Chapter 59: What do you like? I like you
Lu Dongping also said, "Don't worry about it. Just stay home and be quiet. How much homework have you done? I'll bring people back safely when I take them out. You're an adult, but you're still chasing people on the road. Aren't you ashamed? Besides, it's really unsafe. If anything happens, you'll be useless!"
Wen Wan secretly made a face at Lu Dongping and walked out of the door amid Lu Donglin's unconvinced hum.
Not far from the production team, Lu Dongping boldly grabbed someone's hand. Wen Wan blushed and couldn't pull it out: "What are you doing?"
"Your hands are cold, let me warm them up for you!"
How can you be so bold in broad daylight?
Wen Wan's hand was held by him all the way. It was not known whether his hand was too warm or Wen Wan was too nervous, but her palms were sweating when they were almost at the commune.
"Don't go to the supply and marketing cooperative first. Accompany me to the Armed Forces Department. I'll go to the supply and marketing cooperative with you later."
Wen Wan thought for a moment and asked, "Will it have a bad influence?"
"What's the harm? You're not going in. Just wait for me in the yard."
"Well, that's fine!"
The armed forces department of Ganling Commune was right next to the highway, with very high stone steps. Wen Wan had been here once before, when she went to the county town to borrow Lu Dongping's car. She waited downstairs and did not go up.
This time, when I went up with Lu Dongping, I saw that it was a very large courtyard with a very high terrain. There was a stone sign with the words "Ganling People's Commune" engraved on it. On the left and right sides were the commune's junior high school and elementary school.
The Armed Forces Office is located inside the large courtyard.
When Lu Dongping entered the office, Wen Wan wandered around the yard, looking around.
In addition to the Armed Forces Department, there are also the Party Branch, Propaganda Department, Women's Federation, and Commune Health Center, all in this large courtyard, and it is very lively.
As she was looking, she heard someone calling her, "Hey, comrade, what are you doing here?"
Wen Wan looked back and saw a man wearing a dark blue double-breasted cotton jacket and a locomotive hat standing not far away and looking at her. It was obvious that he was talking to her just now.
She pointed in the direction of the armed forces: "I'm waiting for someone!"
Lu Dongping went in and out quickly. He probably just showed his face to tell people he was at work, and then ran out.
Several people in the armed forces department were quietly leaning over the door to watch. The young official said in a low voice, "Hey, I see it, I see it. It's really beautiful, just like the little fairy in the New Year pictures."
"How could that coward Lu Dongping have such good luck in finding such a beautiful partner?"
"Keep this in mind and ask him later to learn from him!"
Lu Dongping knew they were peeking, but he didn't care. He called Wen Wan and said, "I'll go to the supply and marketing cooperative with you. My mother asked me to help buy some things. I'll see if there's anything else I want to buy."
"Won't it delay your work?"
"Don't worry, there will be no delay."
The words "Serve the People" were written in large white on the entrance of the commune's supply and marketing cooperative. As the year was coming to an end, there were many people inside the cooperative, some asking prices, some chatting, and the noise was loud and noisy. From time to time, the impatient voice of the salesperson could be heard, sounding arrogant and extremely impatient.
It's the end of the year, and there are a little more things in the supply and marketing cooperative than usual. There is a constant stream of people asking for prices, and the salespersons are even more impatient.
They say they are serving the people, but their arrogant attitude doesn't betray those five words at all.
There were a lot of people, and Wen Wan squeezed for a long time but couldn't get to the front. Fortunately, Lu Dongping followed her. He was tall and strong, so everything was easier for him.
Wen Wan bought a pair of red hairbands for Lu Chun'e. She wanted to buy something for Lu Donglin, but after looking for a long time, she couldn't find anything suitable.
She tugged at Lu Dongping's sleeve.
Lu Dongping lowered his eyes to look at her: "What's wrong?"
"Lu Donglin, what do you like?"
Lu Dongping laughed: "Him? He likes to go up the mountain to catch birds and go down the river to catch fish." After that, he gently pulled Wen Wan and said: "Buy something for that brat?"
“I didn’t see anything suitable.”
"No need to buy it for him. I'll make him a slingshot later when I have time. I'll take him for a stroll in the mountains and he'll be able to fly happily."
So that’s it!
Wen Wan looked at it and tilted her head back a little: "What do you like?"
"Oh, no, is there anything you need?"
Lu Dongping asked, "Did you come out today specifically to buy things for us?"
"It's Chinese New Year, so I want to have some fun and be happy. I can't afford to buy anything too expensive."
Lu Dongping stood behind her with a faint smile on his lips. When no one was paying attention, he quickly lowered his head and whispered in her ear: "I don't like others, but I like you." Then he stood up straight and returned to his serious look.
Wen Wan didn't dare to raise her head like a turtledove, always feeling as if everyone around them had seen their little actions.
But the person behind you will pretend as if nothing happened.
Lu Dongping used the ticket and money to buy two kilograms of salt, a few boxes of matches, and two bottles of Jingzhi white liquor.
Besides this, he also bought half a pound of peanuts, another half a pound of fruit candies for a little over 60 cents, and two sheets of red paper. Red paper was used to write Spring Festival couplets. He hadn't been able to afford it in the past few years, but this was the first time he'd bought one. He'd seen the "Happiness for a Hundred Years" that Lu Dongcheng had put on his door at his wedding, and it looked so festive. He planned to have someone write a couplet for his door, too, just to add to the festive mood during the Spring Festival.
