Chapter 25 Taotao finally achieved the freedom to eat meat (1)
This is a long-distance bus from the neighboring town to the county seat. Because it is an early bus, there are not many people in the carriage, about ten or so, and everyone has a seat.
Song Zhi asked Bai Taotao to sit down and packed the luggage - Bai Zhenggan asked Dongsheng to pack up the little bamboo gadgets he had made during this period, put them into a big bag, and asked Tang Liren to take it to the city to see if they could be sold on the black market.
Tang Liren and Bai Lili waited for a while, and seeing that Song Zhi had no intention of giving up the seat next to Taotao, they took the initiative to sit in the row of seats in front of Taotao and Song Zhi.
Song Zhi packed his luggage, took out two dimes and handed them to the ticket seller, saying, "Four people, going to the city."
——The ticket from here to the county town is exactly five cents.
The shuttle bus had already started.
The ticket seller took the money Song Zhi handed over, looked at it carefully, and confirmed that it was only 20 cents? So he pointed at Yan Naqian and asked Song Zhi, "Isn't that female comrade with you guys?"
Song Zhi repeated, "The four of us, let's go to the city."
The conductor stopped talking, took the money, tore off the ticket and handed it to Song Zhi. Then he frowned and stared at Yan Naqian, "Comrade, please buy your tickets. They are five cents each."
Yan Naqian was in disbelief and shouted, "Brother Song Zhi!"
Song Zhi seemed not to hear.
Yan Naqian was anxious. She hurried to Song Zhi and said anxiously, "Brother Song Zhi, how did I offend you? You..."
Tang Liren pouted and interrupted Yan Naqian, "The most beautiful and educated girl in our village can ride in the car for free?"
Yan Naqian ignored Tang Liren and just looked at Song Zhi with tears in her eyes. She said aggrievedly, "Brother Song Zhi, don't you care about the relationship we have had since childhood..." At this point, she sobbed twice and continued, "You have always known my feelings for you. Uncle Song and Song Sui always hope that we will be well..."
"If you think I was wrong about what happened in the past, then I apologize to you, but can't you just talk to me properly for the sake of Uncle Song and Song Sui?" Yan Naqian said tearfully.
Bai Taotao sat next to Song Zhi and looked at Yan Naqian excitedly.
When she was still in Mei Sect, she watched her fellow sisters fighting with each other every day, and she almost angered her master, uncles and sect leader to death!
Now the tone of Yan Naqian's speech is very similar to that of her fellow senior sisters.
Look, Yan Naqian's half-hearted and ambiguous words fully demonstrate the meaning of "Song Zhi and I used to have a past, Song Zhi and I have an unspeakable bond, Song Zhi's father and brothers are very good to me?" This is the meaning!
Taotao was very curious and wanted to see how Song Zhi would answer, so she turned her head and looked at Song Zhi eagerly.
Tang Liren and Bai Lili also widened their eyes, looked at Yan Naqian, then at Song Zhi, wondering if they still had some past? !
Song Zhi still ignored Yan Naqian.
——Just because he seldom goes back to Nandu doesn’t mean he has never been back. But he was not very interested in his father's connections in Nandu. He had seen Yan Naqian from a distance several times, but had no impression of her at all.
It was not until Yan Naqian later met him privately and explained her identity that Song Zhi realized that Yan Naqian and Song Sui were childhood sweethearts.
Also, because Song Zhi has a special feeling for his father and brothers that is hard to describe, he is particularly cold towards Yan Naqian. No matter what Yan Naqian said, Song Zhi always had an expressionless face.
At this time, Song Zhi lowered his head and looked through his luggage intently.
Yan Naqian was overjoyed, thinking that he must be looking for money to pay for her taxi fare! I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Song Zhi found an aluminum lunch box, opened the lid, and said to Tao Tao, "Eat one piece, and be careful of motion sickness."
——Tang Liren suffers from motion sickness very badly, so pickled ginger is a must-have when she goes out on long-distance bus trips.
