Chapter 73 Returning Home
When they got home, Wei Dai had already heated up the fried dumplings and asked Wen Jiajia if she wanted to eat some.
Wen Jiajia measured her wrist with her fingers and shook her head: "No." It's too easy to get fat if you eat after ten o'clock.
Wei Dai also knew her habit, so he stopped persuading her and finished the dumplings in no time.
As for the sauced duck and smoked fish in the package, Wen Jiajia took it out and put it in the room.
When she bought it, she asked the hotel waiter, and the waiter said it would be no problem to leave it for tomorrow.
As for other things, Wen Jiajia really didn't have the heart to organize them. She carried the wooden bucket to the kitchen to fill it with water, took a quick shower, and lay down on the bed.
Wei Dai also took a shower after eating and came into the house with a body full of moisture.
In the darkness, the two of them snuggled together.
Wei Dai saw Jia Jia's big eyes, and she seemed to be wide awake, so he asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Wen Jiajia suddenly laughed out loud: "Nothing, just thinking about the future."
"What's next?"
"In the future... Hey Wei Dai, if you have the chance, would you like to live in Hai City?" Wen Jiajia turned and asked him.
Wei Dai tapped her forehead gently: "Isn't this nonsense? Who wouldn't want to live in a big city?"
Wen Jiajia covered her head and muttered, "I thought you couldn't get used to living in the city and wanted to go back to your hometown to live a rural life where you work from sunrise to sunset."
Wei Dai laughed: "You think I'm your father. It's true that he is not used to the city. But I've been away from home for so long, how can I not be used to living somewhere else?"
"Besides, working from sunrise to sunset sounds good, but we all come from the countryside, is this really a good idea?"
What a ghost.
When Wen Jiajia was in Fuyang, she often heard footsteps at the door at four or five o'clock in the morning.
Whose? Someone from the village.
What do they do? Go up the mountain to chop wood and dig bamboo shoots, or clean up the economic forest, or weed the fields, etc.
Some mountains require an hour or two to climb. If you really have to wait until sunrise before going out, the sun will set before you can go home.
So to work at sunrise means that after the sun comes out, you are already in the field, ready to start working, rather than waiting until the sun comes out before going out.
Resting at sunset? That's a little true.
There are not many entertainment activities in the countryside. We have dinner around four or five o'clock, and after dinner, we can clean up and rest. The most common entertainment activity is probably making love.
Some villages still have card tables, but Captain Fuyang is very strict and normally does not allow villagers to play cards, and gambling is strictly prohibited.
But sometimes there is no rest, there are always things that come up when farming.
The water in the river was cut off by someone under the cover of night, a strong wind and heavy rain caused the crops to fall down, or the corn and sweet potatoes that were almost ripe were stolen... In any case, there was not much time for peace throughout the year.
Wen Jiajia said: "I am an ordinary person, I just like big cities! The life of picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence and leisurely seeing the southern mountains is enough for me to think about, but forget about living it myself."
Unless it is the new countryside in a few decades.
Don't mention it, the new rural areas in some places are just great. Her college roommate's family was from the countryside, and she thought it was a rural area in the conventional sense, but who knew that there was a subway in their village, express delivery arrived the next day, the roads were wide, and the houses were villas with front and backyards. It was surrounded by mountains and rivers, and in half an hour you could go to the city square to watch movies, go shopping, and eat.
Only those who live in this kind of countryside know it.
Know how comfortable it is!
Wei Dai hugged her. The wind blowing in from the window was cold, but Wen Jiajia did not push him away.
He said: "I used to think about returning to my hometown after I was discharged from the army. Now I don't think about it at all. I have to stay in the city for a long time. The bigger and more prosperous the city, the better."
"If possible, let the eldest brother come out too. The eldest brother's legs... It would be difficult to live a good life in the countryside without the help of parents."
Not only did his elder brother have problems with his legs, his body was actually much weaker than the average person.
He can lift even less heavy objects than his wife.
Because of poor health, I only have one son in all these years. I have been pregnant before, but I had miscarriages every time. The day before yesterday, I received a letter from home saying that my eldest sister-in-law is pregnant again, and the baby is better than the previous ones. I consulted the barefoot doctor in the commune, and he said that this baby can be saved if there is no accident. Later, I consulted Doctor Fang in Jinbu Commune, and he said that if I take more supplements, I should be able to carry it to full term.
