Chapter 105
The day after the dinner, we entered the last month of the lunar calendar in 1970 - the twelfth month.
The twelfth month of each year is perhaps the month that everyone looks forward to the most. Although it makes people very busy, the happiness in it makes people feel more refreshed. It feels like the twelfth month of 1970.
Just two days into the twelfth lunar month, Bi Chunliu had already started shopping for Lunar New Year supplies. This year held special significance for her: not only was it her first year of rebirth, but it was also her first year of marriage. Both were significant events, and she needed to prepare thoroughly!
Bi Chunliu thought that the year 1970 would be the one she would remember forever.
New Year's Day came even faster than the Spring Festival. It was the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month. On this day, all the factories, schools, government agencies and the loudspeakers of each commune played the same New Year's Day message at the same time.
The day after New Year's Day, Bi Chunliu went to ask Hou Zhiqiang about the defective cloth before getting off work.
Han Kemei has helped Bi Chunliu contact Aunt Fang. Aunt Fang said the same thing as her father-in-law and Xiaomei. Especially when she heard that she could use the defective cloth as compensation, Aunt Fang was even happier and promised her that she would make the clothes to her satisfaction!
"There are still a few pieces of defective cloth in the warehouse, but the defects on those pieces of cloth are too big. Even if you want them, they may not be able to be made into clothes. I will try my best to get some for you. It's almost the end of the year, and many people in the factory want cloth." Hou Zhiqiang was a little embarrassed, but still promised her that he could squeeze out a small amount of cloth for her to make clothes, but that was far from enough to make clothes for the whole family. Bi Chunliu took a piece of paper to make a note, and thought to herself that she still had to go out to buy some, and wait until after work tomorrow to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to ask Sister Xiaoyue and the others.
Bi Chunliu: "Okay, Brother Hou, please leave some for me, and also leave me one with big flaws." Even if it doesn't have to be made into clothes to wear, it can be used in other places.
"good!"
After seeing Bi Chunliu off, Hou Zhiqiang went back to the warehouse to pack his things and took home a piece of defective cloth he had bought. He thought he could finally understand why those married people in the past always said that raising children was difficult.
Alas... He used to think that it was not easy to take good care of the child, give her good food and drink, and protect her from any grievances so that she could grow up healthily?
The result is really not easy. Ever since his wife became pregnant, Hou Zhiqiang realized the difference of having a child.
He was a team leader in charge of the warehouse. He used to never show up at work, and he would go to work and come home quietly. He would either let his wife save the money he earned or use it to buy food for the couple. He would never buy defective cloth from the factory, as there were no uses for those for the two of them at home.
But things are different now. He also needs to start saving fabric. He and his wife may have suffered in the past and have poor health, so they took so many years to get pregnant. This child may be their only child, and he and his wife are prepared to raise him carefully.
For the sake of the child, the daughter-in-law mustered up the courage to ask the aunties in the yard about raising the child! Although she didn't go out for three days after asking.
It was during this conversation that the couple realized that children were even more expensive and cloth-intensive than they'd imagined. When they were little, they needed all sorts of small mattresses, quilts, clothes, and diapers. As they grew older, they would go to school and get married. Not to mention the long-term, just the diapers and quilts alone were a source of worry for him and his wife. They dug out all the old clothes and fabrics in the house, ripped and cut them, and made a bed full of them. Hou Zhiqiang and Wu Sanmei figured that with so much fabric, they wouldn't have to worry about diapers. The baby would be born in March or April, when the weather wasn't hot and neither the adults nor the child would suffer.
But Hou Zhiqiang invited Aunt Liu to visit his home, and she said that the materials were not enough to make diapers.
Hou Zhiqiang and Wu Sanmei: Xue Kexuan
Aunt Liu was kind enough to take the diapers used by Zhuzi and Shuanzi that she had saved to Hou Zhiqiang and Wu Sanmei's home.
"When Xiuxiu was little, Lao Lei couldn't find any extra diapers, so I gave her a few. These were originally meant to be used by Xiaoyue in case she got pregnant again, for the third child. She hasn't been pregnant in years, and I don't think she wants any more, so I'll just give them to you two." Aunt Liu knew Hou Zhiqiang and his wife had no other relatives, so she offered any help she could. Otherwise, they'd be overwhelmed by the child's urination or diarrhea, or the mother's blocked milk ducts, and so on.
Hou Zhiqiang was deeply moved: "Thank you, Aunt Liu!"
.
Bi Chunliu has been very busy recently. In addition to preparing New Year's goods, the union also has a lot of work to do as the year draws to a close. For example, they have to prepare for a factory-wide meeting before the New Year.
The factory-wide meeting included not only a gala with performances but also a summary and commendation ceremony for 1970. In mid-December, each workshop selected two model workers based on their production contributions. These model workers were commended by the factory director and deputy director at the factory-wide meeting and received various material rewards, in addition to Lunar New Year benefits.
In addition to production contribution, there are also awards for technological innovation and social contribution, but this year the factory workers didn't innovate, so they weren't included in the awards. As for social contribution, Bi Chunliu and Li Musheng were nominated again because of the silk banner they received.
When Bi Chunliu learned that Chairman Ren wanted to nominate her, her initial reaction was a bit blushing. But when Chairman Ren explained that the security department had already nominated Li Musheng, she felt she had nothing to say. If she declined the award, it would be embarrassing for Li Musheng, and she would also appear ungrateful.
