◎Third update◎
Zhou Guoping took his sons Xiaolong and Xiaohu to the entrance of the alley to buy steamed buns. When they left, Liu Nianhua, who was concentrating on knitting gloves at home, was sitting on a stool in a daze, not knowing what she was thinking about.
"Mom."
"Mom, big steamed buns!" Xiaolong held five steamed buns made of old dough. They were for tomorrow's breakfast, but the two brothers were very hungry, so they decided to eat one right now.
Xiaohu broke the plump white steamed bun into several pieces and shared them with his father, mother and brother.
Zhou Guoping took it with a smile, chewing it to taste the fragrance, "Your mother doesn't like it, you can eat it by yourselves."
Liu Nianhua suddenly reacted to this sentence and looked up at the man Zhou Guoping.
Whenever the family needed to eat or buy something, Liu Nianhua would think of giving the food to her husband and children. Zhou Guoping had taken over Liu's father's job and became a bus driver. He would often complain about how hard his job was and how he had to drive the bus all day. Liu Nianhua felt distressed. Before she got married, her family was well off, with good food and clothes. Two years before she got married, she was still a fashionable lesbian who loved to dress up and stood out in the courtyard.
But I don't know when I started to give up everything. I was reluctant to eat and wear clothes. In the past, I even didn't want a piece of the steamed buns shared by everyone.
In fact, what’s the need for this steamed bread at home?
"I want to eat. Xiaohu, bring it to mom." Liu Nianhua looked at Zhou Guoping with a puzzled look in his eyes, and asked casually while eating the steamed buns fed by his son, "Baozhen and Caili came here just now and wanted to ask me to go shopping in the department store on Sunday."
"A department store? The things inside are so expensive." Zhou Guoping spoke reflexively, coaxing his wife, "They both have jobs and spend money lavishly. Don't learn from them."
Liu Nianhua felt a little tight in his chest, his lips moved, and he continued, "I heard that the Lihua brand scarves are popular in the city now. I also want to buy one. I haven't worn a scarf for many years."
"What's so good about that scarf? It's ten yuan a piece, are you willing to spend it? How much meat can you buy with ten yuan, right, Xiaolong?"
Xiaolong was playing nearby and agreed with his father's words, "There's so much meat! I think we can eat it until the Chinese New Year."
Liu Nianhua didn't say anything else. Zhou Guoping's voice kept ringing in her ears, but she couldn't hear a word he said. This man even knew how much a scarf sold for, but she didn't know.
Liang Baozhen had been busy all day. When she took a break, she looked at Xu Shengjie again and felt that this man was a bit stubborn and was unwilling to take her to the black market.
She took off her coat and went to bed. As soon as she lay down, she felt Xu Shengjie coming up. Liang Baozhen decided to continue to be angry with him. She turned over and lay facing the wall, leaving the man with only a cold but round back of her head.
Xu Shengjie really didn't expect his wife to be so brave. She wanted to go to the black market. The black market in the city was hidden more secretly. Most people couldn't find it. Everyone was worried about being caught. In the black market, if there was a little movement, everyone would scatter like birds and beasts. He was worried that if he took Liang Baozhen there, he would encounter some trouble.
"A few years ago, a female comrade who sold cloth coupons was arrested." Xu Shengjie looked at the cold back of her head and spoke. Liang Baozhen had a nice round head, and her dark hair made her back look pretty. "At that time, she was hung with a sign that read 'cloth coupon seller' and was eventually sentenced to four years."
Leng Mo's shoulders moved. Xu Shengjie knew she was listening, but he remained silent.
"If I take you in and we happen to catch speculators, I can run fast, but I'm worried about something happening if I take you with me. I'm not worried, but what if you're mistaken for a speculator?"
"Who said you don't have to worry about it?" Liang Baozhen turned around abruptly. She felt something was wrong with Xu Shengjie's words. This man had a problem with his thinking. "If you get arrested, what will happen to grandma? What will happen to Xiaowei and Xiaoya? This family will have to break up."
Xu Shengjie looked at Liang Baozhen. When she was angry, her delicate cheeks would puff up, her red lips would be slightly pouted, and she would mutter to express her dissatisfaction. Even her speech speed became much faster, and her usually gentle eyes shot out a gleam of dissatisfaction.
