After arriving at the station, Cao Yajun took Xu Xiangyang off the train.
Because of the heavy snow, both of their coats were a little wet.
Xu Xiangyang quickened his pace and followed the people in front. Soon they arrived at a two-story building. Although it was a building, it wasn't as luxurious as a small villa.
It's estimated that most of the villas have already been sealed off, and buildings that idolize foreign things have been destroyed or sealed off.
Cao Yajun led him up to the second floor. This building had an external staircase, and it was quite obvious that the first and second floors were not connected.
Because there is an additional kitchen built outside, the kitchen on the second floor is relatively small and not as spacious as the one on the first floor.
"Let me tell you, this is nothing. I'll have someone bring one back for you next time you have the chance."
Before I even entered the door, I could hear people talking inside.
Cao Yajun knocked on the door, and it was immediately opened.
Once the door opened, you could see inside from the outside; there were only three people inside.
Two of them were people I had met before. One was called Fatty Lu. Xu Xiangyang had sat at the same table with him that day and had a pretty deep impression of him. This fat guy could eat at a whole table by himself.
Another one was the leader's son, Ma Xinping, who was at the party that day.
Sitting next to him was a person who was clearly not Han Chinese; he was probably from Xinjiang, because his features were very distinctive and could be recognized at a glance.
"Oh, Secretary Cao is here. This comrade looks familiar," Fatty Lu greeted first.
Cao Yajun nodded. "Yes, this is a comrade from the Grain Bureau, and also my friend, Xu Xiangyang."
After speaking, Xu Xiangyang glanced at the person in front of him in surprise. Because the two were quite different, they had never addressed each other as friends.
The others were also a little surprised, but didn't say anything.
“Since he’s Secretary Cao’s friend, he’s our friend too.” Ma Xinping said with a smile, “Come in, come sit down. It’s so cold outside.”
He didn't get up, naturally because he was the highest-ranking among these people.
Of course, he's the son of a high-ranking city official; who would dare offend him?
Cao Yajun also had to give people face, let alone Xu Xiangyang, so naturally he had no right to complain.
After they entered the house, they both took off their coats, as their clothes were a little wet from the snow that had been falling while they were walking.
Ma Xinping glanced at Xu Xiangyang, showing great interest in his attire.
He then asked, "Comrade Xu, aren't you cold wearing leather shoes?"
The outside temperature is around minus 25 degrees Celsius, which is not even considered the lowest temperature in Northeast China.
Even so, it's not something the average person can endure. Wearing a thick cotton-padded coat, one can't withstand being outside for more than half an hour.
Looking at Xu Xiangyang's clothes, it's obvious that his cashmere coat, while windproof, isn't as warm as a cotton-padded jacket.
Needless to say, single-layered leather shoes would probably cause chilblains on my feet if they stayed in the cold for a while longer.
Upon hearing his words, Xu Xiangyang stretched out his long legs and said, "I'm not cold, these are cotton-padded leather shoes."
Cotton-lined leather shoes?
Everyone was stunned for a moment. What? Leather shoes can be padded?
Seeing that they seemed somewhat skeptical, Xu Xiangyang took off one shoe. Although it was unseemly, he wanted to make it clear to everyone, which was the best way to prove it.
Everyone peered inside and, sure enough, saw a layer of short, shiny fuzz inside the shoe.
"Wow!" Fatty Lu exclaimed in surprise, "I've never seen cotton-padded leather shoes before! This is the first time I've ever seen them."
It's no wonder he said that; no one else had seen it either. They'd heard before that the Soviet Union had cotton-lined leather shoes, but they'd never actually sold them.
This is the first time I've ever seen this before.
While everyone else was wearing cotton shoes with thick soles or ordinary cotton shoes, Xu Xiangyang's cotton leather shoes stood out too much.
"Tsk tsk tsk." Ma Xinping shook his head and looked at Xu Xiangyang, saying, "I didn't expect Comrade Xu to have such connections, he can even get Soviet leather shoes."
He wasn't joking. These days, if you want to get something imported, you have to go to a foreign exchange store, but they only have some electrical appliances or fabrics and clothing that they don't have here.
Even leather shoes are all single-layered; there are no cotton-padded leather shoes at all.
In this day and age, updating the counters is even more impossible; everyone is selling off their existing stock.
Those around him nodded in agreement. Even leaders these days don't wear cotton-padded leather shoes. It's really rare to see shoes like these.
Xu Xiangyang smiled and said, "It's nothing. If you want to buy some, I can have someone bring them for you."
That's why he wore leather shoes today; making money is secondary, since he's not short of money right now.
Most importantly, he wanted to get in touch with these people.
Xu Xiangyang didn't want to be a driver for more than ten years; changing jobs was the best option.
At least in the future, when I go into business, I'll have some foundation so that I won't get into trouble just because I'm doing business.
Sometimes, connections are more important than work. If you have connections, you won't run into obstacles everywhere you go.
Their eyes lit up when they heard they could bring shoes. With the Lunar New Year just a month away, who wouldn't want to look cool?
Chinese New Year is a time for family and friends to get together. Even if you don't pretend with these people, you still have to pretend with your colleagues at work.
Everyone had their own thoughts, but seeing Xu Xiangyang's sincere eyes and that he wasn't joking, they all ordered a pair of shoes.
"How much is the deposit?" Fatty Lu asked, looking all rich and powerful. For him, a pair of shoes was nothing, leather shoes were fine too, as long as he didn't need foreign currency.
It's not that these cadres' families can't get foreign exchange, but rather that they don't have that much.
Xu Xiangyang shook his head. "No deposit is needed. A pair of shoes costs twenty-eight yuan. If you think that's acceptable, I'll place the order directly. You can pay me back when you receive the shoes."
Is he short of money? His intention is to build good relationships with these young people.
Hearing this, everyone else thought Xu Xiangyang was a really good guy. Wasn't he worried that they might not want the shoes later, leaving him with nothing?
But then I thought, even if they don't want it, there are probably many others who would. These days, besides food and drink, who doesn't want a nice outfit?
After saying all that, Ma Xinping changed the subject, saying, "I think things are going to be pretty strict in our new city right now. Even though it's almost Chinese New Year, I heard there's still something going on in a few days."
During this period, things happened unpredictably every day, but it wasn't a big problem for them.
Especially for Xu Xiangyang, who was in contact with people at the lower levels, there was absolutely no way he could get into trouble.
But they are different; if they have a problem choosing sides, they are likely to suffer the consequences.
Cao Yajun nodded solemnly and said, "I heard someone is planning something, but I don't know who exactly. The newly appointed head of the Propaganda Department is probably eager to produce some results, so he might make baseless accusations."
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