The old man's illness was not serious, he just often forgot things and was not suitable for his current position, so he retired early.
After retirement, when he had nothing to do at home, he would take care of Bingbing. Since he was a novice, Zhou's mother would also come to help.
After the quadruplets went to school, Zhou's mother had a lot of time and didn't know what to do, so she planted vegetables in the front yard and filled the house with potted plants, including onions, ginger and other things.
The radio is almost obsolete at home because Lao Zhou brought home a TV. Although it only has one or two channels, it has pictures!
Zhou's mother also knew many old ladies in the military compound, and they would occasionally make appointments to go to the bathhouse together.
Most people complimented Zhou's mother.
"You are the best. Your son has a promising future, and your daughter-in-law is the deputy director of a military hospital. If you get sick, your daughter-in-law will find it the fastest and avoid it as soon as possible..."
Zhou's mother waved her hands and said, "Xiao Yu is busy. I have a headache and fever. I can go to the hospital and get some medicine. I can't bother the children."
"I was really busy. I only had one granddaughter, right? The rest..."
Zhou's mother interrupted with a smile: "The eldest grandson is a chef in the kitchen of a restaurant, and seems to be responsible for welcoming foreign guests? The second grandson works for the country; the third grandson is a soldier on the island; the fourth and fifth grandsons were admitted to university."
Finally, he looked at the person who wanted to speak, as if asking: As for these promising grandchildren of mine, does it matter whether they are related by blood or not?
The man laughed awkwardly and said, "How about we go eat something at a small stall first, and then go take a bath?"
"Yeah, let's go and have some snacks."
To eat at a stall, you have to go to a stall near the school.
After the reform and opening up, individual businesses were allowed to run businesses, and unemployed people began to stick their necks out to try out stalls. Although there were not many stalls, if they worked harder, they could earn in a month almost as much as a formal worker would earn in several months, half a year, or a year. Thus, the road to setting up stalls was paved.
At the end of 1979, the temperature dropped and the hawking was the loudest near the school.
Zhou's mother had already eaten and was not hungry, so she bought a tea leaf egg and sweet potato and had a couple of bites of them with soy milk. She didn't think they were very delicious, but seeing that the old ladies and young women in the group were eating with gusto, she waited for them to finish eating before leaving.
On the way to the bathhouse, everyone was very excited.
"I heard that the tea leaf egg is made by an experienced craftsman, and it tastes really good. It's delicious. I don't know how it's made."
"How can I tell you? We are just eating."
"Sweet potatoes are also delicious when they are warm."
"Soy milk has a strong bean flavor..."
Tea leaf eggs?
Not bad.
The military boy also made tea leaf eggs, which were so delicious that the aroma spread from miles away.
Sweet potatoes? They are not as delicious as the red-hearted ones from the Red Flag Brigade. The ones sold at the stalls are still white-hearted ones, which are choking and not very tasty.
Soy milk is not filtered to remove the dregsā¦
"Mrs. Zhou, what do you think?"
Before Zhou's mother could say anything, someone laughed and said, "Stop making things difficult for Old Madam Zhou. Her eldest grandson is a master chef in a restaurant. How could he think that these are delicacies?"
"You can't say that. After eating too many delicacies, a light bowl of porridge is good sometimes, right, Mrs. Zhou?"
Zhou's mother: "I am just an old country woman. How can I have ever tasted any delicacies? I just rely on my son and daughter-in-law to have jobs, so I can eat a little more meat than ordinary people."
"Mrs. Zhou, can you tell us how you maintain your looks? Do you have any secret recipe?"
Mother Zhou touched her face, thinking of what Qiao Yu had told her, and said, "It was my daughter-in-law who did it. She put something on her face every day, saying it can beautify the skin, and there are also oral medications..."
"Director Qiao, if you have any extra, can you give it to us? We don't want to take it for free. We can just buy it and Director Qiao will give us a price!"
The others pricked up their ears and listened.
The main reason is that Qiao Yu and Zhou's mother have taken such good care of themselves!
Zhou's mother was embarrassed: "This uses expensive medicinal materials. Just buying the raw materials is a fortune. My daughter-in-law pays for it herself, and I only occasionally use and take the medicine because of her. If you want to buy it, the price will definitely be..."
"It's okay, it's okay! Just tell me the number first!"
"I'll ask for you guys later."
Qiao Yu had to deal with those old things all day long, and had to visit his grandfather after work. He felt exhausted, so how could he develop his own side business? He could only ask Zhou's mother to help him socialize.
What had Zhou's mother not seen in these years with her son and daughter-in-law? She was no longer afraid of the stage, but she needed time to adapt to the sales and the interaction with the old ladies and women in the compound.
After going out to the bathhouse a few times, someone asked about it and Zhou's mother answered.
At night, Zhou's mother caught Qiao Yu who had finished his work, and the latter told her the selling price and how to convince the buyer to buy it.
After a few days, Zhou's mother had almost memorized the lines, and she continued to ask these people to continue scrubbing the bathhouse without changing her expression.
Which woman doesn't love youth? Which lesbian doesn't want to have a nice and tender body?
In the face of everyone's eagerness, Zhou's mother said, "I've asked for you. For facial application, apply it twice a week for 20 minutes each time. For internal use, take one pill every half a month. Eat less meat and more vegetables. It can keep your body odor for a long time. It's especially effective for young girls."
In fact, Zhou's mother only took it orally once a week. As for the facial application, the usage was the same as what she told them.
"What about the price? What about the price?"
Zhou's mother apologized: "It does contain expensive medicinal materials, which are very difficult to obtain, and they are limited, especially for internal use...
I'll talk about the ones for facial application first, one bottle is 100 yuan, and the ones for internal use are one pill and fifty yuan."
As soon as she finished speaking, everyone gasped.
Compared to money, youth and body odor are not important, huh?
Mother Zhou continued, "The facial mask comes in a bottle. If you use it sparingly, a bottle can last a year. My suggestion is to only buy the facial mask."
An old lady said, "Give me some, it's enough for a year!"
Zhou's mother looked at the other party, "You use it?"
"She is my daughter, and she will be married in a year. If this really works... our family can provide Director Qiao with the raw materials if he needs them in the future."
"Okay, I'll ask for you later."
After knowing that someone could provide the raw materials, Qiao Yu smiled and said, "Mom, please reply to her for me. If she can provide the necessary herbs, we can have long-term cooperation."
After all, to copy centuries-old medicinal herbs in space, you need a reason.
As for the medicinal materials provided by the other party...you can take a look at them when the time comes.
The old lady took the facial mask and internal medicine products and gave them to the young lady, along with instructions for use, and mentioned that they were made by Qiao Yu.
The young lady was impatient at first, thinking her mother had been deceived.
Hearing Qiao Yu's name, he paused and asked, "Is that Director Qiao from the military hospital?"
"Do you know him?"
"That's not bad. Dr. Qiao is almost 40 years old, but she looks as young as a high school girl. My friends are curious about how she maintains her youth." The young lady paused and said, "Is this really her secret to staying young?"
"Don't worry, mommy will take care of it."