Xu Xiaoyun didn’t expect that even though Tang Momo had left the Qingshui Brigade, she still heard news about her everywhere. 

Just because Tang Momo made it into the newspaper, Jia Daguo specifically brought the news back to the team to spread it. 

This was the first time someone from the Qingshui Brigade appeared in the newspaper. Jia Daguo was very excited. He talked about it everywhere and even announced it through the loudspeaker. 

There were praises for Tang Momo everywhere, and Xu Xiaoyun was already numb to them. 

Since she had never attended high school before, she found it very difficult to study. So, besides home, the place she spent the most time was the Educated Youth House. 

But she didn’t expect that even the people in the Educated Youth House to praise Tang Momo as well. As soon as she turned around, her gaze landed on the photo in the newspaper. 

The man and woman in the photo were both smiling and looked quite compatible. At that moment, Xu Xiaoyun’s expression changed. Why did it seem that wherever Tang Momo went, there were always outstanding people around her? 

Even though she had already rejected Gu Chengze, he was still thinking about her.  

Her eyes fell on the photos in the newspaper again, and Xu Xiaoyun had a new idea. Since Gu Chengze wouldn’t let her have an easy time, he shouldn’t expect to have it easy either. 

***  

Aside from the photo cut out from the newspaper, there was nothing else in the envelope. Gu Chengze stared at the person in the photo in a daze.  

It seemed like he was seeing this side of Tang Momo for the first time; the light in her eyes was so captivating, and she looked truly charming. 

Although Xu Xiaoyun’s intention for sending the photo was not pure, Gu Chengze still believed that the two didn’t have a relationship. If they were really in a relationship, Tang Momo wouldn’t have replied to him. 

Gu Chengze was not one to avoid things. He directly put the cut-out photo into an envelope and planned to send it back to Tang Momo, telling her that Xu Xiaoyun gave it to him and to ask her what kind of event this was for at the factory. 

But he suddenly remembered that he didn’t have a photo of Tang Momo, so he took out the piece of paper again. He cut it to keep only the part with Tang Momo and sent the rest back to her. 

*** 

Since that day when the photo from the event was published in the newspaper, Tang Momo and Yang Jianlin did gain some popularity. Luckily, it was just for a while; otherwise, Tang Momo would have collapsed.  

Because of this photo, most girls on the street have recently been wearing woolen suspender dresses. Tang Momo humorously thought that if this were in later generations, she would be considered a trendsetter. 

When she saw Gu Chengze’s reply, she felt both angry and amused—angry that Xu Xiaoyun was still haunting her and secretly keeping an eye on her, and amused that he actually cut the photo and honestly kept the half of it, indicating that if she didn’t want it, he would send it back next time. 

Tang Momo snorted softly; this person was a bit cunning. 

Tang Momo wrote back and explained what happened at the event and stated that she had nothing to do with Yang Jianlin. 

And she emphasized again that what she said before, that she currently had no plans to look for match. 

As she exchanged letters back and forth with Gu Chengze, December arrived in the blink of an eye, and it was already winter. 

It was at this time that Tang Momo realized that, unknowingly, she and Gu Chengze had already exchanged so many letters. 

Since that incident, the two had tacitly avoided mentioning the topic of relationship in their letters, and they mainly talked about their current situations. 

The two even sent things to each other. Gu Chengze mentioned he was away from home and wanted to eat pickled vegetables. The pickled vegetables in each place were different, so when she heard what he said, Tang Momo didn’t think much and just bought the pickled vegetables at home. She packed two cans and bottles and sent them to him to relieve his homesickness. 

As the new year approached, a friendly competition with the second factory was about to begin, and Director Wu was still considering the plans submitted by Tang Momo. 

She suggested that this competition could involve workers in the workshop, such as comparing who can make snacks faster or who can create shapes without using a mold. 

A game that allows everyone to participate is more exciting. 

In previous years, it was a competition among the top officers of various departments, but this year, the main event can be held here in the workshop, which allows everyone to participate. 

Director Wu looked at the three different plans submitted by Tang Momo and couldn’t help but smile. “Xiao Tang, you really didn’t disappoint me.” 

Tang Momo lowered her head, pretending to be shy. After all, she had attended many social events before. So she borrowed some ideas from those experiences and even suggested a lottery. 

Sure enough, after seeing the lottery and the explanation behind them, Director Wu nodded directly, “This is a good suggestion.” 

The prizes don’t need to be too extravagant; it’s just about creating the right atmosphere. 

The next step is to wait for the final decision. In fact, Tang Momo has no opinion on which one to choose. She just hopes that Director Wu and others can decide quickly; otherwise, they will be in a hurry again. 

But despite her busy work schedule, Tang Momo would still continue to study with Hu Jie for one to two hours every day. 

Although Hu Jie never went to high school, her understanding ability was very strong. She could remember many questions after Tang Momo explained them once. 

Hu Jie was also surprised at how proficient Tang Momo was in high school content. Tang Momo casually made an excuse, “I learned from our neighbor next door before.” 

“Momo, you’re really impressive.” 

Hu Jie looked at Tang Momo with envy. 

Feeling a bit guilty, Tang Momo turned her face. “You’re also very impressive; you understand the question as soon as I explain it.” 

“Alright, you’re both impressive, so can we go now?” 

Wang Qian looked at the two of them helplessly. 

They had just received their salary today and they decided to go to a state-owned restaurant to have a good meal. Who would have thought that these two would not miss even this time, and they would use it to solve two questions? 

The two quickly put away their books: “We’re coming right now.” 

During the meal, Wang Qian talked about her partner. Last month, Wang Qian finally followed her family’s arrangements and went to meet a potential match. 

Unexpectedly, she succeeded this time. The other person was a worker at a steel factory, and Tang Momo had met him once before. It was then that she realized Wang Qian was quite concerned about appearances; no wonder she used to like soldiers. 

“During the New Year, both families want to settle things, so I estimate you two will need to hurry up too.” 

Wang Qian casually urged them. 

“No rush, let’s talk about it after you get married.” 

Hu Jie and Tang Momo both looked calm; marriage is something that really shouldn’t be hurried. 

At the end of December, it started to snow, and the weather suddenly became cold. As a southerner who had never seen heavy snow, Tang Momo was probably the one who was looking forward to the snow the most. 

Tomorrow, there will be a friendly competition with the second factory. Both Wang Qian and Hu Jie plan to participate. In addition to cheering for them, Tang Momo is also interested in seeing what the lottery prizes are.

Such good news continued until Tang Momo received Gu Chengze’s letter. Seeing the things he explained in his letter and the deposit slip inside, Tang Momo’s mood suddenly became heavy. 

***

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