Chapter 144 Chapter 144 Two in one, please subscribe...
Chapter 144
He sent a letter home as soon as he arrived in Heilongjiang Province. He really is homesick.
Director Zhu thought for a moment and said, "There's a post office not far from where we live. I'll take you there first, and we'll go back after we've settled down."
Jiang Meishu nodded and thanked her.
Liang Qiurun turned her head to look at her. Jiang Meishu thought for a moment, "I promised Mom and Liang Rui that I would write to them when I got to Heilongjiang Province."
This is also true, and it can't be considered a lie. Even if Liang Qiurun went back and asked, he would be able to find out.
Liang Qiurun patted her head and said, "Thank you for your hard work."
Jiang Meishu understood the meaning of this nonsensical sentence. Isn't it hard to be concerned about the people at home when traveling far away?
Jiang Meishu pursed her lips and smiled guiltily. She felt unworthy of it. Writing a letter was just a pretext. What she really wanted to do was to buy stamps.
But she couldn't explain, she just smiled and said nothing.
It's quite far from the train station in Heilongjiang Province to where I live. Director Zhu works at a pig farm, not in the city, but in the suburbs. It's because pigs need grass, and the suburbs are perfect for pig farming, with mountains and rivers behind them. They say, "live by the mountains, eat by the mountains; live by the water, eat by the water."
That's the reason.
When they arrived, Director Zhu stopped the car and said to them, "We're here. It looks far, but it's actually just a matter of one step on the accelerator from our factory to the city."
It is the junction of urban and rural areas.
Liang Qiurun nodded, and he went down first, then pulled Jiang Meishu down with him. Harbin doesn't seem like the capital. This place is further north and much colder than the capital.
Jiang Meishu shuddered as she got out of the car. She could only say that Harbin definitely lived up to its reputation.
Liang Qiurun gathered her clothes and lifted her scarf, saying gently, "Tie the scarf tighter. It's windy here."
When Director Zhu turned around and saw Liang Qiurun being so delicate and gentle, he couldn't help but stare in amazement. He couldn't believe that Liang Qiurun, who was so decisive at work, was so gentle when treating his wife.
Too.
If he didn't hold her in his heart, he wouldn't have gone on such a long business trip and brought his young wife along. Thinking of this, Director Zhu felt that he should take Comrade Xiao Jiang a little more seriously.
Jiang Meishu didn't know that the shrewd Director Zhu had raised her level several degrees in his mind just by looking at one detail.
She didn't even bother to look at Director Zhu. The north wind was howling, and it felt like a knife blowing on her face. She couldn't open her eyes at all. She simply didn't look up, and buried herself in Liang Qiurun's coat, moving forward.
Walking in the thick snow, one foot deep and one foot shallow, I finally reached the place where I wanted to live.
"This is the family compound at our pig farm," Director Zhu said, introducing the area. "We don't have much in Harbin, but we do have plenty of land, especially in areas like this where urban and rural areas meet. That's why we build large, high-rise buildings, usually with two bedrooms and a living room. Unlike the capital, where every inch of land is worth a fortune."
He visited the staff quarters of the Capital Meat Processing Plant, which was also a tube-shaped building, but most of the rooms were one-bedroom, and there was only one room, and three generations of a family had to live in it, which was really crowded.
It’s nothing like their pig farm in Harbin, which starts with two rooms.
Liang Qiurun smiled and said, "The capital has a shortage of land, while Harbin has plenty of land, so it's naturally different."
Director Zhu nodded, "That's right." He brought people here personally, which made many people in the family compound couldn't help but look up and look at him with a bit of scrutiny.
I only saw Liang Qiurun, who was as gentle as jade, elegant and refined, wearing a black coat, and really looked like a big shot from the TV.
But what is he holding in his arms?
Even if I walked past it, I couldn't see it clearly.
After they went upstairs and inside, the neighbors around them immediately whispered to each other, "It must be a person, I saw two roads walking."
"But I didn't see her face. It seemed like she was hiding in the other person's arms."
"It should be his daughter or wife or something."
"But who are they anyway? And they asked Director Zhu to bring them here personally."
Jiang Meishu was completely unaware of what was being talked about outside. She only knew that her ears were about to freeze off. The temperature difference from minus one degree to almost minus twenty degrees made her shiver all over.
