Chapter 162: Strange Man (1)
In the room, Taotao and Song Zhi were also preparing to go to bed.
Tao Tao said to Song Zhi: "It seems that Fang Ying is coming for you!"
Song Zhi was stunned.
His face turned pale instantly.
——Fang Ying is a married woman, and her husband is his colleague! How could she have such dirty thoughts? Isn’t this too disgusting?
As soon as Taotao saw Song Zhi's expression, she knew what he was thinking!
She smiled and said, "You misunderstood. She doesn't like you."
Song Zhi was stunned again.
Tao Tao thought for a moment and said, "It should be said that Fang Ying came after me because she was jealous of me. This is the cause. But she chose to attack you... This is the result."
Then she analyzed to Song Zhi the questions that Fang Ying had asked her in the evening.
Song Zhi frowned.
Tao Tao continued, "You see, all the questions she asked about me were related to my family background, property, and education. In other words, she doubted me and didn't believe that I could pass the assessment for the qualifications of a worker-peasant-soldier student. She also wondered if I became a researcher through nepotism..."
"And she kept asking me questions about you, all related to your work... Maybe she was wondering if I relied on you to get into the Agricultural University and take the postgraduate entrance exam."
Song Zhi understood, "She thought that if she hit me, she could hit you. So she is looking for evidence that I went to various units to find backdoors for you."
Taotao nodded.
But Song Zhi still found it incredible, "But how is she going to attack me? For all the questions she asked you about me, wouldn't it be better for her to ask Liu Xiaoxuan directly?"
Taotao shook her head. "It's impossible for her to ask Liu Xiaoxuan about you. Their relationship is not good. You are the same age as Liu Xiaoxuan, but your level, title, and salary are all higher than Liu Xiaoxuan's. If she asks Liu Xiaoxuan about you, it will only make Liu Xiaoxuan angry... There are no other family members in the satellite city now, so she can't find out anything. So she can only come to me to ask about you, and she can only ask indirectly."
Song Zhi suddenly realized.
After a pause, she squinted at Song Zhi again, "You don't have any handles at work or in the company, right?"
Song Zhi stared at Taotao with his dark eyes.
Taotao giggled, "Don't worry about her. I'll give her a warning tonight. I'll try to trick her tomorrow."
Song Zhi was a little worried. "If you let her sleep outside, what if she starts making a noise... I'm afraid we won't be able to sleep all night."
Taotao, "No, Dahuang and Dahei won't let her bark. They are much more powerful than her."
Later, just as Taotao said, Fang Ying stayed outside all night, quietly and without saying a word.
The next morning, Tang Liren got up before dawn.
She usually doesn't come that early.
Thinking that Fang Ying was still outside, I was indeed a little worried that something might happen, so I gently opened the door to see -
Fang Ying wrapped herself tightly in a quilt, sat on a straw mat, leaned against the wall, and fell into a deep sleep.
Dahuang and Dahei were lying in their nest opposite Fang Ying. When they heard Tang Liren open the door, one of the dogs raised its head and looked at her sleepily, then lay down again. The other dog was too lazy to move and just wagged its tail.
Seeing that Fang Ying was fine, Tang Liren felt relieved, then she opened the door and the window wide, and began to clean the house and do housework.
Some villagers fetched water and brought it to Taotao.
——This was arranged by Jiang Hongzhi. Taotao was too weak to carry water, so he asked the men in the village to take turns going back and forth twice a day to help Taotao fill the water tank.
Tang Liren thanked them loudly.
Fang Ying finally woke up.
She got up quickly.
Tang Liren had already discussed this with Taotao, so she was very polite to Fang Ying and did not make things difficult for her at all like she did yesterday.
Fang Ying washed up and had breakfast.
Tang Liren made tomato and egg drop noodle soup for breakfast. Except for Taotao's bowl, which was topped with chicken soup made with cold water from last night, everyone else's noodle soup was exactly the same.
Fang Ying breathed a sigh of relief for some unknown reason.
