I glanced at the calendar on the wall; tomorrow is Thursday.
Xue Fu planned to go to the town first. If the shops there didn't have everything she needed, she would then consider going to the county seat. After all, the county seat was too far away, and going there and back would be too much trouble.
However, tomorrow is her workday, so she needs to go to the team leader's house to ask for leave first.
First it's unfamiliar, then it becomes familiar.
Xue Fu knocked on the captain's door again, and when she saw her aunt, her smile was even more familiar and obedient.
"Aunt Ying, is the captain home?"
When Li Fuying saw this pretty girl, she sighed inwardly, "Why is she here again?"
However, not seeing that she was carrying anything, Li Fuying felt a little relieved.
Li Fuying asked with a smile, "Comrade Xue Fu, what brings you here? The captain will be back soon, what's the matter?"
"I want to go to town to buy some things tomorrow, so I need to ask for leave." Xue Fu touched her ear, a little embarrassed. "I still have some things I didn't bring with me to the countryside."
Upon hearing this, Li Fuying invited Xue Fu in to sit for a while, saying, "She should be back soon. Come in and sit down."
Li Fuying quite liked this little girl.
She's quite good at handling people; the malted milk powder she gave me last time is perfect for her pregnant daughter-in-law.
And he's also handsome.
There aren't any girls this pretty in the village.
Li Fuying thought, "I wish my daughter-in-law's baby would be just as handsome in the future."
Zhou Jianguo returned right on time, and as soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw Xue Fu. He suddenly had a headache, wondering what this female educated youth had to do with this.
He asked, "What's up?"
"Captain, I would like to ask for leave tomorrow."
Zhou Jianguo frowned at first, then thought about it. The fishpond was a quiet place, so taking a leave of absence wouldn't make a difference.
Zhou Jianguo took a puff of his pipe and nodded at her: "Hmm, but you should still take fewer days off, Comrade Xue Fu. Your work points..."
Zhou Jianguo didn't finish his sentence, but those who understood understood.
Xue Fu said sincerely, "Thank you, Captain!"
They work ten days and get a day off, but the day before their group arrived happened to be their day off, so they missed it.
If Xue Fu doesn't ask for leave this time, she'll have to wait a week for her vacation.
Xue Fu walked back, pondering what she should buy tomorrow.
She doesn't need to buy clothes or fabrics.
Her family said they would send her clothes according to the season.
Fortunately, she can go to the post office tomorrow to check if the package from home has arrived.
She wanted to buy some household items, such as a washbasin and a bucket.
The educated youth settlements are all shared now. Xue Fu has been enduring it for several days.
She also wanted to buy several extra towels.
She brought two towels, one to wipe away sweat and the other to wash her face, but they weren't enough.
She still needs to buy some food.
She had previously counted the tickets she had brought.
Most of the items inside were grain coupons, flour coupons, and a few kilograms of meat coupons.
She calculated that if she cooked for herself, it would be more than enough, and there would still be plenty left over.
However, she didn't know how to do this special tutoring on her own... and she failed at the very first step.
Xue Fu urgently needs to find a partner.
But if you buy the items first, you can take them directly to another store later.
In the female educated youth dormitory, upon hearing that Xue Fu was going to town the next day, another female educated youth, Liu Ling, who was in the same cohort as Li Jing, asked her if she could help bring back a box of clam oil, as she had already used up the one she had bought.
Xue Fu agreed. Clam oil is so small, it's very convenient to carry around.
Liu Ling handed her the ticket.
Xue Fu looked at Li Jing and Zheng Peipei and asked them if they needed anything.
Cheng Pei-pei shook her head: "I brought a lot of things, and I've only just started using them. I don't need anything."
Li Jing smiled and said no need.
Because she was worried about not being able to get up in the morning, Xue Fu didn't sleep well all night.
However, she woke up in time, tidied herself up, and headed towards the village entrance with a small cloth bag containing money and tickets.
Last night, Liu Ling reminded her that the oxcart ride was first-come, first-served, and those who arrived early would get a good spot.
Liu Ling said that she once rode at the very back of an oxcart, and every time the road bumped, she felt like she was going to be thrown out; it was extremely uncomfortable.
Xue Fu remembered this and jogged a short distance on the way to the village entrance, afraid that there wouldn't be a front-row seat available.
However, since it's not a day off, there aren't many people going to town.
When Xue Fu arrived, there were only two or three people in the oxcart, which was more than enough for them.
Xue Fu greeted the oxcart driver with a smile and handed over the two cents for the ride.
"Sit properly, young educated youth," the driver reminded her after taking her money.
Xue Fu nodded as she found a seat near the railing of the carriage and sat down.
The oxcart had no seatbelts, so she had to cling tightly to the side of the cart with her own hands.
Although the oxcart only took half an hour to reach town, Xue Fu's bottom suffered quite a bit.
The muddy road was full of potholes, and even though she was sitting in the very front of the oxcart, her bottom still ached from the shaking.
When Xue Fu helped herself off the oxcart, her buttocks went numb.
However, she forced herself to control her expression, and no one noticed her embarrassment.
This was Xue Fu's first time visiting this small town. The closest town to Qingtang Village was called Qushui Town.
The town itself is not very big, but because there is a steel factory in the town, it is quite prosperous. There is a rather large state-owned store on the main street in the town center.
Xue Fu, with her sweet tongue, first asked an aunt where the town's post office was.
She wanted to check if the package sent from home had arrived, so she wouldn't buy duplicates and run out of space later.
The post office was on the east side, so Xue Fu went there.
However, when she asked the clerk, the post office said they didn't have her package.
Xue Fu smiled and thanked the clerk.
Xue Fu understands the time-sensitive nature of express delivery these days.
Having no packages, she turned and walked toward the state-run department store.
The state-run shopping mall is easy to find; it's the liveliest place in town.
Xue Fu had never been to a place with so many people before.
The shopping malls of this era are completely different from those of modern times.
Nowadays, sales assistants try every means to get customers to buy things, using sweet words and enthusiasm.
Salespeople in state-run department stores take it or leave it.
The service wasn't bad, but the quality was noticeably inconsistent.
The good stuff here is something you have to fight for.
Xue Fu looked at the counter with the most people and saw that it sold meat.
Everyone clutched their tickets and eagerly told the salesperson their needs: how much meat they wanted and which cut of meat they wanted.
Xue Fu saw that the half of pork was cut up and sold out in just a few minutes.
She had originally wanted to buy some meat, but could only stand at the very back and leave with regret.
Even if she had tickets, she couldn't compete or get them.
The situation at the other counters was much better, and Xue Fu was able to successfully buy a dozen towels and handkerchiefs to use interchangeably.
She also bought a bar of soap to wash her hands.
She went to the skincare counter and bought Liu Ling a box of clam oil. When she saw the white face cream placed in the very center, she pointed it out to the sales clerk.
Snow cream can be purchased with money, not coupons, and Xue Fu bought several boxes.
Xue Fu also packed skincare products in her suitcase when she went to the countryside. Skincare products in those days were very minimalist, not as colorful as they are today.
She brought just a regular set of lotion and cream.
She also had face cream in her box.
However, Xue Fu used the snow cream a lot these past few days, treating it like body lotion, and it was quickly used up.
After buying these, she went and bought a washbasin and a bucket.
As she passed the candy counter, Xue Fu thought for a moment and bought some orange candy and White Rabbit candy.
She doesn't actually like sweets very much.
She developed a fear of food because of cavities, which led to fillings and extractions when she was a child.
But the food is bland and watery and not very nutritious, so Xue Fu thinks it's necessary to take precautions against hypoglycemia.
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