Chapter 54 Find a solution. I know what to do. You really are me...
Li Hongmei's answer caught Chen Mian off guard, and she was speechless for a long time.
Li Hongmei grew up with her since childhood, and she knew everything about the Li family, or rather, the Zhao family.
Li Hongmei's surname was Zhao when she was a child, but she changed it to her mother's surname later due to some events.
But when Hongmei's father passed away, she was only ten years old. So many years have passed, and her memory has become blurred. She only remembers that his name was Zhao Kang, a man who was not talkative and somewhat weak.
Aunt Li made all the decisions about everything in the family, big and small. Zhao Kang just buried himself in his work every day, and occasionally he would secretly save a little money to buy candy for Hongmei.
Back then, Aunt Li still had a genuine smile on her face. Although life was hard at home, her children were sensible, her husband was considerate, and she had hope for the future.
One winter, in order to earn more money, Zhao Kang worked hard for several days in a row in the heavy snow. After returning home, he developed a high fever and never recovered.
He passed away not long after.
After Zhao Kang left, his mother came to his house and made trouble, insisting that her son had been killed by Li Huandi. She even said in front of the villagers that Li Huandi was infertile and that the two children were bastards from who-knows-where.
In a fit of anger, Li Huandi changed the surnames of both children and severed all ties with the Zhao family.
Chen Mian always showed some consideration for Aunt Li, out of respect for the fact that it wasn't easy for her to raise two children alone.
"What are you thinking about?" Seeing that her friend remained silent, Li Hongmei waved her hand in front of her eyes a few times.
Chen Mian's thoughts were pulled back from her memories, and she got back to the point, "I still don't think Boss Wu looks like Uncle Zhao, and even if they really do look alike, you can't be with her just because of that, can you?"
Li Hongmei rested her chin on her hands, her eyes filled with the shy charm of a young girl in love. "Don't you think our meeting is just like something out of a TV show?"
I came back to Wumu City alone and went to his house to find you. I almost fainted, but he caught me. He was very gentle and poured me water and gave me some food.
He lived in a villa, while I was just a country bumpkin. After that, I thought we'd never see each other again.
Li Hongmei paused, then looked at her friend seriously, "But do you know what? A few days ago, I came to Wumu City alone again. While I was strolling around the streets, I saw that this clothing store was hiring. And coincidentally, the owner was Brother Wu."
For Li Hongmei, Wu Wei was someone unattainable, but after getting to know him, she found that he was a really good person, gentle and refined. He would praise her for being efficient and would also comfort her when she was unhappy.
When he realized she didn't like her old name, he spent several days helping her look through books and materials, encouraging her to change her name and start afresh.
Li Hongmei said sincerely, "I think people should bravely and passionately pursue their own love and not care about other people's opinions."
To be honest, Chen Mian was deeply moved by Li Hongmei's last words; she was indeed somewhat hesitant in matters of the heart.
Mr. Wu's character is still acceptable to her, and Congcong is quite sensible, but being a stepmother is difficult after all.
After much thought, Chen Mian decided to try to persuade her friend again, but she was interrupted by Li Hongmei as soon as she opened her mouth.
"Kapok, I really feel like I'm doing pretty well right now." Li Hongmei was clearly immersed in the bliss of first love.
"Don't just talk about me. Officer Ji is such an outstanding person, you'd better hurry up and grab him, otherwise it will be too late if someone else snatches him away one day."
This time, Chen Mian blushed. She stammered, "I know, stop rambling."
"You're complaining that I'm nagging? Watch me scratch you!"
"Stop tickling me, I'm really ticklish, hahaha..."
After the two laughed and joked for a while, Li Hongmei asked about the farm again.
Once Chen Mian was distracted by her friend's name change and her new relationship, she had long forgotten her own little gloom.
She briefly recounted what had happened in the past two days, saying, "I'm just a little confused, wondering if I can fulfill the promises I made."
As an observer, Li Hongmei astutely spotted inconsistencies in Chen Mian's account.
"The comrades from the Agriculture Bureau said they can't give you land because there's no policy. But who makes the policy? If it's a policy made by someone, then we can find that person and get a solution, right?"
"Also, the leaders of the Corps said that their land can only be rented to military dependents at most. Although Officer Ji has retired, isn't your brother a soldier now? Can't you be considered a military dependent?"
"? Can it be like this?" Chen Mian was like a stagnant pool of water suddenly struck by a pebble, the fog in front of her eyes suddenly torn apart by a large hand.
"I know what to do!" Chen Mian jumped up abruptly, grabbing her friend's hand and bouncing around. "You're such a lifesaver!"
Chen Mian was in a hurry to go home. "I'm leaving now. I'll come find you to play again next time."
Outside the store, Ji Yu leaned against the car door, chatting idly with Wu Wei.
He glanced up casually and saw Chen Mian rushing out, hurriedly tugging at his sleeve, "Come home, come home! I've found a way!"
Ji Yu was completely confused, but she was still prepared to quickly carry out the task assigned by her leader. "Well then, Brother Wu, we'll be going now. Let's have dinner together another day."
