Chapter 41 - Only that his heart was pounding out of his chest
Uncle Zong asked abruptly, "Rugui, did the girl come on foot or on bike?"
Wen Rugui's chopsticks paused in midair. "She took the bus."
Uncle Zong asked again, "Did you walk her to the bus stop then?"
Wen Rugui suddenly felt that even the pickled cabbage in his mouth wasn't tasty anymore. "… No."
Old Mr. Wen raised his brows and looked at Wen Rugui with grave disappointment. "Look at you being so inattentive about these things. No wonder you still haven't found yourself a wife at your age!"
Wen can't-find-himself-a-wife Rugui, "…"
Old Mr. Wen was so mad that he shouted out loudly, "And you are still sitting here eating? Hurry up and grab the candies from home and chase after the girl!"
Wen Rugui quickly put down his chopsticks and Uncle Zong, to one side, also bounced up and grabbed the White Rabbit candies and snacks from their house.
Wen Rugui grabbed the stuff and, right when he was about to take off, saw the plate where the pickled cabbage and fish sat.
"Uncle Zong, can you please pour the remainder in a different container. I'll bring this back to her, cleaned."
Old Mr. Wen could not have been more disappointed. "You are so good when it comes to studying. Why are you such a fool when it comes to chasing girls? What is the rush of returning the plate to her? Leave it here so you have an excuse to go see her next time!"
Wen Rugui was dumbfounded. You can do that?
Old Mr. Wen waved his hand. "Don't just stand there. Hurry up and go!"
Wen Rugui did not insist on it. He hopped onto his bike and took off.
Old Mr. Wen tsked and said, "I still have to worry about him at my age and he had the audacity in blaming me for eating his fish? That being said, Rugui wasn't like me at all. I was so courageous when I was pursuing his grandmother back in the day!"
Uncle Zong tightened his lips and didn't make a sound.
He, however, remembered what his dad had told him in the past. "Commander was so nervous around the old madam that he'd stutter, and he could barely walk straight. Old madam, for a while there, thought he was a fool."
Old Mr. Wen said, "Xiao Zong, take out two pieces of the green bean cakes. One for you and one for Rugui. Bring the rest into my room. If Rugui asks later on, tell him you ate the rest."
Uncle Zong, "…"
Commander, you can't be that shameful!
Wen Rugui chased after Tong Xuelu on his bike, but Tong Xuelu had already taken off on a bus.
He recalled her telling him that she would be switching to work at the government-operated restaurant. He kicked his feet and headed toward the government-operated restaurant.
Tong Xuelu returned to Su Xiuying's place and picked up the rest of the green bean cakes that she had made. Instead of returning to Yanqing County, she planned to go check out the black market.
It was still two years from the reform and opening and she didn't want to just sit around and do nothing. She should at least make some more money and aim to buy their own house as soon as possible.
She had asked Su Xiuying the whereabouts of the black market.
Su Xiuying was surprised that Tong Xuelu was asking about it but she didn't pry any further. She merely told Tong Xuelu of its location and what to watch out for.
Tong Xuelu thanked Su Xiuying and headed toward Xishui Road with her green bean cakes.
After arriving at Xishui Road, Tong Xuelu finally understood why the black market was located here.
Xishui Road was very hidden and had a lot of small branches leading into all directions. During a crackdown, people there would be able to get away easily from any of these small paths instead of everyone being caught at the same time.
That being said, the black market's location wasn't fixed. Once the cops had discovered it, the underground people would abandon the location and look for a new one. It was always in flux.
The busiest time at the black market was the morning. It was already past noon now and many had already made their purchased and left.
Tong Xuelu lowered her straw hat that she had borrowed from Su Xiuying some more and looked for a place to stand.
Ten minutes later, a middle-aged man rushed over to her and said in a low voice. "Do you have any snacks or cakes? Any dessert will do."
He had already asked a few others with no luck. The middle-aged man was sweating from anxiousness.
From his neat appearance and scholarly look, Tong Xuelu figured that he was an office worker.
She walked over to him and said, "What kind of snacks are you looking for, Comrade?"
The middle-aged man, looking a little shy, said, "My wife is pregnant and can't hold down any food. She suddenly craved snacks and sweets but there weren't any at the CSMS so I thought I would give this place a try."
The two had been married for years with no children but his wife had gotten pregnant suddenly a month earlier. The couple was very delighted.
But then the morning sickness and lack of appetite that followed was also very worrisome.
Tong Xuelu paused a little and said, "I have three jin of green bean cakes that were freshly made this morning. Do you want them?"
The middle-aged men's eyes beamed. He nodded his head like a chick eating rice from the ground. "Yes, yes. How much do you want for them?"
Tong Xuelu did some mathematics in her head and said, "90 cents / jin. 80 cents if you have tickets."
The middle-aged felt that it was a bit on the expensive side, but he had to do it for his wife. "I'll take them. Give me two jin. I have tickets too. Which ones do you want?"
Tong Xuelu said, "Any kind will do."
The middle-aged man pulled out money and two industrial tickets and handed them over to her. Tong Xuelu divided out 2 jin of green bean cakes for him.
The middle-aged man, with the green bean cakes in hand, could smell the fresh aroma from the green beans. He reflexively pinched of a small corner and tasted it.
It was soft, fresh, and sweet. It tasted better than any green bean cakes he had in the past.
The middle-aged man quickly changed his tune. "I'll take the remaining 1 jin as well."
Tong Xuelu had yet to be able to say yes when someone shouted out loudly, "Run! The cops are here!"
Oh brother!
How was she so unfortunate to have run into a crackdown on her first time here?
She turned and started running as fast as she could.
After running out a little distance, she turned and saw the man who bought things from her still standing where he was, his face pale.
"Comrade, why are you still standing there? Hurry up and run!"
The man finally recollected himself and dashed toward her madly.
Tong Xuelu almost passed out.
A million different ways to go and he had to run in her direction?
She didn't even know what to say.
Now was not the time to say anything anyway. She ran as fast as she could.
She was that close to making out of the alleyway when a bicycle caught up to her and stopped in front of her, blocking her way.
Tong Xuelu's heart was pounding out of her chest, and she thought that she was done for. She was for sure done for this time.
Lo and behold, a clear and low voice came from above her head, "Hop on quickly!"
The voice….
Tong Xuelu lifted up the rim of her hat and looked into Wen Rugui's eyes that were dark like ink.
Just what was he doing here?
But now wasn't the time to chitchat. She jumped onto the back of the bicycle and wrapped her arm around his waist. "I'm good. Let's go!"
Wen Rugui: But I'm not.
With the soft arm around his waist, everywhere that the arm touched was tingling and he felt an electric current running through his entire body.
Wen Rugui's body stiffened up.
Only that his heart was pounding out of his chest.
Chapter 42 - She thinks that he is silly, cute silly.
Wen Rugui kept his back straight and didn't move for a long while.
Feeling the stiffness under her palm, Tong Xuelu's lips curved. "Comrade Tong, is everything alright?"
"I'm fine."
Wen Rugui recovered and acknowledged her. His voice, however, was not as calm as it normally was.
Tong Xuelu, sitting in the back seat, her lips curved even more.
The middle-aged man caught up to them and, seeing that they were about to take off, asked through his raggedly breathing, "You, can you take me with you?"
Tong Xuelu rolled her eyes: Of course not. You will really be that third wheel then.
Besides, where did he think he could sit? Did he want to sit on Wen Rugui's lap?
Wen Rugui, too, acted like he hadn't heard him at all. With a switch kick of his long legs, he carried Tong Xuelu out of the alley and quickly disappeared from the middle-aged man's sight.
As soon as they were out of the alleyway, Tong Xuelu removed her arm from his waist.
In this day and age, even boyfriend-girlfriend were not allowed to hold hands in public, let alone anything beyond that.
Noticing that her arm had been removed, Wen Rugui's thin lips tightened a little.
He felt that the alleyway was too short. He only wished that it was longer.
Then he felt that he had paddled too hard. He should have slowed down some.
Tis was the end of summer and some of the leaves on the tree by the side of the road had turned yellow already. When the wind blew, the dried leaves would fall from the tree. The sky far away from them were clear and one could smell a hint of fall in the air.
Looking at the trees next to them, Wen Rugui turned his head and asked, "Why were you there, Comrade Tong?"
Tong Xuelu answered his question with a question, "What about you, Comrade Tong? How did you show up there all of a sudden?"
Wen Rugui paused for a little and said, "I was looking for someone in the area and saw you walking into Xishui Road. I had never been there myself, but I know that that is where the black market is. I went in there when I heard that the cops were coming."
He lied.
He was too shy to tell her that he had circled the government-operated restaurant a few times before finally spotting her.
Tong Xuelu did not suspect his reason of being there. In a teasing tone, she said, "So, Comrade Wen was able to locate me so quickly because you had been waiting for me outside?"
"…"
Wen Rugui's heart skipped a beat when heard that and, along with that, the front of the bicycle turned abruptly.
Tong Xuelu looked up at his ears and, sure enough, the bases of his ears were red again.
Suppressing her smile, she said, "Comrade Wen, did you hear what I said?"
Wen Rugui was so nervous that his palms were sweaty. After a long while, he was finally able to say to her, "Right. I heard that the police are really cracking down on the black market. You really shouldn't go there any more in the future."
His voice had always been very melodious. It was low and clear. As though it had swirled around in the wind and coated with honey, it was a sweet voice.
Tong Xuelu curved her lips. "Thank you for your concern, Comrade Tong! Since you said that, I'll listen to you and not go there again in the future then."
Her voice was soft and delicate and, right now, filled with her trust and dependency on him.
She was so docile.
His thin lips shut tight, Wen Rugui felt nervous.
Wen Rugui finally found his voice again after a long while. "You still hadn't told me why you were there. Are you…. broke?"
Tong Xuelu sighed slightly, "You can say that. Didn't I tell you that I had just switched jobs with someone? I will need to move into the city then. I had an agreement to rent this place but the location of it is not great. As such, I thought about buying my own place a couple of days ago.
"Unfortunately, the houses are too expensive, and I can't afford one. Which was why I thought I could go sell some stuff and make some extra money. Well, now you know the truth, Comrade Wen. You won't be reporting me, will you?"
"Of course not. How much are you short? I can lend it to you."
Having said that, he pulled over to the side of the road. His long legs planted on the ground as he turned and looked at her.
Their eyes met and Tong Xuelu saw trust in his eyes.
Tong Xuelu felt a warmth in her heart. Leaping off the bicycle, she said to him, "No, it's alright. I am short quite a bit. I'll just buy it when I save up enough money. I appreciate your offer though!"
No matter the time, anyone who would offer to loan someone else money was hard to come by.
She appreciated his thought.
She might take him up for it if she was only short several hundreds or a thousand yuan.
But she only had a little over 1,000 yuan and was short almost 4,000 yuan. That was not an amount that she was comfortable asking for.
The golden sun cast down on her, dying the tips of her hair a golden color. Fragments of golden lights danced in her eyes like stars in the night.
Wen Rugui lowered his eyes. Staring at the ground, he said, "It just occurred to me that my family has a vacant house that nobody is currently living in. You and you family can stay there if you don't mind."
Tong Xuelu's eyes lit up, "Really? Where's the house located?"
Wen Rugui nodded and still avoided looking at her. "In the city."
"How big is the house? Can we go check it out right now?"
"Not right now. I need to deliver something." He showed her the milk candies and snacks in his hand as he spoke. "If you are not in a hurry, we can go check it out day after tomorrow. I'll have someone clean it up first."
Tong Xuelu nodded and, with a smile on her, said, "Sure. Day after tomorrow works. Thank you so much, Comrade Wen!"
The environment of Su Xiuying's place was not good. If Wen Rugui's one was located in a better area, for sure she would pick that one instead.
"No worries."
Wen Rugui's voice returned to its usual calm and nonchalant way.
Tong Xuelu, "If that's the case, you should hurry up and delivery your stuff. I shan't keep you any longer!"
Wen Rugui wanted to say that she wasn't keeping him, but he stopped himself just in time. "Oh right. How would I get hold of you then?"
Tong Xuelu thought about it some and said, "Let's meet outside the post office at 10 AM day after tomorrow?"
"Okay." It's a date.
Wen Rugui returned to the military compound with the White Rabbit milk candies, snacks, and another bag of green bean cakes.
Old Mr. Wen saw him returning the same way that he left and couldn't help but gave him a stare. "What? Did you not find her?"
Wen Rugui, "Oh, I found her."
That made Old Mr. Wen angry. "Why did you come back with all the stuff if you have found her? And what's in the other bag?"
"Green bean cakes."
"Gift from Miss Green Grass?"
"Yes."
"What were you thinking? I told you to give her things. Nevermind that you didn't give them to her, but you came back with more? Have you no shame?"
Old Mr. Wen was so angry that even his goatee was about to quiver. He walked over and wanted to take the green bean cakes from him.
