Xu Ningyan couldn't help but stop and take another look.
Only a side profile of the woman could be seen, and most of her face was obscured by her fluffy hair. For some reason, Xu Ningyan felt that she looked somewhat familiar, as if she had seen her somewhere before.
After thinking for a long time without being able to recall, I saw Lu Kai talking to that woman about something, which made her laugh so hard she was shaking. She playfully punched Lu Kai's chest twice with her fist.
Lu Kai grabbed the woman's hand, said a few words, and then turned to face the alley entrance.
No sooner said than done.
Xu Ningyan quickly withdrew her foot and retreated completely.
After thinking for a moment, I quickly walked back to a fork in the road. After crossing the fork, I walked a little further ahead and reached the main road.
Xu Ningyan slowed her pace, counting her steps in her mind. Before long, she heard a series of hurried footsteps behind her.
After catching up with her, he walked a little further ahead, then seemed to suddenly notice Xu Ningyan. He stopped and turned around to greet her: "Xu Si, Xu Ningyan? What are you doing here?"
Xu Ningyan saw Lu Kai's surprised expression, his eyes filled with inquiry and tension.
He scoffed, "You and Xu Zhenzhu are truly a couple, both so fond of meddling in other people's business. Didn't she tell you that today's training was a visit to the street supply and marketing cooperative for observation and learning?"
Lu Kai immediately realized that there was a supply and marketing cooperative nearby, and he breathed a sigh of relief without making it obvious.
With a smile still on his face, he said, "I heard about what happened last time from Pearl when I got back, and I know there was some misunderstanding! I originally wanted to ask Engineer Gu to pass on a message to apologize to you, but he told me not to bother you! I was too embarrassed to come over, but since we've run into each other today, I'll take this opportunity to properly apologize to you!"
Xu Ningyan rolled her eyes and ignored him.
Lu Kai wasn't discouraged. "You haven't been in the county for long, so there must be a lot you haven't explored, right? There's not much to do around here, it's mostly residential! If you want something fun, either go to People's Park, or have Engineer Gu take you into our machinery factory. There's a movie theater there, you can have him take you to see a movie—"
"Is your training tiring? I heard from Pearl that you're still just a temporary worker? Were you dragged down by Xiao Gu? Now that Xiao Gu has been exonerated, you should be able to become a permanent employee, right?"
Xu Ningyan remained silent and continued walking forward.
"What are you learning at the supply and marketing cooperative this time? Are you the only one? That can't be right, can it? Is it because you're a temporary worker that you're being ostracized? Don't be afraid, tell me! I'm practically your elder, and I have some connections with the director of your department store. I'll put in a good word for you and see if you can get a permanent position. It'll also be a way of apologizing to you on behalf of the Xu family of Pearl."
Xu Ningyan realized that Lu Kai's words were all testing her, asking if she was really here to learn and if she had seen anything.
She was surprised by his suspicious nature, but she became even more interested in the relationship between Lu Kai and the woman in the courtyard.
If Lu Kai has a clear conscience, why is he so nervous?
They must have something to hide, which is why they stopped me, said so much, and promised such great benefits.
His expression grew increasingly impatient. "Stop trying to get close to me. I have a boyfriend. Whether he gets a permanent position or not is our own business. I don't need you to sow discord!"
"You all want to be elders? Even if you don't have a mirror, you can still pee, right? Take a piss and look at yourselves to see if you're worthy! Don't even mention you haven't married Xu Zhenzhu yet. Even if you had, go to the Xu family and act like big shots. Don't show off in front of me."
!
Without waiting for Lu Kai's expression, she turned and walked away, muttering to herself, "What bad luck! If I'd known I'd run into him, I would have gone to buy fish with those two ladies! Ugh, ugh, ugh—"
They ran away as if avoiding snakes and scorpions.
Lu Kai, who was lagging behind, was not angry. Instead, he looked relaxed, glanced around, and then quickly left.
After Lu Kai boarded the bus and drove away, Xu Ningyan emerged from the alley across the street, but she had already changed her appearance.
She changed into an inconspicuous patched outfit, wore a straw hat, and her face and hands were smeared with black paint, making her look exactly like a rural woman in her thirties.
He carried a bamboo basket containing two jin of peanuts, five jin of rice, a small piece of cured meat, a small bag of red dates, two bags of brown sugar, and two handfuls of dried cowpeas.
They slowly walked towards the alley where Lu Kai had just come out.
She has good eyesight, and the two small stone blocks at the entrance of the courtyard made it very noticeable.
I walked to the small courtyard and looked at the house number: No. 38, Changle Lane.
Having figured things out, I walked a little further and saw a courtyard with its door ajar. I knocked on the door, and someone inside asked, "Who is it?"
Xu Ningyan pushed the door open a crack and saw an old woman sitting under a tree in the yard, enjoying the cool air.
He hurriedly whispered, "Auntie, I'm from the countryside visiting relatives in the city. I couldn't find my way here and I'm thirsty. Could you please give me some water?"
The kind-faced old woman felt pity for Xu Ningyan's appearance and frail figure, and stood up to greet her, "Come in!"
He turned and went into the main room, where he poured out a large bowl of tea, locally known as "Sanpi Guan" tea.
Xu Ningyan was indeed thirsty, so she took the tea from the old lady and gulped it down in one go.
The old woman asked her if she wanted some, but she quickly shook her head.
The old woman called to her again, telling her to rest her feet and not to rush off.
Xu Ningyan was more than happy to do so. She sat on a small stool, enjoying the breeze, which was much cooler than outside.
After resting for a while and catching her breath, she took out two handfuls of peanuts from her basket and tried to give them to the old woman as a thank you gift.
The old woman refused to accept it, and the two of them pushed it back and forth, accidentally knocking over the bamboo basket, causing the rice, peanuts, and red dates inside to roll out.
The old woman immediately understood: this person wasn't looking for relatives at all; they were using the guise of finding relatives to resell goods.
Seeing Xu Ningyan frantically tidying up and trying to hide the things, the old lady was relieved, knowing that she was obviously a novice who had never done this before.
She grabbed Xu Ningyan's hand: "You silly child, you're so forgetful! You've forgotten about your aunt's house? You almost missed it! Look at you, you came all this way, but what did you bring—"
While speaking, he winked at Xu Ningyan.
Xu Ningyan was stunned for a moment before she realized what was happening and quickly said, "That's right. I haven't been to the city for many years. I only remember this area, but I really don't remember your house, Auntie. I just saw that the door wasn't closed properly and thought I'd come in and ask. I didn't expect it to be your house! What a coincidence!"
The old woman nodded to Xu Ningyan, and her bound feet didn't stop her from running nimbly to close the courtyard gate.
He turned around, lifted the bamboo basket, and saw what was inside, and immediately beamed with joy.
These are all in high demand, especially the rice, which is snow-white and much better than the rice you can buy at the grain station.
And those red dates and brown sugar—it's perfect for my daughter who's about to give birth; buying them for her postpartum care is just what I need.
With swift eyes and hands, he scooped up the rice, red dates, and brown sugar: "How much are these?"
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