Chapter 15

Eat and talk

"What about the things in this house? Logically, the oil field should have distributed rice, oil and flour. Where did the things go? Why do you only have half a bag of flour with worms in it besides half a sheep? Also, you only have one quilt. Nie Bozhao, when you lived with Sun Zhuan'nan, you also shared a quilt on the big kang?"

So, when he was making the smaller one, the larger one was lying next to it?

What about his mother-in-law? Could it be that she also slept in the same bed with him under the same quilt? That would be too abnormal.

"We'll talk about this later," said Nie Bozhao.

"I have to know now, otherwise I won't be able to raise your child." Chen Lina said angrily.

"Okay, okay, okay. Then tomorrow morning, I'll have Xiao Chen drive you back to Uru, and you buy a train ticket back home, okay?"

"Comrade Lao Nie." Chen Lina was angry.

"Comrade Xiao Chen, this is the current situation of my family, so I said I can't marry you because I can't take responsibility for you. Now that you are here and have seen everything, it's not too late to withdraw now."

Well, the words are quite strong, but the tone is hollow.

After all, although he has good conditions, he doesn't know the inside story when it comes to face. If he really wants to find a woman from the oil field to marry him and raise his children, that is impossible.

"It's still in time. If you believe my introduction, I'll buy a ticket and go back to Qisixiang right now?" Chen Lina was also angry. This man was used to getting angry.

"Your introduction letter was tucked inside your book How the Steel Was Tempered. However, I also found several letters you wrote in Russian. Comrade Chen, in 1966 you were exchanging letters in Russian with a pen pal who lived far away in Tacheng. And you followed me from the mainland to Umayyi, which is only 200 kilometers away from Tacheng. Did you really want to come and raise my child?" said Nie Bozhao.

"You actually read my letters?" Chen Lina asked back.

She should have had a pen pal who could speak Russian, but it was many years ago, and Tacheng was 200 kilometers away from Umayyad. If Nie Bozhao hadn't mentioned it, Chen Lina would not have remembered the pen pal.

She thought to herself, this old man Nie, he wouldn't mistake me for Su Xiu.

"The Catching of Su Xiu's Spy" is a well-known movie. Chen Lina thought to herself, it's right. If you don't value me, I should make you doubt and worry.

However, Nie Bozhao did not regard her as a Soviet revisionist, because he was in the frontier area, and the high-level intellectuals who came here were either for the two bombs and one satellite or for oil.

Basically everyone knew each other, and Chen Lina's pen pal was a Russian translator who worked in the frontier during the development of the two bombs and one satellite, and Nie Bozhao happened to know him.

For a selfish purpose unknown to him, he kept it a secret and did not tell her about the current situation of her pen pal.

Just when she was about to continue arguing, Nie Bozhao said, "Okay, everyone go to bed early, especially you, Nie Weimin. If you don't go to bed, go to the bed next door."

Nie Weimin, who was pretending to be asleep, thought to himself, this is amazing, I was enjoying listening to their quarrel, why didn't they quarrel anymore.

Erdan and Sandan were snoring in their sleep, grinding their teeth and chattering, not to mention how soundly they slept.

The next morning, Nie Bozhao went to work. He is the only engineer studying oil-water separation at the Umay Oilfield.

As oil is extracted, water seepage is inevitable in oil fields, and his oil-water separation technology can be said to be the most important and most valuable work in the entire oil field today.

"You got up really early, but is mutton soup still available in the morning?"

Chen Lina rolled her eyes at him and said, "The three kids have been on the train for several days. If they eat more mutton, their mouths will get rotten. Now we have to help them cool down. How can they eat all the mutton?"

"Then what to eat?" Half a bag of noodles was infested with worms. A good cook cannot cook without rice. Nie Bozhao couldn't think of what else Chen Lina could make.

Chen Lina took off the pot on the stove, which was bubbling with steam. "The two of us will eat mutton, and the three of them will eat pancakes."

As she spoke, she brought over an enamel pot, cracked an egg into it, then sprinkled a handful of carefully selected flour, added water and beat it into a fine paste, then sprinkled salt and chopped green onions, rubbed a little bit of oil into the pot, almost turned off the fire in the stove, then scooped a spoonful of batter into the pan, waited for it to slowly solidify, then flipped it with a spatula to make a golden, soft pancake.

Only then did she say, "Comrade Xiao Nie, bring Erdan and Sandan to have dinner together."

The two adults rushed out of the big house next door and went straight into the kitchen.

