Chapter 23 Chapter 23 Buying books in the county.
Expected answer.
Of course it would be nice to have one, but I wouldn’t be disappointed if Mu Mian wasn’t there.
She smiled and squeezed Shi Xiaolian again, whispering, "Thank you!"
Shi Xiaolian: "No need, you found it yourself."
They each got what they needed.
It was dinner time, and Mu Mian did not follow Shi Xiaolian anymore. After saying a few words, he turned around and went back home.
Halfway through the journey, we met her father who was strolling around with Bone and Xiaochengzi. Xiaochengzi was sitting in the front of the bicycle and was so happy.
Even from a distance, she seemed to be able to see Xiaochengzi's smiling eyes.
Seeing this, Mu Mian couldn't help but doubt herself. Was she the only one who felt the pain? Or maybe she doesn't have enough flesh on her butt?
But it doesn’t matter. Next time, she will definitely sit in the back.
When Mu Mian arrived home, Mu Fugui had already returned from strolling around with his two older nephews.
The villagers at the doorstep had dispersed long ago. After all, Mu Fugui's bicycle was not the only one in the team, so they just came to see it for fun.
The Mu Xinglong brothers and Xiao Chengzi have not left yet.
Mu Fugui chased them away, "Go back to your own homes and find your own mothers. My wife didn't do anything for you.
meal. ”
Mu Xinglong smiled playfully, "Isn't my mother right here?!"
Zhao Meihua: “………………”
Mu Xinglong pretended not to see his biological mother and acted as if she didn't want to recognize him.
He came close to Mu Fugui. Although there was no one else at home, he still whispered, "Brother, your bicycle ticket really helped someone else a lot. Did someone get it for you?"
As the saying goes, family members understand each other. This person immediately saw the essence through the surface.
Mu Fugui asked without blushing or beating his heart, "How else would I have gotten it?"
Mu Xinglong made a "tsk" sound. Although his curiosity was not satisfied, he did not ask any more questions. Thinking that he had two daughters at home who needed to be alone, he did not stay any longer.
After the two brothers left with their children, the yard finally became completely quiet.
Mu Fugui took a handkerchief and wiped the dirt off his bicycle. It was a new bicycle, so he took good care of it.
Mu Mian stood by and gestured. The bicycle seat was placed on her chest, and it looked really tall and heavy.
Mu Fugui: "Want to learn? Then you can only take it out of your pocket and ride it. It will take a few more years before you can sit on it."
This is how kids who are not tall enough ride, with one leg on the pedal and the other leg stretched under the horizontal bar to step on another pedal. This makes the handlebars a little difficult to control.
Mu Mian shook his head, "If you don't want to learn, I'll just watch."
It's so big, and the country roads are hard to walk on, so if it falls it's no joke.
By the time Mu Fugui finished wiping the bicycle, dinner was served.
Mu Mian was more concerned about going to the county than the bicycle. She looked at Mu Fugui and asked, "What time do we go tomorrow?"
Liu Shuangcui: "Just get up a little earlier than usual, and I'll call you then."
Mu Fugui: "I can take you two on a bicycle. It only takes half an hour to get to the commune. Then we can rush to the station. It won't be late."
Mu Mian was relieved and asked Zhao Meihua, "Grandma, are you really not going?"
Mu Fugui replied, "We can go together. Let my wife sit in the front, and you can sit in the back with Mian Ya."
Zhao Meihua shook her head. "No, I won't go. It's fine if the fourth and fifth brothers accompany you to make trouble, but I can't stand your falling."
Mu Fugui said in a tone that seemed unconvinced, "My skills are so good, I was able to ride it smoothly after just two tries after I bought it. The salesperson even praised my skills, how could I possibly fall down because of you?!"
Zhao Meihua was firm, "Then I won't go either."
The old lady was too lazy to make any effort, and Mu Fugui didn't force her.
---
The next morning, Mu Mian woke up before her mother called her.
She changed into the new clothes that Comrade Liu Shuangcui had made for her, a short-sleeved shirt with ruffles, which she had not worn since it was made.
