Chapter 103: Going to the County City to Try Food

It was a rare occasion for guests to come to the house, so Wang Ziru behaved quite decently.

She went to the side room and cut a small piece of the bacon that Secretary Tang had sent her, which had a lot of lean meat. She washed it with hot water, cut it into thumb-sized slices, and fried it in a large iron pot to use as a topping for the noodles.

The noodles were cooked, but only one poached egg was placed on top for Baoer.

In the kitchen, Zhang Kang and Zhai Ximo sat on chairs facing each other, each holding a bowl of noodles with diced pork, slurping the noodles.

"Tomorrow morning, I will go to Zhu's house to discuss the wedding date. If nothing goes wrong, I will set it on the eighth day of next month." Zhang Kang said excitedly.

Zhai Ximo looked extremely unhappy, and glanced at Zhang Kang, "Can't you change the date? You have to get married on the same day as that brat Zong Hao. Now I have to explain to my father-in-law."

"Hmph! That bastard Wang Zonghao thinks no one wants me, Zhang Kang." Zhang Kang didn't even bat an eyelid and deliberately set the wedding date on the eighth of next month. After all the calculations, there was actually less than a month and a half left.

"So what gift do you plan to give Zhu Yan?"

"I feel a little guilty for not giving her a betrothal gift. I plan to get an industrial ticket and take Zhu Yan to the county town to choose a watch!" Zhang Kang had thought of this a long time ago. The watch must be given as a gift.

But during this period, grain coupons, cloth coupons, and oil coupons were still in use in towns and rural areas.

From rice to salt, from face towels to batteries, you need coupons to buy almost everything.

Especially for large items, such as bicycles, watches, sewing machines, radios and other wedding necessities, you first need a bicycle ticket, and then you have to prepare industrial coupons. These coupons are issued according to the proportion of wages, with an average of 20 yuan for one coupon.

"You also bought a watch for Zhu Yan?" Zhai Ximo felt like he was hit hard in the heart. When he got married, he didn't give the woman anything as a gift. Until now, he has never bought a watch for his wife.

"Why are you looking at me?" Wang Ziru was sitting next to the man on the chair. She caught a glimpse of the man's eyes looking at her from the corner of her eye, and she turned her head to the side and asked unhappily.

Zhang Kang immediately noticed the regret in his old comrade's eyes for his wife, and immediately reacted, changing the subject and asking, "By the way, sister-in-law, what kind of clothes should I buy for Zhu Yan for this wedding season?"

It's only March, and their wedding date is set for April.

The weather is neither too hot nor too cold, should I buy summer dacron shirts and pants?

Wang Ziru's eyes slowly moved to Zhang Kang across from her, "Aren't you going to the city to buy a watch? Take Zhu Yan with you to the county town. She knows what to wear on her wedding day."

"That's fine. Maybe we can go to the county town and visit the largest supply and marketing cooperative tomorrow," said Zhang Kang.

After a while, Zhai Ximo finished a bowl of noodles with diced pork and looked very satisfied. He put his chopsticks and bowl on the high stool and asked, "Do you want to buy a watch?"

"You're asking me?" Wang Ziru's eyes widened. She didn't expect that the man would say this after holding it in for so long.

She could see that the man sincerely wanted to give her a gift, but she was not interested in 80s watches or anything like that.

She waved her hands, tilted her face, and smiled, "We are an old married couple. It would be a waste of money to buy that kind of stuff for no reason."

"Love! My sister-in-law is so easy to take care of. I didn't spend much money to marry her home..."

After Zhang Kang sighed, he felt that Zhai Ximo's murderous gaze was extremely fierce.

"Okay, let's stop talking. It's getting late. I'm going home." He patted his butt and stood up to go home.

"Do you have a flashlight?"

"Yes, I have it in my pocket."

Zhang Kang patted the pocket of his bulging military coat, pulled out an old-fashioned flashlight and turned it on.

