Chapter 2020
During this period, Jiang Yueqin also came to the Jiang family several times. These days, she went to her grandmother's house and contacted two girls in her grandmother's village. Thinking that she could get at least 1,500 yuan this time, Jiang Yueqin was very happy and wondered if she could find two more girls.
Unfortunately, at this time of year, almost all the older girls went out to work, and the younger ones were too young. After searching for a long time, she only found three. She went to Jiang's house to make an appointment for departure, but unfortunately she didn't see Jiang Ning after several visits, so she had to look for Jiang's mother.
Jiang's mother was busy working in the fields during the day and was only at home at mealtimes. Jiang Ning hadn't been home for the past few days, so there was no one to cook or sweep the floor. She was busy with things outside every day and had to do housework when she came home. She was very irritable and full of resentment towards Jiang Ning, thinking that she was too ignorant: "I can't count on her now, and I can't count on her even more when I'm old."
The more Jiang's mother thought about it, the angrier she became. She felt that she had given birth to this daughter in vain.
Hearing Jiang Yueqin say that they were about to leave, he was very happy and nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, that girl has gone up the mountain to accompany her grandfather these days. I will ask her to come down and pack her things to go with you."
"Okay, then tomorrow, I'll call a tricycle. At five o'clock tomorrow morning, we'll go to my grandmother's house to pick up two people, and then take the 6:30 bus to the neighboring city." If you take a tricycle, you can't go through the ferry. You have to go around a long mountain road to the next township. Jiang Yueqin's grandmother's house is in the next township.
Jiang Yueqin was also very happy when she confirmed that Jiang Ning would go.
After finishing her meal, Jiang Ma did not go to the fields. She took her straw hat and hurried up the mountain.
Jiang Ning is still writing in a small house on the mountain. He just sent out a 40,000-word manuscript, and he doesn't know if it will be accepted. If not, he can only change to another magazine and submit again.
She was very confident in writing. Not to mention that she had published several works in her previous life besides work, she also wrote a lot of reportage required for her daily work. Her writing skills had been honed long ago, and she was very good at the rhythm of the article, the control of the plot, and the setting of the jokes.
If she had not been a civil servant in her previous life and had been lucky enough to have the support of her boss, she would actually like to be a full-time writer.
Jiang Ma was sweating from running, and when she climbed to the top of the mountain, she saw Jiang Ning lying on the dining table in the cabin, writing seriously.
She walked forward and grabbed Jiang Ning's arm: "Come on, follow me down."
Jiang Ning was so absorbed in writing that he didn't notice Jiang Ma's arrival. When he noticed the shadow in front of the table, his arm had already been grabbed by Jiang Ma.
She struggled hard, trying to shake off Jiang Ma's big hand that was holding her: "Mom, what are you doing? Let me go first!"
Jiang's mother pulled her aside and said, "Stop writing these useless things. Yueqin just told me that we're leaving tomorrow. You should pack your clothes. The bus will be at 5am tomorrow morning."
Jiang's mother reached out and wanted to throw away what Jiang Ning had written. She didn't want Jiang Ning to continue studying. Seeing that she was still reading and writing, she knew that she had not given up, and she felt angry.
Jiang Ning was quick-witted and quick-handed. He grabbed the several sheets of letter paper he had written and threw it onto the mosquito net over Grandpa Jiang's bed. It landed on top of the mosquito net and Mother Jiang couldn't get it for a while.
Jiang Ning said: "Don't pull me, I can walk by myself."
Jiang's mother thought that Jiang Ning couldn't escape from her grasp, so she let go of her hand: "Wouldn't it be better if you were so sensible earlier?"
She felt that she might not be able to rely on her daughter when she got old, so she wanted her to earn more money for a few more years. She said kindly, "It's not that I don't want you to study. Your two brothers are in high school, and they make 3,000 yuan a year. With you, it will be at least 4,500 yuan a year. I haven't even counted living expenses. Where can we get that money at home? If you go out and work for a year, your monthly salary will be 200 yuan, which is 2,400 yuan a year. You can take this money back and go to school. I won't stop you."
She was determined not to let Jiang Ning spend a penny more, and she had to bring back every penny of the 2,400 yuan. As for whether she would continue to study next year, she had already stopped studying, so of course she would continue to work.
But this did not stop her from coaxing Jiang Ning at this time.
