Gu Wei gathered the photos he had on hand, walked over to them, and joined them.
The three chatted enthusiastically, but their voices were not loud, though Xu Qiuju and Xu Qiuyue could occasionally hear some of it.
Therefore, they also learned that Gu Wei and the others had gone to the provincial capital a few days ago.
Xu Qiuju glanced over there furtively, then whispered to Xu Qiuyue, "On the opening day of the Ice and Snow Festival, some of my colleagues who were there on business happened to be there. I heard it was incredibly lively. I even saw a lot of foreigners..."
"Really?" Xu Qiuyue replied absentmindedly.
Xu Qiuju looked at her younger sister in surprise, "What are you thinking about?"
Xu Qiuyue came back to her senses. "I wasn't thinking about anything."
Xu Qiuju's lips moved, but she realized it wasn't the place to say those things, so she swallowed the words back.
The two sisters ultimately chose a red and a camel-colored wool sweater, along with some small accessories.
Li Guizhi was in charge of settling the bill and rounded down the three cents.
Before leaving, Xu Qiuju said goodbye to Gu Wei again.
Gu Wei also gently said, "Take care."
After the two sisters left, Gu Jianguo approached Gu Wei and casually remarked, "University students are only on winter break now."
Gu Wei raised an eyebrow.
How could he not guess the meaning behind his grandfather's words?
"It depends on which university it is; their holidays should be considered relatively early."
"Really? It's already mid-January, that's still early. What time is it later, before the Lunar New Year?" Gu Jianguo asked curiously.
"It probably won't be that late."
Gu Wei was not familiar with the situation of universities in the 1980s, but he had looked up some information.
At that time, there were scholarships available for college students, and many people from poor families saved money and even helped their families out of poverty.
Some people don't go home during winter and summer vacations; they stay at school instead.
Besides studying hard, another important reason was that they didn't have money to buy train tickets.
Even with a student ID that offers half-price tickets, round-trip train tickets are still a significant burden for students from impoverished families.
Gu Jianguo wanted to steer the conversation towards the female college student, but seeing Gu Wei chatting with the two children again, he sighed inwardly and had no choice but to give up...
On the other side, the Xu sisters, who had left, started talking about Gu Wei without any reservations once they had gone some distance.
Xu Qiuju exclaimed, "This young man is really capable. He opened a shop in the city too. Your older sister and I have even been there. It's bigger than this one, and the business is much better. He must have made money, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to open another shop so quickly..."
These dual-income families have secure jobs and receive a fixed monthly salary.
It looks stable, but it's far less than what other people earn. It's impossible not to be envious.
Xu Qiuyue pursed her lips, her feelings somewhat complicated. "What's the use of making so much money? I'm still just a self-employed individual."
"Don't let the name 'self-employed' fool you; these days, self-employed people can make money. The other day, your second brother-in-law was saying that there's a saying circulating in many big cities: those who work on missiles are not as well off as those who sell tea eggs. Have you heard that in the capital?"
Xu Qiuju knew that her younger sister was a bit arrogant and often looked down on people, which she thought was not good.
Things change, and no one knows what the future holds.
Xu Qiuyue said impatiently, "I heard that! But someone deliberately spread this. Imperialists are still determined to destroy us. They'd love for everyone to stop doing research and start selling tea eggs! If many people believe it, they'll have succeeded!"
Xu Qiuju was skeptical. "Really?"
She knew she couldn't win the argument against her quick-witted younger sister, so she simply changed the subject to something more interesting.
"Hey, didn't you write home saying that your roommate Xiaoman has taken a liking to this guy? What's the situation between them now?"
Xu Qiuyue frowned. "I don't know. Second sister, you're a cadre, how come you're like those rural women, always gossiping about other people's business!"
Xu Qiuju was immediately enraged. "If you hadn't told us about their relationship first, would I have been curious enough to ask about it today? Fine, ever since you went to university, you've acted superior. You haven't even graduated yet, and you're already looking down on this person and that person. I'd like to see what kind of future you'll have!"
After she finished speaking, she stuffed a bag she was carrying into Xu Qiuyue's hand and strode away.
Xu Qiuyue hadn't expected things to turn out this way. She wanted to call for help, but she was also angry and aggrieved, so she stomped her feet in resentment.
He couldn't help but feel even more hatred for Qin Zhiman.
Thinking of Gu Wei, I felt both angry and resentful, and at the same time, a strange, indescribable feeling lingered in my heart...
The capital city.
Qin Zhiman, who was lying on the bed, sneezed twice.
Qin's mother touched her forehead worriedly, "Why are you sneezing again? Is it getting serious?"
The skin under her hand was only warm, not feverish, which eased her mind a little.
Pale-faced Qin Zhiman grasped her mother's hand and forced a smile. "Mom, no. I'm almost better now. My nose was just a little itchy. You go ahead with your work, I'll lie down and sleep for a while."
Although Qin's mother was still a little worried, she had a lot of work to do, so she could only give a few more instructions, then carefully tucked the blanket in before turning around and leaving.
Qin Zhiman waited until the door closed slowly before she dropped her pretense and stopped forcing a smile.
She turned to look out the window and fell into a daze.
Winters in Beijing should be much warmer than in that place.
But she felt unusually cold.
Not just the body, but the whole heart.
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