Shi Yue didn't expect He Lixuan to speak so bluntly now, and for a moment she didn't know what to do with him.
She gave him a slight push, saying with a hint of disdain, "But I want to buy it myself."
After saying that, she ignored him and ran straight toward the door that had just been opened.
The bell rang to signal the end of the workday, the factory gates opened, and workers swarmed out to leave.
Shiyue quickly observed the situation and then walked towards a woman who looked to be in her thirties.
She walked up to the woman, gave her a bright smile, and before the woman could react, she had already affectionately taken her arm and asked in a low voice, "Big sister, would you like some noodles?"
The woman seemed a little taken aback, looking at her warily and asking, "What did you say?"
“Noodles, proper egg noodles, change the cloth, do you have any to change?” Shiyue said again.
The woman's eyes instantly turned shrewd.
Without a word, she pulled Shiyue quickly to a less crowded area and whispered, "Do you have noodles? How many?"
Shiyue didn't answer, but instead lifted the backpack on her back and showed it to her.
Inside the backpack were eggs and noodles that Shiyue had just taken out of the hut.
Although she specifically bought whole wheat flour, which is coarser and darker than refined flour, it still looks like a very refined grain in this day and age!
The woman's eyes practically popped out of their sockets!
But Shiyue only let her glance at it before quickly closing her backpack and asking, "Do you want to change?"
"Change it!" the woman replied immediately without even asking how she wanted to change it.
Shiyue immediately laughed again.
Finally, Shiyue and the woman agreed to exchange two packs of noodles for a set of fabric to make a cotton-padded jacket. The woman also generously agreed to give her an extra roll of cotton thread.
Actually, Shiyue got ripped off at this price.
Fabric is expensive, but you can still find a way to buy it. However, noodles are truly priceless these days, and even with connections, it's very difficult to get them.
But this was not a problem for Shiyue at all.
She still has several packs of noodles in her little house, and she can buy more anytime.
So she was very satisfied with the exchange price.
The woman went home to get the cloth, and Shiyue stood by the roadside to wait. Only then did she remember He Lixuan, who hadn't shown up for a while, and she couldn't help but tiptoe to look back at the place she had just been.
He Lixuan seemed to sense her gaze and waved to her.
Shiyue was finally relieved.
He Lixuan showed no intention of coming this way. Instead, he huddled with a young man of similar age, talking about something.
Then the young man pointed to one side and quickly left.
Only then did He Lixuan slowly walk towards Shiyue.
"Did you buy it?"
What are you buying?
The two of them opened their mouths at the same time.
Then they all laughed at the same time.
Soon the woman arrived with the cloth.
She brought Shiyue two pieces of cloth, one dark blue with some white spots, and the other a brownish-brown color.
Upon seeing the two pieces of cloth, He Lixuan's eyebrows furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly, while Shi Yue thought they were alright.
The main advantage is that this fabric is very dirt-resistant!
Soon, He Lixuan and his group arrived.
The man was holding a nearly brand-new blue cotton coat, which looked like a safety product issued by the factory.
Upon seeing the cotton-padded coat, the woman glanced at the young man in surprise.
Their eyes met briefly, then they glanced away simultaneously, as if by unspoken agreement.
Shi Yue saw He Lixuan hand the young man a roll of money, the exact amount of which was unclear, but it was definitely no less than fifteen yuan, along with a few industrial coupons, sugar coupons, and the like.
Shi Yue glanced at He Lixuan's still-new military overcoat, and then thought about the one Yu Chuxia was wearing. Her heart clenched, and she really wanted to say, "You spendthrift!"
While Shiyue was still grumbling to herself, she suddenly felt a warmth on her shoulder and realized that He Lixuan had draped the cotton coat over her shoulders.
"I don't want to." She refused instinctively.
"Exchange it for noodles. I saw you had another pack of noodles in your bag earlier, use that to exchange for it," He Lixuan said quickly.
Shiyue didn't deliberately hide the fact that she had noodles from He Lixuan; she could say that Uncle Shen and the others had exchanged them from the cafeteria.
After all, based on her understanding of He Lixuan, she knew he wouldn't press the matter.
But all I have left in my bag is a pack of noodles, which is clearly not enough to exchange for this cotton-padded coat.
Seeing Shiyue's hesitation, He Lixuan helped her button up the first button of her coat and said, "You should wear this. Uncle Shen will be happy to see it when we get back. Otherwise, if we come all this way just to buy a pair of shoes, the old man will be disappointed."
This time, Shiyue was even less able to say no.
After receiving what they had traded for, the two had nothing left to buy.
Knowing that Shiyue would definitely have more to say to the Shen family after returning home, He Lixuan did not go with her this time. He dropped Shiyue off at the university gate and went home first.
When Shiyue returned to the Shen family, sure enough, Shen Yuanbai showed a very satisfied expression after seeing the cotton coat she was wearing.
Shiyue went to the cafeteria to get food, ate a little with Shen Yuanbai, and then continued to help the old man pack up his books.
Knowing that Shiyue wanted some science and technology books, the old man not only set aside the agricultural books he had previously prepared for her, but also gathered some simple medical books for her, such as "The Barefoot Doctor's Manual."
It was obviously something he found on his wife's bookshelf.
The various books on this subject alone filled almost half a box.
In addition, the old man gave Shiyue some study books and even two dictionaries.
These were all very precious items in that era, and even among respectable scholars, few could afford them.
It's clear that the old man still hopes Shiyue can continue learning something.
With only a few days left before the move, the two of them barely rested and worked until midnight.
Even though Shiyue was in good health, she was still exhausted and had back pain, not to mention that Shen Yuanbai was already quite old.
Around 10 p.m., some noise finally came from outside the courtyard.
The two people, who were so tired that they didn't even want to talk, suddenly regained their energy.
Shen Ningning is back.
She returned with her brother, Shen Yuanbai's eldest son, Shen Feiyi.
Shen Feiyi is twenty-six years old this year. He has a square face, dark complexion, and looks somewhat dignified.
He looks older than his actual age.
He was wearing a military uniform with a military overcoat. As soon as he entered the room and saw the mess, his brows furrowed.
However, his shrewdness was clearly deeper than Shen Ningning's; he simply took a deep breath but did not express any opinion.
He took off his overcoat, which was covered in cold air, walked over to his father, took the book from the old man's hand, and said, "Dad, let me do this. You go and rest."
"What rest? Let's take advantage of the large number of people and finish this job as soon as possible."
Shen Yuanbai was very happy to see his son and said with a smile.
After saying that, he pointed to Shiyue: "You haven't seen your little sister Shiyue yet, have you? Look, hasn't she changed quite a bit since she was a child?"
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