After buying fabric at the department store, Xu Nuo saw a watch shop and went to take a look at the watches.
The shopping experience at that time was incomparable to that of later generations. There were almost no salespeople actively promoting their products; most of them stood there like great Buddhas, doing their own thing.
Yan Zisong is a sales clerk at the watch counter. He is 1.78 meters tall, has a refined and amiable appearance, and wears a white shirt and black pants. Standing by the counter, he has the charm of a model in a magazine.
He stood there for a long time, holding a magazine, his eyes secretly glancing at the woman who had come to look at the watch.
He waited for a long time, but she didn't call him.
Just as he was about to go over, he saw her stand up straight, as if she was about to leave. Yan Zisong quickly called out, "Hey! Comrade!"
Xu Nuo looked in the direction of the voice and nodded politely to him: "Hello."
Yan Zisong was charmed by her voice and asked solicitously, "Hello, hello, comrade, which piece have you taken a fancy to?"
Xu Nuo glanced around the counter but didn't say anything, clearly undecided.
"Look at this one, it's a brand new arrival, a Shanghai brand. There's only one left. The price isn't too expensive, and you can take it today if you have a receipt." Yan Zisong pointed to a women's watch and rattled off a bunch of things, but Xu Nuo's gaze fell on something else, pointing to a men's watch and asking, "How much is this one?"
Yan Zisong paused and said, "This piece isn't cheap; it costs one hundred and eighty yuan."
He stole a glance at Xu Nuo; up close, her skin was fair and flawless, and her features were delicate and sweet. The more he looked, the more amazed he became. He tentatively asked, "Is this for your boyfriend?"
Xu Nuo wanted to nod, but after thinking about it, she shook her head. Her black hair swayed gently, emitting a sweet fragrance: "I bought it for my brother."
Yan Zisong was delighted. It turned out that he had bought it for his brother. He tried to sell it to Xu Nuo: "There's only one of these watches in Luxian County. It's not cheap, but the design is good. Comrade, do you have a receipt? If not, I can lend it to you first."
In those days, tickets were much more valuable than money. Yan Zisong had a ticket but had never been willing to use it. Today, he was completely blinded by beauty and was going to use the ticket to win a smile from the beauty.
Xu Nuo didn't want his ticket. She took a step back, smiled, and politely replied, "Thank you, comrade, I already have a ticket."
"Is the price too high? We have some cheaper ones, Shanghai brand, which are a pair with this lady's watch." Yan Zisong suddenly stopped speaking. He remembered that the watch was bought for his brother and quickly said, "This watch can also be bought separately, it's very nice."
Xu Nuo glanced at the Shanghai brand watch; it was just an ordinary old-fashioned watch, nothing special.
The more expensive one is better.
The watch had a rich agate black dial, gold hands, and a rare black leather strap instead of the usual silver-white iron chain. The whole watch was understated yet exuded a touch of luxury.
The more I look at it, the more suitable it is for Li Xian.
It's a pity she doesn't have a ticket for the watch right now; she'll buy it when she does.
She smiled at Yan Zisong: "I'll come back for it if I need it. Thank you."
Seeing that she was about to leave, Yan Zisong quickly stopped her and asked in a low voice, "Hey, comrade, what's your name? I'm a sales clerk here, my name is Yan Zisong."
Xu Nuo stopped and said calmly, "My name is Xu Nuo."
Yan Zisong said, "What a lovely name! Hey, you..."
As Xu Nuo was thinking of an excuse to leave, a couple next to her spoke up at the opportune moment: "Comrade, take a look at this."
Yan Zisong didn't want to pay any attention to them, but unfortunately the couple wouldn't let it go and called out several times. He had no choice but to go over. When he finally got his watch, he looked up and saw that Xu Nuo had already disappeared.
…
A few days later, Xu Nuo packed her things to go to Luxian Village. Xue Ping came in to help her and casually asked, "Nuo, what's going on with our kitchen? Why is there so much food?"
Xue Ping has been enjoying a good meal these past few days. Every day when she comes home from get off work, there are fresh meats, vegetables, or fruits in the kitchen. The meat is all pork belly with a good balance of fat and lean meat, which is made into sweet braised pork and is incredibly delicious.
Xu Nuo stuffed the books into her schoolbag, winked at Xue Ping, and said sweetly, "I bought them at the grocery store."
Xu Nuo actually wanted to say "my boyfriend," but she held it back after thinking about it.
Xue Ping was skeptical. How could Xu Nuo possibly buy meat? She held the ticket book in her hand, glanced at it a few times, and asked, "Have you used up the tickets I gave you before?"
Xu Nuo bought most of her things on the black market without needing coupons. She still had a lot of coupons left from Xue Ping's gift, which she had locked in her cabinet. However, she couldn't let Xue Ping know about this, otherwise it would be difficult to explain. She nodded and said, "I've used them all up."
