This Dongfeng brand tractor was bought by the team from another production team. It was only 60% new. But it was wiped clean and looked about 70% to 80% new. Xie Zhao was always meticulous in his work and would carefully maintain the tractor after each use. The team was very confident in him.
The villagers had to rely on ox carts or walk to the city. If they were lucky, they could catch a ride on a tractor from another production team. Now that their village had a tractor, the villagers were very happy.
Before daybreak, villagers who wanted to take a ride into the city were waiting at the entrance of the village. Xie Zhao drove the tractor over, and the people swarmed onto the tractor. Xie Zhao was a man of few words, not as bossy as the drivers. When he saw people carrying children or heavy things, he would lend a hand to help them carry them onto the tractor.
The villagers always kept their distance from this son of a landlord, and looked down on him to some extent. Now that Xie Zhao had suddenly become the only driver in the village, they would inevitably feel embarrassed when they had to trouble Xie Zhao.
Xie Zhao drove silently, and gradually, the women in the back car began to talk about Xie Zhao.
"This Xie San is 20 years old this year, right? Has his family arranged a marriage for him?"
"With such a high profile, who would dare to tell him about this?"
"What a pity, Yue Yun is so handsome."
"Hey, there's a cousin on my mother's side who has eight children and is extremely poor. If the Xie family is willing, I can help them get along!"
“…”
Cheng Yaoyao sat in the best seat inside with her small bag in her arms, listening to the laughter of the village women, her heart was burning with anger. When the village women wanted to talk to her, she closed her eyes and pretended to sleep. The women curled their lips and winked at each other, saying nothing more than that Cheng Yaoyao came from the city and looked down on people.
However, they had all experienced Cheng Yaoyao's sharp tongue, so they didn't bother her and continued to gossip about the village's gossip.
The car finally arrived at the county town, and the women got off the car with vegetables and chickens, and Cheng Yaoyao's ears were finally clear. Xie Zhao walked around to the back of the car and offered his hand to help Cheng Yaoyao get off the car, but Cheng Yaoyao slapped his hand away and jumped out of the car holding the handle.
Cheng Yaoyao's expression was always uncertain, and Xie Zhao was used to it. He said, "The car needs to stay at the fertilizer factory to load the goods. I'll take you to the cultural center first."
Cheng Yaoyao said she could go alone. Xie Zhao stared at her with narrow eyes without saying anything. Cheng Yaoyao pouted and turned to walk ahead. Xie Zhao followed her with a big basket. The two walked one in front and one behind, as if they didn't know each other.
Cheng Yaoyao walked into the gate of the county cultural center with ease, and Xie Zhao was waiting for her at the door. The gate of the county cultural center was particularly lively today, with many beautiful girls chatting and laughing in and out. When they saw Xie Zhao, they couldn't help but look at him, and the bolder ones even whispered and laughed to each other.
Xie Zhao looked away expressionlessly, leaning against the wall in the shade, waiting for Cheng Yaoyao to come out. The environment here is very good, and the girls coming in and out are also dressed neatly and beautifully. Such a day is suitable for Cheng Yaoyao. If it weren't for himself...
The county cultural center was particularly lively today. The girls from the art troupe were dressed up very beautifully and were crowded together taking photos. Cheng Yaoyao saw Wu Man at a glance. She was wearing a red cloth blouse and her lips were painted bright red. She was squeezed in the middle of the team. As soon as she saw Cheng Yaoyao, she immediately gave him a very proud smile.
Cheng Yaoyao ignored her and went straight to Chen Yong's office. Liu Xiaoli was there today, too. Her belly was bigger than before, like a balloon that had been inflated, but her face didn't look good.
As soon as he saw Cheng Yaoyao, Chen Yong said, "Why didn't you come to sign up last time? What a pity!"
"I went back and thought about it, and I think I'm not suitable for working in the art troupe. Thank you for your kindness." Cheng Yaoyao said with a smile.
Chen Yong's face was full of regret, and he was about to say something.
"That's enough. They have their own plans." Liu Xiaoli pushed Chen Yong and said to Cheng Yaoyao enthusiastically, "You're finally here. Do you still have the fried chicken mushrooms from last time? They tasted so good!"
Chen Yong immediately looked at Cheng Yaoyao's bag eagerly. Last time, he thought Cheng Yaoyao's fried chicken fern looked average and expensive, so he only bought one bottle. He didn't expect it to taste so good! Liu Xiaoli, who usually has no appetite, eats more every meal with fried chicken fern!
"Yes." Cheng Yaoyao took out several jars from his bag and placed them on the table one by one. "This is fried chicken mushroom, and this is mushroom sauce. The price is the same as before."