Tang Liren asked her kindly, "Did you have a good night last night?"
Fang Ying was stunned.
She held the bowl silently without saying a word.
She certainly didn't sleep well yesterday.
——She was sleeping in the open air, with two dogs opposite her. Those two dogs were busy all night! At first Fang Ying didn't know what was going on, because there was no light and it was pitch black everywhere. She could only hear the two dogs jumping around like crazy, panting and barking in low voices...
It was not until later, when Fang Ying heard the sounds of chewing and swallowing, that she realized that the two dogs were hunting less than five meters away from her!
Fang Ying just felt creepy!
She and the dogs were in the yard, why were the dogs eating?
What are they eating?
Is it, is it a vole? Or a snake? ? ?
That……
She also has voles and snakes around her?
Fang Ying was so frightened that she dared not move.
She wanted to call for help.
But before she could even shout the word "help", the two ferocious dogs whined at her as a warning!
She wanted to knock on the door and ask for help, begging Bai Taotao to let her into the office. Even if she had to sleep on the floor in the office... it would be better than staying here!
But as soon as she moved, the two angry dogs started whining at her again.
In the end, Fang Ying didn't dare to move or call for help the whole night. She just wrapped herself tightly in the quilt and cried silently until midnight before falling asleep.
When she woke up this morning, she saw the two dogs lazily lying in their beds opposite and sleeping soundly!
Their bellies are so round, I don’t know how much they have eaten!
As for what they ate?
Fang Ying didn’t know about it at night, but when Tang Liren came to clean the yard in the morning... Fang Ying saw it.
——The two dogs were well trained. After catching live animals and eating them at night, they would pile all the bones and leftovers by the door.
When the owner gets up in the morning, he can just take a broom and dustpan to sweep away the remaining bones and debris.
So Fang Ying saw it clearly! Those two dogs ate at least a dozen voles! Because the mouse heads, meatless claws and other things by the door had piled up into a small mountain!
There's even some blood!
After Tang Liren finished sweeping the floor, she poured a basin of water there and used a broom to wash away the bloodstains on the ground!
Fang Ying stayed with the dogs last night.
Oh no.
The dogs stayed opposite her...
But there is no barrier between the two territories. What if a vole or a snake suddenly jumps into the area where she sleeps?
At once……
Very scary.
Now Tang Liren asked Fang Ying in such a gentle tone whether she slept well last night?
Fang Ying wanted to cry, but she didn't dare.
What she didn't know was that she slept in the playroom where Xiao Feibai and Niu Niu were playing last night. Taotao certainly wouldn't allow snakes and voles to appear in the place where her son played, so she spread a thick layer of dried mouse-repellent grass under the straw mat, and planted a circle of plants called "elderberry" near the game room, all of which were used to repel mice.
Of course, in order to repel snakes, Taotao also planted the plant "Snake Killer" throughout the yard.
The name of Snake Mistletoe sounds scary, but it is actually a very cute plant. It blooms bright and delicate yellow flowers and emits a delicate fragrance. It is very beautiful.
But snakes just hate this smell and won't come close easily.
However, the Snake Killer can block all kinds of snakes, but it cannot block the overwhelming number of field mice. After all, there is a lot of food stored in Taotao's warehouse.
There are always some brave voles that want to escape and steal the food in the warehouse. Last night, the dogs found a hole that had just been dug by a vole, so they waited at the entrance of the hole and caught more than a dozen voles in succession. They were so full that they couldn't move.
Tang Liren was very satisfied when she saw Fang Ying's cowardly look. She took a bite of noodles and asked, "I don't know if your lover will come to pick you up today."
He took another sip of the noodle soup, "…what if he doesn't come?"
As she said that, Tang Liren looked at Fang Ying with a smile, "It's okay. If he doesn't come to pick you up today, you can stay here for another night!"
Fang Ying was surprised. The delicious hot tomato and egg noodle soup no longer had any flavor.
She stared at Tang Liren blankly and said quickly, "If, if Liu Xiaoxuan is not free, then I will... go back by myself! He is also very busy at work..."
