Chapter 51 Going Home
Wu Chun Hua was originally skeptical of Xu Xiao Jiao's statement. When making the pot stewed pork on the third day, she even wondered what she would do if it couldn't sell.
But as soon as she opened the store in the morning, she was startled by the people outside.
There were a lot of people in the first two days, but there were only fifty or sixty people. Except for the thirty people at the front, there weren't many people left. But today, she took a quick look. Oh, she got more than a hundred mouths.
As the first thirty finished buying, the crowd behind started a commotion.
"Hey, everyone, please stop crowding. Comrade Xiao Jiao had said to line up."
Xu Xiao Jiao raised her voice and responded, "Yes, line up. Don't be impatient. We have everything."
She looked at the person who had just spoken, smiled and said, "Uncle Yang, weren’t you among the first thirty in line on the first day, why did you come to buy again?"
The middle-aged man surnamed Yang slapped his thigh regretfully, "Aiya, say why I didn't buy more that day. I only bought one yuan worth. Yesterday, I happened to have a visitor at home and it was all finished in an instant. Now, our family hadn’t even gotten a proper taste. My little girl couldn’t accept this. She is crying and clamoring for it. So, I thought that today is the third day and I can catch up with the buy one get one free and get a good deal. So I got up quite early. And the result? When I arrived, the queue was already 40 or so people."
There was more than one person who had this idea. Because it was the last day! Those who didn't get the spots in the past two days knew that the pot stewed pork and meat buns were delicious as they looked upon the sake of free chicken feets and roujiamo and just bought sufficient amounts for the giveaway. They all had their eyes on this third day. And the result? When they felt that they came early, someone else came earlier than them.
They didn’t grab the spot on the last day! They had been waiting for three days! So they couldn’t really not buy anything. Today was the last day to buy it. And there were also the free chicken feet, pig trotters, and steamed buns. Once tomorrow comes, there’ll be nothing.
The sales volume on this last day had increased rapidly.
Because of the busyness, Grandma Song wasn't as idle as the previous two days. She took over the job of baking steamed buns, leaving Wu Chun Hua and Xu Xiao Jiao to concentrate on weighing the meat for the guests. She and Xu Xiao Gang assisted.
Seeing that the meat was almost half gone, there were still more than half of the people waiting. Moreover, it had only been sold for less than two hours. There must be more people coming later. Without needing Xu Xiao Jiao to say it, Wu Chun Hua saw that the meat prepared was coming up short.
Xu Xiao Jiao handed the wrapped meat to the other party, quickly collected the change, and said to Wu Chun Hua, "Mom, hurry up and braise another ten kilograms of meat, no, fifteen kilograms. The pig's trotters and chicken feet are all gone. If we do giveaway, we’ll have to give away pot stewed pork.”
So busy, Wu Chun Hua's forehead was sweaty. Because of the good business, her face appeared rosy. This time she had no doubts about her daughter's words. Who said that the leftovers weren't enough to sell, "Oh, then, you hold up for a while. The stock is ready. Mom is going to put the meat in it. I’ll get Xiao Gang watch it and I’ll come over."
Xu Xiao Jiao nodded and motioned for her to go quickly.
"Hey, Xiao Jiao, your match hasn't come back yet. It's been a month and a half." A neighbor of Xu Xiao Jiao also came to queue to buy meat and chatted with Xu Xiao Jiao casually.
Except for the time when Song Wei Ping just left and Xu Xiao Jiao was a little bored, she actually didn't have much time to think about Song Wei Ping as she had started preparing for the opening of the pot stewed meat shop for more than a month afterward. Well, maybe just thinking about him occasionally.
Now that someone asked today, Xu Xiao Jiao suddenly felt that she missed Song Wei Ping very much.
People were coming and going in front of her. It was a lively scene, but she always felt that there was one person missing.
While cutting the meat, she answered, "He hasn't come back yet. Last time I called him, he said he will be back soon, but can't say exactly when he will come."
"Look at how busy you are. If he is here, it would be much easier for you."
This was true. but it was her decision to open the business in the first place, "When he was here, he said to wait for his return to open the business. But I was idle at home, so I got absorbed in it with Grandmother and Mom. Aren’t female comrades also able to hold up half the sky?”
