A well-behaved girl was deceived while searching for her husband; she married a childless military o

Deng Xiaozhen came to the food factory to find Qiao Lanshu; she had come during her free time in the morning.

She was wearing a military green cotton-padded jacket over a blue work uniform from a textile factory, and there were still some cotton lint from the factory's workshop stuck to her clothes and hair.

Her collar was tightly wrapped, and her plaid scarf was wrapped around her face, leaving only half of her face exposed.

Because she was rushing, beads of sweat appeared on her forehead;

At the end of the year, the textile factory was rushing to fulfill winter clothing orders, and the entire workshop was working non-stop. As the foreman of the fine yarn workshop, she had to oversee every step of the process, from feeding materials and checking spindles to inspecting defective products. Attendance, output, and team discipline were all on her shoulders. During the day, she even had to time her trip to the tea room, and could only squeeze out a break after finishing her work in the morning.

She didn't dare linger at the factory gate. After asking the gatekeeper for directions, she quickly went around to the warehouse area at the back of the factory.

From afar, you can see that detached mud-brick hut next to a huge warehouse. The walls are neatly painted. It is a warehouse management room that the factory built in the last two years.

Deng Xiaozhen rushed to the window, where a thin layer of condensation covered the glass. She raised her hand and rubbed a small patch away, instantly spotting the figure inside.

Qiao Lanshu was engrossed in organizing warehouse management forms, with a stack of ledgers printed with the names of goods beside him. He was looking down and very serious.

Deng Xiaozhen quickly bent her knuckles and tapped lightly and urgently on the windowpane, "knock knock knock".

Qiao Lanshu looked up abruptly upon hearing the sound, her pen pausing on the paper. She saw Deng Xiaozhen clinging to the windowsill, her eyes filled with urgency, waving frantically at her.

She was taken aback at first, then quickly put down her pencil, reached out and pushed open the wooden-framed glass window. A sliver of cold air rushed in, and her voice was full of surprise: "Sister-in-law? What brings you here now? Isn't the textile factory incredibly busy at the end of the year?"

Fearing she hadn't explained clearly enough, Qiao Lanshu quickly added, gesturing with her chin towards the pickle workshop outside: "Are you here to see Weijun? He's tending the boiler over there. He even came over this morning to fetch hot water for me. If you had arrived ten minutes earlier, you might have run into him."

Upon hearing this, Deng Xiaozhen shook her head rapidly, her lips curling downwards, her tone filled with barely suppressed anger: "That bastard, why would I see him? I'm already furious enough with him! Xiao Qiao, I came here specifically to see you today."

Ever since the Zheng Daliu incident, Deng Xiaozhen hasn't had a single good night's sleep.

As soon as she closed her eyes, the person she dreamt of being slashed to the ground became her younger brother, Deng Weijun.

Then, every time, I would wake up in a cold sweat, tossing and turning in bed wrapped in the blanket.

Her once sharp and capable appearance had become noticeably haggard. Whenever she saw her carefree younger brother, her anger and lingering fear would swell together, stuck in her chest and unable to dissipate.

Seeing that she looked pale and was standing in the wind, Qiao Lanshu quickly turned around, opened the wooden door of the small house, leaned out and waved: "Sister-in-law, it's windy and cold outside. Come inside and talk. Don't get cold."

Deng Xiaozhen responded and stepped through the door, immediately enveloped in a warm, cozy feeling.

This small hut is connected to the factory's heating pipes. The metal radiators are warm to the touch, and as soon as you enter, you feel cozy and warm all over.

In the past, warehouse workers at food factories didn't have separate rooms. They would just move an old wooden table and a chair with cracked paint and sit directly in the large warehouse to work. The warehouse door was always open for ventilation, and in winter, cold wind would blow in, and people's hands and feet would freeze after sitting for half a day.

In addition, the daily work of warehouse staff is not complicated, and most of the staff on duty are older employees. They are prone to dozing off while sitting. When they wake up, they can't find out if there are missing or wrong items, and the loss of goods and the accounting are often the case.

After much deliberation, the factory built this dedicated little house next to the main entrance of the warehouse and set a rule that the warehouse must be locked at all times, and the warehouse manager must be on duty inside to keep watch, which not only ensures the safety of the goods, but also makes the guard less uncomfortable.

The house is not small, and the layout is neat.

A sturdy solid wood desk stood by the window, paired with a chair with a backrest—this was where Qiao Lanshu had just been doing her accounts. On one wall, a five-tiered pine shelf held stacks of ledgers, ink, pencils, enamel mugs, coarse towels, and other miscellaneous items.

