Chapter 19

Xu Wen narrowed his eyes and hooked his finger at Xu Wen.

Xu Wen quickly put his ear over.

Xu Wen raised his hand and gently pinched Xu Wen's ear and said word by word: "I won't tell you!"

Xu asked: "..."

He rubbed his ears and rolled his eyes: "You are already a father and you are still so childish!"

Seeing that he couldn't get anything out of Xu Wen, Xu Wen gave up the idea of ​​probing further.

After Xu Qie, who was the slowest eater, had finished his meal, he took the initiative to collect the dishes and went outside to wash them.

There was no running water in the entire commune, but the Xu family had a well equipped with an old-fashioned hand-cranked water pump.

Xu Wen pumped some water and went to the stove to get some alkaline flour.

There is no detergent at home, so I use alkaline powder to remove grease.

While washing dishes, Xu Wen thought: How did Lu Yuanzheng convince his parents?

Unfortunately, no one told her the answer until she went to bed.

Xu Wen continued to toss and turn all night and couldn't sleep. He finally made it to dawn. He had just gotten up, washed up, and was about to go herd the sheep when he saw Zhu Meizhen yawning and coming out of the house.

"Mom, why are you up so early?"

Zhu Meizhen walked to the well, washed her face, and sobered up for a few minutes before she replied, "Didn't your dad say he was going to sell chickens? Come on, come with me."

"I have to herd sheep."

"You're meeting your in-laws today, so don't go herding sheep. Your father, your brother and I have all asked the captain for leave."

Xu Wen nodded, followed Zhu Meizhen, and went to the chicken coop to catch two fatter chickens.

Zhu Meizhen tied up the two chicken feet with a piece of rag, and said reluctantly: "Alas! This chicken that is laying eggs has to be sold. From now on, let alone selling eggs, I have to buy eggs from my family for myself. Xiaoqing is pregnant again and needs to be supplemented..."

I'm not exaggerating. Only those who have been poor know what it means to be "a penny can make a hero fall"!

Two chickens are just enough to make two pots of soup in a rich family, but in their home, they are the source of daily expenses for the whole family, at least enough to pay for Xu Qie or Xu Wen's tuition.

Reluctant to leave, Zhu Meizhen grabbed the chicken, tied it up, and walked out holding it upside down, all in one go without any hesitation.

No matter how poor you are or how important your chicken is, it is not as important as your daughter-in-law meeting her in-laws.

No matter what you say at the lunch table, you must not let your in-laws look down on you.

Xu Wen wanted to help pick one up, but Zhu Meizhen refused: "They are dirty from rubbing against each other, don't touch them."

Xu asked: "..."

So when you asked me to follow you, it means follow literally?

Zhu Meizhen carried the basket for shopping and said it was not heavy and there was no need to let Xu Wen carry it. This time she didn't even let Xu Wen carry the chicken.

Xu Wen forcibly took the basket from Zhu Meizhen's arm and put it on his own arm, and asked her: "Mom, doesn't the food station open at 8 o'clock? What are we doing there so early?"

It's only five o'clock now, and the sky is just getting light.

"Let's not go to the food station." Zhu Meizhen whispered, "Let's go to Xiaoliu Street."

Xiaoliu Street is not a street but a small agricultural market.

The place is not very big but there are many roads, lanes and alleys around it, making it a good place to escape.

Individual economy was still not allowed in 1977, but the control was not as strict as in previous years.

Especially in a place like Wei Zhuang Commune where the emperor was far away, the country was poor and the people were miserable.

Many families work hard all year round and cannot even earn enough food for their own people. In order to survive, they can only secretly take things out of their homes to exchange for some money.

It started as a barter, and gradually it became a transaction of money and goods.

I don’t know when Xiaoliu Street came into being.

Initially, people who didn’t want to pass by the food station secretly sold their own poultry, eggs and vegetables on Xiaoliu Street, and they didn’t need a ticket.

Later, there were more and more buyers and sellers, and it became a semi-public existence.

But ordinary people are generally timid. This market starts to get crowded before dawn every day, and by seven in the morning at the latest, the place will be so clean that it seems like nothing has happened.

So the economic department of the commune turned a blind eye. I can't work overtime with them every day, right?

It's no use following him because the streets and alleys near Xiaoliu Street are crisscrossed and it's impossible to catch him.

Besides, even if one "Xiao Liu Street" is closed, there will be another "Xiao Liu Street".

These people are just trying to make a living and don't really want to "dig into the corners of socialism."

The last time Xu Wen came to Xiaoliu Street was before Xu Wen got married. At that time, there were not many people on Xiaoliu Street, and even the prices were similar to those at the food stand.

That means the seller does not need to pay a copy and the buyer does not need to get a ticket.

This time, as soon as he arrived at the market entrance, Xu Wen's eyes widened in surprise.

The small open space in front of us is still dotted with stalls that people can pack up and leave at any time.

What attracted Xu Wen's attention the most was one of the box trucks.

