Chapter 104 (Catching Bugs)
When I came to the First Department Store at noon, nothing happened. But this time when I walked in with Qiu Zeming, the same dizzy feeling from last time came back.
Zhou Jiani stood there for a while, a little lost in thought.
Qiu Zeming asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Zhou Jiani shook her head, glanced at Qiu Zeming calmly, and made up an excuse, saying with a smile, "I just didn't expect there would be so many people at this time."
The excuse was just randomly picked, but there was another unexpected thing, which was that the thirty or so hair bands I left for lunch were sold out in one afternoon.
The teller didn't know it was her supply, so she didn't react when she saw Zhou Jiani. But the accountant came out and saw her. He came over and said, "Comrade Xiao Zhou, the hair ties you sent are sold out. Please send some more with the basket next time."
It’s such an inconspicuous little thing, but so many people are vying for it.
Zhou Jiani quickly agreed with a smile, saying, "Okay, Accountant Pang."
I originally wanted to ask if I could pay directly, but Accountant Pang nodded and hurried out of the department store.
After Qiu Zeming finished shopping, he asked Zhou Jiani, "Is there anything you want to buy?"
Zhou Jiani shook her head: "No more. After you finish shopping, let's go back and have something to eat. After that, we'll go to the hospital."
"OK!"
Qiu Zeming ordered two bowls of shredded pork noodle soup, a plate of fried yellow cabbage and egg, and a dish of old chef's cabbage.
Zhou Jiani went to the hotel to pay a deposit and got a lunch box, and then she set aside some money.
After the IV drip, Zhang Kaishan looked much better than in the afternoon. Zhao Mei broke an apple, held it to his mouth and let him eat it in small bites.
On the bedside were a steamed bun, a cornbread, and a teacup of millet porridge.
In the afternoon, Zhou Jiani offered to bring Zhao Mei some food, but Zhao Mei refused, as she didn't want to trouble them to run back and forth to the hospital, so she said she would buy it from the hospital cafeteria and she had the food coupons with her.
Zhou Jiani handed over the lunch box she brought and whispered, "Sister-in-law, we have some leftovers, please don't be disgusted."
Zhao Mei gave her a reproachful look and said helplessly, "Don't I know you?"
Anything left must have been left out on purpose.
After chatting with Zhang Kaishan for a few words, the two returned to the guesthouse.
After fetching water and washing up, Zhou Jiani only took off her outer trousers and jacket, leaving her cotton trousers and jacket on. She lay on the bed with the quilt draped over her, in a daze. When she thought that she and Qiu Zeming were only separated by a wall, she felt a little uneasy.
When you get to know some people more, you will feel that they are good in every way, and once some thoughts arise, you can't stop them.
Zhou Jiani raised her hand to press her restless heart, and rubbed her face to stop herself from thinking too much.
I wonder what this afternoon’s feeling in the department store will bring, a system upgrade, or something else to dream about?
Her palm vibrated, and she lowered her head to grab a red envelope and started a group buying of Eight Treasure Porridge.
Zhou Jiani stared at the screen, slightly dazed. Only when the link for Eight Treasure Porridge popped up did her eyes move. She raised her hand, clicked on it, and bought two boxes of Eight Treasure Porridge.
She didn't buy the sandalwood comb, children's toys and kitchen paper afterwards.
It was still early, and not too sleepy. Zhou Jiani was just pondering two questions when someone knocked on the door. Her heart skipped a beat. Before she could ask, Qiu Zeming's voice rang out from outside: "Comrade Xiao Zhou, it's me!"
Zhou Jiani wrapped herself in a military coat and went to open the door.
Qiu Zeming held something out of his coat pocket and handed it over, smiling, "I got two IV bottles from the hospital this morning. They've been cleaned and ironed inside and out. I just filled them with some hot water. Let me warm your feet."
