The family spent a few uneventful days together. Xia's mother worked tirelessly in the workshop every day, as the orders for the clothes Xia Liang had commissioned from the girls were still unfinished. Aside from eating and cleaning, Zhao Danxiang spent most of her time in the workshop. Xia Dahe, on the other hand, was in a good mood, curious about everything and occasionally going out for a stroll, quickly becoming familiar with his surroundings. Xia Liang and Xia Rong hadn't started work yet, and had little to do all day. Xia Rong could go out and look for Zhou Xiaohui, while Xia Liang stayed indoors reading.
The day they had agreed upon with Brother Biao arrived in the blink of an eye. The brother and sister went to the agreed location and met a middle-aged man, who looked to be in his fifties. Upon seeing them, the man asked, "Were you introduced here by Brother Biao?" Xia Rong nodded, "Yes, I heard you have a job to sell." The middle-aged man said, "Yes, I'm a worker in a furniture factory. If you want my job, just give me eight hundred yuan." Xia Liang and her brother didn't ask any more questions. After all, knowing too much wouldn't be good. He was probably just in dire need of money because his family was struggling financially. Otherwise, he wouldn't be selling his job. In this day and age, having a job is like having a secure livelihood. The factory can provide you with retirement benefits and housing. They agreed on the start date and paid a one hundred yuan deposit. The rest would be paid after the job went smoothly. Neither side had any objections. After all, it was Brother Biao who had introduced them. Who would dare to play tricks on him unless they were tired of living?
After returning home, the siblings didn't tell their father about it. On the appointed day, Xia Rong rode his bicycle with his father to meet the middle-aged man. They went to the furniture factory together, where Xia Rong told his father that he was her cousin, coming to take over her job, and smoothly transferred the work to Xia Dahe. Xia Dahe was completely bewildered. How did he become a worker after just one trip to the city? Even though he was an apprentice, he still earned eighteen yuan a month. He was so happy he didn't know what to do with his hands, following his son around like a shadow, doing whatever his son did. After leaving the factory, Xia Rong paid the remaining money. The middle-aged man counted it and, finding no problems, said goodbye and left. Xia Dahe stared wide-eyed at the amount of money his son had brought: "A Liang, you brought so much money!" Worried that his father might not be able to keep the secret, Xia Rong said, "Dad, you don't need to worry about that. Just focus on working at the factory. If anyone asks, just say you're Wang Zhiwei's cousin. Wang Zhiwei is that middle-aged man from earlier." Xia Dahe was still confused, nodded, and rode home with his son. The first thing he did after getting home was to go to the workshop to find his wife: "Honey, I have a job!" Zhao Danxiang saw his smiling face and asked in confusion, "A job? What kind of job?" Xia Dahe patiently explained, "My son bought me a job. I'm an apprentice at a furniture factory, and I get eighteen yuan a month." Zhao Danxiang asked in surprise, "Really? You can work in a factory?" Xia Dahe nodded, thinking to himself that this was truly a stroke of good luck. He, an honest and simple farmer, could now work in a factory and earn a salary. Zhao Danxiang was the most thoughtful, saying, "Don't make a fuss. If your mother finds out, who knows what kind of trouble she'll cause." As the couple were talking inside, they heard their son, Xia Rong, calling from outside, "Dad, come out! I'll teach you how to ride a bicycle. The furniture factory is too far from home, so you can use the bicycle." Xia Dahe excitedly went out and started learning with his son. Being a tall man, he learned very quickly. After half an hour, he could ride a straight line without falling over, which made Xia Dahe extremely happy. After all, no man dislikes a bicycle, and even though it wasn't his own, he was still happy to have one in his own home.
And so, the Xia family of three all became office workers. Xia Dahe rode his bike to the factory to report for work on his first day. Xia Liang and Xia Rong lived closer to the factory and walked there. When Xia Liang arrived at the workshop, Zhou Xiaohui was already at her workstation. Seeing Xia Liang's blushing face, Xia Liang went up to tease her, "Sister-in-law, you're here so early!" Zhou Xiaohui blushed even more and couldn't help but lightly punch Xia Liang, "You naughty guy!" Xia Liang laughed heartily. Having been friends with Zhou Xiaohui for so long, she quickly recovered and retorted, "Oh! I wonder what Comrade Gu has been up to lately." Xia Liang stopped laughing and looked Zhou Xiaohui up and down, "Oh, you've even learned to fight back." The two joked around for a while before starting work.
What was Comrade Gu, whom Zhou Xiaohui mentioned, doing? Gu Yanxiao was currently training. Ordinary people enjoy holidays and family reunions during the Spring Festival, but it's different for soldiers. They can't let their guard down, especially during holidays, because no one knows if the enemy will attack during their break. Therefore, Gu Yanxiao and his comrades' training was even more intense than usual. After training, Gu Yanxiao went straight to his dormitory to shower. After showering, he came out wearing the shirt Xia Liang had made for him, with a towel around his neck that he had just used to dry his hair. He leaned on the table and wrote a letter to Xia Liang. He had been in the army for over a month, but Comrade Xia Liang hadn't written him a single letter. Thinking of this, Gu Yanxiao couldn't help but feel sad. If it weren't for the clothes Xia Liang had made for him and the dried meat he had locked away in the closet that he couldn't bear to eat, Gu Yanxiao would have wondered if this was all a dream. How could he have been completely out of touch with her since he arrived at the army? He hadn't even replied to the letters he sent her, and he didn't know if she hadn't received them.
Indeed, Xia Liang did not receive Gu Yanxiao's letter. On the day she received the letter, the old man at the gatehouse was fine in the morning, but suddenly developed acute appendicitis and was hospitalized in the afternoon. Xia Liang's letter was buried under the newspaper he was reading. The person who came to relieve her didn't like reading newspapers, so he didn't notice the letter buried under the newspaper. Therefore, Comrade Xia Liang still hasn't received a letter from Gu Yanxiao. She just assumed that it was inconvenient for him to be in the army and didn't think much of it. She didn't dare to send a letter to Gu Yanxiao for fear of violating regulations. Thus, both of them misunderstood each other. It wasn't until Xia Liang finished get off work that the gatekeeper, who had fully recovered, stopped her. "Comrade Xia Liang, here's a letter for you. It was sent before the New Year. I'm so sorry, but I was hospitalized and it got delayed. Please take a look and see if it's anything important." Xia Liang thought that no one but Gu Yanxiao would send her a letter, so she comforted the gatekeeper, who was already feeling incredibly guilty. "It's alright, sir, it's nothing serious. Are you alright now?" The gatekeeper was relieved to hear Xia Liang say this. "I'm fine, I'm fine now. Thank you for your concern, Comrade Xia." After exchanging a few polite words with the gatekeeper, Xia Liang took the letter home. When she got home, she opened it and saw that it was from Gu Yanxiao at the military base. He said that he had arrived safely at the base and reminded Xia Liang to remember to send him the photo of the two of them. Only then did Xia Liang realize that she hadn't picked up the photo yet.
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