Chapter 61
When Huang Yi came in, Su Qingci was holding a glass of water and looking around the room.
This is a small two-bedroom, one-living room apartment with a total area of less than 50 square meters.
On the right is the living room, with a small kitchen in front, and on the left are two small rooms.
There is no toilet.
The toilet is at the end of the outside corridor and is shared by all floors.
"Dad, are you back?"
"Uncle Huang."
"Hey, why are you standing? Come and sit down."
When Li Hongmei heard the sound, she quickly started to set the table.
While her husband was washing his hands in the kitchen, she whispered to him about the gifts Su Qingci had brought.
Huang Yi was silent for a moment, "Just take it."
"When she leaves later, give her some of the dried sweet potatoes our parents gave us, and the precious fried dough sticks you hid."
Li Hongmei nodded.
For lunch, we had thick white porridge. In southern Hunan, most people drink porridge in the summer.
But it is usually cooked together with dried sweet potatoes.
After harvesting the sweet potatoes, most families will wash them and then cut them into strips or shreds the size of chopstick heads with a knife or a grater.
Expose to the sun.
After the moisture is dried, store it in a dry place. If stored properly, it can be kept for several years.
When cooking rice, grab two handfuls and throw them in with the rice.
Today, the Huang family’s porridge did not contain dried sweet potatoes, but a handful of mung beans.
It’s so thick that chopsticks can stand upright.
There are also four dishes, one is fried shredded potatoes, one is egg soup, one is cold cucumber salad, and one is fried bacon.
The bacon should have been kept for the Chinese New Year, but I have never been willing to eat it.
At this time, this was already considered the standard for entertaining distinguished guests.
The meal went quite harmoniously. At the table, Su Qingci learned that Grandpa Huang and Grandma Huang were not used to living in the city and had always lived in their eldest son's home in the countryside.
Huang Yi also has an older daughter who has already started working. With the help of her boyfriend, she works as a temporary worker in a pastry factory.
Dongdong is thirteen years old this year and just started the first grade of junior high school.
Both the host and the guests enjoyed the meal very much.
After the meal, Su Qingci declined the couple's enthusiasm to keep them as guests, using the excuse that she had to meet up with the educated youth from the village at xx.
Li Hongmei carried a few bags and stuffed them into Su Qingci's backpack.
"This is a pound of sweet potato strips. You can take two and chew them as a snack when you have nothing to do."
"This is the New Year's gift your Grandpa Huang and Grandma Huang gave me. I made it by grinding glutinous rice into flour, mixing it with eggs and sesame seeds, and then deep-frying it into fried dough sticks."
"I guess this isn't popular in the North. Try it for fun."
As she spoke, Li Hongmei took out a small red envelope from her pocket.
"This is the custom here. When a new customer comes for the first time, we ask for good luck. It's not much, just for a good omen."
"Your uncle Huang and I are so happy that you can come."
"Just treat us as your own uncle and aunt. Come visit us more often when you have time."
"Also, this piece of paper has the number for your Uncle Huang's reception desk."
"If you encounter any problems, or if someone gives you a hard time, just send me a letter. Your Uncle Huang will be here right after receiving the letter."
The two of them pushed each other back and forth, and finally, Su Qingci couldn't refuse the kindness, so she accepted the return gift from Huang Yi and Li Hongmei with a blushing face.
After thanking him again, he hurried away.
Huang Yi teased Li Hongmei with a smile.
"Comrade Li is usually very stingy, but today he is being generous for once."
They do have a rule of "giving red envelopes to new customers when they first come to visit."
But that person must be a blood relative whom the host values, or a new son-in-law, daughter-in-law, or child in the family of a valued relative.
Li Hongmei gave Huang Yi a coquettish look.
"So, in your heart I am just a calculating woman?"
"Don't mention that Uncle Su is our Huang family's great benefactor. Just think about the Tutun incident a few years ago. I will remember the Su family's kindness for the rest of my life."
A few years ago, during difficult times, all the tree bark on the mountain was eaten up.