Wen Rugui dodged and hid the green bean cakes behind his back. "Grandpa, I want to borrow 500 yuan from you."
Old Mr. Wen hrumphed and said, "Hand over the green bean cakes. And whatever happened to your own money?"
Wen Rugui was making over 200 yuan a month and had just gotten a 20 yuan raise this year. He had been staying at the research center day in and day out all these years and had no girlfriend and not married. He had absolutely nowhere to spend money. He should have a big savings. Why would he be short money?
Wen Rugui went silent for a little while and said, "I lent them to a coworker at the research center. Jianyi borrowed some from me as well."
"Jianyi?" Old Mr. Wen frowned. "Why did he borrow money from you? Is his dad aware of that?"
Wen Rugui blinked. "A friend of his had some family trouble and he wanted to help them out."
A bean of light crossed Old Mr. Wen's eyes. "Is his friend a man or woman?"
Wen Rugui, "I don't know."
Pu Jianyi, still at the cop station, sneezed and felt that he was getting a cold.
Old Mr. Wen hrumphed and said, "Alright, hand over the green bean cakes and I'll get the money for you."
Wen Rugui, "Grandpa, you've already eaten all the fish and probably hid the rest of the green bean cakes. The doctor said you should not eat so many sweets."
"What do doctors know?" said Old Mr. Wen with a hrumph. "And you still haven't told me why you didn't give the girl the stuff?"
Wen Rugui said nonchalantly, "Didn't you say to save her stuff so I will have an excuse to go look for her next time? I am saving them for next time."
"…"
Old Mr. Wen returned to his room to retrieve the money with his hand over his forehead.
With the way his grandson was, he felt that he would never be able to see his great grandson in this lifetime.
Tong Xuelu took the bus back to Yanqing County.
By the time she got home, most of the stuff inside the house had already been packed.
The two brats Tong Jiaxin and Tong Mianmian were packing and pillow fighting at the same time. It looked like Tong Jiaming did most of the packing.
Tong Mianmian immediately abandoned Tong Jiaxin and ran over when she saw that her Big Sister was back. "Big Sister, you are back!"
Tong Xuelu picked her up right away. "Was Mianmian a good girl today?"
"Yes! Mianmian was a very good girl today!" The little bun nodded heavily and said in a milky voice," Mianmian helped Second Brother fold the clothes!"
"Our Mianmian is so awesome!"
The little bun thrusted her chest out and nodded. "Mianmian is very awesome, as awesome as Big Sister."
"Little Sister, since when have you become so brazen? Besides, was that really folding? It was more like rollin'!"
Tong Jiaxin couldn't help but tease her when he heard her bragging about herself.
Tong Mianmian's little white face turned red from anger. "Third Brother is a meanie! Mianmian doesn't want to talk to you anymore!"
Tong Jiaxin stuck his tongue out at her. "Fine. Don't talk to me then. Little petty girl taking a drink…"
Tong Jiaming shouted at him, "Shut up, Jiaxin. Don't bully your little sister."
Tong Mianmian looked at Tong Jiaming with her large and limpid eyes. "Second Brother is the bestest. Third Brother is a meanie!"
Tong Jiaxin stuck his tongue out at her again, unphased by what she had said.
Tong Xuelu couldn't help but roll her eyes. She really wanted to beat this kid up.
After dinner that night, Tong Jiaxin was causing trouble again.
He announced that he would not be showering that night!
Tong Xuelu didn't care either way. He wasn't sleeping with her. Even if he was smelly, that would be Tong Jiaming's problem.
Many people did not bathe daily in this day and age. Tong Jiaming didn't care much that Tong Jiaxin wasn't going to shower but he did request that he must wash his feet before climbing into bed.
By bedtime, Tong Jiaxin brought a bucket of water inside the house to wash his feet with. He twisted around as he stood inside the tub and washed his feet. "Mianmian is a petty brat. Petty brats like feet water."
"Stupid Third Brother, Mianmian is not talking to you anymore!"
Tong Mianmian crossed her arms in front of her and sat down facing the wall, her lips pouted.
He was twisting around even more when he heard that. "Mianmian is a petty brat…. Oh oh oh…"
BAM!
He slipped all of a sudden and fell backward, hard, onto the floor.
He banged his head against the bucket and the bucket flipped and splashed its entire content onto his face.
"HAHAHA…"
Seeing that Tong Jiaxin ended up drinking his own feet water, Tong Xuelu couldn't help but busted out laughing.
That was what happened to a naughty child!
Tong Jiaming's lips curved as he walked over to help Tong Jiaxin up.
Tong Jiaxin had a lump on his head. Pain was one thing but, mostly, he felt very embarrassed.
Staring at Tong Xuelu who was laughing at his misfortune, he was so angry that his cheeks puffed up like a pufferfish.
Chapter 43 - Tong Xuelu wasn't going to turn that down.
Tong Xuelu brought Tong Jiaming and Tong Jiaxin with her to transfer them to their new school the next day.
Back then, neither the area of residence nor the household register were required. Transferring to a different school was very easy.
She brought the two brothers with her to the school over in City Nan with the proof and recommendation letters for them from the school at Yanqing County.
The process wasn't complicated, but with waiting for the bus, waiting for everyone's signatures, it still took most of a day when all was said and done.
As they had not yet moved, she also took a few days off for the boys. They could start at their new school in a few days when everything had been settled.
After the transfer process, Tong Xuelu took the bus back to the city again on the third day with her military bag.
When she got to the post office, Wen Rugui was already waiting for her there.
It was the middle of the day and the golden sun poured over his white shirt. His entire person seemed to be basking in the sunlight. When the breeze blew, the fringes over his forehead wavered in the wind, reflecting the glistening of the sun.
This man was so incredibly good looking.
Tong Xuelu looked at him from a meter away with appreciation in her eyes.
As though sensing that someone was checking him out, Wen Rugui turned his head.
And he was met with Tong Xuelu's lively and smiling almond eyes.
He looked a little lower and her red mole looked even more charming in the sun.
His lips curved some and there were stars in his eyes. "Hi, Comrade Tong."
"Hi Comrade Wen. I'm sorry to keep you waiting."
She even headed out early specifically today; unfortunately, she was out of luck and had to wait an hour for a bus.
Wen Rugui said nonchalantly, "It's no problem. I just got here myself."
As soon as he finished saying that, a postman walked out from the post office and said to Wen Rugui, "Oh hey, Comrade, I see that your friend is finally here."
Having said that, he didn't even give Wen Rugui a chance to say a word before he looked over at Tong Xuelu and, his eyes lighting up, said, "This is your girlfriend, right? No wonder you came so early to wait for her."
If he had a girlfriend that pretty, he'd come early as well.
Tong Xuelu raised her brows. "Didn't you say you just got here?"
The postman raised two of his fingers. "Who said he just got here? Your boyfriend has been waiting here for two hours already!"
"…"
The base of Wen Rugui's ears turned red again. They were a pink color under the sun.
Looking at his red ears, Tong Xuelu's lips couldn't help but curve upward.
Worried that the postman would blurt out more inappropriate speeches, Wen Rugui quickly took Tong Xuelu with him to check out the place.
He rode his bicycle there again this time and he sped down the road with Tong Xuelu riding behind him.
Half an hour later, when the bicycle stopped in front of a small yard, Tong Xuelu was stunned.
Looking at the small yard in front of them, her brows lifted, and she asked, "This is the house that you've mentioned?"
Wen Rugui's eyeids quivered a little. He nodded and said, "Mmhmm. It has been vacant for a few years. Uncle Zong and I came and cleaned up the place yesterday and fixed where it was necessary. It is not move-in ready."
Having said that, he opened up the wooden door with his key. "C'mon in. See if you like the layout."
Tong Xuelu followed him inside.
The yard was very clean, and all the weeds had been taken care of.
There was an osmanthus tree in the yard and, as it was August, its fragrance could be smelled whenever there was a light breeze.
Wen Rugui walked in front of her, showing her the place, as he introduced it, "There is a total of 4 rooms. It has its own bathroom and kitchen. You and your three siblings can each have your own room. Or you can turn one into a study."
Seeing that Tong Xuelu was very quiet, he turned and looked at her, "So what do you think about the place?"
Tong Xuelu nodded, "The place is excellent! Oh right, if this house had been vacant for so long, had it never occurred to you to sell it?"
Wen Rugui shook his head, "No."
Tong Xuelu looked at the man standing in front of her.
The first time she saw him, she was stunned by his look and, at the same time, she had detected how he remained a polite distance with others.
When they met later on, she noticed that he was innocent like a young man.
And now, she found his silly, cute silly.
This was the same house that was shown to her before by the Housing Management Office. Wen Rugui was obviously lying.
He had bought the house from the Housing Management Office after they had parted ways the other day, but he said he had this house from before.
He wanted to be nice to her and he had to look for so many excuses.
How silly.
Wen Rugui felt uncomfortable being looked at by Tong Xuelu and asked, "What's the matter? Did I have something on my face?"
Tong Xuelu shook her head and did not call him out on his white lie. "Thank you, Comrade Tong, I like this house a lot!"
Wen Rugui, "Don't mention it."
Tong Xuelu's red lips curved, and her dimples appeared on her cheeks. "Okay, I will not turn down your kindness, but you can't turn down mine either. You must come over whenever you have free time. I will make you fish."
Under the sun, her skin was almost translucent. It looked like a peeled and juicy lychee.
Wen Rugui, seeing the sparks in her eyes, felt his heart pounding in his chest.
Her smile was too overly sweet. It made one felt that they were suckling on a piece of candy.
The candy melted in one's mouth and their lips started to curve upward reflexively.
"Alright, I won't turn down your offer either."
Wen Rugui wanted to rent the place to her for 5 yuan a month, but Tong Xuelu refused to take advantage of him. They finally agreed on 12 yuan a month.
Why scheduled for a day when one could be spontaneous? Tong Xuelu decided to move in that very day.
Wen Rugui offered to help, letting her know that he could get ahold of a jeep.
That would be wonderful, and Tong Xuelu wasn't going to turn that down.
The two parted ways to take care of things on their own.
Wen Rugui went to secure the car before going to help her out at Yanqing County and Tong Xuelu would return first by bus and pack.
While Tong Xuelu was returning to Yanqing County by bus, Mother Tong, too, had gotten into the car driving by her eldest son, heading toward the farm where Tong Zhenzhen was.
Sitting inside the car, Mother Tong was very anxious. "Do you think Zhenzhen is still mad at us?"
Tong Zhenzhen was her daughter that she had carried for 10 months, and she did not have the opportunity to raise her. Mother Tong felt a lot of guilt toward Tong Zhenzhen.
She didn't have a choice but to make the decision that she did.
The political atmosphere was very uncertain nowadays and, any misstep, the entire family would be dragged down.
She must consider both her palm and the back of her hand, and it would be wrong of her to pick her daughter over the rest of the family.
Regardless of what they said, however, Tong Zhenzhen did not understand. She shouted and cussed at them and hurt them with the nastiest of all words. That made Mother Tong very sad.
She had wanted to visit Tong Zhenzhen since she had been sent to the farm but Tong Zhenzhen refused to see them.
This time, they had received a call from the farm, informing them that Tong Zhenzhen wanted to see them.
Mother Tong was very happy when she got the call but also somewhat worried. She wondered whether Tong Zhenzhen would fight about wanting to come home again this time.
Big Brother Tong shook his head. "Zhenzhen is too stubborn. What had happened back then really isn't little sister's fault. I hope she have figured that out by now."
Mother Tong sighed when she heard that and reminded him, "You should stop referring to Xuelu as your little sister. Zhenzhen will be upset again if she hears that."
Big Brother Tong pinched his lips shut. "Alright, I understand."
The two stopped talking after that and the atmosphere became more stifling afterward.
Chapter 44 - She saw Wen Rugui standing there, being surrounded like an animal in the zoo.
Two hours later, the car finally arrived at Guangrong Farm.
They couldn't get Tong Zhenzhen out of it entirely, but the Tong's were at least able to make sure she stayed in a farm that was nearby.
Guangrong Farm was a medium-sized farm. It had restrooms and temporary CSMC on site and relatively complete amenities. And those staying there did not have too heavy of a workload.
Anyone who ended up there had some sort of strings that they had pulled.
The person managing Guangrong Farm was related to the Tong family x removed. The Tong family had already given them a heads-up before Tong Zhenzhen has arrived there.
Mother Tong brought a lot of stuff with her this time. Some were food and some were supplies. Most of them were for Tong Zhenzhen but a small portion of them was for the manager of Guangrong Farm.
Mother Tong gave her stuff for the manager to inspect, and a big smile appeared on them when they saw the wheat flour.
They chatted for a little bit and the manager brought them over to Tong Zhenzhen's dormitory.
As much as Guangrong Farm had comprehensive amenities, they could not measure up to the city. Mother Tong felt sad when she saw the surrounding environment.