On the opposite wall, there was a row of iron nails, with cotton-padded coats, woolen hats, and red scarves hanging on them.

At the innermost side, there was a wooden plank bed, covered with an old, faded quilt;

This was left behind by the previous warehouse manager, specifically for temporary rest during nighttime inventory checks and shifts. Fortunately, there are no shipments at night during the winter, so apart from the annual major inventory check, the night shift is basically not needed.

Deng Xiaozhen looked around and seemed somewhat satisfied with the working conditions. She asked, "Xiao Qiao, are you doing a good job as a warehouse manager? Not too busy or tiring, right?"

Qiao Lanshu had only been working at the factory for a short time when she was able to secure such a job. She had her own small office, free from the wind and sun, and unlike factory workers, she didn't have to stand all day doing repetitive mechanical tasks. She could sit whenever she wanted, and lean back when she got tired. It was a comfortable and respectable job, and in the eyes of others, it was a very good job.

Of course, this work was mostly done by Yang Wenyan.

Qiao Lanshu smiled and nodded: "It's not too busy. After winter, everyone leaves work early. Usually, after four o'clock in the afternoon, no one comes to pick up materials or goods. After finishing my work, sometimes I can leave a little earlier."

Deng Xiaozhen laughed along and casually replied, "It's good to be idle. In the freezing winter, we won't do any strenuous or physically demanding work. We can just stay home and keep warm and healthy so we can have children later..."

As soon as she finished speaking, she abruptly shut her mouth, mentally slapping herself hard, wishing she could slap herself right then and there.

In her early years, she suffered from a severe cold during the winter, which, combined with famine, left her with little to no food and made her extremely weak at a young age.

I saw a doctor who said I have a cold constitution, weak Qi and blood, which makes it difficult to conceive.

In the past two years, as life has become more comfortable, she has focused on improving her health, hoping to conceive a child. When chatting with her close friends, the conversation inevitably revolves around health and preparing for pregnancy. Today, in her eagerness to talk about this, she blurted it out without thinking.

But it wouldn't be appropriate to say that to Qiao Lanshu.

After all, everyone knows about Qin Yuanzheng's health condition.

Deng Xiaozhen quickly stopped talking, a hint of embarrassment flashing across her face. She immediately changed the subject, lowering her voice: "By the way, I heard from Yuanzheng that you have a girl here who's asking someone to find her a husband, and she's about the same age as our Weijun? Is that true?"

Qiao Lanshu's eyes widened slightly, full of surprise: "Sister-in-law, you got the news so fast! I just mentioned it to Brother Zheng this morning, and it's only been two hours, and you've already come here."

She was truly impressed by Qin Yuanzheng's efficiency.

Deng Xiaozhen covered her mouth and chuckled softly, her voice even gentler, filled with the deep concern of an older sister: "The girl you asked me to introduce, I definitely have to come and ask her right away. You know my Weijun, he's still not settled down, he wanders around all day after get off work like a street urchin, I'm really afraid that if he's not kept in check, he'll run into another Zheng Daliu..."

"Then he'll just cause me more trouble. Instead of living in constant fear, I'd better find him a reliable wife and start a family. Only when a man has someone to rely on and something to look forward to coming home will he settle down and settle down. Otherwise, he'll always be like a wild horse, causing trouble sooner or later."

She paused, then sighed and added, expressing her true feelings: "Besides, what man, when he reaches a certain age, doesn't want to marry a virtuous wife and live a peaceful life?"

What she didn't say was, "Look at Qin Yuanzheng, he used to be a workaholic, all he ever did was work, work, work."

Yang Wenyan invited him to his home for a meal several times, but he declined eight out of ten times.

Just say you're too busy with work to get away.

Now look at Qin Yuanzheng, after he got a wife, he goes home early every day to pick her up.

All he wants to do all day is be close to his wife.

When I used to live in a dormitory, if the chairs or tables at home were broken, I would repair them if I could, and if I couldn't, I would just throw them away.

The house is completely empty.

Now, let alone tables, chairs, and furniture, he knows to buy vegetables and groceries, and he even asks his comrades-in-arms to buy things from all over the country.

This is what changes men after they get married!

Seeing Deng Xiaozhen's expectant gaze, Qiao Lanshu said softly, "This is the younger sister of one of my colleagues. She currently works as a ticket seller at the train station, a permanent job, but her family is from the countryside, and she has brothers... Sister-in-law, if you have time, I'll have her sister come over so we can talk first?"

Deng Xiaozhen quickly nodded: "Oh, that's great, Xiao Qiao. The girl already has a stable job, and I'm worried she might look down on my brother. Please take me to meet her sister so I can talk to her."

