With Lu Xing at the table, no one dared to drink too much; they only had a couple of small sips before putting down their glasses.
After finishing his meal and resting for a while, Lu Xing got up to say goodbye.
The Xu family dared not linger and had no choice but to see them out the door.
While Lu Xing was still exchanging pleasantries with the captain and the others,
Xu Yinlai gave Miao Cuihua a wink, then lagged behind by two steps, reminding her to pack some local specialties to take back to the Lu family.
Miao Cuihua was still somewhat reluctant: "Do you think their leaders would even look at things from our countryside?"
Xu Yinlai knew his mother's character, so he only said, "Whether you like it or not, it's a small token of your appreciation! At least the pearls look nice on the surface!"
Xu Zhenzhu was Miao Cuihua's Achilles' heel, and she immediately fell silent.
He turned and went inside to rummage through things.
Many families in the brigade brought things today; there were piles of them in Miao Cuihua's house and in the back kitchen.
After much deliberation, Miao Cuihua gritted her teeth and selected a few kinds of dried vegetables. She then sent Er Ya and San Ya to the vegetable garden to pick half a basket of the freshest and best vegetables, counted half a basket of eggs, clutched her chest, grabbed one of the family's old hens, tied its feet with straw, and carried it to the front.
Upon seeing this, Xu Yinlai quickly said, "These are just some things from home, not worth much money. Take them back and have a taste."
Lu Xing and Sun Chunmei were about to decline, but they couldn't possibly refuse Miao Cuihua and Shen Yue'e.
Before they could react, they had already been stuffed into the back of the car.
Xu Yinlai and the brigade leader persuaded them, saying that their own little things were nothing, and that's how they finally let it go.
There were five people when we came, but only four people left.
Lu Kai told Xu Zhenzhu to stay home with her family for a few days, and then go directly to work once she received the official notification letter.
Xu Zhenzhu also had a lot to tell her family, so she readily agreed.
Xu Yinlai and his family saw that it was getting late and there were no more buses back to the county town, and they also had things to talk about, so they stayed.
After watching the car drive away, the brigade leader and the party secretary said goodbye and headed home.
Only when the Xu family members were left did Xu Yinlai finally relax.
Having drunk two glasses of wine, he was starting to feel the effects and quickly asked Shen Yue'e to tidy up the room so he could lie down.
The others also left, each with their own thoughts on their own.
The brigade leader and the branch secretary walked silently on the road leading to the brigade headquarters.
Seeing that no one was around, the squad leader finally spoke: "Old buddy, do you think that tractor quota is real, or—"
The Party Secretary sighed, "Whether it's true or not, at least there's some hope, right? Otherwise, who knows how many years we'll have to wait for the commune to get our turn!"
The captain wiped his face and gave a wry smile: "You're right! Even if the big boss doesn't give us quotas, what can we do? Giving us a long-handled umbrella to carry is already a favor!"
Did the two of them really not realize that Lu Xing was just making empty promises and playing games?
Of course, they could tell, but what could they do? Having a chance was better than having no chance at all!
"If we can help Xu Jiaxing out in the future, and if Pearl can really get together with that Lu family kid, we'll swallow our pride and say a few nice words to Pearl to ask for her help! What does our pride matter as long as she can help our brigade get a tractor!" The brigade leader gritted his teeth.
The Party Secretary wasn't so optimistic. He scratched his head and said, "If we're nice to the Xu family, I'm afraid they'll cause trouble again. They might even target Siya! We haven't heard anything from Siya yet, but we can't just ignore her, can we? If we offend her and she gets the job, we'll be caught in the middle."
The captain was speechless. How could he have forgotten about this?
The two exchanged a glance and began to worry.
Meanwhile, Xu Ningyan and Gu Zhiyuan also learned that the Lu family had sent someone to thank Xu Zhenzhu for saving Lu Kai.
Xu Ningyan originally didn't want to join in the fun and planned to go straight home.
Unexpectedly, I saw Gu Zhiyuan standing far away, looking thoughtfully in the direction of the Xu family.
She didn't disturb him, but stood aside and watched with Gu Zhiyuan for a long time until the Lu family went inside. Then she turned around and slowly walked home with him.
Having not eaten enough at the grain station at noon, Xu Ningyan went home and busied herself in the kitchen.
I broke the pancake I brought into small pieces, boiled it in soup, added an egg, some bok choy and chopped green onions, and served it out.
I saw Gu Zhiyuan sitting under the camphor tree, seemingly lost in thought.
I wanted to ask, but I swallowed the words back down.
I finished my meal in silence and washed the dishes.
Gu Zhiyuan seemed a little absent-minded during dinner. Although it wasn't obvious on the surface, Xu Ningyan noticed after he picked up several dishes he didn't like.
Xu Ningyan guessed it was related to seeing the Lu family today. This was the big boss's private matter, so she pretended not to notice.
After washing up, I went to bed.
In the darkness of night, countless people tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
The Xu family.
Although the lights were off, everyone was still excited. Except for the young children who had gone to bed early, almost no one was asleep.
Miao Cuihua tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Then she heard Xu Zhenzhu turning over in the next room, so she jumped up and said, "Zhenzhu, Mom can't sleep."
After a rustling sound, Xu Zhenzhu lit a candle and came out from the inner room.
Just like when he was a child, he climbed onto Miao Cuihua's bed and blew out the candle: "Mom, I can't sleep either."
Miao Cuihua grabbed Xu Zhenzhu's hand: "Mom still feels like she's dreaming! Pinch Mom again and see if she's dreaming?"
Xu Zhenzhu chuckled and squeezed Miao Cuihua's hand: "Mom, you're not dreaming! It's all true! I really have a job! And Brother Lu Kai said that once his leg is fully healed, he'll come to our house to propose marriage after the autumn harvest!"
"Really?" Miao Cuihua was a little stunned by the series of good news.
Although Xu Zhenzhu's expression was obscured in the darkness, her voice, sweet as honey, rang out: "Of course it's true! This job was arranged for me by Lu Kai's parents! Lu Kai said that after the autumn harvest, things will cool down a bit, and people won't gossip. He'll come to propose then, and he wants to marry me before the new year—"
Miao Cuihua beamed with joy, "Pearl! You are truly blessed! Who in the surrounding villages can compare to you? Your good days are yet to come! Now that you have a job, you'll see, everyone in the entire Tuanjie Brigade will be trying to curry favor with you!"
Xu Zhenzhu chuckled, "Of course! If they want to buy those in-demand items, they won't leave any for me if they don't curry favor with me! They not only have to curry favor with me, but also with Mom. Mom, I'll help whoever you tell me to help! If they don't get along with us, we won't give them anything!"
These words resonated deeply with Miao Cuihua, and the mother and daughter chattered for a long time, imagining the wonderful life Xu Zhenzhu would have after working at the supply and marketing cooperative.
Somehow the conversation turned to whether or not to get some benefits for the family members as well.
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