There is no occasion to wear it. I run in the mountains every day. It would be really sad if I got caught on branches.
Mu Mian picked out a pair of pants without patches, which were a bit short and exposed her ankles, just like cropped pants.
Mu Mian also took care of her hair. After nearly three months, it had grown a lot longer and could be braided into small braids.
Mu Mian braided two of her hair and let them stick out at the side, looking particularly playful.
When she was ready to go out, Liu Shuangcui was just about to come over to call for help. Seeing her daughter's appearance, her eyes lit up, "Have you combed your hair? I said I would do it for you."
Mu Fugui was even more exaggerated, "Hey! Which city is this kid from? Why did he come to my house?"
Zhao Meihua gently touched her granddaughter's head and said, "Yes, it's beautiful. The braids are really well done. Your mother also made this dress well."
Mu Mian smiled sweetly, "They are all beautiful, the parents are beautiful too, and the milk is even more beautiful!"
The couple both wore clean clothes today. Since they were going into the city, of course they had to dress decently.
Mu Fugui was very proud, "Of course! If you want to know which gay man is the most handsome, I am also one of the best in this area."
Liu Shuangcui said she couldn't bear to watch it and urged the father and daughter to wash their faces and clean up.
The bus to the county doesn't wait for anyone, so you really can't delay too long.
After a simple breakfast, the family of three set off on their bicycles.
For the sake of her own butt, Mu Mian refused to sit on the front bar and squeezed in the back with her mother.
When he arrived at the commune, Mu Fugui did not go directly to the bus station. Instead, he went to the slaughterhouse first and planned to leave his bicycle there and ride it when he came back in the afternoon.
Although it is locked and stamped, there is still a risk of losing it if left outside. It is safer to keep it in your own territory.
Mu Mian and Liu Shuangcui, mother and daughter, had been to the outside of the slaughterhouse before, but they had rarely been inside.
Actually, there is nothing good to see. The smell inside is really unpleasant, with the feces of various livestock and the smell of blood mixed together. It would be strange if it smelled good.
Because the livestock are kept, there is someone on duty every day. Today it is Pan Daqiang.
Mu Fugui pushed his bicycle in, and before he saw anyone, he shouted, "Old Pan, I left my bicycle here, please keep an eye on it for me."
Pan Daqiang pushed open the door of the small duty room on the left and said, "Just put it under the window. It won't get lost."
After he finished speaking, he saw Mu Mian and her daughter.
Pan Daqiang said, "Ouch!", "Is this your sister-in-law and your daughter?"
Mu Fugui: "Of course not, my daughter is pretty, isn't she?"
Liu Shuangcui greeted him, and Mu Mian followed closely behind, "Hello, Uncle Pan."
Pan Daqiang looks similar to Mu Fugui, he is quite sturdy. He looks a bit intimidating when he is not smiling, but when he smiles he looks inexplicably honest.
"Oh, oh, oh, you're so handsome!"
After he finished speaking, he came closer to Mu Fugui and said in what he thought was a very quiet voice: "Is this really your daughter? Could it be that you stole this doll from a worker's home in the city?"
Mu Fugui was not happy. "She is my real son, right? My daughter looks so much like me. You are old and your eyes are blurry."
Pan Daqiang: “………………”
Who is blind?
Look at this one, he's big and strong, and the other one is fair and tender, how can they look like father and daughter?
Mu Mian held her mother's hand and tried to hold back her laughter. Overall, she was indeed not very similar to her father.
Her face shape is more like her mother's, which is a round face. Comrade Mu Fugui has a square face. From the current aesthetic point of view, gay men with this face shape are tough and manly, and are good-looking.
Her eyes are like her father's, with big double eyelids and eye sockets that look round.
In the old lady's words, she only picked out the good parts of her parents.
Pan Daqiang didn't insist on arguing with the other person. After saying a few words to him, he quietly took out some money and bills from his pocket and said, "See if you have any good cigarettes. Bring me two rolls."
Mu Fugui took it and winked, "Okay, aren't you giving them all to sister-in-law? When did you secretly keep so much? Sister-in-law didn't even notice it?"
