Chapter 117
Bai Haoyang also looked over.
He had been friends with Qiu Zeming for many years and was very good at interpreting his brother Qiu's expressions. Seeing that his brother Qiu had simply said "it's over" with a calm expression and nothing else, he raised an eyebrow, tsk- ...
Qiu Zeming glanced sideways: "I didn't say anything."
Bai Haoyang: "Better than a thousand words!"
Wang Qianjin was puzzled and looked bewildered.
They didn't take the bus from town. These days, the buses are so crowded that the conductors have become pushers. Every time someone waves, she has to get off and desperately push the bus in. Even so, they often find themselves stuck on the bus. They just open the window and shout, "I can't get on. If you're not in a hurry, wait for the bus behind you. If you're in a hurry, find a way yourself..."
So Qiu Zeming wanted to take the person all the way to the county town.
There were ox carts and horse carriages carrying people on the road. Some people recognized Qiu Zeming and Zhou Jiani and waved to them.
Wang Qianjin said with a smile, "You two are amazing now, Brother Qiu, if your grandfather knew how accomplished you are..."
Before he could finish his words, Bai Haoyang stretched out his foot and touched him. Wang Qianjin was not particularly smart, but Bai Haoyang had warned him several times. Now that he was reminded, he instantly realized that he had an older brother in his family, and he was not a simple-minded person. So he quickly raised his hand and zipped up his mouth.
When he returns, he must not mention a single word to anyone else about his brother Qiu's achievements here.
Zhou Jiani looked at the two of them, wondering what they were talking about.
The car drove all the way to the county town. Zhou Jiani watched the car outside while Qiu Zeming took them in.
There were so many people that many people couldn't get in and climbed through the windows, causing them to be blocked.
Bai Haoyang, Wang Qianjin and several old educated youth who were riding in the same car protected Yu Wanxia and three other female educated youth in the middle and were pushed and "stuffed" into the car.
After finding a seat, Yu Wanxia waved to Qiu Zeming through the gap between the passengers climbing the window: "Brother Qiu, go back. Tell Jiani that I will bring her something delicious after the New Year."
Qiu Zeming waved his hand: "Okay, have a safe trip!"
Bai Haoyang and Wang Qianjin also found an opportunity to shout outside: "Go back!"
After the train left, Qiu Zeming went out to meet Zhou Jiani. They had originally wanted to go shopping at the supply and marketing cooperative, but when they got to the door, they found that there were so many people outside and they couldn't squeeze in, so they gave up.
I passed by the grocery store next door and took a look. There were two blackboards hanging on the door, densely written on them, showing what items were supplied by which ticket number, and when the goods would arrive. But there were more people in the store than there were goods on the shelves, so it was impossible to rush to get supplies at that time.
Zhou Jiani took a deep breath and said, "Forget it, just go back!"
The supply and marketing cooperative in town is no less busy, and even the villages are busy.
Fortunately, she didn't need to buy anything. Qiu Zeming had bought her some New Year's goods a few days ago and had already sent them off on the truck. He had even gone to the city and bought her a sweater, a pair of woolen trousers, and some ripe melon seeds, which he had her pack up and send off.
The next day, Zhou Jiani went to Zhao Mei's house and took away the hair bands she had made during this period.
When Zhao Mei gave her the bill, she said, "The hair bands haven't been sold yet. Don't pay me now. Wait until they are sold."
Zhou Jiani smiled and said, "You still don't believe in my ability? There are many educated youth returning to the city for the New Year, which means there are more new customers. How can we worry about selling these hair bands? Take them, it's the New Year after all. Brother Zhang has recovered well and has money in hand, so we can have a good New Year too."
Hui Hui said crisply beside her, "Sister Jiani, my mother saved some meat this year."
My mother used the meat she got last year to exchange for money to buy medicine for my father.
Zhao Mei glared at her daughter and felt a little nasal lump in her throat. It had been so long since she felt this excited about the New Year.
Zhou Jiani touched Huihui's little face. The girl was a little fatter than when she first met her. There was more flesh on her face. She smiled and said, "Then I wish Huihui a happy new year in advance."
