When Bai Fendou came back in the afternoon, he was humming a little tune and was in a good mood.
It was always a pleasure to meet a female classmate by chance, especially when she was affectionate and seemed to be interested in him. Bai Fendou was so happy that he bought a bottle of wine, put it in his pocket, hummed a little tune, and walked into the yard with his head shaking.
As soon as I entered the yard, I met many pairs of eyes. Everyone was sitting in the yard pasting paper boxes. As soon as I saw Bai Fendou, I immediately asked, "Bai Fendou, how is your blind date going?"
Bai Fendou chuckled and said, "My blind date didn't work out, and those girls just went for the ones with better conditions, but they didn't know the value of a gold and jade. Actually, my conditions are not bad, but I am a person of talent, and they don't know that."
Everyone let out a long "oh".
Zhou Qun decisively said, "You're so happy even though it didn't work out? I saw you leave with someone. What's going on? Do you have a new target?"
Bai Fendou coughed and said, "Don't talk nonsense. There's nothing wrong between me and Guan Guiling. We are just old classmates meeting to reminisce about the past."
Zhou Qun said sarcastically: "Old classmate? You only went to elementary school, so your old classmate is my old classmate, right? Why don't you call me when you want to reminisce about the past?"
Bai Fendou glanced at Zhou Qun and said, "Why should I call you? Guan Guiling remembers me but not you. If you don't even remember me, what's the point of reminiscing?" If Zhou Qun hadn't said this, he wouldn't have thought that he and Zhou Qun were both there, but Guan Guiling recognized him but not Zhou Qun. This made Bai Fendou very proud. After all, he had not lived as well as Zhou Qun these years, and they had always been secretly competing with each other.
Now I feel happy.
I feel that I am better than Zhou Qun. After all, people are impressed by him.
He smiled, becoming more and more proud, with his chin raised, and said, "You are no good."
After saying that, he walked home humming a little tune.
Zhou Qun shouted, "No, why are you leaving? Your Guan Guiling, you better be careful and don't let her cheat you!"
Bai Fendou was not angry after hearing this, and thought it was Zhou Qun's jealousy.
Haha, I didn't expect that he could also feel Zhou Qun's jealousy, hey! This mood, like diving in the dog days of summer, refreshing! Bai Fendou went home happily, and ignored what Zhou Qun said. Zhou Qun simply stopped helping me paste paper boxes. In fact, he was not happy to paste paper boxes. Isn't this to get into the inner circle of the old ladies? It's boring to just sit and chat, I have to do something.
He stood up, followed behind Bai Fendou, and said, "No, why are you leaving? Do you know Guan Guiling? Zhuang Zhixi's wife works at the bus station. Can I ask around for you?"
Bai Fendou was not happy to hear this and said, "Why don't I understand? Besides, what can anyone plot against me? Don't make trouble for no reason. Go away."
Zhou Qun: "You... Hey, Zhuang Zhixi, where are you going?"
He was lying in front of the window of Bai Fendou's house and talking. When he saw Zhuang Zhixi carrying the bag and leaving the house, he quickly stopped him and asked him something.
Zhuang Zhixi: "I'm going to buy some vegetables."
Zhou Qun: "Buying vegetables at this time? The afternoon dishes are not fresh."
He glared at Zhuang Zhixi and said, "Your family can afford this little money, right? It's only a penny more per kilogram. Why are you buying something that's not fresh?"
Zhuang Zhixi: "I buy beans. It doesn't matter whether they are fresh or not. I will come back to rinse and dry them anyway."
It's like this in the north. When winter comes, there are really no fresh vegetables. Basically, there are cabbage and radish, radish and cabbage. The only other vegetables are some dried vegetables collected in the summer. For example, kidney beans and string beans, which can be boiled and dried in the sun and eaten in winter, are also very delicious.
Then I collected some dried mushrooms and black fungus. As for fresher ones, they were not available.
I heard that there are greenhouse vegetables, but they don't see many of them on the black market. If they want to buy them, they must be very expensive. Even if their family is well-off, they can't afford to eat them.
And if you have that much money, wouldn't it be better to buy meat? Zhuang Zhixi glanced at Zhou Qun and said, "Your family won't dry the sun this year?"
When Zhou Qun mentioned this, he said with a bit of pride: "I have already dried some at home, hehe."
With Wang Zhaodi around, his family is much better off than in previous years.
Although the expenses may be much higher, Wang Zhaodi can still eat.
But it's worth it!
Recently, Zhou Qun could only keep five yuan for food from his salary, and the rest had to be given to Jiang Lu. It might be because the money did not come from him. He felt that it was not much. But the benefits were indeed visible. Before Wang Zhaodi came.
His mother is very lazy. Jiang Lu has to go to work, so he has to do all the housework after get off work. She is so busy every day that she can't finish it.
But things are different now. With Wang Zhaodi in his house, everything has been prepared early and tidied up neatly. It must be said that he now realizes the benefits of having a maid before liberation.
He smiled slightly, boasting a bit, and said, "You still have to go buy groceries. I don't have to do these chores at home."
He showed sympathy again and said, "You are really capable of going out to buy vegetables as a grown man."
