Chapter 105 Two in One
Ding Guo made a bowl of malted milk for Ding Tao.
She took out a few more paper packages, which were the welfare products she bought from the factory: broken cakes.
There are almond cakes, butterfly cakes, crushed peach cakes and unfermented walnut and date cakes.
These new products are already on the market.
With the previous new products as a foundation, the process is moving fast this time and the products have been put on the counters of various department stores and supply and marketing cooperatives in Fengning. The quantity is not large, so we will test the waters first.
If sales are good, the factory will apply for a production plan to prepare for the Spring Festival.
Ding Tao went to get the snacks without hesitation. She worked so hard, not only for the sake of building a good relationship with Ding Guo, but also for the sake of eating.
She tasted it first and said, "Sister, these snacks are really delicious."
She just couldn't make out the shape. She had never seen any other ones except peach pastry.
"These are new products that have just been launched. This is butterfly pastry, and this is almond pastry..." Ding Guo introduced them to her one by one and asked her how they tasted.
Ding Tao couldn't describe how the food tasted, she thought it was delicious and they were all great things she had never eaten in the countryside.
When the Chinese New Year comes, she will ask Todingo to buy some snacks for her, and she will bring them back to her parents to try.
Although her mother often dislikes her for not being a boy, when the critical moment comes, she will sacrifice her face to help her fight for it. Now that there are good things, she is willing to spend money to honor her parents.
While eating snacks, Ding Tao asked in surprise: "Sister, Dayong hasn't finished get off work yet?"
"I'm out on the road and won't be back until midnight."
"That's hard work." Ding Tao sighed, feeling a little envious. They are regular employees. If she could become a regular employee someday, she could get off work in the late night, not to mention the middle of the night.
Ding Tao went back to the previous topic: "I followed Ding Nianjun, and she went to find Zhao Jinbao. You know what, their business is really going well. From what they said, they said that all the goods they collected were sold. Zhao Jinbao seemed to have a partner, and said that his two brothers would send another batch of goods over in the next two days. After listening to the two talking about the business for a while, Ding Nianjun suddenly brought up you..."
"From what I heard from Zhao Jinbao, he seems to know you."
Ding Guo nodded: "My former high school classmate, please continue."
Ding Tao took a sip of the fragrant malted milk, smacking the sweetness in her mouth, and thought that her cousin's life was easy. She had also drunk malted milk in the countryside, but her mother only put a little bit in it each time, so the brewed malted milk had no taste. It was the first time she drank such a strong one, and she didn't expect it to be so sweet.
Sighing in her heart, she continued, "Ding Nianjun is like a sick person. She talked to Zhao Jinbao about you while chatting, saying that you also live in a nearby alley and even reported your house number. Isn't this a sick person? Then she talked about the current situation at home, which is crowded. Her cousin wanted to go out and find a house because he couldn't live in the house, so she asked Zhao Jinbao to help find out. Then she talked about you, saying that it was a pity that you had a gap with your family because of going to the countryside, otherwise you could help your cousin and his wife and let them live with you, so that the family could have more space. Oh, she also brought me along. She said that we grew up together in the countryside, and I came to the city, but you didn't take me to live with you... Sister, this is really what Ding Nianjun said, I'm just repeating it, I don't mean anything else, don't think too much."
Ding Guo smiled and said, "It's okay, go on."
It's not like she doesn't know what kind of person Ding Nianjun is. When she's trying to make trouble for someone, she wants to use all the factors around her. She can even stand up for a passing dog, but she won't stand up for herself.
But combined with the tone of her voice and the aggrieved expression that she inadvertently revealed, anyone who is not blind can see that she seems to have suffered a great injustice. She feels aggrieved, but she doesn't say it.
