Chapter 20 Chapter 20 A radio that was released last year
Jiang Dayan was delighted, and he took Qin Zhanwu on a thorough tour. He was thinking, "I'll tire this kid out." Although the main building of Zhou Furen's former residence is only three stories high, there's a large, self-built rockery and orchard in the back. By the time they emerged, Su Yan had been sitting there for a long time, practically drowsy.
She opened her eyes and saw Dayan and Qin Zhanwu standing in front of her. Qin Zhanwu took out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Su Yan: "Here, wipe your hair!"
Su Yan was lost in thought when Qin Zhanwu pointed to a large tree overhead. It was an unknown tree, laden with thumb-sized red fruits. Some were ripe and had fallen, scattering on the ground in a red puddle. Su Yan then realized that the fruit had likely landed in her hair while she was sleeping.
Qin Zhanwu saw her stunned and wiped it for her with a handkerchief. He handed it to Su Yan and said, "It's just a small spot. Wipe it clean."
Su Yan felt offended and took a step back before taking it: "I can wipe it myself."
It's not like Su Yan has never been in love before, but she has only dated cute young schoolmates. She doesn't really like old men like Qin Zhanwu, but when he came over to wipe her hair and she smelled the delicate scent of soapberry on him, for some reason, her heart seemed to skip a beat.
Su Yan nodded unnaturally, and said to herself in her heart as if brainwashing: "I don't like old men, I don't like old men."
Seeing the two people getting too close, Jiang Dayan immediately intervened and separated them. "Shall we still go shopping today? There's a large area behind this park. Deputy Commander Qin, you guys are all busy with your military duties, why don't we take advantage of today and go for a good stroll?"
Qin Zhanwu shook his head: "Comrade Lu looks very tired, let's go shopping another day. I'll take her back today!"
Jiang Dayan pushed Su Yan aside and grinned, "Deputy Captain Qin, how could I trouble you? Yingzi and I can just ride our bikes back by ourselves."
After hearing this, Su Yan rolled her eyes in her heart, but she did not object.
When the three of them reached the door, Su Yan said to Dayan, "Dayan, you should go back first. I have a few words to say to Deputy Head Qin."
Su Yan said it so bluntly that Jiang Dayan could no longer play dumb. He nodded and said, "Okay, Yingzi, I'll wait for you over there."
Su Yan shook her head: "Dayan, you don't have to wait for me. I'm going back to the factory. Your home is in the north of the city. We are going in opposite directions, so we can't share the same route."
Naturally, Jiang Dayan ignored the implicit meaning of this statement. He intuitively felt that it was not a good time to play dumb, so he nodded and said, "Okay, see you at work tomorrow." Then he rode away on his bicycle.
Qin Zhanwu smiled at this time: "I thought you brought him here on purpose to cause trouble?"
Su Yan shook her head and thought about her words: "Deputy Captain Qin, I don't like to be vague or procrastinate. I think it's better to make some things clear."
Qin Zhanwu nodded: "Well, you talk, I'm listening."
Su Yan said, "I'm sure you're familiar with my family situation. But I still want to solemnly explain that my father and brother both passed away a few months ago. My mother couldn't bear the shock and became mentally ill. She's been in a mental hospital for several months now, and there's no sign of improvement. My brother's two children, their mother has returned to her parents' home, and I'm raising them now."
Qin Zhanwu nodded: "I know all this!"
Su Yan nodded. "Okay, what I want to say is that someone in my family just passed away, and my two nephews and nieces are still young. I don't want to think about getting married for the time being. This is not an excuse, it's my true thoughts. The leader of the union is concerned about me and wanted to invite me to the dance to relax. I don't have any intention of going on a blind date. I apologize for wasting your time. Please forgive me."
Qin Zhanwu remained noncommittal and smiled, "That's all? I know all that." He then asked, "What do you think of your colleague Jiang Dayan?"
Su Yan smiled: "Dayan is a very nice person, and he is also warm-hearted."
