Chapter 27 Chapter 27 This is what you told me to say.
Yan Ruyi returned home in high spirits. Passing by a delicatessen, she bought two jin of braised large intestines and shouted as she entered the house, "Mom, I've been chosen!"
Ye Hongzhen had completely forgotten about the announcer and casually asked her, "What were they selected for?"
Yan Ruyi: "The announcer, the one my second sister-in-law mentioned yesterday."
Ye Hongzhen then remembered and exclaimed in surprise, "Oh my goodness, I was actually selected!"
Yan Ruyi puffed out her chest proudly, "Mmm."
Li Yan said sourly, "Didn't you just register today? You've already been selected. Is there a mistake?"
It's not like there's going to be an exam, but you'll still have to overcome all obstacles.
She hasn't even had a chance to compete yet, and she's already been eliminated?
Yan Ruyi: "I'm not mistaken. Director Chai called to inform me that he would take my measurements and make the clothes next Monday when I come to work."
Ye Hongzhen, "They're even making new clothes for me?"
Yan Ruyi said happily, "That's right. Director Chai said that the master craftsmen from Hongxing Garment Factory will come to take measurements themselves. They will not only provide clothes, but also give subsidies."
Li Yan, "How much will you receive?"
"Sister Xu said the city will give out 50."
"Does this mean it's not just distributed in the city?"
"It's hard to say."
Li Yan felt even worse. "Isn't this a scam? They tricked everyone into signing up, but then they didn't even put anyone on the test and just put people on the waiting list."
Yan Mingtao: "Do we even need an exam? If you submit your application materials, your academic qualifications alone will disqualify you."
Li Yan felt that men always sided with outsiders, and she was so angry that she didn't want to talk to them anymore, so she turned around and went back to her room.
Yan Mingtao muttered under his breath, "Can't accept defeat, and won't even let people talk about it."
Li Yan shouted from inside the house, "I can't hear you, Yan Mingtao, if you're so capable, speak louder!"
Ye Hongzhen, exasperated, shooed Yan Mingtao away, "If you want to argue, go inside."
After scolding Yan Mingtao, he turned to Yan Ruyi and immediately smiled, "My daughter is really promising. I'll tell your grandma about it tomorrow and make her happy too."
The next day was Grandma Yan's birthday, and Ye Hongzhen told the old lady about it.
Ye Hongzhen is very proud of her daughter. "Ruyi told me that about 20 people signed up, but she was the only one chosen. Her bureau submitted the application in the morning and decided on her in the afternoon."
Of the dozen or so members of the Yan family, Yan Ruyi was the most successful. She was a college graduate and became a government official after graduation.
Grandma Yan always favored this granddaughter, but she was afraid that her eldest daughter-in-law would have objections, so she didn't dare to show it. She just said, "Ruyi has brought honor to our Yan family."
Shen Qiaoxiu felt a pang of jealousy, but she didn't show it on her face. "A few days ago, Ruping's workplace wanted to sign her up for the competition. They said Ruping was a good candidate and would definitely be selected. But Ruping was too shy and didn't let them. She doesn't like to show off. As a young lady, if you show off too much, people will gossip. She was also considering Chenghai's feelings."
Shen Qiaoxiu is petty, loves to compare herself to others, and loves to boast.
Ye Hongzhen disliked this habit of hers and snorted, "You're kidding me. I ran into Mingjun yesterday, and he said that Ruping signed up, but she wasn't selected."
Shen Qiaoxiu was taken aback and angrily shouted at Yan Mingjun, "Why do you tell everyone everything?"
Yan Mingjun was too far away to hear what they were saying. He was a little confused after being yelled at by his own mother for no reason. "What did I say?"
Ye Hongzhen rolled her eyes at Shen Qiaoxiu, "See, you've been exposed. To tell you the truth, the Ming army didn't tell me anything. I was just trying to trick you, but you're so easily fooled. If this were during the old days of war, you would have been a traitor and would have confessed everything in no time!"
Shen Qiaoxiu, "...How can you lie without even blinking!"
"It's because you're guilty and easily deceived."
