Chapter 1 is the same
Having been in a closed environment for too long, these sales clerks in the store are no longer afraid of not getting promoted; what they are afraid of is that if they don't get promoted, someone else will.
That's why everyone was so nervous a few days ago when Lin Qingqing ran up to the third floor several times. Later, when they heard that a new wardrobe counter was going to be added, and considering that Lin Qingqing would probably be in charge of the new counter, everyone felt relieved.
However, they did not expect that although the new counter was managed by Lin Qingqing, the people in the clothing factory that produced the clothes sold at this counter had intricate connections with Lin Qingqing.
what does that mean?
People started to feel uneasy again.
No matter how many thoughts they had, they dared not show them in front of Director Gao. Therefore, Director Gao was completely unaware of this. After showing Xie Baoshan all the counters in the store, he suggested that he treat Xie Baoshan to dinner since it was getting late.
Although Xie Baoshan was a brigade cadre, he had never invited anyone to dinner on official business or been invited to dinner by anyone, so he declined Director Gao's invitation by saying that he had made an appointment with someone else.
After hearing this, Director Gao did not insist, but simply saw Xie Baoshan off to catch a ride and then went back.
As luck would have it, the ticket seller on the bus was Li Chunying again. Seeing Xie Baoshan and Lin Qingqing board the bus together, she asked, "Commander Xie, didn't you take a break today?"
“My brother and I went to talk to our director, but he didn’t come,” Lin Qingqing explained.
Although Li Chunying didn't know what they were talking about, she still said, "Oh, I see." Then she brought up yesterday's events, "The first time I saw my brother, I thought he looked like Commander Xie. When I asked, he turned out to be looking for Commander Xie!"
Xie Baoshan said, "Thank you very much for yesterday."
"You're welcome. I know Comrade Lin and Commander Xie well; we're like family!" Li Chunying waved her hand and smiled, then said that it was almost time and asked them what they wanted to eat for lunch.
Lin Qingqing said, "I bought groceries before leaving home this morning, and I'm going home to cook them now."
“Yes, it’s better to cook for yourself,” Li Chunying said. “If I didn’t have to go to work, I would be happy to cook at home.”
"Yes." Lin Qingqing smiled and asked her if she was busy at work.
"I'm not busy at all. Anyway, my daughter is all grown up now. She knows to take her younger brother to the cafeteria when I give her money. I don't need to worry about her," Li Chunying said with a smile.
The city and the countryside are different. In the early years, during the Great Leap Forward, communes and production brigades set up large canteens, and many rural families smashed their iron pots. As a result, the canteens couldn't keep going for more than a few years, and people had to cook at home again. Now they only operate for two or three months during the busy farming season, and people have to cook at home even when they are busy with work.
On the contrary, in the city, although you can cook at home, the large canteens are also open, which saves a lot of trouble.
Lin Qingqing smiled and said, "That's good."
As they spoke, they arrived at the gate of the military camp. Most of the people in the car got off, and a few more got on. Among them was a young couple. The man looked to be around thirty years old, wearing a green military uniform with four pockets on his jacket, a leather military belt, and gleaming leather shoes. He was clearly an officer.
The woman appeared to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, wearing a white dress, a red headband, and her hair was loose, giving her a refined and elegant look.
Lin Qingqing felt that the woman looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn't quite place where she had seen her before, so she sat quietly.
Li Chunying, on the other hand, was known to most people in the family compound because she worked as a ticket seller. She greeted people with a smile and called out, "Commander Xu, Comrade Qiao, are you going home?"
“Yes,” Qiao Yu said with a smile, as she happened to sit in the second row behind Lin Qingqing.
As Battalion Commander Xu passed Xie Baoshan, who was sitting by the aisle, he paused, frowned slightly, but said nothing, and sat down in the second aisle seat.
Seeing them sit down, Li Chunying remembered and pointed to Lin Qingqing, saying, "This is Commander Xie's wife, have you met her before?"
Lin Qingqing didn't turn her head, so she didn't know what expression the woman behind her had. She only heard her soft, gentle voice: "Is this Commander Xie, who moved into Building 18 a while ago?"
"Who else could it be but him!"
"I haven't been home to the family compound for quite some time, and I haven't seen it yet."
Li Chunying smiled and said, "It's just a coincidence that we met on the road today." Seeing Lin Qingqing's puzzled look, she slapped her forehead and said, "Look at me, let me introduce you. This is Battalion Commander Xu, and this is his wife, Comrade Qiao Yu, who is also from Building 18."