Just as I was thinking this, I heard Ding Tao say, "That Zhao Jinbao is just like a sick man. What does our family's affairs have to do with him? He listened to Ding Nianjun's rant and even asked Ding Nianjun if he had ever been bullied by you. Before Ding Nianjun could say yes or no, he was already yelling that he wanted to vent Ding Nianjun's anger and teach you a lesson. But Ding Nianjun had a conscience and knew how to stop Zhao Jinbao from messing around. He said that when he met you, he would ask Zhao Jinbao to help persuade you to take in your family and share the housing pressure, so that she would have an extra place to stay when she came to Fengning next time, and she wouldn't have to stay in a guesthouse."
Ding Tao was a little confused: "But you said she has a conscience, but she didn't refute Zhao Jinbao's words that you bullied her, as if you really bullied her. I don't understand her at all."
Ding Guo was also eating broken cakes and said, "This is Ding Nianjun's talent. She has mastered the art of speaking. Anyway, be careful when you talk to her, or she will set a trap for you and you won't even know it."
Ding Tao also felt that Ding Nianjun sometimes spoke strangely.
After drinking the malted milk in the bowl and eating a bellyful of snacks, Ding Tao left contentedly, and Ding Guo also flashed back to the space contentedly.
The light at home is dim and reading hurts the eyes, so Ding Guo likes to stay in the space, read books, drink tea, eat some fruit, and appreciate his income. It is spring all year round here, and the temperature is neither too cold nor too hot and comfortable.
Ding Guo didn't take Ding Nianjun's little tricks to heart. As long as the money was enough, she would be happy to move out; if other means were used, she would not shy away.
It's not a good idea to keep waiting like this. Ding Guo feels that he should go out more and meet Zhao Jinbao as soon as possible to see what he has to say.
Ding Nianjun’s place doesn’t need to be cleaned up yet, as she still has her own house.
After taking a nap in the space, Ding Guo heard a knock on the door. He came out to check the time. It was past ten o'clock in the evening and Ding Dayong had returned from get off work.
"sister!"
"Have you eaten? There are two plates of dumplings in the pot. I'll go heat them up for you!"
"Sister, I can warm myself up." Ding Dayong pushed a car in with a package tied on the back seat.
"What is this?"
Ding Dayong whispered, "I bought walnuts, peanuts, dates, and a dozen salted duck eggs from local villagers when I stopped in the village at noon. Others also bought some, so I bought some too."
Ding Dayong is much more comfortable now than when he first joined the team and he can be considered to have made it on the road.
Ding Guo had told him to take whatever he could buy, no matter what, because there was a shortage of all kinds of supplies these days. But don't show up, just follow the master.
Let Ding Dayong practice on a small scale first, and then make a big move after a few years when the policy is relaxed.
"Do you have much money on hand? I'll get you some more later." Ding Guo took the things down and carried them into the house.
"A lot, there are still more than 40 yuan."
Ding Dayong washed his hands and went to the kitchen to heat up some food.
Ding Guo opened the bag in the main room and sorted out the things in the bag.
After dinner, Ding Dayong went back to his room to rest. Ding Guo closed the door and went back into the space.
I just took a nap and now I feel pretty energetic. I'm reading a book while crushing walnuts with my bare hands.
Around five o'clock the next morning, Ding Guo came out of the space, cooked a pot of porridge with walnut kernels, peanuts and red dates, boiled a few eggs, then took a small basket and pretended to go out for a walk. When he came back, he brought half a basket of fried dough sticks.
Ding Dayong also got up.
The brother and sister ate the fried dough sticks with pickled cucumbers, and drank a big bowl of walnut, peanut and red date porridge. After they were full, they went out to work one after the other.
The two people's units were not in the same direction and took different routes, so Ding Dayong didn't know that his sister was stopped not long after she walked out of the alley.
"You are... Ding Guo?"
Zhao Jinbao looked in shock at the woman who was supporting the bike with one leg and had an impatient look on her face. He was so shocked that he couldn't recover for a long time.
Ding Guo raised an eyebrow: "Who are you?"