Chen Yong quickly counted the bills and handed them to Cheng Yaoyao. Liu Xiaoli smiled at Cheng Yaoyao and said, "Thanks to your dried bayberry and fried chicken mushrooms, I can only eat a little these days. I really don't know how to thank you so much."
Cheng Yaoyao stuffed the money into his small purse, thought for a moment, and said, "I have a younger sister who is fifteen this year. If you know any unit hiring, please let me know."
Chen Yong immediately asked, "That's no problem. What's your sister's family background like?"
"..." The difficulty lies in his family background. Cheng Yaoyao bit his lip in embarrassment: "He is... a landlord, but he has never oppressed the common people!"
Chen Yong and Liu Xiaoli looked at each other, but they were not as frightened as the others. They just murmured, "With this background, it is definitely impossible to join the art troupe. It is not easy to get a formal job in other factories. It is also difficult to get along with people..."
Chen Yong twirled his index finger and thumb, and Cheng Yaoyuan said: "This is no problem. It doesn't need a good unit, just a textile factory or a clothing factory, where there are many girls and few things to do."
Xie Fei has a weak personality, and it is not enough for her to work in a unit like the art troupe, where those elite people will take advantage of her. It would be better for her to work in an ordinary factory where all the workers are women, and live in peace.
Chen Yong agreed and promised to keep an eye on Cheng Yaoyao: "Your sister is still young, so I will keep an eye on her for you. I will notify you as soon as any good job openings are available."
Cheng Yaoyao said a few words of thanks and was about to leave. Liu Xiaoli supported her waist and stood up to see her off, but suddenly she uttered an "ouch" and her face turned pale.
Chen Yong hurriedly supported his wife: "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell again?"
"No... I'll be fine soon." Liu Xiaoli sat down slowly, frowning, and it took her a while to calm down.
Cheng Yaoyao also asked with concern: "You look terrible, have you gone for a checkup?"
Liu Xiaoli smiled at Cheng Yaoyao and said, "After the examination, the doctor said that I was not strong enough and was afraid that I would be in danger when giving birth."
Chen Yong supported his wife with a worried look on his face. Cheng Yaoyao thought for a moment and took out a small paper bag: "This... you can drink it with water every day. If you don't have the strength on the day of giving birth, just hold a little in your mouth."
Chen Yong opened the paper package and saw that it was some ginseng roots. His family was well off and they ate ginseng slices, so he didn't care much about these ginseng roots. But Cheng Yaoyao was kind-hearted, so he put them away and thanked Cheng Yaoyao again.
Cheng Yaoyao waved his hands, his heart bleeding. That was a ginseng root soaked in spiritual spring water, originally intended to be sent to the original owner's father.
Cheng Yaoyao asked Chen Yong to take care of Liu Xiaoli and walked out of the office. When he passed the stage, he ran into Wu Man and several girls from the art troupe.
Wu Man took the initiative to say: "What a coincidence, we meet again."
Cheng Yaoyao rolled his eyes. It was obvious that Wu Man was waiting for him here: "What do you want?"
Wu Man walked around Cheng Yaoyao slowly and said with a smile: "It's nothing, I just feel strange, why didn't you get selected by the art troupe? What a pity, I didn't know until I met Yang Yu and Ji Youyou that you were not selected."
Cheng Yaoyao had no expression on his face. The other girls from the art troupe stared at Cheng Yaoyao with envy and relief in their eyes. Fortunately, Cheng Yaoyao was not selected, otherwise, would they still have a place to stand?
Wu Man was the most qualified among the girls and was clearly the leader. She became more and more proud: "Why? Did you fail the political review, or do you have some other problem? Did Brother Lin and the others know that you were not selected?"
Cheng Yaoyao said impatiently: "Are you done? A good dog doesn't block the road. I'm going out!"
"You... who are you saying is a dog?!" Wu Man's face changed drastically.
"Whoever agrees will get it." Cheng Yaoyao raised his chin arrogantly, the corners of his lips raised in a half-smile, looking extremely cold and charming.
There was a "click" sound as a flash light came on, blinding Cheng Yaoyao and Wu Man and the others. Cheng Yaoyao shielded his eyes and looked at the culprit in annoyance.
A young man holding a camera smiled shyly and walked over: "Hey comrade, I'm a reporter from the provincial newspaper. I saw that you look very photogenic and couldn't help but take a picture of you. I'm so sorry. Are you also a member of the art troupe? I can take a set of photos for you alone."
"Not interested." Cheng Yaoyao said coldly.
The reporter still enthusiastically persuaded Cheng Yaoyao: "I can print out a set of the photos and give them to you. I..."
