If, as she thought, she were to break off her marriage with that heartless man, this job would be her only support.
Yes, why bother struggling in this marriage that is in name only and continue to endure all those unnecessary burdens and heartaches?
Returning to the place called "home", it is time to have a clear talk with that cold-hearted husband and give herself a brand new start.
The shoes that Xu Qinghe carefully selected for Zhu Yunxiu are so fitting and comfortable.
In front of the fabric stall, her fingertips gently stroked the delicate textures, and finally stopped on two pieces of cloth: one was a fiery red, and the other was a quiet and distant light blue, embroidered with delicate flowers.
Imagining these fabrics being transformed into graceful and charming dresses by skillful hands, Xu Qinghe's heart was filled with anticipation.
When she looked for Fengjie again, she found that she had already finished work and was quietly waiting for her colleague to take over.
The afterglow of the setting sun fell on Fengjie, adding a touch of softness to her.
Seeing the cloth in Xu Qinghe's hand, Sister Feng raised her eyebrows slightly and asked with concern: "Sister, will this kind of cloth make clothes look too fancy?"
In this still conservative era, people mostly wear plain colors such as black, white, gray and blue. Xu Qinghe's choice is undoubtedly bold and avant-garde.
But Xu Qinghe just smiled lightly: "Sister Feng, don't worry, I'm newly married, and wearing such a festive color is just right for the occasion!"
Although this was said casually, it also contained some truth - people always have more understanding and tolerance for newly married women, as if those bright colors are proof of their happiness.
Hearing this, Fengjie's lips curled up unconsciously, her eyes full of understanding and laughter: "That's true. When you are young, you should dress up more, just like the flowers in spring. When you have children in the future, you won't have the time to care about these things."
Having said that, a barely perceptible bitterness rose in Sister Feng's heart.
For the sake of her daughter, she gave up many of her personal interests and dreams, but now her daughter's behavior has quietly hurt her.
Fortunately, the successor arrived at the right time and interrupted Fengjie's thoughts.
Sister Feng put away her complicated emotions and took Xu Qinghe to a nearby state-owned restaurant.
It was just before dinner time, and there were few customers in the store, making it seem particularly quiet and spacious.
The two sat down, ordered a few home-cooked dishes, and chatted while eating. The atmosphere was relaxed and warm.
Xu Qinghe accidentally mentioned the small dish of fermented bean curd...
Pickles are indeed a rare thing here.
Not only does it take a lot of time to pickle, it also costs a lot of money. Therefore, most ordinary people are unwilling to pay for this humble dish.
Sister Feng shook her short hair dyed with a few strands of golden hair, her eyes inadvertently swept across Xu Qinghe's face, and then, an idea flashed through her mind.
"Sister, I treat you as my own sister, so I'm telling you this. Please don't take it to heart!" She said in a serious tone.
"I'm not saying there's anything wrong with the countryside, but frankly speaking, society now has a somewhat biased view of the countryside. People always feel that things coming out of there aren't clean enough or safe enough. When our leaders make decisions, these outside opinions have to be taken into consideration. I'm afraid things like cooperation won't be decided so easily." Fengjie's words were helpless, but also realistic.
As for snacks such as bean sprouts and pea flour, they are relatively easy to deal with, especially pea flour, which is novel and popular and can quickly become the focus of the table.
However, the situation with pickles is quite different.
Not to mention the lengthy pickling process, there is also no formal production process to guarantee it. Who can guarantee that there are no unknown additives added?
How can consumers feel at ease when purchasing such food?
After hearing this, Xu Qinghe understood that Sister Feng was caring about him and was worried that he was too eager for quick success. He had just made progress in the cooperation on fresh vegetables, but now he was thinking about the farmers' pickles.
"Sister Feng, I understand your concerns. But if the pickles made in our own village aren't popular, how about replacing them with ones made by a regular food factory? Following a strict production process and packaged in glass bottles like those exquisite canned fruits, wouldn't that sound much more reassuring and appealing?"
Upon hearing this, Sister Feng was stunned for a moment. Her brows knitted slightly as she asked in confusion, "From the food factory? Doesn't that mean it can't help the folks in your village?"
Xu Qinghe raised a sly smile and said mysteriously, "Ah, Sister Feng, I naturally have my own way. I'll tell you in detail when things work out. If not, just pretend I never mentioned it today!"
Sister Feng was amused by Xu Qinghe's wit and confidence, and praised her sincerely, "You have ambition! I believe you this time! Qinghe, you are truly the bravest and smartest girl I have ever met. Your man is truly blessed from his past life. To have a partner like you is worth it in this life!"
Soon, the hot meal was served on the table.
The chef in charge of cooking in this state-owned restaurant has extraordinary skills.
Fengjie was generous and ordered a dish of braised pork that was delicious, two plates of exquisite side dishes and a pot of fragrant soup. Xu Qinghe ate with gusto and was very satisfied.
Just as the two were enjoying their meal, a man and a woman slowly walked into the restaurant.
The woman was pregnant with a round belly, obviously about to give birth; the man carefully supported her, and his care and concern made people feel the deep friendship between them at a glance.
The man's eyes were not directed at Fengjie and the others at the table, but the pregnant woman glanced around and recognized Xu Qinghe next to Fengjie at a glance.
"Brother Min'an, why don't we go somewhere else to eat?" the woman suggested in a sweet voice.
Zhao Min'an looked up at her, puzzled. "What's wrong? Didn't you always say you wanted to eat the braised pork from this state-owned restaurant? Why did you change your mind now?"
Zhao Min'an's voice was extremely gentle, and he was afraid that his loud voice would disturb her fragile emotions.
"No..." Sun Xiaoli whispered softly, pointing her finger gently in the direction of Fengjie.
Zhao Min'an looked in the direction of her finger and saw a familiar figure enjoying the food with his head down. Next to him sat a young and beautiful woman. The two of them were talking and laughing, and the atmosphere was harmonious.
Zhao Min'an's heart suddenly tightened, and then he thought, if Chen Hong had such a beautiful friend, why had she never mentioned her to him? He felt as if a huge rock was pressing down on his heart, and he felt extremely suffocated.
So, without saying a word, he took Sun Xiaoli's hand and walked straight to Fengjie's table, saying something dissatisfied.
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