"I, I am Zhao Jinbao, don't you recognize me?" In Zhao Jinbao's memory, Ding Guo was timid, always with his shoulders hunched, his head half lowered, and his voice sounded like a mosquito's hum.
But the girl in front of him had stars in her eyes and was in high spirits. She spoke with such a vigor that it seemed as if she could come over and slap him in the next second.
"I don't know. A good dog doesn't block the road. Make way."
Ding Guo tilted the handlebars, stepped on the pedal hard and rushed out.
Zhao Jinbao stared at Ding Guo's receding back, stunned.
At noon, he invited Ding Nianjun to dinner at a state-owned restaurant and said to her with emotion: "Your sister has changed so much, hasn't she? I almost didn't recognize her."
Of course Ding Nianjun knew that Ding Guo had changed a lot. In addition to his temper and personality, his appearance was completely different from when he first returned to the city.
At that time, Ding Guo had thin cheeks, rough and dark yellow skin, and long hair like dead grass.
Ding Guo's face is now fuller and his spirit is different, especially his skin, which seems to have been replaced with a new layer. It is white with a rosy glow. His short hair has grown past his ears and looks darker. It has a more lustrous look than when he first returned to the city.
Ding Nianjun chuckled, winked at him teasingly, and said, "Pretty, right? I don't have a brother-in-law yet, do you want to consider it?"
The image of Ding Guo flashed through Zhao Jinbao's mind, but he still shook his head: "No matter how pretty she is, I don't like her. Nianjun, you know me..."
He has liked Ding Nianjun since school days.
As for Ding Guo, she was too rustic before, and although she is pretty now, it is not difficult to tell from the tone of her voice that she is a bit ostentatious, which does not meet his standards for a wife. He still likes someone like Nianjun, who is cute and lovely, yet gentle, and especially kind, and always thinks of others.
Ding Nianjun glared at him and said angrily, "Don't tell me. If you tell me, we can't be friends anymore."
"I know, you're married..." Zhao Jinbao lowered his head to eat noodles in disappointment. After two bites, he continued, "I kind of believe what you said about her bullying others. Although I only said one sentence to her, I also think that this person is quite...how to describe it, a little domineering."
The tone of the words 'who are you?' is still lingering in my mind, and I really feel like I'm going to come over and slap him in the face as soon as those words are spoken.
And the sentence at the end, Zhao Jinbao felt that Ding Guo must have recognized him. He was holding a grudge against him for bullying him at school, and he actually called him a dog. How petty.
"Nianjun, I don't plan to talk to her anymore. I'll just ask someone to find out who the landlord is and see if I can pay more to rent it. You can keep it for yourself, or give it to your brother or sister-in-law, or your cousin from the countryside. I can ask Ding Guo to ask you to take her in. What do you think?"
Ding Nianjun: "This is not good, and that house... Actually, my sister-in-law went to find my sister's landlord. My sister signed an agreement with the landlord privately at the time, saying that if my sister was evicted, she would have to pay ten times the rent. My sister paid for a year."
Zhao Jinbao sneered: "That thing is just a piece of paper, how can it be useful? Ten times the compensation, how much? I'll give it to you!"
"Jinbao, stop making trouble. Is it easy for you to earn that little money in the wind and rain? And even though my sister is such a person... she didn't even go back to see my dad when he was sick and in the hospital. Forget it, forget it. I don't want to make things too awkward with her anyway. I just want you to help persuade my sister to allow my family to live there and help share the burden. We are all old classmates, and your words should be more effective than our family members."
Zhao Jinbao curled his lips and looked down on Ding Guo.
He didn't even go back to see his father when he was sick, which shows Ding Guo's character.
In the evening, Ding Guo saw Zhao Jinbao again at the alley entrance.
"Old classmate, I know you recognized me, can we talk?"
Zhao Jinbao stopped Ding Guo again and said nonchalantly.