Tang Liren, "Who told him not to come pick you up? He doesn't care about his wife! Fang Ying, just listen to your aunt. If he doesn't come to pick you up, don't leave! Anyway, living with us is good food and accommodation, and it's not worse than staying at his unit, right?"
Fang Ying wanted to cry again, "No, no... He is a man, his work is important, I, I still can't trouble him too much. Auntie, if he is not free to pick me up today, then I will... go back by myself!"
"no!"
Tang Liren laughed in her heart, but she shouted: "We have to teach this stinky man who doesn't love his wife a lesson!"
Fang Ying had no words to express her pain. She ate a big bowl of tomato and egg noodle soup in tears and out of anger... without even a drop of soup left.
After breakfast, Taotao called Fang Ying in the room.
Fang Ying came over.
Taotao was also very warm towards Fang Ying. She was not at all embarrassed as she was yesterday. She asked Fang Ying a series of questions, all about family matters, such as, "Is the noodle soup today delicious?" Do you like rice or noodles in your hometown?
I have to say, Taotao is so beautiful. As long as she doesn't embarrass others and speaks in a gentle and kind tone...
In addition, Fang Ying was too scared to sleep in the first half of last night. She fell asleep in the second half but was woken up by Tang Liren early in the morning. She didn't get enough sleep, so her emotions were easily influenced by Taotao.
In the morning, Taotao had figured out Fang Ying's family situation in general.
Of course Fang Ying also came to her senses later and grabbed Taotao to ask a few questions...about Song Zhi.
Most of the questions she asked were about Song Zhi's work, and she was very stubborn in wanting to know clearly what exactly Song Zhi was responsible for in the satellite city.
Taotao found it a little funny.
Song Zhi is a very famous person in the industry. After all, in this era, it is really rare to have a PhD in his early thirties.
Fang Ying actually doesn’t know what Song Zhi does?
Tao Tao pondered for a moment and said, "I heard that his department specializes in solar energy?"
——It just so happens that Taotao and Song Zhi have been discussing the issue of clean energy these days. The main reason is that the Northwest is very suitable for wind and solar energy.
So I just learned it and put it into practice.
Fang Ying quickly asked: "What is solar energy?"
Tao Tao, "Satellites in the sky need energy to start up... that is, electricity! But we can't let satellites carry batteries, right? What if the batteries run out? Who will replace them? That's why satellites have two big wings, which are solar panels. As long as they are exposed to the sun, they can be converted into power!"
Fang Ying's eyes widened. "So advanced! No need to burn coal? We can generate electricity just by basking in the sun!"
"Yes!"
Fang Ying didn't speak for a long time.
Taotao looked at her carefully.
After a long while, Fang Ying came back to her senses and asked Tao Tao, "What about you? What do you grow in your greenhouse? What are you researching?"
Of course Taotao would not tell Fang Ying about her core project.
So she smiled and said, "I'm a tree planter! The government thinks the Northwest is too desolate! It's a pity to leave such a large piece of land barren, so they sent me here to plant trees."
Fang Ying looked at Tao Tao suspiciously, "You are so thin... can you plant trees?"
Taotao's expression gradually became serious.
"Did you suffer from poverty as a child?" she asked Fang Ying.
Fang Ying hesitated for a moment. "I was born in 1950, so how could I not have experienced poverty? When I was eating, my grandmother would scold us if a few grains of rice fell on the table. She insisted that we pick them up and eat them..."
Tao Tao, "People all over the country are starving! Residents in cities may be better off, and the situation in some villages may also be okay. But the basic situation is not optimistic. So the country wants to open up green land, turn barren land like the Northwest into fertile fields, and plant food crops that are suitable for growing here, so that people all over the country will no longer suffer from hunger."
Fang Ying was silent.
After a while, she smiled again, "Then your allowance and bonus must be very high, right?"
Taotao glanced at Fang Ying.