Zhou Jiani took out the bottle and held it in her arms. The heat passed through her cotton-padded jacket and reached her skin, making her feel warm from the inside out. She smiled and said, "Thank you, Comrade Xiao Qiu. Good night!"
Qiu Zeming smiled: "You're welcome, good night!"
After hearing Zhou Jiani fasten the bolt from inside, he went back to the next room.
Zhou Jiani put the thermos bottle in the quilt, stretched her feet in and kicked them lightly, and soon the soles of her feet felt warm.
I didn’t think about it anymore, but the corners of my mouth were unconsciously raised until I went to bed.
The answer to something I had been thinking about for a while appeared in my dream.
Zhou Jiani didn't expect that she could actually see the extra chapter of that book.
However, most of the content was still blurry, with only a few clear paragraphs presented to her word by word.
One passage reads: "Zhou Jiani spent all the money in her bank account during her hospitalization, but she still died. Her son and daughter-in-law were surprised that their mother had saved over 40,000 yuan, only to spend it all at her death. Her daughter-in-law was furious and didn't shed a single tear during the funeral, telling people that her mother-in-law was too selfish and that they had to pay for her funeral."
In the dream, Zhou Jiani smiled at the text. It turned out that she died there, but the money she spent there was brought here by the golden finger in some unknown way.
Blurred paragraphs flashed by again. After a while, her sight in the dream stopped again. This time, she not only saw another paragraph of text, but also a figure that went from blurry to clear.
First, a paragraph of text: [An Audi slowly stopped in the parking lot in front of Jinlin Commercial. Bai Wenxuan turned off the engine, turned around and smiled at the person in the back seat, "Uncle Qiu, my girlfriend was transferred here. My dad said this was the department store back then. He went shopping here with you and my Uncle Wang. I'm going up to meet my girlfriend, pick up the things we bought, and then we'll leave."
In the back seat, the elegant old man in his sixties nodded and said gently, "Don't worry. It's not easy for you to come here. It's not too late to talk to your partner for a while before leaving. I'll wait in the car."
Bai Wenxuan got out of the car and walked into the mall.
Bored with waiting, the sixty-year-old man pushed open the car door and wanted to get out to take a breath. He first stretched out a pair of crutches, and after a while, one leg stretched out, and he slowly stood up with the crutch in his hand.
The old man, with one leg on two crutches, stood straight, looking up at the magnificent building before him, his eyes filled with nostalgia for his youth.
Reader comments below:
[Eat melon without spitting out seeds comments on "The Return of Educated Youth in the 1970s": Who are these white and sixty-year-old people?]
Someone replied below: [The heroine was an educated youth when she first went to the countryside. She was quite proud of being from a rich family. I almost bought stocks in them back then!]
Second floor: [I remember there was an educated youth named Bai back then. This Bai should be his son, right? That Qiu was the man who rejected the heroine before, hahahaha, but why mention him? I almost have no recollection of him.]
Third Floor: [You ignored me back then, and now you can’t reach me. You should let Qiu know the heroine’s current achievements and regret it.]
Fourth Floor: [It's pointless. He doesn't have many scenes. The heroine has probably forgotten who he is.]
Fifth Floor: [Replying to the original poster, this supporting character was mentioned in a certain chapter. He lost a leg in an accident while serving in the army and never got married.]
Zhou Jiani felt suffocated and woke up gasping for breath, covered in cold sweat.
The room was pitch black. I calmed myself down, found the pull-cord switch and turned on the light.
It’s just after two in the morning.
Zhou Jiani calmed herself down and felt a numbness in her left hand. She spread out her palm and saw a few words flashing on the interface: Update completed!
"Has the system been updated as well?"
Zhou Jiani first looked at the main page. There was no additional link for a third group, nor were there any other icons added.
Well, the money in the account didn’t increase out of thin air (what was I thinking).
Finally, she had an idea and clicked into the warehouse. One row of shelves was obviously different from the other shelves. This update added the fresh-keeping function that she had always regretted.
