Xia Anyan didn't know how to refuse for a moment.
But she knew very well that she absolutely could not agree to Aunt Zhou's request.
Xia Anyan smiled and said, "Yes, then I'll thank you in advance, Auntie. However, I already inquired about a few jobs when I went to the county town today, so I should go and take a look anyway. If there's really no other way, I'll come back to ask you for help."
“When I was sent to the countryside, my grandfather told me not to cause trouble for others easily, because favors are the hardest to repay.”
Xia Anyan held Aunt Zhou's hand and spoke to her intimately, but Aunt Zhou couldn't manage a smile.
The two chatted briefly for a few more minutes before Aunt Zhou left.
Watching Aunt Zhou's retreating figure, Xia Anyan couldn't help but sigh.
"Sigh, it seems I can't stay here any longer."
After packing her things, Xia Anyan took some more and rode away on her bicycle.
With a bicycle, she can go anywhere easily and doesn't need to worry about anything.
When she passed by the villagers, some envious people couldn't stand it anymore.
"If you ask me, this pampered young lady from the city shouldn't have been brought to our brigade. Look at her, it's one thing to dress so extravagantly, but now she's even bought a bicycle. She's so ostentatious from the start, she doesn't look like someone who knows how to manage a household."
"That's right! Our brigade brought these educated youth here not so they could enjoy themselves, but so they could work. But this Xia educated youth is something else. He came here and didn't do any work, but instead came to enjoy himself. Isn't this capitalist behavior?"
These words had just been spoken when Zhou Chuan, who had come to inspect the area, overheard them.
He scolded with a dark face, "Watch your mouth when you speak, don't go around spreading rumors. Haven't you learned your lesson from Zhao Dahua's matter?"
"Furthermore, Xia, the educated youth, is registered in our brigade, so she's one of us. She's no different from you. She has money and ration coupons, she can buy whatever she wants. You can buy what you want too, is anyone stopping you?"
One by one, they were so scolded by Zhou Chuan that they couldn't even lift their heads.
Zhou Chuan glanced coldly at everyone, clearly disgusted.
He had long disliked these people; all they did was spout nonsense, yet they were never proactive in their work.
Now everyone is prioritizing the collective interest. If these people continue with this carefree attitude, their brigade will never be able to win the title of "Advanced Collective Brigade".
Thinking of this, his face darkened even more, and he angrily reprimanded the team members to get to work quickly.
He himself went to the brigade headquarters, rode his bicycle, and left with Xia Anyan.
Xia Anyan went to the county town, first to the commune, and then to the supply and marketing cooperative.
When she arrived, there weren't many people left in the supply and marketing cooperative.
The sales clerks sat on stools with their heads held high, holding sunflower seeds in their hands, chatting with the people next to them while cracking the seeds, their eyes looking as if they were on top of their heads.
When Xia Anyan arrived, she made a commotion, but the saleswoman pretended not to see it: "These shoes of mine were brought back from the county town a few days ago. I just wore them today, and they're so comfortable."
"Look, these are high heels made of leather. They're really popular in the county town, but we don't have them around here. If you like them, I'll bring back a pair when I go back."
“Sure,” the other person’s eyes lit up and he nodded, “I need size 36, don’t get it wrong.”
The two continued their casual conversation, but Xia Anyan was getting impatient: "Comrades, could you please attend to your customers first? We can chat anytime, can't we?"
Xia Anyan's words displeased the salesperson.
The woman at the counter slammed the sunflower seeds she was holding onto the counter and asked, "What do you want to buy?"
As he spoke, he looked Xia Anyan up and down.
Seeing that her clothes and appearance didn't seem to indicate she was from the countryside, they toned it down a bit.
Xia Anyan was a little annoyed, not understanding why these people could act so high and mighty.
"I need to see your manager. Could you please call him for me?"
The sales clerk's disdain deepened, and she gave a cold laugh: "See our manager? Our manager isn't someone just anyone can see."
"Comrade, if you want to buy something, then hurry up and buy it. If you don't want to buy something, then don't block our business. Everyone who comes to the supply and marketing cooperative is here to buy things, and you're the only one here to see the leaders."
As she spoke, she gave a cold sneer and looked at the comrade who had just spoken to her.
The two exchanged glances, and Xia Anyan saw through their expressions clearly.
Xia Anyan smiled and then slapped the woman across the face.
The slap made the man's face turn red: "How...how could you hit someone like that?"
"Ah—I'm going to beat you to death! How dare you hit me!"
The saleswoman was going crazy; she screamed and rushed toward Xia Anyan.
This is, after all, a supply and marketing cooperative, and many people are helping the saleswoman; everyone is criticizing Xia Anyan.
But Xia Anyan stood there, refusing to bow her head.
"Was it wrong of me to hit you? You're a guest, and I don't even expect you to serve me with a smile, but who are you trying to impress with that disdainful look?"
"You can look down on me, but I don't want to watch you cricket in front of me, not even with your eyes." Xia Anyan's last sentence made the two saleswomen turn pale.
However, since she hit someone, this matter cannot be left unresolved.
The saleswoman wouldn't let go of this matter, determined to make Xia Anyan pay the 'price'.
"Sure, call your manager over. I want to ask him personally who taught you to do this. If the manager admits you were right, I'll not only apologize, but I'll also pay your medical expenses and provide compensation. How about that?"
The sales clerk was furious.
But they still called the manager over.
The manager's arrival reignited the excitement.
Xia Anyan hadn't expected that this saleswoman had such a powerful background, and that she was actually related to this manager.
The relationship between the brother-in-law and the sister-in-law.
Ugh... Seriously, it makes my teeth ache.
"Comrade, no matter what our people did, hitting someone is wrong. Now, please apologize to our comrades immediately!"
Xia Anyan pursed her lips tightly, her face darkening further.
The saleswoman held her head high, a smug look on her face: "Did you hear me? Apologize!"
"This guy is really something else, he hit someone and didn't even apologize."
"That's right, they really have no manners. People like that should be locked up in a fence."
More and more people sided with the salesperson, leaving Xia Anyan feeling isolated and helpless.
Just as she was about to explode, a clear, gentle voice came from behind her. The voice was somewhat cold, but it was the only one who stood by her side: "It's immoral for so many of you to bully a woman, isn't it?"
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