Secretary Cao smiled.
"Does this still need approval?" Jiang Xinyu asked, and everyone wasn’t surprised, as she was new and didn’t understand, which was normal.
"Let’s not discuss this issue, let’s eat."
"Secretary Liu, can the grain station sell grain? I’m planning to go back to my hometown on Saturday and bring some grain for my neighbors. You don’t know, our village has been out of grain since the Lunar New Year last year. I was thinking of taking some grain back."
Liu Yuwei shook his head, "No, we run out of the monthly supply to citizens."
This topic made the dining table fall silent.
Jiang Xinyu still had more than sixty pounds of food tickets, which were tickets for two months.
No way, go to the supply and marketing cooperative tomorrow noon to exchange them for goods.
"Secretary Liu, I still have more than sixty pounds of food tickets not exchanged. When can I go to the grain station to exchange them?"
"You still have so much?"
"For two months, I left in a hurry last time. Didn’t have time to exchange them, and now I’ve just returned."
"You don’t use food tickets at the canteen?"
"I do, but I also have travel subsidies."
"Xiao Jiang, I really envy you."
"Secretary She, don’t you also have the same supply amount?"
"Yes, but it’s not enough to eat, a day’s amount is just one pound, not enough. There are elderly and children at home, can’t completely make up for it?" She Xiaoyun said with empathy.
Now Jiang Xinyu was the wealthiest person at the table, drawing warm, appreciative looks, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"I’ll cover the food tickets for today’s meal. Thanks, everyone for your care."
Everyone here was quite savvy, not aiming to take advantage, but they were satisfied with her openness.
"How can we let you do that? It’s not at the point of taking advantage of a young girl."
"I mean it, when things get better, you can treat me."
Everyone just smiled, feeling warmed by Jiang Xinyu’s generosity, all understanding her intention.
After the meal, Jiang Xinyu insisted on covering the food tickets and cash for the meal, which cost more than ten yuan, nearly half a month’s salary.
No one argued at the door, She Xiaoyun accompanied Jiang Xinyu to the textile factory gate, handed her money and food tickets.
"Silly girl, everyone knows you’re sincere, but no one wants to take advantage of you now."
"Sister She, if you have difficulties, you can come to me. I should have surplus every month."
"Alright, I’ll remember that. Thank you, Xinyu."
"No need to be formal. When times are tough, we should support each other.
By the way, I’m going to the supply and marketing cooperative tomorrow noon to exchange all the tickets."
"Go ahead, there will be soybean oil tomorrow, but it’s limited, half a pound per family. How many oil tickets do you have?"
"Wow! I’ll think of a way for you. And there’s not much kerosene supply left, remember to take bottles."
"Okay, thank you, Sister She. I’ll bring you some treats tomorrow."
Jiang Xinyu happily sent away She Xiaoyun and greeted the guard as she entered the factory.
Wei Kaiyun looked at Jiang Xinyu’s cheerful face, feeling a bit sour, wondering why she was so happy from a meal.
He had been worried for a while, not forgetting her being smitten with Lv Beiguang.
Jiang Xinyu lay on the desk resting, it was time for work at 1:30.
She slept too late last night, feeling sleepy after a while.
Wei Kaiyun came out and picked up Jiang Xinyu.
"Let go, we are outside."
"You sleep inside, I’ll call you when needed."
"Not going. You go inside, I’m fine."
Wei Kaiyun was displeased seeing his wife’s evading demeanor but knew this wasn’t a place to do as he pleased.
In the afternoon, he went to organize a study, just a group of advanced figures speaking passionately.
After work, Jiang Xinyu hurriedly went to the scrap station to buy some bottles, needed for buying kerosene tomorrow.
At home, she cleaned and placed them aside, pondering where to store the five pounds of soybean oil. She had plastic buckets but thought it wasn’t appropriate to take them outside, she found two previously collected mineral water bottles, tore off the labels, and scraped off the dates on the caps.
No matter how it looked, it still seemed too conspicuous, decided to leave it like that for now.
The weather was getting hot, wearing thermal clothes made her sweat, yet not wearing them felt cold, quite uncomfortable. She boiled water, took a bath, washed clothes, hoping the outer coat would dry by morning.
Felt like having porridge, didn’t want dry food, so lit the stove in the main room with coal balls. When the bathroom is built, the stove would be moved there, and set up two clay stoves in the main room.
Wondering why the mason hadn’t come yet, it was almost dark.
The yam, red dates, and millet porridge had been simmered, and then she heard knocking.
Opened the door and saw Wei Kaiyun. Why so early today?
"Did you find that mason?"
"I did, he’ll bring materials tomorrow morning. Just lock the room doors at home. They won’t interfere with anything in the yard."
"Okay, then I thought about visiting my hometown this week, seems like I can’t go."
"Why go back?" Wei Kaiyun carried the porridge into the west room.
"To tidy up the yard, plant some grain. Otherwise, it’s wasted."
"Then I’ll stay home. You go ahead."
"Actually, I’d rather go back with you, but the situation is unclear now, I’ll go later."
"I’ll tell you later," Xinyu deliberately added vinegar, chili oil to the pickled shreds, vastly improving the taste.
After dinner, Wei Kaiyun prepared bath water for Jiang Xinyu. He bathed outside.
"Keep away, I’m inconvenient these days."
"Even if I tell you, you wouldn’t know—it’s just women’s inconvenient days."
Wei Kaiyun was twenty-eight, understood well.
So they lay side by side on the kang. "Xinyu, I’m always bound by circumstances. I’m just working under someone, wanting to break free, but it’s hard.
I fear they’ll use you to threaten me. I’m not afraid of what they might do to me, only fearing they’ll harm you."
"Got it. It doesn’t matter, I’m committed to you, everything else isn’t a problem, as long as you don’t betray me, I won’t betray you."
"Honey, having you makes this life worthwhile." Wei Kaiyun held Jiang Xinyu tightly.
"Should they build a stove outside for you?"
"No need, the big pot needs to be heated, or the kang will remain cold and damp."
The next morning, they hadn’t had breakfast, when they heard knocking.
Wei Kaiyun instructed them, Jiang Xinyu wasn’t familiar, finally requested two stoves in the main room.
"You need to prepare grate and stove cover."
Jiang Xinyu nodded, noticing the plastic tubes they brought were too thin, worried that prolonged underground use might block water flow.