31.031 First Update
Unlike Zhao Guixiang's gloomy expression, Ning Mancang, upon hearing that his youngest daughter-in-law was in the newspaper, took the newspaper from his youngest son and nodded with satisfaction as he read it. "It's good, very good. I'll go to the post office tomorrow and buy a few more copies. Our relatives and neighbors don't know about this yet."
After he finished reading the newspaper, he handed it to his two other sons standing beside him, smiled at Su Yu, and asked, "Are you adjusting well to the logistics work?"
"It's great, the work is quite easy, and my colleagues are easy to get along with," Su Yu replied.
"That's good. Work hard and try to get promoted in a few more years." Ning Mancang finished speaking and saw his eldest daughter arrive. She was standing at the door and didn't come in. He called out, "Dahua, why aren't you coming in? Are you alone? Didn't my eldest son-in-law come?"
Finally, she was spotted. Ninghua entered carrying large and small bags. "She's not home. The kids went back to the countryside with my mother-in-law. Her cousin is getting married." She put down her things, washed her hands, and went to the kitchen to help her two younger siblings. As she went in, she poked her head out again. "Third sister-in-law, Ping An said you're a good cook. Want to show off your skills?"
Before Su Yu could even speak from her seat, the man next to her refused on her behalf, saying, "She has to go to work this afternoon, and it's not good for her to smell like cooking oil. If you want to eat her cooking, wait until you come to my house for the New Year and eat more." He gave her a way of putting it off for a few months later.
"Who doesn't work in the afternoon?" Ning Hua rolled her eyes, and seeing that no one spoke up for her, she went into the kitchen in a huff.
Lunch was served when Ningjin's second sister arrived with her family. The adults sat at one table and the children at another. Su Yu chose a seat back-to-back with Xiao Yuan, just in case he felt uncomfortable there.
The men drank, the women chatted, and the noisy meal lasted until 1:30. Su Yu had to go to work, so she left early. Just as she arrived at her office, Wang Xiaoxia rushed in behind her.
"Big news, big news! I bet you all don't know yet." She looked mysterious, but also eagerly eyeing everyone, as if to say, "Come ask me!"
"Tell me, what news?" Su Yu complied. Wang Xiaoxia was a gossipy but not annoying girl, and Su Yu was quite curious about the news she wanted to hear.
"Old Xie was caught soliciting prostitutes by his wife. I passed by their house when they were fighting fiercely." She looked smug. "How about that? Big news, right?"
Su Yu found the name Lao Xie somewhat familiar. After thinking about it carefully, she realized that Lao Xie was the same Lao Xie that Ning Jin had asked to run long-distance trips for him. Ning Jin had run the last trip for Lao Xie, so it was time to repay him. Next time, it would be Ning Jin's turn to run short-distance trips.
They were still talking over there. Everyone in the office had arrived and were gathered around Wang Xiaoxia listening to her passionate report: "He came back yesterday and didn't pay his 'labor' last night. This morning, his wife found out he had underpaid by ten yuan, and then she found fingernail marks on the back of his neck. Wow, they immediately started fighting. Old Xie's wife is making a fuss about going back to her parents' house to get someone to beat up this bastard."
Hearing what she said, Su Yu became worried about the four small rooms in her house. It was as if if she farted in the house, everyone would know about it the next morning.
Su Yu noticed that several people in the office were secretly looking at her one afternoon. She knew without a doubt that it was because of Ning Jin. They were both drivers and their relationship should be pretty good. Even she had a moment of suspicion, let alone the others.
The situation took a turn after she got off work. Old Xie's wife, who had been shouting and cursing at noon, changed her story, saying it was all a misunderstanding. Because they didn't know who had reported them to the Revolutionary Committee—in cases of questionable conduct, a report was almost always accurate—Old Xie's job must have been monitored by someone. However, because Old Xie's wife changed her story, and they couldn't find the unknown woman, the Revolutionary Committee had to leave empty-handed.