...
The two daughters-in-law don't get along; they're like oil and water, always bickering whenever they meet.
The eldest daughter-in-law, in particular, is both shrewish and prone to pinching, always getting the short end of the stick in front of the second son's family.
But she never learns her lesson. The next time they met, they would fight again, and she would fight again and again, losing every time.
As a mother-in-law, Grandma Yan couldn't easily interfere in the conflicts between her sisters-in-law. If she said something wrong, she would be accused of favoritism and taking sides.
She pretended not to hear anything and asked the two of them, "Where are Ruping and Ruyi? I haven't seen them."
Shen Qiaoxiu shouted at the top of her lungs, "Ruping, your grandma is calling you!"
Grandma Yan, “…” She just wanted to change the subject so the two of them wouldn’t keep arguing.
Yan Ruping had just washed her hands and was shaking them as she walked over.
Shen Qiaoxiu exclaimed, "Oh dear, be careful! That jade bracelet is fragile; you might break it!"
Li Yan grabbed Yan Ruping's arm, "I was just about to ask, this jade bracelet is of very good quality, when was it bought, it must have been expensive?"
Yan Ruping: "It wasn't bought, Cheng Hai gave it to me."
Shen Qiaoxiu said, "Chenghai said it was passed down from his ancestors, a family heirloom, and it's only passed down to his daughter-in-law. It's been passed down for generations."
Li Yan said, "Ru Ping's in-laws are really generous. They gave Ru Ping their family heirloom even before she was officially married into the family."
Shen Qiaoxiu was very proud of herself. "Who says it isn't true? Just a few days ago, when Ruping had her birthday, Chenghai brought this bracelet over and insisted on putting it on her. I told him it was too precious and that we should wait until Ruping got married. But Chenghai insisted on giving it to her, saying that it would belong to Ruping sooner or later, so it didn't matter whether he gave it to her sooner or later. Ruping couldn't refuse and accepted it."
Li Yan looked on with envy, "No wonder Cheng Hai's family is so wealthy; they always make big moves."
Shen Qiaoxiu said, "Chenghai is just too honest. He's incredibly good to Ruping. That's why I say, what's the use of a girl being capable and good at making money? She still needs to find an honest and reliable person to marry. That's true happiness for a lifetime. No matter how capable you are, it's all for nothing if no one wants you and you can't get married."
Turning to Grandma Yan, he asked, "Mom, you're right, aren't you?"
Grandma Yan said, "I don't have a daughter, I have no experience, it's no use telling me anything."
Shen Qiaoxiu, "..."
Li Yan wanted to say a few words in favor of Shen Qiaoxiu, but because Ye Hongzhen was there, she didn't dare to speak up. She held Yan Ruping's hand and continued to praise the bracelet, asking Yan Ruping, "This bracelet looks like an antique. Did Chenghai say when it was passed down?"
Yan Ruping said, "He didn't know either. He only said that it had been passed down for several generations, at least seven or eight generations."
Li Yan did the math and said, "That's over two hundred years old. You're just wearing it on your wrist like that, aren't you afraid of damaging it?"
Yan Ruping said shyly, "I said I didn't want to wear it, but Chenghai insisted that I wear it, saying that no matter how valuable something is, it's meant to be worn by someone else."
Shen Qiaoxiu said, "Cheng Hai is such a simple-minded kid."
She wanted to show off, so when she saw Yan Ruyi playing with Miaomiao under the shade of a tree, she called Yan Ruyi over and said, "Ruyi, you have the ability to show her which era this is from."
Yan Ruyi came over carrying Miaomiao.
Li Yan lifted Yan Ruping's arm and showed Yan Ruyi the jade bracelet on her hand, "Ruyi, take a look at this bracelet of hers."
Miaomiao saw it and reached out to touch it, but Shen Qiaoxiu grabbed her hand and scared her, "You can't touch it, or we won't be able to afford to pay for it."
Fang Caiyun came over and took Miaomiao away.
Li Yan: "Ruyi, take a look at this jade bracelet of Ruping's. What do you think of it? Which dynasty did it come from, and how much is it worth?"