If this baby can be born safely, the burden on my eldest brother will definitely be heavier.
When Wen Jiajia heard this, she suddenly laughed and leaned over to Wei Dai's ear and said, "I can also bring people into the factory." As she spoke, she told Wei Dai what Director Gao had said some time ago.
Then he said proudly: "You never thought, last year I was still looking for someone to help me with work, this year I am considered a leader."
Wei Dai pinched her cheek and said, "Amazing!"
"Right. From what Director Gao said, this is not a big deal. It seems that many factories will do the same when they set up internal personnel recommendations before they start working in a new factory." Wen Jiajia frowned, "But someone like you who can't walk smoothly probably won't be able to get in."
If he was good at writing, it would be okay to make an exception. But Brother Wei only had a primary school education and could only recognize some common characters, nothing else.
Wei Dai shook his head: "Brother won't come at this time."
"What do you mean?"
"My sister-in-law is pregnant."
"Pregnant...what? Pregnant!" Wen Jiajia's shoulders almost lifted up, "Didn't you say you had a miscarriage?"
Wei Dai: "This time they say it can be saved. Give it more nutrition and don't do manual labor. It should be fine for eight months."
Wen Jiajia frowned again.
How should I put it? Now is the early stage of family planning, and eugenics has not yet been fully accepted by people. For Wei, it is about the quality of the seed. She thinks it is good enough to have one child. Later, she had three miscarriages. I can't say that 100% of them are due to sperm, but 70% to 80% are due to sperm.
But she couldn't say anything about such a big thing as having a baby. Didn't she see the person next to her, who was actually quite happy for her eldest brother.
Wen Jiajia sighed, "Actually, I wanted to ask my sister-in-law to come over. She's physically fit and can do a lot more work than I can. She cooks delicious dishes, too. Apart from anything else, she can be a helper in the canteen."
Master Wang in the logistics department is very skilled. He is also Master He's senior brother. There is no need for Mrs. Wei to become his disciple. She can learn a few skills from him. Even if she quits her job in the future, she will have enough to open a small restaurant.
Wei Dai: "After my sister-in-law gives birth, she will have to take care of the child. She will have to take care of the child for at least one or two years. By then, it will not be easy for your factory to send someone else in. You should push someone else."
That is also true.
However, Wen Jiajia thought that it would be the college entrance examination soon, and she didn't know whether she could give this job to others.
Probably he was on unpaid leave and couldn't give it to anyone else.
"Then who is it for?" Wen Jiajia asked Wei Dai.
Wei Dai shook his head: "I don't know."
Wen Jiajia: "I don't know either. I don't have any relatives in my family. I'm not familiar with your relatives."
"There are not many people on my mom's side, and I don't have any close uncles or brothers on my dad's side. If I give it to one family, I'll just not give it to the others because they're going to make trouble."
Wen Jiajia had never thought of giving the Wei family relatives a name, as she was not familiar with them. To be honest, she was not even familiar with Brother Wei and Sister-in-law Wei.
It was only during those few months when Wei Dai didn't take her to the army that Brother Wei and Sister-in-law Wei helped her a few times.
Later, he helped take care of the old man and often sent him things, and that's how we developed some affection for each other.
Oh! I never thought that one day I would be troubled by this matter. This must be a sweet worry.
Wen Jiajia thought of her elder sister-in-law's pregnancy again. She counted on her fingers and felt that she would be ready to get pregnant next year.
Next year will be 75, I was born in 76, and I will take the college entrance examination in 77. The timing is perfect.
——
The next day.
The first thing Wen Chun and Wen Xuan did after waking up was to run to the next room to see their aunt. They were worried that what happened last night was just a dream.
Wen Jiajia just got up and sat on the bed in a daze, her mind still not recovered.
She yawned and asked the two, "What are you doing?"
Wen Chun lay on her bed with a smile on her face: "I wasn't dreaming, my auntie is really back."
Wen Jiajia pinched her cheeks with both hands: "Silly girl, my luggage is still in the living room."
Wen Chun's eyes lit up: "Aunt, did you bring back some pretty clothes? They're the waist-hugging clothes I want."
Wen Jiajia: "...You don't think about the delicious food, you only think about the clothes. It seems that clothes are more important than food."
