Cui Mei looked completely bewildered: "No, where did you get the idea that there's something going on between us? Isn't that just making things up?"
Xiao Jiu held up her index finger and shook it in front of her eyes, looking inscrutable.
"No, no, no, it's just my gut feeling. You two weren't like this at home before. At most, you'd just nod to each other. It's different now. I feel like something must have happened between you two. Otherwise, how could these straight men take such meticulous care of you? It's not like them at all!"
Cui Mei felt that Xiao Jiu was overthinking things. "I think Zhou Yue is good to you. Could it be that he and you are having an affair?"
Xiao Jiu was speechless after being rebuked with one sentence: "How could that be? I'm so young, how could there be anything between us?"
"You're talking as if I'm already very old. You're 50, I'm 44, there's only a six-year age difference between us."
Alright, stop worrying about things you shouldn't. Our two families are close, so it's only natural for us to care about each other. Don't overthink it.
Xiao Jiu understood what Cui Mei meant; it simply meant that once a relationship is broken, it can never be restored to its original state.
"Okay, I know, just take it as a joke."
"We can't make jokes like that, especially since we're girls. We need to be reserved, you know?"
Reserved? Xiao Jiu rolled her eyes. "Sis, have you been assimilated? We're not that old-fashioned."
"No, we were still very traditional in our time. You are twenty years from us. Maybe you are progressive, but we are still very law-abiding. So the best way to protect yourself is to be chaste and not get married casually."
This is also what Cui Mei has always adhered to: marriage is a lifelong commitment, and she cannot settle for just anyone.
Moreover, she didn't think Zhou Xing was a good match for her.
She is a doctor, and he is a soldier. These two professions are especially unsuitable for marriage and having children because they are too irresponsible towards children.
Since your job doesn't allow you to spend enough time with your child, you might as well give up on the idea of getting married from the start.
Tang Cuimei thought this way and said it quite naturally. Xiao Jiu didn't think it was too early to consider it now; on the contrary, she thought it was very practical.
Moreover, the nine sisters were surprisingly in agreement on marriage, except for the fourth sister, who was somewhat confused and didn't really know what marriage meant. However, she was fortunate that her partner, Niu Feng, was a reliable person, so she married him in a daze.
Cui Mei took the cloth bag from Xiao Jiu's hand, and as the two walked back, they unconsciously changed the subject and started talking about Cui Hong.
"After Fourth Sister gets married on May Day, will she be joining her military unit?"
"I've never been to the military compound before. My fourth sister will be a family member from now on. When I go to military academy, will I be able to visit her too?"
Tang Cuimei then belatedly realized that Xiao Jiu was also going to the West Market.
"Of course you can go. You'll see what the military compound is like then."
Not long after they returned to the entrance of the state-run restaurant, the two brothers drove back, quite surprised to see the two sisters with bags full of stuff.
"Why did you buy so much? We've almost finished preparing everything. You bought a really good amount of fruit. Where did you buy it? We haven't seen it before."
Xiao Jiu secretly tugged at Zhou Yue's sleeve and whispered, "An old lady dragged me into her yard to pick it out; it's so fresh!"
“That’s not speculation,” Xiao Jiu glared at him before he could finish speaking. “I don’t care if she is or not. I only know that her fruit is good, her snacks are also good, and she doesn’t need coupons. Hurry up and open the door, put the things in the back, my sister and I are going to the toilet.”
Zhou Yue was speechless after being confronted by Xiao Jiu. Knowing he couldn't win the argument, he obediently did as she said.
Tang Cuimei found it amusing to see Zhou Yue speechless. When the two of them lined up at the public restroom entrance, she said with a smile.
"Look at you, so capable. Even Zhou Yue was rendered speechless by your rebuttal."
"I spoke to him in a low voice, but he still spoke so loudly, as if he was afraid others wouldn't hear him. Who else should I talk back to?"
There weren't many people ahead of them. As soon as they entered the restroom, the two of them held their breath, quickly relieved themselves, and ran out, only exhaling when they were far away.
In those days, all public toilets were dry toilets, which were smelly and disgusting. The key thing was that there were toilet attendants, who, although temporary workers, earned more than ten yuan a month!
However, the money should belong to the person who does it; not many people are willing to do such a dirty and smelly job every day.
"Brother Zhou Yue, sit in the back. I want to see how to drive. When the road gets better, I'll have your brother teach me."
Xiao Jiu also chimed in at the opportune moment, "I'd like to give it a try too."
Zhou Yue immediately agreed: "Sure, I'll teach you in a bit. It's no problem, it's very simple."
It's that simple. In this era, all you need to do is learn to drive. You don't need to worry too much about parking or road conditions. After all, there are no cars on the road. You can just park wherever is convenient. There are parking spaces everywhere. Unlike in later times, where you can search for a parking space until you go bald.
Zhou Xing, who was in charge, reminded everyone to fasten their seat belts and then slowly started the engine. At the same time, he didn't forget to teach Cui Mei about the dashboard, rearview mirror, and gear shift. Xiao Jiu yawned unceremoniously, saying that it's easy to feel sleepy after eating a full meal, especially when the car is traveling on uneven roads, it feels like riding in a sedan chair, which is bumpy and uncomfortable.
I didn't dare open the car windows wide; even a small crack felt like the cold wind was penetrating to my bones. I could only force myself to sleep, and once I was asleep, I wouldn't feel dizzy so easily.
Half an hour later, Xiao Jiu's head started pecking at rice like a chick. When Cui Mei turned her head to look at her, she felt a sharp pain in her neck.
Meanwhile, Zhou Yue, who was standing next to her, would glance to the side every now and then. She wanted to get closer, but she felt it was against the rules, as her upright posture was really awkward. So, as the older sister, she quickly spoke up.
"Stop the car, Zhou Yue. Let's switch places. Look at my wine, my neck is about to break from shaking it."
In this era, there is a great deal of separation between men and women; even people who are very familiar with each other cannot have physical contact casually.
As soon as Cui Mei went over, she freed Xiao Jiu's head and placed it on her shoulder.
“That would make her uncomfortable, and the jolting would make her ears hurt even more. Lay her flat on the two chairs, and sit down near her legs to block her view.”
Finally, with the help of Zhou Xing and Zhou Yue, Xiao Jiu was secured to the two chairs, and the seat belts were held down by her body, making it difficult for her to fall off.
Cui Mei pulled out a small folding stool from under the passenger seat, unfolded it, and sat down in the empty space in the middle of the seat, leaning on her lap, feeling sleepy.
Before long, the sisters' breathing became even. Zhou Yue and Zhou Xing looked back and showed a helpless expression.
"This adaptability is extraordinary," he complained, but his speed unconsciously slowed down.
Not long after leaving the city, the road became bumpy. After a section of the national highway was blocked, we had to turn onto a side road. Near a small grove of trees, the jeep was stopped.
Zhou Xing rolled down the car window halfway and looked at the middle-aged man who walked over and first looked at the situation inside the car: "What's the matter?"
After glancing at the two women in the back seat, the man's eyes flickered imperceptibly before he quickly turned to look at Zhou Xing.
"My wife isn't feeling well and needs to go to the hospital. We've been waiting for so long and no car has come. Could you please give us a ride?"
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