Yan Ruyi glanced at it and mumbled, "This jade bracelet is quite nice."
Shen Qiaoxiu was very dissatisfied with this answer. "Isn't it obvious? Do you need to tell me? I'm asking you to see how old this bracelet is. Aren't you making money by showing these things to people? How come you can't even tell what era it's from? Are you just trying to fool me?"
Li Yan also had some doubts about Yan Ruyi's abilities, so she lifted Yan Ruping's arm and nudged it under Yan Ruyi's eyelids, saying, "Take a good look again."
Shen Qiaoxiu said, "I think she's only half-baked. It's pointless to look at her. I'll find someone who really knows what they're doing and have them take a look. Ruyi, you shouldn't earn that kind of money anymore. It's just cheating people. Our Yan family doesn't do that."
Yan Ruyi was unhappy.
With so many people around, she didn't tell the truth out of consideration for Yan Ruping's feelings.
Her aunt insisted on forcing her to tell the truth, accusing her of lying and subtly implying that she wasn't as good as her cousin who had found a good man. She heard all of this.
She has a temper too.
"Aunt, you're the one who told me to say this. If Sister Ruping and her boyfriend have a fight later, it won't be my fault."
Li Yan urged her, "What's wrong with this bracelet?"
"This is obviously faked. And they didn't even bother to do it properly. Anyone with a discerning eye can tell this isn't an antique. Are forgers these days so careless?"
Everyone was stunned. After a long while, Li Yan finally came to her senses and exclaimed in surprise, "You're saying this jade bracelet is fake?"
Yan Ruyi said, "The jade is genuine, but judging from its color, it's not very good. As for its age, it's probably only seven or eight years old."
Previously, although she could tell the age of jade, she didn't know whether jade was good or bad. However, there was plenty of jade in antique shops, and Xu Licheng had studied jade and was happy to teach her. She learned a lot about identifying jade from Xu Licheng and also heard some tricks about counterfeiting. Gradually, she was able to distinguish between good and bad jade.
Yan Ruyi said, “To be precise, this is a modern craft item that has been aged by someone knowledgeable. I heard from Director Xu that it is easy to age antique jade. First, sodium hydroxide is applied to the jade, then lime is wrapped around the jade, and it is placed in sawdust and fired for two days. This is the color that is produced. Experts call this color chicken bone white. However, Sister Ruping’s bracelet is a bit perfunctory. You can see that the color is not even.”
The seventh or eighth generation became the seventh or eighth year, and Yan Ruping immediately withdrew her hand, her face turning bright red.
Li Yan: "Ruyi, did you see clearly? This is no joke."
Shen Qiaoxiu's voice suddenly rose eight octaves, "It's been passed down for generations, and you're saying it's not an antique? Do you even know how to tell the difference?"
Ye Hongzhen naturally sided with her daughter and said unhappily, "Ruyi won't say, but you insist on making her say it. Even if she does, you won't believe her."
Shen Qiaoxiu said, "Cheng Hai said that his family has passed it down for generations, but she said it's not an antique. Isn't that obviously nonsense?"
Ye Hongzhen: "You believe everything people say? If I said I was the reincarnation of the Queen Mother of the West, would you kowtow to me?"
...
Seeing that the two were about to start fighting again, Grandma Yan looked at this one, then at that one, then tilted her head and leaned back in her chair, "Ouch, I feel dizzy."
Ye Hongzhen couldn't bother arguing with Shen Qiaoxiu anymore. "You must be hot, Sihe. Pour your grandma a glass of water and bring her fan over. Oh dear, I was so busy talking that I didn't see the sun has moved over. Grandma, let me find you a shady spot!"
...
Whenever Ye Hongzhen and Shen Qiaoxiu argued and got into a heated argument, the old lady would use this trick, and it never failed her.
Fang Caiyun told them to keep busy, then pulled Yan Ruyi aside and whispered to her, "That bracelet really isn't an antique?"
"No, it's just a modern craft item that's been distressed."