"Happy New Year in advance, Sister Jiani too," Huihui said crisply.
"Okay, okay, I wish you a happy new year in advance, haha." Zhou Jiani was happy and took out two cents of New Year's money to give to her. Zhao Mei quickly stopped her: "No, no, Jiani, you really can't accept this..."
She owed Jiani so much, why was she still willing to accept Jiani's New Year's money? And she even gave her two cents at once.
Her mother-in-law, as her own grandmother, only gave Huihui one cent as New Year's money in previous years, and gave her precious grandson two cents.
Her own mother really loves her and her daughter, and would give Huihui 50 cents during the Chinese New Year, and her sister-in-law would give her 20 cents. In the countryside, this amount of money in the red envelope is considered very high.
Jiani gave her two cents at once, and she was really embarrassed to accept it.
Zhou Jiani had the same idea. Sister-in-law Zhao Mei had helped her a lot, and the amount she gave wasn't much. She was really worried about Zhao Mei getting anxious, so she not only gave Hui Hui some, but also gave her another two cents, telling her to give it to her nephew when she returned to her parents' home for the New Year. She smiled and said, "Brother Zhao has been helping me a lot. Don't mention the hard work fee. When I buy things for others, I'm building relationships for myself, and that's not something you can calculate with hard work fees. The New Year's money is just a token of my appreciation and a blessing. Don't refuse it."
There was nothing Zhao Mei could say if she refused.
It was obviously Jiani who helped them.
After leaving Zhao Mei's house, Zhou Jiani went to Grandma Wu's house again and picked up some insoles and a broom. She also paid in advance, using the same excuse. "This Spring Festival, educated youth from all over the country are returning home to visit their families, which means we've gained a new customer base. Not to mention these beautiful insoles, maybe our knitwear sales could double... even though we weren't selling enough before."
Grandma Wu smiled happily. After interacting with Jiani more, she loved listening to Jiani talk and she became very good at talking.
She had originally considered keeping the final payment and refunding it if the items didn't sell, but then she felt it was unlucky to say so at the end of the year. Besides, on previous occasions, Jiani hadn't offered a refund for items she hadn't sold out, simply saying she'd continue selling them next time and telling her not to worry.
Well, in order to appear authentic, Zhou Jiani would occasionally take out one or two pairs and tell Grandma Wu how many she had sold and how many were left. She would settle the bill first for the ones that were sold out, and settle the bill for the ones that were not sold out after she sold them next time.
But they were all sold out in the end!
After leaving Wu Meiyun's house, Zhou Jiani went to visit the homes of several fellow villagers she had a good relationship with, including Zhang Baosheng, Zhang Laosi, Sheng Manliang, and other people, to wish them a happy new year in advance.
On the last night before returning home, Sun Ping moved directly to Zhou Jiani's place. She had greeted Yu Wanxia in advance and stayed in her room.
After coming here, Sun Ping also discovered a somewhat embarrassing situation, that is, her identity as a light bulb.
But she was leaving tomorrow, and she really didn't want to feel the low pressure in the dormitory. She didn't even dare to smile, worried that Meng Jiandi and the others would think she was showing off.
In fact, this situation has been going on for several days. Yu Wanxia had already asked her to move in in the next few days. She was a little embarrassed and insisted until the last day. Then she packed her luggage and moved in on the pretext of keeping Zhou Jiani company.
So after dinner, Sun Ping consciously went back to the west room, closed the door, and left Qiu Zeming and Zhou Jiani in the hall to talk around the stove.
In reality, Qiu Zeming and Zhou Jiani didn't treat her as a light bulb at all. If Sun Ping hadn't come, Qiu Zeming wouldn't have dared come openly and stay for so long. Even if he wanted to talk, he would have just strolled back and forth outside to talk.
After all, there is no elder where Jiani lives, and his casual coming and going will inevitably affect Jiani's reputation.