Xue Ping felt a pang of regret. Looking at the remaining food coupons, she counted out a portion and prepared to put them into Xu Nuo's small bag.
Xue Ping sighed softly. She and Xu Jin'an both doted on their daughter, giving her money whenever she asked, which caused Xu Nuo to spend money extravagantly. For example, while other families would hesitate to buy even one of those summer mangoes, her daughter could buy six at once.
but…
Xue Ping frowned, feeling that something was wrong. Then, as she folded the clothes in her hand, her thoughts became clear.
She slapped her thigh, her eyes widening: "Where did you get the money? You haven't asked me or your dad for money in ages!"
Xue Ping had been suspicious for a while. Ever since Xu Nuo broke her leg, she not only became well-behaved and sensible, but she also stopped asking her family for money.
Seeing Xue Ping's excitement, Xu Nuo quickly pulled her to sit down on the edge of the bed and asked, "Mom, do you remember Lin Xiaofeng from the supply and marketing cooperative?"
Xue Ping certainly remembered; she had even come to Xu Nuo's house to look for her once: "I remember, what's wrong?"
Xu Nuo said, "I did some business with her and made a little money."
Xue Ping looked at her suspiciously. Didn't she know her own daughter's character? She was always the one being waited on, and now she was going to do business? Xue Ping still didn't believe it: "Really? What kind of business?"
“Really.” Xu Nuo leaned on Xue Ping’s shoulder and said softly, “I was just the middleman; it was Xu Yan who did all the work.”
During this time, Xu Nuo played the good guy for both sides, and whenever she had the chance, she would speak well of Xu Yan to Xue Ping. As a result, Xue Ping's impression of Xu Yan improved a lot. In fact, the awkward relationship between the two was like that between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. If the middleman handled it well, although it might not be perfect, at least it could maintain a facade of harmony.
Every time Xu Nuo returned from Luxian Village, he would bring Xue Ping something, either wild honey from the mountains or pastries made by Xu Yan. Over time, when Xue Ping mentioned Xu Yan, she no longer gritted her teeth in anger, but would instead say, "I didn't expect Xu Yan's cooking skills to be so good."
The craftsmanship is excellent, and with Xu Nuo's herbal water, it's more than just delicious.
Such pastries would naturally sell well in the market, but since private sales are now prohibited, getting caught would be a serious matter. Xue Ping was a little worried: "Maybe we shouldn't make them. We're not short of money. It would be terrible if we got caught."
"It's okay, Mom. We're just supplying goods to others. If something goes wrong, it has nothing to do with us."
After much persuasion, Xue Ping was finally convinced. Xu Nuo hurriedly packed her things and went to wait at the entrance of the fertilizer plant next to the supply and marketing cooperative.
The fertilizer plant's gate was under demolition and reconstruction, with dust flying everywhere. Xu Nuo walked to a large tree not far away and stopped, waiting for the tractor to arrive before going over.
A tall, slender figure walked through the crowd and stood next to Xu Nuo.
A large tree stood beside a cluster of low houses. When a breeze blew by, it brought some dust from the fertilizer plant across the street. The man's tall figure blocked most of it.
The tractor arrived, and Li Xian turned to look at her, saying in a low voice, "Let's go."
"Mm." Xu Nuo walked towards the other side, a slight smile playing on her lips.
The tractor wobbled along the road, and an hour later, Xu Nuo saw an empty cornfield. Perhaps it was for new planting, because all the soil had been turned over, leaving it pitted and uneven.
Aunt Changhua got off the bus carrying eggs, squinted at the side, and said, "Comrade Xu Nuo, thank you for the candy. I really feel much better now, and my dizziness is gone."
Xu Nuo smiled kindly and said, "It's alright, Aunt Changhua. Just be careful in the future and don't go too long without food. Eat something first."
After parting ways with Aunt Changhua, Xu Nuo walked down the path to the right. After walking for about a minute, she heard footsteps behind her, and the weight on her back suddenly disappeared.
"I'll take it." Li Xian took her schoolbag off and stuffed a package into her hand.
It was warm and had a faint aroma. She looked up, her eyes crinkling with laughter, and asked, "Meat buns?"
"Mmm." He nodded, reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear, bent down, and softly asked, "Was the car ride uncomfortable?"
Xu Nuo opened the oil paper and found three rather large meat buns. The bun skins were wrinkled from the steam, but such a bun was considered a top-quality food in this era.
"I don't feel too bad today. Open your mouth, ah." Xu Nuo stuffed a bun into Li Xian's mouth. He ate half of it in one bite and finished it off with another bite.
Xu Nuo ate slowly, taking the buns on oil paper all the way to Li Xian's house, and only swallowing the last bite.