Taotao picked up a piece of pickled ginger with her index finger, brought it to her lips and licked it carefully.
Tang Liren and Bai Lili also picked up a piece each.
Yan Naqian was stunned.
so?
Does Song Zhi mean that he doesn't want to pay for her taxi at all?
Isn't it just five cents? Is he still a man!
It was the first time that Yan Naqian saw such a fickle man. She was devastated and began to doubt her own charm.
The conductor became impatient and said to Yan Naqian, "Hey, comrade, can you please buy a ticket? If you don't want to buy a ticket, get off the bus! Hurry up!"
Yan Naqian was still a little unwilling and begged, "Brother Song Zhi——"
——As long as he doesn't reject her directly, she still has a chance. She had to make sure he looked her straight in the eye. Maybe if he just raised his head and looked at her... he would change his mind?
Yan Naqian knew how to display her expression to look the most beautiful and sad.
Just as she was getting ready, Song Zhi looked up at her with sharp eyes, "Comrade Yan, excuse me, are you an adult this year?"
Yan Naqian was stunned and murmured, "I'm an adult now." I can get ready to get married at any time.
"Since you are already an adult?" Song Zhi said slowly, "So you should know that you have to abide by the rules when taking a long-distance bus and buy a ticket, right?"
Yan Naqian's face turned blue and red.
Song Zhi's words, Bai Taotao's curious eyes, the contemptuous look of the ticket seller, and the chattering of everyone in the car... made Yan Naqian feel ashamed.
"You don't have money and yet you want to ride a pirate car? I see you are also an educated youth, how can you be so shameless?" the ticket seller said sarcastically.
Yan Naqian blushed and was about to pay for the ticket——
Suddenly someone said, "Conductor, I'll buy a ticket for Comrade Yan!"
Yan Naqian was stunned and looked in the direction of the voice, only to see a male educated youth who had joined the production team in Jixiang Village?
The young man seemed to be unaware of Yan Naqian's embarrassment. He took out a dime from his pocket and bought a ticket for Yan Naqian. He then smiled and said hello to Yan Naqian, "Comrade Yan, are you going to the city too?"
Yan Naqian blushed and felt mixed emotions. She hated Song Zhi's coldness and heartlessness, and she also hated the ticket seller for looking down on her. But she thought that after all, someone bought a ticket for her, which showed that her charm was still there and her appearance was still acceptable. She was still attractive to men, and she did not become ugly because of farming every day. She was slightly relieved.
But because of this, Yan Naqian didn't want to get entangled with Song Zhi anymore, so she raised her chin, looked past Song Zhi without even looking at him, and walked towards the male educated youth from the neighboring village who had bought the ticket for her with a smile. She sat down in the empty seat next to him, and the two of them started chatting in a low voice.
Tang Liren really wanted to ask Song Zhi: What is your relationship with Yan Naqian? If you are not clear about her, then don't bother our Taotao anymore.
But there were so many people in the car, she didn't know how to speak, so she glared at Song Zhi and said nothing.
Taotao was licking pickled ginger happily.
——This is Taotao’s grandmother’s specialty. The old lady is over 70 years old, but still very strong. All the ingredients used for pickling ginger are grown by herself, and no one knows what secret method she used. The pickled ginger has a delicious taste of five parts sour, four parts spicy, and one part sweet. What’s more, the ginger is young, crisp and juicy. When you bite it, the juice overflows, and if you chew it a little, there is no residue at all!
Song Zhi crossed his arms and watched Taotao eat pickled ginger quietly.
According to his observation, the little girl really likes to lick food, whether it is rice, vegetables, snacks or soup.
Now she used her pink tongue tip to lick the chili sauce off the skin of the pickled ginger - it was a little spicy, so she gritted her teeth and hissed. After the spiciness gradually passed, she gently took a small bite of the crispy ginger and held it in her mouth with a smile on her face.
Song Zhi burst out laughing.
It’s just a piece of pickled ginger, why are you eating it so happily?