As she spoke, that person reached the front. Hearing this, he smiled and said, "There's nothing wrong with that. Ai, then you don't miss him."
Xu Xiao Jiao snorted, "I don't have time, I'm busy."
Though she appeared cool and carefree on the surface, that wasn't the case on the inside.
"Xiao Jiao, oh, I asked for two jins, how can you give one jin?" Wu Chun Hua finished putting the meat to stew and hurried back to help. Afterward, she noticed that her daughter was a little absent-minded.
Xu Xiao Jiao came back to her senses, "Ah, I heard wrong, Mom."
Wu Chun Hua saw that her daughter had lost the energy of the previous two days and was a little worried, "Are you tired? You go to the room to have a rest. Let Mom handle it."
Xu Xiao Jiao wasn’t tired. It had only been two hours since they started today. She went to bed early and woke up late. She was the most leisurely person in the family.
"I'm not tired, I'm just..."
"Hey, Xiao Jiao, look there. Isn't that Wei Ping? Wei Ping is back!" Wu Chun Hua looked surprised and pointed at a figure in the distance, interrupting Xu Xiao Jiao's words.
Xu Xiao Jiao looked over in response. It was indeed Song Wei Ping. He was back!
Xu Xiao Jiao thought she only glanced at him a bit and Song Wei Ping had already come closer in the blink of an eye.
He first greeted Grandmother Song and Wu Chun Hua. Then he looked at Xu Xiao Jiao, "Didn't we say to open the business when I come back? Are you tired?"
Xu Xiao Jiao shook her head and wanted to say she wasn’t tired. However, her words were stuck in her mouth and she couldn't say anything. Wu Chun Hua urged her, "Hurry up and take Wei Ping to the room to have a rest. You should also have a rest."
Although making money was important, the relationship between Daughter and Son-in-law was more important. Now that life was getting better and better, Wu Chun Hua was looking forward to having a grandson.
Although she wasn't as busy as she was at the beginning, she still had no time to spare. Xu Xiao Jiao was just about to say no when Song Wei Ping took her hand and led her into the main room.
"You take a break. I'll change clothes and go help." Song Wei Ping felt a little distressed when he saw Xu Xiao Jiao's cheeks were sweating.
When he wasn’t here, she thought of him. But now that they were face to face like this, Xu Xiao Jiao didn't know what to say for once and just murmured, "Song Wei Ping."
Song Wei Ping stared at her intently, "Originally there is more than a week before I can come back. But I was out for too long this time and missed you guys too. So I simply sold the goods in hand that were mostly finished negotiating. Although the profit was a little less, it’s still enough. It’s better to come back and spend more time with you.”
As he spoke, he remembered the days of being outside and how he tossed and turned every night.
Song Wei Ping reached out and rubbed Xu Xiao Jiao's cheek. His voice was a little hoarse, "Did you miss me, en?"
Xu Xiao Jiao's heart was pounding, but she couldn't say "I miss you".
Song Wei Ping didn't mind her response. He had known for a long time that his little Jiao Jiao had a hard mouth but a soft heart and never liked to tell him what was in her heart.
He opened his mouth to say something else when Xu Xiao Gang's voice came from far away, "Elder Brother-in-law, Elder Brother-in-law, have you had breakfast? Mom asked me to bring you some roujiamo to eat. There are still some leftover millet congee from the morning in the pot. Drink some and rest first..."
When Song Wei Ping heard the voice, he put his hand down from Xu Xiao Jiao's face, smiled at her, and turned around to open the door for Xu Xiao Gang.
As soon as he walked to the door, he heard Xu Xiao Jiao's voice, "Song Wei Ping."
Song Wei Ping stopped and turned to look at her, wanting to ask her what was wrong.
Then he saw Xu Xiao Jiao running over and hugging his neck.
While Song Wei Ping was stunned, she softly expressed her longing, "Song Wei Ping, I miss you. You have been out for a long time this time."
She buried her face in his chest. Her voice was delicate and carried a hint of crying.
Song Wei Ping felt her weight in his arms. For a moment he didn't know what to say.
He reached out to hug her back, lean against the door with her, lowered his head and kissed her black hair contentedly, "Jiao Jiao."
