Xia Liang got up early the next day, washed the meat she bought the day before, cut it into strips, added seasonings, mixed it well, and marinated it before heading to work. Just as Xia Liang arrived at the factory gate, she heard someone calling her. Turning around, she saw Zhou Xiaohui running towards her, holding an oil paper package. Reaching Xia Liang, Zhou Xiaohui breathlessly said, "Ah Liang, this is a layered pancake my mom made. Eat it while it's hot! I've been holding it close to my chest and almost tripped, but it's still warm." She then grinned sheepishly. Xia Liang was deeply moved: "Thank you, sister-in-law. Have you eaten yet? You don't need to do this again. If it gets cold, just ask the cook at the canteen to heat it up." Zhou Xiaohui waved her hand: "I've already eaten. My mom made it this morning..." "I've already eaten," Xia Liang thought. This must be so much work to make; Aunt Zhou must have gotten up very early. She said, "Thank you so much, Auntie. She must not have had a good rest, getting up so early to cook. You don't need to bring me anything special next time; my mom will make it for me in the morning." The Xia family lived not far from the factory, so Xia's mother didn't need to get up very early. But the Zhou family was different; their home was far from the factory, and with the travel time, they had to cook well in advance. Xia Liang felt a little embarrassed, but Zhou Xiaohui smiled and said, "It's okay, my mom usually cooks too; it's just a little more troublesome." The two laughed and joked as they went to work.
Recently, the workload at the factory has been gradually increasing. She doesn't dare to slack off anymore, as the workload is heavy and the supervisors are constantly monitoring them to ensure they finish quickly. Xia Liang has been making more trips to the workshop than usual. At lunchtime, after saying goodbye to Zhou Xiaohui, Xia Liang went to the county photo studio to pick up her photos. If she hadn't seen Gu Yanxiao's letter yesterday, she would have completely forgotten about them. When she arrived at the photo studio, the owner greeted her with a smile, "Comrade, here to pick up your photos? Why are you only coming now? I thought you didn't want them anymore!" Actually, he meant he thought they had broken up, otherwise, they wouldn't have taken so long to pick them up. Normally, once photos are taken, the agreed-upon number of days is the agreed-upon number; there are always early arrivals, not late ones. It's no wonder he remembered Xia Liang; the two were simply too good-looking, a perfect match made in heaven. He even felt sorry for them when he thought about their potential breakup, as it was rare to see such an attractive couple. His place was the only place in the county where they could take photos, and most of the people there were young men and women—either handsome young men with average-looking girls, or good-looking women with less attractive men. That's why Xia Liang and Gu Yanxiao left such a deep impression on him. Xia Liang picked up the photos and went to the factory, since there wasn't much time to rest after lunch. After getting off work, Xia Liang returned home and first looked at the chicken coop her father had made the night before. She picked two cabbage leaves and threw them in. Seeing the chickens rushing up to peck at the cabbage, Xia Liang smiled and went to the kitchen. After helping her mother cook, her mother saw her daughter come back and was about to help her, so she hurriedly tried to push her out: "You've had a long day, go and rest. Also, those shirts you asked me to make are finished. Go and see how they are; they're in the kitchen." Xia Liang's mother didn't want her to help. First, her daughter worked hard, and second, her daughter used too much oil. No matter what she made, she used a large spoonful of oil. Although the food was delicious, she worried about how they would manage in the future if they lived without any planning. In fact, Zhao Danxiang didn't consider that Xia Liang had always been so extravagant, yet the kitchen always had plenty of oil. Unlike back in their hometown, where they were always frugal and still didn't have enough to eat, and the whole family had never had a meal with meat. Actually, Xia Liang often went to the black market to buy oil and rice. After all, back in the village, they had no choice but to eat sweet potatoes and wild vegetables every day because they couldn't afford rice. Now that conditions were better, she wouldn't mistreat herself. This body was only eighteen years old, and if she was malnourished, her health wouldn't be good in the future. After all, health is the foundation of everything. And Xia's mother was the same; she was already weak, and if she couldn't eat well, her health would only get worse. Xia Liang didn't want Xia Liang's help, and she didn't insist. She could only go to her room to take out the letter she had written to Gu Yanxiao yesterday and the photos she had picked up today. Seeing the man in the photos with his sword-like eyebrows, bright eyes, high nose bridge, thin lips, and buzz cut, Xia Liang smiled as she looked at them. Such a handsome man was her boyfriend, and just thinking about it made her happy. Of course, the original owner of this body was not bad either; she was quite handsome. After looking at them for a while, Xia Liang took out a solo photo of herself and a group photo and put them in the envelope, preparing to send them together with this letter. Just then, Xia Dahe returned home from get off work. He opened the door, carried his bicycle inside, filled a basin with water, and started wiping it with a towel. Xia Liang couldn't help but chuckle at how much he cherished the bicycle—more than himself! Thinking of this, Xia Liang remembered there was a piece of green coarse cloth in the warehouse that could be used to make bags. She could make two or three, one for herself, her brother, and her father. With that thought, she got to work. Xia Liang went to the warehouse, found the cloth, and took it to the workroom to begin making bags. Just as she finished measuring, her mother called from outside, "Dahe, A Liang, quickly wash your hands!" "Dinner's ready!" At dinner, Xia Dahe looked at the white rice on the table with a puzzled expression. "Although there are three workers in our family now, only A-Liang is a permanent employee; A-Rong and I are apprentices. I'm afraid we don't have enough food coupons to eat rice. Perhaps we should exchange them for some coarse grains to mix in." Xia Liang thought to herself, "I was careless. I didn't need coupons to buy these things on the black market, and I didn't think much about whether my coupons were enough for my family to eat like this. It seems I need to be more careful in the future and buy some coarse grains to mix in, otherwise, if someone with ulterior motives targets us, we'll be in serious trouble." Having made up her mind, Xia Liang replied, "I'm just happy these past few days. First, my engagement was arranged, and then Dad, you got a job, so we've been eating white rice every day. In a couple of days, I'll get some cornmeal or something." Hearing his daughter's words, Xia Dahe didn't say anything more. After finishing her meal, Xia Liang returned to the workroom. After finalizing her design, she went to the kitchen to make paste. She found several pieces of coarse cloth, cut them to the same size, brushed on the paste, and layered them until she had a hard sheet about one centimeter long. Xia Liang sewed it to the bottom of the bag so that it wouldn't break even if she put heavy or sharp things in it. Seeing the result, Xia Liang made two more identical bags, but with longer straps. She gave these two to her father and Xia Rong, and kept the shorter one for herself to hold a water cup and some small items. After finishing, Xia Liang went to the main room and gave the bag to her father. He was overjoyed when he saw it, and tried it on from all angles, reluctant to put it down.
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