This huge temperature difference made her a little unable to accept it for a while. It wasn't that she didn't want to get out of Liang Qiurun's arms, but she didn't dare.
She had gone out once before and her ears immediately felt hot. She could feel it and if she didn't keep warm, her ears might get frozen.
"This is it."
Director Zhu opened the door with his key. "This house has one bedroom and one living room. It's always been occupied by people on business trips."
Most ordinary people on business trips would stay in the dormitories, so only someone of Liang Qiurun's rank would have this room cleaned up. Of course, he didn't mention that this room had already been coveted by someone who wanted it assigned to him, but Director Zhu wouldn't budge, insisting that one room should be reserved for business travelers as a relief measure.
It’s better than staying in a guesthouse.
Look, it’s coming in handy.
Liang Qiurun took a quick look and found the room quite clean. "Okay, thank you."
Director Zhu waved his hand nonchalantly. "There are beds and quilts in here, but the quilts aren't thick enough. You might have to buy some for yourselves."
"There will be no meeting today, Director Liang. You and your wife should settle down first. Once you're settled, we can come to the factory tomorrow to discuss cooperation."
Liang Qiurun hummed and thanked Director Zhu. After he left, he turned back and called out, "We live on the second floor. Your sister-in-law is home every day. If you don't understand something, you can ask her." After thinking for a moment, he was still worried. "I'll have Xiao Zhang come over and take you there."
Xiao Zhang was his secretary, but when Director Zhu came to pick someone up, he left Xiao Zhang in the office to work overtime.
Liang Qiurun had met Xiao Zhang before, and he nodded, "Then let Xiao Zhang come." He was not very familiar with Director Zhu's wife.
Director Zhu agreed to everything.
Jiang Meishu came over after Director Zhu left. It wasn't that she didn't want to say hello, but she felt that her ears seemed to have recovered a little.
She poked her head out and rubbed her ears. "Lao Liang, I'm going to buy some earmuffs, or I'm afraid my ears will freeze off."
It's really freezing.
Liang Qiurun nodded, "First, tie your scarf high and check the house. If there's anything missing, we'll make a list and have Xiao Zhang take us to buy it."
Jiang Meishu hummed, then carefully surveyed the new house. It was a one-bedroom, one-living room apartment, probably around 40 square meters, considered large. It had everything, including tables, chairs, benches, and beds, even a coal stove. Behind the door, there were more than ten honeycomb briquettes piled high.
There is also an enamel basin in the small kitchen, but I don’t know whether it is used for washing vegetables or washing face and feet.
I didn't see the bathroom. After Jiang Meishu finished sweeping, she realized, "The bathroom in the tube building is in the middle, right?"
She remembered that all the tube-shaped buildings in the capital had public toilets.
"It's in the middle." Liang Qiurun had memorized the way when he came up. "Just turn right after you go up the stairs."
Jiang Meishu remembered them one by one, "First, light the stove, boil a pot of hot water, and wipe the whole house."
She felt around and found ash everywhere; it must have been too long since anyone had lived there. Liang Qiurun did as she was told, but the honeycomb coal had no kindling and not much firewood, so it was difficult to light.
Finally, Jiang Meishu used pliers to pick up a new piece of honeycomb coal and exchanged it for a burnt piece of honeycomb coal from her neighbor next door. Only then did she light the stove in her home.
After boiling a pot of water, she cleaned the house inside and out. Jiang Meishu then noticed that Liang Qiurun was much more efficient than her at doing housework. At least the places she cleaned had to be re-molded by Liang Qiurun, but the places Liang Qiurun cleaned were almost reflective.
Jiang Meishu gave him a thumbs-up. "Lao Liang, you're amazing." She knew Liang Qiurun was a clean stylist, but she hadn't expected him to be such a good hand at housework. Back when they were in the capital, with Comrade Wang at home, it wasn't Liang Qiurun's turn to do chores.
Liang Qiurun smiled. It was a rare warm moment, and he was willing to chat with Jiang Meishu, so he talked about the past, "When I was a soldier in the garrison, housekeeping was always the first priority."
It is hard to imagine that Liang Qiurun, who is so mature and steady, could say such a thing in front of Jiang Meishu.