Ding Guo got out of the car: "What do you want to talk about?"
"Sublet the house to me, you name the price!" Zhao Jinbao pointed to the yard not far away and said, "We are old classmates, give me some face."
Ding Guo smiled and said, "What do you mean by renting? I just borrowed the house from someone else..."
Zhao Jinbao sneered: "Come on, everyone knows the ins and outs of this, can you please stop playing it safe? I really want to sublet it, you name the price!"
Ding Guo sneered: "Oh, my old classmate is rich and powerful, where is he employed?"
A trace of discomfort flashed across Zhao Jinbao's face, and then he added: "Why are you asking so many questions? Just tell me whether you will turn around or not."
"Turn it, two thousand!"
Zhao Jinbao choked and said unhappily, "Are you robbing me?"
Ding Guo: "No, I pick up the money. I just need to see which idiot drops the money!"
After she finished speaking, she tilted her bike handlebars and prepared to leave, but someone grabbed the handlebars. Zhao Jinbao looked around and lowered his voice and asked, "Do you dare to take out your rental contract openly?"
Ding Guo raised her eyebrows. Ding Nianjun really told Zhao Jinbao everything. She raised her hand, grabbed his collar, lifted him up and threw him aside, whispering, "What are you talking about? What's this rental contract? Why can't I understand it?"
After saying that, he pushed the car away.
Zhao Jinbao looked stunned. He looked down at where he was standing and wondered how he got here just now?
After a while, he murmured, "How can a woman be so strong?"
But even though he threatened Ding Guo, he couldn't really use the rental contract as an excuse. Even if they had mentioned it privately, he had no way to deal with it when both sides refused to admit it, and he would offend people on both sides.
Moreover, this is something that everyone knows and does not affect the interests of others. If he publicly points it out, it may cause public outrage.
Zhao Jinbao himself was involved in the black market. If he was suddenly reported by someone and official sources came into contact with him while he was doing business with them, he would want to kill the other person.
But he didn't want to disappoint Ding Nianjun.
Zhao Jinbao scratched his head and turned away.
For the next three days, Ding Guo was stopped at work every day. Zhao Jinbao used both soft and hard tactics to try to get Ding Guo's yard.
On the fourth day, Ding Guo was transferred to the night shift. She did not work during the day and went to the factory at night.
After Ding Dayong went to work, she harvested the vegetables in the small vegetable garden at home, pulled out the seedlings, and leveled the land. She was busy until after ten o'clock and then went out to prepare to go to Zheng Guihong's house.
Zheng Guihong introduced her to someone who knew how to build a kang and took her to meet him today.
As soon as I went out, I saw Zhao Jinbao peeking out.
"Why are you out so late today?"
The temperature dropped today. He waited at the intersection for a long time and almost froze to death.
Ding Guo sneered: "I can go out at any time I want, what does it have to do with you? If you harass me again, I will go to the nearby police station to give performance to someone, and ask the public security comrades to catch the hooligan."
"You are such a boring person." Zhao Jinbao said helplessly, "Why do you charge me with hooliganism just because I did that to you?"
"You're not considered a hooligan if you block the road and harass people?"
Zhao Jinbao: "Okay, okay, I won't argue with you about this. It's still the same thing... three hundred yuan, this is my bottom line."
Yesterday, I met with Ding Nianjun to check the accounts. I was ashamed to say that there was no progress on the house issue. Nianjun was very considerate and told him not to worry about it: "Don't bother you with my family's affairs. Your time is for big things. Don't waste it on such trivial matters. Let me ask my sister for help."
Nianjun is understanding, but he feels uncomfortable. He doesn't want to disappoint Nianjun. Ding Guo is adamant and refuses to agree. He doesn't dare to make a fuss. His own business is not clean yet, so he needs to do some good deeds.
I thought about it all night last night and decided that I should just use money to settle it, but I have to tell Ding Guo to help keep it a secret and not let Nianjun know.