Arriving outside of the dormitory, the manager pointed at the fourth room and said to them, "That's Tong Zhenzhen's room. You can just go and knock. I am taking off now."
Big Brother Tong thanked them immediately.
Mother Tong went over to knock. "Zhenzhen, are you inside? Mom and Big Brother are here to see you."
Mother Tong was very nervous inside. She worried that Tong Zhenzhen would change her mind again last minute and not want to meet up with them.
They needed a letter of recommendation to come and visit. If Tong Zhenzhen did not want to see them this time, they would have to wait until she was released to see her.
At this time, they heard rushed footsteps and the door swung open the very next second.
A skinny silhouette appeared by the door and, looking at Mother Tong, she said emotionally, "Mom!"
Mother Tong took a closer look and was stunned.
Was this really Tong Zhenzhen, her daughter?
It had only been a little over two months and Tong Zhenzhen had darkened a lot. Her face was dry and yellowish, and she was skinny like a bamboo. Her cheeks were sunken, and it looked like merely a breeze could topple her over.
"Mom!"
Tong Zhenzhen threw herself into Mother Tong's arms in tears.
Mother Tong recollected herself and put her shaking arms around Tong Zhenzhen, her eyes reddened. "How come you are so skinny? Did someone bully you?"
They had given Tong Zhenzhen a lot of meal tickets and dried good before Tong Zhenzhen left for the farm. As hard as life was, she should not have been that skinny.
As such, Mother Tong's first thought was that Tong Zhenzhen was bullied.
Tong Zhenzhen threw herself into Mother Tong's arms and bawled.
Not being able to get anything out of Tong Zhenzhen, Mother Tong turned and had her eldest son go to check with the farm manager.
Seeing that Big Brother Tong was able to head out, Tong Zhenzhen finally stopped crying. "Don't go, Big Brother. Nobody is bullying me. I got sick a few days ago, which is why I look the way that I do right now."
Mother Tong stroked Tong Zhenzhen's face, sad. "How did you get sick all of a sudden? Was life too hard here at the farm?"
Tong Zhenzhen's eyes lowered, and she nodded as she looked at the ground. "Yes."
It was no walk in the park working at a farm but that was not why Tong Zhenzhen had gotten sick. She had gotten sick because she purposefully drenched herself in a rain.
She had wanted to use being sick as an excuse to have the Tong family brought her home but, instead, she had a dream after she was sick.
She dreamed that Tong Jiaming and his siblings had all become very successful years after she died in her previous life. Not only did they have more money than they could spend, but they were fawned about everywhere they went.
Nevertheless, they had not once mentioned publicly about this sister of theirs who died from domestic violence, never mind avenging her.
She was shocked and enraged after she had woken up.
She was only able to live until 20 years old in her previous life. After she died, the spirits had told her that she was meant to be a wealthy girl and live a healthy life. The only reason her life was terrible was because she was switched at birth.
She was very upset at the time. She cried and refused to go and reincarnate. During the struggle, she was knocked unconscious by the spirits, and she was rebirthed when she regained consciousness.
After her rebirth, she went over to the Tong's to look for her birth parents immediately.
She had done a very good job at the beginning. She pretended to be docile and pitiful. Slowly but surely, the Tong's grew more fond of her.
Lo and behold, the changes took place faster than she could plan. Tong Xuelu, who had shamelessly refused to leave the Tong's in the past left voluntarily, making the Tong's favoritism swinging right back to her. Chen Yueling, her eldest sister-in-law, in particular, seemed to have gone insane and antagonized her on a regular basis.
Then, those from the Cultural Troupe always complained that she wasn't pretty enough; that her body was not as shapely as that of Tong Xuelu's; and she her dancing wasn't as weightless.
Over time, especially when the criticism came so publicly, it was difficult for her to put up with them.
She hated Tong Xuelu to her guts. She hated that Tong Xuelu had taken away her identity, and that she was still negatively impacting her life even after she had left. As long as Tong Xuelu was staying in capital city, she would always be living under her shadow.
That was why she couldn't help herself but abused Tong Mianmian the other day. She had wanted the Tong's to force Tong Xuelu out of capital city. Lo and behind, Tong Xuelu had turned the table and had her sent to the farm.
It wasn't all for naught though. Her being ill this time had allowed her to see into the future.
She had spent a few times to think everything through calmly and realized that she had made some big mistakes. She should not have fought with the Tong's and severed her relationship with the three Tong's siblings.
After she had it all sorted out, she had purchased a can of malted milk for the manager of the farm before he agreed to help her out and inform the Tong's to come over.
When Mother Tong heard that Tong Zhenzhen was ill from her hard life, tears rolled down her face right away. "It was all Mom's fault. Don't worry. I will go talk to your dad as soon as I got back and we will see what we can do to get you out of here!"
She thought Tong Zhenzhen would be very happy when she heard that but what she heard coming out of Tong Zhenzhen was, "That won't be necessary, Mom. I am fine being here. You and Dad don't need to go out on a limb for me."
Both Mother Lu and Big Brother Tong's jaws dropped. They looked at Tong Zhenzhen as though they were looking at a ghost.
Could this thoughtful person really be Tong Zhenzhen?
Tong Zhenzhen was a bit annoyed when being looked at like that by them. She, however, choked back her tears and said, "These last few months of reforming at the farm had allowed me to realize how wrong I had been in the past.
"Mom, Big Brother, I was wrong in the past. I shouldn't have antagonized Tong Xuelu because I was jealous of her and I definitely should not have taken it out on Mianmian. So you don't need to do pull any strings for me. I will stay here for my reform process. I don't want to drag you guys in with me on this."
Mother Tong and Big Brother Tong never thought that Tong Zhenzhen would have such enlightenment and drastic change.
Mother Lu, in particular, looked at her, delighted. "Zhenzhen, is it really true that you are not mad at me and your father?"
Tong Zhenzhen's lips tightened a bit and she smiled and shook her head. "I was being spoiled and immature in the past. You and dad only sent me here for my benefits. As such, I don't blame you guys."
Mother Lu hadn't expected such a pleasant delight. Holding Tong Zhenzhen's hand lovingly, she felt even more guilt.
Seeing the looks on both Mother Tong and Big Brother Tong, Tong Zhenzhen knew that she had made the right move.
Tong Zhenzhen invited Mother Tong and Big Brother Tong inside the house.
The décor in the house was very crude. There was only a bed and a beaten-up low table and that was it.
Mother Tong and Big Brother Tong felt their heart ached and guilt all over again.
Mother Tong must take off after spending an hour there.
Before Mother Tong took off, Tong Zhenzhen held onto Mother Tong's hand longingly and said, "Mom, don't worry. I really am fine here. You will not need to worry about me."
Mother Tong wiped away her tears. "How can I not? If there's anything that you want to eat, just let the person in charge know. Mom will try and get it to you."
Tong Zhenzhen shook her head considerably, "No, that will be fine. You and Dad should have them. I do have a favor to ask though, Mom."
Mother Tong felt both comforted and heartache when she saw how thoughtful her daughter was and all the more she wished to do something for her.
When she heard that from Tong Zhenzhen, she asked right away, "What is it? Do tell."
Tong Zhenzhen said, "I had inadvertently hurt Mianmian last time and I had been feeling guilty about it. I can't leave right now but can Mom visit Mianmian and my other two brothers for me and bring them some stuff?"
Mother Tong had been wondering what Tong Zhenzhen's request would be. Now that she heard it, she felt even more gratified. "You have really matured, child. Don't worry. Mom will go visit them as soon as she gets home."
Tong Zhenzhen gave her a bright smile, "Thanks, Ma!"
Tong Xuelu returned to the compound by bus and said to Tong Jiaming the minute that she walked inside the house, "I've got a place already. We are moving today."
Everyone in the house were stunned.
Tong Jiaxin was the one who couldn't help himself. "Where are we moving to? Is it the compound that we've talked about before?"
Tong Xuelu shook her head, "No. We will not be going over there. I rented a standalone place. It is a bit more expensive in rent, but the surrounding is very good. Each of you can have your own room."
Tong Jiaxin's eyes widened and sparkled. "We really can each have our own room?"
Tong Xuelu nodded. "Yes. And we will have a car here to help us move. Hurry up and pack your stuff up."
Tong Jiaxin shouted out happily, "Yay! I will not have to put up with Second Brother's smelly farts from now on!"
Tong Jiaming, embarrassed and annoyed, shouted out, "Shut up, Tong Jiaxin!"
Looking at Tong Jiaming's angry look, Tong Jiaxin quickly ran over to the door. His mouth cracked open, and he smiled and said, "I'm not making this up, Second Brother. You farted into the blanket last winter and I almost passe Development Outing from the smell. I can still remember the smell to this date!"
Tong Jiaming stared at Tong Jiaxin with his lips pinched shut. His handsome face turned the color of pig liver.
"Ahahahah…"
Not expecting that the boss in the future has this side in him, Tong Xuelu laughed so hard that her stomach hurt.
Tong Jiaming's face reddened even more when he saw Tong Xuelu laughing.
Tong Mianmian looked from one of them to the other and she was baffled. There were big question marks in her eyes.
"Big Brother, Third Brother, what are you laughing at?"
Tong Jiaxin, "We are laughing at Second Brother's fart."
Tong Mianmian cocked her head and thought about it for a little while. Suddenly, she covered up her nose and said, "Bad Third Brother, farted smelly fart at Mianmian!"
Tong Xuelu, "…"
Welp, that was a bit disgusting.
However, Tong Jiaxin, the unruly child, did not feel that he was disgusting. He even stuck his bottom up proudly and made others want to give him a beating.
After the Tong's sibling were done attacking each other, they finally started packing up their remaining items.
An hour later, Wen Rugui showed up with a jeep.
The military style jeep showing up in front of the compound immediately caught a lot of attention.
That rocked the entire compound.
Chapter 45 - "Don't say you don't want it!"
All of the children in the compound ran out and surrounding the jeep. There was curiosity in all of their eyes.
"Oh mi, there's a jeep here. What's going on?"
"Did something happen?"
"I don't know. This is making me nervous. Let's go and check it out!"
When Tong Xuelu heard the word "jeep" from inside her house, she quickly put down what was in her hands and dashed outside.
As soon as she had stepped outside of her door, she saw Wen Rugui being surrounded by a bunch of people and they were looking at him as though he was a monkey in a zoo.
"Are you a soldier, Comrade? Are you here to arrest someone with your car?"
Wen Rugui, "No, I am here looking for someone."
Everybody let out a sigh of relief when they heard that Wen Rugui wasn't there to arrest anyone. But they also became curious at the same time.
"Who are you here to look for, Comrade?"
Wen Rugui, "I am here looking for Comrade Tong."
He had a nonchalant look on him, very much like the first day that she had seen him. It was a distant form of politeness.
Comrade Tong?
Tong Dajun's family was only family with the surname Tong. The crowd figured that out quickly.
"OOOH, you are here for Xuelu, aren't you, Comrade?"
"Yes."
"What is your relationship with her? She had never mentioned you before."
Wen Rugui pinched his lips shut and said not a word.
Aunty Tsai smacked her lap all of a suddenly. "Oh, I got it! You are someone from her adoptive parents' side, aren't you? You… are her brother?"
Being surrounded by a group of women, Wen Rugui felt like there were a thousand sparrows chirping next to him at the same time. His head started to hurt.
He was about to deny that when a crisp voice came from the compound side. "Yes, he's my brother from my adoptive parents' side."
He looked up and saw Tong Xuelu standing by the entrance, smiling at him.
His heart skipped a beat and his lips curved. He gave her a gentle smile.
"Oh, so you are Xuelu's brother. You are quite attractive."
"Brother Xuelu, what is it that you want to talk to Xuelu about?"
Tong Xuelu rolled her eyes all the way when she heard the Aunties' questions.
People at this era did not seem to understand what privacy was and they must get to the bottom of just about anything. They were the nosiest.
Tong Xuelu quickly squeezed passed the crowd and said, "Aunties, my brother is here to help me move. It's getting late already and we need to move our stuff. Please excuse us."
Hearing that they were moving, the crowd made way for them.
A few families that were close with Tong Xuelu quickly went to help her move her stuff out.
Aunty Tsai was sad. "I thought you aren't moving till tomorrow. How come you didn't tell me that your timeline had moved up? I could have help you with your packing."
Tong Xuelu smiled and said, "It's alright. I am more or less done with my packing. Jiaming and the others helped out and we were mostly done by yesterday."
With the exception of a few clothes and some kitchenware, there really weren't a lot of pack in the house.
With everyone's help, they were able to load the jeep quickly.
The jeep that Wen Rugui had brought with him was a Capital City Jeep 212 model. It had 4 doors and 5 seats.
It looked like a lot of seats but, once it was loaded, there was no room left for passengers.
There were still some small items. Tong Xuelu's plan was to bring them over with them. That way Wen Rugui would not need to make a second trip.