Pan Daqiang said with a "tsk". "You know I like this, and I feel itchy if I don't take some. I hide it in my pants so your sister-in-law can't find it. Didn't you leave some?"
Mu Mian, who heard everything clearly, said, "………………"
Hmm... isn't it a bit inappropriate to discuss this in front of her mother? And he said it so loudly.
Mu Fugui, who realized belatedly that his wife was right next to him, turned his head sharply and said, "I didn't hide it. What are you talking about, Old Pan?"
The look and tone of his voice barely showed the words "here lies" written on his face.
Pan Daqiang nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes, I was just talking nonsense, Lao Mu is the most honest."
Liu Shuangcui: “………………”
Mu Mian couldn't hold back and let out a giggle, almost laughing like a goose.
---
After coming out of the slaughterhouse, while Comrade Liu Shuangcui was walking in front, Mu Mian whispered to his father, "Dad, how much did you hide?"
Mu Fugui glanced at his wife, lowered his head and made an "eight" gesture to his daughter.
Mu Mian guessed, "Eight?"
Mu Fugui nodded.
Mu Mian commented: "That's not too old or too young."
Mu Fugui chuckled, "Do you think your mother doesn't know? She just pretended not to see it, otherwise I wouldn't have the chance to bring you meat."
Mu Mian nodded, "Mom is good to Dad, and Dad is good to us, it's mutual!"
Mu Fugui took his daughter's hand and said, "You are such a little girl, but you can see things clearly."
Mu Mian raised his little face and said, "I'm smart, just like my father."
Mu Fugui: "Don't think I don't know. Last time you said it was up to your mother."
Mu Mian, who almost spilled the water, quickly added, "Whatever, whatever."
Liu Shuangcui, who had already walked five or six meters away, stopped and said, "What are you hesitating about? Be careful not to miss the bus and make a wasted trip."
Upon hearing this, Mu Mian let go of his father's hand and ran away.
Run, "Here it comes!"
Facts have proved that Comrade Liu Shuangcui really has a good sense of time, and they arrived at just the right time.
As soon as it arrived, the conductor opened the door.
People were swarming up, and before Mu Mian could react, she found her sight suddenly rising up in the next second. She was held in the arms of Comrade Mu Fugui. The burly man was holding his daughter and pulling his wife forward, squeezing up.
By the time she finally sat down, Mu Mian's braids were a little loose, and she still had no seat, so she could only sit on her mother's lap.
Mu Mian frowned, "Are there always so many people?"
Mu Fugui: "That's right. There are the most people on Sundays. If you can't get on, you can only wait for the next bus, or squeeze through the aisle. There are only two buses a day."
An old lady sitting behind them was obviously a talkative person. She came over in a familiar manner and said, "There aren't many people here today. There are many more people during the Chinese New Year. Have you never been to the county before?"
Mu Mian didn't get in the conversation because her father was already chatting with someone else with a smile, "It's true that I haven't been there. Her mother and I are usually busy."
Old lady: "So what are you doing today?"
Mu Fugui: "I'm free today, take my daughter out to play and broaden her horizons. What are you going to do, Auntie?"
The old lady seemed quite happy. "I'm going to visit my daughter. She's in confinement after giving birth. I'm going to bring her a chicken to nourish her."
When Mu Mian heard this, he realized that there was indeed an old hen in the bag the old lady was carrying.
She said that she seemed to hear a rooster crowing amid the noise and thought she had misheard.
The carriage was extremely noisy, and Mu Mian was a little dazed by the noise. After looking carefully, he found that it seemed that more than one person brought chickens on the train.
It suddenly reminded her of the news she had seen in her previous life. It seemed that in this era there were still people driving pigs onto trains.
Fortunately, their car was small, not as big as a train, otherwise she couldn't imagine what it would be like to be sitting in a car with a pig opposite her.
Ten minutes later, the conductor slammed the door shut. There were still people below who hadn't squeezed in, but there was indeed no room for more.
The road from the commune to the county was not much better, it was full of potholes, and the smell in the car was unpleasant.
