Chapter 138 Dilemma
Having lost tens of yuan because of a quilt, Song Lubai recalled the whispers her mother made behind Lin Shuhong and Liu Mei's back when they got married.
When Lin Shuhong and Liu Mei got married, Liu Mei's dowry consisted of only an enamel basin and a teapot.
In the city, when a daughter gets married, the family will prepare a quilt; the quilt is the best dowry for the daughter.
Families with good financial means can prepare five or six quilts for their daughters when they get married, while those with average means usually prepare only two. If they don't prepare any, people will gossip about it.
Liu Mei's family hadn't prepared a single thing.
Her mother was complaining that Liu Mei's family didn't even prepare a quilt, so she still managed to get a new quilt for the young couple.
Just as Song Lubai was regretting being blinded by the cotton quilt and taking out dozens of yuan, she suddenly felt a coldness on her face. She touched it and found it was damp.
Looking up, I saw snowflakes falling from the hazy sky.
It was only the end of October, and snowflakes were already falling.
She walked towards the supply and marketing cooperative to buy toothpaste. After that, she had to go to the health center because the weather had been bad lately and many people in the camp had caught a cold.
There weren't many people queuing up to buy things at the supply and marketing cooperative today; there weren't many people ahead of Song Lubai.
"Comrade, I'd like a pound of brown sugar and a pack of biscuits."
The saleswoman said with a smile, "Guifang, your company commander Zhang is really good to you. He must have bought the brown sugar for you."
With her pregnant belly, Yao Guifang said with a smile, "He didn't buy it for me, he bought it for the baby in my belly."
Zhang Jian chuckled: "Everyone says I'm good to you, but you just don't appreciate it."
Yao Guifang glared at him.
The subtle tension between the couple made anyone who saw them think they had a good relationship.
But Song Lubai, who was behind the couple, felt nauseous when she heard Zhang Jian speak.
He's a real scoundrel. His wife is heavily pregnant, and he's still having affairs outside the marriage.
She specifically inquired about Zhang Jian, and most people who knew him said he was down-to-earth and very helpful.
Based on what she had heard about Zhang Jian's deeds, Song Lubai felt that there must have been quite a few young women who had made deals with him.
He was the son of the farm manager and also the company commander of the mechanized farming unit, so it was much easier for him to get things done through connections than for others.
As the couple turned around after shopping, Zhang Jian saw Song Lubai, called out her name, and then introduced her to Yao Guifang, saying, "This Comrade Song has had her articles published in the newspaper. Didn't you read that article last time? It was written by her."
Yao Guifang looked at Song Lubai with a hint of curiosity and greeted her in a friendly manner.
Song Lubai spoke a few words to her with mixed feelings.
After buying the toothpaste, I saw Wei Yang and Zhang Jian talking not far away.
After the two separated, Song Lubai went to Wei Yang's side.
The weather was cold, so Wei Yang changed his military uniform to a quilted one.
Song Lubai wrapped her scarf tighter around herself, rubbed her hands together, and asked in a low voice, "Are you and Zhang Jian very close?"
Wei Yang, not understanding his meaning, spoke frankly: "It's part of my job. I've dealt with all the company commanders in the Sixth Division, and I can exchange a few words with Zhang Jian. What's wrong with that?"
Song Lubai said bluntly, "He has a wife and children, and he's having affairs with other women. I heard it with my own ears, and the evidence is conclusive. Do you think I should report him?"
Zhang Jian's wife has a round, apple-shaped face. Although she only said a few words, Song Lubai felt that she was a very good-tempered, gentle, and easy-going person.
Her emotions were written all over her face.
Wei Yang noticed that her cheeks were puffed up with anger, and thought to himself that she must have been living a good life lately, as evidenced by the plumpness on her face.
“Reporting someone for having illicit sexual relationships requires evidence; you can’t convict someone just based on hearsay.”
Song Lubai's first reaction was: "You don't believe me?"
Wei Yang shook his head: "It's not that I don't believe you, I'm just stating objective facts."
He then recounted something he had heard before.
A cadre was reported for having illicit sexual relations. People from relevant departments staked out him for nearly a month, but failed to find any concrete evidence, and the matter was dropped.
"If you decide to report it, write a letter to me. You don't need to write your name. I'll put it in the complaint mailbox tonight."
Although the Sixth Branch Farm was established not long ago, it had all the departments that the government and customs should have, and its functions could be considered relatively complete.
Zhang Jian's father is the farm manager, and Song Lubai doesn't know if writing a complaint letter will be of any use.
Just as Wei Yang said, if they don't catch him in the act, Zhang Jian won't be punished at all.
If they're caught red-handed, Zhang Jian will be punished, and his wife will find out what he's been doing behind her back—she's heavily pregnant right now…
If this matter infringed upon her interests, Song Lubai would definitely report it without hesitation, but now, considering all the circumstances, she is hesitant to make up her mind.
After a long pause, she shook her head. "Forget it, out of sight, out of mind. I probably won't see him again anyway, and I'm leaving soon."
Those girls who were eager to date were all doing it voluntarily; the only pitiful one was Zhang Jian's wife, who was kept in the dark.
Wei Yang was startled. "You're going to move your household registration back?"
Song Lubai was taken aback. "No, it's because we're going back to the Commercial Department at the end of next month."
His dark eyes were deep and unfathomable, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
Song Lubai stared into his eyes, making him extremely uncomfortable, and he looked away.
Song Lubai didn't even know why she chose to settle old scores at this time.
"Does Comrade Wei possess the ability to change his expression?"
Wei Yang looked like a fool at this moment, tilting his head slightly and asking in confusion, "What face-changing technique?"
He couldn't understand what she was saying.
Is there something new and fashionable going on lately? Does the production team have a face-changing performance? How come he didn't know?
Song Lubai smiled and said, "If you don't know how to change your face, why did you act like we weren't close a while ago, and now you're being so polite? You must have learned how to change your face, otherwise how could you switch so easily?"
The 1.9 kilograms of cotton was to thank him; she would give it to him before leaving the sixth division, but that didn't stop her from settling old scores.
Although the two never explicitly said anything, there was a certain tacit understanding between them as they went from being unfamiliar to becoming close.
Song Lubai has no plans to date at the moment, so she naturally wants to distance herself from the other person.
Today's "attack," though impulsive, was exactly what she wanted.
Wei Yang was speechless for a moment after he realized what was happening.
He couldn't very well betray the doctor who had given him the information.
Before he could figure it out, Song Lubai took a step back, waved her hand and said, "Comrade Wei, I'm going to wait for the car at the intersection. Goodbye."
As Wei Yang watched her figure leave, he felt that the distance between them was growing invisibly, a distance that was not the distance between their current positions.
The thought of Li Guangming chasing him all the way to Xinjiang province made his legs move without his brain giving any instructions.
"Song Lubai, I have something to say."
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