Fang Ying, "Your family's financial situation should be good. Even if you stay in your hometown or teach in Kyoto, the conditions are much better than staying here. If the allowance and bonus are too little, you won't come...right?"
Taotao just smiled and said nothing.
Fang Ying asked again, "Hey, how much are your allowances and bonuses?"
Tao Tao told the truth, "As for the allowance, it's 20 kilograms of flour a month, plus a ten-yuan living allowance, and a five-yuan project allowance a month, but no bonus."
——These days, agricultural researchers live in such poverty. Therefore, Deng Gaoyun and his colleagues tried their best to participate in multiple projects. By participating in each project, they could at least receive a monthly allowance of five yuan, which allowed them to make ends meet.
Taotao is relatively lucky. She has been stuck here for the past two years because of having a baby. As long as she returns to Beijing to teach at the Agricultural University, she can earn some income based on the class hours, which is better than Deng Gaoyun and others.
However, once Deng Gaoyun graduates and becomes a formal employee of the Agricultural Research Institute, he can start evaluating his professional title and receive a salary based on his professional title.
Life is still very promising.
However, it is impossible to explain what a "dream" is to someone like Fang Ying.
It doesn't matter if you don't get it.
Fang Ying obviously didn't believe it. "Then you only have fifteen yuan and twenty kilograms of flour a month?"
Taotao nodded.
Fang Ying gradually became arrogant again, "Then why do you still wear a Shanghai watch? And you can wear a woolen coat and leather shoes when you go out in winter?"
Before Taotao could answer——
Fang Ying justified herself, "Oh, I see! Song Zhi's salary seems to be quite high. I heard that he makes more than 70 yuan a month? Well, if it was just you, it would be enough. But now you have two children! Tsk tsk..."
Afterwards, Fang Ying regained her sense of superiority.
Taotao was speechless.
——Song Zhi’s monthly salary in the satellite city is one hundred and thirty-seven yuan. Moreover, he is still an honorary professor of the University of Technology and the University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and even participates in the writing of textbooks. He also has teaching duties in both schools. He will return to Beijing to teach only after he has overcome the technical difficulties here. This way he can select students of his choice and truly build his own scientific research team.
Adding up several salaries and allowances, Song Zhi earns at least three hundred yuan a month.
I don’t know how Fang Ying found out that Song Zhi’s monthly salary was only 70 yuan.
However, Taotao no longer wanted to continue talking to Fang Ying.
"Oh Fang Ying, your dark circles are so serious! You can use Xie Fuchun's duck egg powder to cover them... Do you have any?" Tao Tao asked.
Fang Ying: …
"Duck egg powder?" Fang Ying asked doubtfully, "Who is Xie Fuchun?"
Tao Tao was startled, then laughed, "Nothing, nothing..."
Xie Fuchun is a century-old cosmetics manufacturer, which has now been incorporated into a state-owned factory. Counting the number of pieces of various cosmetics produced, each variety does not exceed 1,000 sets.
Xingxing is the minister's wife and occasionally needs to accompany her husband to social events, so she is allocated a set of cosmetics every year. She would keep the suitable ones and give the unsuitable ones to her sister-in-law and younger sisters.
Taotao was given a box of duck egg powder and an eyebrow pencil last year.
Duck egg powder has nothing to do with duck eggs. It is actually a box of powder. It is only nicknamed duck egg powder because the box is oval like a duck egg.
After hearing Taotao's words, Fang Ying became more suspicious.
However, no matter how she asked, Taotao never talked about the duck egg powder again.
After a while, Liu Xiaoxuan hurried over.
He was obviously more knowledgeable about the ways of the world. He did not come empty-handed, but brought two bottles of Shaoxing rice wine.
Liu Xiaoxuan stuffed the wine into Song Zhi's mouth, and first exchanged a few words with Song Zhi, and greeted Tao Tao and the newborn. Then, with a flushed face, he said to Song Zhi -
"Mr. Song, I'm so sorry! My sister-in-law Fang Ying just gave birth to a child and she ran away to cause trouble for your family... I'm so sorry, I'll take her away now..."
