Chapter 21 – Rourou
The wife quickly pulled out a newspaper for Cao Jiandang.
Cao Jiandang glanced at the headline, the largest section of the newspaper, and indeed, it was exactly as his family had described.
“Let me just say, if our Jiandang can also make it to the newspaper one day, not to mention being a workshop director, even becoming a deputy factory director in the future is achievable. I wonder how many houses we could get.”
Listening to these words, Cao Jiandang’s gaze fell on the smiling worker in the newspaper, his fingers gripping the newspaper slightly tighter, sinking into deep thought…
*
Xu Jinning slept until almost noon the next day.
It’s not that she didn’t want to wake up early; it’s just that her body couldn’t handle it, and besides, her soul from the 21st century had the habit of sleeping until naturally waking up.
After dressing, she left her room. The house was quiet, as if no one was at home.
On the dining table, there was a bowl with two big white steamed buns.
Were they left for her?
At this moment, a sound came from behind. Xu Jinning turned her head and saw her elder sister, Xu Fanghua, coming out of her room.
When she saw Xu Jinning, her gaze was faint, sweeping over her, and then she said, “You really think of yourself as a young lady from the city, sleeping until almost noon.”
“That’s the white steamed bun Mom left for you; go ahead and eat it.”
Clearly, Xu Fanghua was somewhat displeased with Xu Jinning waking up so late and even more so with the two white steamed buns, although she had already eaten breakfast.
“I really don’t understand why Mom treats you so well. I’ve requested it many times before, but Mom never made white steamed buns. She only made them this morning for you.”
Although they were able to eat white steamed buns because of Xu Jinning, Xu Fanghua still felt somewhat dissatisfied.
After saying this, Xu Fanghua returned to her room.
Xu Jinning didn’t care much about Xu Fanghua’s sour words.
Because of the plot in the book, she knew that her elder sister, Xu Fanghua, disliked her, the recognized sister, the most.
Even after Xu Fangfang didn’t come back, she felt that it was because Xu Jinning was there that Xu Fangfang didn’t want to return.
She felt that Xu Jinning had taken her sister Xu Fangfang’s place.
In Xu Fanghua’s eyes and heart, the only sister she recognized was Xu Fangfang.
To be honest, if the current Xu Jinning were the original owner facing this attitude from her real sister, she would undoubtedly be very sad, especially considering the original owner’s strong desire for love and care from her family.
But Xu Jinning didn’t care. Not only did she not care, but she also knew that Xu Fanghua was also an NPC controlled by the plot world, with no independent thoughts.
Instead of paying attention to Xu Fanghua’s words, she might as well focus on the big white steamed buns in front of her.
Xu Jinning originally thought she wouldn’t like such a simple and plain food as steamed buns.
However, picking up a bun, taking a bite, and chewing, she realized that her estimation was wrong.
Her mother, Zhang Ailian, was not only good at making delicious chicken soup, but even for such simple steamed buns, they were incredibly tasty.
She couldn’t resist and continued to eat one bite after another.
What Xu Jinning didn’t know was the reason she found these white steamed buns so delicious.
One reason was Zhang Ailian’s excellent cooking skills, and another reason was that the original owner of this body had never eaten such finely crafted grains.
White flour steamed buns, the original owner had never eaten them.
In the memories of the original owner, the most common food she ate was black wheat flatbread.
That thing was hard to swallow, not very tasty, and lacked nutrition.
Xu Jinning knew that the food in this era couldn’t be compared to the modern times.
These white steamed buns, in many households, might not be eaten more than a few times throughout the year. The fact that Zhang Ailian would specially make them for her made it truly rare.
No wonder her elder sister, Xu Fanghua, had a strange attitude.
“Fanghua, Fanghua…” At this moment, a female voice suddenly came from outside, and a girl with two braids walked in.
This girl was about 1.55 meters tall, with ordinary features and a wheat-colored complexion.
However, Xu Jinning didn’t quite like this girl at first sight.
Because her eyes seemed shrewd, carrying a calculating look, and her face always had a smile, but Xu Jinning couldn’t feel any friendliness from her.
When the girl saw Xu Jinning, she was slightly surprised at first, then seemed to recall something.
“You must be Fanghua’s newly recognized younger sister, Xu Jinning, right?”
“Hello, little sister.”
As she spoke, her eyes glanced at the white steamed bun in Xu Jinning’s hand, then quickly concealed it. However, Xu Jinning still caught a glimpse of the desire and envy in her eyes.
Xu Jinning found it strange. In the modern world, she had a weak perception of people’s good and evil, which led to her being deceived by her stepmother and stepsister. But in this transmigrated world, her sensitivity to people’s good and evil, preferences, and dislikes seemed remarkably heightened.
It was as if, in the modern world, she was also controlled, her mind covered in a layer of haze.
And now, after transmigrating, that layer of haze had been lifted, and everything became clear.
It made Xu Jinning couldn’t help but wonder: was she fated to be a foolish cannon fodder stepsister, destined to be harmed by her stepsister even in the modern world?
“Rourou, why are you talking to her?” At this moment, Xu Fanghua came out of the house upon hearing the voice, pulling the girl named Rourou into her room.
“Don’t talk to her.” After saying this, Xu Fanghua even gave Xu Jinning a stern look.
However, the girl named Rourou showed a friendly and apologetic expression towards Xu Jinning before entering the room with Xu Fanghua.
Xu Jinning remained indifferent, surprising the girl named Rourou.
The two talked about something in the room, and it wasn’t until Xu Jinning slowly finished eating both white steamed buns that they came out again.
“Rourou, please help me send this letter.” When talking about the letter, Xu Fanghua’s face showed a rare shy expression, like a girl in love.
“Don’t worry, leave it to me. I’m your best friend. You focus on your work.”
“Well, but… Rourou, what do you think, I’ve sent him so many letters, why hasn’t he replied to any of them? Could it be…” Speaking of this, Xu Fanghua, who was usually proud like a peacock in front of Xu Jinning, surprisingly had a dim gaze, lacking confidence.
“I’m not very sure about that, but I heard that the girls in the army’s cultural troupe often perform. Those girls, not only do they come from good families, but they are also very beautiful. Do you think Song Yi might be interested in those girls?” Rourou also seemed worried.
With Rourou’s words, Xu Fanghua became even more anxious.
She sighed, as if she had made up her mind, “Let’s send it one more time. If he still doesn’t reply, then, then I won’t send him any more letters. If he comes back, I’ll pretend not to know him.”
“Fanghua…” Rourou sighed, “It’s been almost three years. I don’t know if he has changed now, but I think you can look at the outstanding young men in our village or even the neighboring village. Take Yang Zhiwen from the neighboring Dahe Production Brigade, for example. He has been pursuing you, wanting to be in a relationship with you. I think he’s quite good.”