How do you describe it? The pride of a 17 or 18-year-old boy when he talks about his past glories.
It's rare, but it makes the mature and steady Liang Qiurun more lively.
Jiang Meishu couldn't help but smile, "No wonder he's so awesome." She was very good at flattering, "What about the quilt? I can never put it in order." It should be said that she hated putting the four-piece set in the most. She would put it here and then run away there.
"no problem."
"I'll do it."
Men can't stand praise, and Liang Qiurun is no exception. He took the job without saying a word.
He didn't use the sheets from other people's quilts. He felt a little disgusted and simply brought his own from home. He took out a four-piece set from his suitcase and changed into them one by one.
When changing.
There was a knock on the door. "Is this Director Liang's house?"
Liang Qiurun was putting on the quilt cover when Jiang Meishu walked to the door. She smiled and asked, "Who are you?"
It was a sister-in-law in her thirties, wearing a headscarf, holding a freshly steamed cornmeal bun in her hand. "I'm Lao Zhu's wife. He told me that you guys just moved in and you might not even have a hot meal. I just happened to make some steamed buns, so you can have some to fill your stomach first."
Jiang Meishu was too embarrassed to accept it, but Xiao Ye stuffed the plate into her arms and said, "It's not easy to come all the way here. Eat it quickly while it's hot, otherwise it will get cold and taste bad."
Jiang Meishu pursed her lips and thanked her, "Thank you, sister-in-law."
Xiao Ye waved his hand nonchalantly, "We are all neighbors. As they say, a distant relative is not as good as a close neighbor. If you need anything, just tell me."
Jiang Meishu nodded.
Xiao Ye didn't see Liang Qiurun, so she looked inside curiously. Unexpectedly, she saw Liang Qiurun putting up the quilt. She was a little surprised, "Can your man do this job?"
In her opinion, work like making quilts is usually done by women.
Jiang Meishu nodded.
Xiao Ye was amazed and said, "Your man is really good."
Jiang Meishu smiled and sent Xiao Ye away. Liang Qiurun also put the quilt away and turned back to ask her, "Who's here?"
"It was Director Zhu's wife, Sister Xiao. She was worried that we hadn't eaten, so she sent over a plate of steamed buns."
Each cornmeal bun is as big as a fist, and there are just four of them on a plate.
Liang Qiurun was a little surprised. "Since you've given it to me, just keep it and eat it first. We'll be out soon."
Jiang Meishu nodded. Xiao Ye's cooking skills were very good. The cornmeal buns were steamed until they were fluffy, soft and delicious, with a light sweetness in every bite.
Probably sugar was added.
Jiang Meishu squinted her eyes in satisfaction, "It's delicious."
It may also be that I am hungry, so everything tastes delicious.
It was just a bit choking, and the hot water at home hadn't boiled yet, so she ate half of it and then didn't dare to eat any more.
Liang Qiurun put these away and said, "Let's go out and buy something to eat."
Just as he finished speaking, Director Zhu's secretary Xiao Zhang came over, which was just in time.
Liang Qiurun said, "Comrade Zhang, please take us to the department store in Harbin. It would be best if there were some restaurants nearby."
Comrade Zhang sighed, "We have a cafeteria at work, but it's past lunchtime."
After getting in the car, Comrade Zhang started introducing the whole process. "There's a state-owned restaurant next to the department store. I wonder if they have food available right now? I'll take you there to have a look."
Liang Qiurun nodded and thanked her. Seeing that Jiang Meishu was drowsy, he let her lean on his shoulder and rest for a while.
After arriving at the place, Liang Qiurun and Jiang Meishu went to the state-owned restaurant to ask and found out that they had noodles, so they ordered a bowl of eggplant noodles.
This is also the point.
After eating the noodles, he felt warm. Liang Qiurun paid for the food and the tickets. The prices in Harbin were cheaper than in the capital. He paid 80 cents for two bowls of eggplant noodles, plus half a pound of food coupons.
It’s really a good deal.
After leaving the state-owned restaurant, the two went to the department store to do some shopping. They had already taken out the list they had made. Jiang Meishu didn't want to use other people's used pots, pans, and utensils, so she bought all new ones.