The price of food is so high that even if you have money you can’t find food.
Huang Yi's daughter Tuntun saved food for her younger brother.
I secretly saved the few leaf and rice bran dumplings I had every day and almost died.
Just when the whole family was in despair, they received relief sent by Su Yi from Kyoto.
This is how the family can come together till now.
"Besides, Qingci is such a nice little girl, very sensible and understanding."
"People are all mutual. She knows how to deal with things, so I will naturally treat her the same way."
"Not to mention, we still owe the Su family a great favor."
Su Qingci looked at the red envelope in her hand with a smile.
There wasn't much money in the red envelope, only 1.66 yuan.
But she clearly felt the Huang family's welcome to her.
"This Huang family couple is quite interesting."
I had been planning to explore the black market to see if I could get any antiques.
But just now at the Huang family's dinner table, Huang Yi's unintentional reminder made Su Qingci give up.
When Huang Yi saw the wine and mung bean cakes that Su Qingci brought, he suspected that she had gone to the black market.
While talking about his official duties, he muttered, "Now is the time to harvest the grain."
"The higher-ups are worried that people below them might be taking grain and reselling it, so they're keeping a close eye on it. This has made official duties quite hectic lately."
Su Qingci was not stupid, of course she knew that this was meant for her.
After leaving the family compound, I planned to go to the county supply and marketing cooperative and then go back directly.
The alley behind the family compound.
A woman wearing Dacron, with her hair pulled back behind her ears, looks quick and neat.
She was holding two men and whispering to them secretly.
Su Qingci knew this person.
I saw her in the General Office when I was looking for Huang Yi in the morning. She seemed to be a small leader in some civil service department.
Just as he was about to turn around, he was attracted by a few words from the exquisitely dressed woman.
"Laifu, the county has decided to set up a security team in every town in the second half of the year. Once this is done, you can directly join the town security team."
"That's a half-iron rice bowl!"
"As long as the town security team is not disbanded, you will be the one who eats the rations."
"This time, even people from Kyoto have come. The county is taking this bomb drill very seriously. To ensure authenticity..."
Su Qingci's eyes lit up, and she immediately lay on the wall like a gecko, listening nervously.
Can I join the town security team? A stable job?
I soon got the general information from the woman's intermittent explanation.
The government aims to improve and coordinate local combat capabilities.
We often select schools, units and communes to conduct explosion-proof drills.
This time, the leader of the Kyoto Public Security Bureau happened to be in the county on business, and the county leaders took it even more seriously.
In the past, we would ask familiar colleagues to pretend to be thugs, and everyone knew them.
This one is my brother-in-law, that one is my colleague, and the other one is my leader.
I held the knife but didn't know where to start.
Everyone was hesitant and acted with fear and trepidation.
The whole exercise was very petty and full of laughter.
This time, in order to save face in front of the "distinguished guests" from Kyoto, the county leaders directly planned to find thugs from outside.
The identity of the thugs, the means of committing the explosion, and the specific time of the crime are all kept mysterious.
Planning to have a real fight with the mob.
The office director of the county public security department, Sister Guo, was the person responsible for arranging the "thugs".
When there is such a good thing, of course she has to consider her nephew from her mother's side first.
Sister Guo took out four things similar to the "labels" of later generations from her bag and stuffed them into her nephew's hands.
"When we go into action tomorrow, hang this thing around your neck. When others see it, they won't use real guns or live ammunition."
"Auntie, I'm scared."
"You useless person, what are you afraid of? Just raise your weapon and hack your way in through the door."
"The bigger the commotion, the better."
"After the drill, take this badge directly to the county office to get a letter of introduction, and then go to the local town to complete the employment process."
"I spent a lot of favors to get two of these four spots from the deputy director."
"You and Laibao each get one, and have Dad sell the remaining two to someone in town, and send the money to me!"
"Well, the sign is ready. The county recognizes signs, not people."
Su Qingci felt inexplicably excited...
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