I sent another box of things to my parents in Jinan, including dried fruit, dried shrimp, dried squid, tea, and honey, filling the cardboard box to the brim.

After filling out the express delivery form and settling the delivery fee, Chen Hong went straight to a large supermarket in the city and bought more than 500 yuan worth of beef, mutton and pork in the fresh food section.

I spent another two hundred yuan to buy beef ribs and pork ribs, and went to the stationery section to buy several sets of watercolor pens, markers and oil pastels for the children.

She bought two more packs of A4 paper. As long as the children are interested, Chen Hong still supports them in writing and drawing.

After buying everything, I paid and left the supermarket. I spent about a thousand yuan and only got two plastic bags.

Luckily, there were still bones to hold on to, otherwise there would only be one bag of meat, weighing over twenty pounds. Meat is really expensive these days!

With current wages, it's a bit of a struggle to afford more beef and mutton.

Pork costs a dozen yuan, beef costs a dozen yuan, and beef bones cost a dozen yuan per kilogram.

Pork ribs are even more interesting; they're half the price of pork! I don't know what kind of market logic this is!

These are artificially raised pigs that have been fattened up for three or four months!

Although beef is more expensive, it is healthier than pork! But ordinary families can't afford to buy it.

As Chen Hong drove, she thought to herself: "I could work in this space for a week and still not finish it."

Geng Dazhi would repair her fishing boat first, and once it was repaired, she would go out to sea as soon as possible.

If we don't release the little fish and shrimp in the space soon, they'll grow big enough to be killed and eaten!

These valuable fish fry were smuggled in by her through various means; they were all intended to be used as breeding stock in our country's waters.

She really couldn't bear to eat one. You know, eating one breeding fish would affect the birth of tens or hundreds of thousands of fry, which would be such a huge school of fish!

She just couldn't bring herself to eat it; she felt like taking even one bite would be a terrible sin!

In the evening, there was another sumptuous feast: braised bok choy with tofu, stir-fried potatoes, eggplant, and green peppers, braised Arctic shrimp with cabbage, stir-fried clams, and seaweed and egg drop soup.

The staple food is mixed grain rice!

Xiao Hao and Wang Xin ate without looking up, constantly saying how delicious it was.

Yu Yang was somewhat skeptical of what they said, even though he also thought his mother's cooking was delicious.

However, just by looking at the food on the table, it was clear that Mom had mostly prepared diet meals for Xiaohao and Wang Xin. There were hardly any meat dishes!

"Didn't you say you hated cabbage and potatoes the most? Why are you eating them so heartily today!"

Xiao Hao struggled to lift his head from the bowl, "I didn't know that cabbage and potatoes could taste so good when cooked properly!"

Wang Xin nodded: "Aunt Hong is a great cook, everything she makes tastes delicious!"

When I grow up, I'll learn to cook from Aunt Hong. If I rely on my mom, I won't get to eat decent meals anymore.

Xiao Hao was taken aback, then nodded hastily, "Yes, it's a problem with the cooking skills, not the food itself."

I want to learn to cook too! When I grow up, I'll be the head chef at home and let my family taste what delicious food is like!

Yu Yang's eyes widened: "All you guys know is eating! Didn't we agree to join the army together?"

Why are you going to be a chef again? You don't keep your word, none of you are trustworthy!

Seeing that Yu Yang was angry, Xiao Hao and Wang Xin were at a loss, staring at each other, not knowing how to coax Yu Yang.

Chen Hong ate and laughed, ignoring the lawsuit between the three of them and watching how they would resolve their dispute.

Xiao Hao, ever quick-witted, thought about it seriously for a moment and suddenly blurted out, "If you learn to cook, you can become a messenger!"

Soldiers need to eat too! I want to become a mess corps, cooking delicious meals for the soldiers; that's also serving the people!

Wang Xin nodded repeatedly: "Aunt Hong can cook, and she can also be a fisherman!"

I can still join the army even if I learn to cook! There's no rule that says soldiers can't cook!

Besides, soldiers who can cook won't go hungry on missions—isn't that great?

Chen Hong couldn't help but exclaim, "Amazing! This logic is flawless! It's perfectly reasonable!"

Before the conflict even started, the three children were already back together! Children's faces are like the weather in June! Their ability to change their expressions is astonishing!

How pure the children's friendship is! Chen Hong couldn't help but think of her childhood playmates, whom she hadn't contacted for decades across two lifetimes.

Her friends all got married young, and most of them married into the village or several neighboring villages.

Her children are all teenagers. During the busy farming season, she farms in the village, and during the off-season, she goes out to do plastering. She earns just as much money as men and does just as much work.

Her status in the family remains the same as it was decades ago, and she works tirelessly at home like a slave.

When men have money and free time, they can play mahjong and have a few drinks. I've heard that some of the more restless ones have even been to nightclubs and bathhouses.

When she last visited her parents' home, she met two of her childhood playmates, both girls from the same clan, who were there to help out at their family's banquet.

Time was short, and they were both busy, so they only exchanged a few pleasantries and didn't talk much.

Looking at their dark faces, their robust or slender figures, and the strands of white hair mixed in at their temples.

Chen Hong only remembered the lively little girl running wildly all over the mountains, her laughter filling the valley.

They no longer had anything in common, and her friends felt inferior and envious when they were with Chen Hong.

They look like two generations when they stand together!

Chen Hong felt heartbroken. If she hadn't been reborn, if she hadn't gained the space, she would have been one of them.

The childhood friends who used to stay overnight together and often shared a blanket have gone from being inseparable to now feeling like they're separated by a mountain. Time has taken away so many beautiful things.

After helping Chen Hong clear the dining table, the three children wiped the table and the floor, and then fed the two dogs.

As her children grew older and more sensible, Chen Hong suddenly felt old! In another ten years or so, she would be a mother-in-law and a grandmother!

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