Qin Zhanwu listened, and although he remained calm on the surface, he still felt that Jiang Dayan was a man who could talk and laugh to make girls happy, but he was not steady and reliable. "Is your mother's condition improving? I know a pretty good psychiatrist. Would you like me to contact him and transfer her to the hospital for a checkup?"
Although Su Yan knew that it was highly unlikely that she would recover, she still remembered going to visit Lu Yingzi's mother. She was leaning against the window alone, muttering to herself expressionlessly, "Old Lu, Old Lu, workshop, workshop..."
The nurse said she was almost always like this, dazed and listless, mumbling a few words at a time, unable to speak a complete sentence. Doctors tried to speak to her, but she violently refused, even hitting and biting them. However, she no longer kept nagging about going out to find Lu Yingzi. She could sit quietly for a while, no longer tied to the bed all day.
Although Su Yan did not regard Lu Yingzi's mother as her real mother, she believed that since she had borrowed Lu Yingzi's identity, she had an obligation to take good care of her family.
Although Su Yan knew that this favor was not easy to repay, she still asked, "Which hospital is this doctor from?"
Qin Zhanwu said: "It's the Army General Hospital in Jiangzhou!"
Su Yan knew this hospital. It was, and will always be, a renowned leader in the industry. She said, "Honestly, my mother's condition is very bad. I don't know why, but she's very resistant to doctors. If a doctor gets close to her, she might attack or bite them. So, there's nothing the doctors can do right now."
Qin Zhanwu nodded: "Okay, I'll contact them." As he spoke, he walked to Su Yan's bicycle. He was tall and walked over with his long legs: "Let's go, I'll take you home."
Su Yan refused: "No, I can ride back by myself. It will take up too much of your time."
Qin Zhanwu shook his head: "Don't delay, get on quickly. Didn't you say you didn't know how to ride?"
Su Yan thought about how conspicuous it would be if this Deputy Regiment Commander Qin in military uniform took her back. She didn't want to become the topic of gossip for others after dinner. However, she had just asked Qin Zhanwu to contact the hospital, so it would be inappropriate to ask him to get out of the car so forcefully.
Su Yan had no choice but to sit on the back seat: "It's not that difficult actually, it's just that the front bar of this bicycle is too high. I'm not used to it. It will be fine once I get used to it."
Qin Zhanwu asked: "How do we get there?"
Su Yan pointed ahead and said, "Go straight along Binjiang Road, turn right at the intersection, and then go straight until you reach Jiangzhou Machinery Factory."
Su Yan sat down and raised her hand, the wind blew over, and Qin Zhanwu could smell the fragrance of gardenias at the dance party. He thought the wind was really good, and he no longer felt hot. Instead, he felt a cool and comfortable coolness on his back.
Unfortunately, the journey wasn't long. When we got to the door, we happened to meet the head of the security department, who was also a retired soldier. "Yingzi is back?"
Su Yan jumped off the bicycle: "Uncle Song, are you going out?"
He lifted the basket in his hand and said, "I heard a batch of fine grain has arrived. Should I go and queue up? You should also hurry up and get your grain coupons and queue up. There are only a few thousand kilograms. If you go too late, they will be gone." Seeing Qin Zhanwu, he smiled and said, "Who is this?"
Before Su Yan could answer, Qin Zhanwu introduced himself: "Qin Zhanwu, from the 29th Army of the Jiangzhou Military Region."
He smiled at the two of them in an ambiguous way: "Okay, fine, Yingzi, you treat the guests well. I'm going to buy some food. See you later!"
Su Yan looked at Section Chief Song's back and felt that it was too late to say anything. She sighed and saw Qin Zhanwu looking at her and smiling: "We're here, come in and have a cup of tea!"
Xiaogang and Yanzi had gone somewhere to play, and they wrote a note saying they were playing in the yard with Dabao and the others. Su Yan poured a cup of water and said, "I'm sorry, we don't drink tea often at home, so we don't have any tea leaves. Please make do with it."
Qin Zhanwu sat down and smiled: "It's okay."
