Chapter 118 (1)
Now the men in Ping An Village dared not to cause trouble for their wives. They only dared to go to Chen Qiu Sheng. After a few people got together and found a few people they could talk to, a bunch of people surrounded Chen Qiu Sheng and started to yell: "Is this still called the New Year? There is nothing prepared for the New Year at home."
"That's right. She asked me to buy ten kilograms of meat that day, and I thought I could have a good meal. But she threw the meat outside and it froze. I haven't eaten a single bite of it yet."
"That's right. In previous years, the meat fillings would have been chopped long ago, just waiting to be used for making dumplings during the Chinese New Year. But this year, she complained about being tired every time she came home. When I asked her to chop the fillings, she asked me, 'Do you have no hands or what?' This really got me down, I can't get up from the wall."
Chen Qiusheng looked at the old men complaining to him and felt hesitant. "We haven't prepared anything at home. What's the point of you coming to me?"
"Can't you go talk to Zhao Xianzhi and ask her to give the editorial team two days off earlier?" Someone stated their purpose.
You really dare to think so.
Chen Qiusheng felt that the person who came up with this idea had bad intentions. "Okay, if you are not afraid of less dividends next year, I will go to Zhao Xianzhi and tell her to give the staff of the weaving team a holiday starting tomorrow. If anyone dares to go to work, her work points will be deducted. For the orders that the supply and marketing cooperative has paid for, the weaving team will pay for them one by one."
After saying that, he picked up his feet and made a gesture to go to the yard to find Zhao Xianzhi to argue. The men were dumbfounded when they heard what he said: the money they made from the leaking powder was directly collected by themselves, and not handed over to the production team. The team's dividends for next year depended on the money made by the weaving group and the money paid to the public rations. Now Chen Qiu Sheng said that not only would the weaving group no longer make money, but they would also have to pay out. The dividends...
What made the men even more desperate was that before they could stop Chen Qiusheng, Zhao Xianzhi's voice came from behind them: "Well, we worked so hard, and you are complaining. When it was time to distribute the dividends, why didn't you complain that you got too much and refused to take it?"
"Oh, so women have to do all the housework, right? Then we women should marry men, get clothes and food. Have you given us good food and clothes in the past two years?!"
Li Changwang was just joining in the fun without saying a word, but Zhao Xianzhi made him a target: "Li Changwang, why are you hanging out with these losers? I think you're just idle. If you have too much free time, just go and push the dirt to make adobes and tiles. Aren't we going to build a vermicelli factory next year? If you don't make bricks, what are you going to build with?"
The men were speechless after being sprayed by Zhao Xianzhi, and looked at Chen Qiu Sheng with pale faces - you are the production team leader, you can't let an editor team leader rebel.
Unfortunately, this editor-in-chief had such a good relationship with him that Chen Qiusheng really couldn't do anything about her. He could only say with a smile, "Auntie Xianzhi, we are just gossiping, don't be. Besides, Uncle Changwang didn't say a word, you can't let him remove the angry adobe in such a cold weather. The river is frozen, and the mud can't be dug out wife."
Zhao Xianzhi glanced at Chen Qiu Sheng with disdain: "Even if you have so much free time, just like in the past few years, repairing the canal every day, you still care about us women not being busy during the New Year?!" After saying that, she left without even looking at the men.
She didn't even give the men a chance to reply and just left.
The men looked at each other, no one said a word. They all knew in their hearts that what Zhao Xianzhi said was right. In the first year of weaving mats, the women not only had no time to take care of the housework, but also did not even go back to their parents' home for the New Year. However, they were all very happy in their hearts and wanted to send meals to their wives in the yard so that they would not waste time going home to eat.
Just a few years later, they are dissatisfied again, thinking that their daughter-in-law should take good care of the family as before while making money. Why?
"Forget about it. We can cook two, right? What's so difficult about cooking? Let's learn. It's all meat. How can it not smell good after it's cooked? Let those old ladies see that we can still prepare New Year's dishes without them dishes."