Zhuang Zhixi was squeezed, smiled and said, "Who makes me a good man? As a good man, I always have to think more about the family. Do I let my parents do all the work? That's really unfilial. Do I let my wife do it? My wife is pregnant, how can I bear it. As a man, I have to be responsible. I am happy to do this job."
The female comrades who were pasting paper boxes all said "tsk tsk". He was just buying vegetables, and he was talking too much about it. As if he had done something extraordinary, but this... was it really that important?
Mingmei, on the other hand, smiled and said softly, "My brother Zhixi is the best. He is responsible, capable, and humorous. Most people can't compare to him."
Alas, you are so shameless to brag! Zhuang Zhixi: "That's right. If I'm not good enough, I'm not worthy of you. My wife is so beautiful and powerful, beautiful, generous, just and capable, and even her salary is higher than mine. Of course I have to perform well, so that we can be a perfect match made in heaven."
Zhao Guihua continued to paste the paper boxes with an expressionless face. She had witnessed the character of these two people in her previous life.
I'm used to it, it's really not surprising.
As for the others, after listening to this disgusting remark, they all felt that they had not eaten well at lunch, so why were their appetites so bad?
Zhou Qun wrinkled his eyebrows, eyes and nose, pouted his lips in disdain and said, "You better leave quickly."
Zhuang Zhixi smiled: "Look, it was you who called me. You are wasting my time."
Just as he was about to leave, Zhou Qun spoke again.
"Oh no, why don't you ride a bike?"
Zhuang Zhixi: "Are you going to let me go out or not?"
He said directly: "Why can't you ask someone else if you have something to ask? Why do you always pester me? If you have nothing to do, go and play with Bai Fendou. You two have a good relationship anyway. You are actually delaying my work."
Zhou Qun frowned as if he had a toothache and said, "I told you to say this..."
I wanted to say a few more words, but Zhuang Zhixi really went out.
Zhou Qun: “Hey~”
"Don't worry, the bike was taken away by the old man and the eldest brother."
Zhao Guihua looked at Zhou Qun who was hesitating and said, "They went fishing."
Zhou Qun: "Mr. Zhuang has been fishing quite frequently recently."
Zhao Guihua: "The harvest is a meat dish, isn't it good?"
Everyone nodded in unison. A pound of meat is still 85 cents. Although fish is not as good as meat, it is better than vegetables. But when it comes to buying vegetables, Aunt Wang said, "I'm going to buy cabbage tomorrow morning. Are you going?"
"go!"
“How much did you buy this year?”
Aunt Wang: "Let's buy 200 kilograms and some radishes."
"Then your family didn't buy as much as mine. My family plans to buy more. We'll buy fewer radishes this year. My family doesn't like radishes very much. They say it causes heartburn. Osmanthus, what about you?"
Zhao Guihua: "I have to buy more. I want to buy 400 kilograms. I have a big family, mostly adults. If I don't buy more, what will I eat? I want to buy 400 kilograms of cabbage and some radishes. I will pickle some sauerkraut and make some pickled radishes. I also plan to make some kimchi. Let's wait and see. If it's not enough, I may have to buy more."
"My family is also making pickled cabbage this year. Lao Wang is waiting for you to give me some advice."
"become."
"This year, the places for each family are separated. Why do I feel that the place is a little too big?"
Because of the redistribution of the front yard, the basement was divided into small warehouses, and the backyard thought it was a good idea, so they did the same. In the past, everyone also divided their own things, but when things were together, some people always felt that their good cabbage was replaced by someone else's inferior one. Now it's better, each family is their own.
"Would you like first or second class?"
The cabbage is also divided into grades.
"I want to buy something better, with less waste and it's more tender."
"My family still buys the second-class one. The second-class one is the most suitable."
Everyone started discussing buying groceries. Mingmei sat for a while and felt her stomach was uncomfortable, so she got up and took a walk.
She looked at Bai Fendou's room inadvertently and saw him looking around in the mirror, as if admiring his face. Mingmei shuddered and turned her head silently, it was so painful to the eyes. She strolled back to the room, looked at her slightly swollen calves, and muttered: "It's really hard to be pregnant."
She doesn't often talk about it in front of outsiders, but she feels deeply about it.
Just as she finished speaking, she saw her mother-in-law coming over. Zhao Guihua asked, "Are you okay?"
Mingmei shook her head gently and said, "I'm fine, I'm just a little tired."
Zhao Guihua: "Then stop pasting paper boxes and lie down for a while. If you feel bored in the room, bring out the rocking chair."
Mingmei: "Okay."
She was still happy to hang out with everyone. Zhao Guihua saw her moving the rocking chair and said, "Hey, let me do it, kid..."
Mingmei came back and didn't do any work. She sat on the recliner and gossiped with everyone.
When Jiang Lu saw it, he immediately pushed Zhou Qun, saying that he also had one at home.
Aunt Zhou curled her lips when she saw it, dissatisfied, but dared not say anything.
Among the pregnant women in the yard, Mingmei and Jiang Lu were both delicate, but Li Fang was relatively calm and had little reaction. Although she was not young, she had given birth twice, so she was still very calm.
"How are the things you need to prepare for the newborn baby going..."
Although there are still several months to go, everyone has started discussing this again...
Even though people in the city don’t have to work in the fields, autumn is still a very busy season for them, especially in the north. It snows a lot in winter, so there is a lot to prepare. This summer, there was a lot of rain, and many men and women in the compound went up the mountain. They did pick a lot of mushrooms, which enriched the dinner table, but there was still a lot to prepare.