Suddenly, the dim room became bright.

"Sister-in-law, I'm going back. Thank you for the bacon noodles. When I get married, I will bring Zhu Yan over to eat the bacon noodles you made. So, you have to keep the bacon in your house to entertain the guests." Zhang Kang was in a very happy mood and did not forget to joke with Wang Ziru when he left.

"If you want to bring Zhu Yan to our house as a guest, it would not be good to come empty-handed. You should bring me a piece of bacon then." Wang Ziru was not a pushover either, and was half joking.

Then Zhang Kang waved his hand with a smile, followed Zhai Ximo and walked out of the stove room.

Zhai Ximo escorted his old comrade out of the fenced yard, and the two of them stood on the slope outside the yard and talked for a while. Then Zhang Kang hurried home with a flashlight.

In the dead of night.

Zhai Ximo lay on the bed, constantly pinching his aching shoulders, "Chen Pingping's family really knows how to manipulate people! We shouldn't go back to Longwang Village for the next few days."

"Even if you never go to Longwang Village in this life, no one will say anything bad about you!" Wang Ziru turned her back to the man and felt sleepy.

"What? I told you I wouldn't accompany you back to your parents' home for a few days, and you're still upset?"

The man sneered, turned sideways, hugged the warm and soft jade, and whispered: "Baoer has fallen asleep a long time ago, why are you still pretending to be serious..."

Wang Zi subconsciously moved back inside, but the bed board was only this big, and if she moved back any further she would only be able to stick to the wall.

She rolled into the man's chest and was blocked by his thin lips. "I brought back some cabbage seeds. Tomorrow, we will sow some seeds on two plots of dry land."

"Hmm."

The next morning.

When Zhai Ximo was squatting next to the chicken coop at the back of the house brushing his teeth with an enamel pot in his hand, he suddenly heard the sound of a motorcycle coming from outside the house.

"Could it be that Captain Tang has come down to Hongmei Village?"

He was still confused when he heard his second brother Zhai Jiahao walk to the back of the house and tell him, "Third brother! You have guests."

"Is it Captain Tang?"

"It looks like Captain Tang from the County Armed Forces! He's waiting for you at the gate of the yard, go and greet him." Zhai Jiahao turned around and went back to the east compartment, shaking his arms as he walked. He turned back and complained, "I was so tired yesterday."

Zhai Ximo knew that his second brother usually did not help carry wood. Yesterday, he went to Chen Pingping's uncle's house to move wood. All the wood was long and thick, and even a strong man could not carry it that far.

That's why he couldn't sleep last night because of shoulder pain and bothered his wife.

Now the woman couldn’t get up, and there were guests at home!

Zhai Ximo brushed his teeth in a hurry, and when he returned to the side room and put down the mouthwash basin, he hurried to the bedside and patted his wife gently, "Zi Ru, there are guests at home, get up and cook."

"...You haven't woken up yet! It's all your fault. You made me feel pain all over." Along with the resentful voice, two arms stretched out from under the quilt and patted the back of the man's hand.

"Captain Tang is here. He may have come from the county town specifically for Zong Hao's work. It would be inappropriate not to entertain him."

Zhai Ximo kissed the woman's warm forehead, turned around and walked out, closing the door, and went straight out of the main room.

Captain Tang was still riding the same buckle motorcycle that he had come over that day. When he saw Zhai Ximo's tall figure, he walked out with great momentum and said with a hearty smile, "Good news! The leader has spoken about your brother-in-law's work and asked me to take him to taste the food."

"Ah? Food tasting?"

"Don't panic! We'll just ask your brother-in-law to cook a few dishes for the leaders to taste," Captain Tang said smugly, glancing behind Zhai Ximo as he came out. "Where's your sister-in-law? She said the other day that if there's a food tasting, she'll go to the county town and keep an eye on your brother-in-law."

