Wang Qiang carried Sister Chen as they sped along. But because they were going so fast, there were occasional bumps, and Sister Chen would instinctively hug Wang Qiang's waist tightly, pressing her upper body against his back.
She wrapped her arm around Wang Qiang's waist, inwardly admiring him. "This young man is really something. Look how strong his waist is, how broad his shoulders are, how thick his back is!"
Even through the thick cotton coat, Wang Qiang could still feel a softness behind him.
The two went to the market and found that there weren't many vegetables left. In this day and age, if you arrive late, you basically can't buy anything.
They could only buy whatever green vegetables were available. When they went to buy meat, they found that even scraps of meat were gone. They could only use a few meat coupons to buy a box of aged canned meat.
Sister Chen couldn't help but sigh. "These things are getting harder and harder to buy now; even if you have a ticket, you might not be able to get one."
Wang Qiang looked at the market stalls and couldn't help but sigh; supplies were indeed in short supply.
Sister Chen wanted to buy some peanuts and melon seeds, but they are not available at all now. They can only enjoy them once a year. Each household can get half a catty of peanuts with skin and two liang of melon seeds with their certificates.
She could only take some vegetables and canned meat back to Sister Chen's house. After Sister Chen got married, her husband used the excuse of not having children to divorce her long ago.
Fortunately, Sister Chen was also a permanent employee at the factory and had a place to live. This was why she wanted to bring Li Man to live with her.
He planned to have his niece take care of him in his old age and see him off in his final days. Therefore, he arranged for the factory to allocate an apartment for Li Man next to his own, so the two of them could live in a courtyard house.
When Wang Qiang returned to Sister Chen's house, he saw that Li Man and Chen Jingjing had already packed all the luggage. The two people inside heard the commotion outside and ran out to see what was going on.
Sister Chen sat on the back of the bicycle, her arms around Wang Qiang's waist. A bag of vegetables and a small bag were hanging from the handlebars.
Seeing Sister Chen's arm around Wang Qiang's waist so intimately, Li Man couldn't help but feel suspicious. This Wang Qiang was capable of anything.
Wang Qiang parked the car on the side of the road, and Sister Chen jumped out of the car, taking the vegetables and canned goods from Wang Qiang's hands. She said to her younger sister Chen Jing and Li Man, "Today is a welcome dinner for you, and I invited Wang Qiang over too, so everyone can have a good time."
"I didn't buy much, just half a radish, a cabbage, and a can of meat."
"Let's have canned meat stewed with radish and cabbage tonight, and also some cornbread."
"Wang Qiang, you stay with them for a while, I'll go cook."
Sister Chen carried the things into the kitchen. Li Man and Chen Jingjing looked at Wang Qiang awkwardly, not knowing what to say for a moment.
Li Man mustered her courage and walked up to Wang Qiang. "You two?"
Seeing Li Man's skeptical tone, Wang Qiang smiled.
"Nothing's wrong between us. But even if something were wrong, that would be normal."
With that, Wang Qiang abandoned Li Man and rushed into the kitchen.
Inside, I saw Sister Chen washing white radishes and cabbages, cutting them into small, similarly sized pieces. Then she added a small amount of oil to the pot.
Because people were issued one stamp per month at that time, and this stamp could be used to buy three ounces of cooking oil, the oil had to be used sparingly.
After heating the pan, ginger slices should have been added to sauté until fragrant. However, since none were available, this step was omitted.
Next, add the chopped canned meat and stir-fry over low heat until the meat is slightly warm. Then add the white radish chunks and cabbage chunks, and stir-fry evenly.
I didn't have any soy sauce or cooking wine, so I didn't add them. I just added a little salt and some water, brought it to a boil over high heat, then simmered it over low heat.
"Is that all?"
Wang Qiang saw that Sister Chen's stewed radish and cabbage with canned meat had very little oil and she didn't even put in salt.
As Sister Chen prepared the cornmeal for steaming cornbread, she said, "It'll be ready in 30 minutes, until the white radish and cabbage are soft. There's no other way now, we'll just have to eat whatever we have."
Wang Qiang nodded. He knew that although Sister Chen sometimes did some small things and took advantage of others in the factory, it was essentially because the food she was given wasn't enough.
After a while, the meal was finally ready. On the living room table, there was a pot of canned meat stewed with radish and cabbage, and a few cornbread buns.
Wang Qiang, Sister Chen, Li Man, and Chen Jing sat around the table.
Li Man and Chen Jing were wearing coarse cotton-padded clothes. However, their waists had clearly been altered, slightly cinched.
The two women looked quite similar, one youthful and beautiful, the other mature and charming.
Li Man's eyes kept glancing at Wang Qiang. When she saw Sister Chen looking over, she immediately sat up straight and put on a reserved demeanor.
Sister Chen spoke up.
"I didn't know you were coming back today, and I didn't prepare anything in advance. Please don't mind."
Chen Jing said with a smile.
"We're all family, so there's no need for formalities. You're being too polite. I think this is fine, and there's even meat in it."
Li Man chimed in.
"Yes, Auntie, I think this is pretty good. We rarely get to eat meat, maybe once every two weeks. This canned meat tastes quite good."
Wang Qiang laughed.
"Look how happy your family is, all harmonious and loving. Unlike me, I'll be all alone in my empty house when I go back."
Chen Jing glanced at her daughter and gave her a meaningful look, which Li Man understood immediately. She moved her stool and sat down next to Wang Qiang.
Wang Qiang stared at Li Man's face under the lamplight. His Adam's apple bobbed twice. He felt two pairs of eyes looking at him.
He laughed awkwardly.
"Both of you are elders, and you're watching over me. I wouldn't dare to be disrespectful."
Sister Chen said with a half-smile.
"Hey kid, stop pretending to be all serious. There are no outsiders here. Why didn't you blush when you told me those jokes?"
Li Man and Chen Jing were both very curious when they heard this, and asked casually.
"What joke? Brother Wang, tell us the story so we can have a laugh too."
Wang Qiang straightened his posture and noticed that all three people were staring at him.
"I'm a little embarrassed to say this in front of so many people. Do you really want to hear it?"
The three people nodded.
Wang Qiang thought to himself, "Wow, this woman's curiosity is truly something else."
He cleared his throat.
"Since that's the case, then I'll tell you. But let's make it clear first, no backing out."
Wang Qiang's words only piqued the curiosity of the three men further.
They urged him on.
"Alright, hurry up and tell us, we can't wait any longer."
"Brother Wang, hurry up and tell us. I haven't heard you tell a joke in so long."
"I'm so worried!"
Wang Qiang comforted them, saying, "Don't worry."
"The story goes that after a female bandit was captured, she was forced to write a letter to lure the bandit leader to her. Left with no other choice, she secretly slipped a few hairs into the letter after washing herself. When the bandit leader received the letter, he picked up the hairs, smelled them, examined them, and pondered deeply. Suddenly, he realized it was a conspiracy."
Li Man hadn't even reacted when Wang Qiang finished speaking. Chen Jing and Sister Chen, on the other hand, were already blushing with embarrassment.
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