After wiping her hair quickly, Zhou Jiao went inside to change into a long-sleeved shirt with a white background and light blue flowers, put on a pair of dark blue overalls, and braided her long hair into a bun.
When she came out, Qiao Na looked at the clothes she had just changed into and pouted at her, "Jiao Jiao, can you put on a few patches for me too?"
Zhou Jiao rolled her eyes at her and said with a smile, "Stop being naughty! Why patch something that's not broken?"
Joanna muttered, "Can it be the same?"
Seeing her like this, Zhou Jiao smiled and pulled her and the other two back to their room. She couldn't understand why every time she wore a piece of clothing, she would be envied by others. You know, she had worn this piece for two whole years, and the thought of it made her feel sad. Back in Beijing was worse than back home.
Since the year before last, she has been hiding her "expensive" sheepskin coat at home, not to mention the various fur coats in her space. The days of being wrapped in a heavy military coat at school are really enough.
But life still has to go on like this...Except for sweaters that don't attract attention, nothing else can be taken out to cause trouble.
She had just thought of knitting a few more sweaters for her family during this time, but unexpectedly, Qiao Na was already there asking for their opinions. This girl is really one thing after another!
"...Maybe there's some yarn here that doesn't require a ticket. How about we go check it out later? What do you think you could do with your free time out there?"
Zhou Jiao smiled silently, waiting for the other two's opinions. She didn't care; she'd just follow the crowd. She'd already brought two bags before coming, so she had plenty of ways to cover up.
"Didn't you just say you were penniless?"
"Oh, that's their reserve fund. Come on, let's check out the prices here. If they're cheaper than in Beijing, we can ask our families to send some money over."
One of the female classmates, Xie Fang, nodded and said, "That's fine. I still need to get some toilet paper."
Zhou Jiao had no objection. She followed them back to their room to dry their wet clothes, then followed them to find Dayi and the counselor. As she expected, all the female students who applied were accepted.
Zhou Jiao looked at the counselor with understanding, his expression unnatural. "He's still too young!" I wonder how he managed to win over his wife? According to insider gossip, he once fought one against a hundred, breaking through layers of encirclement and finally winning the beauty.
"Write down what you need on a piece of paper and I'll send someone to buy it."
When the counselor said this, the female students who were afraid of being harmed by innocent people immediately retreated and ran away.
Because the guesthouse is located in the city, with a department store and a post office nearby, the teachers are comfortable letting them go out, but the time for them to return is also very tight.
Zhou Jiao passed by the post office and stood there, asking them to go to the mall in front first, and she would rush over to meet them.
"Let's go together. I also want to let my family know I'm safe."
Zhou Jiao glanced at Xie Fang and nodded in agreement. This time, except for Qiao Na, all four people came from good families. If she could think of sending a telegram, they would too!
To make up for her son's regret, Zhou Jiao sent a telegram specifically for Zhang Mingxuan to receive personally. She also took out the four letters she had written in the car and added a few words about the upcoming trip.
When it came time to write the letter to Zhou Xiaozheng, she deliberately wrote a code on it to convey that she had found it. As for what she had found, the father and daughter didn't need to explain much; they both understood.
Zhou Jiao could imagine her father's excited smile. He told him because he was worried that there were things he hadn't taken into account. With the Liang family standing in the way, he had to be careful about some things.
After sending the registered letter, Zhou Jiao bought some envelopes and stamps. If she was in a remote area far from a post office, she could ask someone at her workplace to help her mail it.
Xie Fang had already sent a telegram and was waiting by the side. Seeing this, her eyes lit up. She wondered how she could have forgotten these details, and she hurriedly bought some.
This time when the groups were shuffled, she was cautious and begged the counselor several times before she was able to be in the same group with Zhou Jiaoyi and the others. Compared to Qiao Na who liked to be lively, her goal was profit.
Xie Fang's uncle works in the education department, and her father is a clerk in the police station. It can be said that even though the Xie family is inconspicuous in Beijing, their low position does not mean that they are not well-informed.
Even if Zhou Jiao never announced her home address to the public, her husband's family in Northeast China was the only one she would talk about. However, with the series of scandals of the Lin family being exposed, how could she hide it within a certain range?
At the end of last year, by chance, the Xie family learned that their most outstanding daughter was in the same school and class as a young couple from the Zhou family. They were overjoyed.
At that time, he pulled Xie Fang into the study and revealed Zhang Guoqing and Zhou Jiao's background to her. Of course, these backgrounds were also rumors from outsiders. What was the real situation? Even the top leader Shi Dashen was not sure.
Xie Fang knew then that becoming Zhou Jiao's friend would bring her far greater benefits than she could ever hope for. Unfortunately, no matter how close she tried to get, Zhou Jiao remained consistent with everyone. What was particularly frustrating was that this person, who had never faced any challenges, couldn't even owe her a favor.
Xie Fang no longer held out for the dream of becoming Zhou Jiao's friend. She was already content to get to know her through this internship and enter that circle.
Zhou Jiao had no way of knowing what the other person was thinking. Even if she knew, she wouldn't care. People like that are everywhere, and besides, is it that easy to get into that circle?
Without the friendship between their parents and the same background, they are not one of us. Who would care about you, an outsider? Take her new cousin. Look, they all know each other, but who considers them one of us?
Over the years, aside from Zhang Guoqing's ability to blend in, she'd never seen any unexpected incidents arise. Even if Zhou Jiao had never taken the initiative to understand it, she knew it was a complex social scene, with numerous smaller circles within the larger one, and countless more. She'd actually rather stay away from it, to avoid any trouble.
The department store, the big red letters on the door lintel, the wooden staircase handrails, the wooden shelves, the glass counters and the salespersons who always stood behind the counters, as well as the vanishing cream, Seagull shampoo and rolls of floral fabric...
Honestly, there wasn't much to see for Zhou Jiao; everything looked the same across the country. She'd rather go out for a walk or order a bowl of shrimp wonton noodles.
Considering that Cheng Ruzhu might contact her after work, Zhou Jiao suggested going out when they came out empty-handed. Even buying toilet paper requires a local receipt, so what's the point of shopping?
"I should have asked the teacher if she could give us some local tickets. I walked too fast." Halfway through the journey, Joanna sighed.
Zhou Jiao smiled, lowered her head and continued walking.
After returning, Yi Jiefang and a few others were really issuing tickets, but unfortunately they were only tickets for today's lunch and dinner, and it was unlikely that there were any other tickets.
"Don't wander around. It's a mess here. I'll take you out on a day off."
Zhou Jiao felt awkward listening to his words. There were differences between men and women. This guy really thought he was his sister, but he had to be mindful of the impact. Didn't he notice that several classmates were eavesdropping?
She smiled and shook her head. "No, you have a heavy task this time, so take a good rest first. My aunt knows we are arriving today and should come over this afternoon."
Yi Jiefang understood what she meant. He waited for Cheng Ruzhu to come over and show her ID, and then he could take Zhou Jiao away. Upon hearing this, he immediately rolled his eyes at her. It was great to have an aunt, he also had his elder brother coming!
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