However, since Sun Ping was so perceptive, Qiu Zeming accepted it with a smile. He held her hand, looked at her tenderly, and said softly, "I'll go there on the afternoon of the third day of the Lunar New Year and stay at a guesthouse for the night. On the morning of the fourth day, I'll go home to pay New Year's greetings to my grandmother, uncles, and aunts."
Zhou Jiani smiled: "Okay, I'll pick you up then."
She also gently held Qiu Zeming's hand. She didn't know what his hands looked like when he first came, but now there were obvious calluses on them.
He added, "I'll call you around ten o'clock in the morning on New Year's Day."
"Yeah!" He will definitely be waiting by the phone at that time.
No matter how reluctant he was, Qiu Zeming was ready to say goodbye. Zhou Jiani stood up to see him off. After they left the house, Qiu Zeming took her hand and said softly, "Tomorrow morning I'll make some dumpling soup, heat up some steamed buns, stir-fry some spinach, and make some meat sauce..."
They also built a plastic shed in their own yard. The spinach they grew was not as good as that grown in the greenhouse, but it was enough for them to eat.
"Okay!" Zhou Jiani said with a smile, "Thank you for your hard work, Comrade Xiao Qiu."
They set out from the village at 4:30 in the morning. If they arrived early, Qiu Zeming would have to get up at around 3:00 to cook.
"Well, it's not hard. Then go back and rest early."
"Well, you should rest early..."
The two said goodbye, but Qiu Zeming didn't let go. In the night, his eyes tugged, and he felt the blood in his body was agitated. In a moment of passion, he aimed at Zhou Jiani's mouth and quickly pecked her. Then he left like lightning. He felt like his brain was lacking oxygen. He said dazedly, "It's cold. Hurry back to the house to warm up. I'm leaving too."
He turned around and walked away, taking one step forward and one step back. When he got home and closed the door, he belatedly realized and blamed himself: Why did he come back without even watching Jiani leave?
She raised her hand and touched her lips with a silly smile. They felt a little numb. After thinking about it, the touch seemed very soft.
On the other side, Zhou Jiani was also touching her mouth, which was a bit painful from being hit just now.
She went back and soaked her feet in hot water. She crawled into bed and was just about to take out her things to read for a while when she heard some movement in the west room.
Sun Ping opened the door and went to the bathroom. She came back and closed the door. She knocked on Zhou Jiani's door and said in a low voice, "Jiani, I'm too excited and can't sleep."
She was going home tomorrow and was so excited and happy that she couldn't fall asleep at all. She tossed and turned on the kang. Then she felt like going to the bathroom, but when she really went there, there wasn't much food. She must have been too excited, so she came to Zhou Jiani to ask for a book to read.
"Let me read for a while."
Zhou Jiani got up and opened the door: Even someone who had been hit in the mouth was not so excited.
"Come inside and let's sleep on the kang." Zhou Jiani pretended to rummage through her suitcase and pulled out her high school math textbook. "How about you do a couple of problems to calm down?"
Sun Ping: ...
She was just too excited to read some Chinese or history books, or even better if there were novels, but she didn't expect Jiani to ask her to do some exercises.
"Are you serious?"
Zhou Jiani nodded: "Seriously, I'm going to do some math problems to calm down."
Sun Ping still didn't understand and thought to herself, Jiani goes back every few days, why does she need to stay calm?
Zhou Jiani said seriously, "Being on a business trip is different from going home for the New Year."
Sun Ping believed it and started doing math problems by the kerosene lamp. These were things she had learned in high school, less than a year after giving up. If she immersed herself in them seriously, she could really solve the problem of hyperactivity.
Before she finished solving the two math problems, Sun Ping yawned, put the book aside, turned over and fell asleep.
Zhou Jiani stopped studying and copying textbooks. She browsed her phone for a while and grabbed a red envelope. She saw that two groups of people had started a group to buy sanitary napkins, 10 packs per group, half for daytime use and half for nighttime use, so she grabbed five groups.
I looked up and saw a group selling preserved eggs, and they were still in stock, so I grabbed two boxes.