He looked up at the room. It was neat and clean. There was a shoe rack right at the entrance, on which were placed two pairs of women's leather shoes, two pairs of children's leather shoes and cloth shoes, and a pair of homemade slippers. Opposite the dining table was a tall cabinet covered with a white lace tablecloth. On it sat a radio, a new model from last year. Everything was neatly organized and spotless.
Sitting there, he could see from the window that there were eggplants and cucumbers planted in the yard. There weren't many, and they weren't growing well. I guess he'd just learned how to grow crops; he hadn't known how to do it before. There were some green plants near the window, but he didn't recognize them. He asked, "Gardenias?"
Su Yan nodded: "It's a gardenia, planted by my mother, a large-leaf gardenia from the mountains in the countryside."
The two of them sat there awkwardly for a while, with Qin Zhanwu mostly asking questions and Su Yan answering them. Sometimes he would ask Su Yan if she was busy at work, sometimes he would ask if gardenias were easy to grow and how they were usually taken care of, and sometimes he would ask Su Yan what books she liked to read.
Su Yan answered each of them briefly, not very enthusiastically. After sitting there for fifteen minutes, she was just about to find an excuse to send them away when she saw Dabao running over from next door, dripping wet. "Aunt Yingzi, Aunt Yingzi, Yan Zi and Xiao Gang fell into the river. Go and save them, go and save them."
Su Yan was shocked, and then she remembered that these two children seemed to have died in the 1960s. She couldn't help but think that they might have died because of this accident.
Su Yan was not panicked at all. She looked calm and asked, "Where is it? That river?"
Dabao and his friends were playful and said they were going to the river to fish for shrimps, and Yan Zi followed them. They were squatting by the river, but it rained and the soil became loose, so they fell to the ground. Xiaogang saw his sister fall in, so he went to pull her out, but he was pulled in too.
Qin Zhanwu stood up and comforted Su Yan: "Don't worry, the river behind the machinery factory is very shallow at this time." Then he said to Dabao: "Take us there."
Dabao and Qin Zhanwu were riding their bicycles, running very fast in the front. Su Yan followed behind. When she arrived, she saw Qin Zhanwu taking off his shoes and going into the river. As soon as he went in, only his head could be seen floating on the surface of the river, which showed that the river was not deep. This was a comforting remark to Su Yan.
Dabao pointed to the bridge pier in the middle of the river and said, "Aunt Yingzi, where are they?"
Su Yan looked over and saw two children lying on the middle bridge pier. One was holding onto the weeds on the pier, and the other had half of its body fallen into the river.
Dabao shouted loudly: "Swallow, Swallow, hold on!"
Su Yan turned around and said, "Don't call them. If you get distracted, you won't be able to catch them."
After waiting for a long time, Qin Zhanwu swam to the bridge pier, picked up Yan Zi, and asked Xiao Gang to step on his shoulders and climb onto the stone pier. Su Yan felt that this time was really long. When Qin Zhanwu swam back, Yan Zi had already fainted. Qin Zhanwu laid Yan Zi flat on the grass by the river, unbuttoned his clothes, then picked her up and patted her back. Soon, Yan Zi vomited a puddle of water mixed with seaweed and mud.
Su Yan reached out her hand and felt the faint breath, finally feeling relieved. Meanwhile, the people from the factory who had heard that the Lu family child had fallen into the river had arrived. A large group of men and women arrived. "Yingzi, take Yan Zi to the hospital first. Xiaogang, we'll go get her." With that, two of them took off their shoes and coats, jumped into the river, and swam towards the bridge pier.
Qin Zhanwu picked up Yan Zi and said, "Let's go to the hospital. Lead the way."
Su Yan sat outside the hospital corridor and waited. She didn't know how long it took before a nurse came out: "Lu Yan's family members, come over and sign!"
Su Yan went over immediately: "Nurse, how is Lu Yan?"
The nurse held up the form and said, "He's fine now. He can breathe on his own, but he needs to be observed for a day or two. Here's the form. Go and pay."