Wen Xuan quickly said, "I'm thinking about food."
She raised her hands high: "I smelled something just now. There is meat in the cupboard."
"You really have a dog's nose! No, even a dog's nose is not as sharp as yours."
Wen Jiajia got up from under the quilt, walked to the living room, and slowly unpacked the package. Director Gao said on the train yesterday that I could go to work at nine o'clock today.
She first took out the clothes and fabrics that she was going to bring to the Xie family, Bao Jie's family, and Xu's family next door, and prepared to deliver them to them later.
Then he put the clothes and fabrics he bought for Lanlan, Shayue, Dongqi and others aside, wrapped them in cloth and waited to take them away when he went to work.
What is left at the end is your home.
Among them, two sets need to be sent home.
In my hometown, after getting married, I had to send a set of clothes to the elderly every two years. Of course, most people in the commune would use shoes or underwear instead, and some who were really in trouble would just make a pair of socks and not give any.
But their families have to give it. If they take the salary and don't respect their elders, they will be criticized by the villagers and their conscience will not be able to live with it.
Wen Jiajia also gave the family a few feet of Dacron fabric and put them in the room to be sent back with the next item.
The same goes for shoes. A big bag of shoes is placed there, just like a shoe stall.
Wen Chun and Wen Xuan both exclaimed "Wow" in unison, and when they saw two pairs of shoes that were obviously much smaller, they hurriedly bent down to pick them up, and jumped around Wen Jiajia with laughter.
The two children were very smart and knew that the two pairs of shoes were bought for them.
Look, I tried it right away.
"Aunt, the shoes are too big." Wen Chun said, sitting on the sofa and kicking his feet, "My feet feel empty."
Wen Xuan: "Mine happens too. My shoes fall off when I walk." She took a few steps to demonstrate to Wen Jiajia.
"It should be big." Wen Jiajia said, "This is for you to wear next year and the year after next."
Wen Chun and Wen Xuan exclaimed in disbelief. They were both extremely puzzled as to why they could only wear them next year.
Wen Jiajia didn't even bother to say anything to them, "Go to the shoe cabinet in your room and see how many pairs of shoes you have."
I do have two pairs of sneakers, one of which is barely wearable and the other is a little too big.
Add cloth shoes, cotton shoes, sandals and so on, and it will be enough to last until next year.
The two girls went back to the house with the shoes in their arms, feeling depressed. They decided to keep the shoes properly and then fumigate them with flower bags so that they would have a pair of brand new shoes with a fragrant smell to wear next year.
Wen Jiajia checked the sizes one by one, and after sorting them out, she picked up the things from the neighbors and delivered them to each of them.
Teacher Shen touched the shoes and smiled: "I always fail to make cloth shoes or cotton shoes. The shoes I made are always very slippery. Now I am finally not afraid of slipping."
Bao Jie is more interested in ready-made clothes.
Ready-made clothes are expensive, and she rarely buys one, especially when she has to go to a textile factory to give lectures.
Yes, Wen Jiajia just learned about this at this time.
Bao Jie said happily: "It's not that I didn't tell you before, I just wasn't sure. The textile factory said that I'm good at making buttonholes and that I'm the best at making them, so they let me be a teacher for a few days."
After saying this, she covered her mouth and chuckled. She never thought that this day would come.
She couldn't stop laughing when she thought of someone calling her "Teacher Bao". For this matter, she even gritted her teeth and asked Wen Jiajia to help her bring a piece of ready-made clothing in advance.
I have to say, their ready-made clothes are really nice looking, the styles are more novel than those they make themselves, and they seem to be more formal and energetic when worn.
Wen Jiajia said repeatedly: "Congratulations, Sister Bao, your career is starting to take off."
"Hey, I'm here to give you some good advice."
After saying that, Wen Jiajia gave the last thing to the Xu family.
The Xu family asked her to buy Dacron fabric. The young lady of the Xu family was going to get married, and they specifically asked her to buy red fabric.
After sending him off, Wei Dai had already returned with his meal.
I had steamed buns this morning, but they were brown sugar steamed buns, which were delicious with milk.
Wen Jiajia chewed the steamed bread in her mouth and swallowed it, then took a sip of milk and said, "We still have a few milk powder coupons at home, let's send them to my eldest brother and his wife."