Fang Caiyun trusted Yan Ruyi more, after all, this was Yan Ruyi's profession. "Look at how badly she was slapped in the face."
The more enthusiastically Shen Qiaoxiu showed off just now, the more painful the slap in the face she felt.
However, you can't blame the sister-in-law. Ruyi clearly wanted to save face for Ruping. She saw from the beginning that it was a fake antique, but she didn't say anything. However, her aunt insisted on targeting her.
Even a rabbit will bite when cornered, let alone her sister-in-law, who is not one to suffer losses.
That was a slap in the face, and it feels good now.
Shen Qiaoxiu didn't give Yan Ruyi a kind look all day. Whenever she saw Yan Ruyi, she would roll her eyes to the heavens.
Li Yan, who had no tact, reminded her as she left, "Aunt, you should find someone to take a look at it again. Maybe Ruyi has misjudged it. After all, Chenghai wouldn't try to fool people with a fake antique. If it really is fake, where would he put his face?"
Shen Qiaoxiu said irritably, "That goes without saying, Ruyi just misjudged. It's been passed down for generations, how could it be fake? I think she's just jealous that her sister found a good partner and is deliberately trying to upset her."
If she believes it's true, then it's true!
Cheng Hai seems like an honest person, how could he possibly give Ru Ping a fake one?
Shen Qiaoxiu's words were unpleasant to hear. Grandma Yan was afraid that Ye Hongzhen and Shen Qiaoxiu would start arguing again, so before Ye Hongzhen could roll up her sleeves, she asked her, "Second daughter-in-law, didn't you say you wanted watermelon jam? Do you still want it?"
Ye Hongzhen: "Oh dear, I almost forgot, I need to."
Grandma Yan can't sit still. Every summer she makes a big vat of watermelon jam, and anyone who wants some can take some, since she can't eat that much herself anyway.
Grandma Yan's watermelon sauce has a pure and authentic flavor. It's fried in scallion oil and is delicious whether eaten with rice or dipped in steamed buns.
Ye Hongzhen asked Grandma Yan for two canning jars, filled them both to the brim with watermelon jam, and when she got home, she said to Yan Ruyi, "Huihui loves this, take one jar to Huihui."
Yan Ruyi responded and rode her bicycle to Luo Huihui's house.
Seeing that no one was in the yard, she called out, "Huihui!"
Luo Huihui ran out of the house, "Didn't you go to celebrate your grandma's birthday?"
"I just got back. My mom packed two bottles of watermelon jam and asked me to bring one over to you."
He then gave her the watermelon sauce.
Luo Huihui unscrewed the bottle cap and smelled it. "I love your grandma's watermelon jam the most."
Luo's mother came out of the kitchen and asked Yan Ruyi, "Is your grandmother still in good health?"
Yan Ruyi: "It's great. I made more watermelon jam this year than last year."
"Yesterday, Huihui's dad was saying he was craving the watermelon jam your grandma makes. I was thinking of asking your grandma for some when I had time, and it just so happens that you brought it over today."
Luo Huihui handed the watermelon sauce to her mother, "Mom, fry up a lot later, I'll take it to class to eat tomorrow."
After saying that, he affectionately linked arms with Yan Ruyi and said, "I was just telling my second sister-in-law to take more pictures of you."
Luo Huihui's second sister-in-law, Liu Yunmin, is a photojournalist for the city's daily newspaper. She is always present at major events in the city.
Liu Yunmin came out of the house and said with a smile, "I'll definitely take some beautiful photos of Ruyi then."
"Ruyi, has the other announcer been decided yet?" asked Luo's mother.
Yan Ruyi: "I hadn't heard anything about it being finalized yesterday."
Luo Huihui: "Why hasn't it been decided yet? I'm so anxious!"
Mrs. Luo chuckled, “Ruyi isn’t even in a hurry yet, but you’re already getting anxious. It’s not like you’re going to be the announcer.”
Luo Huihui said, "I just wanted to see if that person was a good match for Ruyi."
Liu Yunmin laughed, "It's not like we're finding a partner for Ruyi."
