Chapter 41 Our Family Will Get Better and Better
Wenwan dressed neatly and quickly, then made the bed. The sheets were smooth and wrinkle-free, and the quilt was folded neatly like freshly cut tofu.
Lu Chun'e was stunned for a moment: "It's amazing, the quilt can be folded like this?"
Wen Wan started combing her hair with a comb and smiled, "It's like this in our family."
After braiding her hair, she started brushing her teeth and washing her face, then applied some cold cream on her face and hands little by little.
Only then did he finish packing. He folded two handkerchiefs and put them in his pocket, took the empty kettle, locked the door, and went to Lu's house with Lu Chun'e.
I sneezed continuously all the way and tears streamed down my face.
As soon as they arrived in the yard, Lu Donglin rushed out from the kitchen: "Sister, sister, Sister Wenwan! I'm on vacation! I can take you to the mountains to play!"
Wen Wan smiled and was about to speak when her nose felt sore and she sneezed again.
Zhang Hongying called out from inside the house, "Come in quickly and warm up the food. The meal has been ready for a while, so eat something to warm it up. Don't go up the mountain today. The little firewood you picked up can be brought out by Lu Dongping if he just raks it quickly."
Wen Wan felt a little embarrassed.
Zhang Hongying grumbled as she scooped up some rice: "You're sharing meals with us and getting rations, so there's no need to send us firewood. Over at the educated youth camp, you don't eat or use water, so there's no need to bring firewood over. We only have a few peaceful days at the end of the year. Once the New Year is over and spring arrives, the work will pick up after the fifth day of the first lunar month. There's no time to rest."
Speaking of collecting firewood, Zhang Hongying reflected. Wen Wan, this little girl, couldn't be more honest. Those educated youth who shared rooms with the commune members simply wanted to avoid cooking and working, but she, on the other hand, foolishly ran off to the mountains after receiving her rations. She might not have done much, but her attitude was clear, wasn't it?
Even if she wasn't optimistic about her son's crush, there was nothing she could do. Lujiazui was poor, and their family was poor. As parents, they couldn't do anything about finding a partner. They could only watch and try not to get in the way.
Lu Chun'e's words yesterday woke her up.
Marry a man and he will provide you with food and clothing. This is true whether you live in the city or in the mountains.
When a girl grows up, she will get married. Marrying a man who understands her and keeps the family harmonious is a lifelong blessing for a woman.
But if you marry a man with bad habits and a messy house, what's the use of having money even if your family is well-off.
There is a huge difference between a man who earns one dollar and is willing to spend one dollar on you and a man who earns ten dollars but only spends one dollar on you!
Wen Wan held her lunch box and ate the hot pickled vegetable porridge, feeling warm in her heart as she listened to her chatter.
She added pickles and chili sauce to the rice, which was a bit spicy. It made me sweat at the tip of my nose, and my blocked nose was suddenly unblocked. But I still had a runny nose, which was so annoying.
After dinner, Zhang Hongying was going to the mountain and assigned work to Lu Chun'e: "In your brother's room, I saw him taking apart the quilt and washing it yesterday. It's almost done drying in the sun, but now it's cloudy and I don't know when the sun will come out again. It's impossible to starch it. You can spread the mat outside and sew it. It's just covered with cotton wool. It won't be long before they mess up the cotton wool."
Lu Chun'e responded, "I'll sew after I feed the pigs."
Zhang Hongying said, "When you have time, go to your private plot and see if you can get some vegetables. They say they'll slaughter pigs on the 15th or 16th. Tomorrow is the 15th, and there's still no one in Dongcheng. I don't know whether they'll slaughter them or not. Prepare them and wash them well to avoid freezing your hands and feet."
As he said that, he went outside, and there were two rustling sounds. He probably left with a backpack, a sickle or something.
Wen Wan squatted by the fire with a fire scissors in her hand, while Lu Chun'e boiled water and washed the pot at the stove.
The water used to wash pots and dishes can be used to feed pigs with some cooked potato chunks and wheat bran.
Throughout the year, pigs can only eat some food when they are slaughtered around the twelfth lunar month.
Wen Wan wiped her nose and said to Lu Chun'e: "Where is the quilt to sew? I'll sew it for you."
Lu Chun'e hesitated for a moment: "Sister Wenwan, can you sew a quilt?"
Wen Wan smiled and said, "Yes! I can do all the needlework, but I just can't sew the soles of shoes. My hands are not strong enough." People in their family rarely wear cloth shoes.
Lu Chun'e happily continued to work: "It doesn't matter if you can't sew soles. My mother and I can do it! When the pair I have is finished, I'll make a pair for you by pasting the soles."
Wen Wan quickly waved her hand: "No, no, I brought shoes for both winter and summer when I came here, so I don't lack shoes to wear."
Lu Chun'e did not respond. Whether it existed or not was other people's business, but whether she did it or not was her business.
After Lu Chun'e fed the pigs, she moved the bamboo mats in the house to under the eaves outside, and then took out the cotton quilt and bed covers that Lu Dongping had washed.
The quilt cover and quilt lining are made of pieces of cloth. The quilt lining is white, but some places are yellowed. The quilt cover comes in all colors.
