Qiao Xuejun was naturally delighted and immediately said, "Thank you, Grandpa Fang. That's great! I'll give you the same amount of blue oil as expedited payment after the job is done."
If I can fix it tomorrow morning, it won't affect her activities these days. The temperature is about to drop significantly, and I always feel like there is endless work to do.
Grandpa Fang said, "I don't want your things."
No? Are you dissatisfied with what she brought?
Before Qiao Xuejun could ask anything, Grandpa Fang's grandson stepped forward and explained with a smile, "Teacher Qiao, my grandfather meant free subsidies. He often says thank you to the base for taking us in, and to Teacher Qiao for sending us food. We should be grateful. I definitely can't charge you for it."
Qiao Xuejun smiled a little embarrassedly when she heard this: "How can this be possible? Let's put things in perspective... We still have to pay."
The old man also insisted. He first accepted Qiao Xuejun's shoes and turned around to continue mending them. While hammering and banging, he insisted, "No."
The eldest brother stepped forward and said, "Teacher Qiao, please rest assured. We can't give you much in return. To be honest, my grandmother died very early."
He gave a bitter laugh, his voice lowering. "Back when the sun was scorching hot, we were short of food and starved to death. Later, we joined the base, and we've always been concerned about food. Being able to eat these things now is something we couldn't have imagined before."
The old man suddenly said, "Extreme heat and extreme cold, natural disasters are killing people!"
The elder brother calmed down and looked at Qiao Xuejun. "I can't say much more, but my family is deeply grateful to the base and Teacher Qiao. Without Teacher Qiao's food, we would still be in constant fear and could starve to death at any time. So when we could be of use, just to mend a shoe, how could we possibly take Teacher Qiao's money?"
Qiao Xuejun felt even more embarrassed by such a direct expression of gratitude. After all, the food she had given to the First Base was originally just a trade, a resource exchange, not to feed the ordinary survivors in the base.
She said seriously, "Food security is definitely guaranteed now, so you don't have to worry. I appreciate your kindness. But Grandpa needs materials, leather, and thread to mend the shoes, so I have to pay for the materials."
In this room, there is a pile of materials in the corner, including some discarded cloth and thread scraps collected by the old man himself, as well as some fish skins.
Moreover, she exercises a lot, so her shoes are worn out quite a lot.
Hearing this, the old man took another look at Qiao Xuejun's shoes and nodded, "Farmers' shoes require some materials." He added, "That's what you said. I don't want your stuff!"
The eldest brother added, "My grandfather has been a shoe repairman all his life. He can tell at a glance how damaged a shoe is and how much material to use. He has already considered it."
He pushed Qiao Xuejun out: "Mr. Qiao, go back and get busy. We'll open at 6 o'clock tomorrow morning, just come get your shoes then!"
Qiao Xuejun wanted to give the things away, but failed.
Except for the pair of shoes, everything else should be taken back the same way it was brought in.
Qiao Xuejun had no choice but to say thank you.
When I went upstairs, I happened to see the patrol team returning to base.
Although the patrol team's prey were all wrapped in body bags, the bloody smell was still difficult to conceal, and they had to spray disinfectant provided by the medical department to remove the odor every time.
As soon as you smell the blood, you know it must be the patrol returning.
Old Kang from the slaughterhouse came out of the corridor, pushing a cart towards the door. Seeing Qiao Xuejun, he greeted her, "Teacher Qiao! Go pick up the patrol!"
Qiao Xuejun responded and waited by the side.
Soon the slaughterhouse returned with a row of carts full of spoils, eight carts, each filled with body bags.
Qiao Xuejun looked at the piles and felt that today's harvest was particularly great. The roofs of each car were piled high and looked shaky.
Lao Kang called out to his men: "Hold steady, don't fall!"
This must be the hunting of a very large mutant.
The patrol team also walked inside behind the convoy.
The patrol team of nearly a hundred people was fully armed. After entering the base, they began to take off their helmets and masks and brushed the snow off their shoulders: "This snow is so heavy!"
"Damn it, it's getting heavier! Otherwise, I'll catch another salmon today!"
The patrolmen were huddled in the back, chatting back and forth: "I wonder if the snow will stop tomorrow. What does the weather say? Can we go out and work tomorrow?"
Standing at the front was Zhao Xian, still fully armed, with a helmet, visor and goggles, and a heavy machine gun held diagonally in his right hand hanging naturally. He was covered in snow and wind, and his steps were brisk, with the solemn and murderous aura of someone who had just come out of the battlefield.
When he saw Qiao Xuejun, he paused slightly, then immediately quickened his pace.
After a few steps, he walked in front of Qiao Xuejun, took off his helmet as he walked, and looked at Qiao Xuejun: "Are you done?"
Qiao Xuejun nodded: "Yeah."
She thought of something and motioned Zhao Xian to look down.
She stretched out her feet: "Look, I'm wearing your shoes."
Zhao Xian followed her gaze and saw Qiao Xuejun's feet stretched out. She was wearing a pair of mid-cut sand-colored tactical boots - his shoes.
"My shoes are worn out. I've already taken them to Grandpa Fang, the shoe repairman. He said he'd fix them for me tomorrow, so I'd like to borrow yours to wear first." As she spoke, she lifted her foot and shook it, saying, "They're just a little too big."
She herself had large feet and wore size 39 shoes, sometimes even size 40. She often went to stores to buy shoes and couldn't find them in her size. But Zhao Xian's shoes were so big that they felt like they were wobbling around in her.
Zhao Xian looked at them. He had always known his shoes were not small, considering his height. But when they were on Qiao Xuejun's feet, they were so obviously heavy and ill-fitting that he realized how big they were.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com