In addition, there was also food, ten pounds of rice and flour each. She and Liang Qiurun were both picky eaters and didn't like to eat coarse grains, so they bought fine grains, authentic Wuchang rice, plus flour from the Great Northern Wilderness.
To be honest, when Jiang Meishu looked at the quality of the flour, she felt that it was even finer than Fuqiang flour.
After buying rice and flour, of course I also have to buy seasonings, oil, salt and so on. Fortunately, Liang Qiurun brought a lot of tickets when he came, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to buy everything today.
Besides, Jiang Meishu, thinking she had just moved in and wanted to build good relationships with the neighbors, asked Liang Qiurun to buy half a pound of fruit candies. These candies were 70 cents a pound, but they required candy coupons. Half a pound contained dozens of candies, which was a real bargain.
Unfortunately, after looking around, they couldn't buy any suitable vegetables. In Harbin, the only vegetables available in winter are radishes and cabbages, and they even have to stock up in advance. Jiang Meishu and the others are late.
In the end, it was Secretary Zhang who found connections and got in through the back door. Jiang Meishu and her friends were able to buy three large cabbages, each weighing five or six pounds. Jiang Meishu felt that the cabbages were bigger than her head.
There were some kohlrabi and other things left.
They were lucky. When they came out, they saw a fellow villager carrying a bucket with fish in it. The fish must have been freshly caught and were still alive.
Jiang Meishu persuaded Liang Qiurun to buy it. "Even if we can't finish it in one meal, we can make salted fish. At least it's a good side dish."
This place is not like the capital, and I am unfamiliar with the place, so I naturally have to plan ahead.
Finally, Liang Qiurun gave her two yuan and twenty cents and bought the bucket. After having the fish, Jiang Meishu wanted to eat pickled fish hot pot. This kind of hot meal was perfect for winter. She ran to the pickled vegetable stall and ordered a pound of pickled vegetables and two pounds of tofu.
Then he went outside to find Liang Qiurun.
Unfortunately, when she arrived, Liang Qiurun was not there. Jiang Meishu was a little surprised. She asked Secretary Zhang, "Where is our Lao Liang?"
Secretary Zhang said, "Director Liang just said he forgot to buy something. He went to the second floor and asked us to wait for him downstairs."
Jiang Meishu nodded and put the sauerkraut and tofu in the trunk of the car. After a while, she felt her ears starting to feel hot again.
It's so hot, like it's on fire.
She knew she was freezing again. When she was rubbing her ears, Liang Qiurun came down from the department store. He was holding a white earmuff in his hand and put it on Jiang Meishu as soon as he came over. "Don't take it off."
Her skin is delicate and can't stand the slightest damage.
Jiang Meishu looked at the earmuffs and felt an indescribable feeling in her heart, "Did you just go buy this for me?"
Liang Qiurun nodded and said, "Get in the car."
He didn't take it to heart, but Jiang Meishu did. She looked at Liang Qiurun's back and called out softly, "Lao Liang?"
Liang Qiurun opened the door, but didn't see her coming up. He was wondering, "What's wrong?"
Jiang Meishu shook her head and got into the car. However, while Secretary Zhang was driving, she raised her hand and gently held Liang Qiurun's hand.
Fingers interlocked.
Liang Qiurun was very happy that Jiang Meishu was close to her, and she always had a gentle smile on her face.
After returning, Liang Qiurun packed up the things he had bought, while Jiang Meishu took the candies and rice crackers he had bought, put them on the plate that Xiao Ye had given her before, and sent them over together.
When she knocked on the door, Xiao Yehai was a little surprised, "Comrade Jiang?"
Jiang Meishu smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, I'll return the plate."
There were candies and rice krispies on the plate.
Xiao Ye saw it and subconsciously said, "Why don't you just return the plate? Why are you sending something over here?" She took the plate, but refused to take the thing and wanted to return it to Jiang Meishu.
Jiang Meishu didn't want it. She said gently, "Sister-in-law, I accepted the steamed buns you gave me before. You should also accept this candy. Give it to the child to sweeten his mouth."
When she came over, she saw two children clinging to Xiao Ye's legs, looking at her curiously.
When she said candy, the other person's eyes lit up.
"How can this be good?"
