"My Pearl, you're so kind of people. You'd think of me as your brother and sister-in-law if I wanted anything, but you see through me over this little thing. You're all ingrates! Instead of helping Pearl and getting revenge, you're all trying to curry favor with that little bitch!"
"Old man, why did you leave so early! Leaving us, mother and daughter, to suffer like this—"
Overwhelmed with grief, Miao Cuihua couldn't help but sit down on the ground and begin to weep for the deceased Old Xu.
Xu Jinlai and his brother, along with the others, rushed over, coaxing and persuading Miao Cuihua, and even behaving humbly, until they finally managed to calm Miao Cuihua down and stop her crying and cursing.
As for how to give Xu Zhenzhu some advice to help her vent her anger, the entire family of over ten people couldn't even muster a single useful brain, so naturally they couldn't come up with any ideas.
Xu Zhenzhu cried herself to sleep, gritted her teeth, and got up: "Mom, I want to go to the county tomorrow too."
Miao Cuihua readily agreed: "Pearl, if you want to go, go. Go and clear your head, find Lu Kai and see if his family can help you get a better job! Go work at the county department store! Isn't Lu Kai's dad the deputy factory director? Isn't he supposed to have a lot of power? He should be able to handle this little thing, right?"
"How can you say this isn't a matter of face for his family? The job arranged for the future daughter-in-law of a deputy factory director is not as good as that of a country girl with a 'black five categories' boyfriend. It's embarrassing to talk about it, isn't it?"
These words struck a chord with Xu Zhenzhu.
She also felt that Xu Ningyan was just being honest and returning lost money; it was a small thing, but it was enough for her to get a job in the county.
Lu Kai's father is the deputy director of the county machinery factory. It's said that even the county magistrate treats his father with great respect.
They'll just assign her a job as a sales clerk at the commune. Wouldn't that be embarrassing for the Lu family if word got out?
Besides, Lu Kai likes her so much and is determined to marry her. If she just cries a few times in front of him, he would probably agree.
Thinking this through, she wiped away a tear and revealed a resolute expression.
Seeing that Xu Zhenzhu seemed to have come to her senses, Miao Cuihua breathed a sigh of relief: "Is the money enough? If not, Mom will give you more!"
He was about to take out his money.
The Xu family members watching from the sidelines were filled with envy, but dared not utter a sound.
After all, they knew that the family was now counting on Xu Zhenzhu.
That night, many people in the entire Tuanjie Brigade did not sleep well.
Xu Ningyan, however, slept very soundly.
Her biological clock made her habitually wake up before dawn.
Outside, Gu Zhiyuan had already boiled water for washing his face and filled a military water bottle with warm tea, which he then placed aside to cool.
Xu Ningyan had planned to make breakfast, but Gu Zhiyuan stopped her: "We're having breakfast at the commune's state-run restaurant today, so there's no need to make anything!"
Upon hearing this, Xu Ningyan, who also had a craving for the large meat buns from the state-run restaurant, readily agreed.
After Xu Ningyan finished washing up, she came out carrying her bundle. Gu Zhiyuan took it from her, and they came out together, locking the courtyard gate.
The lackey had been waiting outside the yard. When the two came out, he wagged his tail and whimpered softly.
Xu Ningyan then instructed his lackey, "I'm going to the county town for a few days. You'd better take good care of the house! Don't let anyone bully Brother Gu!"
The lackey barked twice, seemingly in agreement.
Gu Zhiyuan watched with a smile as Xu Ningyan finished talking to the lackey before leading her down another path, bypassing the brigade and heading directly onto the main road outside the brigade.
As the sky began to lighten, wisps of white mist rose from the mountains and the woods along the roadside.
The mountain breeze was a bit chilly in the morning, but after walking for a while, I felt warm all over.
After Xu Ningyan left the brigade and got onto the main road, she realized that the lackey had been following her the whole time. After much persuasion, the lackey finally turned back.
The two walked at a brisk pace and encountered people from nearby brigades heading to the commune early in the morning.
Although he looked somewhat familiar, I couldn't recall his name.
No one spoke; they just kept their heads down and hurried on their way.
When we arrived at the commune, the sun had barely peeked out when the temperature had already risen considerably.
The two headed straight to the state-run restaurant, where a sign outside listed the breakfast menu: shredded pork and vegetable noodles, steamed buns, mantou (steamed bread), porridge, fried dough sticks, soy milk, and local specialties like ox-tongue pancakes and kangbaba (a type of flatbread).
Ox-tongue biscuits resemble ox tongues. They are deep-fried and then coated with a layer of white powdered sugar. They are sweet and fragrant. In later generations, they would be considered a carbohydrate, sugar, and oil bomb, but in this era, they were extremely precious and sought-after goods.
Even state-run restaurants rarely do this.
Kangbaba is a type of pasta. After the dough has risen, it is cut into small pieces, then pressed into round cakes, and placed in a hot iron pan. The pan is then covered with a lid, the fire is removed, and the cakes are baked using the residual heat of the pan.
The flatbread baked in this oven is soft, fluffy, and has a wonderful aroma; it's best eaten while it's hot.
If it gets cold, the outer crust of the pancake will become dry and hard, but the naan inside will still be soft.
It's very filling when eaten as dry food, and it tastes even better if you roast it over a fire when you have time.
Xu Ningyan and Gu Zhiyuan each ordered a bowl of noodles, and each added two steamed buns and two ox-tongue pastries, eating with their mouths full of oil.
In the end, Xu Ningyan conceded defeat. She was already full from a bowl of noodles, a steamed bun, and a beef tongue pancake, so Gu Zhiyuan finished off the rest.
At Xu Ningyan's suggestion, Gu Zhiyuan bought about ten more kang baba. When he was busy, he would make a cup of sugar water, eat one or two, and that would be enough to fill him up without delaying his work.
After leaving the state-run hotel, Gu Zhiyuan led his men toward the bus station.
When we arrived at the bus station, we waited for a while before they opened for business.
Others waiting for the bus murmured among themselves, saying that not having a watch was a real hassle, as they didn't know the exact time and were afraid of missing their bus. They had come to the bus station early, but now that they were too early, they didn't dare leave.
What was said without malice may have been taken to heart by the listener.
Gu Zhiyuan glanced at Xu Ningyan's empty wrist and pursed his lips.
Fortunately, it didn't take long before Gu Zhiyuan rushed to buy her a train ticket and arranged for Xu Ningyan to sit in a window seat on the right. He then handed her the package he was carrying and also stuffed the military water bottle he was carrying into her hands.
Xu Ningyan was about to decline when Gu Zhiyuan got out of the car and waved to her from a distance.
Quite a few people were going to the county town, and before long, there were only a few seats left on the bus.
Xu Ningyan gestured for Gu Zhiyuan to go back early, and Gu Zhiyuan nodded in agreement but didn't move.
It seemed like he wanted to say something more, but in the end he only said one sentence, "Be careful!"
Xu Ningyan smiled and agreed. Just as she was about to turn back, her eyes suddenly turned cold. She saw Xu Zhenzhu rushing over.
He was still holding a fried dough stick in his hand.
She had her hair tied in a high ponytail, with a handkerchief tied in a bow.
He had a military green crossbody bag slung across his shoulder, bulging with something inside, and was wearing a white and pink checkered short-sleeved shirt, blue-gray trousers, and transparent plastic sandals.
In this day and age, it was already an extremely fashionable look.
At least everyone on the bus, and most of the people in the entire passenger station, were looking at her.
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