Dabao's mother brought Dabao over and asked, "Yingzi, is Yanzi okay? How many times have we told Dabao not to go to the river, but he insisted on going?" As she spoke, she started beating the child. She was holding a bamboo stick, a new green one, which she had probably broken when she went to the river just now. Dabao was beaten so hard that his thighs and calves were covered with red marks. He screamed, "Mom, I won't dare to do it again, I won't dare to do it again. I won't go to the river again. I didn't want to go. We went because Gangzi said he wanted to eat shrimp."
Dabao's mother got anxious and hit him twice more: "Say it again, say it again, if you don't go, do they dare to go?"
Seeing the child being beaten pitifully, Su Yan stopped her, as the nurse had just said Yan Zi was no longer in danger. "Forget it, sister-in-law, they are just children, and it's hard to say who is to blame. The river is dangerous, just explain it to the child."
Another group of people came in from behind, and the leader held Xiaogang in his arms: "Yingzi, what's wrong? Is everything okay?"
Su Yan took Xiao Gang over. Although he was also wet all over, he was in good spirits. He lay on Su Yan's shoulder and cried, "Auntie, Auntie, I was wrong."
Su Yan patted her back and said to the factory workers who helped her, "Thank you all. Yan Zi is fine now. The doctor said she just needs to be observed for a few days."
Everyone was relieved and dispersed. They said that the river was really evil and several people died every year. This year was relatively good as only Yan Zi and Xiao Gang fell in and were rescued. They also discussed that they should build a railing on the river bank behind. If that didn't work, they should cut down a few trees to surround it so that children would not be allowed to go there.
Su Yan hugged Xiao Gang and asked, "Are you feeling unwell?"
Xiao Gang shook his head, sobbing so hard that he couldn't even finish his words: "No... I'm not feeling uncomfortable."
Su Yan comforted him: "Sister is fine now, you don't have to worry, just remember not to go to the river in the future."
Qin Zhanwu took the bill, paid the money and came back: "Take the child back and change clothes first. I'll ask the doctor if I can go into the ward to see Yan Zi later. You can make some porridge and bring it over."
Su Yan looked at Xiao Gang and saw that he looked unhappy. She was worried that he might catch a cold again. She patted Xiao Gang's back and asked softly, "Auntie will take you back to change clothes first, and then make some porridge for your sister to drink. Okay?"
Xiao Gang shook his head: "I'll wait for my sister. I'll wait until my sister wakes up before going back."
It was already late at night and it was pitch black outside. Although it was still very hot at noon, the evening already had a taste of autumn. Qin Zhanwu was soaked all over, with water droplets on his face and eyelashes. After standing for a while, a puddle of water dripped out from under his feet.
Su Yan handed over a handkerchief: "Wipe your face!"
It was a plain blue handkerchief, folded into a square shape. Qin Zhanwu took it and put it to his nose. Sure enough, he smelled a faint scent of gardenia. He used the handkerchief to wipe the water on his eyebrows and wiped his eyes... Every time he passed a place, he felt that the floral fragrance became stronger.
Su Yan said, "Your clothes are all wet. I have my brother's clothes at home. He's only a little shorter than you. Can you come back with me and change your clothes?"
Qin Zhanwu was hesitating when a nurse from the pharmacy next to him poked her head out and said, "Comrade, don't worry. That little girl is fine now. If you don't go back and change her wet clothes, we'll have more work to do."
Qin Zhanwu was originally afraid that if he went to Su Yan's house to change clothes, people in the factory would gossip about him. He was not afraid of that, but he was worried that Su Yan was a shy girl and could not stand being teased by others.
Su Yan didn't think anything was wrong at first, but when she saw Qin Zhanwu standing there hesitantly, she finally understood and felt a little embarrassed: "Then I'll bring some dry clothes over, and you can change in the empty ward?"
Xiao Gang also leaned over to Su Yan's ear and begged, "Aunt, I want to stay here and wait for my sister to wake up!"
Qin Zhanwu brought Xiaogang over and said to Su Yan, "Go get some clothes for Xiaogang to change. Xiaogang and I will stay here."