After this blind date conference, it happened to be National Day, which is also a big holiday, so there are a few days of holiday.
Don’t underestimate it because it’s a holiday. It’s not easy at all and everyone is very busy.
You have to get up early in the morning to buy cabbage. If you want to buy better ones, you have to go early.
After the cabbage is brought back, it needs to be pickled to make kimchi.
You also need to buy radishes, boil them in water, cut them into strips and dry them.
The beans are also indispensable...
Oh, and coal briquettes, which are essential in winter.
Every household was equally busy. Zhao Guihua's family was large, so although there were many people working, the amount of preparation was also large. But they didn't complain. You know, nowadays, more people means prosperity.
It is not obvious in the city, but in the countryside, if a family has many brothers and sisters, it also means there is a lot of labor force, which is considered a very good thing.
Although everyone is very gossipy on weekdays, it is completely different when it comes to matters of survival. No one has been making trouble recently, everyone is busy stockpiling vegetables, even Bai Fendou has been busy recently. In previous years, Old Man Bai helped him with these matters, but this year he is alone, and Bai Fendou feels a little lonely.
Maybe because of this, he didn't look happy at all.
The cellars they used to store vegetables were divided by family. For example, Zhao Guihua's family of eight and Bai Fendou's family of one all had the same size. So Zhao Guihua's cellar was full, while Bai Fendou's family only used a small half.
However, when Liang Meifen suggested borrowing some space from Bai Fendou, at least to put a pickled cabbage jar, Zhao Guihua did not agree at all. Bai Fendou was a little confused, and Zhao Guihua knew this. He was not a bad person, but it was true that he was stupid and always did bad things, so Zhao Guihua was still unwilling to have any material involvement with him.
People, no matter how busy they are, they are all based on leisure. This autumn is an important time to store vegetables, and no one is idle. Zhao Guihua prepared a lot of things this year, and she felt much more at ease.
But speaking of it, everyone knows about the food shortage this year. After all, it can't be concealed.
It is said that because of the heavy rain in the summer, the growth of many crops has been affected. Although they are in the Forty-Nine City, the capital is always better than other places. But there is also a limit.
Even in the canteen of the machinery factory, you can't just buy as much as you want.
There is a limit of two white flour buns.
Because Zhao Guihua had made sufficient preparations in advance, there was plenty of food at home.
The old lady has more than just two sons, she also has a daughter on the island. However, Zhao Guihua is still relieved about Zhuang Zhixin's situation. Although Zhuang Zhixin lives on the island with the army, their life is actually better than in many cities.
There are few ordinary people on their islands, and most of them are soldiers. There are many moths outside, and the investigation of the origins is relatively less. It's not that there are none, but it's really rare. Not only that, because they are surrounded by the sea, they can fish for anything.
Almost every year, Zhuang Zhixin would send over some dried fish, dried shrimp, kelp and other things.
This year, because their family went up the mountain and dried a lot, in previous years, Zhuang Zhixin sent things over, but it was the most exciting time for his family. However, Zhao Guihua did not let her daughter down. She was in the capital, so she had a lot more supplies than her daughter.
For example, she sent two large pieces of fabric that she had worked with Aunt Lian to make to her daughter, which was enough for her daughter to make a set of clothes, and enough for each of her two grandchildren to make a shirt.
However, Zhao Guihua did not make a big fuss at home. She originally traded her materials in private, so she would not show them to the public. This island is actually quite good. There is quite a lot of seafood to eat, but there are few daily necessities.
However, due to the continuous heavy rains this year, there was a food shortage in various places. Zhao Guihua was still worried, so she made ten kilograms of fried noodles at home, prepared some black fungus and dried mushrooms, as well as other miscellaneous things, and sent them to her daughter.
These things are rare on islands.
For example, his family has a lot of salted fish, but Zhao Guihua doesn't know how to mail it. This is the last thing missing on this island.
Thousands of miles away, Zhuang Zhixin was teaching in the primary school on their island. Zhuang Zhixin graduated from high school, which was considered a high level of education for both the island residents and the wives of soldiers who followed the army.
Many soldiers come from rural areas, and so do their wives. Although this may not be pleasant to hear, based on their age, they are all born in the 1930s and 1940s, and come from rural areas. Basically, they don’t care about education. Many of them have never been to school and cannot read a single word.
Zhuang Zhixin, who came from the old city and graduated from high school, is a rare person. There are really not many of them.
In fact, she could have taught in a middle school, but Zhuang Zhixin herself preferred to deal with children. So she decided to go to elementary school and is now the vice principal of Haidao Elementary School. However, even though she is a vice principal, she still has to teach classes.
They only have so many people, so naturally one person has to do the work of several.
After class, Zhuang Zhixin returned to the office with the lesson plan in his arms. He heard the gatekeeper come over and say, "Vice Principal Zhuang, the postman is here and said there's a package for you."
Zhuang Zhixin: "It must have been sent by my mother."
Her husband's family was as good as dead, they never sent anything to her. Her husband's biological mother passed away, and her father-in-law found another wife and had three children. Then the eldest son was not important at all, he was sent to the army as soon as he came of age.
The two sides were almost cold to each other.