That day was Saturday and the Armed Forces was not that busy, so several leaders asked Captain Tang to come down and pick up people to taste the food.

Zhai Ximo walked out of the fenced yard and said with a wry smile, "She's still brushing her teeth and washing up."

Zhai Jiahao, who had just come out of the east compartment carrying carpentry tools, suddenly brightened up when he heard what the two people were saying outside.

He hurried out of the yard, "Captain Tang is going to Longwang Village to pick up Zonghao, right?"

"Yeah." Zhai Ximo nodded on behalf of Captain Tang.

"Then take me along. I want to go to their house, too." Zhai Jiahao shook the carpentry tools in his hand and said with a smile, "The bride's dowry has not been prepared yet. So, I'm going to prepare it for them today."

Captain Tang nodded, "Is that so? Okay, Ximo, we'll meet up in the town later, and we'll go to Longwang Village to pick up your brother-in-law."

"Come along, Third Brother, you come with me to Dragon King Village."

Zhai Jiahao felt that since it was his first day as a dowry, he would have to live and eat at the Chen family during this period, and some things would have to be discussed by acquaintances, so it would be most appropriate to let the third child go with him.

Zhai Ximo thought about it and understood his second brother's thoughts. "I'll go back to the room and tell him."

Soon, he put on his military coat, hurried out, and sat behind Captain Tang, "Let's go!"

It was Zhai Jiahao’s first time to ride a motorcycle with a gear, and he felt so proud that he laughed out loud while sitting inside.

His two little girls heard that their father was going to Longwang Village to do carpentry work and would live there for about a month, so they followed their mother Xu Ping out to see their father off.

I saw their father sitting in the wheelchair of a motorcycle, laughing particularly heartily.

The eldest son of the Zhai family, Zhai Qingsong, was also standing curiously at the edge of the fenced yard, watching his two younger brothers riding motorcycles and gradually driving out of the village.

"What are you looking at? You are the most incompetent and incompetent person in the Zhai family!" Liu Xiangqin saw the man standing at the edge of the yard looking around, and the unpleasant voice came from the door of the stove room again.

About an hour later.

Wang Ziru walked to the town with her child and saw Deputy Captain Tang riding a motorcycle with two men coming out of Longwang Village.

"No, your motorcycle can't accommodate three people."

Captain Tang drove the car to the door of the steamed bun shop and stepped on the brakes. After getting out of the car, he smiled and said, "It's okay, eat the buns first, I'll go to the police station to borrow a car later."

"Mom, I can go to grandma's house to play." Baoer took her mother's hand, raised her little face and said seriously.

"Today is Saturday and Zhuzi has to go to school. There is no one to play with you at grandma's house."

"It's okay. There are other kids in the village who can play with me."

"You really don't want to go to the county town to play with mom and dad?" Wang Ziru felt sorry for the young child who was too sensible.

Wang Zonghao came over, patted Baoer's little head and said with a smile, "He is still young, how can he know whether to go to the city or not? How about you, Captain Tang, help send him off again after breakfast? Send my nephew to our house."

"Sure, it's still early anyway." Captain Tang agreed generously, "I'll take you into the city today, mainly to taste the food for the leaders, it won't take much time."

Captain Tang insisted on treating them, but Zhai Ximo knew that they had come all the way from the county to the town to do something for them.

Captain Tang didn't ask for any money, he treated everyone to steamed buns.

Then Captain Tang rode his motorcycle to the town police station to borrow a car. It happened that all the police station staff were going into the city. They also had a motorcycle with a rifle, which could carry two people.

But Team Tang still sent Baoer to Dragon King Village first.

After all this trouble and delay, it was almost half past ten when they finally arrived at the Armed Forces Headquarters on their motorcycles into the city.

"I'll take Ximo and your brother-in-law to the leader's office to meet them first, and then I'll take you to the cafeteria." Captain Tang parked his motorcycle in the courtyard of the Armed Forces Department and walked into the two-story building with the two men.