60s: I have a store

Chapter 555: Almost a Mistake
When dusk completely enveloped the country road, Zhou Yimin finally tightened the last screw.

The renewed roar of the tractor shook the dust off the depression in the front of the vehicle and echoed across the silent field.

Zhou Zhiming let out a long sigh and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand that was covered in engine oil: "Yimin, your cooking skills are amazing. If it were someone else, they would probably have to spend the night here."

The girls in the truck bed also poked their heads out. Xiulan's braids were still stained with grass debris from the repairs, but her eyes were full of gratitude: "Thanks to Comrade Zhou, otherwise we would have been so scared that we couldn't sleep in the wilderness."

Qiao Yun agreed, covering her chest with her hands, her face still flushed from surviving a disaster.

"Everyone hold on tight!" Zhou Zhiming gripped the steering wheel again; the vibration of the engine made his palms numb.

After the previous thrilling experience, his eyes were fixed on the road ahead like a searchlight. Every shadow and every swaying tree shadow made him nervous.

The tractor started slowly, and the wheels made a slight sound as they rolled over the gravel, which was particularly clear in the night.

On the way back, the moonlight gave the asphalt road a silver edge.

Zhou Zhiming's foot was always above the brake, and the car speed was half as slow as when it came.

The girls were talking in low voices at first, but gradually, the only sounds were the rolling wheels and the occasional chirping of insects.

When passing a cornfield, the night wind made the stalks rustle. Zhou Zhiming subconsciously gripped the steering wheel tightly until he was sure it was just a false alarm and then relaxed.

When the neon lights of the street office finally came into view, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

The girls got off the bus one after another, their steps still carrying the sense of loss as if they had just survived a disaster.

Before getting off the car, Xiulan deliberately held the cloth bag to her chest. Inside was osmanthus candy given by the young man from Zhoujiazhuang. The sweet fragrance mixed with the night reminded her of Erzhu's honest smile.

Zhou Zhiming dusted himself off and prepared to start the tractor and return.

Zhou Yimin grabbed his arm and said, "Brother Zhiming, it's dark and dangerous now. Come to my place and rest for a night. We can go back together tomorrow!"

Zhou Zhiming was about to decline, but his eyes swept across the dark night sky, and he thought of the mysterious black shadow just now. He finally nodded and said, "Thank you for bothering me."

The lights in the courtyard appear particularly warm in the night.

Zhou Yimin pulled out clean bedding and said apologetically, "The conditions are simple, I'll have to ask Brother Zhiming to make do with it."

The two of them lay on the narrow bed, with the sound of insects chirping outside the window.

Zhou Zhiming stared at the mottled ceiling and suddenly said, "Yimin, thanks to you for returning in time today."

In the darkness, Zhou Yimin smiled and said, "We are from the same village. It's too formal to say this."

The next morning, Zhou Zhiming asked, "Yimin, will you go back with me?"

He didn't know whether Zhou Yimin would go back or not, but he had to go back today. There was still a lot of farm work to be done in the village, so he had to go back today.

Zhou Yimin thought for a moment, and then said, "Brother Zhiming, you go back first, I have something else to do!"

Zhou Zhiming nodded: "Okay."

Then he walked out of the courtyard and drove the tractor back to Zhoujiazhuang. The sound of the engine gradually disappeared in the morning mist.

After Zhou Yimin finished washing up, he opened the store and bought all of today's flash sale products. He didn't expect that today there would be 100 kilograms of pork, 100 bags of milk powder, 100 bottles of soy milk, and 100 kilograms of peanut oil.

Since I had received an additional hundred bags of milk powder today, after hesitating for a moment, I took two more bags of milk powder and stuffed them into the canvas bag. If I took two more bags, the time interval would be longer.

After packing up everything,
When I stepped into the street office again, the security guard greeted me from a distance with a smile: "Yimin is here to help again!"

The door of Director Li's office was ajar, and the pile of documents almost blocked half of the window.

When Zhou Yimin knocked on the door and came in, Director Li was rubbing his temple. When he saw him, his eyes suddenly lit up: "Yimin, you're here!"

"Aunt Li, do you think it's enough?" Zhou Yimin put the canvas bag on the table, with four bags of milk powder neatly arranged.

The moment Director Li opened the bag, his eyes moistened: "Enough, enough! My little grandson finally doesn't have to go hungry anymore."

She held Zhou Yimin's hand, her voice choked with sobs, "Thanks to you, I can always solve my urgent needs."

Zhou Yimin took the opportunity to say, "Aunt Li, can I trouble you for something? Ask those female comrades yesterday how many of them like people from our village? When the time comes, I will take them back to the village, and I will need your help to write a letter of introduction."

Director Li nodded: "Leave it to me! In today's world, everyone hopes to have a stable family."