Yes, ice cold.
The boss was also very straightforward. If they were not my biological children, we shouldn't have any affection for each other. We should avoid seeing each other if possible. I don't expect to gain any advantage from you, but you didn't show up to me either.
This is the attitude of a stepmother.
If you have a stepmother, you will have a stepfather.
The two families were so estranged that when they went back to Sijiu City to visit their relatives, they would not even stay for lunch, and it was even more impossible for them to stay at home. Of course, there were also advantages, which was that they would not take advantage of each other. It was as if they had treated each other as dead.
This may not sound nice, but it is basically the way it is done.
So when Zhuang Zhixin wanted to marry this man, her parents didn't agree. After the marriage, the man couldn't help her at all. Nowadays, people are still willing to find someone who has everything. An old man can also help manage the family.
But Zhuang Zhixin was determined to marry this man, and married him despite her parents' disapproval, which made her parents very angry. When she resigned and joined the army, they scolded her. Zhao Guihua always thought that her daughter had lost her mind.
She could obviously find someone better with her conditions, but Zhuang Zhixin was young and always steadfast in love.
She has been married for eight years now and her life is going well.
Her vision was not wrong. Her man was very good, treated her very well, and was a decent person. However, she had to admit that her mother was right. Although she was able to make a living, it was very hard. She was from the north and came to live on an island in the south. In the first two or three years, she had many inconveniences and was not used to life. At that time, she was pregnant and had a baby. Her husband was away on a mission. She was alone without anyone to help her. She was very miserable.
Later, there was no other choice but to ask her mother to come and take care of her during the confinement period. At that time, Hu Tou was just one year old, and her sister-in-law was very dissatisfied with her.
She had no one to help her, her husband was often on missions, and she had to take care of the family, work, and take care of the children. In short, it was really tiring. Sometimes she wondered if she had listened to her mother and not left the city, or if she had found someone else, would her life be different.
But soon, she became determined.
Although that might be good, she still has feelings for her man.
Especially in recent years, she has seen many military wives who follow the army and have a hard life. Listening to them talk about the deeds of the evil mothers-in-law, she feels that it is not a bad thing for her family not to bother each other.
She doesn't have a mother-in-law, which is not bad.
Zhuang Zhixin went to pick up the package after get off work.
There is a food shortage on the island this year, and they are in a much tighter situation. Zhuang Zhixin carried the packages home.
She bought this bicycle as soon as she arrived on the island and has been using it ever since.
Even though her parents were mad at her for marrying with the army, they still felt sorry for her. This bicycle was her dowry. Her parents used their connections to get her a ticket that could be used all over the country. They also gave her 180 yuan to buy the bicycle.
This matter was not publicized in the courtyard. His parents gave it to her secretly.
In fact, she always felt that her parents were partial to the boys in the family, and that her parents treated her eldest brother and the youngest child better than she did.
If her family had a chicken meal, the two chicken legs would definitely go to her brother, one for each younger brother, but she would not get any.
But even so, her parents were considered very good parents. They were willing to support her to go to high school, and even when she got married, they saved money to buy her a bicycle as a dowry.
Outsiders don't know, but our own people know.
Her sister-in-law was extremely jealous at that time.
Her mother is a little partial, but not that partial. She has a sharp tongue but a soft heart and cares a lot about her children.
Thinking of this, Zhuang Zhixin raised the corners of her mouth. She pushed the things back to the family compound. Several sisters-in-law who had not gone to work were sitting downstairs doing small chores in the cool air. When they saw her package, they said enviously, "Your parents have sent you something again."
Zhuang Zhixin is popular in the staff quarters. After all, he is a teacher and has children who need to go to school.
We have all lived here as neighbors for so many years, and we all know the situations of each family. Everyone knows the situation of Zhuang Zhixin's family. The story that Zhuang Zhixin's parents would give her a bicycle as a dowry is still widely circulated.
This kind of situation is rare even in the city.
In fact, if Zhuang Zhixin had married in the old city, Zhuang Laonian and Zhao Guihua really would not give it. But because Zhuang Zhixin married far away, her in-laws seemed to be someone she could not rely on, and she had to go to a distant island.
As parents, they couldn't bear it any longer, so they just wanted to give more money to make Zhuang Zhixin's life better.
It also lets the son-in-law know that even if the parents complain about their daughter marrying far away, they will still support her. After all, they are willing to give up the bicycle.
Although Zhuang Zhixin is willing, he also understands what his parents mean.
Fortunately, her man is really good.
An elder sister-in-law looked at Zhuang Zhixin's big package and sighed, "You city people just live well. We have to take care of both my husband's family and my parents' family."
Zhuang Zhixin smiled and said, "My parents love me more."
"That's good. You are lucky."
"There aren't many families like this."
Zhuang Zhixin laughed again.
"Mom, mom, what did you bring back?"
Zhuang Zhixin has twins. She was injured during childbirth and the doctor said it would be difficult to get pregnant again, so her family has always had two children. They are twin boys aged seven, Dabao and Erbao.
"Your grandma sent it."
Although they seldom go home to visit their family, the two children still like their grandma very much because she would send them things.
The world of children is so simple.
"Let's go home."
"good."
"See what grandma sent."
The mother and her two children went upstairs together. They lived on the second floor of a tube-shaped building. As soon as they left, the female comrades downstairs started talking about it.