Su Yan had no choice but to nod. On the way back, she met a neighbor who asked about Yan Zi's situation, and she only said a few words. As soon as she entered the corridor, the sister-in-law across the street came out again: "Yingzi, is Yan Zi okay? It's all my fault. I didn't stop them. I overheard them asking to touch the shrimp, and I thought there were no shrimps or fish left here. They must have been caught by people. These days, even the wild vegetables on the hillside can't be dug up. I was cooking by the window and just overheard it. Who knew those silly guys would really go there. It's my fault too. I should have come out to ask."
Su Yan ignored him, took the key to open the door, and immediately felt that Qin Zhanwu was right not to come over to change clothes. If he met this sister-in-law, who knows what would spread throughout the unit tomorrow.
The eldest sister-in-law smiled and said, "I heard from Dabao's mother that Yan Zi is fine. I heard that a soldier jumped in to save her." She raised an eyebrow when she asked. After waiting for a while and seeing that Su Yan didn't seem to want to answer, she asked again, "Is it the one we met at Hehai Park today? What about Dayan? Dayan has had you in his heart for more than ten years?"
Su Yan sighed and pointed across the street and said, "Sister-in-law, why is there smoke coming out of your house? It looks like there's a fire."
The eldest sister-in-law did not look back, but still leaned on the door frame of Lu Yingzi's house: "Listen to my sister-in-law's analysis. It's definitely a good idea to talk about talent and merit..." As she spoke, she smelled a burnt smell and screamed like a pig being slaughtered: "You damn dog, you burned my shoe pad paper again. I'll scratch you to death today." After saying that, she rushed home like a whirlwind.
Su Yan laughed. Although the sister-in-law next door was annoying, she was also lively and silly.
She went into the house and changed her clothes first. She had been holding Xiaogang for a long time, and her clothes were already wet.
Su Yan usually only had two sets of shirts and trousers to change into, and the other was the skirt she wore yesterday. She felt the cotton shirt and found it was still wet, while the skirt was completely dry, so she had to take it off and change into it.
He turned on the fire again, took out the uneaten porridge from the space, heated it up, and put it in the lunch box.
Su Yan opened the box and packed Gangzi and Yanzi's clothes. Thinking that Qin Zhanwu was taller than Lu Yingzi's brother, she tried to take the loose clothes. As for shoes, Su Yan couldn't find any. According to Xiaogang, all the leather shoes were taken away by his mother and given to his uncle.
When Su Yan arrived at the hospital, Yan Zi had already woken up, but her face was still pale. Xiao Gang was standing by the bed and playing cross-legged rope with Yan Zi.
As soon as Yan Zi saw Su Yan, she started to cry, "Auntie, Auntie!" and reached out for Su Yan to hold her.
Su Yan coaxed him for a long time before she stopped and asked Xiao Gang, "Where is that uncle?"
Xiao Gang pointed outside the window: "Uncle said to stand outside for a while."
Su Yan looked out where Xiao Gang pointed and saw Qin Zhanwu holding a cigarette under the streetlight. She said to Xiao Gang, "Give the clothes to uncle and tell him to change so he doesn't catch a cold."
Xiaogang nodded, changed his wet clothes, and went out with a pile of clothes.
Su Yan opened the lunch box and smiled, "Let's have some porridge, okay?"
Yan Zi shook her head: "Auntie, drink first!"
The doctor came in, holding a list and a discharge notice. "Yingzi, take her home to sleep today. There are too many bugs and mosquitoes here, and it's hard to rest. I've examined Xiaoyanzi, and her mental state is still okay. I'll prescribe some medicine and send her back for observation. We're close anyway, so if she has a fever, just send her back."
Su Yan thanked him and took a look at the bill, only to find that Qin Zhanwu had already paid the money, a total of four dollars and sixty cents.
Qin Zhanwu came in, having changed into clean clothes. The white shirt barely fit him, but his pants were a lot too short.
Yan Zi called him: "Uncle Qin, the doctor said I can go back."
Qin Zhanwu reached out and hugged her: "Then Uncle Qin, I'll take you home." Su Yan just went home to get some clothes. In just a short while, the two of them looked quite familiar with each other.
