At this point, she glanced at Gao Jie, "I had nothing to wear, so I took this one from the closet."
Gao Jie shoved the books she was organizing into her bag, then looked up at Xu Keke without any hesitation.
“Bai Lu, yesterday when Chen Hong didn’t have a cotton-padded coat, she discussed it with me. I was thinking that she tore her clothes because of you. We are all educated youth from the same year, and we should help each other. Besides, you two are good friends and high school classmates. It’s just a cotton-padded coat. I think you definitely won’t mind. So I told Chen Hong to wear it for now.”
"You're quite generous to give my things away. Fellow educated youth should help each other. Why don't you help her with your cotton-padded coat? You probably have more clothes than I do." Xu Keke was almost laughing in anger, but she was weak and spoke these words in a feeble voice.
Since becoming an educated youth in Chenjia Village, Gao Jie has always been the one who says what she wants, and no one has ever contradicted her. Looking at Xu Keke, however, it was as if a raging storm was brewing in her eyes.
Gao Jie was used to putting on an act in front of others, and her greatest skill was controlling her emotions. She quickly suppressed her displeasure and put on a smile.
“You’re right, but as you know, all the clothes I don’t wear are kept at my brother’s place. Chen Hong, I’ll get mine for you tomorrow. But don’t be disgusted, mine isn’t as new as Bai Lu’s.”
Xu Keke ignored her and kept looking at Chen Hong, "Where's your old cotton-padded coat?"
"I..." Chen Hong glanced at Gao Jie again and muttered softly, "I..."
"That cotton-padded coat is torn and unwearable, so I told Chen Hong to throw it away," Gao Jie said impatiently. She didn't believe that Bai Lu would let Chen Hong freeze in such cold weather. She also didn't believe that Bai Lu would really dare to go against her.
To her disappointment, Bai Lu was really bold today. Xu Keke said to Chen Hong, "Then you can stay cold. Who told you to take it off? Go ask someone for your cotton-padded coat. I didn't tell you to carry me down, and I didn't tell you to accidentally tear your cotton-padded coat."
Xu Keke watched the two of them indifferently. It was just a contest to see who was more unreasonable, something she was really good at.
Gao Jie couldn't keep up the act any longer. With a cold laugh, she climbed to the bedside table and took out a nearly new cotton-padded jacket from her own bundle. She had originally intended to give the older one to Chen Hong.
Gao Jie angrily threw the cotton-padded coat onto the kang (a heated brick bed), "Chen Hong, you can wear this for now. I was going to get you something newer, but some people can't wait, so you'll have to make do with this for now."
The four of them ate and lived together every day, and everyone knew that this was a cotton-padded jacket that Gao Jie had made last year, and there was no new one available.
Gao Jie realized she had said the wrong thing, so she slung her backpack over her shoulder, gave a haughty snort, and turned to leave.
Seeing Gao Jie leave, Chen Hong panicked completely, her eyes instantly turning red with anxiety. Feeling wronged, she went to the kang (heated brick bed) to get her cotton-padded coat to change into. She folded the coat neatly and handed it to Xu Keke, saying, "Bai Lu, what's wrong with you today? Why are you unhappy?"
Xu Keke ignored her nonsense, took the cotton-padded coat and stuffed it directly into her bundle.
Wu Wanyi, who was dumbfounded, stood there for a long time with melon seeds in her hand, until she heard a 'bang' from outside, the sound of the courtyard gate closing, before she came back to her senses.
She mumbled something under her breath, but no one could hear her clearly. Wu Wanyi then started cracking sunflower seeds again, but this time the sound wasn't as crisp and continuous as before. She kept her eyes fixed on Xu Keke's movements.
Xu Keke took out a sweater she didn't usually wear and put it on, then put on a military green wool coat over it. The coat was clearly a military officer's uniform with the shoulder and collar insignia removed.
Wu Wanyi's eyes widened. She licked her lips, spat at the ground, and expelled all the sunflower seed shells from her mouth.
Although she had heard that Bai Lu had acquired a military uniform, this was the first time she had ever seen her wearing it.
You have to understand that in those days, being able to wear a military uniform meant that someone in her family was definitely in the army. It wasn't just an honor, it was also a fashion statement. The materials used for regular military uniforms were not only sturdy but also crisp, making the wearer look exceptionally smart.
The outfit Xu Keke is wearing now looks brand new; it's definitely not something she's discarded. Most importantly, it fits perfectly, meaning it was specially made to fit her height and build. And that wool coat—it's not something an ordinary position can wear.
The more Wu Wanyi looked, the more her brows furrowed. She stopped cracking the melon seeds in her hand and stared at Xu Keke, wanting to see what she was up to dressed like that.
Xu Keke didn't think too much about it. The original owner's cotton-padded coat had gotten dirty when she fell on the mountain yesterday. The new one still had Chen Hong's body heat on it, and Xu Keke couldn't bear it. The only wearable clothes left in the original owner's baggage were these clothes that had never been worn before.
Seeing that Xu Keke was dressed and about to leave, Chen Hong threw down the pants she was holding and hurriedly blocked her way, "Bai Lu, where are you going?"
Xu Keke didn't hide anything from her. She pulled down the two ear flaps on her cotton hat, covering her head even more tightly. She said in a muffled voice, "I'm going to the old village chief's house."
"I've returned your cotton-padded coat, why are you going to see the old village chief?" Chen Hong grabbed her arm. Gao Jie wasn't there, and Chen Hong didn't care about her past conflict with Wu Wanyi anymore. She looked to her for help in a panic.
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