klisemfg Chapter 310 Era: XCMG's Simple-minded Wife 14
Chapter 310 Era: XCMG's Simple-minded Wife 14
After returning to the city, Ji Xiaosong continued to work as a grocery saleswoman at the supply and marketing cooperative.
However, she is no longer the timid, bullied country girl she once was.
She was wearing the blue work clothes issued by the supply and marketing cooperative, but there was a small red velvet flower pinned to her collar and a thin red string tied around her wrist. Xu Weidong brought it back from G City, saying it was for "protection and safety".
She walks with her head slightly raised, always with a smile on her lips, and speaks much more fluently than before. She can even crack a joke with customers who come to buy things occasionally.
"Comrade Xiao Song, you look so energetic!" said Sister Zhang from the fabric counter next door with a smile.
As Ji Xiaosong deftly weighed the sugar, she smiled and said, "Of course! Life is getting better and better!"
But some people don't like her.
Ji Hongmei stood not far from the counter, clutching a bag of salt in her hand, her fingernails almost digging into the packaging paper.
She stared intently at Ji Xiaosong, watching her speak to customers with a bright smile, watching the glaring red string on her wrist, watching her whole being seem to be gilded by the sunlight, so vibrant and dazzling.
Why?
A fire was burning in Ji Hongmei's heart.
She had liked Xu Weidong since she was a child, but Xu Weidong had never even given her a second glance.
Later, when Ji Xiaosong married into the family, she hated him even more.
Why should a country girl like her marry Xu Weidong?
She almost pushed Ji Xiaosong into the river to drown her, but unexpectedly, this girl was very tough. Not only did she not die, but she seemed to have been reborn and became more and more dazzling.
She is not reconciled!
Li Xiulan stood to the side, cautiously tugging at Ji Hongmei's sleeve: "Hongmei, let's go..."
Li Xiulan dares not provoke Ji Xiaosong now.
She had tried to cause trouble several times before, and as a result, she either inexplicably fell into a mud pit, was reprimanded by her superiors, and even almost got transferred to clean toilets by the director of the supply and marketing cooperative once.
She always felt that Ji Xiaosong was very strange.
Ji Hongmei shook off her hand and sneered, "What, are you scared?"
Li Xiulan shrank back: "It's not that I'm afraid... it's just..."
"What do you mean?" Ji Hongmei narrowed her eyes. "No matter how capable she is, she's still just a sales clerk. I don't believe she can stay this smug forever!"
She had to come up with a way to make Ji Xiaosong suffer a terrible setback!
Ji Xiaosong had noticed Ji Hongmei's sinister gaze long ago, but she pretended not to see it and continued to greet customers with a smile.
"Comrade, you want two ounces of white sugar, right? Okay!"
She quickly wrapped the candy and handed it to the customer, all the while plotting when to kill Ji Hongmei.
This person cannot be allowed to live. Although she is soft-hearted towards some people, she doesn't want to cause any trouble for someone like Ji Hongmei who is deadly in one move.
*
The setting sun bathed the glass counters of the supply and marketing cooperative in an orange-red hue.
Ji Xiaosong was squatting down to take inventory when she suddenly heard familiar footsteps coming from the doorway. They were as light as a cat's, yet carried the rhythmic quality of a soldier.
Without even looking up, a smile crept onto her lips: "Engineer Xu, you're getting off work quite early today?"
Xu Weidong's figure loomed over the counter.
He didn't say anything, but simply placed the net bag on the glass tabletop. Inside were rare whole milk powder and a piece of red silk cloth, both rare items in the 1970s.
"Wow!" Ji Xiaosong's eyes lit up. "The machinery factory is giving out employee benefits?"
She reached out to touch the red silk cloth, but Xu Weidong pressed her wrist down.
The man's palm was burning hot, carrying the smell of metal shavings from the workshop: "Here you go."
The three words were spoken in a low and fast voice, as if they were burning the tongue.
