Returning to the small mountain village of '86, intelligence updated daily.

Chapter 146 Life in the County Town

Li Hu stated frankly that he had made an appointment with Zhou Rui, and that Zhou Rui should come to the convenience store to wait for him when he started work at around 8 a.m. tomorrow.

Zhou Rui naturally agreed. Before Li Hu said goodbye, he asked Zhou Rui why he didn't come to the shop to deliver the message today. Zhou Rui said that he was afraid the shop owner wouldn't recognize him.

But in reality, someone who can hold this position and do certain things is no simple character. The other party recognized Zhou Rui at first glance and greeted him warmly as "Brother Zhou".

Zhou Rui walked back. It was getting late, and Zhao Jianjun might have already gone home, but Zhao Qingya certainly hadn't, because she had evening self-study.

This year is Zhao Qingya's last year of the two-year high school program, and also the last year of this system. All subsequent years will be three-year high school programs.

Unlike the primary school Zhou Guo'er attends, which is still a few years away from abolishing the five-year primary school system and implementing a six-year primary school system, this is a transitional plan for impoverished areas.

The sun hadn't set yet, so Zhou Rui first went to the farmers' market to buy some vegetables before heading towards the Zhao family's house.

Now he has no motorcycle to ride and can only walk. Fortunately, the weather is not hot, and the autumn breeze feels very refreshing on his face.

Although the county town was more prosperous, it did not have the kind of involution that would occur in later generations. Most people lived a peaceful and comfortable life, and you could see old women arguing with each other and old men smoking pipes everywhere.

The children don't play with electronic devices; instead, they gather in small groups to chase each other and play games. Girls jump rope, and boys play with paper bags.

Some middle-aged men smoke packaged tobacco; dry tobacco is too pungent for them.

It just lacks the golden wheat fields, towering trees, and birdsong that are ubiquitous in the countryside.

Zhou Rui returned home carrying the groceries. He didn't buy any meat today because he still had some left over from yesterday's purchase.

He bought some pickled vegetables and cooked red beans; tonight he plans to make a delicious dish from Southwest China that goes well with rice.

Pickled cabbage and red bean soup.

After buying groceries, Zhou Rui wandered around aimlessly for more than half an hour before finally arriving at the residential building where Zhao's family lived.

I took out my key and opened the door. A faint musty smell wafted into my nostrils. In the corner of the stairwell, there were piles of black honeycomb briquettes or coal balls and charcoal.

Upon reaching the third floor, Zhou Rui took out his key and inserted it into the lock. Just then, the door opened from the inside.

Zhao Jianjun smiled and said, "Xiao Rui is back! Come in quickly. Oh dear, why did you go grocery shopping again? Uncle went to buy some too. It would be a waste if we couldn't finish it all."

Zhao Jianjun treated Zhou Rui like family, and warmly accepted the things from Zhou Rui's hands.

"Uncle Zhao, I didn't buy any meat. I don't know if we have any red beans at home. I might as well buy some cooked ones and make some pickled cabbage and red bean soup tonight. I've been craving it."

Zhao Jianjun had just opened the bag and seen what was inside when he saw that Zhou Rui was quite sensible, so he didn't press the topic any further. As he walked into the house, he said, "Okay, I'll add a spoonful of lard in there later. It'll smell amazing. I'm going to steam the rice now."

Zhao Jianjun had already started the fire. Since no one had eaten lunch at home, the fire that started in the morning had gone out around noon. Now that they were going to cook dinner, they would have to start the fire again.

The two men worked together enthusiastically, one heating the stove and the other washing and chopping the vegetables.

"Xiao Rui, I went to find some people this afternoon, and I only picked workers with clean backgrounds or from poor families."

"As for the rest, I plan to negotiate them tomorrow."

"However, I can guarantee that as soon as we have news on time, whether it's raw material suppliers, workers, or sellers, there will be people to add fuel to the fire. It just depends on whether you can create a prairie fire on your end."

Zhao Jianjun spoke casually about the day's news, and seeing that Uncle Zhao had good news, Zhou Rui said somewhat embarrassedly, "I didn't get anything done today, but it's okay, I should have something to show for it tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Jianjun, fearing that Zhou Rui would blame himself, immediately comforted him, "It's alright, Rui, don't feel pressured. We'll take it slow."

After offering a word of comfort, Zhao Jianjun stopped mentioning it and instead asked Zhou Rui if he was hungry.

He didn't express any doubt and still believed in Zhou Rui.

"Uncle Zhao, it's alright, we'll eat together when she gets back."

The two then chatted about other things, and before long, around 8 p.m., dinner was ready.

Zhao Jianjun originally said that they should eat first and not wait for Zhao Qingya, but Zhou Rui still thought that eating together would be more enjoyable, so the two chatted while waiting for her to come back.

Both of them were men, so they wouldn't mind being hungry for a while. Besides, Zhou Rui had often gone hungry a month ago, so he was used to it.

The two hadn't waited long when they heard the sound of keys outside. It was around nine o'clock, and sure enough, Zhao Qingya pushed the door open and came in.

At that time, high school schedules in the southwest were not as late; they were generally earlier than in other parts of the country.

School ends at [time].

In addition, Zhao Jianjun, concerned for his daughter's safety at night, specifically spoke to the school to ask her to come home earlier. Since Zhao Qingya's grades had always been among the best, the school didn't make things difficult for her.

In the past, Zhao Jianjun would cook dinner when he came home in the evening and wait for his daughter to eat together, because Zhao Qingya said she preferred home-cooked meals.

Today, not only her father was there, but there was another person waiting for her.

"Dad, Rui-gege~ I'm home~"

"Wow—it smells so good! This is my favorite pickled cabbage and red bean soup!"

As soon as Zhao Qingya entered the room, she put her things down and then walked to the dining table with a longing look on her face.

"Sit down quickly. I was going to let your brother Rui eat first, but he insisted on waiting for Xiaoya to come back so we could eat together."

"Really? Brother Rui is so kind. But next time if you're hungry, you don't have to wait for me~ After all, going hungry can hurt your stomach."

Zhao Jianjun chuckled and gave up his seat to Zhao Qingya. He had originally been sitting next to Zhou Rui, but after he gave up his seat, Zhao Qingya naturally sat down next to Zhou Rui.

When Zhou Rui heard Uncle Zhao say that, invisible black lines appeared on his face one after another. Then he saw Zhao Jianjun immediately step aside to let his daughter sit next to him.

Zhou Rui understood.

No, he had already figured it out.

Uncle Zhao, why are you even more anxious than I am? And how is this different from what we say in later generations? Isn't it always said that the bride's parents would love to set up eighty-one difficulties for their son-in-law?

How did I get here?

Zhou Rui could only mutter a few helpless words to himself, when Zhao Jianjun spoke up again.

"Little Qingya, you wouldn't believe it, but today's dish was specially made by your brother Rui, wouldn't you agree, little Rui?"