Zhou Jiani sat up excitedly, put on her cotton jacket and looked at the warehouse interface.
Well, it seems that this is the only change, and no other functions have been added, but Zhou Jiani is already very satisfied.
In order to conduct an experiment, Zhou Jiani took out the eight-treasure porridge she bought in the middle of the night, opened the box, took out a can, opened the lid and put it on the fresh-keeping shelf in the warehouse.
He took out the thermos and a clean empty lunch box, poured a box of warm water into it, and put it on the fresh-keeping shelf.
See how long it takes for the eight-treasure porridge to go bad, and see if the fresh-keeping shelves can also maintain temperature.
After finishing all these, Zhou Jiani suddenly lost her sleepiness, raised her hand and looked through the group, and found two bottles of papaya pickles.
I don’t know how long it took before I felt sleepy. I curled up in the quilt and fell asleep. It was like I had entered the world of the book again, but everything seemed to be covered with a veil that I couldn’t lift or see clearly.
This caused her head to throb with pain when she woke up in the morning, and she had to sit on the bed for a long time before the pain got better.
She put on her clothes and went out to wash up. When she opened the door, the door of Qiu Zeming's room also opened.
Zhou Jiani looked over with complicated eyes. Qiu Zeming was full of vigor and vitality now. Although Qiu Zeming in her dream was sixty years old and had lost a leg in an accident, his posture was still upright, his gray hair was combed meticulously, and he wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. He looked elegant and gentle, which was completely different from the occasional upturned hair at the corners of his eyes now.
Seeing Zhou Jiani staring at him, Qiu Zeming immediately raised his hand to touch the buttons on his jacket, then lowered his head to check. Did he button the wrong button?
"What's wrong?"
"It's okay." Zhou Jiani retracted her gaze and coughed lightly, "My hair is a little messy."
His hair is a little long, and there is a tuft of hair on the top of his head that can't be pressed down, which makes him look a little cute.
The elegant old man in the dream merges with the youthful face now. He is handsome from young to old.
I just don't know if he was dead when he stood in front of the mall.
Early in the morning, Zhou Jiani recalled the past self in that text and went to wash up in a very good mood.
In the hospital, Zhao Mei followed the doctor who was making rounds to ask about Zhang Kaishan's condition. She learned that he was finally out of danger, but the doctor still suggested that they go to a provincial hospital for treatment.
"I will persuade him, thank you, doctor."
Back in the ward, Zhao Mei calmed herself down, held Zhang Kaishan's hand and chatted with him in a low voice, starting from their blind date to their engagement, and then talking about walking to the market together.
Zhao Mei smiled and said, "At that time, I walked in front and you followed behind. There was room for three or four more people between us."
Zhang Kaishan also laughed.
"You even bought me a sesame seed bun on the way and ate the steamed bread you brought from home." Zhao Mei had tears in her eyes, but she still smiled brightly. "After we got married, I let it slip that I mentioned this matter, and your mother scolded you. That's when I realized that the money for the sesame seed bun was secretly saved by you."
Zhang Kaishan's eyes turned red and he became gloomy for a moment. His mother made him feel heartbroken.
The two chatted on and on, talking about the past and the future. As they chatted, Zhao Mei said, "I'm not afraid of a hard life. I'm afraid that even if I suffer, I won't be able to have peace and quiet, and I will have to deal with endless troubles."
Zhang Kaishan looked at her. Zhao Mei took a deep breath and whispered her plan in her ear.
She didn't mention that it was Zhou Jiani's idea, she only said her own idea.
Zhang Kaishan stared fixedly at the ceiling above the ward, his eyes filled with a complex determination. After a long pause, he nodded slightly and muttered, "Okay!"
Zhao Mei planned to get an advance on her salary, complete the transaction with her mother-in-law, and then persuade him to go to the provincial capital for treatment.
