncle Ding is waiting for us or not," Xia Qingqing said helplessly, shrugging her shoulders.
She knew that it was Dog Egg's first time driving a big truck, and he was very excited about it, but they still had to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy things and drive the oxcart.
Seeing Gou Dan's unhappy expression, Liu Dinglan rolled her eyes and said, "Qingqing, how about I have my brother drive you back later?"
After saying that, he gave Liu Xu a wink. Liu Xu thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Yes, I can take you back."
Xia Qingqing quickly refused. This car belonged to the government, and she couldn't possibly let Liu Xu use it for their own purposes: "No need to trouble yourself. It's very convenient for us to take the oxcart back. We also need to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some things."
"Okay, Qingqing, remember to come visit me again next time," Liu Dinglan said, seeing Xia Qingqing's insistence. She didn't force her and held her arm tightly, reluctant to let go.
Xia Qingqing smiled slightly, revealing two shallow dimples on her cheeks: "Okay."
Dog Egg obediently let Liu Xu lift him down, looking at him expectantly and asking, "Brother Xu, can I ride in your big car again next time I come to the county?"
"Well, if I'm in the transport team, you're welcome to come anytime," Liu Xu pinched Gou Dan's little face. They often had to go on long-distance trips, so he wasn't sure if he would be there when Gou Dan came down to the county.
After Xia Qingqing and Gou Dan left, Liu Dinglan and Liu Xu also went home.
After arriving home, Liu Dinglan mysteriously pulled Liu Xu aside and asked, "Brother, what do you think of Qingqing?"
Liu Xu thought for a moment and nodded in agreement, saying, "Very good, you can get along well with others."
"Oh dear, how can you be so clueless about romance?" Liu Dinglan looked at her older brother unhappily. "I meant, how about Qingqing becoming my sister-in-law?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Xu immediately gave Liu Dinglan a hard slap on the forehead: "What nonsense are you talking about? She's still just a young girl."
Xia Qingqing saved her younger sister, and Liu Xu was willing to take care of her as a little sister.
Moreover, she was only 18 years old, a year younger than his own sister, so how could Liu Xu possibly have any feelings for her?
Liu Dinglan gave him a disappointed look: "You're not that old, you're only 24. You need to be more confident in yourself."
Is this a matter of confidence or lack thereof? Liu Xu shook his head helplessly, not understanding his sister's thought process: "Why are you just like Mom? Are you afraid that I won't be able to get married? I've told you I don't want to get married right now."
“You can date before you get married. Qingqing is so pretty. What if someone snatches her up if we don’t reserve her soon?” Liu Dinglan said to her older brother with a straight face.
Liu Xu's eyes flickered, and he asked a crucial question: "Do you know that he doesn't have a partner right now?"
This question stumped Liu Dinglan. She hadn't asked Xia Qingqing that question before, and she touched her nose somewhat awkwardly, saying, "I'll ask her next time, but I don't think she has."
Liu Xu looked at his silly sister speechlessly: "You should be more careful."
"I'm doing this for your own good. You didn't like any of the girls your mom introduced you to. But when I first met Qingqing, I knew you would definitely like her," Liu Dinglan said confidently. Mainly, Qingqing was pretty enough that even she, a girl, was attracted to her.
Liu's mother was extremely worried about her son's marriage, but unfortunately, Liu Xu was often away from home due to work, so she couldn't nag him. She could only complain to her daughter. Liu Dinglan suffered greatly from this and was determined to help her brother settle his life's important matter as soon as possible.
Liu Xu didn't speak. Did he like Xia Qingqing? Probably not, since they had only met once. But he admitted that he had a good impression of the girl.
——
On the way to the supply and marketing cooperative.
Dog Egg was still in a daze from the excitement of actually getting on a big truck, and he walked with a bouncy gait.
"Are you that happy?" Xia Qingqing asked Gou Dan, amused.
Dog Egg looked up at his sister with his little head tilted up: "I'm so happy! When I go to school tomorrow, my classmates will definitely envy me when they find out that I rode in a big truck."
When she arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative, Xia Qingqing bought everything she needed, including 10 jin of salt.
The salt was intended for Ali. Last time, she only had 5 jin of salt coupons, and she couldn't buy more even if she wanted to.
Five catties of salt was definitely not enough for Ali and his entire tribe, so they specially exchanged for more salt coupons this time.
At this moment, Xia Qingqing missed the 21st century terribly, with its abundant resources and the ability to buy as much as she wanted.
Unlike now, where you first need money, then you need coupons, and even if you have both, the supply and marketing cooperative still needs to have the goods. If the supply and marketing cooperative doesn't have the goods, you can't buy them.
"Goudan, you stay here and watch these things. I'm going to the grocery store to buy some meat. I'll make you braised pork when we get home," Xia Qingqing said to Goudan as she put everything on the counter into her basket.
The supply and marketing cooperative wasn't far from the grocery store, about a four or five-minute walk, but Xia Qingqing didn't really intend to go to the grocery store to buy meat; she just needed an excuse to take the meat out.
"Okay, sis, you have to come back soon." Gou Dan was a little nervous when he heard that his sister was leaving alone, but he was a little man and he absolutely couldn't show weakness in front of his sister.
Xia Qingqing quickly left the supply and marketing cooperative, intending to first go through the motions at the grocery store.
When they arrived at the grocery store, they found that all the meat had already been sold out.
The clerk at the grocery store saw Xia Qingqing go straight to the meat section after entering the store, knowing that she must be well-off. Pointing to the last two fish in the basin, he said, "Comrade, would you like a fish? This fish doesn't require a ration coupon, but it's a bit pricey, 50 cents a pound."
If this fish weren't only 50 cents a pound, there wouldn't be any left at this hour; it would have been snatched up by the older women long ago.
Xia Qingqing saw the two fish in the basin, which weighed a little over 3 pounds each, and nodded: "Yes, I'll take both. Could you please weigh them for me?"
Fish are hard to buy at this time of year; they are only available during festivals. There are fish in the small river in their village, but they are only the size of a thumb, not even enough to fill a tooth gap. In the past, Xia Heping would occasionally catch some for his family to enjoy when he had free time.
The shop assistant at the grocery store's eyes lit up when he heard this. He smiled, tied up the two fish, weighed them, and said, "Wow, exactly 6.5 jin, 3.25 yuan."
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