"Sure, Uncle Lizhu seems to be good at cooking, why don't we go and learn from him?"
"There is also Uncle Dong. He was a chef before liberation. I heard that the pork elbow he stewed is very tasty. I don't know if he is willing to teach us."
Chen Qiu Sheng didn't know what to say when he saw the men saying harsh words one second and starting to think about how to prepare New Year's dinner for their family the next second.
He didn't know what to say, but Zhao Xianzhi had a lot to say to Xia Juhua, "Captain, what do you think of those old men? They are just as fond of gossiping as women. We thought that they have no work to do now, so why don't they let us have two days of ready-made meals? But now they are complaining one by one, and they even want us to have a holiday early so that we can go home and serve them."
In the previous life, it was not until the mid-1980s that the men of Pingan Village gradually entered the kitchen, but they only helped out. This life, since they learned how to make flour and got used to the kitchen, cooking porridge is no longer a problem for them. Xia Juhua thought that this was a big change.
You don't want to think that you are still quite patriarchal at heart. You would rather let women give up their work outside and go home to cook for them, right?
Xia Juhua put down the things in her hand and asked, "What did Qiu Sheng say?"
Thinking of the way Chen Qiusheng had just pleaded for Li Changwang, Zhao Xianzhi found it a little funny: "He behaved well at home, but when he went out, he was afraid that those old men would laugh at him, so he didn't dare to speak for us, and he didn't dare to go to Cuiping and me, so he just played the mediator."
It's good to be able to smooth things over.
Zhao Xianzhi didn't believe it: "Those stubborn people, how can they learn to cook? Captain, what do you think they should do if they insist on letting their wives stay at home to prepare New Year's gifts and don't come to make mats?"
Today is the 27th day of the 11th lunar month, and there are only three days left until the Chinese New Year. No wonder those men are anxious. But Zhao Xianzhi has already made her words known, and Xia Juhua cannot let herself be controlled by those men:
"Go back and tell everyone that those who are willing to go home to help with the New Year can go back. But there is one thing, everyone knows what our mission is now. Those who go home to help with the New Year do not take our mission seriously and do not advance and retreat with everyone, so they don't need to come to the editing team in the future."
With her words, Zhao Xianzhi felt very confident. When she returned to the yard, she named the men who had encouraged Chen Qiu Sheng to come and take a vacation with her, and also conveyed Xia Juhua's words.
When the wives of those men heard this, they were so embarrassed that they looked like they were covered with red cloth and were about to bleed. They stood up and walked out, saying as they walked, "Team leader, don't be angry with that bastard. I'll make him pay for it when I get home."
Zhao Xianzhi quickly stopped them and said, "Why are you going back now? Aren't you looking for a fight? I'm telling you this because I want you to go back and explain to them that our mission is urgent and we can't advance the holiday. Let them understand."
Zhang Cuiping kept covering her mouth as she listened, fearing that she would laugh out loud and ruin Zhao Xianzhi's reputation - she had never imagined that one day Zhao Xianzhi would talk about strategy, which really opened her eyes.
At this time, Zhang Cuiping not only couldn't laugh, but also had to help Zhao Xianzhi comfort the women: "What we are editing now is a product for the Expo. What is the Expo for? It is for foreign friends to see. Only people in Ping'an Village can complete it. We are making a contribution to the country. Isn't it more important than having two less delicious meals at home?"
An Baoling also said: "This year, it's just a meal, we celebrate it every year. But this expo is only held every few years. After we have compiled this batch of products, we can make as many meals as they want. We will make whatever they want to eat."
Now the women in Pingan Village are completely confident in saying they can eat and do whatever they want, and no one thinks that An Baoling is bragging.
I didn't want to wait for the women to finish work, and when I got home, I could smell the aroma of meat coming from the kitchen, and sometimes it was accompanied by the smell of burnt meat. When I went into the kitchen, I saw my husband busy and sweating over the meat in the pot, either boiling or frying, or chopping the meat stuffing...