I picked up another bag of vacuum-packed rice.
Listening to Sun Ping's even breathing, Zhou Jiani took the items out, scanned them, and transferred them to the shelves in the warehouse.
On the other side, Qiu Zeming turned over the harvested spinach field under the moonlight before calming down and going back to the house to sleep.
The next morning, Qiu Zeming came over with breakfast. Seeing Comrade Xiao Zhou opening the door, his face suddenly flushed and he asked uncomfortably, "Have you packed everything?"
It was still dark, and Zhou Jiani didn't notice her boyfriend's shy face. She smiled and said, "Everything is cleaned up. Have you eaten?" She yawned as she spoke. She really couldn't get up. If Comrade Sun Ping hadn't woken up excitedly at twelve o'clock in the night and kept her eyes open until now, she would probably have to wait for Qiu Zeming to knock on the door before she could wake up.
"No, let's eat together."
Sun Ping felt a little embarrassed, but since she had already benefited from this kind of attention, she decided to just eat and try not to disturb the other people who were talking.
What's more, Qiu Zeming was so surprising. Not only was he considerate enough to help Zhou Jiani make breakfast, he also prepared steamed buns with meat sauce. He cut two cuts on a steamed bun, brushed a layer of meat sauce on each bun, and wrapped it with brown paper so that Zhou Jiani could eat it at noon.
She also brought a small quilt... or to be exact, a sewn cotton bag. Sun Ping watched in shock as Comrade Qiu filled Zhou Jiani's kettle with hot water, screwed the lid tightly, put it in the blue cotton bag, and tied it up carefully.
As a teammate who benefited from the favor, she got a hot steamed bun and some meat sauce, which she broke open and poured on the meat sauce, then smeared it casually, wrapped it in two clean handkerchiefs, and put it in her gift bag. Only when she lowered her head did she dare to show the surprise on her face.
Really, she never expected that Qiu Zeming, who gave people a cold impression, would do this. The contrast was really too big. When she saw Yu Wanxia after the New Year, she must gossip about this.
After dinner, Qiu Zeming picked up his luggage, put Zhou Jiani's backpack on his back, held a flashlight in one hand and Zhou Jiani's handbag in the other, and went to the village committee.
Sun Ping, who was carrying two bags: ...
This critical hit is really huge.
Fortunately, she had already had the good fortune to have a truck deliver some things to the provincial capital two days ago, otherwise it would have been even more difficult.
Most of the educated youth in the village had already left, leaving only a few who lived closer to home. Besides Zhou Jiani and Sun Ping, who were going to the county by train, there were also two older educated youth who were waiting for the long-distance bus.
Qiu Zeming will send them to the car today, and will also pick up Liu Yan and the other person who are out studying.
In addition to the two old educated youth, Zhou Jiani also saw Zhao Mei and Zhang Kaishan, Grandma Wu and her eldest son and daughter-in-law, Zhang Laosi and his wife, Uncle Liu, Uncle Zhang, Zhang Baosheng and others, as well as many familiar aunts, grandmothers and sisters-in-law in the village, all of whom came to see her off.
It’s so early and the weather is so cold...Zhou Jiani felt warm in her heart.
"Jiani, say hello to my family for me." Zhao Mei said.
Uncle Liu smiled and said, "You've been busy for so long, take advantage of the New Year to rest at home."
Zhang Laosi said, "Call me when you get there."
Aunt Cuiyun: "Have a safe trip, everyone."
"Okay, okay, uncles, aunts, I've taken note of your instructions." Zhou Jiani responded with a smile, bowing politely. "I'd also like to wish all my fellow villagers a happy new year in advance. I wish you all a happy new year and good health. I also wish our brigade's industries will continue to grow in the new year, and we'll strive to go abroad and earn money from foreigners."
Everyone also laughed and echoed: "This year we have to make money from foreign devils, hahahaha."
Amidst the laughter and chatter, Zhang Baosheng said, "Alright, alright, hurry up and go. Don't be late." He also said, "If you can call me when you get there, please call me."
"I know..."
