Grandma Wang understood. So that's how it was. She almost misunderstood Xue Ying. She patted her head and said, "Sigh, I'm getting old and can't understand anything anymore. You're so lucky. I'll come and help you when you move."
Yan Xiaonan was frustrated. With his head full of white hair, what could he do to help? Besides, he didn't have much to move. He only had a few bags he had brought with him, containing just a few sets of clothes.
It would be so embarrassing if she bumped or hurt herself. On moving day, I asked my grandma to chat with her. It seemed like my grandma and this Aunt Wang got along very well. Thinking about it, it makes sense; they're in the same age group, so they should have a lot to talk about.
Yan Xiaonan felt much more at ease. This was her uncle's house, and her grandmother and mother would definitely feel awkward. She still had to decorate the house and wouldn't be able to stay for long. Now that Aunt Wang was here, things were much better. At least she didn't have to worry about them being lonely.
Just as Yan Xiaonan had guessed, Aunt Wang arrived early the next morning and took Grandma Yan and Cuihua to the vegetable market. There were so many vegetables there! It was the first time Grandma Yan had ever seen vegetables sold like this.
Vegetables, meat, seafood, and bean products are all sold separately. You just go to the place where you want to queue up. Grandma Yan has plenty of money and coupons. Now that she lives with her son, it's only natural for her to buy groceries and cook.
Aunt Wang was astonished to see Grandma Yan and Cuihua buying so many vegetables: "Sister Yan, can your family eat all this vegetables?"
Grandma Yan replied with a smile, "Sister Wang, look how many people are in my family. My eldest son and youngest son are both grown men, and Ai Dang is also a young man. They all need to be well-fed."
Aunt Wang thought about it and realized it made sense. There were many men in the Yan family, and they all came from the countryside. They probably had big appetites, otherwise they wouldn't be able to do farm work. But she wondered if they would have enough money to live on.
However, thinking about Xue Ying and Lao Yan's income, she felt relieved. Her son's entire family's income couldn't even match Lao Yan's. Although her son was also a soldier, their ranks were far different. Besides, she didn't have social security and lived on two pensions.
The Yan family's love for the Party and their patriotism also bring in income. With the income of a family of four, supporting their mother is no problem in no time. Thinking of this, I said to Grandma Yan with some envy, "Sister Yan, it's really good to have many children. Look at you, you have three sons, and you have a house full of children and grandchildren."
Grandma Yan nodded: "Having many children is good, but they had a tough childhood. Their fathers passed away early, and I raised them all by myself. It wasn't easy. During the hardest times, we didn't have enough to eat for days and had to eat grass roots. Fortunately, Daqiang is a good man and helped me a lot. Ah, it's all in the past now. The Communist Party is still the best!"
Aunt Wang felt a pang of sadness upon hearing this. Sister Yan had also experienced hardship. Now she should eat more, wear more clothes, and buy more things. I've also experienced hardship. I should eat more and buy more things. I won't be so stingy anymore.
The three women returned laden with their purchases, attracting the attention of many military wives. Everyone knew that the old lady was Major General Yan's mother, and they all came up to greet her. Fortunately, Aunt Wang was there, and she also got to know many other military wives.
Yan Daqiang went to his workplace to borrow bicycle tickets. When everyone heard that Yan Daqiang needed bicycle tickets for his younger brother, they quickly brought them over. Those who didn't have any also borrowed some. Looking at the dozen or so bicycle tickets on his desk, Yan Daqiang was somewhat stunned.
What's going on today? Why are they all sending tickets? The political commissar next to me laughed: "Your family has a little fairy visiting, that's why you're sending tickets."
Yan Daqiang understood. So they were all after his niece. That wouldn't do. He couldn't sell the girl for a bicycle ticket. He looked at the political commissar and said, "Your son is married, right? Give me the ticket. Don't say you don't have one."
The political commissar nodded: "You're married, you're married, I won't make any moves on you." As he spoke, he took out a ticket from his pocket, a permanent one, though he had just borrowed it today, since Yan Daqiang had only asked for it today.
Yan Daqiang carefully put the ticket away: "I'll return it to you when I have it."
"Don't bother returning it, do you have any ginseng?" the political commissar asked slyly.
Yan Daqiang understood: "So that's what you were planning!"
After saying that, he was about to take out the money, which frightened the political commissar, who waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "I won't fight anymore, I won't fight anymore."
Yan Daqiang thought of the old man's health at the political commissar's house, and decided to leave it at that. He took out a box of ginseng slices from the drawer, carefully counted out ten slices, and handed them to him: "Is this all? This is a hundred-year-old ginseng."
The political commissar's surname is Yang. His father lives on Yuquan Mountain. He has old injuries. He's okay when the weather is good, but he hates it when it's windy or rainy. He can't sit or stand properly, and he almost died. But since he ate a 60-year-old ginseng that Yan Daqiang gave him, he feels much better and his health is gradually improving.
Over the years, this ginseng root has almost been used up, so Political Commissar Yang, as the son, is anxious and wants to speak up. But it's ginseng, not a radish. Today he finally has a chance to speak, but exchanging a bicycle ticket for ten pieces of century-old ginseng is too shabby.
Daqiang's mother came to Beijing and even bought a courtyard house. It's time to give her a housewarming gift. We should ask the old man if he still has any sewing tickets, and it would be best to get him a TV ticket too, since he gave her a 60-year-old ginseng root.
Yan Xiaonan had no idea what was going on here. The courtyard was bustling with activity. People were installing radiators, renovating kitchens and toilets, and repairing broken furniture. They were all gathered in the courtyard. She, Ai Dangchen'er, and her father were so busy that they didn't even have time to drink water.
Ai Dang used a few jin of grain coupons to borrow a few tea mugs, thermos bottles, and a pot for boiling water from the neighbors. Fortunately, there was a stove and firewood in the courtyard, so Chen'er hurriedly went to boil water.
Yan Aidang originally wanted to knock down the stove, since everyone uses coal stoves now, who would use this? But Yan Xiaonan disagreed. The old folks are used to using stoves, so it has to be kept. Of course, the coal stove is also necessary. We can see which one Mom prefers to use later. Anyway, we'll have gas in a few years, and we can just renovate then.
Watching the workers lay mosaic tiles on the wall, I really missed the large ceramic tiles of my past life; one tile was worth ten! And the bathtub too—they have to grind cement into one, which is too much work. I'll pass; a shower will suffice. It's a pity there's no bathroom heater; it'll probably be cold in winter. But it's okay, taking a bath in a public bathhouse is definitely more comfortable in winter.
We don't want squat toilets; my uncle's family uses sit-down toilets. So Yan Ai Dang decided to use sit-down toilets a long time ago, and even thoughtfully made two toilets, one for men and one for women. There are too many people in the Yan family, so it's better to separate them.
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