Chapter 644: Warm Supply and Marketing Cooperative
At this time, everyone in the supply and marketing cooperative was busy with their own things. Cheng Erhua squatted in a corner, concentrating on counting the piles of agricultural supplies on the ground.
He frowned slightly, muttered numbers quietly, and the account book in his hand was flipping through the pages, and he was completely unaware of the movement at the door.
A few young sales clerks nearby were frantically arranging the shelves, trying to put the goods back in place that had been messed up by customers. However, the busier they got, the more chaotic the situation became. Beads of sweat rolled down their foreheads and dripped onto the cartons.
Wang Jianguo and Zhao Shuzhuo strode in, bringing up a breeze that made a few pieces of paper on the ground rustle.
Cheng Erhua raised his head inadvertently and glanced forward. In an instant, his eyes lit up as if he had discovered a treasure.
He stood up in a flash, completely ignoring the dust on his knees, with a smile of great surprise on his face, and shouted happily at the top of his voice:
"Brother Jianguo and the captain are back!"
This shout was like dropping a huge rock into a calm lake, causing ripples. In an instant, the eyes of everyone in the supply and marketing cooperative were drawn as if by silk threads, and all looked towards the door.
Yang Chan, who was busy calculating accounts behind the counter, heard the clacking sound of the abacus beads in her hand suddenly stop, and stretched her neck to look towards the door.
Several strong young men who were carrying goods, carrying boxes half a person's height, stopped abruptly. The boxes almost slipped down, but they didn't care and just stared at Wang Jianguo and Zhao Shuzhuo with wide eyes.
Even the old craftsman in the corner who was tinkering with a broken radio put down his screwdriver, turned around, his eyes full of joy.
He Yushui, who was helping in the backyard kitchen, was standing in front of the stove with her hands covered in flour. She was kneading the dough carefully, preparing to make a hot meal for the busy group.
The kitchen was steaming, smoky, and filled with the aroma of food.
Hearing the loud shout coming from the front yard, He Yushui's movements suddenly stopped. She was stunned for a moment, and then a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.
Without having time to put down the sticky dough in her hands or wipe the flour off her face, she anxiously lifted her skirt, hurried out of the kitchen in small steps, crossed the narrow aisle, and ran straight towards the hall.
Along the way, flour fell from her hands, leaving a string of white marks on the ground, but she ignored it all, her heart full of anxiety to see Wang Jianguo and Zhao Shuzhuo as soon as possible.
In the blink of an eye, He Yushui's figure appeared in the hall, her eyes searching the crowd eagerly.
When she saw the familiar faces of Wang Jianguo and Zhao Shuzhuo, a smile as bright as the warm spring sun broke out on her face.
There were tears glistening in his eyes, which were the joy and excitement after a long separation.
He Yushui's hair was a little messy, with a few strands of hair soaked by sweat and sticking to her cheeks. There were also dots of flour on her cheeks, like the first snow in winter, but this could not conceal the twinkling light in her eyes.
She saw the tall figures of Wang Jianguo and Zhao Shuzhuo at a glance. At that moment, joy surged into her heart like a flood that broke through a dam, making her smile as bright as flowers blooming in spring.
She couldn't wait to run forward quickly, her footsteps were so light that they seemed to be carrying the wind. When she came in front of the two people, her eyes were full of joy of meeting each other after a long separation, and her voice was filled with uncontrollable excitement:
"Brother Jianguo, Brother Shuzhuo, I've been waiting for you to come back!"
She raised her head slightly and looked at them with sparkling eyes, her eyes full of intimacy and concern.
"Why did you take so long this time? You didn't say you would be gone for so long when you left. I kept complaining about it, and it made me anxious. Also, why didn't you come back with Cheng Hai and the others?"
At this point, she frowned slightly, with a hint of doubt in her eyes.
"Is there something urgent? Did you have a smooth journey? Did you encounter any trouble?"
A series of questions came out of her mouth like a string of cannonballs, and every word was filled with her concern for the two of them.
Wang Jianguo looked at He Yushui's appearance, his heart was filled with warmth, and a warm smile appeared on his face, just like the warm sun in winter, gently dispelling the doubts in her heart:
"Yushui, I'll tell you when we get home. It's a long story along the way."
As he spoke, he lowered his head slightly and patted his belly, with a slightly childish look on his face.
"Brother Shuzhuo and I have been traveling so long that our stomachs have been growling. We are just looking forward to having a bite of hot food."
He looked up at He Yushui, his eyes full of anticipation.
"What delicious food are you going to make today?"
When He Yushui heard this, her eyes suddenly lit up like the twinkling stars in the night sky. She was so excited that she straightened her back and said with a bit of pride:
"I was going to make chive noodles, but now you guys are back!"
As she spoke, she clapped her hands happily, as if she had already seen the lively scene of everyone sitting together eating dumplings.
"Let's make dumplings today. They're stuffed with chives and eggs. They're delicious! I'll go tell Aunt Cheng right away."
After saying that, without waiting for the two to respond, she turned around and ran towards the backyard kitchen like an agile deer.
Along the way, her skirt fluttered in the wind, creating a small whirlwind. Wherever she passed, the dust on the ground was gently lifted up, as if it was also infected by her joy.
As He Yu Shui ran, he was thinking to himself that he had to quickly tell Aunt Cheng the good news to make her happy too.
Aunt Cheng has been talking about Jianguo and Shuzhuo these days, and now she can finally feel at ease.
Moreover, the ingredients for making dumplings have to be prepared quickly. The dough has to be kneaded again and the stuffing has to be prepared quickly so that everyone can have a lively and delicious reunion dumpling meal to celebrate their return.
As she thought about it, her steps became faster, and soon she disappeared around the corner leading to the kitchen.
Inside the supply and marketing cooperative, the warm atmosphere formed a sharp contrast with the ice and snow outside, as if completely isolating the cold outside.
Wang Jianguo and Zhao Shuzhuo stood there, and the moment their eyes met, they smiled at each other. That smile was filled with attachment to this familiar place and joy of meeting old friends again.
The dim light overhead shines down, illuminating the neatly arranged shelves in the supply and marketing cooperative, which displays a wide variety of goods, from agricultural supplies and tools to daily necessities, all of which are necessities for the lives of the villagers.
All around them, familiar faces either had surprised smiles or looked at them with concern. Those partners who worked together and strived for the development of Jianye Village on weekdays were now surrounding them.
And there was He Yushui, whose look was filled with enthusiasm, and the sparkling light in her eyes was like the brightest star in the night sky, illuminating the entire space.