The streets of the county town were very quiet in the early morning. Stall owners and people who came to the market gathered at the door of the supply and marketing cooperative, hoping to buy what they needed for their homes when the cooperative opened. It was not easy for villagers from nearby villages to enter the city.
The temperature in winter is getting lower and lower, and many people are standing in the cold wind wrapped in thick cotton clothes and pants.
Su Jin came with Lu Shiyi. She rode on the back of a bicycle into the city, which was much faster than taking a ox cart. She looked at the watch on her wrist. It was already 6:20, and she would have to wait in line for more than an hour before the gate opened.
"Minister Lu, you... go to work quickly. I'll wait for them here." Lu Shiyi walked on the left, blocking Su Jin inside to prevent the cars on the road from hitting her.
Lu Shiyi carried her backpack and looked at the team in the distance with his fierce eyes: "Xiao Jin, I'll stay here with you. I'll take you home after you sell the things."
The educated youth in each village were fighting among themselves fiercely. Lu Shiyi arrived in the village more than two years earlier than Su Jin. Seeing the farces happening in the educated youth's yard time and time again, he didn't want this pampered baby to suffer any grievances.
"I'm delaying your work!" Su Jin said helplessly.
After two days of contact between Su Jin and Lu Shiyi, no one could change his decision.
"No delay," Lu Shiyi shook his head, "I need to buy a lot of things for home too, let's buy them together and take them home."
Lu Shiyi noticed that many people were staring at her. Su Jin was wearing a clean cotton coat and trousers inside, and a gray overalls and black overalls outside. There was not a single patch on her clothes. Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that she came from a well-off family.
If Lu Shiyi hadn't been standing next to her in military uniform, people with ulterior motives wouldn't have dared to disturb her.
Su Jin had only been in the village for two days, but some families had already started plotting. After Lu Shiyi got the news, he quickly took the person under his wing and protected him.
The villagers just arrived in ox carts and found that Lu Shiyi was taking care of Su Jin everywhere and spoke with a hint of teasing.
Lu Shiyi did not say anything, but tacitly agreed with the villagers' words and figured out how to involve the two of them together.
Su Jin knew the harm of rumors in the village, and Lu Shiyi was the first to lend her a helping hand.
In modern times, the blind dates that Su Jin's grandparents found for her were all military officers, but no one caught her eye after many blind dates. Lu Shiyi just stayed by her side to protect her, which made her want to get closer to him.
"Yeah!" Su Jin also noticed the unfriendly looks from some villagers. "I need to buy some firewood later. Can you... help me take it back?"
Tong Zhuang, a villager from the third brigade, stood not far from the two of them. He listened to what Su Jin said and stared at Lu Shiyi. The Tong family had a daughter who was about the same age as Lu Shiyi. When Lu Shiyi returned to the village to live, the Tong family had been keeping an eye on him.
Now that Lu Shiyi and Su Zhiqing have fallen in love and live in the same courtyard, the Tong family is helpless.
"We have firewood at home. You can use it directly if you need it." Lu Shiyi leaned slightly towards her and spoke in a voice that only the two of them could hear. "A villager from another brigade has been staring at me for a long time, trying to push his daughter with a bad reputation to me."
Su Jin stared at Lu Shiyi in surprise, a smile on her face: "You are afraid sometimes?"
"Of course," Lu Shiyi whispered, "I'm afraid someone will take advantage of me. We can work together. I can protect you from being harmed, but I'm not afraid of others taking advantage of me."
Su Jin burst out laughing: "Lu Shiyi, it's only the second day since I met you!"
"Many soldiers in the army go home for blind dates and marry their wives on the 7th," Lu Shiyi explained. "Military leave is short, so in order to return to the army as soon as possible, most of them go home to get married after their families have chosen a partner."
Su Jin took out the list and looked through the kitchen carefully. She still needed a lot of things for the winter, and she needed to buy all the seasonings for cooking so that she could go home and cook delicious food.
"I'm a good cook. I'll prepare three meals a day. Would you like to spend the New Year together with me?" Su Jin had eaten the food made by Lu Shiyi, and the taste was really average.
There was a smile in Lu Shiyi's eyes. He was not in a hurry and took his time. He saw that Su Jin had started to pay attention to his small family.
"I'll leave this year's New Year's Eve dinner to you," Lu Shiyi whispered, "Let's go to the butcher shop and buy some meat. I have quite a few military coupons here, so we have to buy some."
Su Jin felt a little embarrassed. You need a ticket to buy meat at the butcher shop. She had some meat tickets but not many.
"I'll... do it." Su Jin whispered, "Bring the ingredients, and I'll definitely prepare a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner for you. I just don't know if there are any New Year's Eve customs here."
"I'll tell you when I get back." Lu Shiyi tilted his head and leaned towards Su Jin to speak. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the educated youth in the village were queuing up behind him.
Many female educated youth stared at Lu Shiyi. They had been there longer and often strolled in front of Lu Shiyi, but no one caught his eye.
"Xiao Jin, have you listed the things that are missing at home? I'll buy them and go home right away!" Lu Shiyi had a smile on his face.
Lu Shiyi and Su Jin were talking in a low voice. Tong Zhuang heard them discussing things like a young couple and decided to go back and persuade his daughter to get married.
Many female educated youth in the Fourth Brigade set their sights on Lu Shiyi and tried every means to show themselves in front of him.
As soon as eight o'clock arrived, the supply and marketing cooperative opened its doors, and the villagers who were queuing rushed straight in. Su Jin was pushed to the distance and looked at the scene in shock.
Before leaving home, she went to the supply and marketing cooperative with Director Jin from the street office, opened the door and went in according to the order of the queue.
"You have to squeeze into the supply and marketing cooperative here," Lu Shiyi said, holding her hand with a smile, worried that she would be squeezed out by the people in the supply and marketing cooperative. "Let's go in too."
Su Jin nodded: "Lu Shiyi, I want to buy some vanishing cream, please wait for me for a moment."
Many educated youth from the Fourth Brigade stood in the distance and watched the interaction between the two. Several female educated youth who were attracted to Lu Shiyi felt jealous.
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