Chapter 27

Signing Up for Down-to-the-Countryside at the Street Office

The morning breeze was most pleasant.

Tie Lanyan hummed a tune as she walked towards the street office.

On the side of the road, a group of aunties were chatting, looking quite excited.

Tie Lanyan stopped and listened quietly.

“Hey, have you heard? Deputy Director Zhang’s house was robbed last night, everything was emptied!”

“I heard about it a long time ago, my sister-in-law came to my house before dawn to tell me about it, and she even ate a few big steamed buns at my house, I didn’t even get enough to eat.”

“That’s nothing, my niece’s family came to stay at my house last night, if it wasn’t for this explosive news, I would have really wanted to kick these poor relatives out!”

Tie Lanyan: ……

No wonder people say gossip doesn’t last the night, it spreads everywhere overnight.

The speed was really amazing!

“I heard that Deputy Director Zhang and his wife were so scared that they ran out without even wearing clothes?”

“That’s right, my sister-in-law told me about it and couldn’t stop laughing, but I wasn’t there, otherwise I would have died laughing.”

“You only know about last night’s events, but do you know about this morning’s events?”

A fat auntie said mysteriously.

The auntie said: “I heard that Deputy Director Zhang’s family was arrested, because his son was hiding foreign things, it seems to be those books.”

Others were surprised: “My goodness, that’s so daring, he actually dared to commit such a crime.”

“It’s probably like father like son, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, the Zhang family is going to be in big trouble.”

“He’s still called a deputy director, once this happens, the textile factory will definitely deal with it seriously, the Zhang family won’t have a good life from now on.”

An aunt said: “Hey, you’re all discussing the Zhang family, why doesn’t anyone talk about the thief?

I remember that there were two other families whose houses were emptied overnight, could it be the same person?”

As soon as she said this, the fat auntie quickly hushed her:

“Don’t say it! It’s spooky to talk about it!”

Everyone else looked at her curiously.

The fat auntie continued: “My nephew’s friend is a police officer, I heard that the thief came and went without a trace, no one saw his face.

The key is that the thief moved so many things, he didn’t wake anyone up, no one noticed in the neighboring houses, it’s so amazing!”

“Good heavens, could the thief not be a human, but…”

A ghost.

The person didn’t say the last word, these days, they were strictly cracking down on feudal superstition, they couldn’t be caught with their pants down.

The other aunties also looked hesitant.

The fat auntie

“Anyway, everyone, let’s talk less about this, it’s not good if our families suffer some misfortune.”

“Alright, we won’t talk about it anymore, what if he hears us and steals from our house in the middle of the night, we’ll be crying.”

Tie Lanyan: ……

If they knew that the real culprit was right here, would they be scared to death?

It’s better not to bother them, let them chat.

Tie Lanyan smiled and left.

She arrived at the street office, took out her household registration booklet, and said to the person at the window:

“Comrade, I want to sign up for going down to the countryside.”

It’s better to go down to the countryside, otherwise, there will be a lot of trouble staying here.

The staff member was surprised to see someone actively signing up to go down to the countryside, and their expression became very enthusiastic:

“Okay, comrade, what’s your name, where do you live, and who are in your family?”

Tie Lanyan explained the situation one by one.

When they heard that she was an orphan and her parents had already passed away.

The staff member looked sympathetic: “You don’t have to go down to the countryside in your situation, you’re the only one in your family, you might as well find a job in the city.”

Tie Lanyan: “This is my ideal, I want to go to a wider new world and contribute to the construction of our country.”

The staff member was both relieved and moved when they heard this:

“Young comrade, you are truly someone I admire.

Don’t worry, I’ll arrange a good place for you to go down to the countryside, I guarantee you’ll be satisfied.”

Tie Lanyan beamed: “Thank you, sister, you’re so kind.”

The staff member, a big sister, also smiled: “Girl, you’re so sweet, come, let me handle the paperwork for you.”

This big sister was very efficient and quickly finished all the paperwork.

“Here’s the subsidy for going down to the countryside, 45 yuan. If you want to go down to the countryside quickly, there’s a train at noon tomorrow, remember to prepare everything, we’ll have staff members send you the ticket in advance.”