Gas was very expensive back in the days and the jeep was borrowed. Most importantly, she did not want to make Wen Rugui make multiple trips.
Once the jeep was loaded, Wen Rugui planned to bring the stuff over first. "I'll head out first then."
He was tall with long legs and was a whole head taller than Tong Xuelu. Standing next to him, Tong Xuelu seemed like a helpless bird.
Tong Xuelu looked up at him, her red lips curved, and she said, "Big Brother, are you thirsty? Would like you some water before you take off?"
The way she said "Big Brother" was soft and doughy. It was sweet like a mochi with honey filling, enough to make one feel sweet to the heart.
Wen Rugui's heart skipped a beat and, as though he was punched by something, he felt a tingling and swollen sensation.
Then his heart started to pound madly.
Seeing his dazed look, Tong Xuelu stopped herself from smiling and said, "Big Brother?"
Wen Rugui's Adam's apple rolled up and down and he nodded reflexively, "Sure."
"Then wait here, Big Brother. I'll go get you a glass of water."
"Sure."
Tong Xuelu washed out her own ceramic mug, filled it with water, and handed it over to Wen Rugui.
Wen Rugui inadvertently touched her hand when he took the mug from her and his heart skipped a beat again.
He wasn't thirsty before but, for some inexplicable reasons, felt that the water was very tasty. He downed the entire cup.
Looking at his Adam's apple that was moving up and down, Tong Xuelu thought to herself, a handsome man was also handsome when he was doing nothing but just drinking water.
She eyes moved downward and over his chest, waist, long legs…
Board shoulder, narrow waist, and long legs. Tsk tsk. He couldn't be more perfect!
Feeling that Tong Xuelu was checking him out, Wen Rugui started to stiffen up again. He didn't even know what to do with his hands.
After he had finished the water, he returned the mug back to Tong Xuelu and said, "Thank you, I'll head out now."
If he was to stay any longer, he wasn't sure if his heart could handle that.
Tong Xuelu took the mug from him and said, "Alright, see you in a bit then, Big Brother~"
Wen Rugui dared not look at her. His body was so stiffened n his way out, he almost move his arm and legs in synchrony.
After Wen Rugui had driven off, Tong Xuelu divided up the remaining things in the house between Tong Jiaming and Tong Jiaxin.
She had her military bag and, carrying Tong Mianmian, the group was about to take the bus to their new place.
Aunty Tsai, Mother Xu, and the others walked with them to the entrance of the compound.
Aunty Tsai's eyes were beet red. "Xuelu, come back and visit whenever you have time, okay?"
Tong Xuelu nodded. "I will. Don't worry, Aunty, I will be back often. Oh right, please help me return the key to Comrade Su."
Aunty Tsai wiped away her tears and nodded. "Don't worry. I will keep the key somewhere safe and hand it back to Comrade Su as soon as she arrives."
"Comrade Su is a nice person. Please help look after her after she has moved in."
"Don't worry, girl. We will take care of her."
Mother Xu was not a fan of Tong Xuelu's carelessness, using minced garlic even for her vegetables, but now she was sad to see her go.
"Thank you, Aunties."
All parties must come to an end. Tong Xuelu waved at those from the compound and took Tong Jiaming and the others to go take the bus with her.
Tong Mianmian's little arms were wrapped around Tong Xuelu's neck. She asked in her milky voice, "Big Sister, are we not coming back here again in the future?"
Tong Xuelu nodded. "That's right. We will be moving to our new place and will not be returning in the future."
Tong Mianmian's light brows furrowed. "Do Mommy and Daddy know that we are moving away? What if they can't find us when they come back to look for us?"
After the accident of Tong Dajun and his wife, Mianmian cried a lot when she didn't see her parents. Finally, Tong Jiaming told her that their Daddy and Mommy went to make money to support them and that was how he was able to get her to stop crying.
That was why her question.
Tong Xuelu had been back to the Tong's for 2 months and had almost never heard the little bun bringing up their parents. She thought perhaps Tong Mianmian was too young to remember. As it turned out, the little girl remembered it all.
Her eyes red and her voice chocked a little. "They know. I've told them beforehand. They will come looking for us at our new place when they return."
"Okay, Mianmian won't worry about it then." Tong Mianmian's little lips pinched shut and she gave Tong Xuelu a sweet little smile.
Immediately after that, she frowned and pouted, "Big Sister, Mianmian really misses Daddy and Mommy…"
Tong Xuelu rubbed her on her head and had her rest her head on her shoulder. "Mianmian, good girl."
Tong Jiaming and Tong Jiaxin, following behind them, their eyes also reddened. Both of them had their heads lowered and said nothing.
When they reached a turn, Tong Jiaming finally looked over in the direction of the compound and reached his hand up to wipe away his tears before he turned and walked away.
This time they only had to wait for half an hour for the bus to Capital City.
It was very crowded on the bus and there was only a spot left. Tong Jiaming offered the seat up to Tong Xuelu, who was carrying Tong Mianmian.
Tong Xuelu did not turn him down and sat down with Tong Mianmian in her arms.
She was quite tired from all the running around that she had been doing in the past few days.
They would need to walk for an hour from the bus stop to their house. They could wait for a bus, but those were infrequent.
Tong Xuelu was going to walk the distance but, as soon as they got off the bus, the saw the jeep parked on the side of the road.
Tong Jiaxin pointed at the jeep and shouted out, "Look! Isn't that the Big Brother's car?"
As soon as he was done saying that, Wen Rugui got out of the driver's seat.
He was tall with long legs, and it only took him a few steps to get in front of them. He bent down and took the stuff from Tong Xuelu before he walked over to Tong Jiaxin and took his too.
His voice was deep. "Let's go. I'll drive you."
Tong Jiaxin was so excited that his face was red. "Second Brother, can we really ride in the car? This will be my first time being in a car!"
Tong Jiaming didn't say anything, he looked up at Tong Xuelu.
Tong Xuelu said, "Let's go. All of us."
After they had gotten into the car, Tong Jiaxin was so excited that he was short of losing his mind. He looked here and touched there and couldn't sit still.
Tong Mianmian, too, was curious. Her eyes were wide opened as she looked around curiously. She looked super cute when she did that.
The Tong's three siblings sat in the back row and Tong Xuelu sat in the passenger seat.
With an extra person next to him, Wen Rugui dared not look at Tong Xuelu but stared straight ahead instead. "I did a little organizing earlier but you are going to do need to do the bulk of it."
Looking from the side, his eyelashes seemed even longer. They were dark like little fans.
It made one envious when a man had eyelashes so long and thick.
Tong Xuelu stared at his eyelashes and said, "Thank you, Comrade Wen. You've helped us so much today."
He had turned back from Big Brother to Comrade Wen.
Wen Rugui felt an indescribable disappointment and his voice was nonchalant, "No problem."
Tong Xuelu thought about what kind of yummy food she could make to thank him later. She wasn't certain, however, whether she would have enough time to cook after they had finished unpacking.
Twenty minutes later, the car stopped in front of the small yard.
Tong Jiaming and the others did not move.
Tong Xuelu turned and looked at them. "Let's get out. This is going to be our new home."
The children looked out the back window and their mouths were opened so wide that one could shove an egg in each of them.
"Noooo, am I dreaming here? The entire place is ours?"
"Yes, we have the entire place."
Tong Jiaxin's eyes widened and with an exaggerated look, he asked, "Second Brother, pinch me quickly. I'm not dreaming, am I?"
Tong Jiaming didn't want to be bothered with his stupid brother. He opened up the car door and got out.
He got the stuff out first and finally his sister.
Wen Rugui opened up the front door and Tong Jiaxin dashed inside like a sheep who was let out of the pen and started howling.
"Oh mi, such a spacious yard!"
"Oh my gosh. There are so many rooms. Let me see which one I want to take!"
Tong Mianmian followed behind him on her short little legs. She was giggling and laughing.
The yard became very lively all of a sudden.
After Tong Jiaming had walked inside, Wen Rugui looked at Tong Xuelu and said, "I'll go and help you organize your things."
Tong Xuelu shook her head. "It's alright. Why don't you go and return the car first and then c'mon back. I will make something good for dinner to thank you."
Wen Rugui wanted to say that was not necessary but, before he could say that, he saw Tong Xuelu pouting and said, "Don't say you don't want it!"
Her red lips pouted a little and she looked at him in a charming way. The sunlight shining down on her making her looked dazzling and eye-catching.
Wen Rugui felt like his heart had been brushed by a feather. It was tingling and itched.
Remembering the fish that he didn't get to have the other day, he did not insist on declining her. "Alright, I will be back soon."
Chapter 46 - A handsome face appeared in front of her.
After Wen Rugui had taken off, Tong Xuelu started assigning the rooms.
Tong Mianmian was still young and it was not appropriate for her to be by herself. As such, Tong Mianmian would stay with Tong Xuelu in the large room on the east side.
The small room on the east will be turned into a study and the two rooms on the west side would be up to the two brothers to figure it out.
As much as Tong Jiaxin was a naughty boy, he was sill quite respectful toward his Second Brother. He voluntarily picked the smaller of the two rooms on the west side.
Once they had decided on their rooms, Tong Xuelu had them go and organize their things.
She, on the other hand, went to clean out the kitchen. Her plan was to head over to the CSMC after she was done cleaning and pick up groceries for dinner.
When she was tidying things up, she was even more appreciative of Wen Rugui.
Both inside and outside of the house had been cleaned and the kitchen wasn't dirty at all. All she needed to do was to wipe down the corners and put away the kitchenware and she would be done.
She was still so tired that her back was aching after she was done cleaning.
Seeing that it was getting late, she worried that there would be no more groceries if she went any later.
She washed up and was just about to return to her room to comb out her hair when she heard someone knocking coming from the outside.
Tong Xuelu was taken aback a little. She didn't think Wen Rugui could make it back so soon.
She tidied up her clothes and went over to the door.
Before she opened the door, she asked cautiously, "Who is it?"
There was no peep hole, camera, or security door at this ear. It would be dangerous for her to open up the door if it was some hooligans outside.
A strange woman's voice responded from the outside. "Hi, I am your neighbor. My husband's surname is Wei."
The voice sounded kind, so Tong Xuelu finally opened up a crack in the door.
She saw a woman in her 50s standing outside the door.
The woman outside was fair and poised. She had on a white Decron shirt on top and a pair of black Decron pants on the bottom. No crease could be seen on her outfit at all.
Looking at the woman standing in front of her, Tong Xuelu could only think of two words: Wealthy people.
Decron appeared in the market in the early 60s but very little of them were produced and most for export purposes. Very few of them would be sold domestically in Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai.
One would need to stand in line for hours for a piece of Decron clothing and, most importantly, they were super expensive!
A shirt would close upward of 15 yuan. A normal labor made 30 yuan a month. Most people would not want to spend that kind of money on a shirt.
To put it simply, back then Decron represented status like LV and Gucci in the future.
This woman in front of her had an entire set of Decron. That was a statement that she came from money.
While Tong Xuelu studied the woman in front of her, the woman, too, was studying her.
Surprised could be seen past her black and white eyes but then she frowned immediately after that.
She felt that Tong Xuelu looked somewhat familiar but she couldn't recall where she had seen her before.
Shen Wanrong put on a tender and loving smile and said, "My husband's surname is Wei and mine is Shen. My two grandchildren and I live next door to you."
As she talked, she pointed at the small yard to the right. It was some 5~6 meters from Tong Xuelu's place.
Tong Xuelu looked in the direction that she was pointing in. "Hi, I am Tong Xuelu. My siblings and I just moved here today and I had yet to greet the neighbors as we are still unpacking."
Shen Wanrong was a little surprised.
Tong?
She didn't know anyone with the surname Tong.
But she only mentioned her siblings and not her parents. Did that mean their parents were no longer around?
But, if their parents were not around anymore, how would she be able to buy or rent a place like this?
Shen Wanrong had a lot of questions but it would be rude for her to ask.
"We, too, moved her just this year. This place had been emptied this entire time. I am glad you have moved now. Now we can keep each other company." As she spoke, she handed over the chestnuts that she had brought with her. "These are chestnuts given to us by our relatives. They are nice and soft. Have some."
Tong Xuelu was never a fan of the whole pushing things back and forth culture. If she was to live here, it'd be normal to give each other food as neighbors in the future.
As such, she didn't not decline her. She accepted Shen Wanrong's offer with a smile. "Why thank you, Grandma Shen, chestnuts are delicious in the fall."
Shen Wanrong, too, did not enjoy the back and forth tradition. She was even more pleased with Tong Xuelu when Tong Xuelu just accepted her food.
Suddenly, a chubby little girl came running out from the yard. "Grandma, where did you go? Zhuzhu didn't you when she woke up!"
A big smile appeared on Shen Wanrong when she saw her granddaughter. "Don't run so fast. Be careful not to trip and fall."