The truck was filled with fresh fruits and vegetables, chicken, duck, fish, cloth and other daily necessities such as grains, oils, rice and noodles.

In short, a box truck created a market.

A large group of people gathered around a truck, picking and choosing, and bargaining. The bustling scene reminded Xu Wen of the morning market where sales were on sale.

It turns out that the enthusiastic mothers who grab cheap goods are not only from the same country but also from different generations.

The key point is that Xu Wen had just met the people who were surrounding the truck and arranging transactions yesterday. They were the ones who had dinner with Wen Yiming.

Xu Wen looked around and sure enough, Wen Yiming was standing on the side of the road far away from the crowd, leaning against a tree trunk, smoking with his head down.

Probably noticing Xu Wen's gaze, Wen Yiming raised his head and happened to meet Xu Wen's eyes.

He was visibly stunned.

Xu Wen had seen him yesterday, looking completely different from his usual self, so she was not too surprised. She nodded as a greeting, turned around and caught up with Zhu Meizhen, asking her, "Mom, have you told the Wen family?"

Zhu Meizhen nodded, "I asked Director Li to pass on the message last night. You have agreed to marry Xiao Zheng, we can't let Xiao Wen wait in vain. It will be bad for your reputation if it gets out."

"Yeah." Xu Wen nodded. It's okay to say it.

Zhu Meizhen didn't think much about it. She let Xu Wen look at the two chickens she brought, took the basket from Xu Wen's hand, and ran to the truck to squeeze into the crowd.

Xu Wen stood there and shook his head helplessly as he watched Zhu Meizhen tiptoeing and looking inside anxiously.

Apart from anything else, Wen Yiming has a really good business mind.

Xu Wen was a little jealous, but she didn't dare to do it.

Lack of capital is one reason. In addition, in this era, the act of stealing goods is different from ordinary people selling pocket money secretly. It is called speculation and profiteering. If caught, you will be paraded through the streets and may even be sentenced.

"Xu asked."

Xu Wen raised her head and saw Wen Yiming already in front of her, with an anxious look on his face.

Wen Yiming tried to adjust his glasses out of habit, but when he raised his hand to his ear and realized he wasn't wearing them, he put it down and put it in his pocket, and asked, "Why are you here?"

Xu Wen pointed at the restless chicken at his feet and said, "Come and sell chickens."

Wen Yiming raised his eyebrows: "Are you having trouble at home?" He then began to search his pockets, "If there is anything, just tell me directly."

He took out a roll of money and handed it to Xu Wen: "Take it for emergency use."

Xu Wen shook his head: "I told you last time that I won't take your money. No merit, no reward. Thank you!"

"Let's go. The meat on that truck is fresh and cheap. We can save ourselves the trouble of going to the supply and marketing cooperative when we sell chickens. We can just buy it here." Zhu Meizhen came back excitedly. Seeing Wen Yiming standing in front of Xu Wen, she looked him over several times before tentatively calling out, "Comrade Xiao Wen?"

Wen Yiming nodded and smiled politely: "Auntie, you can just call me Yiming."

Zhu Meizhen looked Wen Yiming up and down, with a look of wanting to say something but stopping herself.

Xu Wen understood Zhu Meizhen's feelings very well. She was a little surprised when she first saw Wen Yiming like this yesterday.

The contrast between the two is so great that some people believe both of them.

Wen Yiming knew it himself. He tilted his head slightly to avoid Zhu Meizhen's gaze, pointed to the lower truck, and asked Zhu Meizhen: "Auntie, did you see what you wanted in that truck?"

Xu Wen quickly winked at Zhu Meizhen.

Unfortunately, Zhu Meizhen's mouth is always faster than her brain, and she was immediately distracted by Wen Yiming. She pointed at the truck and enthusiastically introduced it to Wen Yiming: "There are so many! The chicken, duck, fish and meat are cheap and no tickets are required. Clothes and fabrics are also..." After saying this, she glanced at Wen Yiming and said enthusiastically, "You came here so early to buy things, right? I'll help you choose what you want. You guys buy things with your eyes closed, so you're likely to suffer losses."

Zhu Meizhen particularly likes Wen Yiming, but Xu Wen can't do anything about it even if he doesn't like her. As the saying goes, "even if the deal fails, the friendship remains", even if Wen Yiming can't become her son-in-law, they can't and won't stop seeing each other forever.

"Okay." Wen Yiming agreed happily, "Then Auntie, pick out whatever you think is good for me!"

"Then come with me," Zhu Meizhen pulled Wen Yiming's sleeve and walked towards the truck, not forgetting to instruct Xu Wen, "Wenwen, take good care of the chickens."

Before Xu Wen could even open his mouth to say anything, Zhu Meizhen and Wen Yiming had already walked towards the truck.

She tried to chase after it, but one of the chickens just fluttered and flew some distance before falling to the ground.

Xu Wen quickly chased the chicken back, and when he looked over again, Zhu Meizhen and Wen Yiming had already disappeared in the crowd.