Luo Huihui said, "Even if you're looking for a partner, you have to be compatible. Otherwise, the two of you standing together will be an eyesore."
After saying that, he whispered in Yan Ruyi's ear, "Do you think it could be Commander Song?"
Of all the soldiers she had ever seen, Commander Song was the most handsome.
Yan Ruyi is beautiful, and Commander Song is handsome too. The two of them standing together are a feast for the eyes.
Yan Ruyi was quite certain, "It couldn't be him."
The last time she went to return the money to him, she received several phone calls in just a short time.
The announcer also has to rehearse with them, so he probably won't have the time.
Luo Huihui sighed, her mood somewhat downcast. "That's true, he's the troupe leader, how could he possibly become an announcer?"
Mrs. Luo said, "Alright, stop worrying unnecessarily. Didn't I tell you to have your second sister-in-law take you to the hair salon? Are you going or not?"
Luo Huihui instantly perked up, "Go, Ruyi, my second sister-in-law is taking me to the hair salon. You come with me too, so we can keep each other company and get a trendy new hairstyle together."
Luo Huihui had always worn a ponytail since she was a child. She was tired of it and kept clamoring to change her hairstyle, urging Yan Ruyi to change it with her.
Yan Ruyi did want to change her hair; she had been keeping her short, ear-length hair for many years and was getting a little tired of it.
She's already working; she can't still act like a student.
However, the thought of her second sister-in-law's permed hair made her back down. "I don't want to. If I end up with a perm like my second sister-in-law's, it would be too ugly."
Luo Huihui: "That's because your second sister-in-law didn't choose the right hair salon. The one my second sister-in-law often goes to has a hairdresser with excellent skills and a good eye. My second sister-in-law just got her hair permed there the day before yesterday. Doesn't it look great?"
Liu Yunmin also had a perm with small, choppy curls and high bangs, which suited her face shape very well, making her look cool and fashionable.
She has the same small, loose curls as Li Yan, but hers looks better than Li Yan's.
It seems that it really does depend on the barber's skill.
Yan Ruyi was somewhat tempted.
Luo Huihui seized the opportunity to encourage her, "It's your first time going on stage to announce an episode, so you should dress up nicely, at least fix your hair. There are a lot of people watching, and it'll definitely be in the newspapers. Let's go over there together and let my second sister-in-law give me some advice on getting the most fashionable haircut. Come on."
After saying that, he grabbed Yan Ruyi and walked out without saying another word.
Liu Yunmin told Luo's mother and then went along with her.
Most barbershops on the market nowadays are state-owned, but there are also privately owned ones.
Fashionable young men and women love to go to privately owned barbershops. Although privately owned barbershops are more expensive than state-owned ones, they always keep up with the latest trends and give you stylish haircuts.
The hair salon that Liu Yunmin frequented was on Fourth Road. It had a fancy name, "Lisi Hair Salon," and several movie star posters were pasted on the walls.
Liu Yunmin said that the hairdresser had worked in Shenzhen and learned techniques from Hong Kong, keeping up with the trends.
Luo Huihui originally wanted to get a perm like Liu Yunmin's with small, choppy curls, but the hairdresser said that her round face was not suitable for small, choppy curls.
In the end, she and Yan Ruyi both got their hair permed like Momoe Yamaguchi.
The hairdresser originally intended to give Yan Ruyi a perm with the Momoe hairstyle, saying that Yan Ruyi's face shape would look good with the Momoe hairstyle.
Luo Huihui insisted on having the same hairstyle as Yan Ruyi, and in the end, the two of them came out of the hair salon with the exact same Baihui hairstyle.
She has a round face and fair skin, so she doesn't look bad with a Momoe hairstyle.
After leaving the barbershop, the three of them went to the department store, where each of them bought a dress.
The dresses are different colors but the same style: fitted waist, puff sleeves, and a butterfly lace neckline.
Luo Huihui and Yan Ruyi got the same hairstyle and wore the same dress, looking just like sisters.
Luo Huihui was very satisfied.
Yan Ruyi was very satisfied. The next day, she admired herself in front of the mirror, then, sporting a spiky hairstyle and wearing her newly bought dress, she happily went to work.