Right after she had said that, the little stopped in her tracks right away. She plopped down onto the ground then tilted sideway. "Oh, Grandma. I fell. I need a hug from you!"
Tong Xuelu, "…"
She was already such an actress at her young age. How would she be after she had grown up?
Her acting was, however, a bit on the sloppy side.
Shen Wanrong was already used to it. Smiling, she walked over to pick up her granddaughter and she scolded her gently, "The ground is very dirty. You shouldn't just lay down like that. You will need to change out of your clothes again."
Wei Zhuzhu pouted. "I fell, Grandma. We can just pat the dust off my clothes. Who were you talking you, Grandma?"
Shen Wanrong, "A new neighbor just moved in and Grandma came over to say hi to them."
"You mean that Big Sister?" Wei Zhuzhu looked over at Tong Xuelu and her eyes beamed right away. "Big Sister is so pretty! Hurry up and bring me over there, Grandma! I want to see pretty Big Sister!"
Shen Wanrong carried her granddaughter over and smiled helplessly, "Pardon us. This child had always like pretty people and things."
Wasn't that like everyone?
Tong Xuelu, who totally judged books by their covers, expressed that she understood. "I like pretty people too."
Wei Zhuzhu's eyes beamed more when she heard that. "I knew it. All pretty people think alike. Grandpa said this is called 'great minds think alike'!"
Tong Xuelu chuckled from the little girl's confidence. What a funny child.
Shen Wanrong smiled a doting and helpless smile.
At this very moment, Tong Jiaxin walked out from the house and happened to be seen by Lu Shao Wei Zhuzhu.
Wei Zhuzhu immediately struggles to get off. "Hurry up and put me down, Grandma. I saw a pretty Big Brother!"
Tong Jiaxin paused a little when he heard that: A pretty Big Brother? Was she referring to him? She's got good taste then!
Wei Zhuzhu was 6 years old and was a little bit taller than most kids. Shen Wanrong had a difficult time holding her when she struggled.
Wei Zhuzhu jumped out of her grandmother's embrace and rushed in front of Tong Jiaxin like a firecracker. "Hi Big Brother. I am Wei Zhuzhu. What's your name?"
"Wei Zhuzhu?" Tong Jiaxin's eyes widened and he busted out laughing. "Lucky your parents named you Zhuzhu, else you would be 'feed the pig' (Wei Zhu), hahahahaha…"
Tong Xuelu, "…" This was exactly what it meant by spare the rod, spoil the child.
Shen Wanrong was the one embarrassed earlier and now it was Tong Xuelu's turn. "I apologize. My little brother sometimes don't think things though. I'll teach him a lesson in a little bit!"
Shen Wanrong smiled and waved her hand. "It's alright. The kids and resolve their issues between themselves."
Wei Zhuzhu, however, was not a petty one. "Big Brother, I will forgive you this one time because you are pretty. But you still haven't told me your name."
Tong Jiaxin harrumphed and said, "Why would I want to tell you my name? You are not pretty!"
Wei Zhuzhu, "You are very pretty, Big Brother, but what is wrong with your eyes? I am very pretty. Besides, how are we going to be good friends if you don't tell me your name?"
Tong Jiaxin's nose was about to point straight up into the sky. "I don't want to be friends with girls!"
"…"
Tong Xuelu's lips twitched when she heard that.
She had no idea how a straight man like Tong Jiaxin was able to get himself a wife in his previous life.
Suddenly, Tong Jiaming walked out from inside the house, "Jiaxin, don't be so rude!"
Tong Jiaxin felt unreconciled but, looking at the stern look on his Second Brother, he, too, felt a bit intimidated.
He had yet to be able to apologize when Wei Zhuzhu pushed hi away and rushed over to Tong Jiaming. Giving him a sweet smile, she said, "Hi Big Brother, I am Wei Zhuzhu. What is your name?"
Tong Jiaxin, "…?'
Tong Jiaming said, "Hi, I am Tong Jiaming. That's my little brother Tong Jiaxin."
Wei Zhuzhu smiled so much that her eyes could barely be seen. "You are not only good looking and have a melodious voice, but you are also so tender. Big Brother, you are so nice!"
Tong Xuelu was impressed.
With her ability to smooth talk at her age, she would be able to have any pretty little big brothers after she had grown up.
Tong Jiaming had never run into anything that blunt before and his delicate face turned the color of pork liver.
Tong Mianmian came out from the house on her short chubby legs and said, "You are right, Big Sister, my Second Brother is very nice."
Wei Zhuzhu's eyes beamed again when she saw Tong Mianmian. "You are so pretty, Little Sister. You are as pretty as your Second Brother!"
The little bun's face turned red and she twisted around. "Big Sister is pretty too."
Wei Zhuzhu nodded. "I know I am very pretty. My brother is ugly though. I'm so envious of you having such good looking sister and brothers!"
Tong Mianmian blinked her big eyes, cocked her head, and said in a milky voice, "Is your Big Brother as ugly as my Third Brother?"
Tong Jiaxin, "…?"
Wei Zhuzhu, "No, my Big Brother is much uglier than your Third Brother!"
Tong Mianmian's jaw dropped open in shock. It looked as though she was saying, "How is it possible that someone can be uglier than my Third Brother? Exactly how ugly is that?"
Tong Jiaxin, "…"
Oh, Little Sister, was that really necessary?
Tong Jiaxin felt his heart shattered into pieces.
Listening to the kids' talk, Tong Xuelu laughed so hard that there were tears in her eyes.
Wei Zhuzhu felt that the entire Tong family were very good looking and she didn't want to go home anymore. "Grandma, I want to stay here and play."
Shen Wanrong, "Don't you see that Big Sister and Big Brothers are cleaning right now? You will slow them down if you stay here. You can come over after they are done with their cleaning."
Wei Zhuzhu thought about it some and said, "Alright. I'll b back tomorrow then."
After Shen Wanrong and Wei Zhuzhu were gone, Tong Xuelu went back inside the house and combed her hair out before she headed over to CSMC to buy groceries.
She had Tong Jiaming start the rice on her way out and to cook and peel the chestnuts.
Everything she went shopping, Tong Xuelu felt strongly about how rare material goods were in this day and age.
Unlike the pervious time, she didn't find anyone who she could kiss up to, so she had to go and stand in line.
She was in line for almost an hour before she returned with a bundle of green vegetables, two cabbages, and three tomatoes.
All the meat at the CSMC was already gone and there were only eggs left.
After what happened the previous time, she didn't dare to head to the black market once again.
She returned with her vegetable and eggs and regretted not being able to make a good meal without the needed ingredients.
She heard Tong Jiaxin's cheerful voice when she got to the front of her house.
"This is awesome! We will have eggs in the future! Second Brother, let me take care of feeding the chicken in the future!"
Feeding the chicken?
What chicken?
Tong Xuelu knocked on the door, feeling baffled, "Mianmian, Big Sister is home."
She heard footsteps and expected that it would be Tong Jiaming who came to get the door. When the door opened, she was Wen Rugui's handsome face in front of her.
Chapter 47 - More importantly, he didn't even get a bite of it.
Tong Xuelu was taken aback a little. "You are back so soon?"
Back.
That word had never sounded more melodious to Wen Rugui . "Yes, I returned immediately after I've returned the car."
As he talked, he took the stuff from her naturally.
Men do need to be trained.
Tong Xuelu was very pleased that he voluntarily took the stuff from her.
She closed the door and asked as she walked inside. "Oh right. What was that I heard about feeding chicken from the outside?"
Wen Rugui's eyelids quivered and he said, "I bought a couple chickens from a friend for your housewarming."
Tong Xuelu looked in Tong Jiaxin's direction. She saw a hen cowered in the corner, looking traumatized.
Tong Mianmian looked at the old hen with her limpid eyes widened, looking shocked.
The compound where they had stayed previously was very crowded and chickens were smelly to be around. As such, nobody there kept any chicken. This was Tong Mianmian's first time seeing a chicken live.
Tong Xuelu looked away from Tong Mianmian "Thank you. You didn't have to. But did you just say two chickens? Where's the other one?"
Wen Rugui, "I killed it. It's inside the kitchen."
Tong Xuelu's eyes beamed. "That's great. I was just worried about not being able to cook a nice meal to thank you! Now I can make a braised chestnut and chicken, a garlic cabbage, and a tomato and egg drop soup and that would be perfect."
Wen Rugui couldn't help but gulped when he heard that. "Okay."
After all the stuff was dropped off in the kitchen, Tong Xuelu called Tong Jiaming over to help out.
Wen Rugui expressed that he, too, could help out but Tong Xuelu refused to let him do that.
She had Tong Mianmian brought him over to the living room.
There were a few bundles of dried woods and straws inside the kitchen and they would tie them over for a few days.
Tong Xuelu had Tong Jiaming rinsed the vegetables and peeled the garlic as she started to clean up the hen.
Luckily the hen was already killed; she would not otherwise be brave enough to kill it.
But this hen looked to be very delicious. Unlike the ones that were raised on feed in the future time, this one look meaty and tender, and its meat dense.
The thought of braised chestnut and chicken made her mouth water.
She removed the chicken's neck and the butt and diced up its meat. She cleaned it and blanch it to get rid of the blood taste.
She started with cold oil and, when the oil was heated up, added spices like green onion, ginger, garlic, and anise and fried until aromatic before adding the chicken. She sauteed them until they changed color before adding in soy sauce and rock sugar. She then added water and cooked with cover in high heat. Once the water was boiling, she added in the chestnuts.
The aroma of the chestnut mixed very well with chicken's taste during the stewing process. Along with the spices, when the sauce thickened, both the chestnuts and the chicken turned into a delectable brownish red color.
The aroma could be smelled throughout the house.
Tong Xuelu sprinkled green onion over the braised chestnut and chicken and the bright green colored green onion perfectly adorned the chestnut chicken.
It was a perfect combination of look, smell and taste!
She handed the plate of chestnut chicken to Tong Jiaming and said to him, "Carry this over to the living room and put a plate over it"
The tempting smell continued to come from the chicken, making Tong Jiaming gulp.
Tong Jiaxin, who was bonding with the hen in the backyard, immediately came running over when he smelled the dish. "That smells so good, Second Brother! Can I have a taste first?"
Tong Jiaxin gulped as he spoke. He didn't think that he was hungry but, after smelling the dish, he now thought that he could eat two head of cows!
Tong Jiaming denied him, "No!"
Tong Jiaxin whimpered and followed the aroma into the living room.
Inside the living room, Wen Rugui and Tong Mianmian were staring at each other.
Wen Rugui let out a sigh of relief when he saw the other two walking in.
He didn't know how to be around children, especially a soft and delicate little girl.
After the braised chestnuts and chicken was done, Tong Xuelu quickly finished up the garlic cabbage and tomato and egg drop soup.
After those were done, Tong Xuelu decided to make some more dates cake and had Wen Rugui brought them with him.
She rinsed the dates clean, removed their pits, and placed not a steamer to soften them. She them mashed them up and mixed them evenly with white sugar, flour, and yeast. Warm water was added during the mixing process until the flour turned into paste form.
She poured the paste into a steaming bowl before she went to wash up in the yard and joined the others for dinner in the living room.
Inside the living room, Tong Jiaming and Tong Jiaxin had already spooned out the rice and they were all waiting for Tong Xuelu to join them.
Tong Jiaxin had been famished. Stretching his neck and looking at the door, he felt that he was already running out of saliva.
When he saw Tong Xuelu walking in, his eye lit up like that of a thief.
When Wen Rugui saw that Tong Xuelu's face was red from heat, he suddenly regretted his decision to stay and eat.
She didn't have to make so much food if he wasn't staying.
Tong Xuelu herself didn't think that it was hard work. She enjoyed cooking and also watching others enjoy her cooking.
Seeing that everyone was looking at her, her red lips curved and she said, "Why are you all looking at me? Eat!"
Tong Jiaxin cheered. "Yay! Dinner is served!"
Looking at the plate of braised chestnut and chicken, Wen Rugui really wanted to pick a piece out for Tong Xuelu but, with all the others sitting around, he finally gave up on that idea.
Tong Xuelu picked up a piece of chestnut and put it in her mouth. It was soft and tasty. Very good.
"Have more chicken, Comrade Wen. The chestnuts are very good as well."
"I will."
Wen Rugui picked up a piece of chicken and took a bite from it.
The chicken was soft and tender. Its rich taste popped in his mouth and it was unbelievably good.
Tong Jiaxin was always the biggest fan to good food. He poured the sauce onto his rice and had a bite of chicken with each bite of rice. He couldn't have been happier.
"This is too delicious! I thought braised pork was the best meat that I had ever had but now I feel that braised chestnut chicken is even better than braised pork!
"I wish I can eat like this every day!"
Nobody paid him many attention as everyone was busy eating.
Wen Rugui didn't say anything but he totally agreed with Tong Jiaxin.
Braised chestnut chicken was incredible, the garlic cabbage was crispy and tasty, and the tomato egg drop soup was delectable as well.