Ji Yu started the car and soon drove Chen Mian back to the wolfberry farm.
Inside the room, Chen Mian took out the paper and pen she had used before and began to write and draw.
"Dear Ebony City □□:"
Hello, I'm an ordinary girl from Northwest China. Xinjiang is a vast and resource-rich region with kind and simple people. In the few months I've been here, I've made many local friends.
This year, I visited several farms where they grow crops such as goji berries, cotton, and grapes. I have come to realize that Xinjiang is a place where people can live a good life through their own efforts.
I also hope to learn from these outstanding predecessors and own my own farm in Ebony City. I have start-up capital, professional technical support, and confidence that I can do this well.
But I'm stuck with the current policies. I don't have a local rural household registration, nor am I a military dependent of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, so I can't contract land.
Please believe me, I am not bothering you for my own selfish reasons. Wumu City is sparsely populated and has a vast area. If we can attract more people from other places to contract farms through talent introduction, I believe that Wumu City will develop faster and better in the future.
Our country is developing rapidly. Last year, the central government officially launched the counterpart assistance program for Xinjiang. I believe that I am not the only young person from out of town who has traveled thousands of miles to come here.
I hope to be a part of building the border regions of our motherland, and I earnestly request the government to give me and our community a valuable opportunity. Thank you very much!
Respectfully submitted by Chen Mian.
Outside the window, the afterglow of the setting sun was gradually swallowed by the horizon, the sky darkened and all was quiet, but the lights of thousands of homes that quietly lit up were like twinkling stars, illuminating the way for pedestrians.
It was rare for Ji Yu and her family of three to be home for dinner.
Chef Ji Feng was still in charge, and Ji Yu assisted him.
Ji Feng served the last egg and fermented rice soup, took off his apron, and joked, "I don't think Ji Yu is that stupid. If she learns from me a few more times, she'll be a master!"
"From now on, he will take care of all the cooking for our family, and I can finally retire."
Yu Xiaoyue felt sorry for her son, who worked hard at his job and still had to cook when he got home. She then turned around and started arguing with her husband.
“You’re already so old, and you’re still busy working that lousy job every day. Your son is so ambitious, he doesn’t even have time to come home for dinner. You might as well hope you can actually retire sooner rather than rely on him.”
Ji Feng was baffled by his wife's retort, "It's not like I wanted to teach him how to cook, he asked to learn on his own initiative, so why are you asking me what I did?"
Chen Mian looked a little embarrassed as she listened to the couple's conversation. Ji Yu quickly smoothed things over, saying, "Mom, it's really something I wanted to learn. Once I've learned it, you can take a break too, right?"
"You little rascal, who have you been learning to be so sweet-talking lately?" Yu Xiaoyue smiled with satisfaction, and picked up her chopsticks. "Which dish did you make today? Let Mom have a taste."
Ji Yu pointed a little embarrassedly to the hot and sour shredded potatoes in the middle. His knife skills were not yet good enough, and the shredded potatoes were cut into uneven thicknesses, but they should still be cooked.
Yu Xiaoyue picked up a bite of shredded potato and tasted it. She couldn't help but frown and bluntly said, "Too much salt and too much vinegar. You should continue to learn from your dad."
Afraid that Ji Yu would be upset, Chen Mian smiled and encouraged her, "It's okay, I think it's delicious, perfect with rice. Brother Ji's cooking is getting better and better..."
One week later at the Populus euphratica Hotel.
Ji Yu invited Chen Mian to lunch at the same familiar window seat, explaining that he had received his salary.
Chen Mian asked, puzzled, "What does it have to do with me that you pay my salary?"
Ji Yu spoke with self-assurance and her own logic: "You're not my wife yet, so I can't hand over my salary to you. But to show my sincerity, I'll treat you to a meal every month when I get paid, how about that?"
Chen Mian thought to herself, "There's actually someone willing to treat me to a meal for free, and only once a month. It shouldn't be too much to ask, right?"
She hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement, "But don't spend too much, we can just grab a bowl of noodles."
"How can that be? I'd lose face if word got out. People would think I'm so poor I can't afford to eat," Ji Yu insisted on eating at a restaurant.
Men earn money so they can spend it on their wives. Besides, even if you eat here every day, it won't bankrupt him, let alone just one meal.
The two were struggling when a creaking sound came from the stairwell, and a man in his early twenties came up.
He has an upright posture, a buzz cut, gentle and deep eyes, and a warm smile on his face, making people unconsciously want to get closer.
When he looked up and saw Chen Mian, a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes, and his smile became more genuine, with dimples appearing and disappearing at the corners of his lips.
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Author's Note: I finally made it! I was all set to see the cherry blossoms today, but my period started as soon as I got there, instantly reducing my health to zero. I've been lying in bed all afternoon, but for my last remaining electronic sisters, I'm still trying to perk myself up. PS, I've uploaded the beautiful cherry blossom photos to other platforms. If you'd like to see them, check out my column or the article. Love you all, muah!
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