Chapter 44

“It’s only seven o’clock now?”

After finishing breakfast and washing up, Qiao Baozhu looked at the time and found that it was not yet seven o’clock.

Looking at Shen Xiao again, he repaired several places in the house that were not covered with white lime; he put enough firewood in the kitchen to last a week; and he also packed all kinds of autumn vegetables in the warehouse according to size.

Qiao Baozhu’s favorability towards him increased a lot. Who could not like a roommate who is diligent, clean and has a keen eye for work?

“Have you packed it?”

When Shen Xiao saw Qiao Baozhu changed her clothes and tied her hair up beautifully, he knew that she was ready to go out.

“Well, I’ll go to the field office first to get a leave note and a letter of introduction. Then I’ll go to the sewing shop to pick up my things, and then go to the bus station. What about you?”

Shen Xiao didn’t need to prepare anything special, a military uniform was decent enough. After listening to Qiao Baozhu’s words, he whispered: “The gifts are already in the car, you can pack up and leave now.”

Qiao Baozhu locked the door, got into Shen Xiao’s jeep, and soon arrived at the site.

When Director Zhou of the Personnel Department of the field office saw Qiao Baozhu asking for leave again, he was about to say no when he saw a tall man in military uniform following behind him.

The farm is next to the military corps. Even if you don’t know much about the officers and soldiers in the army, you can still tell whether they are officers or ordinary soldiers by their uniforms.

When Director Zhou saw that Shen Xiao’s uniform had four pockets, he immediately said with a big smile on his face, “Yes, yes.”

“Marriage is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and there are so many things to do. Our farm only gives three days of marriage leave, which is not enough for anyone to get married. Comrade Xiao Qiao, how many days of leave do you plan to take?”

Qiao Baozhu grabbed a handful of candy and placed it on Director Zhou’s desk, then asked with a smile, “How many days do you usually stay?”

When Director Zhou saw that there were several White Rabbit candies among the candies on the table, the smile on his face deepened.

“The educated youth from other provinces usually take 28 days off. We have several days off locally. It depends on how your team arranges it.”

“Three days of vacation are paid, but the rest are unpaid, and those with poor conditions don’t dare to ask for more.”

Qiao Baozhu thought about it, smiled and said, “Then I’ll take another four days and come to work on the first of next month.”

Director Zhou readily wrote out the note. Qiao Baozhu took the note and went to the sewing shop to get back two pairs of black cotton shoes and two pairs of rabbit leather knee pads.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?”

Sitting in the car, Qiao Baozhu found that Shen Xiao would look at her from time to time while driving.

“No, I’m just a little curious.”

When Qiao Baozhu heard Shen Xiao say this, she couldn’t help but mutter in her heart: Why didn’t Qiao Xifeng tell you before that Shen Xiao is a chatterbox?

Shen Xiao didn’t know what Qiao Baozhu was thinking, and glanced at the cotton shoes on her legs.

“Can’t you make shoes?”

Qiao Baozhu looked down at the cotton shoes on her legs and suddenly realized: “I can sew the soles and uppers, but the stitches are not pretty enough.”

“These two pairs of cotton shoes are gifts I prepared for my parents. I was in a tight time and couldn’t make them. I could only take them to a tailor shop and pay for the labor.”

Qiao Baozhu had a lot of cloth, and she took it to the tailor shop to make two pairs of cotton shoes for only three yuan.

“Your comrade’s family sent us two wild rabbits. We ate the meat that day. I asked a tailor to make two pairs of knee pads from the two rabbit skins I peeled off.”

“One pair for my dad, and one pair for you. When winter comes, you two should always be outdoors. Wear knee pads to keep warm, so you don’t get rheumatism in the future.”

Qiao Baozhu spoke lightly, just like an ordinary couple chatting about family matters.

But these words touched Shen Xiao deeply, and his hands gripping the steering wheel tightened unconsciously.

“I’m sorry to trouble you.”

Shen Xiao uttered a few words stiffly, his heart beating rapidly.

When he saw the two pairs of cotton shoes, Shen Xiao had already guessed that the owners of the cotton shoes were his father-in-law and mother-in-law. But he didn’t expect that Qiao Baozhu also made him a pair of knee pads.

“I’m just paying, it’s no big deal. They sent the two rabbits because of your kindness. It’s only right that I make you a pair of knee pads.”

Shen Xiao pursed his lips and said nothing. There weren’t so many things in this world that should be dealt with.

“Oh, by the way, can I ask about your family situation?”

When Qiao Baozhu saw Shen Xiao start talking, she guessed that he wanted to fulfill what they had said yesterday about getting to know each other.

“My second aunt didn’t say much during the blind date. When we get to my house later, my dad will definitely ask you.”

Shen Xiao looked ahead and said softly, “It’s human nature, I can understand it.”

There is no other couple like them in the whole country. They were forced together like a pair of reserve players. But they each had their own reasons for getting married, so they had no choice but to get married.

Although the two of them had made three rules in private, their parents might not understand. Especially after seeing Qiao Baozhu’s room full of furniture, they were more certain that Qiao Changhai would not hand his daughter over to someone with unclear background.

“My father is also a soldier, but he is not in our province, but in Fengcheng. My mother passed away many years ago. I also have a younger sister who is seventeen years old this year. She lives with my father and his wife in Fengcheng.”

“Your father’s wife?”

Qiao Baozhu was stunned for a moment. It turned out that Shen Xiao had a stepmother.

“Well, let’s get married, will they know?”

Shen Xiao said “hmm” faintly.

“I sent a telegram home. Even if I didn’t tell him, he would have seen my marriage report.”

Qiao Baozhu’s eyelids twitched.

She was not an innocent girl, so she could not understand the weight of Shen Xiao’s words. He was the battalion commander, and the person who could approve his marriage report was naturally his superior.

In other words, Shen Xiao’s father holds a high official position.

Then he thought that Shen Xiao was already a battalion commander at such a young age. Although he had made many military achievements on the battlefield, it was rare for him to have such a smooth career without the blessing of his background.

But Qiao Baozhu is not stupid. From Shen Xiao’s tone, she can tell that the relationship between father and son is not very deep.

Since he didn’t say anything, Qiao Baozhu didn’t bother to ask.

So what if my father-in-law is a high-ranking official? They are more than a thousand kilometers apart.

“Is my sister still in school? After we get married, should I send her something in the mail?”

Shen Xiao said calmly: “She is still in school. She will come and stay for a few days during the winter vacation. You don’t need to buy anything for her for now.”

After saying this, Shen Xiao seemed to have thought of something and snorted coldly: “Even if I buy it, it won’t fall into Qiaoqiao’s hands. It will be given to others for nothing…”

Shen Xiao seemed to have recalled many unbearable past events.

The expression on his face was solemn and cold. The air pressure in the car was very low, so Qiao Baozhu wisely stopped talking.

It seems that Shen Xiao and his sister suffered a lot when they were young.

When Qiao Baozhu thought that Shen Xiao’s sister would come soon, she frowned. This was really unexpected.

In her previous life, she had never heard that Shen Xiao had a younger sister.