Ji Xiaosong looked up and found that Xu Weidong's ears were as red as the chili peppers she had pickled last year.
She suddenly had a flash of inspiration: "The transfer order has come down?"
Xu Weidong nodded and took out a piece of paper covered with a red header from his inner pocket.
Ji Xiaosong glanced at the words "Seventh Research Institute" and "Special Steel Research Team" and felt a weight lifted from her heart. It seemed that her superiors had adopted her suggestion.
"We'll talk about it when we get home." Xu Weidong retracted the transfer order, his gaze sweeping over the shelf behind her. "Buy a pound of noodles."
Ji Xiaosong understood, deftly weighed the noodles, and then "casually" stuffed two eggs into the net bag.
This is a hidden benefit for employees of the supply and marketing cooperative. Xu Weidong would usually frown at it, but today he surprisingly did not object.
On the way home, Xu Weidong carried the net bag in his left hand and kept his right hand resting on Ji Xiaosong's waist, like a dutiful bodyguard.
As he passed the grocery store, he suddenly stopped: "Wait here."
Five minutes later, he came out with a package wrapped in oil paper. He peeled back a corner and found braised beef!
Ji Xiaosong gasped, "Xu Weidong, are you crazy? How many hostages would that be!"
"award."
Xu Weidong tucked the meat into his coat to keep it warm, a slight smile playing on his lips. "The mission was accomplished well."
As dusk deepened, the aroma of dinner wafted from each family's home in the tenement building.
When Xu Weidong took out his keys, Ji Xiaosong noticed a slight tremor in his fingers.
As soon as the door opened, she understood why. The small room, less than ten square meters, was spotless. There were brand new checkered sheets on the bed, the kerosene lampshade was polished to a shine, and there were even a few wild roses stuck in the enamel mug.
“You…” Ji Xiaosong turned around and bumped into Xu Weidong’s chest.
The man's breathing became erratic, but he still maintained a safe distance of twenty centimeters: "Let's cook first."
The kitchen was so narrow that you couldn't even turn around.
Ji Xiaosong was rolling out noodles, while Xu Weidong squatted in front of the coal stove watching the fire, his tall body curled up into a pitiful ball.
In the steamy atmosphere, she noticed that his military uniform back was soaked with sweat, and her heart softened suddenly: "Go and rest, it's hot here."
Xu Weidong shook his head, got up and took a towel to wipe her sweat.
When their rough fingertips brushed against each other's foreheads, they both froze.
The coal stove crackled and sparked, and Ji Xiaosong hurriedly scooped out the noodles, while Xu Weidong nearly knocked over the soy sauce bottle.
Dinner was eaten in a quiet yet restless manner.
The braised beef is sliced as thin as cicada wings, and the egg rests on the noodles like a small sun.
Xu Weidong ate very quickly, but every time he looked up, he caught Ji Xiaosong stealing glances at him.
After clearing away the dishes, Xu Weidong suddenly took out a metal box from his backpack: "This is for you."
Inside the box was a small folding knife with a kapok flower engraved on the handle, a southern tree species rarely seen in the north.
Ji Xiaosong suddenly remembered that she had casually mentioned liking kapok flowers before, and her nose tingled with emotion: "You..."
“The organization has approved it.” Xu Weidong interrupted her, then pulled out a piece of paper stamped with an official seal, “Our marital relationship.”
Ji Xiaosong unfolded it and saw that it was a reissued "Notification of Approval of Marriage Examination" dated three months ago, but the ink was still very fresh.
She immediately understood Xu Weidong's intention. Their marriage was arranged, and now he wanted to give her a formal explanation.
The kerosene lamp popped and emitted a spark.
Xu Weidong stood at the boundary between light and shadow, his Adam's apple bobbing a few times: "Tonight... is that alright?"
The notification letter in Ji Xiaosong's hand rustled.
She was no longer an innocent girl, but this earnest question still brought tears to her eyes.
She lowered her head, pretending to fold paper, and whispered, "I've used up all my bath tickets..."