Quick Transmigration: The Pregnant Little Fairy is Pampered by the Heirless Boss

Chapter 306 Era: XCMG's Simple-minded Wife 10

When Zhao, the clerk, knocked on the door, Ji Xiaosong was examining the dagger engraved with "714".

Three regular knocks, neither hurried nor slow, with a rhythm that was instantly recognizable as his.

"Comrade Xiao Ji, are you there?" came Zhao's deliberately lowered voice from outside the door.

Ji Xiaosong quickly hid the dagger under her pillow and grabbed a blue cloth coat to put on.

When she opened the door, she already had that harmless, innocent smile on her face: "Officer Zhao? Any instructions?"

Today, Officer Zhao wasn't wearing his signature Zhongshan suit. Instead, he was wearing a slightly worn navy blue work uniform and carrying a net bag containing two cans of oranges and a piece of pork belly wrapped in straw paper.

This was considered a very generous gift in the 1970s.

"My wife..."

Officer Zhao cleared his throat, his ears turning slightly red. "Comrade Liu Shufen would like to invite you to her home for a casual meal. It's the weekend, and Xiao Juan is home too."

Xiao Juan is his six-year-old daughter. Ji Xiaosong and his men had just rescued her from the kidnappers.

Ji Xiaosong noticed that when Zhao, the cadre, said his daughter's name, his fingers unconsciously rubbed the rope of the net bag, and his knuckles turned white.

"That's daring!"

Ji Xiaosong slapped her thigh and deliberately raised her voice eight octaves, "I was just wondering what to eat for dinner!"

As he spoke, he glanced towards the end of the corridor.

The new cleaner is sweeping again, her broom rhythmically tapping the ground, at the exact same frequency as yesterday.

Officer Zhao's home is on the third floor of the Commercial Bureau's residential compound, with its red brick exterior walls covered in ivy.

The aroma of stir-frying filled the hallway; someone was frying chili peppers, and the pungent smell made Ji Xiaosong sneeze.

"Shufen! Comrade Xiaoji is here!"

As soon as Officer Zhao took out his key, the door opened from the inside.

Liu Shufen was wearing a faded apron, and her round face was covered in flour.

She grabbed Ji Xiaosong's hand: "I've finally met you in person! Old Zhao has been talking about you so much these past few days, my ears are practically calloused!"

The aroma of braised pork wafted through the room, and several dishes were already laid out on the dining table.

Braised pork with potatoes, stir-fried eggs with chives, cucumber salad, and a rare dish of fried peanuts.

In the 1970s, when resources were scarce, this meal was definitely a luxury.

"Hello Auntie!"

A little girl with pigtails peeked out from the inner room, her bright black eyes curiously scrutinizing Ji Xiaosong. "Are you the aunt who beats up bad guys?"

"Xiao Juan!" Liu Shufen scolded softly, then turned around and explained apologetically, "The child is just being silly and talking nonsense..."

Ji Xiaosong squatted down, her gaze level with Xiao Juan's: "Who told you that your aunt would hit bad guys?"

"Dad!"

Xiao Juan proudly puffed out her little chest, "Dad said you single-handedly chased away three big bad guys! Just like... just like Yang Zirong in 'Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy'!"

Zhao, the clerk, coughed violently and almost knocked over the teacup on the table.

Ji Xiaosong suppressed a laugh and took something out of her pocket: "Here, this is for you."

It was a little butterfly she folded last night from fruit candy wrappers, its colorful wings shimmering in the sunlight.

Xiao Juan cheered, took it, and ran to the inner room to show it off.

"It's too expensive..."

Liu Shufen rubbed her hands together, "Sugar is so precious these days..."

Ji Xiaosong waved her hand: "I don't like sweets, so it's just sitting there anyway."

At the dinner table, Liu Shufen kept putting food on Ji Xiaosong's plate.

The braised pork belly is stewed until tender and juicy, yet not greasy.

The chives were grown on my own windowsill; they were so tender you could squeeze water out of them.

Ji Xiaosong buried her head in her rice, but her ears were perked up, listening to the conversation between Officer Zhao and his wife.

"...Section Chief Li brought up that matter again today."

Liu Shufen lowered her voice and said, "I told you you were away on a business trip."

"Ah."

Officer Zhao shoveled a mouthful of rice into his mouth, "Over at the boiler factory..."

"What boiler factory!"

