Chapter 28
◎ At three or four o'clock in the afternoon, the sun was blazing, and the air was filled with wisps of heat.
At three or four o'clock in the afternoon, the sun was at its hottest and the air was filled with wisps of heat. No one wanted to go out.
In the fish stall of the small vegetable market, Bei Bitang was dozing off on a small stool.
In my hazy sleep, I seemed to hear the kind voice of my second elder sister, "Little sister, little sister."
Bei Bitang suddenly looked up and opened her eyes, and Wei Bili's round face appeared in front of her.
Bei Bitang said in surprise: "Second sister, why are you here?"
Wei Bili smiled and said, "Ever since you called me and told me you found a job, I've been worried and have been wanting to visit your workplace."
Bei Bitang waved for Wei Bili to come in, and quickly moved a small stool over and placed it next to her for Wei Bili to sit on.
Wei Bili just sat down, looked around, and asked, "Where is your master?"
Bei Bitang whispered, "He's sleeping under a roof somewhere."
Wei Bili took out a bag of five-spice broad beans from her bag, handed it to Bei Bitang, and said, "I bought these for you when I passed by the First Food Company."
Bei Bitang took it, smiled and said, "Thank you, Second Sister."
Then he asked, "Has Second Sister gone home to see Mom?"
That is not her home. The Chen family’s house where she lives is not her home either. One is her parents’ home and the other is her husband’s home, but neither is her home. She will never have her own home in this life.
Wei Bili thought this in her heart, but smiled and said calmly, "I only bought a bag of five-spice broad beans, and I feel embarrassed to go back. I also don't want to listen to my mother and eldest sister nagging me to please my mother-in-law and father-in-law, hold on to my husband, and outdo my sisters-in-law."
Bei Bitang smiled and said nothing more. She unscrewed the wooden stopper, and they washed their hands, sat down, and ate the crunchy broad beans one by one.
Wei Bili said, "Last time you left the Chen family, I wanted to introduce you to someone, and I already have a candidate."
Chen Jinlong didn't listen to her and was unwilling to wade into this muddy water for him. For Bei Bitang, she had to go there in person and talk to Xiao Tang from Chen Jinlong's transport team.
From Wei Bili's expression and tone, one could tell that this wasn't going to work out. Bei Bitang, who didn't want to date yet, didn't object and asked calmly, "Who is it? Who did Second Sister choose for me?"
Wei Bili replied, "He's your second brother-in-law's colleague, Xiao Tang, and he's also a truck driver."
Bei Bitang smiled and said, "Truck drivers are great, they're so popular, others can't even get close to them. Any matchmaker who has a truck driver's blind date resource is considered famous. Second Sister has a really good eye."
After hearing this, Wei Bili agreed and felt sorry. She said, "Yes, that's why I wanted to introduce her to you. It's a pity that I hesitated and didn't act immediately, so you missed this excellent candidate."
Bei Bitang asked with a smile: "Is it someone else who has a crush on him, or is he attracted to someone else?"
Wei Bili said, "Two days ago, an accountant came to your second brother-in-law's transportation team. She was a high school graduate, 18 years old, pretty, with a good personality and a graceful demeanor. Xiao Tang took an immediate liking to her and kept staring at her, making her blush. He even treated her and the entire office to red bean popsicles."
"Xiao Tang even sent this girl two separate bottles of soda. How could she not understand this? It just so happens that she has a good impression of him. It's only been a few days, and they've already become a couple. Both families were very happy when they heard this. It's a perfect match."
Bei Bitang smiled and said, "Second sister, look at the girl that person has chosen. I am not worthy of her."
Wei Bili put down the broad beans in her hand, sighed deeply, and said, "Sometimes I think it's all fate. When I was little, I just thought my family was poor and I didn't have enough to eat or wear. But I didn't expect that when I grew up, my worries would really increase. Back then, the worries were not worth mentioning, they were all trivial matters. Work, marriage, education, which one is not a big problem?"
Bei Bitang fed Wei Bili a broad bean and comforted her, "There's no point in overthinking it. Second Sister, don't worry about me anymore. I have a job and at least I finished junior high school. I have enough food and warm clothes, which is better than many people."
The two chatted until after four o'clock. There were no elderly people at home to help, and the army of dual-income families who came home from get off work to buy groceries arrived one after another. Only then did Wei Bili say goodbye to Bei Bitang and leave.