He couldn't help but reach out and touch Taotao's head.
Taotao likes him to touch her head.
As soon as he touched her head, she enjoyed it quietly and didn't even eat the pickled ginger.
After a while, Taotao couldn't keep quiet anymore. She handed the pickled ginger to Song Zhi and asked him to hold it for her. Then she leaned on the back of her sister's chair in the front seat, and the two sisters started to talk in private.
This one said, the hairband my second brother bought last time was really beautiful, let’s go see if there are any other ones this time.
That person said that the mosquito net at home was broken and he needed to buy a new one...
This person said that he wanted to eat at a state-owned restaurant, but the food was not tasty enough last time.
That person said, I don’t know what’s popular in the city recently.
…
Song Zhi didn't remember what Bai Lili said...
However, he wrote down everything Taotao said.
The bus was shaking and swaying, and there was a traffic jam along the way, so by the time we got into the city, it was already past four in the afternoon.
Everyone had sore backs from sitting so long that when they got off the bus, they all looked like defeated soldiers.
Yan Naqian was already having a hot and spicy relationship with a male educated youth from the neighboring village. When she got off the bus, she looked like a goddess. She didn't say hello to Song Zhi and Tang Liren, but just nodded at them very reservedly, then walked past them coldly and left with the male educated youth from the neighboring village.
Tang Liren stared at Yan Naqian's back for a long time and muttered, "This Yan Naqian..." and shook her head.
Song County is not big, with only two or three guesthouses in total.
Song Zhi still went to the guesthouse where Aunt Guihua worked, took out the letter of introduction, and asked for two rooms. Then he discussed with Tang Liren, "Aunt, why don't you guys just rest in the guesthouse. I'll go to the Red Star Machinery Factory to say hello and see what the situation is like there. Then I'll know how long I have to stay in the city."
Tang Liren took out a stack of banknotes and asked him, "Do you want to take some money with you? We are in the city, and we have to pay for food and transportation!"
Song Zhi smiled and shook his head, "Thank you, auntie, I have money." Then he glanced at Taotao and said to Bai Lili, "Please keep an eye on Taotao and don't let her get lost. She is very naughty."
Taotao glanced at him sideways, looking very unhappy.
But when she saw him reaching out to touch her head, Taotao couldn't help giggling, and she lowered her head and let him touch her head obediently.
Tang Liren and Bai Lili exchanged glances.
Song Zhi left in a hurry.
Taotao held her mother with one hand and her sister with the other, "Let's go! Let's go to the black market!"
Tang Liren was amused and angry at the same time. "It's already this late, how can there be a black market? Besides, you've been sitting in the car for a whole day... Aren't you tired? Listen to mom, take a rest first, and we'll talk about it tomorrow."
Taotao looked thoughtful, "Why is there no black market at this time?"
Bai Lili explained: "Because at this time, every household has to cook, who has time to go out to buy or sell things?"
Tang Liren added, "By the way, your Aunt Guihua is off work today, so I have to buy some things and go to her house to sit down and do some favors! Otherwise, if it weren't for her connections, where would we be able to rent such a large yard, and she would charge us one dollar a day, which is much cheaper than staying in a guesthouse!"
Bai Lili, "Isn't it two dollars a day?"
"I lied to your grandma! Otherwise she would think we make money easily!" Tang Liren said, "Come on, I'll take you two out to eat meat buns first, after you finish eating the meat buns you two can come back and watch TV, I'll go to your Aunt Guihua's house!"
The mother and her two daughters walked around outside for several times and finally found a vendor selling buns on a cart at the entrance of a small alley. They bought a few meat buns from him. The vendor tried hard to sell his remaining porridge, which was almost gone, but Taotao thought his bowl was not clean and refused to take any.
The mother and her two children stood on the side of the road, hurriedly ate their meat buns, and then went their separate ways.
Taotao refused to go back to the guesthouse.