All of a sudden, he no longer regretted about his decision to stay.
He did, however, felt even grumpier about the picked cabbage with fish that he did not have a chance to try.
All the plates on the table were emptied after half an hour.
Tong Jiaxin leaned back on the chair and rubbed his belly. He felt that this was how life was supposed to be like.
To think that all they had were sweet potatoes and vegetables every day. That was not living!
The date cake was done by the time dinner was over.
After it was cooled down, Tong Xuelu sliced it up and handed it over to Wen Rugui. "This is date cake, a gift for you for all of your help. Thank you so much for today!"
If it wasn't for his help, she would not have been able to rent such a nice place.
If he hadn't have the placed cleaned ahead of time, the moving in would not have gone so smoothly.
If he hadn't borrowed a car to help her move, she had no idea how many trips she would need to make.
If he hadn't brought the chicken and hen, they wouldn't have meat for this meal.
She owed him a lot and would have to repay him slowly in the future.
Wen Rugui didn't know that Tong Xuelu also made date cake in the kitchen.
After spending some time with her, he learned that Tong Xuelu wasn't reserved like other girls.
Taking the cake from her, his lips curved upward, "Thank you for dinner. It was very tasty."
Looking at the outside, she rushed him, "You should hurry back. You wouldn't want to miss the bus."
"Okay."
He did need to go.
He had taken three day's time off from the research center and he would need to take the red eye back tonight. He wouldn't want the principal to come looking for him in person tomorrow.
Walking Wen Rugui to the door, Tong Xuelu waved at him, "Don't hesitate to come over for dinner in the future. I'll cook for you."
The sun was going down and the red glow from the setting sun colored her cheeks red as though she had blush on.
Wen Rugui's heart beat faster when he looked at her smile. "Okay."
And he forced himself to turn and leave after he had said that.
Tong Xuelu finally closed the door after Wen Rugui had disappeared into the alleyway.
Material goods were sparce in this day and age and all families wanted to be self-sufficient. That was also true even in the military compound.
There were areas within the compound that were dedicated for growing vegetables and keeping fowls. Not a lot, but each family could keep up to 1 ~ 2 of them.
The Wen family, too, had two hens. The two hens were raised from chicken by Old Mr. Wen.
He even named them Xiao Wu (No. 5) and Xiao Liu (No. 6).
Everyday after dinner, when Old Mr. Wen went for his walk, he would take a detour to check on them.
Lo and behold, when he went over to the chicken coup today, he noticed that Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu were gone!
Old Mr. Wen was worried. "Xiao Zong, where are Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu? How come I can't find them?"
Uncle Zong looked around everywhere but still did not find any signs of Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu. Even the eggs were gone!
Uncle Zong, too, got worried. "Commander, Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu were not inside the chicken coup. I've checked the cages nearby as well. Nothing!"
"Why are you still standing there? Hurry up and check with Xiao Wang!"
"Yes, Commander!"
Uncle Zong walked so fast that he could bring up a draft. He quickly went over to Xiao Wang, the orderly.
Xiao Wang was the person in charge of the chicken coups. He was the one who took care of keeping the area clean and registration.
Xiao Wang was having dinner when Uncle Zong arrived.
Xiao Wang's eyes were widened when he heard Uncle Zong's question. "Didn't you know, Uncle Zong? Rugui told me that Commander wanted the chicken to make broth so I helped him slaughtered it. Didn't he bring it back?"
Uncle Zong was shocked. "How many chicken did he kill? And why?"
Looking at Uncle Zong, Xiao Wang, too, noticed that something was not right. "He only had me slaughtered Xiao Wu. He left with Xiao Liu. I don't know where he went after that."
Uncle Zong turned pale.
Uncle Zong's hands started to tremble.
He was speechless.
Xiao Wu had died and Xiao Liu had gone missing!
After walking out of the dormitory building, Uncle Zong ran back frantically. "Commander, we've got a problem!"
Old Mr. Wen was so angry that he almost had a heart attack when he heard that Xiao Wu had been slaughtered. "That brat! What was he thinking?"
Uncle Zong couldn't answer that question either.
Wen Rugui had initially said that he was only taken one day off. Suddenly, he said he would be staying. They asked him what was going on and all he said was he couldn't tell me what was happening at the base.
They watched him leaving early and coming back late every day and dared not ask what was going on.
Then he killed Xiao Wu and took Xiao Liu away?! This was going to far!
Uncle Zong couldn't say that out loud to Old Mr. Wen. He just said, "Relax, Commander. I am sure Rugui had his reasons. Perhaps the base needed them."
Old Mr. Wen was so angry that even his goatie was shaking. "The base needs that, my $$! Rugui studies physics and mechanical engineering. He's not a vet!"
Even if he was, he couldn't just slaughter his Xiao Wu!
More importantly, he didn't even get one bite of it!
That was not cool!
Chapter 48- "Don't. You don't want Zhuzhu to see this."
Even Uncle Zong didn't know what to say anymore. "We will just have to ask him tonight."
Old Mr. Wen had already have his mind made up. He would give Wen Rugui a good beating if he wasn't able to provide a good explanation.
Lo and behold, he was NOT! COMING! HOME!
Old Mr. Wen was so angry that he was just about to swallow up the phone when he found that out. "You brat! You come back right now!"
Wen Rugui, "Grandpa, I need to go back to the base tonight. I don't have enough time."
Old Mr. Wen was infuriated. "Then tell me. What was the story with Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu?!"
Wen Rugui went silent for a little bit and said, "Grandpa, Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu cannot make it back. I'll get you two new chicken next time."
Old Mr. Wen clanked his cane on the floor. "Is this a matter of chickens? It is Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu that we were talking about! I've raised them since they were young chicken. They are like my children!"
The other end of the phone went silent.
After a long while, Wen Rugui's nonchalant voice came from the other end. "Grandpa, you have also said that Xiao Yi (No. 1), Xiao Er (No. 2), Xiao San (No. 3), and Xiao Xi (No. 4) were like your own children. Didn't they also turn into broth or braised in the end?"
"…"
Old Mr. Wen was speechless for a little while before he said again, "That's not the same. Xiao Yi and the others were raised by Xiao Zong. They were Xiao Zong's children. Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu were raised by me!"
Uncle Zong, "…"
So his chicken could be eaten?
Wen Rugui, "Grandpa, I've given the chicken to Comrade Tong. She just moved today. I'll replace your chicken next time."
When Old Mr. Wen heard that, he no longer cared about the chickens. "Comrade Tong? You mean Miss Young Grass?"
"Mmm."
Old Mr. Wen was even angrier the next minute. "Why didn't you tell me ahead of time then?!"
The pickled vegetable and fish was so good the other day. He was sure that Xiao Wu would only taste better whether it was turned into a broth or braised!
That was exactly why I didn't tell you.
Thought Wen Rugui.
And then that was that.
Old Mr. Wen was still very unhappy in the next few days.
Those who didn't know better would think that he was mourning for the loss of Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu. Only Uncle Zong knew that he was simply upset that he didn't have Xiao Wu that was prepared by Miss Young Grass.
As soon as he had hung up on the phone, Wen Rugui turned and was met with Pu Jianyi's eyes that were brighter than lightbulbs.
Pu Jianyi, "Wen Rugui, something is going on with you."
Wen Rugui picked up the bag that had the date cakes inside and said, "It's getting late. Drop me off the train station. Someone will pick me up over there."
There was no more trains to the station at this hour. That was why he came over to the police station and asked Pu Jianyi to give him a ride.
Pu Jianyi placed his hand over Wen Rugui's shoulder and smiled like a hooligan at him. "I can give you a ride, but only if you tell me about what is going on between you and Comrade Tong."
Wen Rugui pushed his hand away expressionlessly. "About the money that you owe me…"
Pu Jianyi jumped up and down in anger. "Fine, fine, fine. I won't ask anymore, okay?"
He had been getting worse and worse. He was not like this in the past!
He suddenly recalled how Tong Xuelu had tricked him the other day and his heart dropped.
Was she the reason that Wen Rugui had become like this? Because she had been rubbing off on him?
But, with Wen Rugui holding his dirt on his hand, Pu Jianyi dared not pry anymore. He drove his police car and dropped Wen Rugui off at the train station.
Wen Rugui left with the bag after he had thanked him, having no intention of offering any of the date cake to him.
Looking at Wen Rugui's back as he walked away, Pu Jianyi pushed his molar with the tip of his tongue and looked like he was having a toothache.
Wen Rugui had his colleague Zhou Yan came and picked him up.
As soon as he got inside the car, he met Zhou Yan's inquisitive look.
He pretended that he didn't notice it and said, "Thank you for picking me up."
Zhou Yan tsked and asked. "What happened with you the last few days, Rugui? Why did you take so many days off all of a sudden? Did you go to matchmaking again?"
Wen Rugui pinched his lips shut and said, "No."
Zhou Yan obviously did not believe him. "Just look at you. You didn't like the girl again? If you ask me, you really should stop being so choosy. You can't tell people apart anyway, does it really matter who you are with?"
Wen Rugui said nonchalantly, "Of course it matters."
If he couldn't even tell her apart, how could he get to know her better?
Besides, marriage should not be all about having children; it should be the joining of two souls.
Naturally, he had no intention of explaining that to his Zhou Yan.
And Zhou Yan did not seem particularly interested in continuing that conversation either.
He sniffed around like a dog and asked, "What kind of yummy food did you bring from home?"
Wen Rugui's hand that was holding onto the date cake paused a little. "Date cake."
"Oh, that'd explain the date smell!" Zhou Yan smiled and said, "It so happened that I didn't have enough to eat tonight. Give me a piece."
Wen Rugui's grip on the bag tightened some more and he rejected Zhou Yan's request. "No."
No, NO?!
Zhou Yan was so shocked that his jaw dropped. "Since when have you become so stingy, Rugui? We are just talking about a piece of date cake. Here I am coming to pick you up in the middle of the night and you can't even spare a piece of date cake? Are you kidding me?"
Wen Rugui, "I'll treat you to the cafeteria tomorrow."
"Who wants to go to the cafeteria?!"
Zhou Yan didn't care about a piece of date cake, but Wen Rugui's attitude was too bizarre.
Zhou Yan looked over at him a few times. "I mean, Rugui, you can't be so ungrateful. You have plenty of date cakes there. What's gonna happen if you spare me one?"
Wen Rugui turned him down again. "If you don't want to eat at the cafeteria, I'll take you to the government-operated restaurant."
"…"
Now Zhou Yan was troubled.
He had known Wen Rugui for years and he had always been a generous one. Wen Rugui had always shared yummy food that he brought from home. What was up with him this time then?
He felt that the problem lied with the date cake.
He was unable to get even a piece from Wen Rugui all the way back to the base.
That was very bizarre.
Inside the compound of the Logistic Department.
Mother Tong brought up Tong Zhenzhen's change to the other Tong family members over dinner and nobody believed her.
Cai Chunlan shoved a piece of fatty meat into her mouth and said, "Mom, are you serious? Why did that sound so unbelievable?"
They had all gone and visited Tong Zhenzhen since she had been sent to the farm.
Everybody could still clearly remember how she had cursed all of them to go to hell. As such, nobody believed Mother Tong when she said that.
Mother Lu gave her Second Daughter-in-law a look and said, "Do you think I'd make something like that up? Zhenzhen just needed some time to think things through was all. You can't badmouth her outside anymore!"
Her Second Daughter-in-law always had a big mouth. When Tong Xuelu was there, she would badmouth Tong Xuelu to others. After Tong Zhenzhen's incident, she had been badmouthing Tong Zhenzhen.
What would others think of her when she was always badmouthing others? What a stupid woman with no self-awareness!
Cai Chunlan didn't expect her mother-in-law to call her out suddenly and her face that resembled a pancake turned beet red. "Everything that I've said was true."
Mother Lu did not dignify that with a comment. She told her two sons and her Big Daughter-in-law, "Zhenzhen already knew that she old ways were wrong and you shouldn't continue to hold that against her in the future, alright?"
Big Brother Tong said, "What Mom said is true. Zhenzhen has really had it all figured out. I think sending her to the farm was the right move."
The others finally believed that it was true after Big Brother Tong had spoken up.
Pleased, Father Tong said, "Your mom is right. Zhenzhen already knew that her old ways were wrong and, as her brothers and sisters-in-law, you should be forgiving toward her. She is, after all, your real sister!"
The two sons and daughters-in-law all expressed their agreement.
As for what Tong Zhenzhen had asked of her, Mother Tong planned to pay the other Tong family a visit after the holidays.
The thought of the other Tong family reminded Mother Tong of Tong Xuelu.
She had loved Tong Xuelu deeply before she learned about the switch at birth incident. After Tong Zhenzhen's return, she felt that her heart had been split into two, much like there are meats on both side of one's hand.
Tong Xuelu wasn't her real daughter but she had, after all, loved her all these years. She did not wish for her to leave.