Then he shouted Fang Ying's name loudly.
Fang Ying came out from the inner room and saw Song Zhi holding the bottle of rice wine that Liu Xiaoxuan brought. Her face changed instantly, "Liu Xiaoxuan, do you want to die? Do you know how much those two bottles of rice wine are worth? I brought them from my hometown!"
——To be precise, it was her mother-in-law who asked her to bring it here, saying that it was to help the young couple recuperate so that they could have another child.
But Fang Ying had other ideas.
She had never been willing to drink the two bottles of rice wine because she knew it was rare. She wanted to take the two bottles of wine back with her when she returned to her parents' home, so that at least she would have something presentable.
So Fang Ying rushed towards Song Zhi, trying to snatch the rice wine back.
Liu Xiaoxuan stopped her in time and shouted into the house, "Sister Song! I'm Liu Xiaoxuan, I'm here to pick up Fang Ying... Thank you for taking care of her yesterday! Now you need to take good care of yourself, I won't bother you anymore, we'll come visit you again after you've finished your confinement..."
Then he grabbed Fang Ying and left.
Fang Ying was almost mad. "Liu Xiaoxuan, you are sick! You gave those two bottles of rice wine away... Did you ask for my opinion? You keep saying that you are an intellectual, but have you ever respected me?"
Liu Xiaoxuan became even angrier.
At this time, he had already angrily dragged her out of the research station, and simply let go -
Fang Ying was pulled by inertia and fell to the ground.
Fortunately, the research station was built on a small hill, with a flat and dense grass in front. Although Fang Ying fell to the ground, she was not injured.
She patted her pants and stood up again.
Liu Xiaoxuan glared at her. "Then you came to my colleague's house without saying a word. Do you respect me? Have you ever considered that Song Zhi's wife just gave birth to a child and needs to recuperate. It's not appropriate for her to spend energy meeting guests!"
Fang Ying was a little unconvinced, "I don't think she's any problem!"
Liu Xiaoxuan took a deep breath.
He didn't want to argue with her here, it wouldn't look good.
"Let's go, let's talk about it when we get back!" Liu Xiaoxuan said as he walked towards the lake.
Fang Ying chased after him. After thinking for a while, she asked him, "Hey Liu Xiaoxuan, what is Xie Fuchun's duck egg powder?"
Liu Xiaoxuan was stunned, and suddenly turned around to look at her, "What do you want to do?"
His fierce attitude made Fang Ying more confused.
"I'm just asking, why are you so excited?" Fang Ying grumbled.
Liu Xiaoxuan took another deep breath and tried to calm down. "Don't even ask... Even if you ask, I can't afford it!"
Fang Ying was stunned.
Liu Xiaoxuan has already walked away.
Fang Ying chased after him, "How much? Liu Xiaoxuan! How much does it cost? I'm just asking if I don't want to buy it..."
Liu Xiaoxuan was so annoyed that he could only say, "The original price shouldn't be expensive. But I heard that the factory only makes a thousand sets a year, and if they are resold privately, you can't buy the same one for a hundred yuan!"
"hiss--"
Fang Ying gasped.
——So Bai Taotao has this duck egg powder?
Fang Ying, "Then duck egg powder is made from... duck egg shells? What is it used for? Covering up dark circles?"
Liu Xiaoxuan looked back at her again with a strange expression, "How would I know what it's made of? But it shouldn't have anything to do with duck eggs. The box is oval and looks like a duck egg...Didn't Sister Song take out her duck egg powder to wipe the faces of the female comrades when the family members of the unit performed during the New Year?"
"It should be used for makeup... I only found out that it's called duck egg powder after hearing the female comrades making a fuss. Who told you to be so stubborn and not get along with everyone? Even I know that duck egg powder is used for makeup, but you don't!"
Fang Ying blushed and asked again, "Then...how come Bai Taotao has such an expensive thing? How can she afford it?"
Liu Xiaoxuan's face darkened. What he hated most was that she always compared herself with others, and also compared him with others, but never saw herself clearly.