In fact, Deng Weijun also had a formal job, and he also had a brother-in-law who was a factory director, so his conditions were definitely better than Wang Haitang's.

After all, Wang Haitang's family all lived in the village, and her employment was arranged by Wang Xue, who paid money to help her.

To put it bluntly, Wang Haitang's family was hoping that she would come to the city to work, marry a city man, and then improve their lives by marrying into the city.

But Deng Xiaozhen herself is from the village. She has seen and dealt with many awful relatives, so she is not afraid of these rural relatives trying to take advantage of her.

She felt that when choosing a wife, one should consider her personality and character.

So, Qiao Lanshu went and called Wang Xue over.

The three of them chatted in the small house for more than half an hour.

Wang Xue and Deng Xiaozhen hit it off immediately, and their conversation became increasingly congenial.

In the end, before Deng Weijun and Wang Haitang had even met, their marriage was practically arranged by their two older sisters.

Both of them still had to work, especially Deng Xiaozhen, whose work at the textile factory was too busy, so she had to leave quickly. This trip was something she had squeezed out of time.

She came out with Wang Xue and said, "Then it's settled. I'll take a break in a couple of days and let them meet!"

Wang Xue readily agreed, "Okay, then bring him to my house later, and I'll write down my address for you."

As Wang Xue spoke, she asked Qiao Lanshu for paper and pen, wrote down the address, and gave it to Deng Xiaozhen.

Deng Xiaozhen happily took the note and left.

Wang Xue and Qiao Lanshu saw Deng Xiaozhen off together, and then Wang Xue said to Qiao Lanshu, "Your cousin-in-law is such a straightforward person. With my timid daughter Haitang, I can rest assured that she has such a good sister-in-law to take care of her."

Qiao Lanshu nodded: "Yes, my cousin's wife is very capable, and Weijun is very afraid of her."

I guess it's because he was often beaten by his older sister when he was little, so he's still afraid of her even now that he's grown up.

Wang Xue then lowered her voice and said to Qiao Lanshu, "Haitang is just too stupid. Her parents don't really care about her. They'll probably have to rely on her in the future. And her personality is just like that... Never mind, I'll go back to work first. After I get off work, I'll pick Haitang up and talk to her about this."

As Wang Xue finished speaking, she hurriedly left.

The small room finally quieted down, and Qiao Lanshu sat down in a chair to continue working.

She wondered if it was because she and Qin Yuanzheng had been indulging in unrestrained behavior at night lately, but she felt a little tired.

I'm exhausted every day. Sometimes when I'm sitting there reading, I'll doze off and fall asleep as soon as I put my head on the table.

At that moment, Qiao Lanshu yawned again and put away the organized inventory forms.

Then I took out an orange and carefully peeled it.

These oranges were specially sent by Qin Yuanzheng through a comrade-in-arms. There weren't many of them, and Qin Yuanzheng couldn't bear to eat them all, saying he wanted to give them all to Qiao Lanshu.

Qiao Lanshu was reluctant to eat too much, but she was also afraid that the oranges would spoil.

For the past two days, she has been eating one orange a day and keeping the peels to make a grapefruit honey drink.

Just then, the gatekeeper came over and knocked on the window.

Qiao Lanshu quickly opened the window a crack and asked with a smile, "Uncle, what did you want to see me about?"

The security guard said, "A salesperson from a department store is looking for you. They say your coat has arrived and they need you to come to the gate to pick it up. They require you to sign for it in person."

Packages are usually left at the guardhouse and picked up by employees after they finish get off work.

But it's different for people in department stores. They deliver goods, not packages. They have to hand them over to the customers, and the customers have to sign for them. Otherwise, if the items are lost, the sales staff can't afford to compensate for them.

Qiao Lanshu hesitated and said, "A sales clerk at a department store? A coat? I didn't buy one..."

As she spoke, she took down the cotton-padded coat hanging on the wall, put it on, and then put the half-peeled orange into her pocket.

She went out, locked the door of the small house, and followed the gatekeeper.

The gatekeeper, with his hands tucked into his sleeves and his Lei Feng hat askew, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, said as he walked, "Don't you have a husband who's an officer? Maybe he bought it for you. A coat may be expensive, but for an officer, it's just a casual thing."

Qiao Lanshu "..."

Qiao Lanshu thought about it for a moment and figured that her brother Zheng would definitely be willing to buy her a coat, but he would probably deliver it to her himself.

Why not have the salesperson deliver it to you?

Well, since it's already been delivered, I'll sign for it first. I'll ask Zheng Ge about it when I get home this afternoon.