As the car swayed back and forth, it successfully made Mu Mian, a person who never gets carsick, dizzy.
When we got to the county, the little one was still a little dazed.
Mu Fugui and his wife were used to it and it looked like nothing was wrong.
Mu Fugui was in high spirits. "Where are we going, girl? You want to go to the bookstore? I heard there is a movie theater in the county, do you want to go and have a look?"
The projectionists from these cinemas would sometimes go to the countryside to show movies, but there were so many people in the village that it took a long time to get a turn.
Mu Mian felt that she could go or not. She could imagine what the current movie theaters looked like. But seeing the excitement in her father's eyes, Mu Mian nodded in agreement, "Let's go! Let's go to the bookstore first, and then to the movie theater."
Mu Fugui waved his hand and said, "Okay, let's listen to our daughter's arrangements today."
Liu Shuangcui held Mu Mian's hand and said, "Aren't we going to buy a pen?"
Mu Fugui: "There's no rush for these. We'll go to the supply and marketing cooperative when we leave. Otherwise, what if someone touches your things while you're carrying them?"
Mu Fugui and his wife had actually been here seldom and were not very familiar with the county, but as the saying goes, people have mouths and they knew the way, so they asked along the way and arrived at the bookstore smoothly.
The bookstore in the county was indeed much bigger than the one in the commune. Mu Mian had almost recovered his energy after walking for a long time, and Xiao Xiao was there carefully selecting items by himself.
In the end, I bought two youth magazines and four picture books.
This picture book is similar to a comic strip, with pictures and drawings, and is very popular among primary school students.
Mu Mian also bought two other publications. After all, he was already here, so he might as well buy whatever he could.
It’s definitely a good idea to take a closer look. She doesn’t want to come again in the short term anyway.
The bookstore is quite close to the cinema, and there was a movie showing there this morning, a war film.
After reading it, Comrade Liu Shuangcui's eyes were red.
Comrade Mu Fugui was even more exaggerated, he was crying and snotting, which made the young couple next to him, who were probably in a relationship, stunned.
Mu Mian was also a little stunned. Her father was a tough guy with a soft heart.
They had lunch at the state-owned restaurant. Mu Mian took the empty lunch box she had brought with her and made a special portion of braised pork for her grandmother.
It won’t go bad if left for half a day, and it’s just right to eat when you get home in the evening.
After dinner, the family of three went straight to the supply and marketing cooperative. The supply and marketing cooperative in the county was much larger than that of the commune.
In addition to pens, Liu Shuangcui also bought a lot of other miscellaneous items, basically things that could not be bought in the supply and marketing cooperatives in the commune.
Coming out of the supply and marketing cooperative, Mu Fugui carried most of the things and said, "I heard there is a zoo in the city, but unfortunately there is none in our county."
Mu Mian responded to every word, "Dad, do you still want to go see animals? What do you want to see?"
Mu Fugui said righteously, "I don't want to see it, but I was thinking of taking you to see it."
Mu Mian: “………………”
What an unconvincing statement.
Liu Shuangcui chuckled, "Even if I want to go, I can't go today."
Mu Fugui lowered his head and looked at Mu Mian, putting aside his lofty ambitions, "Next time! Next time we will go directly to the city, ask Lao Xu to issue a letter of introduction, and stay in a guesthouse at night."
Mu Mian didn’t know when the next visit would be. She only knew that the bus from the county back to the commune was even more crowded than when she came here.
When I got off the car, both braids were loose and my hair became a lot more frizzy.
Liu Shuangcui was also exhausted. "This trip back and forth is more tiring than a day's work for me."
Mu Fugui has his own opinion. "How can they be the same? We have gained some knowledge after this trip."
Liu Shuangcui was too lazy to talk to her man anymore. "You are the only one with broad knowledge. Go ride your bike home quickly."
The bike I returned with had two larger bags of stuff on it than the one I came on.
Some of them were their own, and some were given to Liu Shuangcui to take with them because she knew they were going to the county.
Hanging on that horizontal bar, it jingles and clanks all the way.
Mu Mian squeezed in the back seat with her mother as usual, and the three of them chatted from time to time.
