"Uncle Sun came to my room at noon today. I wondered if something was wrong with him. I asked him several times but he didn't say anything. I thought if we could help, we should try to think of a solution."
"That's all?"
"Hmm, what else could it be?" Qian Xiao asked, puzzled. What big thing could happen with just a few of them?
"He really does have something to ask you. He's probably too embarrassed to ask a kid like you. Do you remember their eldest son?"
"I remember, I've been here a few times. I think you're seventeen this year?"
"Yes, he graduated this summer and hasn't been able to find a suitable job yet. They said the neighborhood committee wants him to go to the countryside. The factory also talked to Mr. Sun, meaning that if they don't let the child enroll, there will be trouble later."
"It's because Master Sun is reluctant to part with it. He was thinking of asking you if your uncle could take on an apprentice or something. He wouldn't have to pay him a salary, so he would have a job and wouldn't have to go to the countryside. We'll figure out the rest later."
"That's all?" I thought it would be something much more difficult.
Yes, that's it.
Qian Xiao nodded: "I just don't know if the factory will agree, but my uncle shouldn't have any problems."
"You don't need to worry about the factory. Just find someone to talk to. It's just that it's not easy to find a master craftsman."
"Okay, I'll leave the factory to you. I'll talk to my uncle about it when I get home tonight."
"Alright, just tell your Uncle Sun tomorrow whether it's okay or not, and you don't need to worry about the rest."
"Okay, then I'll head back."
"Don't go yet, come here and let me see this. There's something I just can't figure out. Can you explain it to me?"
Qian Xiao didn't mind the trouble and sat down at the desk to look at the paper. Luckily, she had read a lot of books, otherwise she really wouldn't have been able to answer.
Qian Xiao never finds it tedious to explain things to others, mainly because these students who were halfway through their studies have good comprehension abilities and can understand things without her having to explain too much.
A few days later, when Qian Xiao left the factory director's office again, her face was beaming with joy.
Oh my god! What a great thing! This girl got a 500 yuan bonus! This is the first time in her life she's earned so much money. What should she eat tonight to celebrate?
It would be great if Sun Kaicheng came out too, so the two of them could celebrate together. He's been so busy lately that he hasn't had time to go to his space. She hasn't seen him in a while.
The secretary shuddered at the sight of Qian Xiao's smiling face. This little comrade Qian's smile was too frightening. Did he find money on the street?
It wasn't like she'd found money; who would have thought that a simple handicraft she made would earn her so much money? She was overjoyed just thinking about it, and the smile never left her face until she got off work.
Seeing Xiao Qian like this, the grown men exchanged glances and remained silent. It seemed that Xiao Qian also knew that Xiao Sun had come out of seclusion today. Look at how happy he was, he couldn't stop grinning.
"Xiao Qian, the New Year's gifts are all in your office. Don't forget to take them when you leave, and don't forget the time to come back to work after the New Year."
"Ah! Right! Tomorrow is a holiday, do you really not need me to come and work? It would be so nice if I could all spend the New Year with my family.
"No need, our families are all here. You still have to go back to your hometown for the New Year. You should rest and don't worry about us. We'll split up and each of us will come for a day."
"Then I'll trouble you uncles. I'll bring you back some local specialties after the New Year."
"That's great! I want your mushrooms; they're delicious stewed with chicken."
Qian Xiao occasionally brings back some local products when she goes back to her hometown. You can buy them, but this gesture of kindness is rare.
"Okay, I guarantee it will be just what you need. I'll go back and pack up now. You uncles, you can go ahead now. I'll lock the door."
When Qian Xiao left, she had lots of bags and packages. She wouldn't go back tomorrow; she'd see what else she could buy to take back with her. She felt uneasy if she didn't spend the money and coupons she had.
When Qian Xiao reached the alley entrance, she looked up and saw smoke coming from her own chimney. Was it her grandmother? She hadn't lit a fire this morning, and even if she had, it couldn't have burned for this long in a whole day.
Qian Xiao pushed open her front door and called out in a loud voice, "Grandma, Grandma, is that you?"
Qian Xiao was pleasantly surprised to see the person in the kitchen: "Oh my god! When did you come out? I didn't know!" If this guy came out, shouldn't he have gone to her place first?
"You came out during your lunch break. I saw you were sleeping and didn't want to disturb you, so I came straight back. Why are you carrying so much stuff? Did you go to the supply and marketing cooperative?"
It turned out that it was Sun Kaicheng who came out of the kitchen. I thought he wouldn't be able to come out for the New Year.
"These were all New Year's gifts from your workplace, didn't you get any?"
"Yes, it's similar to yours. We'll take it back with us when we go back to the village." The two of them had everything they needed in their space. They usually took back the things that their work units gave them to their parents.
"What are you making? I can only see smoke coming out of the chimney, but I can't smell anything delicious."
"We're having hot pot tonight, but the meat hasn't even been put in the pot yet, so how can it smell good? We're waiting for you to come back and stir-fry the base sauce, but my cooking skills aren't good enough."
"Is the last batch all gone?" She remembered seeing that there was still quite a bit left a while ago.
"I'll give you the points. Everyone worked hard to finish the work ahead of schedule this time. I don't have much else to give, so I'll just give you the base ingredients. Last time I treated myself, they smelled it and kept asking me where I bought it."
"You're really stingy, you're just going to give them a little bit of base sauce and call it a day?"
"They were all overjoyed. My wife's cooking skills are priceless!"
The flattery was so sweet: "My goodness, have you developed a new skill again?" Qian Xiao wouldn't blush at his wife's words.
"That's right, I have to keep up with the times. Quick, stir-fry the ingredients first. I've already prepared the vegetables and seasonings, so we just need to put them in the pot."
Qian Xiao rolled up his sleeves and went into the kitchen. Sure enough, everything he needed was prepared: "You start a fire for me, make a big fire."
She only knows the simplified version, but it tastes pretty good. When she doesn't want to cook, she can just take a couple of spoonfuls and boil vegetables in water. Qian Xiao is always efficient, and she finished preparing the base sauce in no time.
"Alright, I'll take care of the rest. You go wash up and we'll eat. I've prepared hot water for you."
The two sat on the warm kang (heated brick bed), facing a small electric pot, and started to cook meat. This meat was bought with meat coupons that Sun Kaicheng had saved up over several months. If he hadn't saved up those meat coupons for a month, it would have been gone in a few bites, and he wouldn't have been satisfied with the meal.
"Why are there octopuses here? Where did you get them?" Wasn't this person supposed to have been in seclusion for several months? These things aren't sold in the county town.
"I had someone bring it back for me. Luckily, the weather is cold enough, so they brought it back a while ago. It's been frozen outside. Eat up, there's still a lot left. I put it all in my storage space after I got back, so I can eat it slowly without it spoiling."
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