“Yes, but there’s a market every few days, and you can buy things right next to the dock,” Liu Lei said after thinking for a moment.
Receipts are not widely used now, so in many places you can buy things simply with cash.
"Oh, okay then. You can take this instead of eating."
Fang Yuan handed him a jar of fruit.
"Sister-in-law, I can't accept this..."
"You call me sister-in-law, so you're my brother. Why can't I take it? Take it, take it, or I'll tell on you when your battalion commander comes back!"
Under Fang Yuan's threat, Liu Lei sheepishly took the canned food and left.
Not long after Liu Lei left, there was a knock on the courtyard gate.
When Fang Yuan came out, he saw that the person knocking on the door was a short-haired woman in her thirties.
She was holding a plate of plump, steaming dumplings.
"Who are you, sister-in-law?"
Fang Yuan feigned a puzzled look and asked the woman in front of him.
Of course she knew that the woman was Liu Lan, the wife of Battalion Commander He from next door.
This woman had three sons. She was outgoing and eloquent, and was the type of woman the original female lead was both close to and jealous of.
"I'm your next-door neighbor. My husband is He Jianshe, and my name is Liu Lan. You can call me Sister-in-law Liu or Sister Liu, you're from the Third Battalion Commander's family? We've been waiting for you to come!"
Liu Lan's eyes lit up when she saw Fang Yuan, and she said with great enthusiasm.
She lived next door to the political commissar's family. The commissar's wife was the women's director and was more than a decade older than her.
She meddles with trivial matters every day, and I've rarely played with her in all the years she's been here.
The other company commanders and deputy battalion commanders all moved to the other side due to their positions and housing arrangements.
She's been here for three or four years, and she doesn't really have many close friends.
"Hello, sister-in-law, my name is Fang Yuan, and I'm Zhao Qingzhuo's wife. You see, I haven't even had a chance to come and say hello yet, but you've come first," Fang Yuan replied with a cheerful smile.
"Fang Yuan? That's an interesting name. I'll call you Xiao Yuan from now on."
As Liu Lan spoke, she handed the plate of dumplings in her hand to Fang Yuan:
"Xiaoyuan, don't be shy. Your Xiao Zhao and our Lao He are good friends. We should get closer in the future. By the way, these are dumplings made by my family. Try them!"
"No, sister-in-law, you're too kind. I should be the one visiting you first. These days, it's not easy to get a meal of dumplings, let alone such a big plate. You should take it back for your child!"
Fang Yuan declined, saying that his sister-in-law was being a bit too enthusiastic.
"What's the big deal? The kids have plenty too. Your husband's away on a mission, so what's wrong with your sister-in-law treating you to dumplings to welcome him back? Here you go!"
Without waiting for Fang Yuan to finish speaking, Liu Lan placed the dumplings directly into her hands.
"Hurry up and eat, I'll come back and collect the plates later!"
After giving his instructions, he turned around and went back to the next room.
Looking at the energetic Liu Lan, and then at the dumplings in his hand, Fang Yuan was both amused and exasperated.
People in this era are truly miserable, but those who are passionate are truly passionate.
These two extreme reversals require her time to adjust.
Fangyuan carried the dumplings in his hand back into the house.
We'll have dumplings tonight. Luckily, Xiao Liu brought back some soy sauce for her.
She has everything in her space except for seasonings, so now she can only make do with soy sauce.
After finishing the dumplings, Fangyuan washed the plates.
She took a bag of candy from the cupboard and went next door.
"Sister-in-law, I've come to return the plates!" Fang Yuan called out from the gate of the neighboring courtyard.
"Hey~ Didn't I say I'd come over to pick it up later? Why are you being so polite? Come on in, are you full? If you're not full, I have some more at home!"
Liu Lan answered as she came out of the kitchen.
"I'm full. Sister-in-law, your cooking is excellent. The dumplings were delicious, and I'm so full."
She took the plate and went into the small courtyard, which was about the same size as her own home.
However, this family's vegetable garden was full of small vegetables, not many of each kind, but quite a variety.
It's clear that the lady of the house is a woman who knows how to manage a household.
She could ask her for some vegetable seeds.
"What skill do you have? We're all from Northeast China, and we all make dumplings the same way," Liu Lan said modestly.
We live under a planned economy now, and everything is in short supply.
If Zhao Qingzhuo hadn't asked her to look after the new bride, she wouldn't have been willing to make such a meal of dumplings.
After all, it's not a holiday or festival these days, so it's rare to be able to eat a bowl of mixed dumplings on this island!
"Sister-in-law, you're too modest. Everyone knows that when it comes to noodles, the people of Northeast China are the best. These dumplings are delicious!"
Fang Yuan led Liu Lan into the house, where three boys of varying heights looked at her curiously.
Fang Yuan handed over the plate and asked, "Are these three boys your children? Sister-in-law, you're really capable."
The three sons are indeed a source of pride for their husbands' families, but they are also major consumers of food.
Liu Lan took the plate, placed it on the table, and laughed:
"Don't say anymore, this mischievous monkey is driving me crazy. Weiguo, Weidang, Weimin, this is your Uncle Zhao's wife next door, you can call her Aunt Fang."
"Hello, Auntie!"
"Hello, Auntie!"
"Auntie is so beautiful!"
The three boys shouted at Fang Yuan and showered him with compliments.
Fang Yuan was quite amused: "Hello, Auntie is treating you to candy. Be sweeter with your little mouths in the future!"
He then handed the candies in his hand to the three of them.
"Xiaoyuan, don't be shy. Take it back and eat it yourself. Once it's in their hands, it won't last a day," Liu Lan quickly advised.
She usually wouldn't buy sweets like candy, but this girl gave her a whole bag as soon as she arrived. She's really generous.
"Sister-in-law, I've already eaten the dumplings you offered me, but it's not okay for me to offer the kids candy?"
Fang Yuan pretended to be unhappy.
Liu Lan smiled helplessly: "Alright, alright, just indulge them then. You should thank your auntie!"
Let her accept it; at worst, we can just give her some presentable items from our home later.
"Thank you, Auntie! You're beautiful inside and out, you're so kind!"
"Yes, Auntie is so kind!"
"Thank you, Auntie!"
Upon receiving Liu Lan's instruction, the three boys quickly took the candy and started eating it.
Looking at these three boys, I thought about the child I was carrying.
That's when I felt like I was about to become a mother.
The two chatted for a few more minutes before Fang Yuan prepared to leave.
"Then I'll head back now, sister-in-law. I'll invite you to my house for a visit after I've finished packing."
"Okay, if you need anything or don't know anything, just ask me. I've lived here for several years, I know it like the back of my hand!" Liu Lan said, seeing Fang Yuan out the door.
He turned around and looked at the three guys who were always eating.
He chuckled and scolded, "Weren't you full from those dumplings? Don't eat all these candies at once."
"Mom, this auntie is so pretty and kind. Can we go to her house to play sometime?"
He Weiguo swallowed a piece of candy and asked Liu Lan.
This auntie seems nice; she even gave them candy when she came to visit. He likes her because she's a good person.
"They don't have any children, so who are you going to play with? You're not allowed to go, or I'll teach you a lesson," Liu Lan said irritably.
As a mother, how could I not know what this brat is thinking?
They're pretending to go out for fun; their real intention is to freeload off the food and drinks!
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