The expected fight between the couples did not happen. The women knew how to live. They could not bear to see the men destroy things. They wanted to help after washing their hands. Unexpectedly, the men said in unison: "You should go back to your room and rest. I just learned the craft from XX today. If I don't do it now, I will forget it in two days."
Well, in order to avoid complaints during the New Year in the future, the women chose to let the men destroy the kitchen, and went back to the house to wash and rest. The next day when they were weaving things, they got together to exchange experiences, which again stunned the dozen or so women from the outside team.
All in all, Pingan Village had a lively New Year this year. The New Year's Eve dinners of several families had a burnt smell, but the whole family enjoyed the food very much.
It was not until the 15th day of the first lunar month, after the Lantern Festival, that Xia Juhua and her team finished weaving all the textiles for the Expo. When they were taking inventory, Director Zheng came to Ping'an Village again: "Captain Xia, I have good news to tell you."
Xia Juhua also smiled and said, "It just so happens that we have finished editing our stuff. I was thinking of going to tell you the good news."
Hearing that Pingan Village had finished weaving, Director Zheng had to admire their speed. However, compared with the news he brought, he felt that his own news was more shocking: "Captain Xia, the province has confirmed that your Pingan Village's weaving products can participate in the expo."
Shortly after Deputy Director Xue left a few years ago, Director Zheng came to Ping'an Village with the confidentiality agreement of the regional supply and marketing cooperative and took the first batch of woven samples away to participate in the provincial selection. When the batch of woven products was shown at the provincial selection, the leaders of the provincial supply and marketing cooperative immediately decided that such good products must be exhibited at the expo to gain foreign exchange.
After listening to Director Zheng's introduction, Xia Juhua was also happy for Ping'an Village - they had worked hard for such a long time, and even though the supply and marketing cooperative gave them half of the deposit, they would be worried if they didn't get any news that they could participate in the expo, fearing that half of everyone's hard work would be wasted.
Now that I heard that I can join, I naturally want to announce this good news to everyone.
"Hey, Captain Xia, I haven't finished yet." Director Zheng stopped Xia Juhua, who had already opened her mouth and was about to speak. Seeing Xia Juhua looking at him in confusion, he chose to make it short:
"The leaders of the Provincial Supply and Marketing Cooperative heard from Deputy Director Xue that you introduced these products very well and could compile all the varieties, so they decided to let you go to the expo in Guangzhou to explain them to the participants on the spot and demonstrate how these products were compiled."
Is it okay for Xia Juhua to stay here?
Go to Guangzhou? She had seen Guangzhou when she watched TV in her previous life. She knew that it was the place where the spring breeze began to blow and the bridgehead for the opening up of the entire country. However, she had never thought that one day she would be able to go to that place with tall buildings.
She had never been to a place after the economic prosperity in her previous life. In this life, when some people are still worried about filling their stomachs, she actually wants to go there? !
"Director Zheng, can I really go to the expo? And do I have to introduce to others how we made up these things?" Xia Juhua, who was usually calm, really lost her composure at this time and asked the question twice in a row.
Director Zheng did not think that Xia Juhua was out of control. When he first learned about the decision of the Provincial Supply and Marketing Cooperative, his reaction was not much better than Xia Juhua's current reaction. So he answered Xia Juhua twice in a row: "Yes, this is the decision of the Provincial Supply and Marketing Cooperative. You will introduce your Ping'an Village textiles to the people attending the Expo."
Zhao Xianzhi, who was meeting Director Zheng with Xia Juhua, reacted before Xia Juhua herself and shouted to the people who were counting: "Sisters, the captain is going to Guangzhou to attend the expo."
The effect of sprinkling a handful of salt into the hot oil pan was no more than that. The whole yard was boiling with excitement. No one cared about Director Zheng, the leader of the regional supply and marketing cooperative. They gathered around and asked Xia Juhua, "Captain, are you going to the expo?"
"What did you do at the expo?"
"When are you leaving? I'll cook you some eggs to eat on the way."