Wu Man had not expected things to develop like this. His face twisted and he said hurriedly, "Reporter Ouyang, didn't you want to take a group photo for us?"
"Yes, yes, we wanted to take a picture of ourselves in our dormitory." The other girls also surrounded reporter Ouyang and started talking.
Cheng Yaoyao took the opportunity to avoid them and walked away, still rubbing his eyes when he reached the door.
Xie Zhao came up to him immediately and asked, "What's wrong with your eyes?"
"Just now there was..." Cheng Yaoyao was about to complain to Xie Zhao, but he saw the two girls suddenly turned their heads and stared at Xie Zhao and whispered. Xie Zhao couldn't help but look up, and they ran away with a giggle.
Cheng Yaoyao was furious. He glared at them fiercely and said to Xie Zhao, "Why are you staring at me so lustfully?"
Xie Zhao said: "I don't have any."
Cheng Yaoyao snorted, "Are you enjoying the girl smiling at you?"
"No." Xie Zhao said honestly, "I'm from the countryside, they are just making fun of me."
"...Yes, you look silly, they are laughing at you, just ignore them." Cheng Yaoyao looked Xie Zhao up and down. Xie Zhao was wearing a new vest today, and the sleeves of his dark blue work jacket were rolled up to his elbows. He looked tall and straight, no wonder he was so popular.
"Okay, just pay attention to my sister." Xie Zhao stared into her eyes and asked again, "What's wrong with your eyes?"
"Just now, an annoying reporter took a picture of me and my eyes were flashed by the flash." Cheng Yaoyao quickly complained to Xie Zhao and raised his head to let him look into his eyes.
Her peach blossom eyes were watery, with a streak of red at the corners, making her look even more affectionate. Such a stunning face would attract attention wherever she was. Xie Zhao clenched his fists, and the feeling of helplessness came over him again.
Cheng Yaoyao didn't know what Xie Zhao was thinking, so she pulled his clothes and said coquettishly, "Let's go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some things now?"
Xie Zhao naturally had no objection.
With Xie Zhao as the porter, Cheng Yaoyao went on a shopping spree. The Xie family was penniless, lacking everything: thermos for home, kettle and aluminum lunch box for Xie Zhao to use at work, Jiefang shoes, various fabrics, needles and thread, oil, sugar, snacks, paper and pens...
Cheng Yaoyao wanted to buy everything he saw, and bought a lot of things. The saleswoman looked at Cheng Yaoyao and Xie Zhao, who was silently carrying things, and said with a smile: "Getting married, right? There are flashlights, do you want to buy one?"
"Well...it's not marriage." Cheng Yaoyao said in a low voice.
The saleswoman was wrapping the things neatly while saying, "What's there to be embarrassed about? Aren't you getting married? Why are you buying so many things?"
Cheng Yaoyao didn't turn around, but she felt a gaze that was hard to ignore falling directly on her face, making her ears hot. She just asked, "How much is it in total?"
The old lady used an abacus and said, "The total is eighty-seven yuan, fifty cents and two cents."
She bought two hot water bottles alone. Cheng Yaoyao secretly sighed, money is worth a lot these days. She just took out her heavy purse, and a big hand had already handed the money to the counter, along with a stack of small bills.
Cheng Yaoyao looked at Xie Zhao in surprise. Where did Xie Zhao get the money?
Xie Zhao asked her, "Do you want to buy anything else?"
The saleswoman smiled and said, "Look at your partner, how caring he is."
"No...no more." Cheng Yaoyao has always been generous, but at this moment, his face turned red when his aunt teased him with the word "object".
Xie Zhao didn't say anything until lunchtime when he suddenly said, "Hey, have a piece of braised pork."
This meal was eaten at a state-owned hotel, with a plate of braised pork, a plate of hot and sour bamboo shoots, a bowl of loofah and egg drop soup, and two bowls of white rice. Xie Zhao wanted to order two more dishes, but Cheng Yaoyao stopped him, saying that ordering too much would be a waste.
God knows that this young lady used to order a whole table of dishes when she ate at a Michelin restaurant. Now that she has come to this era, she has also understood the meaning of the word "waste".
After hearing what Xie Zhao said, Cheng Yaoyao said fiercely: "Who is your target?"
Xie Zhao remained calm: "You."
Cheng Yaoyao frowned in disdain: "It sounds so rustic."
Xie Zhao looked at her and changed his words to "sister."
"..." Cheng Yaoyao's face flushed and he changed the subject, "This meat is too fatty, I want to eat leaner ones."