Zhou Jiani and Qiu Zeming came in from outside carrying some buns. Zhao Mei nodded at her imperceptibly, looked at Qiu Zeming, and asked him to help take care of Zhang Kaishan here and let her cousin take over in the afternoon.
Qiu Zeming said, "Sister-in-law, I'll stay here with Brother Kaishan. You haven't had much rest these past two days. Go back and have a good rest. When you're done, come back and take my place. There's no need to rush and ask your cousin to come over."
Zhao Mei hurriedly said, "I'm fine. You're so busy too. The greenhouse can't do without you. I feel bad for delaying your work for two days. My cousin will be here this afternoon."
Seeing that he couldn't win the argument, he had no choice but to give in to Zhao Mei.
Zhou Jiani and Zhao Mei returned to the village. They took a bus from the starting station, occupying two seats. After boarding the bus, Zhao Mei forced herself to stay awake, but Zhou Jiani said, "You have a tough battle to fight when you return. How can you not get enough rest? Go to bed and get some sleep. I'm here for you. Don't worry too much about the medical expenses. The village won't agree to advance your salary, but I'll cover the cost for you."
Zhao Mei's eyes were red, but she didn't refuse. She shook Zhou Jiani's hand and said sincerely, "Jiani, thank you!"
I slept all the way and looked much more energetic when I got off the bus.
The two of them split up into two groups. Zhao Mei went straight back to her parents' home, while Zhou Jiani stayed in the town to eat something. Before leaving, she bought a hot steamed bun and put it on the shelf. She walked back to the brigade and first went to the village committee to report on her work.
Zhang Baosheng and his friends were there right then. Seeing her return, Zhang Baosheng asked, "Xiao Zhou, did you run into Xiao Qiu and the others in the city? Zhang Kaishan is in the hospital."
"I know about this and have been to the hospital. Brother Zhang is out of danger, but the doctor recommended that he go to the provincial capital for treatment as soon as possible. There might be a chance of recovery if he continues to receive treatment now, but if we delay any longer, I'm afraid..."
Zhang Baosheng's brows were furious, as if they could kill a mosquito. He said angrily, "That unreasonable mother-in-law Zhao Mei almost pissed me off to death." He threw his military coat over himself, stood up, and prepared to leave. "I'll go talk to her again and ask her and their eldest brother to come up with the money to treat Zhang Kaishan first. I just don't believe it..."
Just two days ago, he was happily thinking about the peaceful atmosphere in the village this winter, and he felt relieved, but he ended up being very angry with the mountain pioneer.
Zhou Jiani stopped him and said, "You'd better believe it. She definitely won't pay that much."
Motioning for Zhang Baosheng to sit down first, she didn't mention any other plans. Instead, she asked, "Do you have any other options besides this? I mean, if you can't get the money from her mother-in-law, what are you going to do?"
Liu Tong said from the side, "The captain said this morning that if it doesn't work, we cadres should all help out and let Zhang Kaishan get treated first. Once he's cured, we can pay him back later. But we haven't told anyone else yet. If everyone disagrees, then the team will have to cover the cost first."
In short, I have considered it seriously.
Zhou Jiani nodded. "I have no objection. The cadres can help to collect the money, or we can borrow from the village. Or we can let Sister Zhao Mei take an advance on her salary from the factory first. When she returns to work, she can set aside some for daily expenses each month and use the rest to cover her debt."
This way, Zhao Mei can also keep her job.
Zhang Baosheng's brows relaxed and he said, "That's fine. Let's use the factory's account."
He went to the factory to find Li Jingdang.
Zhou Jiani gave the money from selling hair bands to Liu Tong and asked him to help keep accounts and distribute them together after the payment from the First Department Store was settled.
She only helped to inspect and sell the goods. When it came to accounting, she asked Liu Tong to keep a separate account book and record every detail clearly to avoid any other involvement.
Liu Tong counted the money and said, "This hairband is selling quite well."
