These words made Duan Jingqi lose face. He looked at Li Chuchu, hesitating to speak. Shen Yanshan took a step to stand in front of Li Chuchu, shielding her behind him, and stared at Duan Jingqi with a menacing look. The fear of being beaten to the ground just now came rushing back. Duan Jingqi's lips trembled slightly, and he blurted out subconsciously, "N... no. We were friends before. We were just... just catching up."
The policeman rebuked coldly, "That's not a reason for you to ruin someone else's marriage! We encourage young people to pursue love, but not in this way!"
Duan Jingqi looked a bit embarrassed. He had never been so embarrassed in his life. He really wished he could find a hole to crawl into. He coughed lightly and took out his military officer's certificate from his clothes to show the policeman. The policemen exchanged glances, and their attitude towards Duan Jingqi softened a bit. Although the old policeman didn't recognize Duan Jingqi, he knew Duan Ruhai, so he didn't say anything more.
When others heard that the other man vying for Li Chuchu's affection was a military officer, there were gasps in the crowd. Some people even started to choose a "consort" for Li Chuchu. Fortunately, this incident didn't cause too much of a negative impact. Moreover, since Shen Yanshan had already beaten the man up like that, it was a way to give the public an explanation. So the policemen mainly gave oral warnings.
After the policemen left, the onlookers dispersed in a hurry. Duan Jingqi managed to straighten his gold-rimmed glasses on his face and picked up the flowers on the ground in a hurry. Then he turned to look at Li Chuchu's direction. Shen Yanshan gave Duan Jingqi a cold look and then put his arm around Li Chuchu's waist and turned to leave.
Duan Jingqi stared at their matching backs, gnashing his teeth in anger. Jealousy clouded his mind. Shen Yanshan wasn't even worthy of tying his shoelaces! How dare he try to steal a woman from him? If it weren't for the fact that Shen Yanshan had taken advantage of his proximity and married Li Chuchu first, Li Chuchu wouldn't even bother to look at him now!
Duan Jingqi felt a faint taste of blood in his mouth. He wiped the wound at the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. The stinging pain made him frown tightly. "Shen Yanshan, just you wait! There will come a day when you'll pay for this!"
...
The Spring Festival was approaching. Mayor Su was going to take Xiaomei to visit her grandparents. After Li Chuchu gave Su Yumei the last tutoring lesson, she gave her a holiday. Before the lesson, Mayor Su smiled and handed her a red envelope. "This is your salary for this month and a little New Year's gift."
After Mayor Su left the room, Li Chuchu opened the red envelope and saw twenty brand - new "Great Unity" banknotes inside. Her salary for this month was 120 yuan, and the rest was the year - end bonus. Li Chuchu took out the 80 yuan separately and added another 20 yuan of her own. She put the money in a separate red envelope and called out. "Xiaomei."
Su Yumei walked in and gave Li Chuchu a sweet smile. "Sister, I'm here." Li Chuchu put the red envelope on a square box and handed them both to Su Yumei. "This is the New Year's gift from sister. Happy New Year in advance."
Inside the box was a radio from the high - end line of the Huaxing brand that Shen Yanshan had been developing recently. It hadn't been officially sold yet. The sound effect of this radio was almost the same as that of high - end imported audio systems. In the past, products of this type would cost between 400 and 1000 yuan on the black market.
Li Chuchu was worried about not having a decent gift. Just then, she saw Shen Yanshan researching this radio at home a few days ago. Since the "wool" was right there, she might as well take advantage of it. Only wealthy families could afford this kind of audio system. Giving it to Secretary Su could not only repay the favor for taking her to the auction last time but also promote the products of the Huaxing brand.
Before, the gifts Xiaomei received were mostly dolls and little dresses. She had never received such a delicate gift before. It was obvious that she liked the gift very much. She couldn't help playing with it for a long time. She found a record at home and put it in. The smooth and grand music flowed out.
Secretary Su didn't know when he had walked to the door. After listening to a piece of music silently, he smiled and said, "Miss Li's gift is really unique. I can't help but envy Xiaomei's New Year's gift." He stepped forward to take a look at the radio. "Huaxing brand? I've rarely heard of this brand. Is it from Shanghai?"
Li Chuchu replied, "It's produced by a factory in our own city, Ningcheng." Secretary Su was surprised. "It's actually from Ningcheng? I didn't expect our city to have such an excellent brand!" Li Chuchu smiled but didn't say much more. If Secretary Su was interested, he would naturally go to find out.
...
When Li Chuchu got home, the air was cold. There was a stronger New Year atmosphere in the narrow and dilapidated courtyard. Luo Yingshu was busy pasting Spring Festival couplets with rice paste. She was standing on a high stool and turned to ask Xiaohu, "Xiaohu, tell mom. Are they straight?"
Xiaohu stared at the couplets on the wall with big eyes for a long time. "The left one... no, the right one seems a bit higher..." Luo Yingshu got impatient at once. "Can't you tell left from right?" Her shout almost shook a few leaves off the tree.
"Hey, why are you shouting at the child during the New Year? I think they're quite straight. These couplets are really nice. Who wrote them? I'll also find someone to write a pair for me." Luo Yingshu climbed down from the stool and shouted, "Hey, I have an extra pair. You can take it and paste it. I was going to send it to my mom, but I met her today. She said she had already bought some. It's useless just lying here."
"Great. How much are they? I'll pay you." Luo Yingshu waved her hand repeatedly. "No, no. This little rascal has eaten so many good things at your place. Every time I come back, I see his mouth all greasy. I'll give you this pair of couplets."
Luo Yingshu was straightforward and honest. She believed in keeping things separate, but she had a kind heart and didn't like to take advantage of others. Aunt Wang smiled and accepted the couplets. Aunt Wang was busy preparing New Year's dishes in the yard. It was said that her daughter's family was coming back for the New Year this year. She had been extremely happy these days and was beaming with joy.
She turned around and saw Li Chuchu entering the house. She greeted her, "Chuchu! Come to our house for lunch! I called you last time, but you didn't come. I've made fried fish chunks. They're delicious." Li Chuchu waved her hand. "No, thanks. I ate outside before coming back."
She walked into the house in a few steps and took out two Huaxing brand radios from the room. She gave one to Aunt Wang's family and another to Luo Yingshu. Aunt Wang had never seen such a novel thing before. Luo Yingshu immediately recognized it as the radio she had been longing for. She jumped up happily. "Li Chuchu, you secretly went to buy it behind my back! I've been there several times in the past few days but couldn't buy one. You're really capable!"
She quickly opened the box, revealing the bright red radio inside. It was delicate and small, and felt heavy in her hand. It was really a beautiful thing. Aunt Wang was confused. "What's this? A radio? Why is it made so exquisitely?" Li Chuchu said, "It's just a little gadget. I'm giving it to you to play with."
Luo Yingshu quickly refused. "No way. It costs 20 yuan each! How can I take it from you for free? Wait. I'll go get the money for you!"