She said to Sister Li Zi, "I just don't believe that no one would set up a stall at this time. What if the city folks run out of salt or sauce while cooking, or if guests suddenly come to the house and want to order a dish... what should we do? Besides, we're not going far, we can just wait in the black market near the train station."
Bai Lili: ...
That makes a lot of sense.
So the two sisters went to the black market near the train station.
result--
The streets were deserted.
However, under a dim street lamp, a young girl in patched clothes was setting up a stall.
Taotao pulled her sister over.
When Patch Girl saw Sister Taozi, she was very happy and greeted her immediately, "Little sister, come and have a look at the hairbands. They are very cheap, only one cent each!"
Taotao squatted down, looked at the leather rope placed on the clean bundle, and asked the patch girl: "Sister, is there no one selling things here at night?"
The patch girl stared at the hair tie on Taotao's hair for a while, and replied in a low voice: "There are basically no people setting up stalls at night because the police will patrol the streets."
As she spoke, Patch Girl smiled at Taotao.
Taotao suddenly understood.
The patch girl asked again, "What do you want to buy?"
Tao Tao thought for a moment and said truthfully: "We want to speculate..."
"Shh!" Patch Girl was very smart. She immediately understood what Taotao wanted to say and quickly put her finger in front of her lips to stop Taotao from continuing.
"Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday evening, starting at 7 o'clock and ending at 7:30, they sell small daily necessities here, such as soap, handkerchiefs, needles and thread. Every Tuesday and Thursday, they usually exchange things. The price is set by themselves, with reference to the supply and marketing cooperatives, but it is 20% cheaper than the supply and marketing cooperatives. On Saturday night and Sunday, they usually sell food and agricultural and sideline products that their families have saved..." said the patched girl in a low voice.
Tao Tao asked in a low voice: "Who are 'they'?"
The patch girl was stunned for a moment before she answered in a low voice, "'They' are peddlers. They usually travel between the city and the countryside to resell some things. They all have their own fixed sales areas. Who goes to which township, town, or village... There are rules for that."
Taotao understood, her eyes sparkling, "Thank you, sister!"
The patch girl smiled and said, "I should thank you!"
"Ah?" Taotao was stunned, looking confused.
The patch girl pointed at the hair tie on Taotao's hair and said with a smile, "I made this myself. I remember that night I was so worried about my brother's medical expenses that I had no choice but to... come here to set up a stall. A big brother passing by gave me ten yuan and bought all my worthless hair ties. Only then did I have money to buy medicine for my brother."
Hearing this, Taotao was full of pride, "That's my brother Nansheng, my brother is the best in the world!"
Bai Lili asked, "Is your brother okay?"
When the patched girl heard this, her eyes turned red. "No, he has tuberculous meningitis. The doctor said that this disease is very dangerous and difficult to eradicate... My eldest sister died of this disease. I, I am so afraid that my brother will also die. If that happens, I will be the only one left..."
Tao Tao asked: "What about your parents?"
The patched girl shook her head. "My mother died while giving birth to my younger brother. My father raised the three of us all by himself. My eldest sister died the year before last. Last year, my father was crushed while working in the factory and could not be saved..."
Bai Lili suddenly felt sympathy, "So how are you doing now?"
Patch Girl, "I'm not old enough to replace my father's job. Now I can only do odd jobs in the factory or set up a stall. When I turn 18, I can get a job as a regular employee in the factory and have a stable salary. That will be great."
Tao Tao asked again, "How old are you this year?"
Patch Girl, "Sixteen, one year and seven months away from eighteen."
Taotao sighed: This is too difficult! It seems that some city dwellers live worse than those in the country.
The three chatted for a while, and the patch girl and Peach became a little familiar with each other. They couldn't help but say, "Today is Wednesday. Someone will come to sell small daily necessities in the evening. Do you want to sell some goods? I am familiar with it and I can help you!"
Bai Lili was a little hesitant.
Taotao agreed immediately and asked the patch girl how to sell the goods.
The patch girl introduced herself, her name was Cheng Zhujun and her brother was Cheng Zhuming.