"If you only eat eggs, you will choke. Captain, I will make you an egg pancake. It is soft and tender."
…………
Xia Juhua had to interrupt everyone's questions: "Okay, okay, the Expo will be open for a few days, I can't leave for a while. Everyone should count quickly, after counting, Director Zheng still has to transport the things to the provincial capital."
Zhao Xianzhi also knew that her shouting had caused trouble, so she chuckled at Xia Juhua and Director Zheng and went to continue counting with her friends. Xia Juhua calmed down after hearing the noise: "Director Zheng, can you count with us?"
Zheng Fangren shook his head and said, "No, you guys at Ping An count yourselves every time, and it's always accurate. I trust you."
Xia Juhua smiled. This trust was built on the fact that the people of Ping'an Village completed each step carefully every time. She also believed in everyone. So she asked the question that concerned her: "Director Zheng, you should go with us this time. Have you been to Guangzhou? Is it as cold there as it is here? Do you need to bring more clothes?"
The questions were all true and false, and the appearance of someone who had never been out of the house made Director Zheng feel very knowledgeable. "It's much hotter there than here. Just wear a long-sleeved coat at this time. No need to bring extra clothes. We'll only be there for five or six days."
Even though Zhao Xianzhi realized that she had caused trouble, she could not help but feel so proud of Xia Juhua that she ran to the production team and told the good news to Chen Qiu Sheng, who was arranging strong laborers to do the bulldozing.
The men followed in the women's footsteps and were stunned for a moment before they came to their senses: Yangcheng, the people in their production team who had traveled far away were those boys who went to join the army, but how could the places they went to be comparable to Yangcheng?
In less than half a day, the news reached the brigade headquarters, and Li Changshun and Accountant Chang both rushed to Ping'an Village. When passing by the Liu family's yard, Accountant Chang felt regretful - he had already picked this family for his daughter, and he didn't want to see too good a match. Xia Juhua suddenly became the brigade leader, and he was the brigade accountant, so the two families couldn't become relatives, so the daughter had to marry someone else.
It would have been better if I had mentioned it to Xia Juhua earlier.
Thinking of this, Accountant Chang looked at Li Changshun with a hint of resentment. Li Changshun glared at him and said, "Don't look at me. The two children are not destined to be together. No one can do anything about it."
Xiaoman was just going to her mother's house next door when she heard Li Changshun's nonsense words. Without thinking much, she said hello to Li Changshun: "Captain, are you here to look for my mother? My mother is in the yard with Director Zheng now."
Li Changshun nodded, smiled at Xiaoman, and led Accountant Chang away. When they were a long way away and looked back and could no longer see Xiaoman, he said to him, "Don't think about it. Both children have started their own families. It would be bad for their partners to hear this."
Accountant Chang knew it was not good, but what could he do? Seeing that the Liu family's life was getting better and better, he couldn't help but feel sorry for his daughter.
This regret reached its peak when he heard Director Zheng affirm that Xia Juhua would definitely go to Yangcheng, and then he suppressed it under Li Changshun's glare. What else could he do if he didn't suppress it? Just now he saw that Liu Zhishuang's wife was about five or six months pregnant, and his girlfriend's granddaughter was already more than half a year old. There was no possibility of anything between the two of them.
Compared to Accountant Chang, who had complicated emotions, Li Changshun was simply happy for Xia Juhua: "Do you have to go with Director Zheng today? Don't worry about the brigade's affairs, just attend the expo well."
Xia Juhua was moved and amused when she heard this: "Captain, the Expo will be held in March. Director Zheng is here to bring things. I have to wait for the notice."
"I told you to call me Uncle Li, why do you always call me Captain?" Li Changshun also had a helpless expression on his face: "Don't think you can take on the responsibility just because you call me Captain."
Of course, Xia Juhua couldn't do anything at this time. Not only did she not do anything, she also called together several production team leaders that night and assigned them tasks for the period before spring plowing:
"The ground is almost thawing. It won't take a few days for the mud on the banks of the Xihe River to be dug up and made into adobe. Everyone should hurry up and remove the adobe before the spring ploughing begins. Be careful when digging so as not to damage our canals. Also, don't just dig in one place, but dig along the river bank and push inwards. This will also help widen the river channel."
