Chapter 265: That’s the one! The one that gave birth to the baby!
early morning.
Before daybreak, wisps of smoke rose from the chimney.
Su Wenchen and Jiang Li got up early in the morning and started packing.
Su Wenchen said slowly as he pressed a package of wrapped tea leaves into the interlayer of the wicker box.
"To be honest, when I received the news that I had to go to Beijing for a meeting, I was already very anxious and didn't prepare anything decent."
"I only sent a bag of Suzhou Biluochun to Jiangsu Province, but I guess your father is not short of this special tea."
"Once we get to Beijing, I'll go to the department store there and buy a bottle of Moutai!"
"That stuff is really hard to buy here, there's basically no stock!"
Jiang Li, who was packing clothes into a box nearby, immediately refused.
"Don't buy any alcohol. My dad doesn't drink much. We had a lot of it at home before I came out. He basically gave it away to his old friends."
After packing the clothes, Jiang Li got up and took out some preserved food wrapped in oil paper from the kitchen.
Instantly, a unique aroma of smoked pine branches mixed with the unique flavor of chicken filled the air.
"Just bring some of these cured meats that our members hand-smoked here."
"I ordered this in advance from some of the aunts in our brigade. We smoked the roosters we raised ourselves. We wanted to save it for the New Year!"
"Let me tell you, we used to smoke mostly hens here, but ever since someone smoked a rooster from our brigade once, they discovered that our little roosters have a unique flavor when smoked."
As he said this, he took a sniff.
“It smells good!”
"What a pity! I'm pregnant and can't eat too much of this!"
"So we don't need to bring any cigarettes or alcohol or anything like that, just some farm goods like this will be fine."
Just as he finished speaking, there was a faint knock on the door.
Su Wenchen stood up and opened the door.
The eldest sister-in-law was standing at the door, holding a leg of lamb wrapped in oil paper and breathing out white air. After Su Wenchen opened the door, she immediately squeezed in.
"Achen, I saw the light in your room was on, so I knew you were up and packing your things."
"Your elder brother and I don't have anything good to give you, so just take this leg of lamb."
Su Wenchen felt a warm feeling in his heart when he saw this, but he waved his hands repeatedly to refuse.
"Sister-in-law, how can I accept this? This is given to me by someone as a thank you for saving my life. How can I take it away?"
As he spoke, Su Wenchen also declined the leg of lamb that his sister-in-law handed over to him.
Because at that time, a leg of lamb was actually worth a lot of money. As time went on into the 1970s, supplies were indeed not as scarce as before.
But to say that I have reached fullness, that is not the case. At most, I have improved from being half full to being almost 70% full now.
Of course, this also depends on the population. The conditions in the city are relatively better, and people can eat more meat, but meat is still in short supply. A whole leg of lamb is definitely a valuable gift at this time.
Seeing that Su Wenchen didn't answer, the sister-in-law put it on the table.
Then he shouted to Jiang Li.
"Xiao Li, you two, please don't be polite to me and your eldest brother. I know your family has everything they need, but it wouldn't look good if the youngest one didn't bring enough for our first visit."
"Bring it over there, and let your father try some of our local sheep in Lan City."
In an instant, my second sister-in-law, who heard the noise, walked in with two cans of persimmon cakes in canned glass bottles in her arms.
Since the rabbit meat canning factory sells well in their local area, and the conditions of the nearby members' families have gradually improved, it is easier to buy them, so many families now have a lot of these glass bottles.
"Xiao Li, I made this myself. It's not something fancy, but you and Achen shouldn't be disgusted. Take some back and let your in-laws try it."
As he said this, he placed two glass bottles filled with dried persimmons on the table.
The sister-in-law was a little surprised when she saw the dried persimmon cakes in the glass jar with white frost flowers like blood coral.
"Second brother, you actually have this skill! The persimmon frosting you made is really beautiful!"
"Besides, it's a waste to eat this kind of thing. It's fine just to look at it."
Hearing this, the second sister-in-law immediately smiled and said modestly.
"Sister-in-law, there are many persimmon trees in my mother's brigade. If we don't harvest them before we can eat them all, we have to make persimmon cakes."
"So after going back and forth in our team, almost every household knows how to make dried persimmon cakes. However, making them is quite laborious. I used to be busy all the time and didn't have the energy to make them."
"Sister-in-law, if you have time and want to learn, I'll teach you. It's very simple."
Hearing this, the sister-in-law next to her nodded immediately.
"Then I'll trouble you with the second brother's. My mother's family has several persimmon trees too! The production team also makes persimmon cakes every year, but they're not as pretty as yours."
"Your shiny outer layer is like frost flowers. It will look much better as a gift to others."
"Especially in a glass bottle like this, it would be perfect for visiting relatives during the New Year, but I'm a little reluctant to part with the bottle!"