Actually, Lin Qingqing had already guessed what was going on from their conversation, but she wasn't sure. Now that she confirmed they were neighbors, Lin Qingqing turned around and smiled, "Hello, my name is Lin Qingqing, and I'm Xie Wei's wife."
Upon hearing that her name was Lin Qingqing, Qiao Yu looked surprised but didn't say anything. She just smiled and said, "My name is Qiao Yu, and this is my husband, Xu Chao."
Xu Chao nodded to Lin Qingqing, then looked at Xie Baoshan and asked, "And who is this?"
“This is my husband’s older brother, Xie Baoshan,” Lin Qingqing introduced. “He’s here on business.”
Upon hearing this, Xie Baoshan turned around and greeted them.
Xu Chao suddenly realized and looked at Xie Baoshan, saying, "No wonder Comrade Xie looked familiar just now."
"Right? When I first saw Comrade Xie, I also thought he looked like Commander Xie," Li Chunying said, recalling how she met Xie Baoshan yesterday when he came to ride in the car.
Upon hearing this, Qiao Yu smiled and said, "It's fate."
Hearing her mention fate, Li Chunying remembered how Lin Qingqing always bumped into her on the bus, and she smiled as she told Battalion Commander Xu and his wife about it. She then thought of Lin Qingqing taking the steel mill exam, and how Qiao Yu worked at the steel mill, and wanted to ask if they had met. But before she could ask, the bus reached its final stop.
Li Chunying had no choice but to stand up and shout, "We've arrived at the station! Those who want to get off, get off quickly!" After shouting, she forgot what she was going to ask and only cared about saying goodbye to Lin Qingqing and the others.
...
While Lin Qingqing and the others appeared to be chatting animatedly in the car, it was actually Li Chunying who did most of the talking. Lin Qingqing and Battalion Commander Xu and his wife weren't particularly outgoing, and having never met before, they remained silent after getting off the car, simply maintaining a respectful distance as they returned to Building 18.
Today, Yu Xiuhong and her husband were also off work. When they entered the courtyard, Xie Wei was talking to Battalion Commander Chen, while Yu Xiuhong was sitting at the dining table watching Chen Jianbang do his homework.
Seeing them return together, Yu Xiuhong looked surprised: "What's going on with you all? How did you end up together?"
"I met her on the shuttle bus," Lin Qingqing said with a smile.
Xie Wei greeted Battalion Commander Xu and his wife, and after Battalion Commander Chen greeted them, he called Xie Baoshan "Brother Xie." Battalion Commander Chen had returned late the day before, and Xie Baoshan didn't recognize him. He glanced at Xie Wei, who then came over and introduced him, saying, "This is Battalion Commander Chen Aiguo, he lives next door to us." He then asked Xie Baoshan if he already knew Battalion Commander Xu.
Xie Baoshan said, "The ticket seller on the bus explained it to us."
Xie Wei looked puzzled upon hearing this, and Lin Qingqing explained, "The ticket seller on the bus is Sister Li."
Upon hearing that it was Sister Li, Xie Wei was not surprised and said, "I see."
After exchanging pleasantries, Battalion Commander Xu and his wife went home, while Lin Qingqing went into the kitchen to prepare lunch. Xie Wei, however, didn't follow them in. Standing outside the door, he asked Xie Baoshan, "How did the talks go?"
"It went quite smoothly," Xie Baoshan said.
Chen Aiguo learned from Yu Xiuhong that Xie Baoshan had something to do during his visit. Although he didn't know the specifics, he wasn't a very curious person, so he didn't press for details after listening to the brothers' conversation. He only asked, "Brother Xie, how long are you planning to stay this time?"
Xie Baoshan didn't plan to stay long this time, as both the production brigade and the garment factory needed him to make decisions, so he planned to return after signing the contract. However, the supply and marketing cooperative didn't have a printer, so Director Gao had to find someone else to print the contract, which would delay it until next Monday.
Xie Baoshan thought for a moment and said, "If all goes well, next Tuesday."
"Going back so soon?" Battalion Commander Chen asked with a surprised look.
Yu Xiuhong overheard their conversation and said, "Yes, it's a rare opportunity to come all this way. Brother Xie, why don't you stay here a few more days?"
"I can't stay here any longer, there's a ton of stuff waiting for me in the team," Xie Baoshan said, waving his hand.