It was until she started having conflicts with Tong Zhenzhen and Tong Zhenzhen was sent to the farm before Mother Tong's mentality started to change.
Particularly when she saw Tong Zhenzhen so skinny and disheveled today. Her heart ached for her.
She knew that it wasn't Tong Xuelu's fault but it still bothered her.
Naturally, she did not tell that to anyone.
The Yi family, too, were talking about Tong Xuelu and her siblings right now.
Shen Wanrong said to her husband, "A few kids moved next door to us. The youngest one of them is just 3~4 years old. I had yet to see their parents and I'm afraid they are no longer around."
If their parents were still around. There was no way they would just like such young kids take care of the move with them never even showing their faces.
Wei Zhiguo placed the peeled chestnuts into Shen Wanrong and their granddaughter's bowls, "How are they able to move here then? Are they decent people?"
They lived so close to each other that he worried about them affect his granddaughter if they were not decent people.
Upon hearing that, Wei Zhuzhu lifted her chubby little face up from the bowl and said, "Of course they are. Big Sister Tong and her siblings are all attractive people. I am sure they are nice too!"
What his granddaughter said did not surprised Wei Zhiguo at all. "You can tell whether someone is nice from their looks. Just because someone is good looking don't necessarily mean they are nice people and that unattractive people are all bad people. You keep that in mind, okay?"
Wei Zhuzhu acknowledged with her crisp voice. "Yes! But Big Sister Tong and her siblings are nice people!"
Having said that, she tossed away her chopsticks, hopped off the chair, and went to read her children books.
Wei Zhiguo had a helpless look on him.
Shen Wanrong looked at her husband and smiled. "Those kids are exceptionally good looking, especially that big sister. She looks prettier than a hibiscus coming out of water. She looks familiar for some reason but I can't quite put a finger on it."
Wei Zhiguo, "No worry about it. Memory is a tricky thing. The more you try to think about it, the harder it is to come by. It'll come to you one day."
Having said that, he stuck his head over and planted a kiss on her cheek.
Shen Wanrong's face turned the color of cooked shrimp all of a sudden. She gave him a shove and said, "What do you think you are doing? What if Zhuzhu see us?'
Wei Zhiguo grinned at her and said, "She won't."
Shen Wanrong gave him a loving stare.
Tong Xuelu and the others did not unpack anymore after Wen Rugui was gone. They showered and went to bed early.
Tong Jiaxin had been happy about having his own room but, when it came time to go to bed, he was intimidated and refused to get out of Tong Jiaming's room.
The two brothers slept in the same room after all.
It was a bright sunny day the next day.
Tong Xuelu still had one more day off and she had no rush to go into work.
There were still a lot of tidying up to do in the yard and she planned to get them all done today.
Tong Jiaming was the one who got up and made breakfast – porridge and pickled vegetables.
After Tong Xuelu had gotten up, she fried a few eggs for all of them.
Tong Jiaxin finally stopped frowning when he saw the fried eggs.
As soon as they had finished breakfast, they heard knocking on the wooden door in their yard
Chapter 49 - She wondered what the woman had up her sleeves.
"Big Sister Tong, Big Brother Jiaming, and Little Sister Mianmian, I am here to play with you!"
Tong Jiaxin, hearing that his name was the only one missed, harrumphed through his nose.
Tong Xuelu brought Tong Mianmian with her to get the door.
As soon as the wooden door opened up, Wei Zhuzhu's chubby little body came running in. "Hi, Big Sister Tong, have you had breakfast yet?"
Tong Xuelu smiled and said, "We have just finished. What about you?"
Wei Zhuzhu rubbed her little round tummy and said, "Me too. I had been wanting to come over but Grandma said I shouldn't come over too early."
Tong Xuelu rubbed her on her head and said, "It's fine. Go play with Mianmian."
Tong Xuelu felt that Wei Zhuzhu might be a bit phony but she was courteous and would listen to others, she was not entirely an unruly child.
Wei Zhuzhu held Tong Mianmian's hand happily. "Let's go play, Little Sister."
Tong Mianmian nodded her little head and said in her milky voice. "Let me show you Xiao Liu, Big Sister Zhuzhu."
Wei Zhuzhu was curious. "Who is Xiao Liu?"
Tong Mianmian, "It's a hen that we have. Look, it's over there."
That was the first time Tong Xuelu found out that the hen came with a name.
Shen Wanrong smiled as she looked at the back of her granddaughter. "She had been wanting to come over since we got home yesterday. She never wanted to get out of bed in the past but she got up all by herself today.
"Oh right. I brought with me a pumpkin and some seeds. You can plant them in your yard. That way you will not need to buy all your vegetables at the market in the future."
Having said that, she handed the pumpkin and the seeds over to Tong Xuelu.
Tong Xuelu had planned to grow some vegetables in her yard and said, "That's awesome. Thank you, Grandma Shen. But you should take the pumpkin back with you."
Shen Wanrong, "We grew the pumpkin in our backyard. We have more than we can eat. Don't you be so polite with me."
Tong Xuelu thought about it some and said, "Okay. I'll take the pumpkin. Have a seat in the living room, Grandma Shen. I'll go make some pumpkin cake for everyone."
Shen Wanrong's eyes lit up. "You know how to make pumpkin cake? Can I watch?"
Seeing the curious look on her, Tong Xuelu smiled and nodded. "Of course. Do you not make sweets at home normally, Grandma Shen?"
Shen Wanrong smiled, "Zhuzhu's grandpa does most of the cooking. I never cooked."
And, just like that, a mouthful of dogfood was shoved into her mouth.
Tong Xuelu looked at her fingers. They were white, delicate and slender. They did not have the age spots or callouses belonging to someone her age. She was probably someone who had been doted on her entire life.
She was a very lucky woman.
Tong Xuelu had Tong Jiaming and Tong Jiaxin did the dishes before she went to loosen up the soil in the backyard and went into the kitchen carrying the pumpkin with her with Shen Wanrong in tow.
She skinned and sliced up the pumpkin before putting it into a steamer. Once it was steamed, she smashed it into paste form and added to it white sugar and tapioca flour. Finally, she kneaded them into pumpkin dough.
She cut the dough into dozens small pieces, rolled them into balls before she flattened them. They were then ready to be fried.
Looking at how skillful Tong Xuelu was, Shen Wanrong praised her sincerely, "That's amazing! I had tried to make pumpkin cake in the past but nevermind that I wasn't able to break the dough apart, they were also all burned as soon as I put them into a frying pan. In the end, none of them were edible."
The ones that Tong Xuelu made, however, were all golden brown in color. They looked very pretty when all the round pumpkin cakes were lined up next to each other.
Tong Xuelu smiled and said, "You are being too nice, Grandma Shen. I only become more familiar with it after I've made it a few times."
Still not seeing any signs of adults around, Shen Wanrong paused for a little and said, "Child, I hope you don't find me prying but how come your parents didn't come with you?"
Tong Xuelu figured she would ask that eventually. Her lips tightened a little and told her the Tong family's situation briefly with a sad look.
She told her about Tong Dajun and his wife's accident, how Jie Jinhua had "gone crazy", and how she had switched her job with someone working for a government-operated restaurant nearby.
She had, however, omitted the part that she was switched at birth, at that did not seem relevant.
Shen Wanrong had an idea that there was a back story to the Tong family but she didn't think it was such a sad story.
"It must be difficult trying to support all of your sibling by yourself." Looking at her tenderly, Shen Wanrong asked, "Oh right, what are you going to do with Mianmian when you go to work tomorrow and your two brothers go to school?"
Tong Xuelu said, "I plan to bring her with me to my workplace."
Shen Wanrong, "Is that a good idea? Your manager might not be very happy with you showing up with a child on day 1."
Tong Xuelu smiled nonchalantly, "I can't just leave her home by herself."
She had thought about the situation that Shen Wanrong was describing but she couldn't come up with any better ideas than bringing Tong Mianmian with her to work.
Shen Wanrong thought about it some and said, "Our Zhuzhu likes to play with Mianmian a lot. If you feel alright, you can drop her off at my place tomorrow and I can look after her for you."
Tong Xuelu said sincerely, "Thank you, Grandma Shen. Mianmian is a timid one and she loves to cling onto me. Let me ask her what she thinks of that in a little bit."
Tong Xuelu really appreciated Shen Wanrong's offer to help.
But, they had just met each other. She would not just trust her with Tong Mianmian just yet.
She planned to ask around about the Wei family. If they are nice people, that might not be a bad idea.
The pumpkin cakes were ready in no time. They were golden brown and shiny and looked very appetizing.
Shen Wanrong picked one up and tried it. It was soft and mushy along with the taste of pumpkin. The sweetness filled her mouth and it made her want to have another one.
Shen Wanrong praised her again. "Sweet but not overly so. I have had pumpkin cake many times before but this was by far the best!"
Wei Zhuzhu, Tong Mianmian, and the other children enjoyed them as well.
As she had made a lot of them, Tong Xuelu brought some of them with her to visit the other families in the alley after Shen Wanrong had taken off.
The other families were slightly further away but the still know about the Wei family.
Tong Xuelu found out indirectly that the Wei was a family of military personnel. Shen Wanrong had two sons and the younger of the two was a an officer in the northwest.
Her older son died in a mission and her older daughter-in-law didn't make it at the time and also followed in his footsteps.
Her older son left behind a son and a daughter and Shen Wanrong and her husband were looking after them.
Her older grandson got accepted to the worker, peasant, and soldier university in capital city. The two of them worried about him so they decided to move with their granddaughter to capital city so that they could take care of their grandson.
Tong Xuelu decided to have the Wei family helped her care for Tong Mianmian after she heard the stories.
What was there to worry about with a patriotic family like them?
She soaked some green beans that night before she head to bed and got up at day break to make green bean cakes the next morning.
After breakfast, she brought Tong Mianmian and the green bean cakes over to the Wei family.
Seeing that Tong Xuelu had made green bean cakes, Shen Wanrong couldn't help but chastised her lightly, "Just this one time okay? Don't bring stuff over anymore."
She didn't cook but she still knew that green bean cakes required a lot of sugar. With their family's situation, they should save anywhere that they could.
Tong Xuelu smiled and said, "It's not that difficult to make. Besides, Mianmian likes them as well."
Having said that, she handed over half a month of meal tickets and some lunch money.
Shen Wanrong didn't want to accept them but, looking at how determined that Tong Xuelu was, she finally accepted them.
Tong Xuelu squatted down and rubbed Tong Mianmian on her head. "You be a good girl and stay over at Grandma Shen's and play with Big Sister Zhuzhu okay? Big Sister will b here to pick you up after work, okay?"
She had already talked to Tong Mianmian the night before.
The little bun was very mature. She just missed her Big Sister.
Tong Mianmian hugged her and rubbed her face against Tong Xuelu's. "Okay, you be back soon, okay, Big Sister? Don't let Mianmian be worried."
The little bun's voice was milky and her eyes were filled with dependency for her. She was unbearably cute.
Tong Xuelu gave her a peck on her little cheek and said, "Okay, Big Sister will come back as soon as she gets off work."
After waving goodbye to Tong Mianmian and the Wei family members, Tong Xuelu headed toward the government-operated restaurant.
It was a 40-minute walk from where she lived to the government-operated restaurant and there was no bus that would take her there.
Luckily, she had already gotten used to walking after she had gotten there.
Su Xiuying had mentioned to her in the past that the government normally opened up at 10 o'clock and they needed to be there before 9.
It's now the end of summer and, after the walk, Tong Xuelu sweated a little.
She arrived at the government when she realized that the door was still locked and there was nobody inside.
She could only wait outside.
She waited for 10 or so minutes before a short and chubby body headed over slowly.
When she saw Tong Xuelu, he said, "Aiyo, you are so pretty Comrade Tong. If this was still the old society, you will be better as a lady of the night."
Oh shoot!
What was wrong with this Tan Xiaoyan?!
Tong Xuelu looked her up and down, smiled and said, "If that's the case, you are so short that you should go sell pancakes?"
Tong Xuelu was mocking her for her resemblance to Wu Dalang, that much Tan Xiaoyan got.
She was so angry that her mouth was crooked!
Her entire family was short, especially the lower half of her body. Even when she was the same height as everybody else, she still looked shorter than others.
It so happened that her mother's maiden name was Wu. So, whenever her family got into a fight with others when she was a child, the others would call them the descendant of Wu Dalang.
That made her so angry.
She rolled her puffy eyes, pointed at Tong Xuelu and scolded, "Here I thought you look like a human being but you were just the same as that unconscientious Su Xiuying. And you have the audacity to work here?"
Tong Xuelu snickered. "Look at your mean jerk look. Dogs will bark and pigs will pee when they see you. If you have the audacity to come to work still, why wouldn't I?"
"You, you…"
Tan Xiaoyan didn't think that the decorous-looking Tong Xuelu would be so sharp with her tongue.