Captain Niu asked: "Captain, our production team is not along the river, should we distribute the labor to their four production teams? Our production team is close to Pingan Village, so we can just follow Pingan Village directly."
The other three production team leaders no longer looked at Captain Niu in the eye. They felt that his intention to merge the three teams into the Ping An Village production team was too obvious, and it would be too unfulfilling to expose him.
Xia Juhua glanced at Li Changshun and saw that he was listening attentively and was not about to speak, so she said, "Repairing the vermicelli factory requires not only bricks and tiles, but also beams and rafters. Your production team is responsible for planing and processing these, is that ok?" Don't just help Ping'anzhuang. The other three production teams may not say anything, but they must be furious.
"No problem." No matter what Xia Juhua told Team Three to do, Captain Niu's answer was always these three words.
"Also, I heard from Qiu Sheng that Ping'an Village wants to develop a side business of raising chickens. The production team is short of staff, so they want each member to raise a chicken. Are you considering it as well?" It's time to catch chicks in the spring, and Xia Juhua thought about it and brought up the matter.
Li Changshun's drooping eyelids suddenly lifted up, and he looked at Li Daniu and the other three production team leaders with a sharp gaze. As for why he didn't look at Captain Niu, it was because Li Changshun knew that Captain Niu would definitely follow the footsteps of Ping An Village.
"Qiu Sheng, how many people does your production team plan to support each family?" Li Daniu asked.
Chen Qiu Sheng smiled and said, "Now the noodle factory doesn't limit the quantity of our wheat bran, so there's no need to worry about raising too many chickens and having nothing to eat. Our production team plans to raise 2,800 chickens first as a trial." The only thing Chen Qiu Sheng reported was the total number because it was the production team that wanted to raise chickens.
Want to know how much a family needs to support itself, but can’t you calculate it yourself?
Several production team leaders, including Liu Liqun and other brigade cadres, all took a deep breath and said, "Raising so many chickens, aren't you afraid of chicken plague?"
Chen Qiu Sheng said calmly: "We have the Agricultural Technology Station. What are you afraid of?" Last year, Xia Juhua asked him to find someone at the Agricultural Technology Station to vaccinate the pigs raised by their production team. The pigs were disease-free all year, and the chickens were also vaccinated in the spring.
Captain Niu immediately asked: "Can such old chickens be vaccinated?" I heard that vaccines are hard to buy. Last year, the pigs in their production team were vaccinated only because of Ping'an Village.
Chen Qiusheng didn't know. He just believed that since Xia Juhua dared to ask the members to raise more chickens, there must be a way to make the chickens grow well and lay eggs for Ping An Village in exchange for money. So what he said was very annoying: "We have a team leader, how can the Agricultural Technology Station not care about our Ping An Village?"
Li Daniu was glared at by Li Changshun and then spoke: "Okay, our Xiaozhuangtou will also develop a sideline business of raising chickens like Pinganzhuang. Qiusheng, when you vaccinate the chickens, don't forget to tell me."
Xia Juhua only listened to the discussion and did not participate in it - her duty of reminder had been fulfilled, and the decision was still made by each production team. There was a great shortage of supplies now, and even if every family in Ping'an Village raised 30 chickens, they could sell the eggs they laid.
If they really can't sell it, she can also pickle juicy salted eggs and make preserved eggs, which are easier to sell and can be offered at a higher price. But now is not the time to make promises to them. Whether they can seize the opportunity depends on their own choice.
Most of the things ordered from the supply and marketing cooperative have already been delivered and are stored in the warehouse of the brigade headquarters. With Accountant Chang and Liu Liqun there, Xia Juhua doesn't have to worry about the remaining small amount. She can prepare things for traveling with peace of mind.