Qin Zhanwu sent Yan Zi off and it was already late when he returned. His roommate was still awake, leaning against the headboard reading a book: "How was it, Zhanwu? We've been in Hehai Park for most of the day. Did you make any progress?"
He looked up and at least sat up: "Oh, you've changed your clothes? Zhanwu, you...you're not married yet? Don't make a mistake! You should hurry up and get married."
Qin Zhanwu pulled out a book and threw it over: "What nonsense are you talking about? Shut up! Hu Zhixiang, your mouth will ruin you sooner or later."
Hu Zhixiang nodded. "Looks like things aren't going well. What? The girl isn't interested in you? Oh, it's always been our Deputy Captain Qin who looks down on others, and today he got rejected too. God is really merciful."
Hu Zhixiang and Qin Zhanwu were brothers who had lived and died together, and they were not very tactful in their words. Seeing that Qin Zhanwu was unusually ignoring her, she put down the book and stood up and said, "Are you really hurt? Girls are reserved. How could they agree to something just by meeting once?"
Qin Zhanwu said, "That girl isn't reserved. She's very outgoing and straightforward. Something happened in her family. Her father and brother died unexpectedly. Her mother couldn't handle the shock and ended up in a mental hospital. She said that since her family is in trouble, she's not considering marriage right now."
He Zhixiang nodded as he listened. "That makes sense. Someone just died in the family, so you're not in the mood to talk about marriage. You have to wait at least a year or two. If you really like that girl, just wait. You're 28 anyway, so you don't have to worry about that much time."
Qin Zhanwu took off his shoes and lay on the bed: "I don't care about one or two years, I'm just afraid that I am willing but the girl is not."
He Zhixiang came over and asked, "What do you mean, the girl doesn't like you? Do you have someone you like?"
Qin Zhanwu closed his eyes. "Do you have someone you like? I don't think so. It's just that they made it clear today that they don't want to go on a blind date. I guess they were forced to go to the dance by their leaders at work."
He Zhixiang clapped his hands and said, "By the way, go ask the leaders of their unit what that girl meant."
Qin Zhanwu turned over and said, "I don't like this kind of tactics. If it works, it works. If it doesn't, it doesn't work. She's just a little girl. If they tell their boss about it, won't they have to do their job and criticize her again? Do I, Qin Zhanwu, need others to work hard to get married?"
He Zhixiang smiled, picked up his slippers and went back to bed: "You are so motivated! Okay, then I can't wait to attend your wedding."
Qin Zhanwu didn't answer, and after a while he heard a snoring sound.
He Zhixiang shook his head: "Zhanwu, you are at least a scholar and civilized person who came to Jiangzhou to study at the military academy. Can you take a shower before going to bed? Although it is almost autumn now, it is hot and you will sweat."
He slept all night, and Qin Zhanwu ignored him. He Zhixiang shook his head and was lying in bed dazed when he heard Qin Zhanwu say, "Old He, do you have a Phoenix brand bicycle ticket?"
He Zhixiang pretended to be asleep and didn't answer. Qin Zhanwu immediately got up and said, "Old He, it's not for nothing. I'll give you the tickets for my radio and sewing machine."
He Zhixiang opened his eyes immediately, surprised. "Really? Zhanwu, I knew you were a good brother. You knew these were all I needed for my wedding." He took the ticket out of his wallet. "Here, a new Phoenix brand women's bicycle. I was going to leave it for my wife, but it was too expensive. Now, this radio and sewing machine are more practical than this bicycle, and I can listen to the radio, too."
Qin Zhanwu did as he said and immediately took out the two tickets and handed them to He Zhixiang: "Okay, I don't have classes tomorrow afternoon, I'll go buy them now."
He Zhixiang was confused. "Hey, Zhanwu, why did you buy a bicycle? Aren't you sending it back home? You'll only be in Jiangzhou for a little over a year. There will naturally be buses when you return to the regiment headquarters. Do you really need to buy one in Jiangzhou?"
Qin Zhanwu got the ticket: "Okay, go to sleep!"
