Chapter 353
“Why don’t we grab lunch first? Afterward, we can check out the bookstore. If we still can’t find the books you want, we’ll come back and continue searching,” Ding Xuechun said as she stood up, rubbing her legs, which had gone numb from sitting.
Ji Yujing nodded in agreement. “Yes, and if we can’t find anything, the three of us can pool our money and buy you a radio as a wedding gift.”
Ding Xuechun quickly chimed in, “Yes, I think a radio would be a great gift.”
Earlier, they had been sidetracked by Gui Zhenzhen’s suggestion, and now it seemed absurd to be digging through junk to find a wedding present for a classmate. However, with Gui Zhenzhen standing right there, it wasn’t the right time to criticize her idea.
“You don’t need to buy anything so expensive. You could just give me a silk scarf or some lipstick. After all, once I’m married, I won’t be working in the fields anymore. I can dress up a little at home, and no one would say anything,” Su Xiaoxiao said with a smile, politely declining their offer.
Even the cheapest radio would cost an industrial voucher plus 80 yuan. If the three of them split the cost, each would have to pay around 27 yuan, which was almost a month’s wages.
Ding Xuechun and Ji Yujing felt that giving just a small, inexpensive gift wouldn’t be enough for someone like Su Xiaoxiao. They also saw it as an opportunity to build a good relationship with her mother, which might help them in the future if they ever found themselves needing support.
Plus, the Women’s Federation had access to many job opportunities for women. If it weren’t for the trouble Su Xiaoxiao’s family had recently encountered, Xiaoxiao might not have been sent to the countryside at all. In a few years, when things calmed down and their children were old enough to attend nursery school, they hoped Su Xiaoxiao’s mother could help them find jobs.
But since Xiaoxiao had already refused the expensive gift, they didn’t want to insist too much and risk appearing too eager.
“Alright then, let’s go to the supply and marketing cooperative later and pick something you like. Your wedding is a big deal, and we don’t want you to feel like you need to save us money,” Ding Xuechun said.
“Okay, I’ll definitely pick something I love, so you’d better be ready to splurge!” Su Xiaoxiao laughed, linking arms with them as they walked.
Seeing that they were about to leave, Gui Zhenzhen became anxious. “Are you really leaving so soon? We’ve already searched through half of the stuff. Why not finish the other half?”
Ji Yujing and Ding Xuechun exchanged suspicious glances.
“It’s already noon. It would take another four or five hours to go through the rest. Even if we’re not hungry now, we can’t hold out that long,” Ji Yujing pointed out.
“Exactly! And it’s a wedding. Who gives old stuff as a wedding gift?” Ding Xuechun added.
A flicker of malice crossed Gui Zhenzhen’s eyes, and her gaze swept meaningfully over Ji Yujing. However, she quickly forced a smile. “Oh, it’s so late already? I don’t have a watch, so I didn’t notice. Let’s go eat then.”
Ji Yujing and Ding Xuechun, not suspecting anything, were about to walk out.
But Su Xiaoxiao, realizing that Gui Zhenzhen wasn’t going to press the issue, grabbed Ji Yujing’s arm.
“Are you seriously planning on taking that essay collection with you? Do you really think Grandpa Zhai would dare sell it to you?” Su Xiaoxiao asked.
Ji Yujing hesitated, glancing longingly at the book in her hand. “Maybe I’ll just put it in my bag? It’s such a good book, I can’t let it be destroyed, right?”
“Let it be destroyed, then. Reading this kind of book won’t do you any good. But if either outsiders or your own family finds out, it’ll cause a lot of trouble. With so many people living under one roof, there’s no place to hide anything,” Su Xiaoxiao said, her patience wearing thin.
If it weren’t for Gui Zhenzhen dragging her out and bringing these two foolish girls along, Su Xiaoxiao wouldn’t have bothered with them at all.