As soon as she entered the house, Xiaoman, who was coming out of the backyard toilet, saw her mother-in-law and shouted happily to the houses on both sides: "Mom is back. Sister-in-law, Mom is back. Zhishuang, Mom is back."
This shout opened the doors of the east and west rooms. Liu Zhiquan was holding Lele, Wang Caifeng was holding Liu Baoguo, and Liu Zhishuang was putting on his clothes. They were all looking at Xia Juhua with silly smiles.
"It's so late and you're still not asleep. Isn't the child sleepy?" Xia Juhua didn't understand what they were up to and felt a little frightened by their laughter.
Those people walked towards the main room as if they could not hear Xia Juhua's question. Only Lele reached out to Xia Juhua for a hug, but her body was held tightly by Liu Zhiquan, not giving her a chance to turn towards Xia Juhua. The angry child kept humming.
Since they were being mysterious with her, Xia Juhua simply stopped asking. She went back to the house, lit the oil lamp, took off her shoes and sat on the kang. She didn't know who had heated the kang for her, so the room was warm and the kang head was slightly hot, just right to dispel the cold air she had been feeling all the way.
When you can keep your temper, others can't. Liu Zhiquan put Lele on the kang and turned to look at Liu Zhishuang. Liu Zhishuang knew that if he wanted to play tricks on his mother, they would not be a match for him, so he smiled and took out a roll of money from his pocket and handed it to his mother at the head of the kang:
"Mom, take this two hundred yuan and save it for your journey."
Liu Zhiquan also took out a roll of money and handed it to Xia Juhua with a smile on his face without saying a word.
"What's the point? I have my own money, I don't need you to take it." Xia Juhua did not take the two rolls of money in front of her and directly refused.
Liu Zhishuang was very shameless, not afraid of his mother's cold face at all: "Mom, you are the first person in our Ping'an Village to travel so far. When Zhijun and the others left for the army, you told us that the poor can become rich. This time you have traveled farther than them, can you not take more? You have to take this money no matter what."
Xia Juhua opened her mouth to refuse, but Liu Zhiquan finally spoke: "Mom, don't worry that we will be tight on money after we take the money. Caifeng also gets ten work points every day now, so we can afford it together."
They have more than just the problem of what they can afford. Wang Caifeng not only earns 10 work points a day as a nursery teacher, but also earns money from frying peanuts at home every night. Even now, after the Chinese New Year, the peanut frying work at home has not stopped, because Qi Weidong has cultivated a group of regular customers who occasionally send raw peanuts to him for frying.
When they concentrated on frying peanuts before the New Year, when the final accounts were settled, Xiaoman and his friends had fried a total of 13,000 kilograms of peanuts. The main force Xiaoman got 240 yuan, Xia Juhua, Hong Cui and Wang Caifeng each got 120 yuan, and even Zhang Fengling, who helped to light the fire, got 50 yuan.
Originally, Xia Juhua and a few others wanted to let Xiaoman get a larger share, but she felt that she had already gotten a good deal by taking over 200 yuan, and she refused to take even a cent more. She even said that if everyone let her take more, she would fry the peanuts by herself in the future, and no one would need to help her.
The work points value of Ping'an Village was there, and Xia Juhua knew exactly how much dividends Liu Zhiquan and his wife took last year. So when Liu Zhiquan said he could afford it, Xia Juhua had no room to refute.
She tried to reason with her two sons and daughters-in-law: "I know you have money, but don't you still have to build a house? Keep this money and use it to build the house. I would be happier than if you gave me the money now."
Liu Zhiquan and the others looked at each other in bewilderment, wanting to ask his mother (mother-in-law) why she brought up such a depressing topic as building a house when they were so happy. Lele had no idea, but Liu Baoguo, who always heard his parents muttering about not being able to move out, suddenly started to yell:
"Grandma, I want to live with you forever. I won't build a house or move."
That's not up to you. Xia Juhua smiled and said to him, "Your father and your second uncle worked hard to remove the bricks and make the tiles. If you don't burn them, they will be soaked by rain and become unusable. What a waste that would be."