Zhou Jiani waved, and Qiu Zeming drove the mule cart and took them to the county town.
When the two old educated youth were about to depart, Qiu Zeming asked them to watch the train outside while he went inside to see them off. There were still many people and it was still very crowded, but he insisted on seeing Zhou Jiani to her seat and helped her put her luggage away before reluctantly saying, "Take care of each other on the way. I'm getting off first."
"Yeah!" Zhou Jiani nodded and said softly, "Find a warm place to wait for Liu Yan and the others' train, or go sit in a hotel for a while."
"Okay, if it's convenient for you to call me when you get there, then give me a call. If it's not convenient, then don't call me. I don't know if the roads in the provincial capital are slippery, so don't go to the post office on purpose..."
Zhou Jiani looked at Sun Ping next to her and saw her mouth twitching. She said with a smile, "I know, I know. Go down quickly. The bus is about to leave."
Qiu Zeming didn't want to leave. Comrade Xiao Zhou was obviously often on business trips, and they often didn't see each other for four to five days, or seven to eight days. It was just the Chinese New Year factor, so why was he so reluctant to let him go?
His eyes fell on her rosy lips. Qiu Zeming thought of last night and his ears felt slightly hot. However, he didn't have much time to be reluctant to leave. No matter how reluctant he was, he squeezed out and then leaned out of the window to look at his girlfriend.
The car started moving, and she leaned forward to wave at Qiu Zeming, not sitting back until he was out of sight. Facing Sun Ping's mischievous smile, Zhou Jiani said seriously, "You don't have a partner, you don't know."
Sun Ping's face turned slightly red, and she pursed her lips without saying anything.
Zhou Jiani saw something was wrong, took a deep breath, leaned over, narrowed her eyes suspiciously, and whispered, "Is there something going on?"
She even remembered who Sun Ping's partner was in her previous life. It was an old educated youth named Geng... She realized belatedly that the old educated youth had passed away a few days ago, and she didn't see Sun Ping see him off at that time. Was they still in the contact stage?
As for when the two of them had signs of a relationship in their previous life, she didn't know, as she didn't have much contact with Sun Ping at that time.
Just as I was thinking about these things over and over again, I saw Sun Ping shyly avoid my gaze for a few times, bite her lip, and pull out a pair of red and blue woolen gloves from her bag. She mumbled vaguely, "Wang Qianjin gave them to me."
A thunderclap exploded in Zhou Jiani's mind, and she stared blankly. Her rebirth actually changed Sun Ping's life trajectory.
That’s not the case. She has actually changed the trajectory of many people.
But she really didn't know whether it was good or bad to change Sun Ping's marriage.
Taking a deep breath, she whispered, "When did it start?"
Sun Ping hesitated for a moment and said, "It hasn't started yet."
It's just because she often goes to Jiani's house for free meals, and after meals Jiani always arranges Wang Qianjin to see her off. As the contacts between them increase, Wang Qianjin has been a little unusually attentive recently. It should be that kind of meaning.
Zhou Jiani took another breath. She was just worried that Sun Ping would be scared if she went back alone, so she sent Wang Qian, who didn't help with housework, to see her off. So, Sun Ping's marriage was still directly changed by her.
Zhou Jiani began to think about what happened to Sun Ping in her previous life, but she really couldn't find out. She really didn't pay attention to it in her previous life. She only knew that she married an old educated youth named Geng, and she didn't know what happened to her afterwards.
Zhou Jiani resisted the urge to hold her forehead, not daring to think too much. She just hoped that those whose marriages were influenced by her, like Sun Ping, would be happier than in their previous life.
After a ten-hour train ride, Sun Ping barely slept the entire night, leaving her eyes red and tired. However, she remained agitated and not sleepy at all. She even skipped lunch, stretching her neck to try and see where she was.
Zhou Jiani took a nap for an hour or so, woke up at noon, ate some steamed buns with meat sauce that she had made in the morning, and drank some water.
Although the kettle that Qiu Zeming covered for her with a cotton bag was not as effective as a thermos, it warmed her heart when she drank from it.