She first led Taotao and her sister to her and her brother's home - the distance was not far, only about a hundred meters away from where she set up her stall.
But her "home" is actually a dead end at the innermost end of an alley, about two meters wide, with a few asbestos tiles on the top as the "roof"; hanging, torn tarpaulin serves as the "walls"; the door is two tattered door panels, and to enter the "house", the "door" must be removed.
Cheng Zhujun didn't enter the house, but shouted, "Zhu Ming, I'm bringing my friends over to the front door for a visit!"
There was a coughing sound from the child in the "room", and then asked: "Sister, do you want me to go out for a while?"
"No, stay in the room and don't come out." Cheng Zhujun replied.
Cheng Zhujun took Taotao and Lili outside for a few steps before she lowered her voice and said, "The doctor said that my brother's disease is contagious. So after my father passed away, the neighbors wouldn't let us live in the factory dormitory, so we moved here."
"Please understand that I will not invite you in... I brought you here to show you where I live. I'm not a liar. I know you are probably from other places and don't usually live in the city, right?"
Bai Taotao asked curiously: "How do you know we are from outsiders?"
Cheng Zhujun replied: "To be honest, I have lived here for a long time, and everyone who comes and goes looks familiar to me, but you are very unfamiliar to me."
Taotao nodded.
Cheng Zhujun explained to Taotao what "dumping" meant.
It’s actually hoarding.
There is no fixed price for goods on the black market, and they are often in high demand. To do this business, you have to rely on the vision of a trader, buying at a low price and selling at a high price.
Then, Cheng Zhujun said, "We can partner up to do business. I know the black market, and I have a place to store things at home, but I don't have the capital..."
At this point, Cheng Zhujun was a little embarrassed. "So, so... can you lend me some money? When I make money, how about we split it 40% to 60%? You 60% and I 40%."
Bai Taotao, "Xiao Zhuzi, let's go to the black market first!"
Cheng Zhujun nodded, said hello to her brother, and led Taotao and her sister out of the alley. It was almost seven o'clock in the evening, and there were already groups of people wandering around here with baskets on their shoulders.
Some people even came over with baskets to sell small commodities when they saw Taotao and Lili were unfamiliar with them. "Little sister, do you want jasmine-scented soap? It's cheaper than the one in the supply and marketing cooperative..." As he said this, he took out a piece of soap wrapped in oil paper and handed it to Taotao.
Taotao took it and smelled it. It did smell like jasmine, so she asked, "How much is this?"
The vendor didn't say anything, just made a gesture.
Taotao: ...
Cheng Zhujun stretched out her hand and made a gesture.
The peddler's face fell and he turned around and left without saying a word!
Taotao:@
what happened?
Cheng Zhujun didn't say anything, just crossed her arms and looked at the peddler with determination.
After a while, the peddler came back angrily and waved at Cheng Zhujun again.
Cheng Zhujun changed her gesture again.
The two of them went back and forth, as if they were using sign language.
Finally, Cheng Zhujun whispered in Taotao's ear: "The price has been agreed upon. You give him 26 cents and he will give you ten bars of soap."
When Taotao first came to the city, she waited in the black market and knew the prices.
On the weekend black market, soap near the train station cost five cents, soap at the gate of the county party committee compound cost six or seven cents a piece, and soap in the supply and marketing cooperative cost six cents with a ticket.
Now, you can buy ten bars of soap for twenty-six cents? ? ?
So if you resell them, ten bars of soap can be sold for at least fifty cents, with a net profit of twenty-four cents!
Taotao thought about it seriously - although she made a lot of money from reselling eggs and fish last time, that was just luck and it is something that can only be encountered by chance.
It is still more sustainable to engage in wholesale.
Taotao nodded to her sister.
Bai Lili took out three cents and handed it over...
The vendor gestured again.
Cheng Zhujun whispered, "He said he doesn't want change, so he'll give you two more bars of soap."
Taotao nodded readily.
So, Taotao spent thirty cents to buy twelve bars of soap, which was really a good deal!