That's right. Liu Baoguo couldn't say anything to refute, so Xia Juhua took advantage of the situation and said, "Besides, Lele is still young now, so she can live with your parents. When she grows up, will she have to live in her own room? When you grow up and get married, where will you live?"
Everyone in the room was silent. Liu Zhishuang was the first to shout in dissatisfaction: "Mom, are you so unwilling to let us live with you?"
Xia Juhua nodded affirmatively: "Yes, I am most annoyed by seeing you every day."
Liu Zhishuang was completely defeated.
The two of them chatted back and forth, and no one else could get a word in. It was not until Liu Zhishuang hung his head and lost the battle that Xiaoman slowly said, "Mom, you said you would be able to attend the expo. Will someone take a picture of you? If so, you must bring it back."
Everyone, including Xia Juhua, was stunned, because these words were so different from the content of the conversation between Xia Juhua and Liu Zhishuang just now. How did Xiaoman say that?
Liu Zhishuang reacted quickly, looking at his wife with gratitude, clapping his hands in his heart. He finally realized that this was how Xiaoman should deal with his mother. No matter what his mother said, Xiaoman would just say her own thing, regardless of what she thought.
Even though she was looking at Xiaoman's big belly, Xia Juhua couldn't help but respond, so she said, "Who knows? There are many people going together, and there must be leaders. We have to take pictures of the leaders."
She had watched too much TV in her life. Wherever the leader went, there were always people with cameras following him. Wherever he went, there were people taking pictures. Those who followed the leader might be photographed, but those who were alone would not be photographed.
After hearing Xia Juhua's answer to Xiaoman's question, the adults all breathed a sigh of relief. However, Liu Baoguo had already asked the question that concerned him: "Grandma, what are there at the Expo? Are the things the same as those at home?"
Xia Juhua smiled: "I haven't been there either, so I don't know what's there. If there's anything different from what we have at home, can I buy it for you?"
Lele immediately patted Xia Juhua's hand with her little hand: "Buy it for Lele, buy a skirt."
Liu Baoguo's request was different from his sister's: "Grandma, I want Mucang."
Xia Juhua nodded in agreement, and when she saw Lele yawning, she asked her son and daughter-in-law to take the children back to the house and go to bed. The two couples saw that Xia Juhua did not ask them to take the money back, so they hurriedly took the children away, fearing that Xia Juhua would remember to ask them to take the money back again.
It's not that Xia Juhua didn't think about it, but she thought more and more clearly: in her last life, she had been giving without any thanks, so it would be better for her to accept her sons' filial piety now when they wanted to. When the same thing happens in the future, she will remember that they had been filial to her, and she won't be so regretful and hopeless. Anyway, she had refused before, but they had forced it on her. If she refused again, it would be a bit disappointing.
Xia Juhua sometimes concluded that the biggest difference between this life and her previous one was that she had become more open-minded towards her son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren, and just focused on her own business, and as for other things, she just wanted to be true to her heart.
The most important thing here is to be true to yourself.
Xia Juhua looked through her clothes and found that although she had made a few pieces in the past few years, the styles were fine for wearing in Ping'an Village, but were not suitable for going out.
So she took the money and went directly to the county town to buy herself two sets of ready-made clothes. The colors were naturally light brown and dark royal blue, which were acceptable to her age. The style was no longer a stand-up collar, but a small lapel with diagonal pockets. The pants were still a little baggy, but the trouser line was straight, and when she put them on, she looked very capable like a working woman.
Liu Zhishuang, who insisted on riding his bicycle to take his mother to the county town, almost cried out in amazement when he saw Xia Juhua trying on clothes: Is this still his mother? Why is she so different from the mother in his memory who always bent her waist unconsciously, hunched her shoulders, had a dark and yellow face, and a layer of dust on her cloth clothes?
And his mother's face, which had turned pale at some point, was set with a pair of calm black eyes. She stood there straight, looking so energetic.