"She has it, so you must have it too?" Liu Xiaoxuan asked, "Then why did she graduate with a master's degree at such a young age, but you didn't?"
Fang Ying was stunned.
After a long while, she stomped her feet fiercely, "Liu Xiaoxuan, what do you mean!"
Liu Xiaoxuan didn't want to pay any attention to her and walked away in big strides.
Fang Ying chased after him with a pout.
In the following days, Fang Ying never came to the oasis again, and Taotao's life became peaceful.
At the end of August, Taotao was released from confinement.
Zhou Chunni enthusiastically arranged for the villagers to hold a full-month banquet for little Chi Mo.
The enthusiasm of the villagers made Tang Li feel a little overwhelmed. But it was precisely because of their enthusiasm that Tang Liren developed a little liking for this desolate and poor place.
At the end of September, the oasis ushered in the second potato harvest season, and the villagers became even more grateful and respectful to Taotao!
——For no other reason than that in the past the oasis could only plant one crop of potatoes in the spring every year and harvest them in May or June of the same year, that was all.
So Taotao taught the villagers to sweep up the duck manure from the duck pond, mix it with water and sprinkle it evenly on the land where the crops had been harvested. They still covered the land with straw mats and came to sprinkle some water every three to five days.
According to Taotao, this is the process of fertilizing the fields with duck manure: by next year, the potato yield of these fields fertilized by duck manure will be even greater!
At the same time, Taotao did not forget to let them continue to open up the wasteland.
The beginning of the year was the busiest time for the Lingxi Oasis First Production Brigade. At that time, the men had to plant trees, plow the soil to grow potatoes, and reclaim wasteland. The women built greenhouses, duck ponds and fish ponds, and burned the dead grass they picked up from the oasis into ash, which they then sprinkled on the reclaimed wasteland. They put straw mats on top and carried water every two or three days to sprinkle the ashes...
In June, they followed Taotao's instructions, removed the straw mats covering the newly reclaimed wasteland, revealing the fertile and moist soil, and planted another wave of potatoes.
Because potatoes prefer cold weather to heat, Taotao taught them to plant potatoes while planting other crops together.
Plant a row of potatoes, then a row of green onions; plant a row of potatoes, then a row of cotton; plant a row of potatoes, then a row of corn…
There aren't many other crops, but they can grow very tall. Once they grow taller, they will quickly block out the sunlight for the potatoes! In this way, sun-loving plants get sunlight, and shade-loving plants can grow safely.
By the end of September, most of the crops planted on the newly reclaimed wasteland had a good harvest!
The villagers were so excited!
You know, they are responsible for planting trees assigned by the state, and they also have to grow food to feed themselves.
They were always very tired and hard-working. Except for the three months when the roads were blocked by heavy snow, they had to work almost every day and never had a single day of rest. But the reward was just... not enough potatoes to fill your stomach.
This year is the most tiring year for them. Regardless of whether they were men or women, they all grabbed their farm tools and hurried out at daybreak, and did not return home until dark.
Everyone laughed and made dirty jokes, saying that this year men and women were so busy that they didn't even have time to sleep, no wonder there were no new pregnant women...
But this year is the happiest year for them.
We have harvested potatoes for two seasons in a row!
Even though the potato yield from the newly reclaimed wasteland is not too high, at least one thing is certain: we will have enough to eat this year!
And further—
We can also get a lot of other crops this year!
Not to mention green onions, cotton, and corn...
Don’t be fooled by the small greenhouse’s size; the various fruits and vegetables it produces have made the whole village taste their freshness and sweetness! In addition to the duck eggs distributed from the duck pond, the ducks will be distributed at the end of the year. If calculated based on per capita basis, each person can get two!
sky!
Such a good life...
Comrade Bai from the research station said: "Fellow villagers, these are not good days yet. This is just the beginning! Our lives will get better and better in the future!"
How can it not make people excited!
The villagers' excitement also affected Tang Liren.