"Or I would say that life is easier in the city. My family can always send me things."
"Do you feel that Zhuang Zhixin's family sent more things this year?"
"It seems so."
"She made a red skirt a while ago. She said the material was sent by her mother. Oh, that bright red color is so bright."
"That supply and marketing cooperative in my hometown. If you don't have some connections, don't even think about buying it."
"In my opinion, this reminds us that when looking for a partner, the girl's family is very important. Look at Zhuang Zhixin, her whole family are workers. This can help their daughter. If her brothers and sisters are unemployed, can this be done?"
“That’s right.”
Zhuang Zhixin didn't know what others were saying as she was at home unpacking packages.
"Oh my gosh~"
There are really a lot of these things.
She opened a cloth bag that gave off a little aroma, and took a breath when she saw it. There was fried noodles inside. To make fried noodles, a lot of things had to be put in. Peanuts had to be crushed, and a little sesame seeds had to be added. Mixed with white flour, sugar, stir-fried, and then packed. It could be eaten dry or washed down with water.
She padded the bag. As someone who could live a normal life, she knew from shaking it that the bag weighed about twelve or thirteen pounds.
She estimated that her mother must have fried ten kilograms of white flour, and the peanuts and sesame seeds also weighed a lot.
"Oh wow, mom, this is white flour."
“This white flour smells so good.”
"Mom, I've never eaten this."
Even people in the city wouldn't be willing to spend this much money. Zhuang Zhixin had eaten it when she was a child, but it was only a rare occasion to satisfy her craving. But so much... hiss! Her mother couldn't make ends meet, sending her so many things.
She looked down at the two little ones who were so greedy, and said, "I'll make a bowl for each of you later. Try the dry one first."
The two children took a bite each, their eyes sparkled, and they jumped for joy: "Delicious, Mom, so delicious, so fragrant. Nothing tastes better than this!"
Her family is actually quite well off, her husband makes 50 yuan a month in the army, and she makes 30 yuan herself, which is a high income anywhere, but the problem is that you can't just have money to buy it now, especially on their island.
Not to mention the island, even in the port city after going abroad, it is not easy to buy things.
Just like fried noodles, although they can make it, but peanuts and sesame seeds are hard to buy. It's also like malted milk, which is not always available. But if you are at home, you can definitely buy it in the department store. This is the difference. After all, it's the capital! Zhuang Zhixin took out two more bottles of malted milk, and the two boys clapped their hands and jumped again.
Zhuang Zhixin took a deep breath and said, "How much stuff did your grandma send?"
But she soon realized that her mother must have sent so much because of the food shortage this year, and these things would definitely not be worth much. But eating something good would be more nutritious and would not harm the body too much.
She also took out two packets of brown sugar, dried mushrooms and dried black fungus, and even a smoked rabbit.
These are not easy to buy on the island. Looking again, she saw a bottle of Friendship Snow Cream. She smiled and said, "Why is my mother so particular about this?"
She looked at these good things and her eyes became slightly red.
The first and second children were jumping around happily, but suddenly they saw their mother was about to cry. The two children looked at each other and quickly persuaded her: "Mom, don't cry."
"Yes, don't cry, mom. When dad has the day off, we'll go home to visit grandpa and grandma."
"Mom~"
Zhuang Zhixin's eyes were red: "Your father can't take a vacation this year."
The two places are not close, and it would take several days just to travel. If it weren't for the big holiday, they wouldn't be able to leave. And there is a shortage of food this year, so even if there is a holiday, she can't leave today. She needs food to go back this time.
She sighed and sat still in her chair.
Until her husband came home, he was shocked when he saw the things on the table and asked, "Where did you rob?"
Zhuang Zhixin glared at him.
Dabao and Erbao immediately said, "This is something grandma sent. Mommy misses her."
Zhuang Zhixin's husband's surname is Wang, and his name is Wang Haomin.
He looked at his wife, whose eyes were as red as a rabbit, and said, "How about I take a leave and we go back this year?"
Zhuang Zhixin shook his head: "I won't go back this year. There is a shortage of food this year."
This is true, he actually feels that this year is not suitable.
Wang Haomin comforted his wife and said, "Okay, don't cry. We won't go back this year. We'll go back next year when the weather is better. You said your mother-in-law sent so many things. How can we return the gifts?"
"That's my mother, no need to return the gift." Having said that, Zhuang Zhixin immediately stood up and prepared to rummage through the boxes and drawers to send some dried seafood to her mother's family.
"Here is a letter. Have you read it?"
Zhuang Zhixin: "Ah. I didn't see it."
She was so busy thinking about her parents that she didn't notice it.
She quickly opened the letter and read it carefully.
"How's home?"
Zhuang Zhixin: "There is also a food shortage in the city this year. The price of rice and flour on the black market has risen fivefold. The grain station is buying in limited quantities. But my mother is smart. She thought it was not good when it rained heavily in the summer, so my family stockpiled some food, enough to eat."
This made her feel much more at ease.
"My eldest sister-in-law is back to work. A neighbor had an accident, so she bought a job from him and now works in a machinery factory. My sister-in-law is pregnant with twins."
"This is a lot of happy events."