Upon hearing this, the second sister-in-law immediately smiled.
"Yeah! I think this white frost looks beautiful too, especially in a glass bottle."
"If we didn't have a canning factory here, it would be really hard to buy these cans!"
"Come on, sister-in-law, I'll go back and teach you."
Then he said to Su Wenchen.
"Achen, we won't disturb you two from packing up, we'll go back first."
With that, the two of them walked out.
Su Wenchen immediately picked up his things and chased after him, trying to stop him. The two cans of persimmon cakes were actually okay, but the lamb leg was really a bit expensive.
As a result, I just walked out.
Then he saw Su's father coming over with something in his hand, and after seeing Su Wenchen chasing out with something in his hand.
Father Su simply waved his hand.
"Youngest, just take it!"
"It's also your eldest brother's kindness. Otherwise, your eldest sister-in-law would always feel that she owed you a favor for that job."
"After all, if it weren't for you, she wouldn't have been able to enter your farm."
"If you don't take it, he'll always feel bad. Even though a leg of lamb isn't a big deal, it'll still make him feel better."
Father Su understood his eldest son very well; he just didn't want to owe him too many favors.
When Su Wenchen heard this, he was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
To be honest, at that time, the farm had just been established, and from the perspective of most people at the time, the future of their farm was actually unknown.
So although the value of a job quota at that time was not cheap, it was definitely not as good as that of other factories in the county.
Of course, if we look at it now, it is definitely different.
Because now the quota for regular employees on their farm is much higher than that of other work units in the county.
The main reason is that their company has good welfare benefits. As we are slowly entering the 1970s, many factories have seen little significant growth in income despite the increase in staff.
It’s still okay for large factories, but in many small factories, even the housing allocation benefits for employees are in name only.
They said they would give points, but the factory has no money to build new buildings, so there is no other way!
Because the land price was not expensive at that time, but the cost of cement and steel bars alone was an expense that many small factories could not afford.
After all, although they are all state-owned, it doesn't mean that orders between factories are free. If they don't spend money, the employees of the cement factories will have nothing to lose.
Thinking of this, Su Wenchen nodded. He knew his elder brother's character and always felt that as the eldest brother, he should not take advantage of his brothers.
Although he had forgotten this incident long ago, others still remembered it.
If he really didn't accept it, his elder brother might think that he looked down on these things.
So Su Wenchen responded directly.
"Alright then! I'll take this leg of lamb!"
"Dad, what are you doing?"
Father Su lifted up an oil-paper package in his hand that was tied with a thin string and was the size of a large ham.
"I didn't buy any beef, so your mom made some rabbit sauce last night. It's all wrapped up for you. It can't be stored for a long time, but it's fine for a week in this weather."
"It'll be perfect as a cold cuts platter for Chinese New Year! Here you go!"
Apparently, after they left last night, Su's mother was busy for a long time. After braising, the food had to be left outside to cool. In addition, she had to get up early in the morning to pack it for him, so Su's mother probably didn't get much rest last night.
Thinking of this, Su Wenchen's heart was suddenly protected by an emotion called care.
"Dad, why don't you keep this for New Year's Eve? After all, my eldest brother gave me a leg of lamb."
Father Su waved his hand.
"No need, just cook it yourself for home. Rabbit meat is easy to buy here now."
"Our family is limited. This is our first visit. No matter if others like it or not, we have to take the things we should take."
"The lamb leg was given to you by your eldest brother. Your mother and I prepared this for you."
As he said this, he handed the thin rope in his hand to Su Wenchen.
"Okay, I won't bother you anymore. When are you leaving? Do you need a car from the team to take you there?"
Su Wenchen shook his head.
"No, I'll stop by the farm to pick up some materials. I'll just follow the truck from the farm to the city."
Father Su nodded and yawned.
"Okay, I won't see you off. I stayed up all night watching the fire. I need to go back and catch up on some sleep while it's still early!"
Su Wenchen turned around, looked at Jiang Li who was walking over, and shook the things in his hand.
"It seems that it's unlikely that I can carry something light."
Jiang Li pursed her lips slightly when she saw this. Obviously, although these may not be expensive to her, the fact that Su's mother prepared the gifts overnight itself showed how much the Su family valued her.
After all, it has only been one night since Su Wenchen revealed the news last night.
Then she thought that after returning to Beijing, she would not only be able to see her father, but also her stepmother. She really hoped to see each other soon.
I wonder what the other party’s expression would be when he found out that she found an ordinary member.
In particular, this member finally relied on his own efforts to reach the point where he was able to attend ministry meetings.
What is the other person’s expression?
Soon, after packing up, Jiang Li went to the commune to explain the follow-up work.
Su Wenchen also went to the farm to get information about the breeding of white pigs.