He Zhixiang tilted his head and thought for a moment, then figured it out: "Zhanwu, you're not giving it to that girl, are you? We haven't even gotten married yet, and you're giving her such an expensive gift. This bicycle costs over a hundred yuan, almost two hundred yuan, which is more than a month's salary. You'd better be careful, or you'll lose everything. You're really generous!"
Qin Zhanwu said, "Lights out, stop talking. You don't know if I'm generous or not, so why don't you return the salary you lent me last month?"
He Zhixiang's voice immediately dropped a few notes. "Zhanwu, what are you talking about? How can that girl compare to me? We are all brothers who have been together for a long time. You've only met that girl once. Besides, even if we get married, what's the big deal? How does the saying go? Brothers are like limbs, and women are like clothes."
Qin Zhanwu closed his eyes and snorted: "Your wife is clothes, but my wife is not clothes."
He Zhixiang snorted, "Isn't this just an analogy? Who really said clothes?"
As he lay down, he muttered to himself, "It's like this after only seeing her twice. He really forgets his friends for the sake of beauty." At the same time, he thought about sending back the radio tickets, sewing machine tickets, and the extra food and meat tickets, and asking his family to take care of them first. After the National Day, he would take a few days off to go back and get married.
Su Yan returned to the building and cooked for the two children. It was evening, so it was difficult to cook meat dishes, lest the aroma arouse the neighbors' suspicion. Instead, she made them egg fried rice. The two children, holding their bowls, took the initiative to admit their mistake: "Auntie, we were wrong. We won't go to the river anymore."
Su Yan nodded: "You are still young and can easily drown. If there is no adult, you are not allowed to go to the river to play in the water in the future." The two nodded like pounding garlic.
In the evening, Su Yan took out her account book and did some calculations. She couldn't get her full salary now, but only 80% of it, which was only 34 yuan a month, barely enough to cover the food and drink expenses of three people. If she wanted to buy more things, such as toothpaste, toothbrush, small leather shoes, etc., this amount of money would definitely not be enough.
Xiaogang and Yanzi were at the age when children were growing fastest. In the past, the Lu family had more leeway, and the clothes they made for their children were good for a year, so they didn't grow much larger. Now, the clothes clearly didn't fit the children anymore. While pants could be altered and a new leg added, these days, a child's pants were considered presentable if they didn't have patches. But shirts were no longer suitable; they had to be made new.
Su Yan looked at the account book and shook her head. She had to take out the money for the shoes. Yan Zi's leather shoes had been broken for a long time, and she had taken them to the shoemaker to repair them several times. Autumn was almost here in Jiangzhou, and if it rained, Yan Zi's shoes would definitely get wet.
As for the pensions for Lu Yingzi's father and brother, Su Yan was unwilling to spend them recklessly.
The next day, Su Yan asked Dabao's mother to take the child to kindergarten and ask for leave for Yan Zi, saying that she was not fully recovered and needed to rest at home for two days. She also asked Xiao Gang to take care of his sister at home, and if his sister felt unwell, he should go to the factory to call his aunt back.
Arriving at work, I wiped the table and washed the teacup with a rag before I saw Sister Wang from the labor union approaching. She was wearing a new dress and waved at me through the window with a smile, "Yingzi, come out for a moment. What's going on?"
Su Yan had no choice but to go out and smiled: "Sister Wang, what's the matter? You are smiling like this, what's the good news?"
Sister Wang pulled Su Yan aside and said, "Tell me the truth, what do you think of Deputy Captain Qin yesterday?"
Su Yan sighed. Blind dates throughout history always come with after-sales service, so she had no choice but to tell the truth: "Sister Wang, I explained it clearly to him yesterday. My father just passed away, and I'm not considering marriage for the time being. Besides, we're not suitable."
Sister Wang nodded her head. "Hey, you've read too much and lost your intelligence. Why are you two not suitable? Although he's a rough guy with little education, he has a good job and a high social status. Besides, he wants someone with culture. Although your family conditions are a bit of a burden, you have good personal qualities, you're pretty, and you've been to college. Why are you two not suitable? If you stand together, you're a perfect match, right?"