Next, with Cheng Zhujun's introduction, Taotao learned the wholesale prices of small daily necessities such as needles and thread, thimbles, toothbrushes, small scissors, ear picks, screwdrivers, cotton yarn and thread, and women's menstrual belts.
Well, I was quite surprised.
Later, Tao Tao did not buy anything else. She discussed with Cheng Zhujun, "If we were to start a business together, how much capital would be appropriate for me to give you?"
Cheng Zhujun was a little excited, "Two dollars!"
She quickly did the math in her mind - based on her vision and understanding of the market, she could make at least 20% on a two-dollar commodity, which was two dollars and forty cents. If I'm lucky, I can have it three times a week. At worst, it can go down twice. If you don’t count compound interest, just use simple interest…
If she does it twice a week, she can earn 80 cents; if she does it three times a week, she can earn 1.2 yuan.
The most important thing is that she lives nearby, and the job of reselling the goods can be completed in about half an hour to an hour every night. It doesn't affect her other odd jobs during the day at all! If this income can be stabilized, she can earn five yuan a month. If it is 46 cents, that is two yuan, which is enough to buy medicine for her brother!
Cheng Zhujun's mood became urgent.
Taotao thought for a moment and said, "Ten dollars, please!"
Bai Lili was almost scared to death—her mother only gave her two dollars when she went out! Now Taotao said she would give the person ten yuan, but she didn't have that much money in her pocket.
Cheng Zhujun was overjoyed!
If you have ten dollars as capital and a 20% profit, you can make four dollars by doing it twice a week; what if you do it three times a week? That would earn more than six dollars! You can earn twenty yuan a month! If it's 40% or 60%, she can earn eight dollars! She can improve the food for her and her brother! My brother will be able to take good care of his health!
Bai Lili was a little anxious, "Taotao? Taotao..."
Taotao squeezed her sister's hand and said to Cheng Zhujun, "But we have to make three rules!"
Cheng Zhujun was extremely excited, "You say!"
Tao Tao, "First of all, you can't touch a penny of the ten dollars. Even if your brother is seriously ill, you can't use my ten dollars!"
Cheng Zhujun bit her lip.
Tao Tao added, "Secondly, we split it 50-50. The capital is mine, but I won't ask you what you did. You get half of the money and I get half."
Cheng Zhujun suddenly became excited again.
Finally, Tao Tao said, "Thirdly, if you need it urgently, you can embezzle the money from the share account first. Just keep a record of it for me to see. Anyway, the ten dollars of capital must not be touched!"
——It hasn’t been long since Brother Nansheng spent ten dollars to buy a hairband from Cheng Zhujun, right? It seems that the lives of Cheng Zhujun and her brother have not improved much. Therefore, there is a high probability that Cheng Zhujun directly spent the ten dollars on his younger brother.
Now Taotao has put forward the condition that "the capital cannot be touched under any circumstances", hoping to restrain Cheng Zhujun.
It is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish.
What's more, Taotao can also have a share!
Bai Lili was so anxious that she whispered, "Taozi, we don't have ten dollars!"
Taotao took out ten yuan from her pocket with a smile and handed it to Cheng Zhujun.
Cheng Zhujun was surprised and happy!
Bai Lili's eyes widened and she asked in a low voice: "Taotao, where did you get the money?"
——Taotao got this money from her fourth aunt Li Cuier.
But Taotao said, "This was given by Song Zhi."
Bai Lili remained silent.
Cheng Zhujun was so happy that she cried!
"That's great, Taotao, thank you for giving me this opportunity... Then, how can I contact you? How can I share the profits with you?" Cheng Zhujun asked.
Bai Taotao thought for a moment and said, "We live in the countryside and don't have many opportunities to go to the city. So let's just distribute the dividends every two months! If you need to find me urgently, go to the guesthouse to find Aunt Guihua and ask her to help pass on the message."
Cheng Zhujun clutched the money tightly and said excitedly, "Then I'll write you a receipt?"