This year is different from previous years. Although he is not married, Wen Wan will have dinner with them at home, which can be considered as celebrating the New Year together.
Wen Wan bought a pair of red hairbands. There were also people selling cloth, but the place was so crowded that Wen Wan couldn't even see what kind of cloth they were selling.
She bought a pound of fat and a pig's trotter, which was the most substantial thing she bought for the Chinese New Year this year.
It was like a war, but I finally bought what I wanted.
It was already noon when they left the supply and marketing cooperative. Lu Dongping looked at the sun above his head and said, "Let's go back first."
"You go to work, I'll go back by myself."
Lu Dongping said, "I don't necessarily have to sit in the house when I go to work. Our armed forces are responsible for public security and we have to patrol everywhere."
Wen Wan smiled: "So you patrolled all the way to your home?"
Lu Dongping had already made arrangements with his colleagues to send Wen Wan back to the educated youth camp without any burden. He did not go to her home, but just put the things in her room and ran away.
Wen Wan packed her things and then went to Lu's house.
Smoke was rising from the chimney above the kitchen, and inside the house, the three-layered steamer was steaming.
Lu Donglin had disappeared long ago, and only Lu Chun'e was sitting behind the stove, making a fire and reading a book in her hand.
"Chun'e!" Wen Wan called out, carrying something into the house: "Are you alone?"
Lu Chun'e stood up and put the book in her arms, then took the bag from her hand and said, "My mother went to the fields to pick pig grass, and I don't know where Lu Donglin ran off to." Then she put the bag on the table and said, "Sister, why did you buy so many things?"
Wen Wan said, "There's not much. Your brother bought some wine and salt, and I bought some meat."
"I'm also buying meat. My family killed a pig and we need to cook it for the New Year."
Wen Wan said: "It belongs to my family, and I bought it."
Then, she took out the pork and trotters she bought and said, "I don't know how to cook, so I have to rely on you."
Lu Chun'e's eyes widened: "And there's piglets?"
Wen Wan nodded: "Yeah, this braised dish is stewed thoroughly and is especially delicious."
"Didn't my brother send you back? There are so many things, and the commune is far away."
"He did, but he left after he was sent to the team. He still has to go to work!"
Wen Wan said as she took out a pair of pink scarf hairbands from her pocket: "Here, this is for you."
Lu Chun'e was stunned for a moment: "You also bought me such a nice hairband. This is too expensive. I can't accept it."
She usually uses red wool to tie her hair.
Wen Wan said, "This thing looks good at this age. When you are thirty or forty, it will not be suitable. Besides, it can be used for a long time, so it is still very cost-effective."
Then he stuffed the hair tie into her hand and said, "Wear it on the first day of the new year. I will braid your hair."
Lu Chun'e was stunned for a moment, then responded with an "Ah", and added at the end: "Sister, thank you!"
After taking the things she bought, she didn't touch Lu Dongping's pockets, then looked at the stove: "How long will this take to steam?"
Lu Chun'e said, "It's said to take forty minutes, but we don't have time at home, so we'll just have to wait until the buns are bigger and we can smell the fragrance."
"Do you have more homework? If so, go do it. I'll watch the fire."
"It's okay. I'll just read for a while. I won't delay you."
Wen Wan took her things and sat by the fire, starting to busy herself with her own things.
The 30th day arrived after a busy period.
Early in the morning, Lu Dongping cleaned the table, cut the red paper, ran to find the team clerk to write the couplets, and then called Lu Chun'e to stir a little bit of paste and paste the couplets up.
The bright red paper pasted on both sides of the shabby wooden door instantly added a lot of color to the look.
Lu Mingjiang took a look and said, "We still have to put up Spring Festival couplets. Once we put these up, it feels like the New Year is coming."
Zhang Hongying laughed and scolded in the kitchen: "We're being served delicious food and drinks, but it doesn't feel like Chinese New Year?"
Lu Mingjiang nodded: "Of course not. Eat well, drink well, and every day is like Chinese New Year. Don't be so ungrateful as to be born in such a blessed state."
In the morning, we had corn porridge as usual. The sun came out early, so the guys didn't stay in the house to warm themselves by the fire. They each ran out with their bowls.
The same thing happened to Lu Minghai's family next door. After a while, they were chatting animatedly by the stone mill outside the yard.
After dinner, I didn’t go to work.
That's the rule here. You're not allowed to go out on the 30th or 1st day of the lunar month.
After a busy year, I only have two days to rest.
Wen Wan had nothing to do, so she took a broom and swept the floor, sweeping the kitchen, the eaves outside, and the yard clean.
Zhang Hongying looked at her and said, "What a sweep! There's dirt everywhere inside and outside the house. It's never been so clean. Sweep it today, and you won't have to sweep it tomorrow."
Wen Wan moved a little and felt warm all over. She leaned on the heavy bamboo broom and said, "I'll sweep again tomorrow. Sweeping the floor and moving a little will make me feel warm all over." She felt that apart from sweeping the floor, she was a hindrance in doing anything else.
Zhang Hongying said: "That's not possible. You can't sweep the floor on the first day of the New Year, and you can't do that until the fifth day. You can't sweep out the wealth in the house."
Wen Wan blinked her eyes. Is there such a saying?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