"Not keeping it?"
"Why keep it? We don't need milk coupons to drink milk every day."
Wen Jiajia frowned as she finished speaking: "Forget it, let's buy it here and send it back to him. If I buy this ticket in the county, I can only buy a few bags of malted milk. It's not easy to buy milk powder in the county."
After dinner, Wen Jiajia took her things and went out.
The back seat of the bicycle was placed high up, and it took several ropes to tie it securely.
Before leaving, he told Wei Dai: "Remember to heat up the duck and smoked fish. I'm afraid they might go bad."
"good."
At half past eight, we arrived in the city.
After giving Lanlan the Pechoin, clothes and shoes she wanted, Lanlan jumped for joy in the state-owned hotel.
Next, go to the pharmaceutical factory and give Sha Yue and Hao Qingying’s things to them.
This was her first time back to the pharmaceutical factory since she left. The master at the door and the guards on their morning patrol still remembered her.
"Wen Jiajia, I haven't seen you for a few days. You must be in the hospital next door. What are you doing here?"
Wen Jiajia smiled and said, "Looking for Shayue and Qingying."
Immediately afterwards, someone called her again, and Wen Jiajia had to stop answering.
My mouth was almost dry along the way. It was the first time I realized that I had a good relationship with people, since so many people knew her.
She arrived at Workshop No. 6 with familiarity and for a moment she felt like she was back home, where she was warmly received.
"Jia Jia, why didn't you tell me you were going to Hai City!" Someone regretted, "If I had known, I would have asked you to help carry the things."
Wen Jiajia had no choice but to comfort her: "Next time, definitely next time."
"Really? You must be sure."
"Really!" She would definitely go to Haishi again.
Sha Yue and Hao Qingying had already been holding onto the things Wen Jiajia brought them, returning the excess and paying back the shortfall. Wen Jiajia gave them the remaining money. This trip to Haishi almost wiped out all the money in her pocket.
"It's really beautiful. Everything in Haishi is beautiful."
"Look at this Pechoin. Wow, it smells so good. It smells better than vanishing cream."
The two said in succession.
Wen Jiajia: "I have to go to work first. I slept very late last night. I am so sleepy now that my head feels heavy."
"Go! Come to my house for lunch today. My dad is on vacation, so let him cook for us." Hao Qingying said.
What a rip-off! Your dad finally gets a day off, and you just give him trouble. But it's you who's enjoying it, so Wen Jiajia readily agreed.
After all, Master Hao's craftsmanship is top-notch among her!
Wen Jiajia returned to the factory and first gave Dong Qi's things to her. Then she went to Director Gao to report that she had arrived, and finally began to deal with the work accumulated over the past few days.
After a few days of getting used to each other, the four people in the office became familiar with each other, but Wen Jiajia was still a little unfamiliar with them. She even confused some people's names and had to memorize them again.
She was busy until half past eleven, when she stood up, turned her neck, and poured herself a glass of water.
It's time to go for lunch, Wen Jiajia goes out on time.
Once she left, the rest of the office dared to leave.
Some people even muttered: "The team leader is pretty good, he leaves on time."
Being late for work is more annoying than being late for classes.
Wen Jiajia went straight to the gate of the pharmaceutical factory. At this time, Hao Qingying and Sha Yue were already waiting there. They were also good at spotting.
Check the place when going to work, check the place when eating, and check the place after get off work.
The Hao family’s house is not far away, just across the street. It only takes five or six minutes to get there by bike.
But you can't go to someone's house empty-handed, so when they passed by the department store, Wen Jiajia bought some candy and Shayue bought some biscuits, and then they came to the house.
Master Hao had almost finished cooking. Wen Jiajia asked curiously, "Qingying, did you run home from work to ask your dad to cook?"
Hao Qingying said angrily, "Nonsense, I told you yesterday, otherwise it would be hard to buy vegetables. I ran into your Wei Dai yesterday and asked him about it, and he said you would be back in the evening."
Sha Yue was extremely curious, so she pulled Wen Jiajia aside and asked, "Tell me what Haishi is like. Is it full of tall buildings?"
When this question was asked, Chef Hao, who was busy preparing the last two dishes in the kitchen, pricked up his ears, and Hao Qingying's mother also leaned against the door to listen.