Zhuang Zhixin was relieved when she saw that everything was fine at home. She said, "Okay, come, I'll make you some fried noodles. When I was a kid, I could only have a mouthful of fried noodles on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year."
Wang Haomin laughed: "You can still eat it at home, but I don't have it at home."
"Then I'll make you a bowl to try."
"Why would I argue with a child? I..."
"One bowl for each of us, let's all have a taste. When I was still married, my mother was very careful and would split every penny into two. Now that my younger brother is married, my parents probably feel relieved of their burden."
Wang Haomin nodded and agreed with this statement.
His mother-in-law also sent gifts in previous years, but not as much as this year, which shows that all the children have started their own families. The old couple probably breathed a sigh of relief.
It was impossible for them to guess that the reason Zhao Guihua was willing to let go was because she was reborn.
In her previous life, she also sent things to her daughter, but not as much as she does now.
She was really frugal before, but now she feels that she can't save money on food and drink, and it will hurt her body. This is not the kind of saving money that you would do to lose weight decades later, but a real lack of nutrition.
So you can’t save it.
Zhao Guihua sent the things to her daughter, and the winter stuff was ready here. The weather was getting colder, and as soon as November came, there was ice on the ground. Mingmei was getting older, so Zhuang Zhixi was naturally very careful.
They did a great job in the matchmaking event before the National Day. This year, more people were successful than in previous years. Even Tao Yuye, the most popular girl in the machinery factory, got married. After she got married, she became a regular employee.
Her man is the son of the factory logistics director.
In fact, there are people who pursue her with better conditions.
Like the nephew of a factory director, or something else... But Tao Yuye was very smart on this point. She knew that no matter how high the official was, no matter how close the nephew was, he was still just a nephew, which was different from a son.
So she chose the son of the logistics director, who helped her find a permanent position.
They were also allocated a house right after they got married, in Zhao Guihua's yard. The Zhang family behind their yard was transferred to another place, leaving two rooms vacant, and they immediately took them.
However, although they did get the house, they only got one. Housing is tight in the city now. Although they have many connections, they cannot be given both rooms. After all, Lan Sihai, who was introduced as a "talent", was only allocated one room.
It's impossible for a newly married couple like them to want two rooms.
It's already very good that they can get a share.
The young couple shared one room, and the other room was given to an old acquaintance of Zhuang Zhixi - Zhang San from the Security Department.
Zhang San from the Security Department also succeeded in his blind date this time. He met a plump little girl who was an elementary school teacher. However, her family conditions were good. Coincidentally, one of her uncles worked as a workshop director in a machinery factory.
It is said that this girl's family is full of men, and she is the only girl, so they treat her very well. So the uncle went directly to the factory to fight for it, and managed to get a room for Zhang Saner.
Otherwise, Zhang San might not be able to get a share immediately.
Two young couples just moved in.
They are both working couples, and they have to go to work on weekdays, so they chose to move on Sunday. Zhang Saner and his wife came early in the morning. He was very happy and linked shoulders with Zhuang Zhixi: "Brother, I never thought that one day I could live in this yard, hehe."
He introduced himself to everyone, saying, "My name is Zhang San, I'm from the security department. I believe everyone knows me. This is my wife, Pan Pan."
"I know, I know. Director Pan's niece."
“Yes, yes.”
No one expected that Pan Pan would choose Zhang San with such good conditions. It shows that what Zhao Guihua said is right. Not everyone only looks at the conditions. There are still many people who look at the person. Isn't Pan Pan one of them?
Zhang San's family conditions are average and his looks are average, but Pan Pan likes him.
Pan Pan: "Hello everyone. If there are any good or bad things about living together in the future, please tell me directly. I am an easy person to talk to."
"Okay, I can tell at a glance that this girl is blessed."
"Of course, everyone in our hospital is easy to get along with, so don't worry."
Pan Pan smiled: "Hey."
Zhang Saner introduced them one by one, and Pan Pan's eyes lit up. This is a courtyard famous in the capital! She finally saw these legendary figures in person. She even knew Mingmei, "Hello, lady."
Mingmei spit out a chuckle and said, "Where can you hear this? You're a female hero."
Pan Pan: "My Zhang Saner said that you have caught thieves many times."
Zhang Saner, the spreader of gossip.
Needless to say, this guy can be seen fighting with Zhou Qun at first glance.
He is also a person who is fighting on the front line of gossip.
Mingmei: "It's just so-so. That was before. I wouldn't dare to do that now."
Pan Pan looked at Mingmei's big belly, nodded, and said, "Are you going to give birth soon?"
Mingmei shook her head: "It will be in late January. I'm having twins, so my belly looks big."
"Ah, two children."
She exclaimed: "It's amazing."
Mingmei raised her chin proudly and said, "Of course, it was very hard for me to be pregnant with them."
Although twins look good, and you can give birth to two at once, it is more difficult to be pregnant. Mingmei felt very tired. As they were talking, Tao Yuye and his wife happened to come.
Tao Yuye's husband is Chen Yuan.
It’s no wonder that Chen Yuan was also the person who surrounded Tao Yuye on the day of the blind date.
He moved here with Tao Yuye, and his expression was full of disgust. After all, his family lived in a building, and now moving to a place like this, how could he feel comfortable? But his father felt that since there was this opportunity, he had to occupy the house first, otherwise he would have to wait in line next time. At worst, there would be better buildings in the future, so he could just take it for now.