As he spoke, a man came over and greeted Sister Wang: "Sister Wang, when is the union organizing a movie?"
Sister Wang said, "Remember to go to the movies on the 16th of this month."
After the others left, he continued, "Yingzi, you're young, but you have to do the math! You're taking care of two nephews and nieces all by yourself. How are you going to support them? Your salary is 34 yuan a month, and it'll be 42.5 yuan a month after you become a regular employee. Even if you get promoted, even the factory director in our factory only makes a hundred or eighty yuan. You still have a pension to supplement your income, but how long will those few hundred yuan last? One or two years, three or five years? After that, can you afford to support these two children by yourself?"
Su Yan didn't know what to say, so she whispered, "If we save money a little, we can always make ends meet, right? Those rural kids are no better off than them. How can I not be able to support them with just 40 yuan a month? Besides, why should others raise my nephews and nieces for me? Maybe they're just talking, but they really care about it."
Sister Wang shook her head. "Yingzi, I'm not criticizing you. You're the only one who's frugal? I heard you're always buying cabbage and groceries. You're the only one who's frugal?" She asked, "How was your conversation at Hehai Park yesterday?"
Su Yan was stunned. How did the conversation go? Do matchmakers even ask this in this day and age?
Sister Wang was anxious: "What about your mother? Does he mind your two nephews and nieces? Will he stay in Jiangzhou, or will you go to his place? Who are the people in his family? How much is his monthly salary? Have you asked these?"
Su Yan shook her head: "No!"
Sister Wang frowned. "So what did you two do for the whole afternoon? Did you really go to the park?"
Su Yan forced out a wry smile, then decided it would be better to pass the blame to Qin Zhanwu: "Sister, please don't ask. People don't like me, okay?"
Sister Wang was about to criticize Su Yan for being so naive, but after hearing what Su Yan said, she froze and stopped talking: "How is that possible? He saw you leaving the dance that day and took the initiative to find me and asked me to introduce and arrange it. How could he not be interested in you?"
Su Yan spoke vaguely, "Our family has a heavy burden. My nephew, niece, and my mother are all going to take us ten years, if not years. We have to understand their needs."
You can only say that others look down on you, but you cannot say that you look down on others.
Sister Wang suddenly realized: "Oh, so that's it! You were talking so well, and then you changed your mind?" At the same time, she advised Su Yan: "This kind of man is irresponsible. I will introduce you to a better one later."
"Okay, then, go back to work. I'll be going back first. Three people are getting married this month at the company, and the union has a lot of work to do. When the time comes, you must come to the union to help. It will be much easier to find a partner by sharing in the good fortune." As she spoke, Su Yan had no choice but to hold her back and ask, "Sister Wang, please don't call again. I don't want to let you down again."
Sister Wang nodded: "Don't worry, you have already made it clear what I am calling about, so there is no need for me to call."
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The author has something to say: The pre-collected article "The Famous Lady of the Republic of China" is available for collection if you are interested.
Zhuang Shuyi, a pharmaceutical developer, achieved financial freedom. On his way back to China, his plane crashed and he traveled back to the Republic of China in 1921, where he became Zhuang Shuyi, the daughter of a banker.
Miss Zhuang, born in Quanzhou and raised in Shanghai, is a lady from a prominent family. Her husband, the young Marshal, is a promising and elegant man at a young age. After returning from studying in Germany, he became the most famous person in the world.
In fact, Zhuang Shuyi was born in a conservative family. She had only read "Nu Xun" and "Nu Ze". She was conservative and cowardly, and had nothing to do with socialites. She was even more incompatible with her Western-style husband.
Her husband said that she was both ignorant and feudal, and that she had many other women outside. One year after their marriage, she was already dating her personal secretary.
After three years of marriage, the husband sent her to England on the pretext of accompanying his sister-in-law to study abroad.
Zhuang Shuyi was lying on a Pacific ship in the storm, feeling hopeless: If I take another flight now, can I go back?
In one sentence: Kick out the man who doesn't follow male ethics
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