Xiao Ye was about to refuse, but Jiang Meishu ran away. Looking at her back, Xiao Ye smiled helplessly, "It's true."
When Jiang Meishu returned, Liang Qiurun had already packed up everything. Seeing her return empty-handed, he asked, "Did you give it to me?"
Jiang Meishu nodded and said, "I gave it to my sister-in-law, but she refused to take it, so I just ran away." She smiled like a little fox, squinting her eyes, and was very cute.
Liang Qiurun's heart softened when he saw her, and he wanted to touch her head, but then he remembered that he had just killed a fish, so he withdrew his hand and said, "I have already cleaned up the fish."
Jiang Meishu murmured, "We'll have pickled fish tonight."
Although she couldn't do it, she could explain it. She kept talking to Liang Qiurun throughout the whole process and he followed the steps she said.
In the end it tasted surprisingly good.
Jiang Meishu ate two bowls of pickled fish soup mixed with white rice and drank a bowl of soup. It was so delicious that she wanted to bite off her tongue.
"Lao Liang, I didn't realize you have the potential to be a chef." Jiang Meishu was a flatterer. Praising didn't cost any money anyway, so Liang Qiurun was so flattered that he bought all the food for the rest of the meal.
When they rested at night, they were alone in the small room. Jiang Meishu snuggled into Liang Qiurun's arms, listening to the whistling wind outside. She whispered, "I feel like this is what marriage is like. We're living in a world of two."
It seemed that she and Lao Liang had never lived alone in such a private space before.
In the past, there was either Liang Rui or Liang's mother in the Liang family, Comrade Wang. How should I put it? Although they were married, there were many people in the family, and most of the time Jiang Meishu had no concept of marriage.
But after only one day in Harbin, she actually felt like a newlywed couple living together.
The small house was decorated bit by bit. There were only the two of them and no outsiders, so these few points alone were enough to win.
After hearing this, Liang Qiurun put his arm around Jiang Meishu's shoulders and asked, "Do you like this kind of day?"
Jiang Meishu thought for a moment and asked, "Do you like it?"
She wasn't sure either.
"You'll know only after you live it." When she was in the Liang family, she had everything provided for her. Now that she's a young couple living on her own, she doesn't know what this kind of life will be like.
"Then give it a try." Liang Qiurun also had a very novel feeling, as if she was getting married again.
That night, Liang Qiurun hugged Jiang Meishu and did nothing. He thought he would have insomnia because he had changed his place, but he slept exceptionally well.
When Jiang Meishu woke up the next day, it was almost ten o'clock and Liang Qiurun had disappeared. Jiang Meishu saw the note on the table only after she washed up.
Liang Qiurun went to a meeting and woke Jiang Meishu up. There was fish soup heating up on the coal stove, so she could cook some noodles.
Jiang Meishu suddenly felt like she was living at home.
She pursed her lips and smiled, ate her meal, wrote a letter, and stuffed it into the envelope after she finished it.
So he went out wearing a hat and scarf, and happened to meet Xiao Ye who was washing cabbage in the bathroom.
Jiang Meishu asked her the way, "Sister-in-law, do you know how to get to the post office?"
Xiao Ye pointed outside the tube building and said, "Turn left after you exit the tube building and walk straight ahead for ten minutes. You'll arrive."
“We’re very close to the post office.”
Jiang Meishu nodded and said goodbye to the other party, then braved the wind and snow to reach the post office. There were not many people in the post office at that time.
The only staff member at the window was still knitting a sweater by the fire.
Jiang Meishu sighed and patted the window, "Comrade, I'm sending a letter."
"Where to send it?"
"capital."
"8 cents for out-of-town mail." She tore off a stamp and handed it over. "Stick it on yourself and give it to me when you're done."
Jiang Meishu nodded and carefully put the stamp on the envelope. She had a very real feeling.
She was in her seventies.
Using the contact methods of this era to contact people.
Jiang Meishu suppressed the chaotic thoughts in her mind and handed over the envelope, "Comrade, it's done."
The other party took it and casually put it under the box. Seeing that Jiang Meishu had not left yet, he asked, "Anything else?"
Jiang Meishu hummed in anticipation, "Comrade, do you have any stamps with the whole country painted red?"
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