**
Wu Chun Hua was busy when she saw Song Wei Ping and Xu Xiao Gang coming in one after another. The roujiamo was still in Xu Xiao Gang's hand.
She hurriedly greeted him, "Wei Ping, why are you here? You didn't eat the roujiamo that Xiao Gang gave you. Hurry up and have some food and have a good rest. You don't need to work here."
Grandma Song nodded in suit, "Ping boy, take a rest first. No rush."
Song Wei Ping shook his head, "Grandmother, Mom, I've eaten in the morning. I'm not hungry. It’s the perfect time to come over and help."
He had changed his clothes and washed up. His whole person looked much more energetic.
Seeing him nimbly starting to cut and weigh the meat upon his arrival, Wu Chun Hua didn’t refuse as she knew that he was very familiar after selling it for two years. She asked casually, "Where is Xiao Jiao?"
Song Wei Ping's voice paused before softening, "She's tired. Let her rest."
Before Wu Chun Hua could speak, Grandma Song hurriedly nodded, "Xiao Jiao has been very busy during this period. You weren't at home, so she ran around to handle the procedures for opening the store. She has also been helping sell meat these days. Now you are back, you have to let her rest."
Wu Chun Hua listened and felt that her daughter was certainly tired during this period. Earlier when selling the meat, she weighed it wrongly. She nodded and said, "Then let her rest."
Compared with his elder sister who could rest, Xu Xiao Gang was still a little excited, "Grandmother, Mom, you don't need to say. Elder Brother-in-law will not let my elder sister work anymore. Elder Brother-in-law bought a camera for my elder sister. My elder sister is lying there and doing research. In the future, she will take pictures for us.”
In the main bedroom, Xu Xiao Jiao was leaning on the bedside, studying the camera in front of her absentmindedly.
In fact, there was nothing to examine. It was the earliest old-fashioned camera. It didn’t have the sophisticated and high-end lenses and focal lengths of later generations. So it was ordinary.
But Xu Xiao Jiao felt that this thing in her hand was heavy with a person's sincerity.
She slowly recalled the past two or three years and realized belatedly that Song Wei Ping had given her everything she had said and wanted.
From the shiny hairpin she liked at the beginning to the red dress. From the casually mentioned bicycle, watch, television set to the camera she mentioned before in the park, Song Wei Ping gave her each one of them.
Even before she said she wanted to move to the town, Song Wei Ping had already chosen the house.
Earlier, when she was hugging Song Wei Ping, she could feel from the way he carefully kissed the tip of her hair that in Song Wei Ping's heart, she was his priceless treasure.
She was Song Wei Ping’s priceless treasure.
Xu Xiao Jiao repeated this sentence in her heart and suddenly couldn't lie still.
She stood up with the camera and walked slowly to the door of the south room.
Her steps were very light. The four busy people inside didn't hear her movements. She quietly leaned against the door and looked at occupied Song Wei Ping.
He was really eye-catching. If it was the future generation and he became a star, he would be a very outstanding person. A simple gray shirt gave off a different feel when he wore it. With his sleeves rolled up, he busied away in front of the table. Still, it didn’t make people find him humble at all.
There were so many young ladies and young wives in front of the door. Many of them would secretly peek at him. If he inadvertently raised his eyelids, it would make people blush and their hearts beat.
You can only take a look, Xu Xiao Jiao thought to herself. This man is mine.
She picked up the camera, aimed at Song Wei Ping who was working with his head down, and pressed the shutter.
This was a side profile. The light shone on him through the south door, making him look a little out of the world. However, his busy movements brought him back to the world of mortals, making him within reach.
This was the first photo taken by Xu Xiao Jiao with the newly purchased camera.
"Wa, Elder Sister, is this the photo taken by the camera? It's so clear!" Xu Xiao Gang followed Xu Xiao Jiao's instructions and looked at the photos she took. He found it extremely novel.
After finishing their work in the morning, the family did nothing else but took photos at home. Individual ones, family ones, siblings ones, and couple ones. They took more than 30 photos in total. Then the family began to take turns admiring them.
Xu Xiao Jiao actually felt a little guilty. After taking so many photos, the one with Song Wei Ping alone shouldn’t be so conspicuous.