It was also because of this that they quickly got a house and moved here.
But needless to say, his look of disdain had been seen by everyone.
Tao Yuye smiled and said, "My husband and I will move here in the future, so please give us your guidance."
She saw Wang Zhaodi and said with a smile, "Zhaodi, you haven't returned to the countryside yet?"
Wang Zhaodi shook her head: "I will stay at my godmother's house for a while, so I can help take care of Sister Jiang Lu."
Tao Yuye raised her eyebrows and said with a smile: "That's great, come to my house when you have time."
She looked at Wang Zhaodi and saw her carefully supporting Jiang Lu. She thought that when she got pregnant, she could ask Wang Zhaodi to help. Anyway, she lived in Zhou's house. If she was asked to help, how could she not come? Neighbors, it would be embarrassing to ask for money, right?
I guess Wang Zhaodi doesn’t even know how to ask for money. What does a country girl know?
In fact, Tao Yuye didn't think much of Wang Zhaodi. She used to take Wang Zhaodi out to play because she needed Wang Zhaodi to set off her beauty. Now she doesn't need her anymore, but she can always ask her for help with work.
She rolled her eyes and said with a smile, "We haven't seen each other for a long time. Come to my house and play."
If you come, can you not help with the housework?
Her mother-in-law knew that she had to work on the move today, so she deliberately avoided doing anything and did everything herself. Tao Yuye was very unhappy. But she knew how to pretend and smiled. She thought Wang Zhaodi would not refuse.
She is just a country girl. Who in this courtyard would respect her?
Wang Zhaodi shook her head and said, "No, I have to do the laundry later, and then I have to buy some coal briquettes. I also have to clean the glass, but I won't be able to clean the glass if it freezes." Wang Zhaodi felt that she was quite busy.
She felt ten thousand times more comfortable living in someone else's house than in her own home. Sister Jiang Lu also gave her three dollars, and she was very proactive in finding work for herself.
During this period, in addition to pasting paper boxes and matchboxes, she also had the money given by Jiang Lu, so she already had more than 20 yuan in her hand, and her mother did not have so much money. Wang Zhaodi was working very hard now, and she only hoped that she could stay for a while longer.
Tao Yuye didn't expect Wang Zhaodi to really reject her. Her smile froze, but she quickly recovered and said, "You are really hardworking, but how can we do this work together? Just do it slowly. Look how long we haven't seen each other. It would be nice to talk together."
Wang Zhaodi: "There will be work tomorrow."
She is going up the mountain with Aunt Zhao and the others tomorrow, hehe.
Tao Yuye: “…”
Wang Zhaodi was honest and didn't know what Tao Yuye was up to, but as an old friend of Dongting Lake, the aunties here could see what Tao Yuye was up to! How could you invite people to your home on the first day of moving without packing anything?
It was obvious that he wanted Wang Zhaodi to go over and help with the work, but he didn't say it directly.
Aunt Zhou curled her lips and said mockingly, "People nowadays are so cunning. Instead of saying they want to find someone to do a job directly, they try to deceive people in a roundabout way. Tsk tsk, they are really bad."
Tao Yuye had come to give Bai Fendou an injection before, so she knew who lived in this courtyard. In fact, when she first heard that the house was in this courtyard, she felt a little uncomfortable. She thought this courtyard was not good and the people were difficult to get along with.
But this yard is very good. It’s not because of the neighbors, but because the buildings in this yard are better and newer, better than some of the surrounding ones. She was reluctant to give up such an opportunity, so she still took this house.
Another reason was that she thought that since Wang Xiangxiu could order Bai Fendou around, why couldn't she? Wasn't she much better than Wang Xiangxiu? Wang Xiangxiu was spending Bai Fendou's money, so at least she didn't cheat.
Just find a bootlicker to do the job.
After all, this man in my family is spoiled and you can tell at first glance that he is not the kind of person who can work.
Now it seems that the neighbors are really annoying.
She pursed her lips and smiled, and said nothing more.
Chen Yuan: "Xiaoyu, stop talking and clean up the house quickly. Look at the dust everywhere."
He said disdainfully: "This room has become yellow from the smoke. How can we live here? Really!"
He raised his eyebrows and said, "Why is there no stove here?"
Tao Yuye: "We have to build one ourselves."
This matter is really their own business.
Originally, the Zhang family lived together as a whole family, so naturally there was only one stove. But when the house was divided again, it became two families. Since they had a closer relationship, they naturally chose the house first. Tao Yuye chose this one because it was cleaner and had a larger area, but she overlooked that there was no stove here.
There is a stove in the other room, but it is a little bit shabby because it is used for cooking.
The gap is obvious, so Tao Yuye asked for this side when she came to choose, and she only realized now that she had not considered it properly.
"Emma, look at this. The wallpaper on the ceiling is a little warped. How can we live here?"
Chen Yuan was still mumbling: "This window is old too. Look at it. Look at the peeling."
He was a million times dissatisfied.
Especially since Lan Sihai's house was right in the middle of the front and back yards. To go to the back yard, one had to pass by Lan Sihai's door and window. But Lan Sihai's house had just been cleaned up after he moved in, and everything looked brand new. In comparison, the two rooms next to him were very out of place.
