Someone reached out to touch it, but Sister Yang slapped their hand away: "What are you doing? What are you doing? This was sent back to Xiao Xu by Xiao Gu. Xiao Xu hasn't even seen it yet. How can you be so shameless as to try to touch it?"
The person whose hand was slapped away didn't seem to mind: "I've never seen pastries from the capital before, have I? They look so beautiful. Things from the capital are just different from those in our small county! Can't I even touch them through the box and get a taste of the capital?"
Seeing that the two were about to start arguing, Xu Ningyan didn't bother to grab anything else. She glanced inside and saw that there were quite a few packages wrapped in kraft paper, probably pastries and candies, and there seemed to be some other things underneath.
There wasn't even time to look closely; they first opened a box of pastries, and everyone present got a piece.
Everyone carefully held the small piece of pastry in their hands. It looked oily and glistening, and the pastry clearly had plenty of oil and sugar. It smelled incredibly sweet and delicious.
Several people couldn't help but swallow hard.
They had never seen such exquisite things before, and they couldn't bear to eat them.
Some people simply put it in their pockets, while others, being more particular, would just tear off a piece of paper or wrap it in a handkerchief, intending to take it home to treat their children or give to their elders.
The box of pastries was gone in no time.
Everyone was still a little reluctant to leave, staring at the luggage bags in the suitcase, wanting to see what good things were inside.
Sister Yang was displeased and kicked everyone out: "Alright, don't be ungrateful after getting a good deal! Who can be as generous as our little Xu, sharing such exquisite pastries with everyone? Staying any longer would be shameless!"
Everyone has their pride, after all, they all work in a department store, so after hearing this, they just chuckled and dispersed.
Only a few people remained in the office.
Sister Yang rudely chased the men out as well: "The young couple is just sending some things, what are you grown men doing standing here? Get out, get out—"
Li Jianguo shook his head, flicked a cigarette at each of them, and led the way out.
After everyone had mostly left, Sister Yang said with a smile, "Everyone's gone, let me see if there's anything good left?"
Xu Ningyan knew about Sister Yang's family's circumstances and wasn't someone who was easily swayed. No matter how good these things were, she had seen them before, so she took them out one by one.
Then he took out several thick brown paper packages, wrapped tightly and tied with rope.
Next was something soft and light, wrapped in a large piece of kraft paper. Take it out, untie the string, and you'll see what's inside.
It consisted of several pieces of clothing: a white cotton shirt, a blue and white striped sailor shirt, a white skirt, two pairs of trousers, one military green and one dark blue, and a military belt.
"Wow—" Sister Yang couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
Especially when Xu Ningyan was at the bottom, she took out a cardboard box, opened it, and inside was a pair of white leather sandals.
The design is very simple, with a few crisscrossing straps, a small heel, and soft leather that exudes a faint leather scent.
Sister Yang had refrained from touching the clothes before, but when she saw these white leather sandals, she couldn't resist.
She wiped her hands on her trouser leg several times before cautiously asking, "Xiao Xu, may I touch your shoes, ma'am?"
Xu Ningyan casually pushed her leather sandals away.
Sister Yang carefully picked up the heel of the sandal and examined it in her hand. She couldn't help but say enviously, "This is a real gem! You can't even find leather sandals like this in the provincial capital. I bet you can only buy them at Friendship Stores in Beijing and Shanghai."
She estimated in her mind that the leather sandals, the clothes, the pastries, and the few brown paper packages that she couldn't tell what they were made of, would cost at least sixty or seventy yuan.
I couldn't help but be amazed. What kind of family does Comrade Gu come from in Beijing? How could they be so wealthy?
They were even more moved by Gu Zhiyuan's dedication to Xu Ningyan.
Although Sister Yang didn't know the saying from later generations, "A man who is willing to spend money on you doesn't necessarily love you, but a man who is unwilling to spend money on you definitely doesn't love you."
But in this day and age, if a man is willing to spend so much money on a woman and put in the effort to buy her clothes and leather sandals, then he must truly care about her.
"Xiao Xu, it's rare to find a man as considerate and thoughtful as Comrade Gu. You'd better hold on tight, or another woman might snatch him away!" Sister Yang couldn't help but advise.
Xu Ningyan was too embarrassed to speak, so she just smiled.
Sister Yang seemed to realize that Xu Ningyan didn't take it too seriously, and couldn't help but nag a bit: "Don't take my words lightly! This is all based on experience! If you see a good man, you have to act fast and grab him! A good man is like a beautiful piece of fabric in a display case; not only do you like him, but others do too! It's all about being quick and decisive; whoever grabs him first gets him!"
"Don't just laugh, I'm not kidding you! Look at all the men around you, which one of them would buy these things for someone? Buy clothes or shoes? Ask them, which one of them remembers their wife's size and shoe size? Take your Uncle Ding, he's been married to me for twenty or thirty years, and if you ask him what size shoes I wear, you definitely wouldn't know!"
In the end, Sister Yang couldn't help but complain about her husband.
Seeing that Sister Yang was getting more and more energetic as she complained, Xu Ningyan simply added hot water to her teacup, opened a box of Beijing delicacies, handed a piece to Sister Yang, and gestured for her to eat while she talked.
As Sister Yang got into her rant, she casually took a bite of a pastry, then sipped her tea, and began to criticize how unreliable married men were, and how they could be completely unreliable at home...
The complaints were so loud that they attracted the attention of several older women from the nearby office.
This topic resonated so much that it eventually turned into a tea party criticizing how unreliable gay men are after marriage.
Everyone, while holding their own tea mugs and refilling their teapots with the tea from the supply and marketing department's kettle, managed to create the atmosphere of a criticism meeting, all while using the box of Beijing Eight Delicacies that Xu Ningyan later opened.
The men in the supply and marketing department, led by Li Jianguo, were all married. They stood at the door listening to the women inside denouncing them, trembling with fear. They didn't dare to go in, afraid that if they went in, they wouldn't be able to come out again.
They exchanged a glance, then scattered like birds and beasts, running far away to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.
This evaluation meeting lasted until the end of the workday before everyone reluctantly dispersed.
Only then did Li Jianguo and the others timidly sneak back to the office along the wall to pack their things and leave work.
Seeing that everyone had left, Xu Ningyan took the opportunity to slip a box of Beijing delicacies to Li Jianguo. Before Li could refuse, Xu Ningyan carried the box out the door.
He ran into Lin Hong, gave her another box, and then slowly rode his bike home.
When I got home, I put my clothes and shoes aside and opened the several brown paper packages. Inside were all kinds of high-end candies, including milk candies, filled candies, toffee, two large pieces of imported chocolate, two packets of milk powder, and two large cans of Shanghai-made Merrill Lynch luncheon meat.
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