Beautiful beauties in the 80s courtyard

Chapter 445 Chance Encounter
When Lu Qiaoge and Lao Hu arrived at the gate of the military factory, Lu Qiaoge saw two people standing at the gate talking to the guards.

Lu Qiaoge heard a young girl say nervously, "...We...we're not going in. This is for Shao Le from Xiangyang Subdistrict Office, and another person named Shao Yonggang, one bag each."

The newcomer was wearing a patched and tattered cotton-padded jacket and a plaid headscarf. The other person was a young man, but he seemed very timid and neither of them dared to speak.

The security guard said gently, "Don't be afraid, folks. You can go in if you register."

The woman quickly waved her hand: "No, no, we won't go in and disturb you. My brother and I will head back now. Um... I don't know where Shao Yonggang works, but Shao Le should know. Thank you for your help, we'll be leaving now."

The two had no cart with them, so they must have walked.

Even driving a jeep to the Wagouzi brigade takes four hours.

Nowadays, there are basically no buses connecting cities to rural areas. People going to the city either take a horse-drawn carriage, or walk or ride a bicycle.

It's no wonder that bicycles are the main mode of transportation nowadays, but this is winter, not the south. Bicycles are simply unrideable in the freezing cold, and once they're frozen, the bicycle chain is practically impossible to pedal.

Once, Lu Qiaoge missed the bus, so she pushed her bicycle out of the storage room. As long as the bicycle was of good quality and the tires were inflated, she could ride it at high speed in the snow.

But there were still quite a few people on their way to work at that time, and someone even called out to her, "Qiao Ge, don't ride anymore, the road is covered in ice and snow, what if you slip and fall?"

So Lu Qiaoge didn't dare to show off that day, and instead pushed her bicycle to work.

Upon learning this, Qin Hengzhi drove his Jeep at noon, put her bicycle in the trunk, and drove Lu Qiaoge home with a smile all the way.

So at this time of year, if you're traveling from the countryside to the city, you can only walk if you can't take a horse-drawn carriage.

The siblings were poorly dressed, and the younger brother was clearly extremely nervous, much like those rural people who had rarely or never been to the city.

Some thirteen- or fourteen-year-old boys and girls in certain villages don't know what a city or an apartment building is; they've never even left their villages.

This is not an exaggeration; it's true.

Last autumn, Lu Qiaoge took the village's large truck to several villages to collect mountain products.

They mainly collect mushrooms.

Chicken and mushroom flavored instant noodles must be of genuine quality.

With this plain as its backdrop and vast forests, acquiring these mountain products is a breeze.

Lu Qiaoge went to a village that was also part of Manshan Commune, but it was quite far from Manshan Commune. However, the commune leader, Zhu, had a good relationship with the production team leader and told them in advance to pick more mushrooms.

The better and more delicious it tastes, the higher the price.

She went with two large trucks and collected quite a lot along the way.

Then I went to that village too.

Trucks were a novelty for many children, who had never seen one before.

There was a little girl, about eleven or twelve years old, who had picked a lot of mushrooms, which were already dried and looked very clean.

She noticed that Lu Qiaoge seemed to be the youngest among them, so she mustered up her courage and asked, "What are the buildings like? Are they made of thatched huts stacked on top of each other? Can people walk on the cement roads in the city? They're all muddy and wet. Are they even harder to walk on than the paths in the village?"

After asking, I learned that this little girl had never even left the village since she was born.

Returning to their senses, Lu Qiaoge and Lao Hu exchanged a glance.

Old Hu looked rather serious, so Lu Qiaoge said, "I'll go down and take a look."

Lu Qiaoge got out of the car.

The driver drove the car in first. Lu Qiaoge walked to the side of the guardhouse. Zhao Xiaoman turned her head and saw a girl wearing a beautiful cotton coat, a crocheted hat and scarf, smiling at her.

Zhao Xiaoman nervously tugged at the hem of her cotton-padded coat. Although it wasn't her first time in the city, she rarely came—she could count the number of times on one hand—and it was her younger brother's first time.

She didn't know why the little girl got out of the car.

Thinking that she and her younger brother were blocking the guardhouse, she quickly pulled her brother back a few steps.

Lu Qiaoge asked, "I just heard you and the guards talking about looking for Shao Le and Shao Yonggang, is that right?"

Zhao Xiaoman clenched her hands nervously, but still nodded immediately.

Lu Qiaoge noticed that the back of her hands had chilblains. Many people have this nowadays. Even her mother used to have chapped hands every winter.

Of course, there won't be any this year.

Lu Qiaoge observed Zhao Xiaoman discreetly. She was a very intelligent girl.

Her mother was wicked and weak, and her father was even worse. When she was seven years old, she sold herself to the Wu family.

She didn't neglect her younger siblings either.

Especially with her youngest sister, within her capabilities, she protected herself while also protecting her younger siblings.

Honestly, in such a family, the fact that she has such bright eyes is thanks to her fiancé.

However, Zhao Xiaoman's eyes reddened when Lu Qiaoge mentioned Shao Yonggang's name.

When Shao Yonggang returned to the Shao family, things didn't go as smoothly as everyone had imagined.

Of course, the Shao family would never be like the novels, favoring adopted sons over biological sons.

For Shao's parents, they truly wished they could offer their son the best of everything in the world, as long as they could provide it.

He's similar to Lin Junan.

However, Lin Junan and Zhou Li have a good relationship. Shao Yonggang and his current wife have many conflicts.

Lu Qiaoge had seen Shao Yonggang once; the man always walked with his head down and his brows constantly furrowed.

Shao Yonggang's wife is the niece of Zhao's mother's sister-in-law.

Can this relationship be sorted out?
If Shao Yonggang were still Zhao Yonggang, he would be like many ordinary couples who meet through introductions and then get married.

But Zhao Yonggang has now become Shao Yonggang.

He hated Zhao's mother for ruining his life, so he naturally felt uncomfortable with the niece of Zhao's mother's sister-in-law, not to mention that their relationship was not very good to begin with.

All thoughts are fleeting.

Realizing what was happening, Zhao Xiaoman quickly said, "Yes, yes, we...we wanted to give them some sticky rice cakes and dried vegetables."

Lu Qiaoge said, "Shao Le and I work in the same unit, the same neighborhood office. My surname is Lu, and my name is Lu Qiaoge. Do you want to come in with us to see Shao Le, or what?"

Zhao Xiaoman's eyes lit up, and she said happily, "That's wonderful! Could you please... pass on a message to him, telling him that I gave him and Shao Yonggang each a bag of food from our own home, so he can eat without worry, as it's all very clean. Thank you, thank you so much!"

"Aren't you going in?"

"No, no, it's no trouble at all. My brother and I are heading back now."

Lu Qiaoge nodded and said, "Okay, I'll tell Shao Le."

Then, curiously, she asked, "I heard you can weave many things from corn husks, is that true?"

(End of this chapter)