He didn't want Nianjun to know that he spent so much money on her, so as to avoid putting pressure on Nianjun.
"Just stick to your bottom line. Make way. A good dog doesn't block the road."
Ding Guo impatiently took a detour and rode away on his bike.
After talking with the craftsman, Ding Guo decided to hand over the bread kiln to the other party. The weather was getting colder and Dayong still needed to take care of his arm, so he was not suitable for heavy work. So he simply spent some money and let the craftsman take over.
After agreeing on the wages, you still have to buy the materials.
This man had connections, and he took Ding Guo around for most of the day, bought all the materials, and hired a carriage to take them back to Zaohua Lane.
Ding Guo handed the keys to the other party and added money, asking him to complete the work as soon as possible.
On the way back, I met Zhao Jinbao at the intersection again.
This kind of perseverance made Ding Guo want to hit someone.
"Five hundred, if you don't agree..."
"I don't agree!" Ding Guo drove past him, walked a few meters and stopped the car. He turned around and said, "I just don't understand. With this money, can't you find another house? Why do you have to stick to me? Are you sick?"
Zhao Jinbao's eyes flashed uncomfortably.
Because it’s close to his home.
Although nothing would happen between him and Ding Nianjun, he wanted to be closer to her. Even though Ding Nianjun would be returning to the capital in a few days, he would feel warm in his heart when he thought that the family that Nianjun cared about lived nearby.
It was just that it was difficult to tell Ding Guo about this thought, so he could only persevere: "What on earth will make you agree?"
"Six hundred. I'll move out as soon as I find a house. If you don't agree, forget it. But if I see you again, I'll go to the police station immediately." After saying this, Ding Guo left without any reluctance and opened the door to go home.
She had to pack up, eat something and get ready for work.
Ding Guo went into the space to take a shower, change clothes, dry his hair, eat something, and came out to go to the factory. Unexpectedly, Zhao Jinbao had not left yet.
Ding Guo couldn't help but ask, is the black market closed today? Why is he so idle?
Seeing Ding Guo coming out, Zhao Jinbao gritted his teeth and asked, "When can you move out?"
"When will the six hundred dollars arrive?"
Zhao Jinbao said helplessly: "I'll give it to you tomorrow, can you move out tomorrow?"
Nianjun was leaving in two days, and he didn't want to disappoint Nianjun, so he had to make sure Nianjun returned to the capital happily.
Ding Guo smiled and said, "If you give it to me tomorrow, I will move out tomorrow."
"Okay, then we have a deal, but you can't let Nianjun know. Just say..." Zhao Jinbao was thick-skinned, but he felt a little embarrassed at this moment, "Just say that it was me who persuaded you to give up the house."
Ding Guo started the price: "Eight hundred, the extra two hundred is hush money."
It's really stupid to spend hundreds of dollars just for face. How come such a stupid person has no name in the book?
Oh, it’s all her fault. Look how she changed the plot!
"You..." Zhao Jinbao was furious.
Ding Guo rolled his eyes, sneered, and rode away, looking as if he didn't believe he would really complete the deal.
"How dare you ask for it? I'll just blacken you to death!" Zhao Jinbao gritted his teeth as he watched Ding Guo's receding back.
Can he come up with 800 yuan? Of course he can.
But he didn't want to give it.
The capital required for the next batch of goods to be purchased is large. Squeezing out 600 to help Nianjun realize his dream is his limit. He cannot move any further. If he moves any further, the money for the next purchase will not be enough.
Zhao Jinbao calculated quickly in his mind. Yongzi and his friends couldn't come up with much money. When they first started as partners with him, they had no money to invest. They just wanted to earn some hard work fees from him. Later, they slowly saved up some money before joining the partnership. They invested less, so naturally they didn't earn as much as him.
"I wonder if Nianjun has considered how much he is going to invest!"
Zhao Jinbao thought about it and went to the guesthouse.
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