Chapter 44 Pulling Cabbage
"Mom, is Sister Chunyan really gone?"
Lin Xiaotong took small bites of the wild vegetable pancakes that Gao Xiulan had made yesterday, and her mouth was not idle while she ate.
"Really? I heard from the second son of the Zhou family that it was this morning's train. I guess it has already left."
Gao Xiulan finished her meal and rested on a bamboo chair.
"very nice!"
Lin Xiaotong feels that going to school is much better than going to work. There are so many delicious foods in the school cafeteria. It’s so happy.
"Isn't it? There's another college student in our compound!"
"By the way, Mom, are you going out today?"
After finishing breakfast, Lin Xiaotong took the dishes to the sink to wash them. Seeing Gao Xiulan holding a snakeskin bag and shaking it upside down, she asked.
"It's getting cold, isn't it? Let's go to the supply and marketing cooperative to see if we can buy some winter vegetables."
Gao Xiulan lowered her voice and said.
"I heard from Afen's husband that a truckload of cabbages arrived today."
The winter vegetables stored by each household in this area are mostly cabbage, radishes and potatoes.
"They say the vegetables are from the south and they mature earlier."
In previous years, winter vegetables usually did not become available until the end of October.
"The weather this year is very abnormal. It's only early October and it's already so cold at night. I think winter is coming early this year. It's very cold and unbearable!"
Winters in the north are exceptionally long, and travel becomes inconvenient when it snows. A family has to survive on the winter vegetables stored in the cellar.
Gao Xiulan estimated that she would buy about 100 kilograms to last for a while.
"I'll ask Lao Xie to clear out the cellar for me."
Gao Xiulan said this as she rushed into the house.
After washing the dishes, Lin Xiaotong shook her hands and walked towards the kitchen. The Xie family's kitchen was in the southeast corner, a little close to Diao Yulian's house.
Just then, Diao Yulian came out to get some water and heard a "hum".
Lin Xiaotong stopped and looked around. There were only Diao Yulian and her in the yard, no one else.
"So this is snorting at me, there's something wrong with you."
Lin Xiaotong looked back at Diao Yulian's buttocks twisting and turning as she walked down the stairs. She took a deep breath, concentrated her energy into her dantian, and shouted:
"ha--"
Diao Yulian was so frightened that she almost fell down. When she calmed down and was about to curse, she found that Lin Xiaotong had already slipped into the house.
Diao Yulian was the only one left in the compound, standing there stamping her feet in anger.
Lin Xiaotong put away the dishes and went to the inner room to rest. She sat on the chair on the windowsill, opened the book and started studying.
"Xiaotong, lock the door at home. I'm going to the supply and marketing cooperative with your aunt Yu and aunt Zhang."
Gao Xiulan waved at Lin Xiaotong in the yard.
The supply and marketing cooperative is very close to their compound, about ten minutes' bike ride away.
But today, in order to transport the food, I specially brought a cart, which belongs to Zhang Dazui's family.
"Mom, do you want me to go with you?"
Lin Xiaotong stared at the cart, which she had never played with before.
"No, it's nearby. Let's go together."
Gao Xiulan was happy when she saw Lin Xiaotong reading a book. She thought that maybe their compound could produce another college student.
"Okay."
Gao Xiulan heard a hint of regret in Lin Xiaotong's tone and said with a smile, "Next time at the end of the month, I'll buy some preserved vegetables and take you there to see them. It'll be a really lively scene then."
After coaxing Lin Xiaotong, he waved his hand and went to the street with Yu Afen with his mouth wide open.
During these days of holidays, there are obviously more people on the streets, most of them are families out playing, and the children are running around happily.
"Big Mouth, where is your Tiger Head?"
Gao Xiulan looked at it and thought of Hu Tou.
"He went to find his brothers and play together at Dazhen's house in the next compound."
He smiled widely, finally keeping that brat at home today.
"I brought all the cloth coupons I saved today. I plan to make a cotton-padded jacket for my daughter Xiaoyu. Last year's is too small."