Taotao nodded, "Okay!"
After a pause, Tao Tao continued, "It's getting late now. We have to go back first, otherwise my mother will be worried. We'll come to see you again at this time tomorrow night... I'll bring the document to you for you to sign. By the way, we brought some bamboo rattles and bamboo helicopters from the countryside. Can you help me sell them? You can name your price. We'll split 70% and you 30%."
Cheng Zhujun doesn't care what she sells, as long as she has something to sell and can make money. So she nodded and said, "Okay, I'll wait for you guys at the stall tomorrow night!"
Taotao and Sister Lizi returned to the guesthouse.
Fortunately, Tang Liren hasn't come back yet.
There was a TV in the dining hall of the guesthouse, and "The White-Haired Girl" was playing.
The last time Taotao came to stay in the guesthouse with her family, Aunt Guihua secretly let them in because they didn't have a letter of introduction. So Taotao was controlled by her family and was not allowed to come over closely. She could only stand at the stairs and look from a distance before being dragged away by her family.
This time, Taotao got the help of Song Zhi and had a letter of introduction, so she could live in the guesthouse properly. So she walked past the crowd watching TV, went to the TV, and reached out to touch the screen.
Lili quickly chased after them, pulling Taotao back while apologizing to the dozen or so guests watching TV, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry my sister has never seen the world..."
In this era, anyone who can get a letter of introduction and stay in a guesthouse when traveling abroad can't be of bad quality. What's more, Taotao is beautiful, she keeps herself neat and tidy, and looks innocent.
Everyone just smiled and said nothing.
Taotao and her sister were sitting in the cafeteria watching TV very seriously. She had never watched TV before and was extremely curious. She stared at the TV and was fascinated.
After watching TV, everyone dispersed and I looked again -
Song Zhi and Tang Li are both by her side? ? ?
Taotao was very surprised, "Mom! Song Zhi, when did you come?"
Tang Liren laughed and said, "I called you several times but you didn't respond! Are you engrossed in the movie?"
Tao Tao was a little confused, "What is a movie?"
Song Zhi explained it to her, and Tao Tao finally understood. She said enviously, "So that's how it is. I haven't even seen the movie yet!"
Tang Liren, "Don't worry, we can watch a movie when we get home, but we have to wait until after the autumn harvest!"
Taotao is looking forward to it.
Song Zhi touched her head and said, "Go back to your room and go to bed early. It's almost eleven o'clock!" He naturally took Taotao's hand and led her upstairs.
Tang Liren frowned and stared at Song Zhi's hand. She tried to stop him several times... but she held back.
As Taotao walked, she asked Song Zhi what he did at the Red Star Factory today and how many days he would stay there.
Song Zhi answered everything in detail and said that he would go to the factory to help them repair machinery starting tomorrow, and it would probably take three or four days.
Tang Liren, who was following behind, added, "Taotao, we can only stay tomorrow at most. We have to leave the day after tomorrow. I'm afraid your sister-in-law will give birth and I'll be worried if I'm not at home to take care of her!"
Tao Tao nodded, and then asked Song Zhi with a worried look on her face, "Then I'll go with mom and sister. Are you afraid to stay alone?"
Song Zhi smiled.
——He could hear that Taotao had two concerns: one was that he would be lonely, and the other was that he was not familiar with this environment.
No one had ever cared about him like this.
Song Zhi thought about this question carefully and answered seriously: "...I am still a little scared."
Afraid of being alone, afraid that he would always be left alone.
Taotao encouraged him, "Don't be afraid. If you are scared, find the police." This is what she saw near the train station. There was a big red banner on the wall that read "Find the police to ensure safety."
After a pause, Taotao continued, "We are all waiting for you at home."
Song Zhi smiled and said, "Okay, I'll be back as soon as possible."
Tang Liren and Bai Lili look at each other...
What's going on?
It seems like their existence is quite redundant?
Taotao and her mother and sister returned to their room. Lili immediately told Tang Liren that Taotao had spent thirty cents to buy twelve bars of soap today.