Chen Aiguo wasn't particularly curious, but Yu Xiuhong was a very inquisitive person. Upon hearing this, she asked curiously, "Brother Xie, what do you do at home? Are you always so busy?"
Since they were all Xie Wei's neighbors, Xie Baoshan didn't hide anything and said, "I work at the brigade headquarters and also hold a position at our brigade's clothing factory. I'm here today for matters related to the clothing factory."
“Oh, so you’re a cadre?” Yu Xiuhong said.
Logically speaking, the appointment of a brigade cadre shouldn't have been a big deal for Yu Xiuhong, especially since her own husband was a military officer. However, she lived in a family compound where her neighbors were either battalion commanders or deputy battalion commanders, and now a regimental commander had moved in. So even though Yu Xiuhong thought about whether her husband would become the top or second-in-command of the commune after his demobilization, she didn't actually think much of the battalion commander's rank.
Because she wasn't particularly outstanding in her unit before joining the army, and was even intimidated by the brigade officers, she still felt that the brigade officers were extraordinary even after several years of service, which is why she reacted this way.
This attitude is somewhat contradictory, but Yu Xiuhong, being in the situation, doesn't realize it, while outsiders always find it sarcastic and cynical.
As Yu Xiuhong's husband, Chen Aiguo looked embarrassed.
But Xie Baoshan wasn't the kind of person to hold grudges. He didn't take Yu Xiuhong's words seriously and laughed, "I'm just hanging around in the brigade headquarters. I'm not exactly a proper cadre."
Although the brigade leader was the second-in-command in the brigade, according to national standards, he certainly didn't qualify as a cadre. As for the director of the brigade's garment factory, he was even less of a rank, so Xie Baoshan's statement wasn't wrong.
Yu Xiuhong herself speaks without thinking, but she tends to overthink what others say. She felt that Xie Baoshan's words sounded wrong no matter how she listened, and her expression became awkward. She stood up and said, "Hey, you guys chat, I'll go cook some dishes."
After Yu Xiuhong left, Chen Aiguo said to Xie Baoshan, "Brother Xie, I'm sorry, my wife is straightforward and speaks without thinking."
Xie Baoshan smiled faintly and said, "She didn't say anything."
He didn't take it to heart and didn't mention Yu Xiuhong at all during the meal. But even though he didn't say anything, Yu Xiuhong started talking about it to Chen Aiguo: "Speaking of which, the Xie brothers are really alike."
Chen Aiguo thought Yu Xiuhong was saying that the two brothers looked alike, and while thinking back, he said, "They don't look that alike, just their eyebrows and eyes are a bit similar, but Commander Xie looks obviously younger and is taller than his older brother."
"Who told you that?" Yu Xiuhong said reproachfully. "I was talking about something else."
Chen Aiguo was completely confused: "You weren't talking about their appearance, what else do they have?"
"Guess!" Yu Xiuhong said, keeping everyone in suspense.
Chen Aiguo pondered deeply, then muttered, "There's nothing else that resembles it?"
Seeing that he couldn't think of anything to say, Yu Xiuhong rolled her eyes and said, "If you can't think of anything, then forget it!" She thought to herself that the two of them were really out of sync. What else could she say about Xie Wei and his brother? Of course, it was their petty tempers and their tendency to say things that could shut someone up!
...
While the Chen family was discussing Xie Baoshan, the Xu couple were talking about Lin Qingqing.
While Qiao Yu was tidying up the house, she kept thinking about Lin Qingqing. Xu Chao called her twice but she didn't hear him. He walked up behind her, hugged her, and asked, "What are you thinking about so intently?"
"Commander Xie's wife..."
"Hmm, what happened to his wife?"
“I think I’ve seen her before,” Qiao Yu said softly, slowing down her work to ask, “Did she take the recruitment exam at the steel mill?”
Because Qiao Yu lived at her parents' home for a long time, Xu Chao would go to his mother-in-law's house during his holidays and had never returned to the family compound. Little did he know that Lin Qingqing had never taken the steel mill's recruitment exam, and casually said, "That's not surprising. Doesn't the family resettlement office and your steel mill have always cooperated?"
Qiao Yu was in charge of personnel and logistics at the steel plant, and she dealt with the family resettlement office a lot, often talking to Xu Chao about these things. After hearing it so often, Xu Chao also knew that the family resettlement office often recommended family members to work at the steel plant.
