21.021 Old Ideas
Ningjin went to the commune primary school to inquire. They said that children can start school when they are seven years old. The tuition is two yuan per semester. They can start attending classes after paying the tuition on September 1st.
"Go straight to first grade?" Su Yu asked uncertainly.
"Otherwise, do you want them to skip a grade?" Ning Jin didn't understand her meaning and teased her with a bit of a laugh.
Su Yu had attended preschool in her previous life, which is why she asked the question. "I thought there would be a test or the teacher would ask about my situation," she explained.
"I've got work to do, I'm leaving tomorrow." He didn't find anything to talk about about going back to school, and changed the subject to his departure. He had been resting for three days, and it would be autumn when he returned.
When Su Yu asked him when he was leaving and learned that it was 10:00 AM, she thought for a moment and said, "I'll go buy some meat tomorrow morning to make you some fried meat sauce. Add more salt and it will keep for seven or eight days. When you eat steamed buns or something on the way, just pick up a spoonful of meat sauce and eat it with them."
Sometimes they drive around delivering goods and don't encounter anyone for a day or two. Their mealtimes are also irregular, which is very harmful to their health.
“Okay, I’ll go buy the meat tomorrow morning,” Ning Jin happily agreed.
Su Yu woke up while it was still barely dawn outside. She got up and went out, but the man sleeping in the bed didn't react at all. Last night, this bastard said that he had been gone for more than half a month and needed to pay his dues. After paying his dues, he still insisted on having extra meals, shamelessly dragging out the time. Afterwards, he was as tired as an old ox that had plowed ten acres of land, and even thunder couldn't wake him up.
Su Yu bought the meat and had already fried it with fermented bean paste, garlic cloves, and some seasonings when he came into the kitchen, rubbing his hair. "When did you get up?" he asked, peeking in. "It smells so good. Why didn't you make it for me before?"
"I got up around 5 a.m.." Su Yu glanced at him sideways. "There were people who didn't even hand over their wages to their families before. You don't even trust me. Would I be crazy to worry about your food?"
"I did contribute to household expenses as well," he argued.
"That's the money you use to raise your son. Don't you also give your mother and mother-in-law money and tickets to support Ping An?"
Ning Jin was weak, but seeing her wistfully bringing up old grievances was intriguing, so he took out some money from his pocket to flatter her, saying, "This is for buying clothes for my wife; I've been saving it up for a long time."
"Hmph, you only handed over your savings and salary half a month ago, and you call that saving for a long time?" Su Yu didn't feign refusal. She wiped the oil off her hands, took the money, and counted it: forty-seven yuan and thirty-eight fen. Satisfied with his conflicted gaze, she put it in her pocket, swatted away his still-held hand, and asked with a smile, "What's wrong? Reluctant to part with it? What does that expression mean?"
"What are you talking about? It's for my own wife, not for any outsiders. Why would I be reluctant?" Ning Jin looked up and smiled at her, then said awkwardly, "Well, I forgot to leave money for food."
Su Yu pulled out ten yuan and patted it on his chest. "Is that enough?"
"That's enough, that's enough, there's still more than you can use." After saying that, he tried to shovel his mouth open, but even his full set of white teeth couldn't hide his treacherous nature.
Su Yu handed him another ten yuan, and with a surprised look on his face, she said, "If you come across any grain, oil, cured meat, or mushrooms that don't require coupons when you're out, buy some for home. The child is growing and his appetite is getting bigger and bigger. It's not good to eat vegetarian food every day." She also couldn't stand the days of using lard as a substitute for meat. She wanted to eat ribs until she was full.
"I've noted it all down." Ning Jin saw her movements and deftly handed over the canned food jar.
"Don't rush to pack it. Take it out and put it on the table to cool off. Then take the bowl and buy three cents' worth of soy milk. I'll make some pancakes for breakfast and also try the fried meat sauce." This month's meat coupons have long been used up. This morning's meat was bought at a high price from the black market. I don't know when I'll be able to buy it again.
After having fried sauce and made pancakes, it was time to go to work after lunch. Su Yu asked the two children to take the dishes to the kitchen, planning to wash them when she came back at noon. "Remember to lock the door when you go out to play."