Zhou Jiani pulled her teacup from her bag, pinched a handful of the newly added tea leaves from the tea bucket, poured a glass of water, sat on a chair on the other side, took out a notebook and pen, and started writing. "The ones I left for the First Department Store sold out in the afternoon. I'll have to wait until next time to settle the bill. Actually, if it's done right, it's also a way out, but..."
You can make a fortune by selling small commodities, but if you want to do it in large quantities, you can't do it by pure handwork. Except for a few people with superb skills who can sew the stitches very beautifully, the others cannot be looked at closely.
And you have to be able to get beautiful fabrics that others can’t buy, otherwise imitations will be on the shelves in minutes.
After being busy in the village committee for a while, Zhou Jiani wrapped herself tightly and took a walk around the greenhouse, then went to the factory to take a look, and then returned home.
There was a puddle of water in front of the door, with a thin layer of ice. She carefully walked around to get the key and unlock the gate.
As soon as there was a movement here, the door opened. Zhang Huihui poked her head out vigilantly, and seeing it was Zhou Jiani, she called out "Sister Jiani" and ran over to hug her.
The little girl was terrified.
Zhou Jiani smiled and patted her little head, saying, "I went to see your father, and the doctor said it's okay. Don't be afraid. He'll be back after a few more injections."
Zhang Huihui raised her little face and said "hmm" with a nasal tone. She just missed her parents.
Zhang Huihui was a little silent. Zhou Jiani gave her an apple. She took it under her nose and smelled it, then held it in her hand without eating it.
I gave her some snacks, but she refused to eat, and her little face was full of worry.
In the evening, Yu Chenxia blew in like the wind. He didn't say anything in front of Zhang Huihui. After he and Zhou Jiani went to the kitchen, he said, "Zhang Huihui's grandmother is really a piece of shit. She made her own son so angry that he had to be hospitalized. Not only did she not care about her own granddaughter, she even came to our door and cursed at us. I was so angry that I threw a basin of dirty water outside."
"I was wondering why the door was frozen."
Yu Wanxia glanced toward the door and lowered her voice, saying, "Sister-in-law Zhao Mei is back. She said she borrowed a large sum of money to pay for Brother Zhang's medical treatment and asked her mother-in-law to share the debt. Not only did her mother-in-law refuse, she burst into tears and made a scene. Sister-in-law went to the village to mediate, but her mother-in-law pretended to hang herself, saying that her daughter-in-law was forcing her to death. Uncle Huihui also came and argued with Huihui's grandmother, saying that since she refused to share the debt, she might as well sever ties with her youngest son. Guess what?"
Zhou Jiani: "Are you really paying out of concern for your son?"
"Tsk, no way! She actually agreed to it," Yu Wanxia said angrily. "Don't you think Huihui's dad would be so disappointed if he found out?"
Zhao Mei came over before dinner. Her eyes were still a little red and swollen, but there was a relaxed smile on her face. Huihui ran over and hugged her mother tightly.
Zhao Mei touched her daughter's head and smiled as she thanked Yu Wanxia: "Wanxia, thank you so much. I'll be at home tonight, and my sister-in-law will come over to stay for a while tomorrow, so I won't cause you any trouble."
He looked at Zhou Jiani again, the gratitude in his eyes was self-evident.
After the mother and daughter left, Yu Wanxia was still sighing: "It's really not easy for Sister-in-law Zhao Mei."
A few days later, Zhou Jiani was delighted to observe that the water temperature in the lunch boxes on the fresh-keeping shelf had not changed, and there was nothing unusual about the opened eight-treasure porridge.
The steamed buns put there that day not only did not go bad, but even maintained the temperature they were at when they were put there.
Zhou Jiani took out a few portions of self-heating rice while she was at home, cooked them in advance, put them in aluminum lunch boxes, and put them on the fresh-keeping shelf.
This way, even if she takes it out of her bag to eat outside, it won't look weird.
