After eating the buns and noodles, I paid for them, tied the two cloth bags to the back of my bicycle, and carefully rode home, carrying the bamboo basket packed by the chef. It was really late, and I thought it would be dark by the time I got home.

I hurried along the way and didn't dare to waste time. It took me half an hour to get there by bicycle carrying wine. It took me 40 minutes to get there. I was so embarrassed that I couldn't tell the time correctly. It seems I still need to buy a watch.

Entering the yard, it was quiet, with only the figures and sounds in the main hall. It should be the family members who came back from work and were having dinner in the main hall. Zhang Guoqing looked at the bags in his hands and did not go in. Instead, he went directly to his room, intending to put his things away and visit his wife and children before going to the main hall to eat.

He pushed his bicycle directly to the eaves of the west wing, put his things down at the door of his room, locked the bicycle, and walked quietly into the bedroom with his things. Seeing Jiaojiao chatting softly to his son, talking to herself silly, it seemed that things were really boring.

"Hey, son, you're not asleep yet. Did you know Daddy is back? Daddy brought persimmons, pears, and wild fruits for you to eat. It's a pity that you can't eat them. Grow up quickly. Daddy will take your mom and you to the mountains to pick wild fruits. Our Daqing Mountain has wild fruits all year round. They are much better than those in other mountains."

Zhang Guoqing smiled as he spoke. After pouring some hot water and washing his face, he proudly said to Zhou Jiao, "I saw 'Bitter Girl' today and thought you'd like to eat it, so I bought some. I'll ask mom later if it's okay to eat after boiling it in hot water. It'll also help you satisfy your craving."

Zhou Jiao immediately perked up and said happily, "It can only be eaten when it's hot. It can't be scalded any hotter. My son is still young, so I'll be patient. I can't be careless. Give it to me and I'll hide it first. I can eat it after the confinement period. It wasn't sweet because there was no frost some time ago, and we didn't grow it at home. My uncle's family did grow two, but I was embarrassed to fight with the children for them. Now it's ready, so I can just put it away and eat it slowly. By the way, what took you so long? Didn't you just go shopping? Did something delay you? It's okay, isn't it? Isn't the county town very chaotic now?"

Zhang Guoqing handed her the torn bag filled with persimmons, pears, and some wild fruits. Seeing that she had put them away and was still staring at him, waiting for his answer, he said soothingly, "It's okay. You can still see people carrying baskets on their shoulders buying fruit on the street, just like you saw last year. But today I saw a few slogans. I guess the establishment of the people's commune will be soon. After the New Year, the current production team should agree to the reform. Also, the rightist movement is very intense, and you can see those slogans everywhere in the county. Okay, let's not get involved in those things. I asked the chef for some wine when I came back late, haha. Did you eat dinner? What did you eat? If there's anything you want to eat, take it out and let me cook it for you."

Zhou Jiao thought about it after hearing this, but still shook her head. "Forget it, it's all the same no matter how little salt you stew it. If I bring out something else, it will make people unhappy. Tonight I had pig's trotters stewed by mother and a bowl of noodles. I put the pig's trotters in a small bowl and made mother eat it. She forced me to eat it. The pig's trotters and noodles are tasteless. I fought for my son. After mother went out to wash diapers and let me rest, I secretly ate the confinement meal."

After hearing this, Zhang Guoqing pursed his lips and wanted to say something but held back. In a large family, they all shared a spoon to eat, and if there was anything special about it, everyone would know about it. This was really not good. It seemed that they had to find a way to install a stove. They couldn't let her eat the confinement meal secretly, as it would be like a thief and would not be easy to digest.

"Don't take anything they say to heart. Even if they're just eating steamed buns, there's nothing much to say. We bought them with our own money. At most, they might grumble a few words behind your back. There's no need to treat yourself badly for others. If you're easy to get along with, spend more time with them. If they make you unhappy, ignore them."

"No, even my second sister-in-law didn't complain. Everything is fine. That's why I feel like I should be more considerate and stop irritating others. It's just that my eldest sister-in-law and others came to our room to check on Ping An and chatted for a few words. I felt it was not good for me to eat alone. By the way, have you eaten? I guess we'll have sweet potato rice again tonight. Do you want to eat something first? Have you exchanged the bills for things? Put these things in the cabinet. More and more people will come later." Zhou Jiao quickly shook her head, and then shook her hand. She couldn't let Zhang Guoqing misunderstand.

"That's good. It will be much more convenient to distribute them after the New Year. Look, there aren't many things here, except for the ones on the receipt. Today, I have some defective items, but they're good. The wool yarn has a color difference, but the quality is fine. I got 12 yuan off the 28 yuan, so I bought the wool yarn. Look, it's winter here, and your woolen sweaters are all quite new. Don't worry, the one you gave me is still very new. Keep it for later."

There are also cloth shoes that are half price. I bought two pairs, one for Dad. The salesperson said that the wool yarn for women is 8 liang (approximately 1 jin) and for men it's 1-1.2 jin, is that correct? I'll give Mom one jin of the maroon one and Dad one jin of the dark blue one, so they can knit it themselves. There are also defective towels that are only 0.2 cents each, and I bought five. Mom is jealous of Xiao Ping'an's diapers, so I'll give her two later. I also bought two cans of malted milk. It's not polluted. We drink it regularly and it's good for our health. You can dilute it and drink it. You can keep this wine in the space to process it, otherwise the smell will be too strong. Pour out two jin for Dad and put the rest in the space. Oh, I forgot to ask you, did using the space during your confinement affect your health? Did you feel very tired or in a bad mood? If you feel anything unusual, stop immediately. Once you're out of confinement and have recovered, you should use it less in the future."

"There's nothing abnormal. Didn't you test the gold before you asked me to collect it? Don't worry, I take good care of myself. My bottles are very delicate and not easy to take out." Zhou Jiao pouted and rolled her eyes. Zhang Guoqing turned his head and kissed her.

"You can put the wine in another big bottle and leave 2-3 kilograms, it will be the same." Zhang Guoqing held her in his arms, "You should go to bed early tonight. I didn't pay attention to your rest time. I won't go out tomorrow and stay at home with you to rest."

Zhang Guoqing touched his son and gave him a soft kiss on the forehead.

"When did my son have milk? He slept until 2 a.m. last night and started crying. I fed him with formula once. I left home at 5 a.m. and he didn't wake up."

"When you left in the morning, he woke up and cried. He drank milk and then went back to sleep. He drank milk around 9 or 10 o'clock. I guess he was fed every 3-4 hours."

"Observe for a few more days and you'll figure out your routine. As for milk, take it with powdered milk. Otherwise, your body won't be able to handle it, and supplementing with other things won't help. Eat the confinement meal as much as you can. I couldn't find the stove today, so I'll look for it in the warehouse later. I ate in the county town and went home. That's Sister Huang from the restaurant. She's getting married to Crazy Man at the end of the year, and you're invited to a wine party. This wine was also from the master chef."

When Zhou Jiao heard the master chef, she knew he was going to grab it again. She squinted at him and said, "I still have your wine collection here. You can bring two bottles to the master chef one day. Send this jar of wine, the wool and the shoes first, and serve them on the table before dinner."

He pricked up his ears to listen to the movement in the yard, nodded, and carried the bag she had packed, holding the wine and beef in his arms, "Then I'll go to the main room first, Ping'an, Dad is going to eat, you stay with your mother."

Watching him leave, Zhou Jiao said to her son: "Baby, it's just the two of us again." Touching Ping'an's little hand, "My baby is growing up soon, and mom will take him to your city to play. Baby, let's see what grandma wrote in the letter."