Therefore, Xu Ningyan found an opportunity to come out and saw Quan Dajiang's two daughters playing in the yard.
Upon closer inspection, the two girls were wearing thick cotton-padded coats, and they did not become timid or afraid to joke around even though they had been scolded by Quan Dajiang earlier.
Instead, they patted each other and pushed each other in the yard, having a great time.
As he walked over, a maidservant gave him two candies, and the two girls began to treat Xu Ningyan as if he were an outsider.
After a little probing, I found out that Quan Dajiang is just as outspoken and speaks extremely rudely at home.
However, he is good to the children. Although he will scold them if he doesn't like them, he never hits them.
Occasionally, when he returned from the commune, he would bring back some candy and snacks for his siblings.
Xu Ningyan became increasingly certain of what was going on.
No one knows what Gu Zhiyuan and Quan Dajiang talked about in the main room, but Quan Dajiang was much more well-behaved during the meal and didn't say anything unpleasant.
The lunch went relatively peacefully.
Aunt Xie's face showed a rare smile, and her eyes were full of gratitude as she looked at Gu Zhiyuan and Xu Ningyan.
After finishing their meal, the two didn't stay long and said goodbye to go home.
On the way, Xu Ningyan asked Gu Zhiyuan what he had said that made Quan Dajiang so obedient.
Gu Zhiyuan smiled. He had only said a few words to Quan Dajiang, but he had already scared him.
I first asked Xu Changfeng about his current position in the army, and I heard that he is now a battalion commander.
Quan Dajiang didn't know what rank a battalion commander was, so Gu Zhiyuan explained it to him: it's equivalent to the head of the armed forces department or the head of the county public security bureau.
He then casually told Quan Dajiang that if he said anything more unpleasant, it would be considered slandering a soldier, and a battalion commander at that!
It's not something that can be resolved by being locked up for a few days; they might end up in jail!
He then asked Quan Dajiang how many children he had. Upon learning that his eldest son was fifteen or sixteen years old, he said meaningfully, "In two more years, he can join the army."
With just these few words, Quan Dajiang's expression changed.
After stammering for a while, he didn't say another word against Xu Changfeng.
Upon hearing this, Xu Ningyan gave Gu Zhiyuan a thumbs up. As expected of a big shot, although he didn't understand the conflicts between Quan Dajiang and Xu Changfeng, he had grasped Quan Dajiang's Achilles' heel.
Whether for his own safety or for his eldest son's future, he will likely have to be much more restrained in the future.
That's none of their business.
The following day, they ate a meal at the homes of the brigade leader and the party secretary.
Of course, I didn't go empty-handed; I brought gifts with me.
Only then did the brigade leader and the party secretary realize that Xu Ningyan had been officially promoted and would no longer be in charge of the affairs of their Tuanjie Brigade, but rather the affairs of the Hongqi and Hongxing communes.
The brigade leader and the party secretary were initially delighted, but later became somewhat worried, implying that Xu Ningyan should not forget that she was a member of the Unity Brigade.
When something good happens, we should think of them first.
After all, compared to other brigades, the Unity Brigade doesn't have anything outstanding or irreplaceable.
Xu Ningyan readily agreed, putting the team leader and the Party Secretary at ease for the time being.
As soon as the two left, the brigade leader and the party secretary began to discuss how to give Xu Ningyan more rewards in the new year, so that he wouldn't be overshadowed by the other brigades.
Xu Ningyan and Gu Zhiyuan thought that the remaining two days would just be spent at home packing their luggage and preparing to return to the county town.
Unexpectedly, Chen Fangfang came to visit with gifts to wish us a Happy New Year.
Compared to the first time I met her, the gloom between Chen Fangfang's brows had faded considerably, and she looked much more capable.
She came alone, carrying a bag of brown sugar and a large bag of dried bamboo shoots and mushrooms that she had sun-dried herself.
She thanked Xu Ningyan as soon as she entered the door, saying that if it weren't for Xu Ningyan, she would probably still be living in a daze, being controlled by her in-laws.
Xu Ningyan still admired Chen Fangfang quite a bit, and was even planning that after Chen Fangfang got into university, she could either be recruited by a big shot or cooperate with him, in any case, he couldn't let Lu Kai benefit from it.
Therefore, he hurriedly ushered the person into his house.
As soon as Chen Fangfang entered the house, she felt the warmth that enveloped her. The first thing she saw was the stove for heating, and she couldn't help but take a second look.
Sitting by the stove, holding a steaming bowl of sweet soup in my hands, with various snacks beside me, I felt so warm that I could hardly keep up with my padded jacket.
Xu Ningyan was wearing only a thin cotton-padded jacket inside the house. Seeing that Chen Fangfang's forehead was almost sweating, she quickly told her to take off her jacket so that she wouldn't sweat and get caught in the wind outside.
After getting to know her, Chen Fangfang realized that she was decisive.
Hearing Xu Ningyan say that, she unbuttoned her shirt, revealing a light red sweater underneath.
This sweater looks like it's several years old; the color isn't as bright anymore, and the collar and cuffs are worn out. It's made of black thread, which is very obvious.
Xu Ningyan glanced at it once and then looked away, while Chen Fangfang gave a self-deprecating laugh: "I knitted this sweater before I went to the countryside. It was the only thing my family bought for me when I went there. It's been four or five years, hasn't it? Without this sweater, I'm afraid I would have frozen to death many times over."
"I thought I'd be wearing this sweater for years to come, but thanks to you! Barring any unforeseen circumstances, I'll be able to knit a new one by the end of this year!"
As she spoke, Chen Fangfang's eyes sparkled, filled with hope and enthusiasm.
"By the way, I'm pretty good at knitting. Look at this sweater of mine, even though it's old, you can still see the stitches—I learned them all from a book! I'll knit you one before the end of the year, a bright red one, okay?"
Chen Fangfang looked at Xu Ningyan with eyes full of gratitude.
Xu Ningyan looked at the sweater Chen Fangfang was wearing. Although it was a bit old, it was clearly finely knitted. If you didn't know better, you would think it was made by a machine from a later era. It even had patterns on it.
After praising me a few times, he said, "If you really want to thank me, just buy some yarn and you can knit it for me!"
Chen Fangfang readily agreed.
The two chatted for a few more minutes, and somehow the conversation turned to Xu Zhenzhu, who had returned to her parents' home on the second day of the Lunar New Year.
She went to Aunt Xie's house with Gu Zhiyuan that day and didn't really pay attention.
It turned out that Xu Zhenzhu and Lu Kai didn't get back until almost noon on the second day of the Lunar New Year.
Because there was only one bus from the city to the commune on the second day of the Lunar New Year.
The bus was crowded, and when it arrived at the commune, the Xu family had to pick them up.
It is said that Lu Kai, the new son-in-law, looked disheveled and unhappy. It was later learned that the gifts the two brought back to the Xu family had been stolen on the bus.
The Xu family had been eagerly anticipating the gifts that Xu Zhenzhu and Lu Kai would bring back for many days.
Everyone looked rather grim when they heard that the items were gone.
They reportedly started arguing again at the dinner table about work.
I heard that Xu Zhenzhu promised to get a job for each branch of the family, but now there is only one job opportunity, and the three branches of the Xu family almost fought tooth and nail for it.
They disregarded the rules about not arguing or fighting during the Lunar New Year and had a huge fight on the second day of the New Year, even overturning the table.
Lu Kai and Xu Zhenzhu left after lunch, while the remaining three families are still vying for the job, neglecting to visit relatives or pay New Year's visits, and are focused on causing trouble at home.
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