Then, the two of them took the truck from the field to the city train station.
Beijing City.
As the Spring Festival was approaching, a large number of educated youth who had gone to the countryside tried to return home to visit their families. The entire Beijing Railway Station was crowded with people, comparable to the Spring Festival travel rush in later generations.
Su Wenchen and Jiang Li, carrying large and small bags, squeezed out of the train station together.
Su Wenchen was about to put down the package in his hand and took a breath.
"Ali, where did your friend say he was waiting for us?"
Before Jiang Li could say anything, there was a noise behind her.
"Stop, don't run!"
"Stop right there! If you run again, I'll shoot you!"
Su Wenchen turned around and saw a young man running towards them in a panic.
Seeing the other party rushing towards him in a panic, Su Wenchen immediately stood in front of Jiang Li.
Then the other party collided directly with Su Wenchen, but immediately got up and prepared to run away.
However, due to this delay, several train station staff members wearing armbands caught up with him and grabbed him.
"Run, run again!"
"I told you to run!"
The young man suddenly struggled.
"Why are you arresting me? I just came back to visit my family and will go back after the Chinese New Year."
Several staff members sneered.
"Why are you running away to see us for a normal visit and check your certificate?"
The young man said urgently.
"Is it not okay for me to be anxious?"
"Okay, since you're anxious, take out your visiting certificate now and let us check it. If there's no problem, we'll let you go."
Hearing this, the young man's eyes suddenly flickered, and then he looked around.
I saw Su Wenchen who had just stood up and dusted himself off.
He first touched his body, then pointed at Su Wenchen and said.
"My things are lost, including the letter of introduction and money!"
"I just bumped into him. He might have stolen it. Go catch him! The ten or so yuan I had on me is all gone."
Su Wenchen, who had just stood up and dusted himself off, was speechless.
To be honest, he was hit by someone and hadn't said anything yet, but he was accused of stealing.
He immediately said unhappily.
"You came over and bumped into us, we didn't take the initiative to bump into you!"
"Don't just talk nonsense!"
The other party argued confidently.
"Nonsense, it was you who took a step forward that caused me to bump into you!"
Su Wenchen rolled his eyes.
"Nonsense, if I hadn't stood in front of you, you would have bumped into my girlfriend."
After hearing what Su Wenchen said, the other party still remained stubborn.
"It was you who bumped into me."
Then he spoke to the two staff members who were pressing him.
"Go search him, he must have something of mine on him."
Hearing the young man's confident words, one of the staff members looked at Su Wenchen suspiciously.
To be honest, he was a little skeptical. How could someone bring his obviously pregnant wife out to steal things? Besides, the woman's clothes didn't look like what a thief would usually wear.
But looking at the young man on the ground, he swore so confidently.
He stood up and said to his colleague next to him.
"You watch him and I'll go over and ask."
As he said this, he walked towards Su Wenchen.
"Comrade, what do you do? Could you show me your letter of introduction?"
Su Wenchen directly took out his work ID from his pocket, as well as the meeting notice that the Ministry of Agriculture later sent to their headquarters.
"I came here to attend a meeting and visit my relatives!"
The young man on the ground saw that only one person passed by, and there was another person watching him from the side.
"You should also go and investigate that woman!"
"Maybe I gave her something!"
The staff member glanced at the young man and ignored him.
Seeing this, the other party knew that if he didn't run away, he would have no chance.
He could only push the other person hard and prepare to escape again, but it seemed that the staff member was well prepared.
He simply grabbed the opponent's arm with his backhand and pushed him to the ground again.
At the same time, bend your knees and press down on your opponent's back.
"I've been on guard against you. Looking at your rolling eyes, you don't look like an honest person."
"I've seen many people like you who can't stand the hardship of going to the countryside and run back. You don't have to go to the countryside this time."
Hearing this, the young man was immediately delighted.
I didn't expect there would be such a good thing. If he was caught, he wouldn't have to go to the countryside. If he had known this, he wouldn't have run away like that.
But what the staff said afterwards made him fall directly into hell.
"People like you should have been sent straight to the farm!"
"It will take the hardest and most exhausting work to reform you."
I took a look at Su Wenchen's documents and then saw what the young man did later.
He immediately handed the certificate back with both hands.
"Boss, I'm sorry for what happened just now."
Su Wenchen waved his hand.
"It's okay, this guy must have run back from the countryside!"
"And whether he has a letter of introduction or not, you can just call the local commune and ask."
Hearing this, the other party nodded.
"Well, thanks for the reminder, but this kind of thing usually doesn't happen. Otherwise, he wouldn't have tried to escape again just now. He would have shouted for us to call and ask."
Then, looking at the young man being pushed into the station by two people, Su Wenchen shook his head.