Liu Shufen suddenly raised her voice, then quickly lowered it again, "You think I don't know? Last night you were talking in your sleep, talking about '714' and 'mission'..."

Ji Xiaosong paused for a moment.

Zhao, the clerk, was pale, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Cough cough!"

Ji Xiaosong suddenly coughed loudly, "These chilies are really strong! Officer Zhao, could you get me a glass of water?"

After sending Zhao, the clerk away, Ji Xiaosong smiled at Liu Shufen and said, "Sister-in-law, my husband Weidong also talks in his sleep a lot. It's all because he's tired from work."

She lowered her voice, "Those tech people, they're always doing math in their dreams."

Liu Shufen was skeptical, but didn't press the matter further.

When Officer Zhao returned with the water, Ji Xiaosong had already changed the subject and was vividly recounting interesting stories from her "hometown."

Of course, it's all made up.

After lunch, Xiao Juan was coaxed to take a nap.

Officer Zhao suggested, "Comrade Xiao Ji, would you like to take a look at my collection of books? Some of the medical books might be useful to you."

The study was small, with a homemade bookshelf against the wall, neatly stacked with books such as "The Barefoot Doctor's Handbook" and "Prevention and Treatment of Common Diseases".

After closing the door, Zhao, the clerk, suddenly bowed deeply and said, "I cannot express my gratitude for your great kindness."

What are you doing?!

Ji Xiaosong quickly helped him up, "I just happened to be here..."

"It wasn't a coincidence."

Zhao, the clerk, pulled out a copy of "How the Steel Was Tempered" from the bottom shelf, opened the folded pages, and saw an old photograph inside. "Look at this," he said.

The photo shows two young soldiers standing in the snow, one of whom has delicate features and is none other than Zhao, the comrade, in his youth.

The other was tall and imposing, with striking eyebrows and bright eyes...

Who else could it be but Xu Weidong?

"This is……"

"Zhenbao Island, 1970."

Officer Zhao's voice trembled, "Back then I was a medic, and Engineer Xu... Xu Weidong was in the reconnaissance company. He saved my life."

Ji Xiaosong's heart raced.

No wonder Officer Zhao is so concerned about Xu Weidong's matter!

"This matter is not simple."

Zhao, the clerk, took an envelope from his desk drawer. It was exactly the same as the one Ji Xiaosong had seen before. "Someone slipped it under my office door the day before yesterday."

The envelope contained a train ticket for a sleeper berth on a train departing for G City at 3 PM tomorrow.

“Someone is trying to get rid of you.” Ji Xiaosong narrowed her eyes.

Officer Zhao gave a wry smile: "If I really leave, what will happen to you two..."

Before he could finish speaking, a soft "snap" sound came from outside the window, like the sound of a tree branch breaking.

Ji Xiaosong rushed to the window and saw a figure in blue overalls disappear into the bushes downstairs.

“I’m being watched.”

She drew the curtains. "What are you going to do?"

Officer Zhao gritted his teeth: "I'll go to work as usual tomorrow, you..."

"I'm not going anywhere."

Ji Xiaosong interrupted him, pulling the dagger from her pocket. "Do you know what this is?"

Officer Zhao gasped: "Type 64 reconnaissance dagger? This...this only has..."

"Shh..."

Ji Xiaosong put her finger to her lips. "Remember, no matter what happens tomorrow, remain still."

It was already sunset when I left the Zhao family's house.

Ji Xiaosong politely declined Liu Shufen's offer to let her stay overnight, saying only that she needed to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some things.

As she approached the entrance of the guesthouse, she pretended to tie her shoelaces and took the opportunity to make a mark in the corner of the wall.

She carved a small five-pointed star with a dagger; this was the secret code she and Xu Weidong had agreed upon.

Turning the corner, Ji Xiaosong suddenly turned into a small alley.

After confirming that no one was around, she took out the harmonica from her inner pocket and gently played three long and two short notes.

A cuckoo's call came from afar, two short calls followed by one long one.

Ji Xiaosong breathed a sigh of relief and pressed the harmonica to her heart.

Xu Weidong is still nearby, and that's enough.

She wanted to see who was pulling the strings behind the scenes on that train heading to G City tomorrow.

As night deepened, Ji Xiaosong's figure blended into the crowd.

She hummed a little tune and swayed like an ordinary rural woman as she walked towards the guesthouse, and no one noticed the sharp glint in her eyes.