She knew that people working in state-owned restaurants during this era were often arrogant, not placing ordinary folks like them in high regard. However, she hadn’t expected such blatant and overt differentiation.
With these thoughts, Yun Qinghuan casually withdrew her gaze, choosing not to get involved in these petty matters. After all, her current status was just that of a widowed woman from a rural area – nowhere near a match for these people. If she offended them, the already challenging days for the Bai family might become even more difficult.
Little did she know that when she turned around, instead of focusing on his meal, Bai Naihan was looking in that direction, wearing an expression full of meaning, his eyes slightly squinted.
She furrowed her brows slightly, suddenly realizing something, and her eyes dimmed.
Could it be that the Chef Bai just mentioned that the director of the steel factory was the same place where Bai Naihan had been assigned after his leg injury?
If her memory served her right, after Bai Naihan’s leg injury had healed, he seemed to have been assigned to the steel factory by his former superiors.
At that time, the original work did not specify which steel factory it was, only that it wasn’t too far from the Bai family. Now, thinking about it, could it be the same steel factory where Director Che worked?
With this understanding, Yun Qinghuan couldn’t help but show a bit of a spectator’s attitude. No wonder Bai Naihan was watching so attentively – who knew what thoughts were running through his mind.
However, Yun Qinghuan, thinking he had been assigned to the steel factory only after his leg injury recovered, didn’t realize that the opportunity for him to go to the steel plant had already started showing signs at that time.
Well, considering Bai Naihan’s keen and capable nature, his superiors wouldn’t easily let him leave. Even if he had to leave the army due to a leg injury, they would arrange for him to be transferred to another position to continue shining.
Seeing the director’s imposing manner, it seemed that working at the steel factory was no easy task. If Bai Naihan really took up the position, it was likely to be quite a struggle.
Probably noticing Yun Qinghuan’s gaze, Bai Naihan directly looked over, even touching his face and asking, “Sister-in-law, did I get meat sauce on my face?”
Yun Qinghuan smiled and shook her head, “No, I just suddenly realized that our Naihan seems quite formidable.”
With this casual remark, Bai Naihan was momentarily surprised but soon burst into laughter. Ignoring the people around, he turned back to continue eating the buns, saying, “Sister-in-law, why are you suddenly so sweet-tongued?”
“Hasn’t my speech always been sweet?”
She responded with a smile.
The smile on the man’s face deepened.
After finishing their meal, they packed the buns and dishes they brought for Liu Yuzhi, and also paid for the meal with grain coupons. Initially, Yun Qinghuan wanted to pay as Bai Naihan had come along to accompany her today. However, he didn’t buy much for himself; instead, he spent quite a bit on her and An’an. She felt a bit guilty about it.
Ten meat buns cost three mao¹ each, making a total of three yuan. Although it was a bit expensive, the food was undeniably delicious, leaving them feeling quite full.
Yun Qinghuan was grateful that she still had some money on hand. If she had spent recklessly at the mall, she might not have been able to afford the meal now.
However, the cashier unexpectedly asked for grain coupons instead of accepting money. Yun Qinghuan took out the two crumpled grain coupons that Liu Yuzhi had given her and handed them to the cashier.
The cashier furrowed his brows, “Is there more? These grain coupons are not enough.”
“Not enough?” Yun Qinghuan felt a bit embarrassed. “I don’t have any more.”
The young cashier’s brows instantly knitted, and he said with a bad attitude, “If you don’t have grain coupons, why did you choose to eat?”
He looked at Yun Qinghuan’s refined and elegant appearance, thinking she was a city girl. Now, it seemed she was just a village woman from the countryside. The child next to her even called her “mom,” and she couldn’t even afford a meal. She probably never went to school, just relying on her good looks. There was nothing worth envying.
The cashier’s eyes almost rolled into the sky.
Bai Naihan directly wheeled over in his wheelchair, gently yet firmly grasped Yun Qinghuan’s arm, and pulled her behind himself. “Sister-in-law, I’ll pay.”
His voice was gentle when speaking to her, but when looking at the cashier, his gaze turned cold, and even his tone became more stern. “These are grain coupons and money. Is it enough for you?”
As he spoke, he handed over six grain coupons and three dimes.
The cashier was probably intimidated by him. His face turned slightly pale, and although he looked a bit defiant, he didn’t say much. He directly took the grain coupons and money.
The head chef, probably accustomed to the cashier’s impoliteness, glanced indifferently and continued smiling while talking to the director.
However, the director seemed curious when he saw someone in a wheelchair and looked several times. In rural areas, there weren’t many people who could use wheelchairs.
Seeing that it was almost 2 o’clock, Yun Qinghuan hurriedly led them outside. The sun was intense, but luckily, Liu Yuzhi had insisted she wear a straw hat in the morning. Yun Qinghuan now put the hat on her head and asked Bai Naihan and Bai Jin’an if they wanted hats. Since they shook their heads, she put away the remaining two hats.
The rural straw hat was not expensive; they were all woven by Liu Yuzhi using straw during her leisure time. Even the lids and baskets at home are woven by Liu Yuzhi. She had a particularly skillful hand. Knowing that the original owner loved beauty, she would even weave exquisitely beautiful straw shoes for her in the summer.
The straw hat Yun Qinghuan was currently wearing was different from others; it was specially woven by Liu Yuzhi. It featured a petal pattern with a hollow design on the top. It looked really nice, and Yun Qinghuan was quite fond of it when she first received it. Therefore, she was especially careful when wearing it.
When they arrived at the designated waiting area pointed out by Uncle Li, quite a few young men and women were already waiting there.
Among them, a girl noticed the bag Yun Qinghuan was carrying and curiously looked over, her gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny. “Yun Qing, what did you buy?”
Initially, Yun Qinghuan didn’t pay much attention to her, but when she suddenly called her and seemed to know her, she looked over and observed her carefully. Suddenly, she covered the bag, feigned a smile, and said, “Oh, it’s Wang Zhiqing. Are you also shopping in town? I didn’t buy much, but look at you, buying so many things, big and small.”
The person approaching was Wang Shufeng, who came to the countryside at the same time as the original owner. She could be considered as having a delicate appearance. They never got along well from the start, and during their time in the countryside, she caused quite a few obstacles for the original owner. If it weren’t for her suddenly initiating a conversation just now, Yun Qinghuan wouldn’t have actively dug up this person from the memories of the original owner.
Now, with her sudden approach, Yun Qinghuan felt that there might be ill intentions. She pursed her lips slightly and watched her warily.
KNOWLEDGE CENTER
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[“Mao” in Chinese typically refers to 毛 (máo), which means “fur” or “hair.” However, colloquially, it is commonly used to refer to the subunit of the Chinese currency, the yuan (CNY). One yuan is equal to 10 jiao, and each jiao is further divided into 10 fen. So, 1 mao is equivalent to 1 jiao or 10 fen.]
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Translator Note
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