To be honest, this person couldn't even get a letter of introduction to visit relatives, which shows that he didn't have a good relationship with the local brigade.
Otherwise, during the Chinese New Year, with a letter of introduction and as long as you haven't offended anyone, it would be easy to get a certificate for visiting relatives from the brigade with just two eggs.
Because no matter what, the Spring Festival is an important festival for their people. As long as they don't intend to offend others, most people will not block people from visiting relatives at this time.
Just as Su Wenchen put his documents away, Jiang Li's surprised voice came from behind him.
"Hey, Tangtang, when did you come here?"
After hearing the sound, Su Wenchen also looked in the direction of the sound, and saw a cool and capable woman in a cadre uniform on the side of the road, pushing a women's bicycle and looking at the two of them.
After hearing Jiang Li's words, the other party immediately showed a resentful expression.
"I've been here for a long time, but some people are so worried about others that they can't spare the time to pay attention to others!"
Hearing this, Jiang Li immediately walked over with a smile.
"Give you a hug, so you won't be sad anymore!"
"Hmph, I'm not that easy to get rid of. You have to at least treat me to a meal at Fengze Garden."
Jiang Li patted her chest.
"No problem, even if we go to Lao Mo, that's fine."
The other party waved his hand.
"Forget it, Lao Mo. It's too expensive there. Besides, I'm working now, and it wouldn't be good for my reputation if I went to a place like that."
Then he parked his bike and walked towards Su Wenchen, taking a look at him first.
"Well, are you Xiaolizi's man? He looks okay, but not what I expected."
Then he stretched out his hand.
"Hello, my name is Song Wantang! I'm Jiang Li's friend."
When Su Wenchen heard this, he immediately laughed.
"Hello, Comrade Song. My name is Su Wenchen! Thank you very much for helping us organize the foreign trade information. It saved us a lot of effort and avoided many detours."
At that time, they were completely clueless about foreign trade, so Su Wenchen really felt that the other party had helped him a lot.
Hearing Su Wenchen say this, the other party suddenly felt a little embarrassed.
"No, no, those are all public information. I just sorted them out and sent them to you. They are not really internal secrets."
"And don't call me comrade, just call me Wan Tang or Tang Tang like Li Zi."
"You guys brought so many things, why don't you put them in the cart and push it!"
After saying that, he walked directly to Jiang Li and whispered.
"Can you find such a handsome and capable man in the wild? Does he have a younger brother?"
"If you are so good-looking and capable, you can't let this wealth flow to outsiders!"
"By then, we'll be good sisters and sisters-in-law, even closer than before."
When Jiang Li heard this, she couldn't help but chuckle.
"Tangtang, what are you talking about! Achen is the youngest in the family and his two older brothers already have children."
Hearing this, Song Wantang was immediately discouraged.
"I'm saying, it's hard to find a good man! They're often snatched away during their developmental stages."
"Hey~ It seems there's no hope of getting married in this life!"
"Oh, by the way, it's hard for me to write in the letter, but was it comfortable? Was it really that comfortable?"
"Is your man big?"
Jiang Li was stunned for a moment, with a puzzled look in her eyes.
"What?"
Song Wantang suddenly said anxiously.
"That's the one! The one that gives birth to babies!"
When Jiang Li heard this, she blushed and immediately looked around.
Seeing Su Wenchen's gossipy eyes and erect ears, he immediately glared at him in anger.
Then whispered.
"How can you still be like this? How can you ask such a thing on the street!"
"What are you afraid of? We're just being quiet! No one else can hear us."
Su Wenchen immediately touched his nose embarrassedly.
He didn't eavesdrop on purpose, he just did it accidentally, and he wasn't someone else.
What I didn't expect was that the two of them would talk about this kind of issue as soon as they met, especially asking him whether he was old or not. No matter whether he was old or not, it was not something you could know.
Then Su Wenchen started to move and slowly began to move the package he brought to the back seat of the bicycle.
After they finished moving, the two were still whispering in the corner.
Su Wenchen said directly.
"Ladies, why don't we go back and make out some more!"
"No matter how much you have to say, there's no need to stand in the cold wind on the street all the time!"
After hearing Su Wenchen's words, the two stopped whispering.
Song Wantang glanced at Su Wenchen.
"Alright! Where are you staying? Going straight back to the compound?"
Jiang Li shook her head.
"Work is more important. Ah Chen, let's wait until you finish the meeting before we go back!"
Su Wenchen said with some concern.
"Why don't you stay for a few days? I'll be there to accompany you after the meeting here."
Jiang Li refused directly.
"No, let's go back together after you're done! I don't want to go back alone."
Seeing that Jiang Li insisted on doing so, Su Wenchen didn't say much.
"Okay then, let's go to the Dongcheng District Guesthouse first. I'll accompany you there after the meeting."
(End of this chapter)
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