But after taking care of Taotao for three months, it was time for Tang Liren to leave.
Tang Liren and Taotao sighed, "When I first came here, I really looked down on your land. I thought it was too poor and too miserable! We also had a hard time in Ruyi Village, but at least it was a beautiful place with green mountains and clear waters, and fertile land... you can grow anything you want! But look at this place, it's only a little better because of the oasis, but if you take a step outside and can find a blade of grass on the ground... you'd be happy for most of the day!"
"But now, seeing you directing them and growing so much food, I'm so... happier than they are! Okay, Taozi, mom won't say anything to you from now on. If you want to stay here and teach them how to farm, then stay!" said Tang Liren.
Tao Tao said seriously, "Mom, you have to remember what this place looks like... remember it firmly. Come back here in a few years. I promise that this place will change every year! By then, you will definitely not be able to recognize it at all!"
Tang Liren rolled her eyes and discussed with Tao Tao, "Then you and Song Zhi can work hard on the construction here! I will take the two kids back with me."
Taotao frowned.
Tang Liren urged, "Feibai is already three years old. I'll send him to kindergarten when I get home. In a few years, he should be able to go to elementary school!"
Taotao, "I will build a school here and let him go to school here."
Tang Liren: ...
When it comes to this, it always ends up as a quarrel between mother and daughter.
So Tang Liren stopped in time, and Taotao stopped talking. After all, Tang Liren would be leaving in a few days, so there was no need to create unpleasantness at this critical juncture.
The next month it was mid-October, and it was time for Tang Liren to leave.
This time Zhou Xiaoni also went back with Tang Liren. Zhou Chunni couldn't bear to leave her sister and wanted to send her to the county town together. Zhou Chunni's children were reluctant to leave their aunt and all wanted to go and see her off...
Zhou Chunni thought that it was already autumn harvest time and the weather had turned cold. If there was a small cold wave early this year like last year, not only would traffic be disrupted but prices would also rise. It would be better to take the opportunity to send Tang Liren and Xiaoni to the city and buy all the winter clothes for the family!
So Song Zhi and Jiang Hongzhi discussed it and decided that the two families would go to the city together!
Just like that, on a sunny day, the two families got on an empty truck that Song Zhi had contacted, which had just finished transporting supplies and was about to return to the city, and they sat in the truck and rushed to the county town.
When you arrive in the county town, you have to find a place to live first.
Because the return bus Song Zhi had arranged would be at the state-owned hotel at the train station at noon tomorrow.
However, Jiang Hongzhi thought staying in a guesthouse was too expensive, so he asked people along the way and finally found a local family near the train station who was willing to rent out a house temporarily. He spent two yuan to rent two rooms, one for his family and one for Song Zhi's family.
After putting down her luggage, Tang Liren asked to go to the photo studio to take photos.
So the two families went to the photo studio together and took photos of each family one by one. Tang Liren also specifically requested a group photo of Xiao Feibai and Xiao Chimo, as well as individual photos of the brothers.
I also took a lot of photos with Taotao and Song Zhi.
After taking the photos, Song Zhi took everyone to a state-owned restaurant for dinner. After finishing their meal, everyone went to the black market next to the train station to shop around, preparing to buy some local specialties for Tang Liren and Zhou Xiaoni to take back home.
When your hands are full of bags, it's time to say goodbye.
Everyone's eyes were red.
Tang Liren tearfully told Taotao, "Health is the most important thing in the world! You must take good care of yourself first. Only when you are healthy can you take good care of your family... Work is important, and children are also important. If one day you can't take care of the two children, don't force yourself, send the children back home... Your family will always be your support!"
Then she told Song Zhi, "...I am relieved about you. I also know that you have Taotao in your heart and you are good to her, but your biggest problem is that you treat yourself like a robot. You are still young now and don't care about staying up late or overdrawing your physical strength... But you will get old one day! Do you hope that when you are old, you will be sick and unable to move in bed, and become a burden to Taotao? If not, then take good care of your body, understand?"
Song Zhi's eyes were red and he nodded with tears in his eyes.
