The Comeback of the Cannon-Fodder Supporting Actress

Chapter 923: Chapter 901: Top Student in the 1980s 29

Anning put a few small yellow fish into her schoolbag when she went to school.

As soon as she arrived at school, she hurried to find Xiao Yuan.

She handed the small yellow fish to Xiao Yuan: ”If I say I want to go to the Provincial City, my family definitely won’t allow it. Think of a way to make a trip to the Provincial City and exchange these for money.”

Xiao Yuan put the items away: ”Alright, I also need to go out for a bit. I’ll handle it on Sunday.”

Anning felt relieved after giving the items to Xiao Yuan.

She returned to the classroom and chatted and laughed with a few classmates.

Come Sunday, Xiao Yuan convinced Xiao Heizi and took some money to the Provincial City.

Anning also went to the Provincial City with Secretary An and Xiangling.

Anning carried a bag with some items in it, hoping to find a chance to act alone.

In the Provincial City, Secretary An first took the two daughters to eat, then went to a bookstore to buy books.

This time, Anning chose mostly books on physics and mechanics, as well as some foreign language books.

After buying the books, she left the bookstore and happened to pass by a home appliance repair shop, so she went inside to take a look.

Secretary An didn’t understand why she went in.

Anning smiled and said, ”I think it’s quite interesting. Mom, can you buy me some parts and tools too? I want to make something myself.”

Secretary An, being open-minded, almost always agreed to Anning’s requests: ”Alright, I’ll get them for you when we get back.”

Originally, Secretary An planned to spend just a day in the Provincial City with Anning and Xiangling, returning to the county by nightfall.

But it was just bad luck that after noon, heavy snow started falling, quickly covering everything in white.

With weather like this, traveling was impossible.

Secretary An called Zhang Heping to inform about Anning’s absence.

After the call, the three of them needed to find a place to stay.

Luckily, Secretary An had brought money, and there was a textile factory in the Provincial City connected to the one in the county, and she knew people at this factory.

The textile factory was large, with a guesthouse nearby due to business needs, and the conditions were quite good.

Secretary An contacted someone from the textile factory and booked a room at the guesthouse.

She got a large room with three beds and a bathroom.

The weather outside was extremely cold, but inside the guesthouse, it was warm thanks to the heating.

Anning took off her outer cotton coat and jumped onto the bed: ”I’m exhausted. I need to sleep for a bit.”

Secretary An, also tired, picked a bed to lie down on.

Xiangling wasn’t tired. Seeing Anning and Secretary An both asleep, and having no fun alone in the room, she took some money and decided to go out again.

Xiangling had never been to the Provincial City before.

She hadn’t even been to the county much, so she was very curious about the Provincial City.

Additionally, she wanted to explore where food was sold, where there were restaurants, because once Anning woke up, they’d need to eat, and she wanted to find out in advance.

Xiangling left the guesthouse and wandered around the area.

Not far away was a wholesale market, and there were several restaurants, selling dumplings, noodles, and one that specialized in mutton soup noodles, plus a Sichuan restaurant.

Xiangling got a bit hungry and bought a sesame flatbread, then decided to stroll through the wholesale market.

After rounding a corner from one of the restaurants and walking a short distance, she reached the wholesale market.

The corner she turned at was sheltered from the wind, slightly warmer than other places.

As soon as Xiangling turned the corner and took a few steps, she saw a tall, sturdy man with a buzz cut, wearing a big cotton jacket, squatting in the shelter, gnawing on a loaf of bread.

The bread in his hand looked rock-hard, who knows how many days old, with no sign of warmth, likely tough enough to hurt his teeth.

The man didn’t seem to mind, still munching away with vigor.

Xiangling looked at him, then went back to the restaurant to buy a hot sesame flatbread, filled with meat, much more expensive than the one she ate earlier.

She asked the owner to wrap the flatbread in paper, tucked it in, and walked over to the man.

”Hey, brother, eat this. Don’t eat cold bread on a snowy day, it might upset your stomach,” Xiangling said with a smile, handing the flatbread over.

The flatbread was freshly made, hot to the touch, filled with fatty pork, the aroma tempting.

The man was taken aback, looked up at Xiangling: ”Thank you, miss. I have money, let me pay you.”

Xiangling waved her hand: ”Just eat it. It’s tough out here, get your fill and don’t stay here. The snow won’t stop soon. If you linger here, you’ll freeze. Maybe head to the bus or train station, they won’t be as cold.”

The man nodded: ”I understand.”

He took the flatbread and bit into it: ”Miss, you must be from Y county.”

Xiangling laughed: ”Yes, are you too? I can tell by your accent. Which village are you from?”

The man said: ”Crescent Bay.”

”It’s a nice place.” Xiangling nodded and smiled: ”Finish your food and find a place to stay, don’t linger here.”

She waved goodbye to the man and headed towards the wholesale market.

The man watched Xiangling’s back for a long while.

He lowered his head, eating the flatbread. Even on a snowy day like this, squatting in a sheltered spot was still cold, but now he didn’t feel as cold anymore.

Xiangling bought quite a few things at the wholesale market.

When she returned, Secretary An and Anning were already awake.

The three of them tidied up and found a place to eat.

The snow continued through the night, and by the next day, the roads were covered with a thick layer of snow, with workers cleaning the streets.

They still couldn’t return that day, so Secretary An took her two daughters for another day of shopping, visiting the department store, watching a movie, and even had some fast food.

By Tuesday, most of the snow had been cleared from the roads, and the three took the bus back to the county.

Sitting on the bus, Xiangling saw the man again.

He was still wearing the big cotton jacket, looking even more worn than the previous day.

Xiangling pulled Anning to sit closer to the man, who recognized her and smiled: ”What a coincidence.”

”Heading home, brother?” Xiangling asked.

The man replied, ”Yes, going home, miss. You too?”

After chatting a bit, some candy vendors passed by outside the window, and the man opened the window slightly and called out to them: ”Two sticks of candied hawthorn.”+”+ ”He handed over the money and received two red candied hawthorn sticks, giving both to Xiangling: ”Here, have some.”

Xiangling waved her hand: ”No need, no need.”

The man smiled: ”You gave me flatbread before, didn’t refuse. Now it’s my turn to treat you and your sister to candied hawthorn.”

Xiangling quickly accepted them: ”Brother, this is my sister.”

The man glanced at Anning: ”Your sister, huh, she’s quite young.”

He didn’t say much more, and the rest of the ride was rather quiet.

Once they were back in the county, Secretary An asked Xiangling what had happened.

Xiangling recounted what had happened earlier.

Secretary An said: ”It’s good to be kind, but in the future, avoid talking to strangers so easily. There are many bad people out there, be cautious.”

Xiangling nodded: ”I know, I saw there were many people around then, that’s why I spoke to him.”

Secretary An knew Xiangling was sensible and didn’t nag further.

The three ladies, even though they had stayed in a comfortable guesthouse, couldn’t wait to relax at home.

All three women lay around lazily at home, reluctant to move, so when Zhang Heping returned from work, he had to cook and take care of his wife and daughters.