However, although the steel mill was a large factory, there were not many workshops available for women, and the office positions had educational requirements and required passing recruitment exams. Therefore, the number of military dependents who could get jobs at the steel mill was very limited. As for Qiao Yu, she wasn't recommended by the steel mill; rather, she was placed in the steel mill's logistics department through family connections.
Qiao Yu understood what Xu Chao was saying. In fact, she was already certain that this Lin Qingqing was the same Lin Qingqing who had been unfairly graded in the recruitment exam. But it was precisely because of this that she was particularly concerned.
Seeing Qiao Yu's worried expression, Xu Chao said helplessly, "Do you care whether she took the steel mill's recruitment exam or not? Even if she passed the exam and got into the steel mill, it won't affect you. Besides, judging from her situation, even if she took the exam, she probably wouldn't have passed. Just stop thinking about her, okay?"
Xu Chao told Qiao Yu to turn around and then lowered his head to kiss her lips.
"I still have work to do," Qiao Yu said, snapping out of her daze and giving him a push.
Xu Chao raised her hand and said, "I... I won't bother you. I'll help you tidy up, okay?" As she spoke, she reached for the bed sheet and then spread it on the bed.
Seeing him like this, Qiao Yu stopped thinking about Lin Qingqing.
No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't possibly tell Lin Qingqing the truth about the recruitment exam, so she simply forgot about it and pretended that she had just met her today.
Thinking of this, Qiao Yu imitated Xu Chao's actions and hugged him from behind, whispering to him, "We haven't been back for a long time."
"Isn't it because your workplace is far away?" Because he was being hugged, Xu Chao couldn't go over to the other side after laying out the sheet in front of him, so he pulled Qiao Yu's hand away and went around to the other side of the bed to lay out the sheet as he said, "Why don't you quit your job at the steel factory and have the family resettlement office arrange a job for you that's closer to the military?"
Qiao Yu's face fell when she heard this. She sat down on the edge of the bed and said, "You make it sound so easy. But think about it, even Commander Xie's wife can't get into the steel mill. What kind of good job can the family resettlement office arrange for me?"
The steel mill is the largest state-owned enterprise in Jinshi, and its benefits are much better than those of other factories. Although she is only a junior staff member in the logistics department, even Director Chen of the family resettlement office has to treat her with great respect. If she leaves the steel mill and asks the family resettlement office to arrange a job for her, she will not only have to be humble and subservient, but the company she gets in the future might not be as good as the steel mill.
"Commander Xie's wife couldn't get into the steel plant because she wasn't educated enough. But aren't you a vocational school graduate? You work in the logistics department at the steel plant. It shouldn't be difficult to get assigned to the logistics department of another unit, right? Or you could become a teacher at the elementary school in our family compound. I have a comrade's wife who is a teacher at the elementary school in our family compound."
When it came to being a teacher, Xu Chao nodded emphatically before Qiao Yu could speak: "I think being a teacher is great. The winter and summer vacations are long, and you only have to teach for eight or nine months a year. When we have children, you can take care of them as a teacher. We won't have to see each other twice a month like we do now."
This wasn't the first time they'd discussed this issue, but each time it ended without any resolution.
Xu Chao still held onto old-fashioned ideas, believing that since his salary was high, it didn't matter whether his wife worked or not. He had repeatedly tried to persuade Qiao Yu to quit her job at the steel mill and move into the family compound so the couple could have a child sooner. This time, he made some progress; instead of directly telling Qiao Yu to quit, he subtly suggested she change jobs.
But in Qiao Yu's opinion, she was working at the steel mill, where the job was easy and the benefits were good. She was doing her job well, so why should she quit and go home to be supported by someone else? As for changing jobs, Qiao Yu didn't think there was a better place in Jin City than the steel mill. As for being a primary school teacher, it sounded like she could take a few months off a year, but teaching was also hard work. She had to face dozens of children every day, which made her scalp tingle just thinking about it! But even so, the teacher's salary wasn't higher than what she was currently earning, so it wasn't worth it.
In Qiao Yu's opinion, the best solution was to return the apartment and move all her belongings to her parents' house. Her parents' house was spacious enough that one more person wouldn't make it crowded. It would also save her from having to come back to the family compound every few days, only staying for one night and spending most of the day packing.
However, when she mentioned this to Xu Chao before, Xu Chao not only refused, but also got very angry, saying that it was outrageous for him to live with his wife's parents' house, which was considered marrying into their family and would make him a laughingstock.