The hotpot is not ready yet. She definitely won't eat hotpot in public. She will just eat it right after it's prepared.
Zhang Kaishan also decided to transfer to another hospital.
The doctor at the municipal hospital confirmed that his condition was stable and he could travel for long periods of time. The village contacted the commune and issued a letter of introduction for Zhang Kaishan to go to the provincial capital for treatment.
The Friendship Store had just sold two complete sets of storage stools and chairs and had decided to formally partner with the weaving factory, so Zhou Jiani had to go over there to sign the contract. She had originally planned to return for the delivery, but Zhang Baosheng had asked her to go with Zhao Mei to help out, saying, "Zhao Mei has a patient with her, and she's unfamiliar with the area. You'll feel more at ease with her. Stay home for a few days and come back after the delivery!"
Zhou Jiani followed him to the provincial hospital, where she helped find a doctor and communicate with the doctor, running around everywhere.
As soon as Zhao Mei entered the provincial hospital and faced the doctors there, she felt nervous and constrained, but she still gritted her teeth and followed the whole process, trying to learn how Jiani interacted with the doctors.
She found that Zhou Jiani was much more professional than herself when communicating with the doctor about her condition, and it seemed that the doctor was extra serious.
Zhao Mei tried hard to remember it in her mind, and also observed Zhou Jiani's graceful aura and various polite expressions.
After half a day, Zhao Mei was able to muster up the courage to speak a few words of not-so-standard Mandarin, making herself look less restrained.
After completing the hospitalization procedures and the examinations, and settling Zhang Kaishan down, Zhou Jiani left her home address with Zhao Mei and said a few words of comfort before returning home.
When I got home, Yu Huifang had just prepared dinner.
Seeing her daughter come back was another surprise. She said, "Oh, my daughter is back. Is it another delivery? When did it arrive?"
"I'm here to sign the contract. I'll stay home for two days and wait until I receive the goods before going back." Zhou Jiani had run up and down the stairs a lot that afternoon, and her feet ached from all the walking. She collapsed to rest and said to her family, "It's Sister Zhao Mei, the one I often tell you about. Her husband is in the provincial hospital for surgery. She's helping out there this afternoon. Tomorrow we'll go to the Friendship Store to sign a contract."
Upon hearing this, Yu Huifang uttered an 'Ouch' and asked about the details with concern. She said angrily, "Why didn't you tell me earlier? I would have gone over to help." She added, "We have two spare ribs at home. I'll get up tomorrow morning and make some soup and go over with you."
Jiang Xinfeng was still wearing the cotton boots made by Zhao Mei, which her granddaughter brought back when she came back from a business trip after winter.
Not only are the shoes well made, but the boots also fit well.
I asked a few more questions: "I remember you said she had a little girl coming, right? She and her husband are coming to the provincial capital, who will take care of the child? The child's grandmother?"
Zhou Jiani rolled her eyes and talked about some family matters.
I didn’t chat with my family for too long. I soaked my feet in hot water and went to bed early.
The next morning at six o'clock, it was still dark at this time of year in winter, and Yu Huifang woke me up, and the two of them rode their bikes to the hospital.
When Zhao Mei arrived, she was about to go get some food. Seeing Zhou Jiani's mother coming over with something, she felt a little sorry and said, "Auntie, I'm causing you trouble. This..."
Yu Huifang took her hand and said affectionately, "What's the problem? Jiani always mentions you when she comes home. Didn't she cause you a lot of trouble when she moved to the countryside and lived in your house?"
The two sides exchanged endless polite words, but Yu Huifang had to go back to work. She entered the ward, greeted Zhang Kaishan with a smile, gave him a few words of blessing, and then hurried back to the factory.
There was no surgery today and she had to be observed for another day, so Zhou Jiani stayed here with her for a while and then rushed to the Friendship Store according to the time.
Before the operation, Zhao Mei also took out the materials she brought from home and quickly made a few hair bands.
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