To make this event a success, the union and the factory office came together again. The weather was cold, and the event was held in the auditorium. They swept and mopped, even replacing the red paper on the stage with someone who could write well.
Bi Chunliu watched the four male staff climb up the ladder, each of them gesturing at the contents written in black on the red paper.
Wang Hongxia stood in the middle, far away, and shouted, "Xiao Wang, move your hand a little to the left. Hey, then a little to the right. OK, let's stick it on."
Bi Chunliu didn't understand why they still couldn't stick it on even though there were clearly traces of last year's red words on it.
Zhao Mei came over from nowhere and said, "Chun Liu, do you know what the factory is planning to reward you this year?"
Bi Chunliu shook her head, she didn't know.
Zhao Mei raised her eyebrows. "You're still going to claim the prize, why don't you ask? I heard from Director Lin from the factory office that Director Dong set the first prize as a bicycle ticket this year!!"
"Really?"
Bi Chunliu had a bicycle at home, just like the one Xing Fei had. She had wanted to buy one for a long time, but it was troublesome to get the ticket. She could have bought it by going to the black market to buy bicycle tickets, but she felt that a bicycle was not a necessity for her family, and it was not worth the high price to buy tickets, so she had been putting it off until now.
"Sister Mei, what is second class?"
Zhao Mei: "Second class is for two watch tickets. Watch tickets are also quite rare, but they are still not as good as bicycle tickets. Even if my family doesn't want to buy one, they can still be exchanged for a few dozen yuan. Third class is for industrial tickets."
Bi Chunliu didn't know what rank her social contribution would be, but even if she got a few industrial tickets, they were her own earnings. After all, she didn't expect that her words at the time would bring her any other rewards besides the banner.
"Okay, you actually whispered without calling me!" Wang Xiaojun appeared from behind the two of them, and stretched out his arms to embrace Bi Chunliu and Zhao Mei on both sides.
Bi Chunliu turned to look at her, "Xiaojun, where did you go just now?"
Wang Xiaojun said happily, "My sister called my house, but my mom wasn't home, so she called the factory. I went to answer the phone. Chunliu, my sister said she's pregnant. I'm going to be an aunt! Oh, and my sister said she really wants to eat the chili sauce you make. Can you make her two cans and send them over? Just think of it as a gift from me, your aunt, to my niece and nephew!"
"I can do it, but there are no peppers to sell now..." Bi Chunliu spread his hands. A good cook cannot cook without rice. It would be easy if there were greenhouses in the past, but now the raw materials are impossible to find!
Wang Xiaojun's face fell and he frowned. "You're right. I forgot about this. I asked her what she wanted to eat, and she said she wanted chili sauce, so I agreed. Sigh...it seems I can only give her the can I kept privately."
"Wang Xiaojun, someone is looking for you outside."
Wang Xiaojun walked towards the door and shouted, "Uncle, who is looking for me?"
"How would I know..."
Wang Xiaojun left, and Zhao Mei smiled and said, "Xiaojun and her sister have such a good relationship."
Bi Chunliu nodded and said, "She's really good. Xiaoman is gentle and tolerant. Xiaojun said that when she was a child, she did bad things and it was Xiaoman who protected her."
Zhao Mei burst out laughing, "Hahahaha, no wonder..." After laughing, she saw three people chatting behind the stage, and one of them waved at them. When Bi Chunliu saw that one of them was the kind of person who always liked to show off her own children and persuade others to have children, she didn't want to go over anymore, but Zhao Mei ran over happily.
About ten minutes later, Wang Xiaojun came back with a sour face. She patted her clothes hard, as if to drive away the bad luck on her body.
Bi Chunliu: "Xiaojun, what's wrong?"
Wang Xiaojun sighed deeply and said, "Chunliu, do you still remember the friend I told you about who once liked Gu Pengfei?"
"Yeah, I remember. I think his last name was Wang?" This was the love-brained friend that Wang Xiaojun told Bi Chunliu about. She only remembered that he seemed to have the same last name as Wang Xiaojun.
Wang Xiaojun: "Yes, Wang Yue, she is the one who came to see me just now."
Bi Chunliu wet her handkerchief and handed it to Wang Xiaojun to wipe his hands. "Aren't you no longer associating with her?"
"I did break up with her, but who would have thought she thought I could forgive her? She even asked me to borrow money, fifty at a time! How could I give her fifty? That's how much is my salary!" Wang Xiaojun became more and more angry. Was she borrowing money? She clearly wanted him to "give" her money!
"Did you scold her? If you can't vent your anger, I'll go out and scold her for you! It's really outrageous!"
"...Forget it, she's really tough right now." Wang Xiaojun continued, "She almost got on her knees just now, but luckily I'm stronger and quicker than her!"
Bi Chunliu: "Isn't her family financially sound? Why would she want to borrow so much money?"
Wang Xiaojun looked around quietly and whispered, "She's pregnant..." Wang Xiaojun hated Wang Yue for not living up to her expectations! "Do you remember what I said about her getting involved with another man? Her boyfriend's family didn't agree with him being with her, so they broke up. Her family introduced her to a man and wanted to marry her off quickly, but she ran away because she didn't like him. You said she didn't even get a marriage certificate with him, and she got pregnant!"
Bi Chunliu: Hiss~ Why is running away from marriage so popular this year?!
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