Tie Lanyan: “Okay, thank you.”

Leaving the street office, Tie Lanyan was going to go to the black market.

She had looted several families’ belongings and food in the past few days, enough for her to eat for a while.

She wasn’t going to the black market to buy anything, but to find someone.

Tie Lanyan’s small courtyard couldn’t be left empty, she wanted to rent it out, and she needed to find someone she knew.

Tie Lanyan thought of Niu Dapang.

That kid was a good person and very enthusiastic, he had a wide circle of friends, maybe he could help.

The last time they parted ways, they didn’t leave each other’s addresses, so she could only go to the black market and try her luck.

It was a coincidence.

Tie Lanyan hadn’t even reached the black market when she met Niu Dapang on the way.

The usually cheerful young man was now hanging his head

He was sitting dejectedly on the street corner.

Tie Lanyan walked over and greeted him: “Brother Dapang!”

Niu Dapang immediately stood up and smiled when he saw her:

“Oh, it’s Big Sister! I haven’t thanked you for the last thing yet, what a coincidence!”

Tie Lanyan: “It’s nothing, did San Hengzi cause you any trouble later?”

Niu Dapang: “He dared to cause me trouble? I had my friend deal with him, I happen to know a guy in the Public Security Bureau, hehe.”

Tie Lanyan raised her eyebrows, she didn’t expect him to be so decisive despite his carefree appearance.

“Brother Dapang, I want to ask you a favor…”

Tie Lanyan told him about her going down to the countryside tomorrow and wanting to rent out her house.

Niu Dapang’s eyes lit up:

“Big Sister! You’re my lucky star, I’m worried about finding a place to rent!”

Niu Dapang was the second child, with an older sister and a younger brother.

Being the middle child, he was naturally the least favored by his family.

Niu Dapang, with his optimistic personality, learned to adjust himself from a young age.

Since his family didn’t welcome him, he made more friends and earned more money.

Niu Dapang’s parents always nagged him to help his sister and brother.

There’s a saying, the more you lack love, the more filial you are.

Niu Dapang wanted to get a word of praise from his parents, so he went all out to show them.

His strong-willed sister was very picky, and she didn’t have any luck with matchmaking several times.

He helped her find a kind and gentle young man who had no parents to marry into the Niu family.

His lazy younger brother only knew how to eat and play all day long, he didn’t even have a job.

Seeing that he was about to be sent down to the countryside, Niu Dapang quickly spent most of his savings to buy him a job at a steel mill.

Although his younger brother wasn’t very serious, he was lucky in love, and soon after starting work, he found a girlfriend from a good family.

Young people are easily impulsive, and they quickly got together, and within a few months, the girl became pregnant.

Niu’s father and mother were overjoyed to have a grandson, they couldn’t stop smiling.

But their family conditions were average, they didn’t have much savings, where would they get the money for the dowry and the wedding banquet?

Niu’s father and mother started crying poor, and Niu Dapang immediately took out all his remaining savings.

Not long after his younger brother got married, Niu Dapang also found love.

They had been dating for half a year and it was time to talk about marriage.

When Niu Dapang talked to his parents about it, they said that the family had no money and that he should take care of the wedding himself.

They also said that the house was too small and there was no place to live, so Niu Dapang

should get married and rent a house outside.

To be honest, it was impossible not to feel disheartened.

But there was no way, the house really only had three rooms.

His parents had one, his older sister and her husband had one, and his younger brother and his wife had one.

Niu Dapang had nowhere to sleep, so he made a makeshift wooden bed in the living room.

Now that he was getting married, he couldn’t let his wife suffer with him.

These days, Niu Dapang had been running back and forth between the black market and his home, looking for a house.

But these days, it was difficult to find an empty house, and if it had to be a new house, it was even more important not to be careless.

He had been looking and looking, but he hadn’t found anything satisfactory.

Now Tie Lanyan told him that her house was available for rent, it was simply a surprise from heaven.

Judging from Big Sister’s straightforwardness, the house must be good.

Niu Dapang wouldn’t have to worry anymore.