The sun is about to set, and the clouds next to it are shining golden, which looks quite beautiful.
When they were about to reach a fork in the road, Mu Fugui suddenly asked, "Who is that in front? Why doesn't he look like someone from our team?"
The mother and daughter were a little blocked by Mu Fugui, so if he hadn't said it, they really wouldn't have seen it.
Upon hearing this, they both poked their heads out at the same time.
Mu Mian looked carefully and said, "I didn't recognize who it was."
Liu Shuangcui: "Maybe she's someone's relative."
As they were talking, they saw the comrade in front of them suddenly stopped, stood on the side of the road and waved at them.
Mu Mian could see clearly now that it was a female comrade who looked young and was definitely not from their team.
Mu Fugui stopped his bicycle and asked, "What's the matter, comrade?"
The female comrade was carrying a large bag on her back. "Hello, comrade. I would like to ask if the Qingfeng Brigade will take the road ahead?"
Mu Fugui: "Yes, we are from the Qingfeng Brigade. Who are you looking for?"
The female comrade looked very tired. "I'm not looking for anyone. I'm an educated youth."
Mu Fugui: "Educated youth? Didn't Lao Xu send someone to pick you up this morning? Didn't you two meet? Why are you walking here alone?"
There was indeed an educated youth coming today. He knew about it because he had heard about it from Lao Xu. He thought he had already picked him up.
It's not his fault that he didn't notice it. This female comrade was dishevelled. When the educated youth came before, although they also had a hard time on the road, they were still relatively decent and could be recognized as city people at a glance.
The lesbian was puzzled, "Lao Xu?"
Liu Shuangcui interrupted, "Our team leader, Xu Yongshou, should have mentioned this in the paperwork that the Youth League Office handled for you, right?"
When the female comrade heard this, she immediately took out a piece of paper from her pocket and looked down at it. "Yes, his name is Xu Yongshou."
The female comrade continued, "I was delayed on the way by something, so I arrived a little late. When I arrived at the commune, they said that the brigade had not received anyone, so they went back. They pointed out a way for me and told me to walk on my own."
Liu Shuangcui sighed, "Then you are really unlucky."
Mu Fugui pointed ahead and said, "We are almost there. Just take this road and go straight until we reach the end."
The female comrade smiled gratefully and said, "Okay, thank you."
Mu Mian added, "Go east after you get to the village entrance. The captain's house is a blue brick house. You can find it by asking the villagers."
The female comrade smiled gratefully again and said politely, "Okay, thank you very much, otherwise I would have taken the wrong road."
Mu Fugui waved his hand and said, "It's okay, it's okay. We'll leave first. Take your time."
After the bicycle had moved a little further, Mu Fugui started talking again.
"This educated youth doesn't look very old."
Liu Shuangcui hummed, "I guess it's definitely less than twenty."
Mu Mian: "That's younger than my eldest brother."
Mu Fugui: "Maybe she just looks younger."
Liu Shuangcui: "Where did that girl come from? Did you hear what Lao Xu said?"
Mu Fugui: "He mentioned it a little bit, I think it was the Shanghai Stock Exchange? He just mentioned it once, I don't remember much."
Liu Shuangcui was a little surprised, "A big city? Why would someone from a big city come here?"
Mu Fugui: “Who knows?”
Mu Mian sighed, "Shanghai is even farther away from here than where my elder brother is serving in the army. This journey must be very tiring."
Liu Shuangcui asked in a curious tone, "How did you know?"
Mu Mian said seriously, "I read it in a book. There is everything in the book. There are maps of every city. Mom, you can also read more books or newspapers in your daily life."
Liu Shuangcui pinched her daughter's face and said, "Why do you care that your mother is here? My head hurts when I read. I might as well plant some more vegetables if I have that time."
Mu Fugui laughed, "Your mother is just like me in this respect. When I read, not only does my head hurt, but my butt hurts too, as if needles are pricking me. But you two, brother and sister, are more absorbed in reading than the other."
Chatting and laughing, the bicycle soon arrived at the doorstep.
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