Tang Liren jumped up and down, "What? Twelve bars of soap for thirty cents??? Why don't you two buy a little more?"
Lili also talked about Taotao and Cheng Zhujun's business partnership.
Tang Liren frowned, "Taotao, where did you get the money?"
Taotao didn't shy away from the question and said it directly.
Tang Liren burst into laughter, tears streaming down her cheeks, "Only you can get money from your fourth aunt!"
"That's fine... She has embezzled a lot of money from us, and now you have recovered ten dollars from her. It's a drop in the bucket, but at least she has got something back..."
Tang Liren then said, "I'll go with you two tomorrow to take a look. You're young, don't be fooled!"
Taotao yawned, washed up and went to sleep.
The next morning, Taotao pestered Song Zhi and wanted to go with him to the factory to take a look.
Song Zhi did not object. He said hello to Tang Liren and left with Taotao.
Taotao saw a machinery factory for the first time.
Wow...
It's so dirty and messy!
——The spacious workshop was filled with strangely shaped iron machines. The air was filled with the smell of rust and engine oil, and the buzzing and clicking sounds of many machines were deafening.
Someone came up and shook hands with Song Zhi, saying hello, "Mr. Song!"
Seeing Taotao following Song Zhi, the man looked at Taotao and asked, "Mr. Song, who is this..."
Song Zhi tried to keep his tone as calm as possible and said, "She is my fiancée." When he said this, his ears turned red!
Taotao glanced at Song Zhi sideways and said nothing.
The man looked at Taotao with eyes full of amazement.
At this moment, someone suddenly called Taotao——
Taotao turned around and saw an acquaintance - Cheng Zhujun? ? ?
Cheng Zhujun was wearing a loose, ill-fitting blue uniform and holding a shovel in her hand. Seeing Taotao, Cheng Zhujun ran over, "Taotao! Why are you here?"
Song Zhi asked Tao Tao, "Do you know her?"
Taotao nodded, "I met her when I was shopping with Sister Lizi yesterday."
At this time, Cheng Zhujun had already run to Taotao, and the leader of the machinery factory who was receiving Song Zhi told Cheng Zhujun, "Zhujun, please entertain this person..."
Song Zhi said: "My fiancée's name is Bai Taotao."
"Zhujun, please help entertain Bai Taotao and take her to the canteen for lunch!" The leader of the machinery factory gave an order and motioned Song Zhi to go to the workshop quickly.
Song Zhi pointed in a direction to Tao Tao, "I'll stay there, you can see me when you walk over. This is in the factory, don't run around, be careful of the iron nails on the ground and hurt you... Also, don't leave the factory, and have lunch together at noon, understand?"
Taotao nodded absentmindedly.
Song Zhi left.
Cheng Zhujun pointed at Song Zhi's back and asked Taotao, "Taotao, is he your fiancé?"
"He is my brother." Taotao said.
Song Zhi, who had not walked far, stopped and looked back at Taotao.
Tao Tao had stopped paying attention to him and was asking Cheng Zhujun, "Why are you here?"
Cheng Zhujun smiled and said, "My father used to work here. I'm not old enough to take his place, so I come here to do odd jobs to earn a living. By the way, I heard the factory manager call your brother Engineer Song. Is he an engineer?"
Taotao: "I don't understand either."
Taotao started walking around the factory. Cheng Zhujun accompanied her. Whenever she saw something she was interested in, she would explain it to her and then pick up the nails, spare parts and other things scattered on the ground.
I heard that this factory produces electric fan movements? Of course, we also make some other motors.
Taotao ran to see Song Zhi again.
——Song Zhi was surrounded by twenty or thirty workers, explaining and operating a machine. Everyone bent over and stretched their necks to watch.
Cheng Zhujun sighed, "Your brother must be very capable... because the machine he was fiddling with has been broken for a long time, and no one in the factory can repair it. But if it is not repaired, it will have a huge impact on our factory."
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