When Su Yu got home, she saw Xiao Yuan and Ping An munching on Jerusalem artichokes at the door, while Xiao Hei lay outside the door watching them. When the mistress returned, Xiao Hei didn't greet her, just wagged its tail twice as a gesture.
"Why are you so greedy? You drool the moment a person moves their mouth. It's not like you're starving every day." Su Yu squatted down and rubbed the dog on the ground. She took the Jerusalem artichoke that Xiao Yuan handed her, broke off a piece and stuffed it into the dog's mouth. Xiao Hei gnawed on it with its paws like it was gnawing on a bone.
"Where did it come from?" she asked. Jerusalem artichokes were a rare treat for children, and those who didn't often roam the wild were probably hard to find.
"It was given to me by Sister Erya," Xiao Yuan said softly. Da Bao and Er Bao didn't get any.
"When? What did you eat from her?" Su Yu stopped petting the dog and asked the two of them.
“Just now, not long ago, we just washed up and ate the first one.” Xiao Yuan glanced at his mother’s face, saw that there was nothing wrong, and continued, “She also shared some sweet cogon grass, sweet corn stalks, and a handful of jujubes with Ping An.”
“She told us not to tell anyone, and we didn’t tell any of us. Even Da Bao and Er Bao don’t know,” he added.
Su Yu couldn't help but recall what Er Ya had said when they were walking back after rescuing her. She said she would take care of Xiao Yuan and Ping An as her own younger brothers and help them gather firewood and dig wild vegetables. She had refused at the time, but she didn't expect Er Ya to secretly bring food to the two boys behind her back.
"The cogon grass, tender corn stalks, and jujubes were all things that Er Ya found with great difficulty when she was gathering firewood and digging for vegetables. If you eat hers, you should share your snacks with her." Su Yu didn't stop the three children from interacting, but only told the two of them to share their milk candy and biscuits with Er Ya.
Perhaps she brought the snail shells to share with her colleagues first, so Xiao Yuan and Ping An didn't object to sharing Er Ya's things, nor did they say it was a bad deal or that they were at a disadvantage.
“I’ve heard you guys talking for ages. What are you all doing squatting outside? Come in!” Ning Jin shouted from the yard, complaining to the three people who came in, “I’m leaving again tomorrow, and you don’t even have time to talk to me.”
“It’s not like you’re not coming back. I heard you say at noon that you’d be back in three or four days.” These were his own son’s words, and the word “again” perfectly expressed his indifference.
Su Yu laughed, and because of his good behavior at noon, she slapped Ping An on his behalf, saying, "I rushed back to be with you after get off work."
"Get out of here, I don't want either of you anymore." Ning Jin kicked the two boys out. "I still need to have a daughter, sons aren't as caring." He stared at Su Yu as he spoke.
He spoke as if he could choose his own son or daughter. Su Yu pursed her lips, not daring to say it aloud, as if his words were meant to provoke him.
"You know about Lao Xie, right?" she asked.
"Oh, I just found out this afternoon." Seeing Su Yu giving him an ambiguous look, the man said firmly, "Really, I didn't know he went to a brothel before today." In his eagerness to explain, he forgot his previous request to have a daughter.
Su Yu didn't say whether she believed him or not, but glanced at his lower body and looked up at him: "You don't, do you?"
"Of course not. I have a beautiful wife at home, why would I look at those withered branches and fallen leaves outside?" He frowned in disgust. Those hidden doors outside were dirty and messy, and he didn't want to tell Su Yu about them, for fear of offending her ears.
Judging from his expression, Su Yu knew that he knew about this, but he probably hadn't personally participated in the battle.
"There's no such thing as 'best,' but if he gets involved with any other woman, we're getting a divorce, no questions asked," Su Yu warned him.
