After saying goodbye to the two reluctant children, Jiang Ci and Zhou Mingli went to the brigade leader's house together.
The town's supply and marketing cooperative was quite a distance from Shanding Brigade, so they had to ride bicycles to get there.
As soon as I arrived at the brigade leader's house, I ran into an acquaintance.
Xia Lei was seen exchanging pleasantries with the captain.
The captain was carrying two large grass carp, and his smile was very bright.
Jiang Ci and Zhou Mingli raised their eyebrows almost simultaneously.
Zhou Mingli patted the open door discreetly.
The captain and Xia Lei turned their heads and saw Jiang Ci and Zhou Mingli, their smiles faltering slightly.
The couple seemed oblivious to the change in atmosphere as they walked together into the brigade leader's courtyard.
"Why are you here?" the captain asked, then called out to his wife.
Aunt Lian came out of the house, took the grass carp from the brigade leader, and thanked Xia Lei.
Jiang Ci felt that she had a good relationship with Aunt Lian, so she smiled at Aunt Lian.
Aunt Lian paused slightly, nodded to Jiang Ci, and casually asked, "What brings you here?"
"We're going to the supply and marketing cooperative to ask if they have our bicycles."
Aunt Lian couldn't make the decision, so she turned to look at the brigade leader.
The captain glanced at the two men and asked, "When are you coming back?"
Jiang Ci was unsure and turned to look at Zhou Mingli. Zhou Mingli pondered for a moment and said, "If we can come back before noon, we'll come back at noon. If not, we'll come back before four o'clock in the afternoon."
The captain didn't say he wouldn't lend it, he just grunted and pointed to where the bicycles were parked, "The bikes are over there. If you can come back as soon as possible, then do so. Other people need to use these bikes."
The meaning behind their words was simple: tell them to come back quickly.
Zhou Mingli agreed and went over to push the cart.
From the moment they arrived until they left, Xia Lei, who was standing with the captain, never uttered a word.
However, when his gaze swept over Jiang Ci, the look in his eyes was full of calculation.
Jiang Ci and Zhou Mingli's voices came from inside: "Can you ride a bicycle? Or this kind of old-fashioned bicycle?"
"Yes, just sit down."
Jiang Ci was skeptical, but she still sat in the back seat.
As Zhou Mingli stepped off the pedal and left, he suddenly turned his head.
His gaze met hers, which was full of calculation.
Xia Lei paused slightly, then gave him a cold look.
Nothing happened to Zhou Mingli. He pushed off with his leg and rode away on his bicycle.
Watching the couple walk away, the captain muttered to himself, "Could it be that Zhou Lao Er has actually changed for the better?"
Aunt Lian carried the grass carp towards the kitchen. "Isn't it good that things are getting better? If the two of them live a good life, our brigade won't have so many troubles."
Aunt Lian smiled at the brigade leader, "Can't you finally relax a bit?"
The captain nodded deeply, agreeing with his wife's words. "By the way, Lei Zi, what brings you here?"
Xia Lei: "Captain, let's talk inside."
The two men entered the house.
...
Zhou Mingli rode his old-fashioned bicycle quite steadily. When he passed by the wheat field, the workers in the field saw this scene and were astonished.
"Zhou Lao Er has really changed for the better! He can even take his wife to town now!"
"Whether he has changed for the better or not remains to be seen. People can all pretend. He might be good for a couple of days and then turn bad again, and start hitting people at the drop of a hat."
"Zhou Lao Er seems to have changed somewhat, do you think his wife can change too?"
"How is that possible? Didn't you see Jiang Ci arguing with Liu and Xia yesterday? If she wanted to change, even a dog could change its nature!"
That sounds disgusting, but when country folk really get into a fight, they just blurt out whatever comes to mind, they don't care about such formalities.
Upon hearing this, the others immediately changed the subject, laughing and saying, "It's harder for Jiang Ci to change for the better than the widow in the east not flirting with men!"
"You son of a bitch, if you utter another word of nonsense, I'll tear your mouth apart! Why would I need you to tell me if I slept with your man!"
A sharp yet charming voice suddenly rang out: "The widow who lives at the east end of the production team is working here today!" It's one thing if she can't hear these people gossiping behind her back, but how dare they spout nonsense right here?
The widow stood with her hands on her hips, her curvaceous figure and slender waist on full display, captivating the men harvesting wheat in front of her.
"What is Jiang Ci? She's a sallow-faced, skinny, ugly thing with hardly any flesh on her body. How could she compare to me?"
"You bitch, if I hear you talking about me again, I'll sleep with your man!"
The woman who had been gossiping about the widow was furious and yelled, "You slut! How many green hats have you given that Liu boy and you're still so smug! As a widow in the Zhou family, everyone knows what you're planning. You rely on selling your body to get men to support you, and you're still so smug! How many men sleep in your bed every night? You're so beautiful, one leaves and another comes right after! Who knows, the Liu family's daughter might be led astray by you and end up selling herself too!"
The widow got angry too, and with a howl, she rushed forward and started tearing at the woman.
In an instant, another round of bickering and shouting erupted in the wheat field.
Jiang Ci and Zhou Mingli, who had no intention of provoking a conflict, had already left Shanding Brigade and were heading towards the town along the dirt road.
Shanding Brigade and several surrounding brigades are under the jurisdiction of Zhongmo Town. Shanding Brigade is located at the foot of the mountain, making it the brigade furthest from Zhongmo Town.
Jiang Ci sat in the back seat, looking at the golden wheat fields all around and the endless mountains to the north. He thought this place was pretty good, nestled against the mountains and by the water, very suitable for tourism and resort development.
Jiang Ci said whatever came to mind: "After the reform and opening up, we can come back and turn this place into a tourism development zone."
Zhou Mingli was sweating profusely. Hearing her say that, he laughed first, "That would have to wait until the early 2000s. If we could catch the wave of reform, we could indeed make a fortune."
Both women shared the same ambition, and besides, they were currently poor. If it weren't for the few hundred yuan that Zhou Lao Er had secretly hidden when he went to confiscate the landlord's property, they probably wouldn't even be able to afford food.
Make money.
This is one of the most pressing things for Jiang Ci and Zhou Mingli.
After thinking about their assets, Jiang Ci sighed softly, "Before that, let's earn our first pot of gold."
Zhou Mingli agreed wholeheartedly, and thinking about making money, he increased the speed at which he pedaled.
But money isn't so easy to make. They can't do business, they can't be self-employed, and they don't have anything good to sell. Making money sounds simple, but it's actually very difficult to do.
Zhou Lao Er was still in relatively good health. The injured Zhou Mingli struggled to ride for almost forty minutes on the muddy road before his breathing became heavy.
His back was almost completely soaked with sweat. Jiang Ci patted Zhou Mingli on the back and said, "How much longer?"
Zhou Mingli estimated the distance, "It should be soon, not much distance."
“Then I’ll guide you through this part,” Jiang Ci said.
Before she could finish speaking, Jiang Ci felt a sudden stop, and her nose slammed into Zhou Mingli's spine with a thud.
The pain from the stress brought tears to her eyes, and she covered her nose and let out a muffled groan.
Zhou Mingli quickly turned his head to look at Jiang Ci, who was covering her nose with her head down, and heard her grind her teeth, "Zhou Mingli, if you hold a grudge, just say so!"
Why resort to underhanded tactics!
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