She stood in front of Li Xian's small courtyard, quite surprised.
In just a few days, the once dilapidated and desolate courtyard underwent a dramatic transformation.
Lush greenery, full of life.
The melon vines climbed all over the green trellis, the fruit trees shed their leaves in the wind, and there were patches of seedlings under the trees, standing in small clumps in the hay.
Xu Nuo was as happy as a little butterfly gathering honey, running around in the small manor that belonged to her and Li Xian. Sometimes she would check if the trees had fruit, and sometimes she would squat down to touch the tender seedlings on the ground.
Li Xian stood behind her, his gaze fixed on her.
She reached out and touched the tender green melon, then turned around with a radiant smile: "Li Xian, the melons we planted have grown."
Li Xian stood in the light, his three-dimensional features were gilded with a layer of golden light, and his gaze at her was as fiery as a fireball hanging high in the sky.
"Hmm." He walked over and pulled the person into his arms. "It's the result."
My father was right. All the suffering in the world will eventually come to an end.
…
Xu Nuo played outside the courtyard with a small basket for a while and picked quite a few things.
Since the day she watered the plants, the leafy greens and melon seedlings have grown rapidly. The melon vines climbed the trellis and produced small flowers, while the leafy greens grew in an inhumanly dense mass.
His bare yard was transformed into a magical manor.
Li Xian couldn't bear to pick those vegetables, so he left them for Xu Nuo to pick to her heart's content today.
Xu Nuo was panting heavily as she carried the small basket. Upon seeing this, Li Xian went over and scooped her up in his arms.
Are you tired?
Xu Nuo leaned on his shoulder, panting, "A little."
Li Xian placed her on a chair in the kitchen, took her handkerchief, wiped the fine sweat from her forehead, and reached for the cooled water: "Drink some water."
Xu Nuo was also a little thirsty, so she held the bowl and gulped down a large bowl of water. Water droplets clung to her lips and dripped down her face. Li Xian gently covered them with a handkerchief and wiped them clean.
"It smells so good!" Xu Nu sniffed, looking at the steaming pot. "What did you stew?"
Seeing her greedy look, Li Xian laughed and said, "Pork bone soup."
Meat is sold on the black market, and in considerable quantities. It comes from pig farms that are illegally raised and slaughtered. The pig farms raise pigs, slaughter them, and then hand them over to others, and the meat ends up in the market.
The meat is now being collected by Wang Qing, who is under the care of Eighth Master. Wang Qing calls Li Xian "brother" and, following his instructions, he will save a good piece of meat for Li Xian every two days. He often jokes, "Brother Li, I admire you the most. In my opinion, we risked our lives for money, so we should spend it and eat it. But with all this meat and fish at every meal, shouldn't you also get yourself a couple of new outfits?"
Li Xian had told Wang Qing about the pork bones yesterday, and he also asked for two catties of pork and a pig's stomach. He went to pick them up himself before dawn today.
Wang Qing handed him a large bag of things, clicking his tongue: "Brother, if I ever stop buying meat, I'll talk to Eighth Master and ask him to let me trade yellow goods with you."
Li Xian paused, said nothing, and took out some money from his tattered clothes to give to him: "I'm leaving."
Wang Qing watched Li Xian's retreating figure and murmured, "Brother Li is living too well. Not only does he eat fish and meat, but he can also buy six summer mangoes at once."
You see, Wang Qing's girlfriend loves summer mangoes, but they're too expensive, so Wang Qing can only afford to buy two each time.
Little did he know that all the things Li Xian bought were sent to Xu Nuo's kitchen.
…
Skim off the scum from the pork bones, simmer them in water, and add white radish and a little salt once the meat is fragrant.
The taste was both fragrant and fresh.
In this day and age, a white radish and pork bone soup is simply a respectable dish.
It wasn't fully cooked yet, but the soup was drinkable. Xu Nuo took a sip with a small spoon and felt that the taste was familiar. She asked out of the blue, "Who taught you to cook this?"
After serving the soup, Li Xian began washing the pig's stomach. Hearing this, he didn't turn around and said, "I learned it from your sister."
Xu Nuo finished drinking her soup, her expression a little dazed: "No wonder..."
Li Xian turned around and saw her frowning, thinking she had ruined the stew: "What's wrong?"
Xu Nuo blinked, stirred the soup with a spoon, and smiled at him: "It's quite delicious."
That's good. Li Xian had never cooked it before. He asked Duan San how Xu Yan usually cooked it, and then he just followed the recipe.
His hands didn't stop, and he recalled the steps Duan San had mentioned: "I saw that Xu Yan first soaked it in vinegar, then added salt, rubbed it, then cut it open and stewed it with the lean meat."
He turned to look at her and said, "Wait a moment, I'll make you steamed pork belly."
Xu Nuo hummed in agreement.
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