The water in the thermos is drunk in the mouth and warms the stomach.
no the same.
Finally, they were about to arrive at the station. Sun Ping suppressed her scream and grabbed Zhou Jiani's arm tightly, crying with joy, saying, "We're here, we're here, Jiani, we're here!"
Zhou Jiani patted her arm and said with a smile, "We're here. Stay home and spend some time with your family."
Sun Ping nodded frantically and said, "I'll come to visit you in a couple of days. Let's go to the movies together?"
"Okay, you know my address, right?"
"I know. I wrote it down. It's probably around the fourth or fifth day of the New Year."
Zhou Jiani was silent: "Forget about the fourth day, Qiu Zeming will come over on the fourth day."
Sun Ping: ...
Did she have a brain cramp just now? Why did she say such words about looking for Jiani to play?
Then he suddenly widened his eyes and whispered, "Is he coming to meet his parents? Or..." Or is he coming for a secret date?
If it's the latter, that would be really exciting.
Zhou Jiani said with a smile, "Come meet my family. After the spring, I'll take some time to go back to the capital with him to meet his family."
"Comrade Qiu Zeming is so efficient!" Sun Ping was sincerely happy for her and couldn't help but think of Wang Qianjin.
The passengers in the car had already picked up their luggage and were crowding towards the door. Zhou Jiani said with experience, "Don't worry, let's climb out of the window."
She has climbed it several times.
Sun Ping had never climbed out a window before and was a little afraid to do so. She stared in amazement as Zhou Jiani jumped out of the window neatly. Then she turned and held out her hand to her: "Give me your luggage first, then climb out. If you don't dare, come out through the door."
Sun Ping handed the luggage out first, and when she was handing it out, she heard someone calling her.
Sun Ping suddenly looked towards the distance, tears streaming down her face, and she responded loudly: "Mom, Dad!"
Sun Ping's mother's eyes were red with joy. She also saw Zhou Jiani who was there to receive the luggage and waved with a smile: "Comrade Jiani."
"Hello, uncle and aunt."
At this moment, Sun Ping suddenly felt brave and jumped out of the window like Zhou Jiani. However, her parents were there to catch her, so she was not as scared as she had imagined.
Sun Ping hugged her parents and cried and laughed happily.
Sun Ping's parents expressed their gratitude to Zhou Jiani again. They both knew that if Zhou Jiani had not persuaded Sun Ping at the critical moment, their daughter would not have been eligible to visit relatives during this Chinese New Year.
In contrast, Comrade Yu Huifang and Comrade Zhou Wanli were much calmer, and only now did they slowly come over to look for their daughter.
The two families exchanged a few pleasantries and said a few words of early New Year's greetings to each other. After leaving the station, they waved goodbye and walked in two different directions.
Sun Ping's family went to take the tram. Zhou Jiani sat in the back seat of her father's car, with her hands in her pockets and her neck hunched.
Two light bags hung on her mother's handlebars. In fact, if it weren't for show, she wouldn't even carry the bags.
Yu Huifang walked beside them on her bicycle and asked, "Is Xiao Qiu also going back home for the New Year?"
Zhou Jiani, her scarf pulled upward, said, "He's not going back. He's spending the New Year in the village. He'll come to the provincial capital to wish you all a happy new year on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year."
Last time they mentioned that Comrade Xiao Qiu would come during the Chinese New Year, and they thought Qiu Zeming would come to visit when he returned from the capital, but they didn't expect that he didn't go home for the Chinese New Year.
Yu Huifang said, "Oh, he didn't go home for the New Year? Oh, he spent the New Year alone in the village..."
If I had known earlier, I would have let him come to the provincial capital and stay in a guesthouse. At least he could have a reunion dinner with my family on New Year's Eve, and he wouldn't be lonely in the village.
When her mother mentioned this, Zhou Jiani felt a little distressed and said weakly: "It's okay, he should go to the captain's house for dinner. He is the team's big baby now."
After she finished speaking, she was glared at by her mother.
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