After giving a brief explanation, he walked towards the food factory with Ningjin. The two of them walked a few steps apart, one in front of the other. That's how it is in this era. Even if a couple sits on the same threshold, people will laugh at them. When they meet outside, they don't greet each other much, acting like strangers.
"Did you tell Ping An about that?" Su Yu suddenly remembered this and quickly walked up to him to ask.
"I told you." The man nodded, then took two quick steps to leave Su Yu behind. He thought to himself that this woman was really annoying, clingy even in public, and didn't she care if people laughed at her?
"Pretending to be nice, I wonder who was it that begged me to wait a little longer last night." Su Yu looked at his dog-like behavior and kicked the clod of dirt at his leg.
Ning Jin didn't dare to reply. He would teach her a lesson next time he came back: she shouldn't talk about bedroom matters in public.
When they reached the factory gate, the two parted ways. Ning Jin ran into Lao Xie and walked with him towards the back of the factory. "You two are quite the jokers. What did your wife say? Her ears are all red," Lao Xie teased him. He happened to see her kicking him to avoid it, like a child throwing a tantrum.
“I wasn’t talking, you’re such a gossip.” Ning Jin denied it. “Hurry up, Old Wang is waiting, the goods look like they’ve been loaded onto the truck.”
After Ning Jin left, the three family members returned to their previous lives. Su Yu went to work, the two children played around, and no other relatives came to cause trouble. Life was quite peaceful.
The bok choy in our garden is ready to eat, along with radish greens. Other plants like eggplants and cowpeas are already turning yellow and withering. As summer transitions into autumn, the variety of vegetables becomes increasingly limited.
When she got home, she was still in a daze. Unlike before, Su Yu didn't leave as soon as she finished her work. When she had nothing to do, she would go into the kitchen and chat with the head chef. She had no conflicts with the chef and had a business relationship with Uncle Wang. Benefiting from her previous life, Su Yu knew a lot and could join in the conversation. She stood aside and chatted aimlessly. Apart from the old woman who tended the fire, no one disliked her.
This life is too peaceful, lacking excitement. All the conflicts stem from her family, and Su Yu worries that she will be assimilated. Gaining excitement and pleasure from fighting back against awful relatives will eventually trap her in her own little world. Arguing with colleagues and fighting with relatives, she suspects she might develop paranoia.
So she asked the chef about the cultivation of the fruit trees that the food factory bought for oranges, peaches, and pears. She wanted to break out of this closed circle, meet new people, and make friends.
"Why are you asking these questions?" Chef Wang sat on the stool and chatted with her, wiping the sweat from his face. "You must have nothing better to do than come into the kitchen in this sweltering heat. I'd rather you didn't come in."
"Yes, I was so bored that I went to the bookstore and bought a few books to pass the time. One of them was about agronomy, and I wanted to ask about fruit trees so I could pick up a few unwanted ones to plant and have some fresh fruit every year."
Master Wang laughed loudly, "Dream on! The fruit trees they grow on that mountain are treasures, and they have technicians working on them. You think you can make a tree that doesn't bear fruit grow just because you read a book? Unless you're blessed by God."
Su Yu laughed too, "Isn't it a gift from God?"
It turns out there are technicians. Having technicians is even better. Su Yu wants to go to the neighboring county to take a look. Her commune is connected to Lin County, separated by a river. Lin County has many hills and low mountains, which are not suitable for growing crops, while her town has many rivers and fertile soil, which is suitable for growing crops and is not afraid of drought or flood.
But her current job is irregular with no holidays. It's easy but requires constant supervision. If she wants more flexible hours, she'll have to sell her job or change jobs. Su Yu suppressed her urgency. Jobs are scarce and valuable these days, so she can't quit hastily. She needs to have an income.
It's raining again. Whether people who don't farm hope for rain or not depends on their own feelings. Su Yu doesn't like rainy days. The roads inside and outside the house are all muddy, and you step into a muddy mess with every step. She wears her newly bought rubber boots and chooses her path carefully. Whenever the rain gets heavy, the public toilet in the middle of the town overflows with sewage. When she gets to the canteen, she changes into the cloth shoes she brought and washes the rubber boots clean before carrying them into the canteen.