After that, Qiao Yu never mentioned it again. Just now, she felt like bringing it up again, but Xu Chao changed the subject and told her to change jobs.
Thinking of this, Qiao Yu felt a bit annoyed and said coldly, "Which military dependent doesn't want to be a teacher? We have no connections here, do you think such a good job would be available to me?"
Hearing her words, Xu Chao squatted down: "What do you mean? You think I'm incompetent and that marrying me is a bad deal?"
"When did I say you were incompetent? I was just stating the facts and reasoning with you." Qiao Yu also felt wronged. "In my opinion, it's not that I feel I've made a mistake marrying you, but that you regret marrying me! I know what you're thinking. You just think that a woman should follow her husband wherever he goes, and that once I entered your Xu family, I have to listen to you. You tell me what to do, and I can't even complain about quitting my job at the steel mill?"
...
While the Xu family was arguing, the Xie family had already started eating.
Because she returned late, Lin Qingqing didn't prepare any elaborate dishes for lunch. She only made braised tofu, smashed cucumber, and vegetable soup. She also stir-fried sliced smoked meat that Xie Baoshan brought with garlic leaves.
All the dishes were stir-fried over high heat, and Lin Qingqing was quick at cooking, so they were ready in just over half an hour. She then invited Xie Wei and Xie Baoshan to eat.
Xie Baoshan was in high spirits after accomplishing something significant, so he opened a bottle of wine and poured himself a drink. He had originally intended to drink with Xie Wei, but when Xie Wei poured the wine, he said he had given up drinking. Xie Baoshan was taken aback for a moment, recalling that he had drunk wine at his wedding in July, and asked, "When did that happen?"
"I quit after returning to the army, afraid of causing trouble," Xie Wei said.
Xie Baoshan, thinking that someone in the army had made a mistake because of drinking, said, "It's good that he quit, his career is more important." So he didn't let Xie Wei drink with him.
However, Xie Baoshan's drinking wasn't like Commander Ding's, where he only drank alcohol. He ate and ate his food as usual, only occasionally taking a sip. After finishing the meal, he hadn't drunk even two ounces of liquor, and he was still sober, just a little sleepy. He said goodbye to Xie Wei and Lin Qingqing and went back to his room to sleep.
After Xie Baoshan left, Xie Wei cleared the dishes and went to the kitchen to wash them, while Lin Qingqing took out a rag to wipe the table.
While wiping the table, Lin Qingqing heard a commotion outside and quickly went out to see what was going on. However, she was late and only saw a figure leave through another moon gate in the courtyard. Judging from the color of the dress, it seemed to be Qiao Yu, who had just returned, but she wasn't entirely sure. So she asked Yu Xiuhong, who had come out first, "Who went out?"
"Who else could it be but Battalion Commander Xu's wife!" Yu Xiuhong said gloatingly. "They must have had another fight."
Upon hearing the word "certainly," Lin Qingqing glanced at Yu Xiuhong again.
Yu Xiuhong couldn't keep anything to herself when talking to outsiders. Before Lin Qingqing could ask, she said, "If you ask me, Battalion Commander Xu is really something. If his wife doesn't like our family compound, she should just move out. Instead, she insists on occupying a room and only stays there a few days a year. Not to mention, when she finally comes back, we always end up arguing!"
She couldn't stand Qiao Yu's arrogant attitude, looking down on everyone as if they were country bumpkins. She thought to herself, "So what if you, Qiao Yu, are lucky enough to be born into the city? You're only marrying a battalion commander."
Lin Qingqing had known Yu Xiuhong for a while and knew that she didn't particularly like Battalion Commander Xu's wife, so she guessed that Yu Xiuhong's words were somewhat biased. However, she hadn't met Qiao Yu and didn't know what kind of person she was, so she didn't want to argue and just smiled and went back inside.
As he entered the house, he ran into Xie Wei, who was coming out of the kitchen. Xie Wei had also heard the noise outside and asked, "What's wrong?"
"It seems that Battalion Commander Xu and his wife had a fight, and Comrade Qiao left," Lin Qingqing said.
Xie Wei wasn't very familiar with Battalion Commander Xu. Hearing that one of the couple had left, he knew they hadn't fought, so he didn't intend to interfere. He just grunted and went back to the kitchen to continue washing the dishes.
Author's Note: First update
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