Moreover, it can reduce the number of people, which can be regarded as a way to reduce the burden on overloaded shelters.

Otherwise, Director Li would not be so active in promoting this blind date conference.

When Director Li arrived, the incandescent lights in the street office's meeting room flickered slightly, casting flickering shadows on the wall.

More than twenty female comrades sat awkwardly around a long table, and the wooden chairs and stools made slight creaking sounds.

Director Li paused with his pen in his hand on the paper and glanced at everyone: "Among those who participated in the blind date yesterday, did anyone see the young man from Zhoujiazhuang?"

As soon as the words fell, the air seemed to freeze in an instant.

Xiulan lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously twisting the corners of her clothes, and her pigtails hung in front of her chest and swayed gently.

She thought of Erzhu's red, scalded fingertips when he handed her the braised pork, and the trembling pieces of meat in the bowl, and her heart beat faster involuntarily.

"I do." Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's hum, but it was like a stone thrown into a deep pool, causing ripples.

"Are we really going to the countryside?" A hushed voice came from the corner.

The girl in the gray shirt crossed her arms and rubbed the edge of the patch with her fingernails. "Although I can have enough food to eat, I have to face the earth and work hard every day. I am tied to the ground for the rest of my life."

Her companion, who was wearing a headscarf, nodded in agreement, the hay crumbs stuck in her hair shaking as she spoke: "No matter how difficult it is in the city, at least we can try our luck."

Qiao Yun quietly moved closer to Xiu Lan, with a blush on her round face. "I think Zhoujiazhuang is pretty good. That guy named Da Zhu is really good at making bamboo dragonflies. He even said he would make a whole house of them for me."

Her words caused a few chuckles, and the tense atmosphere eased slightly.

"I heard that their village has its own threshing ground, and we can eat white flour steamed buns during the New Year." Ah Cui stroked the red hairband on the end of her braid with a yearning look in her eyes. "Before she died, my mother always said that she wanted me to find a family that could give her enough food."

Her voice suddenly choked and she raised her hand to wipe the corners of her eyes.

Director Li coughed lightly, and the tip of his pen made a crisp sound on the table: "Don't rush to make a decision."

She looked at the girls' different expressions and slowed down her tone. "Although Zhoujiazhuang is in the countryside, it is a vast land with hardworking people. The young men are down-to-earth and hardworking. But there are also opportunities in the city. Think it through."

Director Li did not say anything complete. After all, she was not quite sure about the personalities of those people in Zhoujiazhuang.

Although Zhou Yimin is there, there shouldn't be any problems, but Zhou Yimin is at work most of the time, and sometimes even if he wants to manage, he may not be able to do so. "Director Li, I'm willing too!" Another girl raised her hand, and the faded red rope on her wrist swayed with her movements, "I've had enough of the shelter, I want to have my own home."

Her words seemed to open the floodgates, and one after another girls began to express their opinions, their voices changing from timid to firm.

The voices of opposition continue. "My cousin married a countryman and is so tired that she can't even straighten her back every day."

The girl in the gray cloth shirt who spoke first pouted and said, "I would rather do odd jobs in the city than be trapped in the mountains for the rest of my life."

Her words made the girls look hesitant, and their eyes shifted between their companions and Director Li.

Xiulan clenched her fists and mustered up her courage to look up: "I've seen them working, and the calluses on their hands are thicker than the soles of my shoes."

She recalled Erzhu's swiftness in helping the old man move the stool, and her voice rose unconsciously, "These days, being down-to-earth and able to endure hardships is better than anything else!"

Her words made many people think, and the discussions gradually died down.

Director Li began to count the number of people who raised their hands, and the tip of his pen rustled on the paper.

The thirteen raised hands looked like thirteen flags under the dim light. Some of the lowered hands hung in the air for a moment before slowly falling with a sigh.

The setting sun outside the window dyed half the sky red at some point, and the afterglow shone through the mottled glass onto the girls' faces, which were either expectant or disappointed, adding a layer of warmth and slightly melancholy to this decision about the future.

Director Li carefully wrote down the list and handed it to Zhou Yimin, saying with emotion: "If these thirteen couples are successful, the Street Office can also reduce some of its burden."

Zhou Yimin looked at the list and suddenly thought of Xie Yumei. He said, "Aunt Li, I want to meet Xie Yumei. Is it convenient?"

Director Li's expression tightened, and he said earnestly: "Yimin, you can't be confused! I heard that you have a college student girlfriend."

Zhou Yimin waved his hands and explained: "Aunt Li, you misunderstood! The village school is short of teachers. I see that Comrade Xie Yumei is educated, so I want to ask her if she is willing to teach."

Director Li suddenly realized what was going on and quickly sent someone to the shelter to call for help.