Jiang Ma sighed, "You said I favor your two brothers. I admit it. You will get married in the future, and I will need them to support me in my old age. If I don't favor them, who should I favor? I have to take care of your two brothers, and I really can't take care of you. If you really want to study, you should work for two more years while you are still young and earn the tuition for college. Otherwise, it will be impossible for us to pay for your graduation from high school and the college entrance examination. I can't even afford to support your two brothers."
Jiang Ma said, "Think carefully about what I said!"
"Don't blame me for letting you go to work. I raised you until you were fifteen, and you went to school for so many years. Other girls at the age of eleven or twelve go to the garment factories with their parents. The motors and machines are fast, and your hands don't have time to move quickly, so the needles will poke several holes in them. Ask the girls in the village who work in the garment industry, who hasn't had holes poked in their fingers." Jiang's mother compared Jiang Ning with the girls in the village to prove how good she was to Jiang Ning.
Jiang Ning slowly packed her clothes.
The clothes she brought with her on the mountain were all from previous years, all of which were too small and torn. But she had no choice, as she only had two sets of clothes to begin with. These few days on the mountain she could only take out her old small clothes, alter them, and wear them.
Fortunately, she is thin and it is summer, so she can barely fit into it.
Jiang's mother got angry when she saw how slow she was. She reached out and snatched her clothes away, stuffing them into the bag. "You're so slow to pack two pieces of clothes. If you really went to the factory, your hand would be pierced by a needle in less than three days. It's a good thing you're a waitress."
Her actions were as clear and quick as her words, and she also advised her: "When you are out there, you should be more sweet-mouthed and not afraid of hardship. You should rush to do any work so that people will like you. Look at how quick Yueqin works. She has only been working for a few years and she has been promoted to foreman."
When Jiang Ning was packing her clothes, she folded up the manuscripts she had written and put them in her pocket. Seeing that they were just a few pieces of paper, Jiang's mother didn't say anything. She reached out to close and lock the door, and inserted the key into the crack in the wall where Grandpa Jiang usually put it.
At this time, Grandpa Jiang went to patrol the mountains again.
Seeing Jiang Ning standing there like a wooden man, Jiang's mother angrily pulled her and said, "Let's go!" and hurried down the mountain again.
Jiang Ning and Jiang Ma are like water and fire.
Jiang Ning is the quietly flowing water, and Jiang Ma is like the scorching fire. The two of them, one in front and one behind, form a very sharp contrast.
When they got home, Jiang's mother went into Jiang Ning's room again and helped her pack her winter clothes and daily necessities, putting them in a snakeskin bag. She also gave her an empty canning bottle and filled it with a bottle of water and a bag of rice crust. "There's no money at home, and I won't give you any money. Didn't you sell crayfish these days? Buy your own train ticket, and don't buy food on the way. Eating some rice crust is better than eating rice. When we get there, there's a restaurant there, and the leftovers will be enough for you to eat."
There will always be some rice crusts left at the bottom of the earthen stove in the countryside. The Jiang family has the habit of baking rice crusts on the stove. They are afraid that Jiang Song and Jiang Bai will not have enough to eat at school, so Jiang's father and mother bake two pots of rice crusts every day and save them for Jiang Song and Jiang Bai to take to school to eat.
Grandpa Jiang would also bake rice crusts for Jiang Ning.
Seeing that Jiang Ning remained silent, Jiang's mother was so angry that she poked Jiang Ning's forehead with her index finger: "Did you hear me talking to you? You are so quiet that you can't even say a word. I really don't know what you can do in the future. It's good that this is at home. If you go to your husband's house in the future, you won't even say a word even if you are beaten to death. You just know how to argue with me all day long."
After knowing that Jiang Ning was willing to go to work, Jiang's mother felt relieved. In order to make Jiang Ning bring the money back home in the future, Jiang's mother spoke to Jiang Ning in a nice way at this time.
"Be smart when you're out there, you hear? Don't be stupid all day long, don't listen to what others say, and don't go out fooling around, you hear? If I hear someone say you're fooling around, I'll break your legs when I get back!" Jiang's mother sternly warned her, "Especially don't go out with men, you hear me?"
The worst thing about these young girls who go out to work is that they are easily seduced by men outside. One or two of them get together with men outside when they are only eighteen or nineteen years old. Jiang's mother wants to keep Jiang Ning for two more years, so naturally she strictly forbids her from having a relationship outside.
Fortunately, I went out to work as a waitress this time. I heard from Yueqin that they were all female waitresses, and they only wanted women. Otherwise, if I were mixed with men and was fooled by others, it would be really hard to guard against.
Especially for those working in factories, where men and women are mixed together and there is no one watching, isn't it easy for them to be seduced?