"Mom." Liu Zhishuang gave his mother a thumbs up and said, "When you wear this dress, people will believe you work in the county."
Xia Juhua ignored her greedy son and asked the salesperson, "How much are these two sets of clothes?"
The salesperson had never seen anyone buy two sets of clothes at once, especially since the buyer's original outfit looked like someone from the countryside, so he hesitated before saying, "The total for the two sets is thirty-eight dollars and seventy cents."
Xia Juhua took the changed clothes in her hands to check if there were any flaws. The salesperson and Liu Zhishuang thought she was stingy with the money, and before the salesperson could say anything, Liu Zhishuang said, "Then you can pack it up. Mom, I'll buy this dress for you. You looked so energetic in it just now."
You didn't say you didn't want to buy it? Xia Juhua looked at Liu Zhishuang again and said, "Didn't you give me money last night? Why are you buying it for me? I have my own money." Then she took out 40 yuan and handed it to the salesperson.
The saleswoman was very glad that she spoke slowly just now, otherwise it would be embarrassing now. So she packed it very carefully, fearing that it would be exposed and get dirty.
"Captain Xia, why didn't you look for me when you came to the supply and marketing cooperative?" Director Lin suddenly appeared behind Xia Juhua and greeted her, making the salesperson even more fortunate.
Xia Juhua was also very happy to see Director Lin: "I just bought two pieces of clothing. I heard that you have been promoted to director, and I was afraid that you were busy with work, so I didn't want to disturb you."
Director Lin laughed even more brightly after hearing this: "What's the use of being a director or not? We are all here to serve Ping An Village. It's almost noon now, why don't we go have a meal and talk while we eat?"
Xia Juhua quickly refused: "No, the team still has some things to do, I have to take care of them before I leave."
Director Lin really wanted to treat Xia Juhua to a meal. Before Director Zheng took office at the regional supply and marketing cooperative, he had told him that the regional supply and marketing cooperative had recommended him to the county committee. Director Zheng made it clear that he was recommended because he had always had a good relationship with Pinganzhuang, and Deputy Director Xue valued Xia Juhua from Pinganzhuang very much.
So when Director Lin once again became a real director, he thought that Xia Juhua had made an indelible contribution and that a meal alone could not express his gratitude. But Xia Juhua kept declining and was very determined not to take advantage of Director Lin, so he was helpless.
The salesperson whispered to the new director: "Director Lin, Captain Xia just bought two sets of clothes. I think he should buy a pair of leather shoes so that he can look more energetic when he goes out."
Director Lin was very impressed and asked the salesperson to bring a pair of leather shoes for Xia Juhua to try on. The black and shiny leather shoes had a small heel of about two centimeters. After putting them on, Xia Juhua felt that they were a bit stiff, but everyone including Liu Zhishuang said that they looked good, so Xia Juhua bought them - Director Lin had to let her pay for them.
Finally, Director Lin helplessly sent Xia Juhua and her son to the bicycle and said regretfully, "Captain Xia, why are you so polite? If Director Zheng knew about this, he would blame me for not doing my job well."
Xia Juhua was amused by him: "We have been friends for many years, just have this meal together. If you don't have this meal, I will ignore you next time you go to Ping'an Village?"
Director Lin also smiled and said, "Okay, I'll welcome you back when you come back. You must not give me face again then."
Xia Juhua responded, and after saying goodbye to Director Lin with Liu Zhishuang, she sat on the back seat of the bicycle and returned to Ping'an Village. As a result, a group of women were waiting for her at home.
Nothing else, now the orders for the organization have been completed, and the next batch of orders will be adjusted according to the situation after the supply and marketing cooperative attends the Expo. Everyone is finally free, and Xia Juhua is going to Guangzhou to attend the Expo, so of course we have to gather at her house.
Zhao Xianzhi sat on the edge of the kang, with An Baoling and Chang Xiancao sitting next to him. He said to them in a very serious tone: "Captain, we have to take the train this time. I heard that it's very fast and it won't stop for days after it starts running."
"Really? That's a lot of oil."
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