Others didn't notice anything, but Song Wei Ping noticed something unusual. At night, the two of them were lying on the bed. For once, Song Wei Ping didn’t read a book. He turned sideways and asked her, "When did you secretly photograph me?"
Xu Xiao Jiao didn't expect him to find out and looked at him calmly, "Who secretly photographed you? I'm trying to see if the camera works. I took it casually."
Her mouth began to be hard again. Song Wei Ping didn't expose her, but the smile in his eyes didn't fade away, "I believe you."
At his response, Xu Xiao Jiao felt a little embarrassed. She squirmed twice, feeling self-conscious facing Song Wei Ping now. She wanted to say something but didn't know what to say.
She thought for a while and asked him, "En, Song Wei Ping, tell me what's going on outside. Is Guangdong developing rapidly now?"
Song Wei Ping originally wanted to talk to her. Since she asked, he would not fail to answer, "Very fast, things are changing with each passing day. I have been there for about a month. During that month, new things have appeared almost every day. There are a lot of business opportunities. I have heard many legends and seen with my own eyes some people become rich overnight, while others lose all their money.”
Xu Xiao Jiao wasn't surprised. How many people had accumulated abundant original capital at this stage and became legendary beings. Song Wei Ping was one of them. Of course, there were also people who failed in diving the sea and returned to silence.
"How about you? How was this trip?" Xu Xiao Jiao was like him, turning sideways to face him.
The distance between the two was very close. Song Wei Ping could reach out and hug her, but he didn't. He enjoyed the way she was unguarded against him. It was a warmth that made people greedy for more.
"This time I went out and gained a lot. I also made a lot of money. I have returned the one thousand I borrowed from Third Brother Li and there are still two thousand left. I put it in the bag where you put the money. "
Xu Xiao Jiao was a little shocked, "You tripled that money." Not only that, he also brought back a camera. This thing was a new gadget. Although Xu Xiao Jiao didn't understand the market, she knew that it was definitely not cheap.
Song Wei Ping nodded, "Nowadays, information circulation is too slow in various places. As long as you understand the information clearly and aren’t very greedy, you can easily make money by taking advantage of the time difference. Only now do I know that our market is actually very large. The people's purchasing power is far from being utilized. Right now, as long as it is new, it is easy to sell.”
Ambition flashed in his eyes, "Economic development isn’t a joke. It will become a reality and some people will become rich first."
Xu Xiao Jiao had no doubt, "Song Wei Ping, amidst them, you must be one of them."
Song Wei Ping listened to her serious words and felt that he had received great encouragement.
"It's all your credit."
Song Wei Ping's voice was warm and made Xu Xiao Jiao feel extremely reassured. She felt a little sleepy. Her vision was blurring. Water appeared in her eyes, "Why is it my credit?"
Seeing her yawn, Song Wei Ping lowered his voice even more, "You are my motivation. Without you, I might still be in Meilin Village, happy to be allocated a few mu of land, and thinking about farming well and supporting my grandmother. I would still owe a lot of debt.”
All my efforts now are because I don’t want to lose you.
He watched Xu Xiao Jiao slowly close her eyes as she fell asleep.
During this month or so, Xu Xiao Jiao was really exhausted. This was the first time that she did something independently without relying on Song Wei Ping. It was just to surprise Song Wei Ping.
Song Wei Ping knew that she was brilliant. He had even vaguely felt that if she was the one doing the business, she would definitely be better than him. But she didn't. She didn't take the college entrance examination or return to the city. If she was willing to rely on him, then he would let himself become extremely reliable.
Today she ran over to hug him. He was excited but also scared. Could a person like him be worthy of such a girl?
Xu Xiao Jiao didn't know the twists and turns in Song Wei Ping's heart. She just felt that since Song Wei Ping came back, her life couldn’t be any more beautiful.
She didn't have to worry about the pot stewed meat shop at all. Song Wei Ping would cook delicious food for her in different ways every day.
Now she didn't even have to order food. Song Wei Ping had traveled to so many places and had eaten a lot of good food. He could mostly remake it after eating it once. It had been a week since he came home and Xu Xiao Jiao hadn’t eaten the same thing twice.
Good mood and good meals. It was needless to say how Xu Xiao Jiao’s complexion was. She was radiant.
