Chapter 229 New Sewing Machine
The Zhao family treated Sheng Xiping and his companions with exceptional hospitality.
The group ate, drank, and chatted until after 1 a.m. when a driver from the transportation department arrived and picked up Zhao Guangning, Sheng Xiping, and the others.
We went to the store together to load the sewing machine and other items onto the car, and then I took them to the Sen Tak train station.
Here, a temporary locomotive pulled by an internal combustion engine, arranged by the bureau, was already waiting. There were some people on board, who were technicians going to inspect the Kaifeng, Shuguang, Shengli, and Qianchuan forest farms.
"Brothers, I'll leave you here. This car goes all the way to Qianchuan Forest Farm, so you can just sit here comfortably."
When you get married, if I can make time, I'll definitely come to your wedding banquet.
Zhao Guangning saw Sheng Xiping and the others off to their car, gave the driver a few more instructions, and then shook hands with them to say goodbye.
"Brother Zhao, I'm so sorry to have caused you and Uncle Zhao a lot of trouble."
Sheng Xiping held Zhao Guangning's hand and thanked him profusely, feeling quite apologetic.
He really didn't mean to trouble the Zhao family, but things turned out quite well. Not only did they treat them to a meal, they also arranged a car for them to go home.
"What are you saying, so formal? We're like old friends, it's just a small favor, something that happened on the way." Zhao Guangning laughed nonchalantly.
"Okay, that's settled then. It's getting late, so let's not waste any more time. If anything comes up later, just call the Transportation Department at the bureau."
Zhao Guangning withdrew his hand, smiled at everyone, and got out of the car.
Zhao Guangning got off the car, and the driver started the engine. The diesel engine pulled the carriage away from the small train station, heading from Songjianghe to several forest farms on the northern route.
Sheng Xiping and his colleagues were not familiar with any of the technicians in the bureau, and it was inappropriate for them to take the initiative to strike up a conversation with them.
However, the Northeasterners' natural tendency to be outgoing can be applied anywhere. While Sheng Xiping and his colleagues might not initiate conversations, the technicians certainly can.
Some people chatted with Sheng Xiping and his friends, while others subtly inquired about the relationship between the Zhao family and Sheng Xiping and his friends.
Sheng Xiping naturally couldn't speak carelessly, so he simply said that he came to the bureau on business and happened to find out that there was a car, so he hitched a ride back.
I don't have much of a relationship with the Zhao family; I've only met them twice.
Those people naturally refused to believe it. They were originally going to Funan, Jinbei, and Manjiang on the southern route, but suddenly received a notice saying that they would go to the northern route first instead.
So people guessed that one of these young men was some kind of relative of the Zhao family, so the bureau temporarily changed the inspection of the forest farm.
Regardless of what others say, Sheng Xiping simply said that he wasn't familiar with the Zhao family and it didn't have much to do with them.
When people realized they couldn't find out anything, they gave up and everyone got on their own. Some of them were so sleepy that they just dozed off and went to sleep.
This train only took the technicians to the forest farm, and there was nothing else to delay it, so it went quite fast, arriving at Qianchuan Forest Farm in less than two hours.
Sheng Xiping and the others got out of the car, carried the sewing machine down, and helped deliver it to the Sheng family.
Before they even entered the house, the dog in the yard started barking. This time, Sheng Xiping didn't have time to soothe the dog first. Instead, he and Wang Jianshe carried the sewing machine into the house.
"Mom, we're back. Where do you think we put that sewing machine?" Sheng Xiping asked loudly as soon as they entered the room.
Zhang Shuzhen was doing needlework in the east room when she heard the noise and quickly put on her shoes and got out of bed.
"Oh, you really bought it? Then put it in the west room. This is for your wedding, where else would you put it if not in the new room?"
Zhang Shuzhen pointed to the spot near the north window in the west room, a space that had been specially reserved when the furniture was arranged.
Following Zhang Shuzhen's instructions, Wang Jianshe and the others carried the sewing machine to the west room and placed it against the north wall.
Then everyone removed the outer packaging of the sewing machine, revealing the machine inside.
This is a new product that the provincial capital's sewing machine factory started producing last year. It's a Jiefang brand all-plastic-coated three-drum sewing machine with three drums underneath, the largest of which holds the sewing machine head.
When the sewing machine is not in use, the machine head is stored in the hopper and covered with a board. This is neat and doesn't take up much space.
These state-of-the-art sewing machines are so rare that you can hardly find more than a handful in Qianchuan Forest Farm, let alone Dajian Farm.
The brand-new sewing machine arrived, and Zhang Shuzhen was overjoyed with it. She touched it here and looked at it there, unable to put it down.
"When Qinglan comes back tonight, I need to ask her to teach me how to use this thing. I heard that she has a sewing machine at home and she knows how to use it."
The Zhou family is a dual-income household with high incomes, and Wang Chunxiu doesn't have much time for hand sewing and mending, so the family bought a sewing machine.
"Xiping, if there's nothing else at home, we'll head back now. If you need anything done here, just let us know."
I've been away for two days and am back early, so of course I have to hurry home. They've all received a lot of money, and I need to go home and settle accounts.
"Okay, I'll call you guys if I need anything. I'll definitely need your help a lot these days."
It's just like having a brother; there's no need to say anything fancy.
Sheng Xiping nodded earnestly, saw everyone to the door, said a few words, and then they all left.
Sheng Xiping turned around and went back into the house, quickly rummaging through all the things he had bought and listing them off to his mother one by one.
This time, I went to the county to sell leather and musk, and the total amount was 1,830 yuan.
After deducting the money for the leopard skin from the Liu family father and son, Sheng Xiping split the remaining amount into four hundred and fifty points. Adding the money for the wolf skin, the total came to a little over four hundred and fifty.
I spent 133 yuan on the sewing machine, and also spent a lot of money on various other things such as fabrics, washbasins, mirrors, soap boxes, cigarettes, alcohol, candy, and tea.
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