Chapter 255 Smoke Station
The donkey cart entered the city, and Song Lubai first took the three of them to her dormitory.
Sun Hong knew that Song Lubai's mother was coming, so she had already packed her things in advance.
"Stay here for the night. My roommate can squeeze in next door. Jianshe, you two can stay in our section chief's room for the night. Let's tidy up today and go to the tobacco station early tomorrow morning."
Zhang Cui looked at the small room, which was about ten square meters, and thought the conditions were acceptable.
If there are many people living there, the room will definitely be crowded, but if there are only two people living there, it is quite spacious.
Song Lubai fetched water for the three of them so they could wash themselves off, and then took them to the cafeteria for a meal.
The road was all yellow earth, and after entering the city, Zhang Cui felt that this place was not as good as her hometown county town.
Listening to her mother's words, Song Lubai said, "Wei Yang wants you to go to his place, but it's even more desolate there. I think it's better to stay in the city. Jianshe and his brother can get city residency here, and you're close to the city too. I heard from Director Xu that your job is quite flexible, unlike the factory where you have to be at your workstation at a certain time. You should work hard here; the tobacco company has a promising future."
Zhang Cui asked, "How far is Xiao Wei's place from the city?"
Song Lubai deliberately ignored the fact that the distance from here to the southern border was several provinces away from her hometown, and said vaguely, "I haven't been there yet, but it's definitely much farther from the city than Yanzhan. I still don't know where it is."
Zhang Cui asked, "So what will you two do in the future? You can't come back from that remote place. You were doing well with your job in the city, weren't you?"
Song Lubai said, "I don't know what the future holds. He's a cadre, and I'll have to work too, so I definitely won't go hungry. Who knows, maybe I'll be transferred back to the city in the future."
Zhang Cui said no more.
In her opinion, Wei Yang was indeed a good man, and seemed like a capable person, but her daughter had gone to a small town with him, which was quite a sacrifice.
However, if she could make the decision for Song Lubai, Song Lubai would not have signed up to come here. From that time on, the mother and daughter were not as close as before.
These past few months have been really hot during the day, but really cool at night, a feeling that Zhang Cui could especially appreciate while lying on Sun Hong's bed.
The moonlight streamed in through the window, making the room feel bright and airy.
Seeing Song Lubai turn over, Zhang Cui asked, "When are you two planning to get married?"
Song Lubai said, "Let's talk about it when we get there. We can't do it here. Tell him all your requests, and I'll tell him when he arrives."
Zhang Cui said, "Last time he brought his sister to my house, and they brought a radio and other gifts. They also said they would give me money as a gift later. If they do, you can keep the money yourself, I don't want it."
Song Lubai said, "Take it. His parents gave me quite a bit. You'll need money for many things while you're here. I'll feel more at ease knowing you have money in your hands."
After saying that, she turned her back to her mother and said, "It's getting late, let's go to sleep quickly, we need to go early tomorrow morning."
Zhang Cui had no idea what was wrong with her daughter. After returning home last time, her daughter inexplicably started to distance herself from her. Although she spoke to her normally today, she still felt that her daughter was not close to her.
The next morning, after breakfast, Song Lubai took the three of them to the tobacco company with her things.
Director Xu had been waiting for her for the past few days. The first thing he did upon meeting Song Lubai was to show her his niece's high school graduation certificate.
After reading it, Song Lubai said, "I'll take your niece to the ministry after we get back from the tobacco station."
Director Xu's niece, Xu Yunru, stood to the side. It was unclear whether she was naturally dark-skinned or had gotten a tan from the sun, but she looked quite dark overall.
Xu Yunru stepped forward shyly, "Comrade Song, I'll go with you to the tobacco station today to introduce it to your mother. I'll come back with you after we've settled in."
Song Lubai nodded. "Thank you for your help."
Xu Yunru quickly waved her hand, "No trouble at all, it's nothing."
Working at the tobacco station under the scorching sun and wind, she had long wanted to leave, but struggled to find a better job. Now that she had the opportunity to work at the supply and marketing department, Xu Yunru couldn't help but feel a little guilty in front of Song Lubai.
There weren't any donkey carts specifically for going to the tobacco station today, but Director Xu, seeing how much luggage they were carrying, went out for almost an hour and then brought back a donkey cart.
The old man felt sorry for his donkey, so after putting his things down, he insisted on only allowing three people to ride on it.
With no other option, Director Xu contributed the company's bicycles.
Thirty kilometers is no short distance, and the road was bumpy and difficult to travel. It took the group almost two hours to reach their destination.
This was Song Lubai's first time here, and seeing that it was in the middle of nowhere, she frowned.
Seeing their reaction, Xu Yunru quickly said, "The village is just behind the woods, about a mile away. There's a convenience store in the village where you can buy daily necessities. Come in with me first; I've already tidied up the house."
The tobacco station was a courtyard, surrounded by brick walls, which was much better than Song Lubai had expected.
“This is the warehouse. The tobacco leaves are weighed at the entrance and put into the warehouse before being transported away. The buildings opposite the warehouse are dormitories. There are only six staff members at the tobacco station. We tobacco company employees don’t live here often, but we have to live here when we are busy. Aunt Zhang, you can stay here with your child for now. When we are allocated housing in the city later, you will be included. After all, there are not many people in the tobacco company.”
Zhang Cui found it increasingly unbelievable. "There aren't many people in the tobacco company. What if it goes bankrupt one day? I'll be laid off and have to beg on the streets."
Xu Yunru said, "Auntie, don't be afraid of this. Although our tobacco company is newly established and its economic benefits are unclear, it belongs to the supply and marketing department. Even if the company closes down, the supply and marketing department will not abandon the company's employees."
Song Lubai also said, "She's right, and I think the tobacco company has a promising future. Wei Yang said that there's only one tobacco factory in the whole Xinjiang region, so it might develop into a thriving place in the future."
As they were talking, two dark-faced men came out.
"Is this someone new? Where are you from?"
At a glance, everyone in the tobacco station was tanned.
After exchanging greetings, Song Lubai said with a smile, "My husband is always out and about and gets very tanned. Do the comrades at your tobacco station also get tanned every day and become the same color as him?"
The dark-faced man said, "That's for sure. We have to go to the fields every day to check how the tobacco leaves are growing. We walk a lot every day. In the summer, the sun is strong, and we get tanned in just a few days. But we can get our fair skin back in the winter."
They had just met, and just as they were about to ask about each other's situations, the dark-faced man asked, "What kind of work does your husband do? Why does he have to be out and about every day? He doesn't work on telephone poles, does he?"
Song Lubai said, "My husband is the deputy minister of the armed forces department, a deputy regimental-level cadre. He is often out and about, which is quite tiring."
It wasn't that she was showing off, but rather that she would be too far away to help if something happened in the future.
A woman raising two children in their teens is a vulnerable person; there's no guarantee that someone won't have ulterior motives.
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