Yu Afen said this with a smile on her face.
"Your Xiaoyu is about to graduate from high school, right? Have you and Lao Qian decided on the rules?"
Nowadays, if you don’t have a job after graduation, non-only children have to go to the countryside.
"Old Qian and I have already made up our minds. As soon as our daughter graduates, we'll arrange for her to work in a state-owned restaurant. Her father happens to be there too."
Qian Yu is the youngest daughter of Yu Afen and Qian Baozhu. Their eldest daughter, Qian Min, works as a publicity officer at a steel rolling mill, and Qian Yu is still in her second year of high school.
The Qian family only has these two daughters, and their family conditions are pretty good, so naturally they are reluctant to let Qian Yu go to the countryside.
Not to mention anything else, she and Lao Qian have seen everything about Zhao Yunyun, the second daughter of the Zhao family. Zhao Yunyun used to be such a healthy girl, but she has become so skinny after just one year in the countryside.
“It’s a good job to work in a state-owned restaurant.”
Zhang Dazui nodded in agreement. People working in state-owned restaurants all have a lot of money. Just look at Chef Qian's expression and you'll know.
She still remembered that when Qian Baozhu first married Afen, he was very handsome with a fair and clean face.
Now it grows horizontally and is round and plump.
As the old men chatted and joked with each other, Qian Baozhu squinted his eyes and smiled, saying, "This is a work-related injury."
While the three of them were talking, they arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative. They arrived early today, so there weren't many people on the first floor.
Yu Afen winked at the two of them, and the three of them turned into the back door of the supply and marketing cooperative together.
"Osmanthus, do you still have the new cabbage?"
Yu Afen pulled a female comrade aside and asked quietly.
"There are about 400 kilograms left. I bought most of it as soon as I got to the leader's house."
"The rest is what I saved from Manager Cai."
This Manager Cai is the young Manager Cai. Cai Yuanzhong, whom Lin Xiaotong met before, and Manager Cai of the department store are uncle and nephew.
Manager Cai and Mr. Qian have been friends for a long time. Both of them love to eat. They became acquainted with each other because of Qian Baozhu's specialty dish, casserole with pork, some years ago.
Manager Cai is a meat lover and was amazed by the casserole pork made by Qian Baozhu.
Clay pot white meat is a dish made with pork belly or rump meat, with sauerkraut as the base and paper-thin white meat on top. It is soft and tender when eaten, with one bite of white meat and one bite of sauerkraut. It is sour and delicious, fat but not greasy.
"Thanks. My husband asked Manager Cai to come to our house for dinner when he's free."
Yu Afen said with a smile, took out the banknote and handed it to Guihua.
Zhang Dazui and Gao Xiulan on the side had their eyes glued to the cabbage.
"Hurry up and put it on the cart, give me a hand."
"Here it comes, this cabbage looks so fresh and tender."
He replied with his mouth wide open.
Yu Afen and the other two bent down and quickly moved the cabbages onto the cart, stacking them one by one. The small cart full of cabbages looked pleasing to the eye.
A large cabbage weighs four or five pounds, and four hundred pounds is exactly one hundred cabbages.
A cart, covered with straw, was more than enough to carry all of this.
Zhang Dazui and Gao Xiulan smiled and said, "We'll give you the money when we get home."
Yu Afen replied simply: "Yes."
"I'll go get some cloth to make clothes for Xiao Min."
"You go ahead. Big Mouth and I will be outside watching the cart."
Zhang Dazui and Gao Xiulan watched Yu Afen take a detour to the gate of the supply and marketing cooperative to buy things.
The two men, with their hands in their pockets, were waiting for Yu Afen at the back door of the supply and marketing cooperative.
"Big Mouth, look, is that Xiaoyu from Afen's family?"
Gao Xiulan looked around and suddenly nudged her open mouth with her elbow.
"Where? Why didn't I see it?"
Zhang Dazui got up early today and couldn't even open his eyes. He replied with a yawn.
"Among the group, the one on the left, the one wearing a red armband!"
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