Chapter 79 Sense of Security
Ning Xuan didn't pay attention to the situation of Zhang Xiuying and her daughter; it would be too troublesome for her to keep track of it from such a distance.
Zhang Xiuying and her daughter were not entirely innocent either; they often bullied others, taking advantage of Zhang Youde's official position.
Zhang Xiuying, in particular, was very jealous. She was jealous of Zhang Xiaohong, who was good at studying and good-looking, when they were in school. She knew her brother's character, so she deliberately invited Zhang Xiaohong to her house so that her brother would see her.
Later, when Zhang Xiaohong disappeared, she vaguely guessed what had happened, but she did nothing and didn't even think about saving Zhang Xiaohong. Instead, she was happy that no one at school was stealing her thunder in terms of looks.
For Jiang Xiaohong, sending Zhang Xiuying to a labor camp was already too lenient a decision.
Jiang Xiaohong was also troubled at this time because her mother was starting to arrange blind dates for her.
The reason is actually quite simple: while she's still young, she should get married early. She's beautiful and has a job, so she can get more dowry money, which will solve the problem of money for Jiang Xiaodi's wedding later.
If they can't find someone who can offer a high dowry, it's simple: just don't let Jiang Xiaohong bring her work to her husband's family. This was also instigated by her sister-in-law, Wu Meili.
After being told repeatedly, Jiang's parents, who were easily swayed, finally listened.
Because of her past experiences, Jiang Xiaohong now has no desire to have any contact with men, let alone get married, but she can't tell her family this reason.
She found it very annoying, but she couldn't directly confront Jiang's parents, so she could only try to reduce the time and frequency of going home. Sometimes, when Jiang's mother came to the factory, she would use being busy with work as an excuse to send her away.
Yesterday, she couldn't hold back and had a big argument with Jiang's mother.
She couldn't understand why, even though she was not yet 20, it was as if she would never be able to get married if she didn't find a partner now, or that not getting married was a terrible sin.
Jiang's mother felt that her daughter was not as obedient as before when she came back this time, and that she had become rebellious and learned to talk back. She believed her daughter-in-law's arguments even more and would not listen to her daughter's explanations at all.
Jiang Xiaohong was confused. Suddenly, she thought of her benefactor Ning Xuan. As she walked, she arrived at the place where the brigades usually parked their oxcarts at the commune.
She really wanted to go to the Red Star Brigade to find Ning Xuan, but after that bad experience, she was also very rational in knowing that a girl like her couldn't go to the countryside alone.
Now that she's at work, she doesn't leave the factory unless necessary. After work, she goes to the canteen for meals and then goes back to her dormitory. She makes excuses to decline when her female colleagues in the office ask her to go shopping. She's afraid to make friends or accept invitations from friends anymore.
When Jiang Xiaohong reached the place where the oxcarts were parked, she realized that she had actually come here. Fortunately, there were many people here, and it was not a remote place. She looked over at the oxcarts and saw that some team members had just gotten off the carts, and others had already bought things and were waiting for the oxcarts to go back.
Although she felt the hope was slim, Jiang Xiaohong still looked at all the oxcarts present, and sure enough, she did not find Ning Xuan.
Disappointed, she turned away, thinking that since she was already out, she might as well go to the department store to buy something. She usually got bored staying in her dormitory, so she would find things to do, such as writing or copying quotes. The process of writing helped her calm down.
So she decided to buy some more notebooks, and since she was running out of ink, she would buy a bottle in advance.
Jiang Xiaohong was surprised that the surprise came so suddenly; she actually saw Ning Xuan at the department store.
Ning Xuan didn't expect that she and Jiang Xiaohong would have such a connection. Or maybe it's because the county town is too small. Most people who come to the county town will go to the department store to shop as soon as possible. Even if they don't buy anything, they still enjoy browsing. So the probability of running into an acquaintance here is actually quite high.
Jiang Xiaohong felt that the two of them had already spoken last time, so she went up to greet Ning Xuan as soon as she saw her.
"Hello, do you remember me? I'm Jiang Xiaohong." Jiang Xiaohong was a little nervous, worried that the other person might not remember her.
However, her worries were unnecessary. Ning Xuan wouldn't forget Jiang Xiaohong so easily. Although she didn't usually think about her, such a short time had passed, and she would still recognize her if they ran into each other.
"What a coincidence, Xiao Hong, are you out shopping too? Of course I remember you. Thank you so much for reminding me last time." Ning Xuan smiled and thanked Jiang Xiao Hong, holding her hand.
Xu Jiajia recognized Jiang Xiaohong and remembered her kind reminder. She greeted Jiang Xiaohong and said, "Thank you so much last time. The situation was special, and we didn't have a chance to thank you properly. It's rare to run into you today, so let's have a meal together. It's on me!"
Jiang Xiaohong felt embarrassed to let them treat her, but she wanted to spend more time with Ning Xuan and chat. In addition, Ning Xuan and Xu Jiajia were very enthusiastic in inviting her, so she thought about it and agreed.
“Since we’re already here, let’s buy some things first, and then go to the state-run restaurant. Xiao Hong, what do you want to buy?” Ning Xuan asked Jiang Xiao Hong.
Jiang Xiaohong said she wanted to buy notebooks and ink, and then they walked towards the stationery counter.
After accompanying Jiang Xiaohong to buy things, Ning Xuan and Xu Jiajia headed to the food section.
Since the spring wheat has been planted, the spring plowing has been completed, and the next task is to plant soybeans and corn. However, the team leader decided to give everyone a day off to rest.
It's not really a holiday; it's just that you can take the day off whenever you want, and those who want to earn work points can continue working.
Ning Xuan and the others don't rely on work points for food, so they definitely won't let go of any opportunity to take a break. They thought that since they had been busy for so long, they might as well come and visit the commune.
Although Ning Xuan had plenty of food in her warehouse and storage ring, the food available at this time of year had a unique flavor, and it was all green and pollution-free with few additives. So whenever she went shopping, Ning Xuan would buy some to try and change her taste.
Xu Jiajia always buys some food to take home whenever she comes.
They bought several kinds of food, including steamed egg cakes, glutinous rice strips, milk candy, fruit candy, peanuts, and melon seeds. If it weren't for the purchase limit, they could have bought even more.
However, this display of power left both the sales clerk and Jiang Xiaohong stunned.
After Jiang Xiaohong started earning her own salary, she didn't actually spend much. She gave a portion to her family to make up for the living expenses she used to live with, and then bought herself a couple of sets of work clothes, notebooks, ink, and the rest she basically saved.
For some reason, she particularly enjoys saving money. Every month after receiving her salary, she sets aside the money she needs and puts the rest into her savings account. Seeing the increasing balance in her savings account makes her feel very satisfied.
If Ning Xuan knew her feelings, she would definitely tell her that it was a sense of security, a sense of security that even blood relatives might not be able to provide.
After buying their things, Ning Xuan and Xu Jiajia pulled Jiang Xiaohong toward the state-run restaurant.
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