Jiang Dongming has returned from Zhaojiagang and started working at the identification center this week.
Just as she reached the second floor, Director Chai came out of his office and beckoned to her, "Xiao Yan, come here for a moment."
Yan Ruyi has passed away.
Director Chai noticed her new hairstyle. "Xiao Yan got a perm. Is that... you know what hairstyle?"
Yan Ruyi, "Baihui Head".
Director Chai: "Yes, I heard my daughter mention it. She also got a perm, called the 'Baihui hairstyle,' which is popular this year. It's nice, pretty, and energetic."
As he spoke, he picked up two sheets of paper from his desk and handed them to Yan Ruyi, saying, "These are the scripts written by Teacher Zhao from the Federation of Literary and Art Circles. Take them and familiarize yourself with them."
It has two pages in total, with not many words, and all of them are easy to pronounce.
When she was in school, Yan Ruyi was best at memorizing texts. No matter how difficult the classical Chinese text was, she could memorize the whole thing after reading it silently a few times.
So these few words are no problem.
Director Chai said, "You and Qian should go over the lines in advance. You can arrange the time yourselves. If you don't have time, it's okay. We'll have to do a few more rehearsals anyway."
Yan Ruyi: "Which money is needed?"
"Qian Shengbing from the Military Region Propaganda Department will be your partner for the announcements this time."
Perhaps influenced by Luo Huihui, Yan Ruyi actually had a faint expectation of partnering with Song Yiping to announce the program.
Now that she'd confirmed it wasn't him, she was actually a little disappointed.
But thinking about it, it's impossible. Putting aside the fact that Song Yiping is too busy with work to take care of it, his personality and temperament don't match that of an announcer.
Yan Ruyi couldn't imagine what he looked like when he was full of passion.
She thanked Director Chai and was about to leave when Director Chai called her back, "Oh dear, look at my memory, I almost forgot."
He opened the drawer, took out an admission ticket, and handed it to Yan Ruyi. "There's a performance at the city auditorium tonight. It's a friendly exchange performance by the Suzhou Red Berry Song Troupe. If you have time, go and watch and learn how they announce the program."
Yan Ruyi wanted to talk about the performance in Su Guo, but she couldn't understand what the people were saying.
But then I thought, they should be about the same in terms of momentum.
He thanked Director Chai, saying, "Thank you, Director Chai."
Director Chai said cheerfully, "No need to thank me, it was given to me by someone else, Song."
She almost let it slip, but luckily Jiang Dongming was coming upstairs at the right time. Yan Ruyi didn't hear what he said after that, so she called out "Teacher Jiang" and followed Jiang Dongming.
Yan Ruyi followed Jiang Dongming to the appraisal center office.
Including Yan Ruyi, the cultural relics appraisal center has a total of 6 people, and the office has 6 desks, which are put together in pairs.
All the other seats were occupied, except for the one opposite Zhao Dongsheng, which was empty.
Shen Zhimin used to sit here, but now that he's been transferred to the archaeological team, this seat is empty.
Jiang Dongming then arranged for Yan Ruyi to sit opposite Zhao Dongsheng.
After making arrangements for Yan Ruyi, he went to report to Director Liu.
Yan Ruyi greeted Zhao Dongsheng, "Teacher Zhao."
Then he took his things out of his bag one by one and put them on his desk.
Notebook, teacup, small mirror, comb, hair clip, handkerchief...
Zhao Dongsheng kept glancing at her desk. Every time Yan Ruyi took something out, he frowned.
After glancing at the desk, he then looked at Yan Ruyi's frilly hair and floral dress, his brows furrowing into a deep frown. "Comrade Yan, you're new here, and there's something I feel I need to emphasize to you. We're a state-owned institution, and the most important thing is to be dignified. Not only should our behavior be dignified, but our attire should also be dignified. You've got your hair permed, and that floral dress, a whole bunch of trivial things. This doesn't look like you're here to work; it looks like you're here to enjoy yourself. What are the people who come for evaluations supposed to think of our work?"
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