The plum rain season in the south of the Yangtze River has passed, and the sun has become more and more intense, making it difficult to breathe.
Bei Bitang had a rare day off. After finishing the housework assigned by Miao Xiuxiu, she went to chat with Feng Guangmei.
Feng Guangmei just happened to have a lot to say, so she pulled Bei Bitang into her room, sat down, and started talking nonstop.
"...Is this guy crazy? He bullied a little girl like me. He clearly asked for aged vinegar, and I poured it into his bottle, but he said he wanted white vinegar. I thought about pouring it back and refilling it. He smiled and said his son loved vinegar and had just licked the top of the bottle that morning. There were so many people in the store at the time, and the customers were all looking at me. Even though I knew he was lying, I didn't dare pour the vinegar back into the jar. In the end, my master persuaded me to let him go, and I just considered it bad luck and added the five cents."
"It really pissed me off. If I wasn't in work clothes, I would have fought him."
Bei Bitang patted the back of her hand and said, "Mark his face. Next time he comes to the store to buy something, just say you don't have it, or pretend you didn't hear it. If he gets angry, just say you have an ear infection and make some random gestures to him."
Grocery stores have no shortage of goods, with popular items queuing up overnight to get them. Even more popular items often sit empty on the shelves year-round. These days, customers often flatter salespeople, hoping they'll be nice enough to get them to give them something nice. State-owned stores are just that arrogant; they're willing to take whatever they want, and they won't serve them.
The advice Bei Bitang gave to Feng Guangmei would not have any impact on her work.
Feng Guangmei chuckled, but the next moment her expression calmed down. She said with some worry, "I'm afraid it won't work. My master told me that the higher-ups seem to be planning some kind of reform, something about sales. The counter that sells the most will get a higher bonus, otherwise they'll only get a basic salary of 10 or 20 yuan."
Bei Bitang's expression changed immediately after hearing this. If what Feng Guangmei said was true, then the small vegetable market would be unavoidable. If everyone wanted to work harder and get more money, then people would seem redundant. She was just a temporary worker, so she wouldn't lose her job.
Both of them were worried about their work. Bei Bitang recovered first and asked with a smile, "Guangmei, how are your reviews going?"
Speaking of this, Feng Guangmei became even more worried. She leaned her head against the bedpost and sighed, "Don't even mention it. It's inefficient. The old employees at the grocery store all laughed at me for being so studious and pretentious. When I get home from get off work, the house is noisy and hot, and I'm exhausted. How can I continue studying?"
Bei Bitang thought for a moment and suggested, "Guangmei, why don't you sign up for the night shift? You've graduated from high school and meet the requirements. They'll definitely accept you."
Feng Guangmei's eyes suddenly lit up, she straightened up and said, "Night shift?"
She stayed in the store all day, and no one supported her reading. She didn't tell anyone else, and no one mentioned this to her.
Bei Bitang said, "Yes, night classes. They're specifically for those who graduated from high school but couldn't take the college entrance exam and had to work or go to the countryside. The classes are held in the middle school, and the teachers are also teachers from the school."
Feng Guangmei was delighted, but then asked hesitantly, "Will the fee be very expensive?"
Bei Bitang shook her head and said, "I don't know about that. You can go ask around. There's a middle school nearby that offers night classes."
She just listened and told Feng Guangmei everything she knew.
Feng Guangmei looked lost in thought. Bei Bitang made no effort to interrupt her thoughts.
The wall of the room was next to the alley. With two bangs, the sound of people selling popsicles came from the lane.
"Cream popsicles, milk popsicles, red bean popsicles, red and green ones!"
Feng Guangmei came back to her senses and said, "I'll go check it out and ask people when I have time. If the tuition is too high, I won't sign up for the night class. I probably won't pass the exam my first year anyway, and there's only less than a month left until this year's college entrance exam. Although I signed up, I just wanted to experience it and gain some experience."
Bei Bitang hesitated to speak, thinking that maybe I could lend you some money, but then she changed her mind and realized that Feng Guangmei had relatives who loved her, and she was not at the end of her rope. If she was short of money, it would be reasonable for her to borrow from her family first, so she took her words back.
Bei Bitang felt a little ashamed again. Seeing Feng Guangmei's unhappy face, she listened to the hawking in the alley and said, "Guangmei, I'll treat you to some ice cream. Don't worry about the money. It's a rare break. Maybe the night shift doesn't even charge money."