Liu Chun Yan was a little jealous, "Xiao Jiao, I think your whole aura is different now that your match comes back."
Since Xu Xiao Jiao became good friends with Liu Chun Yan, she always went to the cooperative to play with her every now and then to pass the time. When she heard this, she asked Liu Chun Yan, "What's wrong with me? I'm not the same as before? Haven't I always been so beautiful."
She praised herself without blushing. And it happened that no one could say anything to refute her.
Liu Chun Yan snorted, "Yes, you are the kind of beauty mentioned on television. I don't know who came over every week to wait for a call from their match for more than a month. Aiya, sometimes the phone call came late and that was the definition of being devastated. At that time, where was the sight of energy like now?"
Being teased like this by her, Xu Xiao Jiao felt her cheeks were a little hot again, but Liu Chun Yan had to say a few words every time. She was mostly used to it and could also say a few words to her in return, "What? Jealous? Hurry up and marry your match."
Liu Chun Yan succeeded in seeing eye to eye with her blind date last time. Now they were getting to know each other. From what she heard, the other person wasn’t bad.
But humans were afraid of comparison. Liu Chun Yan was dissatisfied, "Comparing him with your match, he is nothing. He hasn't married me yet and he isn’t as good as your match’s treatment toward you. If we get married in the future, he will definitely not treat me better than now.”
Seeing that there was no one around, she walked up to Xu Xiao Jiao and asked her quietly, "Hey, Xiao Jiao, Look, your match always has a straight face, looking as if no one should get close. When he comes to my place to buy something, I've never seen him have any other expressions. But that time I saw him facing you, tsk, that's called gentleness. One can tell at a glance that he dotes on you dearly."
She squeezed closely over to Xu Xiao Jiao and asked her a little embarrassedly, "You, do you have any tips on how to win over men? Please teach me a few. I don't need him to be as obedient as yours, but I will be satisfied if he’s half of what your match is like to you."
Xu Xiao Jiao shook her head, "There's nothing special. Just getting along normally."
Liu Chun Yan was suspicious, "That's impossible. If you didn't have the tricks, how can you guys still be so clingy after two or three years of marriage? Still hiding it from me? Are you embarrassed to say? Then, is that under your quilt..."
She winked. One could figure out just by some pondering. Xu Xiao Jiao was good-looking and had a beautiful figure. In bed during the night, who knows how attractive she is.
Liu Chun Yan was disappointed. Oh, how can she learn this? With her big face, she couldn't learn that seductive look."
Xu Xiao Jiao pushed her, "Enough you. The more you talk, the more nonsense you get."
Under the quilts! Xu Xiao Jiao pinched her fingers. They had never rolled under the covers before, let alone seducing someone.
Song Wei Ping, on the other hand, had always been eager to sleep on the same bed with her. Sometimes the look in his eyes would make her whole body feel hot.
Well, actually, she didn't resist it now, but...
"Hey, what are you thinking about? You look like you lost your soul. Are you thinking about that..."
Xu Xiao Jiao covered her mouth, "You’re still talking about that."
Just as the two were about to laugh, someone came into the cooperative and went straight to the non-staple food counter. Liu Chun Yan stopped and looked at the person.
The man was wearing a floral shirt and a pair of sunglasses. He looked like a second-rate kid on the street. Liu Chun Yan frowned subconsciously.
"What do you want to buy?" Her tone was also very aggressive.
The man in sunglasses took out his money clip, pulled out ten yuans, and put it on the table, "Bring me some hard-to-find items. Little girl, I want to ask you something."
Liu Chun Yan didn't think he was a good person. When she heard that he wanted to inquire about something, she felt even more certain that he was a bad person. "Don't ask me. I don't know anything."
The man in sunglasses took off his sunglasses and said, "Ahem, little miss, I'm not a bad person. I want to ask about someone from you. A female comrade. She's very beautiful, just like a star. Once you've seen her, you'll never forget her. Her name is..."
Just as he was about to speak, he turned around and saw Xu Xiao Jiao sitting on a chair nearby, playing a game console.
Xu Xiao Jiao didn't think he looked like a bad person. She heard him asking about someone and was listening with her ears perked up when she met the other person's eyes.
"Xu, are you Xu Xiao Jiao?!"
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