Her square face turned red and green from anger.
"You, you, you what? You think I'll not shout back at you just because you are so ugly? I am telling you right now. Leave me alone or the entire capital city will know how ugly you are!"
Tong Xuelu had an idea of what kind of a tool Tan Xiaoyan was when she came to switch her position with Su Xiuying.
Having been a green tea for so many years, she was very good at reading people.
Some people just had a sharp tongue but they were not bad people. Some other people were just evil through and through.
Tong Xuelu was the latter.
She wasn't even worth Tong Xuelu's effort to bring her to her side.
Tan Xiaoyan was so angry that her nostrils flared like that of a gorilla and her chest heaved.
Tong Xuelu couldn't be bothered by her. She turned to check out the government in front of her.
Even among government-operated restaurant they were divided into different levels, low-end, mid-range, high-end. The one that she was working for was considered mid/high-level.
In front of her was a red wooden door and, peeking in through the glass window on the door, she could see neatly placed tables and chairs. She counted them roughly and there were between 10 ~ 20 tables. The area was quite sizeable.
Four characters were writing on each side of the wall. "Be independent" and "Work Hard".
A plaque was hung on the very top and over there were four large characters "Government-operated restaurant". There was even a Chinese flag on one side, making it looked very modern.
Seeing how Tong Xuelu was still looking around leisurely after their fight, Tan Xiaoyan was even more unhappy.
But, her eyes rolled a little and then she had a complacent smile on her.
When Tong Xuelu turned back around, she happened to capture the look on Tan Xiaoyan. That made Tong Xuelu frowned a little.
She wondered what the woman had up her sleeves but that didn't matter. She could cross that bridge when she came to it.
Chapter 50 - Tong Xuelu looked very calm sitting there, but she was feeling very excited.
It was close to 9 when Liu Dongchang, the manager of the government-operated restaurant finally arrived.
Liu Dongchang was around 35 ~ 36 of age and, similar to Tan Xiaoyan, was short and stout, had a square face, thick eyebrows, and big eyes.
If one was to only see his face, one would think that he was big and burly 1.8 meter tall men. Lo and behold, that face was situated on a 1.6 meter body. Anyone one looked at him, all the parts just didn't go together very well.
Tan Xiaoyan's eyes lit up when she saw Liu Dongchang. She jogged up there and said, "Brother-in-law, you are finally here. If you don't some soon, I'll be bullied badly."
Tong Xuelu was not surprised by Tan Xiaoyan's referral to Liu Dongchang.
She would not had been so arrogant otherwise if she had no backing at all.
Liu Dongchang frowned when he heard that and didn't seem very happy. "How many times have I told you to not call me that during work hours?"
Tan Xiaoyan twisted her body and said coquettishly, "I know, brother-in-law, but work hasn't started yet!"
Not everyone could talk coquettishly.
When she saw the way that Tan Xiaoyan did it, Tong Xuelu was very glad that she did not eat too much for breakfast.
Liu Dongchang, on the other hand, was not bothered by it. "Say, who's bully you now?"
Pointing her short and stubby fingers at Tong Xuelu, Tan Xiaoyan said, "That new girl. She just shouted at me for no reasons and she even said that she will be making the calls around here from now on and that I must listen to what she tells me!"
Oh boy. She sure knew how to make stuff out of thin air.
Tong Xuelu had underestimated her vileness.
That was when Liu Dongchang noticed that Tong Xuelu was there. He was surprised when he saw her face.
Regardless, as pretty as Tong Xuelu was, he still wasn't very fond of her.
He had wanted Sheng Xiuyan to exchange her position with his sister after the incident.
His parents had passed away early and he was raised by his sister. She had turned down many marriage propositions in order to send him to school and had worked many tough and dirty jobs like men.
Their family's turmoil was finally over after he had gotten into the A&M University and was assigned a job at the government-operated restaurant after graduating.
Even though he was the manager, but the openings at a government-operated restaurant was still very limited and it was not easy trying to get his Big Sister in.
He finally waited for a position to open up but, before he could even broach the subject, it was taken away by Tong Xuelu.
Naturally, he was not pleased with her.
Listening to what Tan Xiaoyan was saying, he said solemnly, "Comrade Tong, what is your problem huh? You don't try to form a good relationship with your colleagues but tried to stir up problems instead. The government-operated restaurant does not welcome someone like you!"
He was already labelled her off the bat. This Liu Dongchang was much smarting than the bird Tan Xiaoyan. (TN: "yan" = sparrow)
Tong Xuelu looked at her shows and said nothing.
Tan Xiaoyan placed her hands on her waist and said, "Hey there, Tong, did you not hear my brother-in-law talking to you? Are you scared now? So how were you so arrogant earlier, huh?"
Tong Xuelu still didn't make a sound.
Liu Dongchang frowned and his voice authoritative, "Comrade Tong Xuelu, if you continue to remain silent, I am going to have penalize you per the rules and regulations of the government-operated restaurant."
Tong Xuelu finally looked up slowly and her fair cheeks beet red, "Manager Liu, it wasn't that I don't want to talk. I just worried that speaking the truth will embarrass you."
Liu Dongchang frowned even more when he heard that. "What truth! Just say it!"
Tan Xiaoyan stared at Tong Xuelu with her puffy eyes and started to shout, "Don't listen to her, brother-in-law. I am sure she is trying to accuse me of something!"
Tong Xuelu, "Comrade Tan, I hadn't even said anything else and you are already accusing me of making stuff up. Even a murderer has the right to defend themselves before proof is presented!"
Liu Dongchang turned and said to Tan Xiaoyan, "You be quiet."
Tong Xuelu, biting down on her lower lip, stammered, "I came here early today and waited right here for the door to unlock. Then Comrade Tan arrived. She looked me up and down and then pointed at my nose and warned me not to… not to seduce you just because I am somewhat attractive!"
Liu Dongchang's face turned beet red. He turned to look at Tan Xiaoyan. The latter's nostrils flared and had a look of disbelief on her.
Tong Xuelu did not give her a chance to talk. She carried on to say, "She eve said to me that she had her eyes on you and for me to not have any ideas. She would otherwise chase me away from the government-operated restaurant!
"I was so angry when I heard that. The two of us had only met once and I had done nothing. She was blatantly tarnishing my reputation. And, I didn't know that you two are sister/brother-in-law. You two…"
Tong Xuelu stopped right there and looked at the two of them with surprise and contempt.
She was professional when it came to making stuff up.
"…"
"…"
There were a few seconds of silence between the three of them.
When Tan Xiaoyan recollected herself, she was so angry that her nose turned red. "You are making stuff up! I never said any of those things! You were the one who started shouting me first for no reason first!"
"You just said no reason. There is no beef between us. Why would I shout at you for no reasons?"
"That's because… because you…"
Tan Xiaoyan, blushing and stammering, couldn't come up with words.
She was the one who yelled at Tong Xuelu first but she didn't dare to let her brother-in-law find that out.
Besides, she cared a lot about her image in Liu Dongchang's eyes. She would not want to repeat to him the part that Tong Xuelu called her ugly.
Liu Dongchang's face was red like a cooked shrimp. "Comrade Tong, don't misunderstand. There is nothing going on between Comrade Tan and I. I only think of her as my little sister!"
Tong Xuelu gave him a dubious look. "But that wasn't what Comrade Tan had said earlier…"
Liu Dongchang, "She wasn't thinking straight. Don't listen to her nonsense. Tan Xiaoyan, you apologize to Comrade Tong right now!"
Tan Xiaoyan couldn't be angrier. "Brother-in-law, I didn't…"
Liu Dongchang cut her off and shouted at her sternly. "Do not call me that. If you couldn't do that, you can stop coming to work here!"
Tan Xiaoyan felt very aggrieved, but she had no choice but to apologize.
She stared at Tong Xuelu with her puffy eyes and said, "I'm sorry, Comrade Tong. I shouldn't have made up stuff to antagonize you. Please forgive me!"
Tong Xuelu put on a very understanding look. "I'm glad to hear that you've realized your mistake. As you've already apologized to me, Comrade Tan, I'll just forget that the whole thing had happened."
Liu Dongchang's face was still very red. "Comrade Tong, what you've said earlier, can you please… please not repeat it elsewhere?"
Tong Xuelu raised three of her fingers and swore. "I, Tong Xuelu, solemnly swear that if I ever repeat those words again, I will be strike down by thunder! I am here to serve the people; not to deal with internal politics. You can be assured that won't happen, Manager Liu!"
Liu Dongchang let out a sigh of relief as soon as he heard that. "Good, Comrade Tong, I won't have to worry about it then. You are a good comrade. I'll keep that in mind!"
Having said that, he turned and looked coldly at Tan Xiaoyan. "Comrade Tan, I will be deducting three points from you for trying to stir up drama today!"
All workers at the government-operated restaurant had a grading standard and their performances were graded by the manager of the restaurants.
The one with the highest score at the end of the year would receive an award and the one with the most deducted would be criticized publicly and also need to turn in a self-reflection report before year end.
Tong Xuelu almost vomited blood when she heard that. "Bro… Manager Liu, I…"
"Say no more. This conversation is over."
Liu Dongchang interrupted her rudely and put a stop on the subject.
The reason that Liu Dongchang did not doubt what Tong Xuelu had said was because his mother-in-law had a conversation with him after less than 6 months of his wife's death and asked if he wanted to be a family again.
He had a little bit of alcohol in him at the time and didn't immediately figure out what she was talking about. His mother-in-law went on to say that his next wife might not necessarily be nice to his two children.
Things would, however, be very different if he was to marry Tan Xiaoyan. Tan Xiaoyan was the two children's aunty and she would for certain treat them as though they were her own.
Whatever alcohol was left in him was gone immediately when he heard that. He immediately turned down his mother-in-law's suggestion. He had thought that that would be the end of it, except that, Tan Xiaoyan confessed to him that she had feelings for him two days later.
Even though he had been married once, but he was a manager of a government-operated restaurant. He would never agree to an ugly woman like Tan Xiaoyan.
He liked young, pretty, and cultured woman. The only requirement that Tan Xiaoyan met was the woman part.
He scolded Tan Xiaoyan right then and there and told her to never bring that up again.
Tan Xiaoyan felt very aggrieved.
Feeling unreconciled, Tan Xiaoyan stared at Tong Xuelu and asked her after Liu Dongchang had walked away, "Where did you hear that from?"
Tong Xuelu curved her red lips and smiled at Tan Xiaoyan. "Oh, I just made that up. I didn't know that it was true."
Tan Xiaoyan "…"
The others from the government-operated restaurant showed up while they were talking.
Seeing the both of them standing outside the door, they were baffled, "Why are you two standing out here?"
Tong Xuelu smiled and greeted them. "Hi, I'm Tong Xuelu, the one who swapped jobs with Comrade Su. Nice to meet you all!"
One of those who arrived was the chef of the government. Other addressed as Chef Meng.
Chef Meng was in his 50s. He was tall and chubby. It was obvious that he got his chubbiness from working at the got.
He glanced over at Tong Xuelu, grunted a response and walked inside.
Behind him was a young man. He was tall and lanky and looked to be around 15 or 16 years old.
He smiled at Tong Xuelu when he heard her words before he followed Chef Meng inside.
Su Xiuying had mentioned him to Tong Xuelu in the past. The young man's name is Guo Weiping. He was Chef Meng's disciple and had been an apprentice at the government-operated restaurant since he was 14 years old.
Seeing that all the others had gone inside, Tong Xuelu did even give Tan Xiaoyan another look before she, too, turned and walked inside.
Naturally, she didn't just make up the matters between Liu Dongchang and Tan Xiaoyan. It was told to her by Su Xiuying.
The day that Tan Xiaoyan professed her feelings to Liu Dongchang, Su Xiuying happened to have left something at the restaurant and she ran into Tan Xiaoyan hugging Liu Dongchang when she returned.
She told that to Tong Xuelu partly to thank Tong Xuelu for helping her and partly to revenge all the nasty remarks that Tan Xiaoyan had made about her.
Tong Xuelu didn't think that that piece of information would have come in handy so soon.
After Tong Xuelu had gone inside, Tan Xiaoyan stomped her feet and went inside as well.
Liu Dongchang announced the dishes for the day after everyone was there.
It was Friday and usually they would serve dumplings and braised pork.
After Liu Dongchang had announced the menu of the day, he looked around and finally stopped at Guo Weiping. "Xiao Guo will come with me to get the pork."
Guo Weiping had yet to nod before Chef Meng harrumphed and said, "Xiao Guo is busy today. I need to teach him how to chop up vegetables today."
Liu Dongchang frowned when he heard that. "It doesn't take that long to get pork. Can't you teach him after we get back?"
Chef Meng grunted. "That's easy for you to say, Manager Liu. We need to start preparing the food by the time you are back. When will I have the time to teach?"
Wow. Fight! Fight!
Tong Xuelu sat to one side calmly but was very excited down inside.