Lu Chun'e felt a little embarrassed and didn't dare to look at Wen Wan's face. She helped her to smooth out the quilt, put the cotton on, and then added the quilt cover.
"There were too few cloth coupons, and it was hard to buy anything even with money. All the quilts at home were like this. My eldest brother brought back a couple of beautiful red peony-patterned quilts, but my mother never wanted to use them. She said she wanted to save them for my brother to use on a new quilt when he found a partner."
After saying this, she glanced at Wen Wan cautiously. "A few years ago, when my brother was a child, things were even more chaotic at home. Four of us shared a bed with only one blanket. My brother was a really good student back then. He was incredibly smart and could learn anything quickly. He went to school in the brigade and spent most of the semester doing housework, but he always came in first. He was also very brave. A few years ago, there was an old hunter in the brigade. He wasn't very good at CF and looked scary. The adults and children in the team were terrified when they saw him, but my brother wasn't afraid and would always run to him. The old hunter loved him and taught him a lot."
"Later, he stayed at home, worked, or wandered around the mountains, bringing back some things from time to time. If it weren't for this, Lu Donglin and I wouldn't know if we could make ends meet, let alone send him to school. Then, when he came back and went to the commune, life became even better."
After saying that, she looked at Wen Wan with shining eyes, full of hope: "Sister Wen Wan, our family will get better and better." So, please don't be disgusted, okay?
I swallowed the words back and didn't dare to say them.
Wen Wan didn't know what she was thinking and nodded: "Yes, it will get better and better." She threaded the needle skillfully with her hand and started to sew the quilt with a somewhat inappropriate thimble.
"Chun'e, aren't you going to your private plot?"
Lu Chun'e took out the unfinished soles and sat beside her and said, "You sew the quilt and I'll sew the soles. When you finish, we'll go together." She couldn't just leave Wen Wan alone at home. It would make her feel bad.
Wen Wan nodded: "Okay, I'll be quick."
"Don't worry, it's still early since we just finished breakfast."
Wen Wan stopped again, blinked her eyes, and sneezed after a long time.
"Oh! Ginger soup, I forgot!"
Lu Chun'e dropped the work in her hands, stood up, picked up a small hoe from behind the door and ran away.
There was a clump of ginger near the stone embankment in the private plot. It should have been dug up when the first frost came, but I couldn't eat it all, so I left some, and it didn't freeze to pieces.
Lu Chun'e dug out a palm-sized piece, went back to wash it, sliced it, boiled a bowl of orange water and handed it to Wen Wan.
"It should be drunk while hot. It's a bit spicy, but it helps to induce sweating and dispel the cold."
It was very spicy, even smelling spicy, and Wen Wan felt a little hesitant to eat it.
Lu Chun'e urged her with a smile: "Drink it quickly, and you won't sneeze or have a runny nose after drinking it. It's just spicy, but close your eyes and don't taste it, just drink it in one gulp." Although she was only fourteen or fifteen years old, she looked more like an adult than Wen Wan.
Wen Wan blew on it, let it cool for a while, and then took a sip.
It's not hot in the mouth, but it's spicy. The spicy taste is so strong that you really have to drink it all in one breath.
After drinking a bowl of ginger soup, tears couldn't stop flowing down, her little face flushed, and her pink lips turned red from the spiciness, as if she had been severely bullied.
I took a hissing breath of cold air in my mouth for a long time before I felt better. I regretted that I didn’t put two candies in my mouth when I came here in a hurry this morning.
Only after I recovered did I continue to sew the quilt.
Wrap the quilt inside the quilt, sew the four sides together, and draw a few lines in the middle.
Lu Chun'e asked Wen Wan, "Sister, now that I've graduated from junior high school, should I continue to attend high school or just drop out?"
Wen Wan said, "If you can pass the exam, you should continue to study. It's always a good idea to study more."
"But you're not allowed to take exams after high school, and there's no guaranteed job placement like in technical secondary schools."
"Then work hard to get into technical secondary school!"
Lu Chun'e sighed: "It's quite difficult. You have to be among the top students in the school to get in."
When one thread was used up, Wenwan tied a knot neatly, then cut the end of the thread with scissors and threaded another one.
"You've only just started junior high, and there's still a year and a half left! Just work hard. Even if you don't pass, at least you tried your best, and there's nothing to regret. If you don't get into technical secondary school, go to high school. If you can't take the exam, then don't take it. With a high school diploma in hand, you can eat comfortably anywhere."
Lu Chun'e felt a little relieved and felt that what she said made sense.
"Sister, I heard from my brother that you also graduated from high school?"
Wen Wan looked up at her: "Lu Dongping said that?" She had never mentioned it to Lu Dongping!
"Why didn't you find a job in the city after graduating from high school? Why did you come here?"
Wen Wan smiled and said, "In response to national policy, all educated youth in the city must go to the countryside to study and reform." Well, she is actually a very conscious person.
Lu Chun'e said, "You don't have to farm to go to the countryside. You need to be a high school graduate. There aren't many high school graduates here. The teachers at the brigade primary school have only graduated from junior high school."
After muttering a few words, Wen Wan heard someone shouting before she could reply, "Chun'e? Is that Chun'e?"
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