I Became a Vicious Supporting Role in the '70s
Chapter 65: Is it really such a coincidence?

Chapter 65: Chapter 65: Is it really such a coincidence?

While Shen Meng was observing him, Kong Wenxiang was also sizing up Shen Meng. When the gatekeeper mentioned she was from the production team of Lu Family Village, it inevitably surprised him; rural women rarely came to a place so full of men with such composure. She was clearly no ordinary person.

"Comrade, even though green bricks are cheaper than red bricks, there are still many people who want them. Just the people with vouchers lining up already extend to after the New Year, and black tiles are also not available until after the New Year. Why don’t you come back next time? Oh, next time send a man from your family to come; it will be more convenient."

"Oh dear, what should I do? We urgently need them at home; we’re about to start building in two months. Once it becomes winter, houses made of straw and mud bricks are easily collapsed by snow. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have run all the way here. Factory Director Comrade, you don’t understand, my husband is in the army, he probably can’t come over."

From Lu Family Village, and her husband is in the military—Kong Wenxiang’s expression paused slightly; could it really be such a coincidence???

He immediately pressed on to ask: "Comrade, are you by any chance surnamed Shen?"

"Yes, Factory Director Comrade, how do you know? Have you met me before, or do you know my husband?"

Kong Wenxiang opened his mouth, unsure of what to say next. Some time ago, his wife Cheng Yufen had come home worriedly. Originally, he didn’t want to ask, but still, caring for the many years of their relationship, he poured her a cup of water and inquired about the situation.

He thought she might have encountered some troublesome patient at the hospital, but never expected it was about running into a person who helped her give Wang Jine, her sister-in-law back home, a lesson. This was certainly pleasing to hear.

These past years, the Cheng Family had been leeching off his wife, to the point that he and his two children didn’t even want to go home anymore. His own family was even on the brink of falling apart. Suddenly hearing that someone from the Cheng Family got taught a lesson, his heart was so thrilled, he couldn’t sleep all night.

Only his wife was such a killjoy, she felt they had taken advantage of Mr. Shen’s connection inappropriately, but he felt that Mr. Shen simply couldn’t stand by and had helped out on the spur of the moment.

Previously, the Cheng Family used to visit every now and then. But these days, they haven’t dared to come over once, even when their two children were due home, they wanted to thank Mr. Shen in person after hearing about the incident.

It wasn’t that they had no connections at all; it was just that Yu Fen was single-minded and unwilling to utilize them. They’re family after all, and they had to consider her feelings, but he didn’t expect to meet the legendary Mr. Shen so soon.

"No, we haven’t met, nor do I know your husband. Oh, there really are no bricks and tiles available right now. How about you, Mr. Shen, go back first? Leave your address with Xiao Wu, and if we have bricks and tiles, I’ll have him notify you."

"That would be really great, thank you. I, I don’t really know how to read, so I’ll trouble Xiao Wu to help me write it down." Shen Meng’s forthright manner made Kong Wenxiang feel that she truly had the bearing of a military wife, not a trace of pretense.

After Shen Meng left, Kong Wenxiang looked at the address written on the paper, then returned to his office to call Cheng Yufen.

She had just helped their family, and now she came looking for bricks and tiles—could such a coincidence really exist?

He was somewhat skeptical in his heart, and felt the need to call and ask. If Yu Fen had mentioned something about this Mr. Shen, then he couldn’t help but suspect that the previous help given to their family had an ulterior motive; but if she had not mentioned it, then it was still important to find a way to help a benefactor.

Shen Meng rode her bicycle to the photo studio to pick up the previously taken photos and letters she had prepared, and took them to the post office to be mailed. The letters mostly contained words spoken by the children, and after affixing postage, she handed them over to the counter staff. Letters sent to the military were processed faster than those sent by ordinary people.

This visit was specifically for the matter of her parents’ home needing bricks and tiles. She never expected such a coincidence to happen, running into Cheng Yufen’s husband. On her way to the brick and tile factory, she was pondering how to subtly mention to the person in charge that she knew Cheng Yufen. Now it saved her a lot of trouble.

Kong Wenxiang did not give an immediate response, and she could tell that he was cautious and not someone who could be easily fooled. However, Cheng Yufen had never mentioned her family matters in front of Shen Meng. In fact, it was their first meeting, and the only reason Shen Meng knew that Cheng Yufen’s husband was the factory manager was due to overhearing a snippet of conversation between two nurses at the hospital’s medicine cabinet.

She had a premonition that the bricks and tiles needed for the house would definitely be secured.

When Shen Meng returned from the county town by bicycle, the news spread like wildfire throughout Lu Family Village. The news sprouted wings and was everywhere the moment she entered the village. She had intended to keep it low-key, but upon reflection, she realized that with a bicycle at home, surely there would be thick-skinned neighbors knocking on her door to borrow it. To avoid future trouble, it was better to make a show of it, so she even tied a big red flower to the handlebars.

Upon hearing that Shen Meng had ridden a bicycle back home, Zhou Jiaojiao’s eyes lit up with excitement. It must mean that her family’s Jiaxuan had been selected by the commune. Though it was a temporary job, the solid monthly wage of eighteen yuan, plus various coupons and occasional gifts for festivals and holidays, were all real benefits.

This strengthened her belief that Lu Zhenping truly had high hopes for her family’s Jiaxuan; otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone out of his way to make a long-distance call to the commune leaders on his behalf.

Now that Shen Meng had bought a bicycle, it might well have been an arrangement by her uncle, possibly a gesture to buy a bicycle for Jiaxuan to add a touch of dignity to his commute to work.

"Hey, Jiaojiao, your elder sister-in-law bought a bicycle. Why don’t you go back and take a look?"

"Yeah, a Flying Pigeon brand bicycle. Don’t let her slender appearance fool you—heh, when she rides, she pedals so fast, almost like she’s about to fly."

Zhou Jiaojiao was pleased inside, but she didn’t show it on her face. "Oh, what’s the big deal? It’s nothing unusual for the family to buy a bicycle. I’ll finish work soon enough, and we can’t afford to waste work points. The priority is this task-oriented field."

Hearing her response, everyone who had just been gossiping felt embarrassed to loaf about any longer. However, not everyone rallied around her; there were those who looked down on her.

Lai Zi’s wife was one such person, and she would rather slack off than work every day, hoping to sleep in at home.

"Jiaojiao’s awareness is really high, no wonder she could marry someone as good as Jiaxuan. If you ask me, your man will soon have a stable job too. You should act like your elder sister-in-law, not work but wait to enjoy the good food and dress up beautifully. How wonderful that life would be, why bother working so hard for work points, unlike us, destined to be mud-legged for life. When could we ever enjoy state-provided grain? That would be a dream come true!"

"You fool, that’s because Jiaojiao is blessed with good fate. If only you’d wish for it, make your man stop lazing around and work hard instead, it would be so much better for you and your kids to have more to eat."

Everyone was busy in the same task-oriented field, so naturally, they looked down on someone who shared their work points but always dragged the group down.

Lai Zi’s wife rolled her eyes, indifferent to these sarcastic remarks, as if she was born without the thin skin to worry about such things.

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