Xie Zhao bit off the fat and put the lean meat back into her bowl. Cheng Yaoyao took a look at the meat and looked a little strange.
Xie Zhao noticed her expression and asked, "Are you disgusted?"
"Hate it!" Cheng Yaoyao curled his cherry lips and stuffed the piece of lean meat into his mouth.
The little lotus leaf trembled with pleasure.
Cheng Yaoyao's eyes trembled, and after a long while he uttered, "...I still want to eat."
Pork these days is not fed with feed, so it is particularly delicious. The three-layer pork belly is stewed with soy sauce and osmanthus leaves, the fat melts in the mouth, and the lean meat is fragrant but not dry. The portion of the braised pork in red sauce is quite large. Cheng Yaoyao ate a few pieces and stopped eating, just scooping the gravy to mix with rice.
Most of the big bowl of braised pork went into Xie Zhao's stomach. He ate without getting red in the face or breathing hard, and his body was still lean and tight. Thinking of how Xie Zhao only ate two wild vegetable dumplings a day when he was working, I wondered how he managed to endure it.
Cheng Yaoyao thought about it and put a piece of bamboo shoots into Xie Zhao's bowl. Facing Xie Zhao's burning gaze, he felt a little embarrassed: "After dinner, will you take me to the black market?"
"You're not going." Xie Zhao rejected it flatly.
Cheng Yaoyao groaned: "But..."
Xie Zhao said: "No buts."
Xie Zhao usually obeyed Cheng Yaoyao, but when he made up his mind, Cheng Yaoyao was completely helpless. When he went to the black market in the afternoon, Cheng Yaoyao could only stand under the archway and wait, watching Xie Zhao whispering to the monkey, but he could not hear a word.
Cheng Yaoyao was bored and was fiddling with his fingers, staring blankly under the archway, calculating in his mind how much money he could get this time. He wondered if Xie Zhao had been cheated by the monkey.
Not far away. Monkey counted the bills and handed them to Xie Zhao, and said to him in a low voice: "Brother Xie, the price of yellow goods has increased a lot recently..."
Xie Zhao collected the money and said indifferently, "The situation is tense recently. Wait for my news."
"Why are you still waiting..." The monkey looked at the graceful figure not far away and said anxiously, "How long do you plan to play house with her? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Just say one word and I will do it with you!"
"Let's talk later." Xie Zhao picked up the empty basket and strode towards the archway.
The monkey sighed and picked up the pile of goods. Forget it, forget it. He didn't have the skills and courage. It was good to make some small money. Recently, the cultural center has been showing movies and performances one after another, and dried bayberries are selling well.
Xie Zhao handed the money and bills to Cheng Yaoyao, who took them and stuffed them into his purse. Recently, his purse had been bulging with money, so Cheng Yaoyao took out a few bills and gave them to Xie Zhao, saying, "Keep some for yourself."
Xie Zhao picked up the phone without saying anything. Cheng Yaoyao quickly added, "This is your share. Just take it."
Xie Zhao hinted: "Can the profit share be cashed out?"
"No!" Cheng Yaoyao rejected it flatly.
Towards evening, the tractor loaded with fertilizer and villagers finally returned to Tianshui Village. The large amount of things the two bought shocked Grandma Xie. Xie Zhao went to unload the fertilizer, leaving Cheng Yaoyao alone to answer Grandma Xie's questioning.
Cheng Yaoyao just said that Xie Zhao bought it, but Grandma Xie didn't believe it: "Where did Zhao get so much money? This thermos bottle must cost seven or eight yuan, right?"
"...The bills sent by my family plus the money Xie Zhao earned from selling herbs and leather are enough." Cheng Yaoyao lied.
Father Cheng sent Cheng Yaoyao a big package filled with many things. This statement was quite convincing. Grandma Xie was skeptical and did not ask any more questions.
There were a lot of clothes in Cheng's father's package, all of which were the original owner's autumn and winter coats and jackets, but there were no old spring and summer clothes that Cheng Yaoyao wanted. Cheng's father also attached a letter, saying that Cheng Yaoyao's old clothes were eaten by insects, and sent 200 yuan with the letter, asking Cheng Yaoyao to go to the department store to buy a few pieces he liked.
Cheng Yaoyao put the two hundred yuan into his own purse, feeling a little regretful. The original owner's old clothes were brought back by Cheng's father when he was on a business trip. They were beautiful and fashionable, but they were put away after only a few times of wearing. He found them and gave them to Xie Fei. But now he has money, he can buy new clothes for Xie Fei!
Cheng Yaoyao quickly forgot about this little episode, but he didn't expect that his old clothes would cause a big stir in the Cheng family.
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