"What if you're not here?" Hearing what she said, she mentioned everyone but didn't mention herself. Xu Shengjie didn't mind reminding her.
"Me?" Liang Baozhen smiled, looking at Xu Shengjie's slightly anxious eyes, and said with a smile, "Then I will bring you food and let you have a good meal."
As she was talking, she couldn't continue and started laughing. The man grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer.
Xu Shengjie has long fingers. He put his big hands around his wife's wrists. He couldn't help but sigh that his wife was so delicate everywhere, even her wrists were so thin. He gently stroked them a few times and laughed softly, "Zhenzhen, you are too cruel."
Liang Baozhen felt her wrist itchy from being rubbed by Xu Shengjie, and when she heard this, her ears also itched.
The room was filled with red waves, and Liang Baozhen's anger also dissipated.
......
Liang Baozhen learned from Meng Ping in the first few days of her employment at the National Cotton Mill, from learning how to weave cotton yarn and grey cloth to understanding the workers' daily routine.
Both she and Wang Xin were smart and could pick up the skills quickly. Soon they began to follow Meng Ping's instructions. After joining the company, new workers will learn the entire spinning process comprehensively and experience every link. They worked in the fine yarn workshop these two days.
The cotton is pulled into coarse sand after going through layers of processes, and then enters the fine yarn workshop to be pulled into fine yarn. Wang Xin works as a wheel blocker and Liang Baozhen works as a yarn remover. After a busy day of internship, they are all sweaty.
Meng Ping checked the two people's work process and made sure there was no problem before leaving.
"I feel like it won't be long before we can become regular employees." Wang Xin saw that Master Meng looked satisfied, and he must have spoken well of himself and Liang Baozhen.
"Then the salary can be ten yuan more, right?"
"Yes, the benefits for regular workers are good. The workshop draws lots from time to time. I heard that last year a worker drew lots and won a bicycle ticket!" Speaking of bicycles, Wang Xin felt envious.
"You've always wanted to buy a bicycle, right?"
"Of course, who doesn't want to buy one? It's a pity that there are no tickets." Wang Xin had some spare money at home, enough to buy a bicycle, but he had no tickets, so he was worried.
"Have you ever been to the black market?" Liang Baozhen whispered.
"No!" Wang Xin was worried that someone might hear what Liang Baozhen said. Going to the black market these days is dangerous. "If you get caught, you might end up in jail. Sister Baozhen, please don't go."
"I didn't go." Only a fool would say that he was going to the black market. That would simply give people a reason to gossip that he is not living long enough.
Liang Baozhen could see that most people were afraid. Indeed, the black market was now considered shameful and too dangerous in the eyes of everyone. Those who were brave enough to trade were also tightly wrapped and cautious.
After all, that day, until the very end, Xu Shengjie did not give in. He only said that if there was really something he couldn't buy, he could look for it in the black market, but he was determined not to set foot there because it was unsafe.
——
On the day off, Sunday, Liang Baozhen prepared to go to the department store with Cheng Caili. They couldn't miss the opportunity to buy cloth. Zhou Yun said that this year there was a big happy event in the family, with a new baby, so they had to make beautiful new clothes for the New Year.
In the past few years, she had been saving some cloth coupons. Now she could take out thirty feet of cloth coupons in one breath, waiting for the next six months to slowly grab the cloth coupons. She would choose the crisp and beautiful cloth and then let everyone in the family wear new clothes.
Cheng Caili has neat short hair, wears a beige plaid shirt, a beige skirt, and a pair of black leather shoes, looking very fashionable.
When he went to Xu's house to look for someone, he saw Xu Shengjie smiling and saying, "Xiao Xu, I borrowed your wife."
Xu Shengjie smiled when he heard what Cheng Caili said, and pointed to the house, "Baozhen, come out immediately."
Liang Baozhen had just finished her breakfast and hurriedly packed up her things and rushed out. She had slept late yesterday and almost didn't get up today. Before leaving the house, she glanced at herself in the mirror, fiddled with her braid, and then prepared to go out.
"Grandma, I'm leaving." Liang Baozhen passed by Xu Shengjie, glanced at him, but didn't say much.