Xu Wen let out a long sigh and felt a little headache.

From Wen Yiming's attitude, Xu Wen couldn't figure out whether he knew that she was going to marry Lu Yuanzheng or not.

The car was full of noise, so there was no need for Zhu Meizhen to help choose things. Most likely, they wanted Zhu Meizhen to pick out the things she liked and give them to them.

How can I accept anything from him if I don't even plan to marry him?

Sure enough, when Zhu Meizhen came out carrying a bunch of things, her face looked very strange.

When they were almost there, Zhu Meizhen asked, "Yiming, you gave me all of these?"

Wen Yiming nodded, "Auntie, we really don't need anything at home, please don't worry about accepting it."

Zhu Meizhen shook her head, looking hesitant. After thinking for a while, she stuffed the things into Xu Wen's hands, picked up two chickens from the ground and handed them to Wen Yiming, "Yiming, we can't take your things for free. These two chickens are for you."

So even if they exchanged, they would still suffer a slight loss.

Wen Yiming took a step back and shook his head: "Auntie, with our relationship, how can I ask for your chicken?"

Xu asked: "..."

What is our relationship worth two chickens?

Zhu Meizhen stopped when she heard this, frowned and asked him, "Didn't Director Li go to your house to tell you last night?"

"What?" Wen Yiming looked puzzled. "I was with my friends yesterday and didn't go home at night."

Zhu Meizhen was in a dilemma. She looked at Xu Wen, then at Wen Yiming. She hesitated for a moment before putting the chicken on the ground. She took the things Wen Yiming bought from Xu Wen and placed them at Wen Yiming's feet. Then she spoke, "Yiming, we originally asked Director Li to pass on a message to your house. It seems that the message hasn't reached you yet, so I'll be frank. Although I am optimistic about you and Wenwen, I'm also sorry that you two are not destined to be together. But marriage is about mutual consent. You are a good comrade, and you will definitely find a better girl than our Wenwen."

Wen Yiming frowned, staring straight at Xu Wen's face, questioning, "What do you mean?"

"That's what you heard." Xu Wen looked directly at Wen Yiming without dodging, and gave him the nice guy card, "You are so outstanding and deserve a better girl. I'm sorry."

Wen Yiming took a step forward, narrowed his eyes and looked at Xu Wen, "Because of that soldier?"

Xu Wen nodded and shook his head, "I am with him, but it has nothing to do with him. We are not suitable with or without him."

Her seemingly calm and noncompetitive nature is actually just a way to hide her incompetence.

She was afraid that she might say something wrong or do something out of line, which would not only harm herself but also bring trouble to her relatives who were so good to her.

She is different from other girls born and raised in this era. Even when looking for a partner, what she values ​​most is freedom.

You don't have to worry all the time, even unable to sleep well, for fear of saying something you shouldn't.

One time, she was looking for her cell phone in her dream and was woken up by Zhu Meizhen, who asked her what the cell phone meant.

From then on, Xu Wen no longer dared to sleep in front of his family members, and always got up behind them.

These things will not change because of marriage, but the long journey can.

He is away from home all year round because he is in the army.

Xu Wen married Lu Yuanzheng, and the Xu family no longer had to worry about her marriage.

The problem of sleeping can be solved, and the problem of going to school can also be solved.

As for Dongsheng, even if they live together, they sleep in separate rooms.

Once you go to college, you can rent a house.

Wen Yiming could not give Xu Wen all this.

The point is, Wen Yiming has too many secrets, which is really not suitable for her who also has many secrets.

He seems gentle and polite, but he is actually very strong. His gentle tone is full of commands.

Wen Yiming narrowed his eyes, his anger evident.

Zhu Meizhen quickly protected Xu Wen behind her and frowned, "Comrade Wen, although parents' orders are not important now, free love is also consensual. Wenwen has no such thoughts about you. A forced melon is not sweet, right?"

Such a gentle sound made Zhu Meizhen's heart beat a little.

"Run! The law enforcement team is coming!"

There was a commotion at the entrance of Xiaoliu Street. The vendors who were setting up their stalls fled with their bags rolled up, and the small market was thrown into chaos.

Wen Yiming's face changed and she said, "Xu Wen, don't marry Lu Yuanzheng! You will regret it!" and ran towards the truck.

Xu Wen-chen had no time to retort, so he grabbed the chicken on the ground and called out to Zhu Mei-zhen: "Mom, hurry up!"

If they were caught, not only would their chickens be confiscated, but they would also be fined. But her family didn't have the money to pay the fine.

Zhu Meizhen hurriedly picked up all the things she had just bought. Wen Yiming didn't want them, but she did. Anyway, the law enforcement team would take them away anyway if she didn't take them.

Zhu Meizhen grew up in the commune and was familiar with the terrain. She led Xu Wen to escape through a shortcut.

As Xu Wenbian walked out of Sixth Street, he looked back and saw that the van had been surrounded by the law enforcement team.

I don't know if Wen Yiming is okay.