“I wouldn’t go even if you paid me, besides, I’m penniless except for food expenses. Women outside aren’t stupid, and they wouldn’t even look at me. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you have no reason to divorce me.” Ning Jin didn’t hesitate to belittle himself to gain Su Yu’s trust. In their blended family, each with their own jobs, Old Xie’s wife changed her tune about the Revolutionary Committee because she was afraid of affecting the children. He and Su Yu didn’t have any children together, and she absolutely believed he would dare to do anything reckless. She wouldn’t need anyone to report him; she could personally send him to the Revolutionary Committee.
The next morning, he went to work with Su Yu. On the way, he sighed and said that he had been back for three days and it felt like he hadn't done anything and the time had just passed. He didn't even have time to pick up the snail shells that the two boys had been talking about several times.
"I hope that when I come back next time, the house will be peaceful and quiet, and no one else will bother me." He prayed that his parents and his maternal grandmother would settle down and stop interfering in his family's affairs.
It's probably not going to happen, Su Yu guessed. Her mother-in-law must have given up. Since her son wasn't on her side, there was no point in her continuing to meddle. As for Ping An's grandmother, she didn't even remember that she had a grandson named Ping An since there was no benefit to be gained from it.
"Drive carefully, don't drive when you're tired, and don't drink alcohol when you're resting," Su Yu patiently reminded him. "Finally, keep a close eye on your finances and don't give them any opportunities for speculation." She glanced down at him.
"If you're worried, come with me. You've never ridden in a big vehicle before, have you?" the man joked, but Su Yu was intrigued. "Is that okay? Can I bring my family?" She wanted to see the landscape of this era.
“You can’t go anyway, you’re not unemployed, and what will happen to the two kids at home if we both leave?” Ning Jin was afraid she would take it seriously, so he quickly dissuaded her. “Alright, I’ll bring you back whatever you want to buy. Go to work now. Is that person staring at you someone you know?” He changed the subject.
"There's nothing I particularly want, just buy whatever you think is best."
Three days after Ning Jin left, Su Qingguo arrived in an oxcart carrying a sack of sweet potatoes. "The wheat has sprouted and is indeed growing better than in previous years. The sweet potatoes have been dug up. Your father asked me to bring you half a sack, and the other half was added by the village."
The sweet potatoes grown by the team are always smooth-skinned, medium-sized, and very sweet. Su Yu asked, "When is the team going to make sweet potato noodles? Bro, can you give me a special deal so I can buy ten pounds?"
Every year, the team makes sweet potato flour and sweet potato noodles. Some of the noodles are sold to the government, and some are kept by the villagers.
“Okay, our village may not have much else, but we have plenty of sweet potatoes. Do you want to buy some sweet potato flour? It’s delicious to make steamed buns with gluten flour, they’re sweet and refreshing.” Su Qingguo agreed, and hinted that if any of her colleagues wanted to buy some, she could sell them to them too, no coupons needed, and the price would be cheap. All the money from the sales would be recorded in the collective ledger, and each family would get a bigger share when the New Year’s work points were calculated and distributed.
The matter was settled, and Su Yu invited him to stay for dinner, as her meal was almost ready.
"You sisters all take after your mother; you cook well." He ate heartily at the dinner table and added, "You sisters are all filial. When your father broke his leg, you took him in and cared for him. When he came home, your three sisters took turns washing and cleaning for the old couple. My uncle always laughs when he talks about you sisters." He didn't mention Rong Bing, but his tone revealed his disdain for him. How could their Su family have produced such a heartless man?
After seeing Su Qingguo off, Su Yu poured the sweet potatoes out in the yard to dry. The freshly dug sweet potatoes were still moist, and they would taste better after drying for a couple of days.
"Mom, I'm not going to school tomorrow. I'm going to my grandma's house to pick sweet potatoes. When I get back, can you dry them for me? My grandma's dried sweet potatoes are so delicious, but I don't know if she'll still be drying them this year," Xiao Yuan said.
"Then I'll go too?" Ping An volunteered. He glanced at Xiao Yuan, and seeing that he wasn't unhappy, he smiled and repeated, "I'll go too."
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