Soon, Xie Yumei appeared at the door holding her younger brother Xiaobao.

Xiaobao looked about four or five years old, skinny and with a timid look in his eyes.

Zhou Yimin took out two fruit candies from his pocket, squatted down and handed them to Xiaobao: "Little boy, have some candy."

Xiaobao's eyes lit up instantly, but he turned to look at his sister, and after getting her tacit approval, he carefully took it and said in a baby voice, "Thank you, brother!"

"Comrade Xie, this is it," Zhou Yimin explained the situation in the village and the recruitment of teachers. "The salary is 17 yuan per month, including food and accommodation, and the meals in the canteen are sufficient."

He noticed that Xie Yumei's hand was trembling slightly as she held her brother's hand, and there was both desire and hesitation in her eyes.

"Can I ask first, can Xiaobao come along?" Xie Yumei's voice trembled.

Zhou Yimin nodded firmly: "Of course! All the children in the village need teachers. Xiaobao can go to school with other children."

Xie Yumei bit her lips, tears welling up in her eyes.

She thought about the days when she didn't have enough food in the shelter, and how her brother always stared at others eating.

Seventeen dollars can not only support myself, but also allow my younger brother to live a stable life.

"I agree!" She wiped away her tears, "Thank you Comrade Zhou for giving us this opportunity."

Zhou Yimin looked a little helpless: "Comrade Xie Yumei, please don't cry. If other people see it, they will think I did something wrong!"

After hearing this, Xie Yumei couldn't help but laugh and wiped away her tears.

When Zhou Yimin saw this, he had to go back and tell the villagers the good news!

Then he said goodbye to Director Li and Xie Yumei, and drove his motorcycle to Zhoujiazhuang.

The roar of Zhou Yimin's motorcycle broke the tranquility of the village.

Before he reached the village entrance, he saw the old branch secretary from afar, standing under the old locust tree and looking around. His hunched figure swayed slightly in the afterglow, like a watchful statue.

As soon as the motorcycle came to a stop, the old Party secretary came up to him quickly, his cloudy eyes full of anxiety: "Yimin, how is it? What did the street office say? Do the girls like the boys in our village?"

Zhou Yimin took off his helmet, smiling hard, and pulled out the paper with the list from his arms: "Old Party Secretary, take a look! Thirteen people! Although not all of them have made it, most of them have been solved!"

The old branch secretary took the paper with trembling hands and squinted his eyes to read each word.

When he counted to the number "thirteen", his Adam's apple rolled up and down, and a long-lost smile bloomed on his wrinkled face. The crow's feet at the corners of his eyes were filled with joy: "Okay! Okay!"

He patted Zhou Yimin's shoulder heavily and said, "Yimin, you are really a great contributor to our village! Now we have solved a big problem! As for the rest, we can mobilize the power of the village and it will definitely not be a problem!"

The news spread quickly throughout the village as if it had wings.

The old branch secretary immediately ordered someone to strike the gong at the entrance of the village. The "dangdangdang" sound of the gong echoed in the twilight. The villagers put down their work and gathered towards the village office.

Erzhu, Dazhu and several other young men who were participating in the blind date were also among them. They looked at each other, their eyes full of expectation and anxiety.

When everyone was present, the old Party secretary stood on the steps and raised the list in his hand, his voice trembling with excitement: "Children! I have good news for you! There are thirteen young men in our village who have been favored by the girls!"

Before he finished speaking, cheers broke out in the village courtyard.

Erzhu's eyes widened, his hands tightly grasped his companion's arm, his voice changed: "Really? Old Party Secretary, is it me? Is it me?"

The old branch secretary smiled and pointed at the list: "Yes! Xiulan fell in love with you at first sight!"

After hearing this, Erzhu jumped up in excitement, and kept saying, "Great! Great!"

His face flushed red and tears of joy sparkled in his eyes. Thinking of Xiulan's smile with her head down, he felt like there was a lively rabbit in his heart.

Dazhu hugged Zhou Yimin beside him and shook him vigorously: "Yimin! Thanks to you! I said that the bamboo dragonfly I made would definitely impress Ah Cui!"

He smiled from ear to ear, revealing his big white teeth, and every wrinkle on his face was filled with happiness.

The other young men whose names were called also cheered, some high-fived each other, some jumped excitedly, and an atmosphere of joy spread in the air.

The old branch secretary looked at the lively scene in front of him, his eyes slightly moist.

He cleared his throat and said loudly: "Children, this is a good sign! Let's strike while the iron is hot. Next, the village will help you arrange the wedding and marry your daughter-in-law with great fanfare!"

The crowd burst into warm applause and cheers again. The applause lasted for a long time, scaring away the sparrows on the treetops.

(End of this chapter)