Tang Liren hugged Xiao Feibai again, choking with sobs, and said, "Grandma's baby, your dad is not with you and your mom for a long time, so you must take good care of your mom and your brother! You must learn to write letters quickly, write to grandma... You can write to grandma whenever you want to eat or feel happy or unhappy... When your brother is older, mom can take you back to grandma's house, and then you can play with brother Douzi and the others, okay?"
Xiao Feibai nodded repeatedly, "Don't worry, grandma! I will protect mom!"
On the other side, Zhou Chunni was also bidding farewell to Xiaoni in tears.
Jiang Hongzhi took the time to buy ten meat buns from a nearby vendor, and also weighed two pounds of roasted melon seeds and peeled a piece of sugarcane. He tied them up in a large cloth bag, carried the heavy thing in his hands, and asked Tang Liren and Xiaoni to eat them in the car.
Seeing that it was almost time, Song Zhi and Zhou Chunni carried large and small bags and sent Tang Liren and Zhou Xiaoni to the train station. Taotao and Jiang Hongzhi waited outside with the children.
About half an hour later, Song Zhi and Zhou Chunni came out.
Tao Tao asked Song Zhi, "Has the train started?"
Song Zhi nodded.
Taotao couldn't help but sniff.
Zhou Chunni burst into tears, "Taozi, we... don't know when we can go back to our hometown!"
As soon as she cried, her children gathered around her, holding on to her clothes and shouting, "Mommy, Mommy."
Jiang Hongzhi held the youngest in his arms and advised her clumsily: "In two years... when Junjun is older, we can go back to our hometown together during the Chinese New Year."
Zhou Chunni nodded while crying.
Meanwhile, Song Zhi took Xiao Chi Mo from Tao Tao's arms and said to her, "Take out the sling, and let me carry him... in front."
Taotao took out the baby sling and tied little Chimo to Song Zhi's arms. Song Zhi then put a backpack on his back, squatted on the ground, and asked Taotao to pick up little Feibai and put him in the backpack he was carrying.
Next, he held Taotao's hand and asked Jiang Hongzhi, "Let's go shopping. Do you want to join us?"
Jiang Hongzhi and Zhou Chunni nodded at the same time.
Zhou Chunni smiled bitterly, "Don't be afraid of you laughing at me. I've been in Lingxi for eight years, but this is my first time in the city! Where to buy things, how much the prices are... I have no idea at all! So Song Zhi, Taotao, our family depends entirely on you! Even if you sell us out, I'm afraid we will be happy..."
Taotao wiped her tears and said, "Sell your house? That's a good idea! Six people, six dollars!"
Zhou Chunni scolded him, "Fuck you! There are six of us in my family, and together we weigh several hundred kilograms! You only sell it for six dollars?"
Taotao burst into laughter.
So Jiang Hongzhi followed Song Zhi's example, tying his youngest son in his arms and carrying a backpack on his back, into which he put his third son. Zhou Chunni held her eldest daughter in one hand and her second son in the other...
The two families went to the market together.
Normally, the first snow in Lingxi falls in mid-November every year. Once it snows, the roads will be blocked by heavy snow and the entire county will come to a standstill.
Winter is coming.
But last year the first snow fell at the end of October.
So, no one knows when the first snow of the year will come.
The market is very lively and there is everything for sale!
In the past, Jiang Hongzhi would not dare to come to the county town to buy things.
He dared to do so this year because he became Taotao's assistant and had worked hard to take care of the greenhouse for a whole year. He could receive a five-yuan allowance from Taotao every month. From October last year to now, I have received exactly 60 yuan.
This year, the family’s stored food is enough to feed the whole family, so Jiang Hongzhi and Zhou Chunni’s main idea for coming to the city was to buy cotton clothes for their family of six!
Tao Tao gave them some advice, "Don't buy ready-made clothes! They are too expensive, 20 yuan a piece! It's better to buy cotton and cotton clothes and make them yourself! It's just warm! Another thing is
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