"Sister Hu, I'll have to discuss this with him first," Yang Xiaojin said with a smile. After all, it was Sister Hu's job recommendation. Whether Ren Xiaosu wanted to go or not was another matter. She would have to ask Ren Xiaosu himself for permission.
Sister Hu panicked. "What are you discussing with him for? Look at how lazy he is. It would be strange if he agreed to go! So, don't discuss anything with him. Just drive him away. Let me tell you, all men are like this. They spend their time away when they're young. My husband didn't have a proper job when he was young. He only knew how to hide in school and teach. After the Soong Clan was eliminated, I forced him to go to the Northwest Army to recommend himself. Look, isn't he doing well now? "
"I can't, Big Sister Hu." Yang Xiaojin shook her head with a smile. "My husband is very opinionated, so I can't persuade him otherwise. How about this? I'll speak to him first. Can you give me three days to consider it? But no matter what, thank you for helping me so enthusiastically. "
"Alright." Sister Hu sighed. "I'm just afraid that he'll hold you back."
After that, Sister Hu went home. Yang Xiaojin suddenly felt that this place felt more like home. Not only did she have her own business to earn money, but she also had all kinds of neighbors. The aunties and old ladies chatted with each other, and the sound of mahjong could be heard not far away.
Briquettes were piled up in front of every household's door. If someone's briquettes were stolen, they would scold the thief at the door early in the morning.
Of course, things like throwing briquettes were relatively rare. Otherwise, everyone might have moved the briquettes into the backyard.
In Yang Xiaojin's opinion, all of this was human kindness.
Yang Xiaojin returned to the house and said to Ren Xiaosu, "Sister Hu introduced you to a temporary job at the administrative center. Do you want to go?"
Ren Xiaosu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Why would I go there? The administrative center is the place where the residents go through the procedures. I've never done such a thing before."
"It's up to you. In any case, I told her that I'd need three days to consider it. If you don't want to go, I'll just turn her down after three days." Yang Xiaojin smiled and said, "But I think it's not a bad idea for you to work at the administrative center. That way, I'll be considered to have someone to rely on in the stronghold. When the time comes, I'll be able to strike up a conversation with the aunties and sisters."
"Alright, you know how to tease people too." Ren Xiaosu smiled and said, "But I feel that you've been smiling a lot more since you came to the Northwest."
…
The two of them still woke up early every day to sell potatoes at the market. In the beginning, Yang Xiaojin's potatoes were cheaper than the other stalls. She only hoped to sell them faster. However, Ren Xiaosu told her not to do so.
That was because making a living like this was just a way for them to experience life. But for the other stall owners, it was a way to support their families.
The stall owners worked hard to transport the vegetables from the wholesale market. Just riding a tricycle was already tiring enough, so they couldn't earn much money in a day.
They still had their wives and children waiting to eat at home. Their children's school fees were also saved up from the money they earned.
If Yang Xiaojin interfered with other people's normal business because of her own interests and hobbies, it would not be good for her to do so.
Yang Xiaojin was not someone who did not listen to suggestions. So when she sold potatoes in the future, she charged 10 cents per catty more than the other stalls.
When Yang Xiaojin returned home at night, she even lamented, "Although I've also experienced very difficult days, it was all for the sake of honing my willpower. It's only now that I'm really starting to understand the ways of the world."
When he was selling vegetables during the day, Ren Xiaosu did not even bother reading and just strolled around the food market.
All the stall owners looked at him strangely, not knowing what he was strolling about.
Ren Xiaosu asked about the prices of vegetables and meat in front of each stall. He even went to the grain and oil store to ask about the prices of rice and noodles. Anyway, he just strolled around, looking as if he had nothing important to do.
On the other hand, when Yang Xiaojin closed her stall, he would buy some vegetables and meat. In the end, he would only buy the best ones, and the best ones were usually the most expensive.
From Ren Xiaosu's point of view, there was no need for him to suffer now. When the time came for war, he would have to sleep in the wilderness again. If he did not eat good food now, when would he eat good food?
However, in the eyes of the other stall owners, Ren Xiaosu was a complete prodigal. After all, he was a person who relied on his wife to sell potatoes to support his family. What right did he have to eat so well?
He was probably going to eat all the money he earned from selling potatoes every day, right?! Didn't he save up for it? What if he had children in the future?
On the third day, Ren Xiaosu returned to his stall with a frown. He whispered to Yang Xiaojin, "Have you noticed? The prices in this market are changing every day. Beans were only sold for 20 cents yesterday, but they're already sold for 22 cents today. And that's just the vegetables. The prices of rice and noodles are even more exaggerated. It was 1 yuan a catty yesterday, but it's already 1 yuan a catty today. Although it's normal for prices to fluctuate in the market, I'm afraid there's a problem if it keeps rising for several days in a row. I think the food shortage problem is getting more and more serious. "
"Then do you think we can buy some food from the Wang Clan if there's a food shortage in the Northwest?" Yang Xiaojin asked.
"I don't think so. You also know how ruthless the Wang Clan is. During the war, we can still vividly remember how they destroyed the Pyro Company. Even when a large number of refugees fled south, they were still indifferent to it. How could they possibly let something so trivial disrupt their plans?" Ren Xiaosu said, "But it's fine. If it really comes to that, I still have a solution."
Although it might not be the best solution, it could at least ensure that no one in the Northwest would starve to death.
When Yang Xiaojin saw how serious Ren Xiaosu was, she thought that others might think Ren Xiaosu was just wandering around aimlessly. But she knew that Ren Xiaosu had already assumed the role of the Young Marshal of the Northwest and started thinking about how to solve the current problem.
"By the way," Yang Xiaojin suddenly said, "It's time to give Sister Hu an answer today. Are you going to work or not?"
"I'll go." Ren Xiaosu thought for a moment and said, "I can also go and see how the Administrative Centre operates."
In the past, Ren Xiaosu did not have much interaction with the stronghold's administrative center. He might have encountered it once or twice, but it was only when he accidentally blew up a stronghold's administrative center or passed by the rooftop of a stronghold's administrative center.
As he had only been living in the stronghold for a short period of time, he still did not know much about the operation of the stronghold. For example, when it came to transferring ownership of property deeds, it was just a verbal transaction in town. Sometimes, there would even be cases of ruthless people forcibly occupying other people's houses. There was no such thing as ownership deeds, and the stronghold did not recognize the legitimacy of property rights in town.
Also, Sister Hu had recently asked him when they got married. No one in town would ask such a thing. If a man and a woman lived together, they would be considered a couple. There was no need for them to get a marriage certificate.
This made Ren Xiaosu feel that he still needed to learn more about this place. That was because he might have to spend the rest of his life in the Northwest.
Moreover, he also wanted to see how Stronghold 144 planned to solve the food shortage. He wanted to hear about it first. This could also be considered a private visit. Thinking of this, Ren Xiaosu became even more interested.
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