Thinking of this, Jiang Ma felt more and more that being a waitress would be a good idea.
In the afternoon, Jiang's mother was afraid that Jiang Ning would run away, so she stayed at home to watch over Jiang Ning and did not go to the fields. Jiang Ning locked herself in the room and kept writing.
Mother Jiang felt relieved when she saw that Jiang Ning was finally appointed.
In the evening, Jiang Yueqin came to Jiang's house again and confirmed the itinerary and time with Jiang Ning. Seeing that Jiang Ma had really convinced Jiang Ning, she was so happy that her face was full of smiles. She said to Jiang Ma, "Don't worry, we are from the same village. I will definitely take care of Ningning!" She also said to Jiang Ning sweetly, "Ningning, come to my door at five o'clock tomorrow morning. Don't be late!"
The bus to the next town leaves at 6:30. If you are too late you will miss it, and she has two people to pick up.
It was dinner time, and Jiang Ma wanted to keep Jiang Yueqin for dinner. Jiang Yueqin didn't hesitate and sat down. Jiang Ma urged Jiang Ning to cook quickly, "The dry pot of clams and snails you cooked last time was delicious. Let's make that!" Anyway, this thing is worthless.
Jiang Ning didn't want to go, and Jiang's father came back just in time. His trouser legs were covered in mud. In addition to a basket of crayfish, he was holding a black fish weighing almost two kilograms in his hand, held by straw.
Seeing Jiang Yueqin coming, he greeted her: "Yueqin is here?"
Jiang Ma said with a smile on her face: "Yueqin will leave tomorrow morning. She is here to call Ningning. The bus will be at 5 o'clock tomorrow morning."
Father Jiang was silent for a moment after hearing this, and put down the basket in his hand: "I just caught a grass carp on the riverbank. I'll cook it for you. Yueqin, don't leave, let's eat together."
Jiang Ning likes to eat fish. She had told her father how to make pickled fish before, so she went to her aunt's house next door and borrowed a stack of pickled cabbage.
Rural people cook fish simply by frying them on both sides, then adding water and seasonings and cooking them.
It was the first time that Jiang Yueqin saw someone slice fish into thin slices, especially Jiang's father's knife skills, which were quite good.
She watched as Jiang's father marinated the fish fillets, then fried the fish head and bones, and after washing the fish fillets, he actually added egg white. She had never seen such a method before.
Jiang Ning was still directing Jiang's father: "Put the pickled cabbage in the pot and stir-fry it to remove the moisture."
The last pot of fish was cooked, and Jiang Yueqin thought it was over. Unexpectedly, Jiang Ning instructed Jiang's father to sprinkle mashed garlic, dried chili segments, white sesame seeds, garlic leaves, and peppercorns on the fish slices, and poured hot oil on them. Immediately, the overbearing aroma was aroused, and Jiang Yueqin exclaimed in admiration: "Wow, second uncle's cooking skills are too good. This is the first time I know that fish can be cooked like this!"
Jiang Ning suddenly looked at her sideways and asked, "Aren't you a waitress in a restaurant? You don't even know what pickled fish is, do you?"
Jiang Yueqin, a country girl, was taken away. Although she stayed in a nightclub full of lights and wine, her food and lodging were arranged by someone, and she was not allowed to go out on normal days. If Jiang Yueqin had not stayed there for a long time and said she wanted to go home and bring a few sisters over, how could she have returned in the middle of the year?
Moreover, they all worked at night and slept during the day, and she saved all the money she earned and brought it home to her parents. She had never eaten in a decent restaurant. Even if she did, it was always at snack stands or boxed lunches. How would she know about pickled fish?
She was stumped by the question and stammered, "I... our restaurant sells foreign liquor..., yes! Foreign liquor is what foreigners drink, and the food is of course foreign food! Do you know what foreign food is? Foreigners eat steak and French fries!"
Their nightclub actually had steak and French fries, and she had eaten them before. They were leftovers from the guests, and she had tasted them secretly.
She raised her chin proudly: "Steak and French fries, have you ever eaten them?"
"That's amazing!" Jiang Ning asked curiously, "Then your restaurant must be very famous. What's its name?"
"Paris Hotel!" When she mentioned the word 'Paris', she raised her chin even higher.
"Yeah." Jiang Ning nodded and suddenly asked her, "Isn't it called Little Paris Nightclub?"
"You told me last time that it's called Little Paris Nightclub." She tilted her head and asked Jiang's father in confusion: "Dad, what does nightclub mean?"
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