Chapter 36 Trouble is Coming
Ning Xuan took the yarn she had just acquired to Xu Jiajia and asked, "Jiajia, look at these yarns, which color do you want?"
Looking at the brightly colored yarn in Ning Xuan's hand, Xu Jiajia thought it was extremely beautiful. After looking at it for a while, Ning Xuan let her touch it, and Xu Jiajia found it very soft.
In the end, Xu Jiajia chose red and gray. She wanted to knit a red scarf for herself and a gray one for Zhou Zipeng and Lu Xun.
"I want these two kinds, how much do you want?" Xu Jiajia asked, taking out her money after selecting the yarn.
Ning Xuan said, "Do you want to knit sweaters too? Anyway, these don't require coupons. You can have as many as you want. Just keep the price the same as at the department store, and you won't need coupons."
Xu Jiajia said, "If you don't want tickets, and you sell them to stores at the same price, won't you lose money?"
"Don't worry, you won't lose out. If you want more, just come to me." Ning Xuan put the yarn in Xu Jiajia's arms and then continued, "How about we go find Sister Xiaomei? It's been a while since we chatted with them."
Xu Jiajia also agreed.
The two of them carried a small basket containing yarn and knitting tools to Huang Xiaomei's yard.
Not only Huang Xiaomei was there, but Zhao Yulian and Liang Qingqing were also there. They had spent more time together at the educated youth compound than with Ning Xuan and the others, so they had a better relationship. Zhao Yulian and Liang Qingqing also preferred to visit Huang Xiaomei.
"Wow, Ningxuan, Jiajia, where did you buy this yarn? It's so pretty and so soft!" Zhao Yulian, being quite lively, immediately noticed the yarn in Ningxuan and Jiajia's hands.
"I got these through someone. I still have some. They don't require coupons. If you want them, I can share some with you."
"Is it enough for yourself?" Huang Xiaomei was very interested; she wanted to knit a scarf for Liu Jun.
Ning Xuan said, "It's enough. I don't need much. It's enough for you to knit sweaters or scarves."
Huang Xiaomei and the other two all wanted it, and they also mentioned the colors and quantities they preferred, so Ning Xuan went back to get it directly.
The kang (heated brick bed) at Huang Xiaomei's place was bigger than the one at Ning Xuan's place, so the group sat around it, knitting and chatting together.
Just as they were having a pleasant conversation, someone outside the courtyard suddenly called Xu Jiajia's name.
Although the shout was made at the entrance of their own courtyard, Huang Xiaomei's courtyard was connected to theirs and very close, so they heard it from their side as well.
"Why have so many people been looking for you these past few days?" Huang Xiaomei heard this when the brigade leader brought people over yesterday, but she didn't come out to see what was going on.
Xu Jiajia was also wondering who was looking for her this time. "I'll go out and take a look."
Their principle for participating in educated youth activities was to avoid being alone, so Ning Xuan took the initiative to go out with Xu Jiajia to see the world.
When Xu Jiajia and Ning Xuan saw the man dressed in a black suit, with shiny leather shoes and hair slicked back with hair gel to match the luster of his shoes, they immediately understood.
The person who came was Zhang Qiang. Gou Sheng, who was leading the way, had already been sent aside by him, so they only saw Zhang Qiang.
Upon seeing Xu Jiajia, Zhang Qiang's eyes immediately lit up. With a greasy smile, he greeted her, "Jiajia, so you're an educated youth from the Red Star Brigade. No wonder I've never seen you before."
Xu Jiajia said with displeasure, "Excuse me, I don't know you, we're not familiar with each other, please call me comrade!"
Zhang Qiang, still sporting his greasy face, said, "Comrade Jiajia, I am Zhang Qiang. My father is the director of the G Committee of Xiangyang Commune. It doesn't matter if we didn't know each other before; we'll get to know each other soon."
Upon hearing the introduction, Ning Xuan and Xu Jiajia immediately understood why the saleswoman was so afraid of these two people last time, and why that girl was so arrogant and domineering.
"I'm sorry, we won't be close anymore, please don't come looking for me again." After Xu Jiajia finished speaking, she pulled Ning Xuan back to Huang Xiaomei's courtyard and prepared to close the door.
Zhang Qiang immediately blocked the courtyard gate. "I'll be frank with you. Xu Jiajia, right? I want to date you. Don't refuse yet. You should think it through. You're an educated youth sent to the countryside. If my dad doesn't agree to you going back to the city, you'll have to stay here for the rest of your life."
"If you agree, I'll have my dad arrange an office job for you right away. It's much easier than manual labor, and you get paid. Think about it carefully."
Xu Jiajia refused without hesitation, "Don't even think about it, I won't talk to you, please leave."
Then Ning Xuan gently pushed the door shut and closed it.
Zhang Qiang was left standing there, his greasy smile turning into a hideous expression of embarrassment at being rejected.
"That little bitch is actually disrespecting me. She's so tough now, but she'll still have to beg me later. Fine, let her be tough for a couple more days!" Zhang Qiang thought fiercely.
Ever since his father became the director, he has managed to get every girl he's set his sights on over the years. No matter how virtuous she was at the beginning, or how she already had a boyfriend, she eventually gave in.
Zhang Qiang had already figured out how to make Xu Jiajia submit; it was nothing more than the same old tricks—either money or power.
Thinking that he would soon have a beauty in his arms, Zhang Qiang laughed again, then called Gou Sheng, who was not far away, and left the Red Star Brigade.
Hearing Zhang Qiang leave from the courtyard, Ning Xuan and Xu Jiajia exchanged glances for a while, but didn't rush back. Instead, they went back to knit with Huang Xiaomei and the others for a while before returning to their own courtyard.
When Huang Xiaomei and the others asked, the two of them didn't answer directly, but instead gave a vague excuse.
Once they got back to their own courtyard, Xu Jiajia said somewhat uneasily, "His father is the director of the G Committee, he won't use any underhanded tactics, will he?"
Ning Xuan frowned. "That's hard to say. He doesn't give off a good vibe. Now that we know his identity, when Lu Xun and the others return later, we can ask them to go to the commune to find out what's going on. It's better than being completely clueless."
During their recent break, Lu Xun and Zhou Zipeng couldn't stay still for long. They would take any opportunity to go to the commune to ship goods or to the mountains to find wild produce.
During dinner that evening, Xu Jiajia told her about what had happened that day.
Zhou Zhipeng's face turned green with anger. "If he comes again next time, I'll definitely beat him up!"
Lu Xun's expression was also not good. "Zhipeng, don't be impulsive. I know a little about Zhang Qiang's family, but they're all bad."
The black market demands a large bribe from them every so often; they're greedy and wicked. No one in the commune can bring down the Zhang family for now; we'll have to look for someone in the provincial capital.
"Ah Xun, you want to bring down the Zhang family?" Zhou Zhipeng asked.
Lu Xun nodded, "Jiajia has been targeted by him. He's a cunning man, and you can't guard against a thief for a thousand days."
Therefore, we need to take the initiative. And if we don't bring down the Zhang family, we'll really be blocked by his father's men when we need to return to the city.
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