On the way back, they passed by a department store. Zhang Guoqing stopped the car and asked Zhou Jiao to give him all the tickets she had except the food coupons.
"We'll go find Xiaofei's aunt later. She's told me several times that I don't have to queue up to buy things anymore, I can just go find her. It's hard to refuse such a kind offer, so let's at least give her a favor."
Zhou Jiao laughed at his shameless words.
"Do you think your man is bad? It's hard to be a human being. Her girl is under our mother's care. If you keep being polite to her, she will worry that your friendship is too shallow."
Zhou Jiao agreed with this statement, but she has always been reluctant to cause trouble for others, so she would rather queue than enjoy the convenience.
"From now on, if you want to buy something, just go to her. As long as you follow the normal transaction, you don't have to worry about her taking advantage of you if you get too close."
Zhang Guoqing said this because he was considering what would happen if his wife had to wait in line alone if he had to go on a long trip. So, buddy, you should wake up.
——With space in hand, you have everything.
Even though Zhou Jiao didn't know what he was thinking, she still shook her head and said, "I'd rather wait in line than socialize with her."
Zhang Guoqing carefully selected some of the tickets and returned them to her. Hearing her say this, he burst into laughter. It was truly amazing that she was so afraid of trouble.
After getting off the car, the couple had just entered the employee passage and had not yet reached upstairs when Aunt Fang, who had heard the news, came out to greet them.
She walked quickly towards them and said with a smile: "It's really Xiaowu and Jiaojiao, I thought I heard it wrong."
Zhou Jiao's scalp tingled when she saw the other party's passionate attitude and voice. Why did she always feel like a weasel was paying New Year's greetings to a chicken?
"Aunt, you're blaming us for not coming over to disturb you." Zhang Guoqing also took two quick steps. "I haven't seen you in the compound for a long time. Are you busy lately?"
"Let's go to my office first. I haven't been there for a while. How are the old man and the old lady doing recently?"
Zhang Guoqing extended his hand to let her go first, and said with a smile: "It's fine. Grandpa Fang is still arguing with his old friend early every morning, and Grandma Fang is still chatting with her old sisters about her precious grandson."
"Hahaha...good boy, aren't you afraid that I will complain to the old man?"
"It's okay. I'll run as soon as he glares at me. Brother Xiaofei is behind me to protect me. Aunt, have you seen Brother Xiaofei recently? He got another raise."
"I heard you got promoted too. You wild boys are now considered to be quite promising."
Listening to Zhang Guoqing cheerfully talking to her, as if they were reuniting with a long-lost relative who hadn't seen the world for eight lifetimes, Zhou Jiao subconsciously looked around.
She figured the people in the surrounding offices must have gotten the gist of it. These two were really good at making up stories, managing to sound like they were so awesome.
After entering the office, Zhang Guoqing didn't need her to greet him. He directly pulled Zhou Jiao to sit down, looked around the room, and said with a smile: "This place is really nice."
"That's all." Aunt Fang poured two glasses of water and handed them to them. "Jiaojiao, next time you come, don't wait in line downstairs. Just come here directly. Or give me a call and I'll advance the money for you. You can also pay me back when you get back."
Zhou Jiao took the water cup, thanked him, and said with a smile, "Occasionally once or twice is fine. If you start this, everyone will come to you and delay your work."
"You're such a considerate kid, no wonder my mom keeps talking about you. What do you want to buy this time? Do you have enough tickets? I still have quite a few."
Zhou Jiao quickly replied, "Yes, there are quite a few accumulated, enough."
Zhang Guoqing glanced at Zhou Jiao with a smile, then looked at Aunt Fang, "I'm really not being polite with you. This year, our family has accumulated too many tickets, and some of them will expire if we don't use them."
Zhou Jiao smiled knowingly and said, "Look, there are still people queuing downstairs at least, but if there are too many, I'll come find you."
"It's no big deal. Okay, wait a minute, I'll go next door and ask if there's anything in high demand."
Zhou Jiao took the opportunity to put down the cup of water she didn't want to drink and stood up. "I'll go with you. Give the money and tickets directly to the finance department. I can't make things difficult for you, aunt."
"It's okay, I'll just padded it first."
Zhang Guoqing handed the ticket and money to Zhou Jiao, complaining disapprovingly, "Aunt is being distant again. It's a privilege to take your niece-in-law out for a walk."
Aunt Fang laughed, "Yes, she is very lucky, but this is my niece, not my niece-in-law. Don't worry, I will bring your daughter-in-law back to you in one piece."
As they chatted and laughed, the three of them left the room again. Aunt Fang, as the leader, was quite capable and received an answer after asking a question casually.
After paying the tickets and cash, they don't have to go downstairs, someone will pack them up for them to take away.
"Sister Fang, the warehouse will have a lot of defective products sorted out next month."
Aunt Fang rolled her eyes at the other person with amusement, "Alright, let's all go over and take a look. Jiaojiao, you guys come with us too, this is an internal employee benefit."
Zhou Jiao knew without her explanation that there were defective products for sale in the department store that did not require a ticket every once in a while, but it was different from the ones that their internal employees picked out first, and there were several grades of defective products.
For example, a batch of blankets, if the label is damaged, it is also a defective product, if the color is uneven, it is also a defective product, if it is accidentally scratched, it is also a defective product;
For example, an enamel wash basin with a small chip or a large area of damage is considered a defective product. But how can people without friends or family buy it in department stores?
Therefore, families with children who work in department stores, supply and marketing cooperatives are very popular, especially unmarried lesbians who are the best candidates for marriage.
In the county town, Zhou Jiao had asked her neighbor Aunt Huang for help and went in and out of the county supply and marketing cooperative warehouse several times to pick out defective products. She was familiar with some of the rules, but she never expected that there would be such a huge difference between that warehouse and this one.
When Aunt Fang told her that the department store also supplied goods to the supply and marketing cooperative under her jurisdiction, she suddenly realized. No wonder her family was the best off among the Fang siblings.
Of course, this doesn't mean the other party is corrupt or accepting bribes; even if he had the support of the Fang family, he would have been driven out long ago. Rather, he often has legitimate defective products, and whether he exchanges them or sells them privately, the income he earns is no less than his normal salary.
With this in mind, Zhou Jiao didn't ask for too much and picked out a few useful things. Making anyone spend money would make them feel bad, and she had enough food and clothing, so why bother?
When Aunt Fang saw that she had picked out two towel blankets, two pieces of cloth, two washbasins and two enamel cups, she pulled her funny way, asked her to look at everyone, and motioned her to pick some more.
Zhou Jiao blinked, picked up two more pillowcases, and shook her head slightly. She really didn't need anything, and these two were reserved for gifts at the end of the year.
In the past, she might have given her nephew a generous gift for the sake of her elder sister-in-law Zhang Meili, such as bedding and fabrics brought back from abroad.
But now that I've been around longer, I've gained a deeper understanding of prices and a deeper appreciation for the long haul. Especially with my parents-in-law, even the most vulnerable are those who care for their children.
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