The two families lived close to each other and had similar working hours, so they could meet from time to time. Feng Guangmei had already paid back the ice cream she owed Bei Bitang.
Therefore, Feng Guangmei did not refuse, as friendship requires give and take.
Bei Bitang went out, went downstairs, and headed into the alley, where she heard the voice of the ice cream seller.
The other person was pushing a 28-inch truck with a metal box tied to the back seat, covered with thick cotton cloth. He was wearing the same dark blue work clothes, but he also wore a white hat, a white apron, and white sleeves.
Bei Bitang walked over and ordered two red bean popsicles, one red and one green. It was so hot, and these were more refreshing than cream ice cream. The colors were different, and the textures were slightly different. She and Feng Guangmei could cut them up with a fruit knife and share.
The two of them shared the popsicles and slowly finished them. Not to mention their mood, just their faces looked much more refreshed.
It was almost lunchtime, Bei Bitang was about to go home, and Feng Guangmei was about to go out to sell vegetables to prepare lunch, so the two of them happened to go out together.
The two were walking in the alley, and when they looked up, they saw Kong Baoer's back.
Kong Baoer didn't tie her hair up today, even though it was so hot today. She was just being different.
She was wearing a light green floral dress that was different from the others. To put it bluntly, it was sleeveless, revealing her armpits, and the hem was split a little below her thighs. Her sandals were also exquisite, with soles made of fine polished wood and V-shaped straps made of purple satin.
Although Bei Bitang and Feng Guangmei did not see Kong Baoer's face, there was no need to guess. Her face must have been covered with a layer of Xie Fuchun's goose egg pink, and her lips were covered with a layer of shiny, pink foreign lipstick.
Feng Guangmei looked at Kong Baoer's retreating figure with envy and said, "Sister Baoer is really a kind person. She lets others say whatever they want and never cares about other people's expressions."
Bei Bitang asked doubtfully, "What's wrong with Sister Baoer dressing like this? I don't see it."
Feng Guangmei agreed, "I didn't notice it either. It was just that the women's director of the neighborhood office made a fuss and came to the Kong family's door. She talked to her mother in front of Kong Baoer."
Bei Bitang asked again: "What are you talking about?"
Feng Guangmei said, "They say Sister Baoer is always ostentatious and wandering around the alleys in inappropriate clothes, attracting gangs of young people to make trouble and even fight for her. She's ruined her reputation and won't be able to find a good partner in the future."
Bei Bitang said, "Sister Baoer didn't fight back? That's not like her."
Feng Guangmei laughed and said, "Why not? I haven't finished yet. Sister Baoer was arguing with the women's director. She said that if young people in the alley were fighting, they should report it to the police. Why bother looking for her? She's not a big hat, and there's no big hat in her family."
Bei Bitang nodded and said, "That's right. The young people in the alleys often fight, sometimes even with bricks. It's not always Sister Bao'er who starts the fights, and I've never seen the women's director intervene. Whenever Aunt Qian's husband drinks, he hits her, and the women's director doesn't care. When Aunt Qian asks for help, she even advises Aunt Qian to be more gentle so her husband won't hit her."
Feng Guangmei curled her lips and said, "The women's director should go find the parents of those young people one by one and tell them to stop staring at Sister Baoer and whistling at others. Let them have some shame."
Bei Bitang thought it made sense and said, "It's comfortable and cool to wear like this. I heard there's a kind of pants from the south called bell-bottoms. When you put them on, they stretch your butt so tight that if you don't wear the right underwear, your outline will show through. It's much more exaggerated than what Baoer Jie is wearing. They're not banned, but they've become a trend."
Feng Guangmei said, "We talk about openness, and that applies to all aspects, including clothing. Just think of those students studying in the US. When they go there, wouldn't they be horrified by the way those foreigners dress? I heard they have fashion shows for lingerie and swimwear, and they're really high-end."
Bei Bitang asked, "What do foreigners' underwear and swimwear look like?"
Feng Guangmei leaned close to Bei Bitang's ear and whispered, "Two palm-sized pieces of cloth and two thin ropes on top, and a small piece of cloth the size of tofu on the bottom."
Bei Bitang's face flushed instantly. Doesn't that mean only three spots are covered?
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