Before noon, she heard a child's voice outside. It sounded like Xiao Yuan's voice. She took a cabbage and went outside. Sure enough, it was him, covered in mud.
"How did you fall? What happened?" she asked the child who was about to cry when he saw her.
“My grandfather has been admitted to the hospital. My uncle just came to see you and asked you to go to the hospital.”
Su Yu's heart skipped a beat when she heard this, and her eyes felt a little dizzy. "Do you know why your grandfather is in the hospital?" She panicked for a few seconds but calmed down. Picking at the cabbage stalks, she said to Xiao Yuan, "Wait a minute, Mom will go ask for leave."
"I'll tell Aunt Qiu for you, so you can take the child to the hospital first."
Su Yu glanced at the person who spoke, but couldn't recall her name. She smiled and declined, "My water shoes are still inside. I have to go in eventually. Besides, there's a doctor here, and my brother is with me. I'm sure it's nothing serious."
This was Su Yu's true thought. If it were something serious, her brother wouldn't have come to her. As long as it wasn't a matter of life or death, whether she went a minute earlier or later, it wouldn't make much difference.
She went to tell Aunt Qiu first, then changed into her rubber boots and took Xiao Yuan back home. "Mom, my uncle has already gone to the hospital and isn't waiting for you at home," Xiao Yuan said anxiously.
“I know, Mom didn’t bring any money with her. She’ll go back and get some. Did your uncle say anything when he came to my house?” Su Yu asked.
"No, just told me that my grandpa was in the hospital and that I should go find you as soon as possible."
Su Yu took the money and tickets to the hospital. Before she even went inside, she saw her brother squatting outside the hospital. Next to him stood a young man and an oxcart.
"Brother, how is Dad? Jianshe, could you please bring Dad over?" Su Yu pulled Xiao Yuan over, and seeing their expressions, she finally felt relieved.
"Don't be so polite, it's just a small favor. Go inside and see your father. The old village chief went to check on the water in the fields this morning, slipped and fell on the ridge, broke his leg, and twisted his left hand too." Jianshe breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Su Yu arrive. He never expected that when the doctor said it was time to pay, Rongbing said he didn't have any money with him, and in the end, this married daughter would have to pay the medical bills.
"Okay, brother, which ward is Dad in? Take me there."
□□Bing followed his younger sister into the hospital, saying in a rough voice, "It was raining when we came, and we were in such a hurry that your sister-in-law didn't have time to give me any money. Go and pay the medical bills. Dad is in the second room on the left on the second floor. I'll go up first."
Su Yu watched as her brother walked away as if nothing had happened. "Heartless bastard," she cursed. Her own son wasn't as innocent as Xu Yuan, a child. "You and your uncle go upstairs to see Grandpa first. I'll go after I pay the bill."
Twenty yuan and seventy cents to leave his father in the hospital room, what a tragedy, Su Yu felt heartbroken.
She went to the cafeteria and bought a bowl of white porridge. When she brought it to the ward, she saw the old man talking to Xu Yuan. His left wrist was swollen, his right leg was clamped with a board, and there were scratches on his face. Fortunately, his spirits were not too bad. The worst thing for an old person is to lose their spirits. If you lose your spirits, your body will break down quickly.
"Dad, have you had breakfast yet? I bought you some congee. It's almost noon, so have something to eat first. I'll make you some soup when we get back." Su Yu had her brother help their father sit up and offered him a bowl of congee.
“I can do it myself. I’m not paralyzed, so I don’t need anyone to feed me.” Old Man Su didn’t use chopsticks either, but drank the rice in big gulps.
"What did the doctor say?" she asked her father, not her brother.
"Get two IV drips and go back to bed to recover."
“Why don’t you stay at my place? It’s close to the hospital, so I can come quickly if there’s an emergency. My job is easy, and I can take care of you.” She couldn’t count on her brother. She was afraid that if the old man went back, the old woman would take care of him. They were both in their sixties or seventies; how could they take care of a patient? And old people’s bones are hard to maintain.
“I won’t live in your house,” Old Man Su refused, sticking his neck out. “I had a son to support me in my old age. What kind of person would I be if I lived in my daughter’s house? I’d be laughed at for the rest of my life.”
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