"Go ahead and pick out some cloth carefully."
In the afternoon, Xu Shengjie and Liang Baozhen were going to buy bicycles, so she and Cheng Caili had to resolve the fight before noon.
The two walked out hand in hand. Cheng Caili was very friendly and asked Liang Baozhen about her work. She also talked about her own experience working in the supply and marketing cooperative. Naturally, she felt closer to her.
"I can help you find out what you want next time. Our supply and marketing cooperative can handle some defective products every month. Last month, we handled a dozen towels. They were from a towel factory. There were some problems when they left the factory, so they were sent to us at a discount. Our director received them as employee benefits. They were half the price of towels, but the color on them was not dyed well. It was a great bargain."
"Sister Cheng, I'm welcome then."
"Don't be polite. Just come with me for a stroll when you're free." Cheng Caili was well-informed. When she learned that the department store had new cloth today, she rushed to grab it.
This time, the department store has six colors of cloth made by the National Cotton Factory. Cheng Caili smiled and joked, "Your factory's products still have to be bought here. I feel balanced."
"The factory is sometimes able to give some defective cloth to the workers, but there are too many people and too little supply to get them." Liang Baozhen heard two days ago that Master Meng had snatched a batch of defective cloth that was being processed by the factory.
"These days, there are people everywhere. It's really hard to deal with it."
Liang Baozhen managed to buy a few feet of cloth in the department store. She bought ten feet of dark blue cloth and five feet of apricot red cloth.
"Wait until the supply and marketing cooperative has new cotton next month. Then I'll buy a few kilograms. It will keep me warm in the winter."
Cheng Caili would never treat herself badly. Both she and Lu Yuan's parents were employees, so they had little family burden and their family had good living conditions.
"Then call me to come along when the time comes." Liang Baozhen put away the money and notes, and walked out with the cloth in her arms. "Grandma also said that we need new cotton this year. The ones from the past few years have collapsed and are not as warm."
"Okay." Cheng Caili was impressed when she heard that the Xu family was going to buy a bicycle. In the compound, only the Wei family and her own family had bicycles. "You go buy a bicycle with Xiao Xu this afternoon. Remember to pick a sturdy one that can be ridden for many years. The one we have is a Feiduo brand, which is OK. The Phoenix brand my colleague from the supply and marketing cooperative bought two years ago is also OK, but a little expensive. By the way, don't buy the Xing'an brand①, the wheels are easy to break. My eldest brother's family bought one, and it always broke down..."
Perhaps it was due to an occupational disease, Cheng Caili introduced all the major bicycle brands to Liang Baozhen in great detail, and she wanted to explain the advantages and disadvantages of each brand in detail.
Liang Baozhen really didn't know much about bicycles. She had only seen commune cadres riding one in the village. Two years ago, Liang Baojun borrowed one from the commune accountant for half a day. That time, she followed him and learned how to ride a bicycle. She learned it pretty well.
"I've made a note of it. Thank you, Sister Cheng."
The two returned home with a full load, each holding a piece of cloth. When they walked into the yard, they saw Lu Yuan, who had just returned from a business trip. He was standing at the door with an untidy beard and was fumbling for the key to open the door.
"Why did you come back early?" Cheng Caili was very surprised. Lu Yuan was originally scheduled to come back tomorrow.
"I'm done with my work, so I'm back early." Lu Yuan took the cloth from his wife's hand and nodded to Liang Baozhen, "Did you go buy cloth?"
"Well, look at this color, it's so pretty. Let's ask Jingjing to help us cut it into clothes in a few days."
"Sister Cheng, Brother Lu, you two can chat slowly. I'm going to go home first."
Cheng Caili looked at Liang Baozhen and repeatedly reminded her, "Hey, remember what I said, don't buy a Xing'an bicycle!"
"knew!"
The author has something to say:
Do you have a friend like this? He is particularly concerned about what his friends buy and he wants to help list the pros and cons of each brand. He is commonly known as an Amway maniac. Hahahaha, he is particularly concerned and cute.
Have a nice weekend, see you tomorrow^O^
Thanks to the cutie who irrigated the nutrient solution: 1 bottle of persimmons mixed with salt; 5 bottles for a bowl of rice;
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