Tao Yuye and his wife's house is next to Lan Sihai, so the psychological gap is very obvious.
"I don't want to live here anymore. What kind of house is this? How can I even step foot into it? How did you choose the house? Look, this doesn't work, and that doesn't work. What can you do? You can't even handle such a small thing. You are really useless, aren't you?" Chen Yuan kept muttering and complaining.
Tao Yuye held her breath, but coaxed him in a gentle voice: "We are fine here. If you feel it's just okay, we can clean it up."
"How do I clean it up? You want me to clean it up? You want to teach me how to do it?"
Chen Yuan kept on talking: "Look, after they moved out, even the bed and wardrobe are gone. This is a stingy guy. What kind of person is this? There's not even a toilet, and he has to go outside? It's okay in the summer, but how miserable is it in the winter? I said that this kind of compound can't be lived in, and you all said it's good. Is this what you said is good? Is this the house you want? No, I can't stand this grievance."
He kept beeping. Tao Yuye said, "Can't I clean it up?"
Chen Yuan was still standing at the door complaining about this and that, and the others looked at each other.
Zhang Saner: "Come on, wife, let's go clean up the house."
His house is worse than the one next door, but it's not impossible to clean up.
He chuckled and said, "You didn't expect that, did you? I prepared a bucket of paint. Look, there are also some old newspapers. I'll paste the roof again."
Although they were moving today, they didn't mean to move in right away. After all, the house needed to be cleaned up. If they were an ordinary old couple, it might be okay, but they were newlyweds, so how could they not clean up?
Zhang Saner: "Go chat with people in the courtyard. Those aunties are well-informed. You can also go to your sister-in-law, Zhuang Zhixi's wife. Oh, no, they got married early, so she may be younger than you."
Pan Pan shook his head: "No, let's clean up together. Two people can move faster, and we'll have plenty of time to chat together later."
"That's fine, let's go together."
This couple is different from other couples. This one is obviously worse, but the young couple has already started to work. The other one is different. When Chen Yuan saw them repainting the wall, he immediately questioned Tao Yuye: "Why didn't you think of this? Look, everyone else can think of it, but you can't. Why are you so useless?"
Tao Yuye couldn't stand it anymore and said, "It's a man's idea. How can I, a woman, understand so much?"
Chen Yuan: "How can you not understand? My family arranged a formal job for you, so you are so stubborn, right? How dare you talk back to me!"
Tao Yuye saw that everyone in the yard was listening to gossip with their ears perked up, and she felt extremely embarrassed for a moment, as if she had become the center of other people's gossip.
At this moment, she thought of Bai Fendou.
At this moment, I also thought of Zhou Qun.
At this moment, I also thought of the Su family's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, who were the focus of the topic.
Really, her eyes went dark, she didn't want to be so embarrassed.
She took a deep breath, forced a smile, and said, "Don't be angry, I'll go buy it right away, we can clean it up quickly. Otherwise, why don't you go home first? I'll clean it up here by myself. When I'm done, you can come over and take a look, I guarantee it will look brand new."
Chen Yuan glared at Tao Yuye and said, "Can you do it well without me watching? If I think your work is not good enough, don't you have to redo it?"
Everyone was stunned.
This man is really angry. He lets his wife do the work and wants to supervise her?
Bai Fendou could no longer bear it, so he rushed forward and said, "What do you mean? How can you bully others like this? Are you a man? How can you not feel sorry for your wife? Look at other families, it's the men who do the work. Zhuang Zhixi is such a lazy man, he was the one who did the laundry after his wife got pregnant; you, a grown man, are now bullying a woman? Let me tell you, don't think that just because your father is the director of logistics, you can oppress women and act tyrannically here! Others are afraid of offending you, but I, Bai Fendou, am not! If you bully Nurse Xiao Tao again, I will beat you to death!"
Chen Yuan's eyes widened: "What do you mean? No, what does this have to do with you? How my wife and I live is none of your business. You are a eunuch, why are you meddling in other people's affairs? What's the matter? Do you want to take over? Bah! Why don't you look in the mirror and see what kind of person you are..."
"You bastard, who are you calling a eunuch? I'll beat you to death!!!"
Bai Fendou is indeed a man known for his recklessness. Even though he has suffered countless losses and his father has passed away, he still has not changed his nature. He just went for it and punched Chen Yuan in the face.
Chen Yuan made a sound like a screaming chicken: "You dare to hit me! I will fight you!!!"
The two men instantly wrestled into a ball, and Bai Fendou had the absolute upper hand.
He grabbed Chen Yuan and wouldn't let go. Chen Yuan: "You eunuch, you damn eunuch!"
Although I can't beat them, but scolding them is still very powerful!
Zhuang Zhixi: "Fuck! How can they still fight..."
Their compound had obviously become much quieter, but now that new neighbors have arrived, the war has started again.
Zhuang Zhixi immediately grabbed his wife and said, "Stay away."
Mingmei immediately stood at the farthest distance and sighed.
It starts again!
Several men rushed to separate them. The advantage of having a security guard in the yard was that Zhang San was strong and he quickly pulled the two men apart. Tao Yu looked and saw that her man had been punched twice in the face. Not only was his eye black and blue, but there was also blood at the corner of his mouth.
She turned around distressed and yelled at Bai Fendou: "You bastard!"
(End of this chapter)
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