Wen Jiajia pulled a stool and sat down. "Haishi is indeed much more prosperous than our place. Many buildings on the streets are three or four stories high, there are many buses, and bicycles are even more numerous. The Waibaidu Bridge is also very beautiful, spanning the river. I heard that it was built almost 70 years ago and is made of steel..."
"And the Bund. The most beautiful houses are in the Bund. They are all very tall houses. There are houses on one side and the Huangpu River on the other. Across the Huangpu River, in Pudong, there are no tall buildings. It's similar to here. People in Puxi call them country people."
To be honest, Wen Jiajia really wanted to buy two houses in Pudong during her business trip. At that time, the house prices in Pudong were very cheap, and with the family's savings, she could buy three houses, not to mention two, and they should have a yard.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have time and didn’t bring enough money, so I can only wait for another opportunity to buy it.
Wen Jiajia talked about some shopping malls and hotels in Hai City, and focused on the food she had eaten in the past few days.
Master Hao listened very seriously and said with emotion, "If I have the chance, I should go out more often. I went to Haishi in 1960. At that time, there was famine all over the country and there was no food in Haishi. I didn't eat a single meal for three days. I only ate the vegetable dumplings I brought from home. But the local dishes you mentioned... We do have a chef in our hotel who specializes in local dishes. If you come one day, I will ask him to make a braised pork in red sauce."
Wen Jiajia was delighted: "That's great! I'm going to have a bite of this when I get back."
"Well, you can make it at home. It doesn't require a lot of spices."
"I have thought about it, but there is no authentic Shaoxing Huadiao wine."
"I know who has it. I'll buy you one someday."
Wen Jiajia nodded immediately, the wine at this time must be good wine.
The food is ready and several people are at the table.
Five dishes and one soup, it looks particularly rich.
Although Chef Hao is an expert in Huaiyang cuisine, he has learned some skills from others after working in a big hotel for a long time.
And cooking is something that is universal.
A chef of his level can basically replicate a dish 50% to 60% just by tasting it.
For ordinary people, this 50% or 60% is delicious enough, just like the fried pork with peppers at this moment. Wen Jiajia felt that it felt like it was cooked by a Hunan cuisine master.
The green peppers are fried until soft but not mushy, and the meat is cooked to the right degree, not too dry or chewy. The meat has the spiciness of the peppers, and the peppers have the meaty aroma. Just pick up two chopsticks and mix them in the rice. It goes really well with rice.
There is also a red-roasted lion head.
My God, this is the main dish on the table today, the absolute protagonist. Even the braised fish can’t steal the limelight.
The lion's head is sauce red in color, with green vegetables and some sauce red soup underneath.
Wen Jiajia bit and chewed, and tasted the meat and the crispy water chestnuts at the same time.
What about the meat? They used pork leg meat, which was 70% lean and 30% fat. The meat was not chopped too rotten, so the gaps were filled with juice, and it tasted soft and chewy at the same time.
Hao Qingying was fine, as she was used to her father's cooking and had some resistance. Wen Jiajia was also fine, as she had been eating meat every day recently.
Shayue was not like that. Even though she tried very hard to control her eating speed, she could not avoid eating faster than others.
She almost burst into tears: "Qingying, I didn't know you eat so well every day."
She also wants to have a chef dad!
Afternoon.
Wen Jiajia took a nap to refresh herself, and then went to the meeting with Director Gao.
Because she knows shorthand, even if she changes to another factory, Wen Jiajia is still the leader's first choice to accompany her during meetings!
Liang Mu is not good enough.
Because his shorthand speed was not as fast as hers, Director Gao asked them to compete just now, and Liang Mu was crushed to pieces by her in seconds.
Wen Jiajia was extremely proud. Just kidding, she achieved this speed because of being tortured by Director Xue in the weekly meetings.
"This is the weekly meeting. Everyone has to make a report at the meeting...Have you finished organizing the information I asked you to organize this morning?"
Wen Jiajia: "It's done. I'm holding it."
"Okay, just remember it later and pick out the important points."
Wen Jiajia felt secretly bitter in her heart again. How could she still not escape the weekly meeting even after changing to a new factory?
Fortunately, Wen Jiajia can learn about the situation of each department in the factory through weekly meetings, and can also know the actions of the factory senior management in advance, so she is both happy and sad at every weekly meeting.
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