Not only did she spread the pancakes, she also stir-fried a small plate of Chinese cabbage, cut it into very fine shreds, and ate it in rolls, along with a bowl of hot noodle soup she cooked. Nie Weimin found it delicious just by smelling it.

But as soon as he stretched out his hand, Chen Lina grabbed it and said, "Have you brushed your teeth and washed your face?"

"I washed it last night." Nie Weimin argued with a dirty face.

"You had dinner last night, why do you want to eat again today?" Chen Lina still refused to let him touch the cake. The child loved to eat vegetables, but a plate of shredded cabbage was enough to make him drool.

"Mrs. Yao, I won't eat the food you cook." Nie Weimin said angrily.

He is a child with a very strong self-esteem.

Seeing his father wolfing down a bowl of mutton soup with last night's cake, he quietly slipped over and said, "Dad, doesn't this old lady Yao want to go home? Give her the letter of introduction back and tell her to go."

"Now that she's gone, who's going to cook for you?"

Nie Bozhao sipped another mouthful of the mutton soup, which had an indescribable strong aroma. He felt that if he continued to eat like this, he would have another nosebleed.

It is hot in winter, and mutton is still a great tonic. The men on this base would suffocate to death if they don’t have a lover at home.

Every time Nie Weimin suffered a setback, it seemed that it was because of food.

He gritted his teeth and endured it again and again, and was stubborn again and again. He said, "I will do it myself."

"Well, let's wait until your hands are tall enough to hold the pot first," said Nie Bozhao.

Nie Weimin pouted his lips and looked at his father with tears in his eyes for half a year. Finally, he still pouted his lips and left again.

"Take a look and see if there is anything else you would like to buy for this house. I'll make a report when I get to the base and have someone send it to you." Nie Bozhao said after putting down the bowl.

Chen Lina took a quick look and asked, "Pots, bowls, ladles, basins, look at this house. Apart from three and a half bowls and an enamel basin, what else do you have? There are so many things I want, but can you buy them for me?"

Nie Bozhao hesitated for a moment and decided not to come, after all, the mountain was blocked by heavy snow and Umayyad was still thirty kilometers away.

So Chen Lina rolled her eyes.

At this moment, Xiao Chen, who was going to work in the morning, passed by, sniffed outside the window, and shouted, "Worker, can I have a meal at your house?"

The bachelors working in the oil fields have no way to get enough food in the morning. They either have to drink boiled water and eat naan, or they have to sniff around the doors of every household and go to whoever has some.

Nie Bozhao remembered that a lot of mutton was stewed last night. When he saw Chen Lina, she didn't even raise her eyebrows.

But Nie Bozhao still let Xiao Chen in. With half a pancake from last night, Xiao Chen probably had never eaten such delicious mutton and radish soup. He kept sighing that it was delicious and finished a whole bowl in one breath.

"Then I'm going to work. I'll leave the three children to you."

Nie Bozhao looked quite weak. He went to the small bedroom in the morning and opened Chen Lina's book to take a look. After making sure the introduction letter was there, he locked the door of the small bedroom before coming out.

Obviously, he was also afraid that she would leave, but he was just being stubborn and refused to admit it.

After the two children washed their faces, they came to the table to eat. Only Nie Weimin, who was in a bad mood in the morning, stood in the corner with a pout on his face, staring at the dirty water used by the two children and refusing to wash his face.

Chen Lina ignored him and rolled a pancake for each of the two children. Erdan immediately devoured it. "Mom, it smells so good. The cabbage is so sweet."

"Hey, is there a guest at Dadan's house?" As she spoke, a woman came in and saw Nie Weimin standing in the corner, his little face crying like a little cat. She exclaimed again, "Why are you crying again?"

"Erdan, who is this? Introduce her to mom." Chen Lina generously invited the woman to come in and sit down.

"I'm Lao Chen, the wife of Chen Zili. You can call me Sister Wang. Our Lao Chen is in charge of the fleet in the oil field." The woman introduced herself.

Chen Lina first covered the bowls, then wiped the table, let Sister Wang sit next to the kang, took out the sweater she had knitted on the train and started knitting.

One of the two smaller ones will be exchanged. When this sweater is ready, Nie Weimin will have a sweater to wear. Otherwise, he would be wearing a cotton jacket with nothing on his vest. Chen Lina was really worried that he would catch a cold if he ran out. This kid would have a runny nose just because he went to the toilet.

After chatting with this sister Wang for a while, she said, "How did you make this cake? It smells so good."

There was still a pancake on the table. Chen Lina rolled it up and gave it to Sister Wang. "I figured it out myself. The fire needs to be steady, and not too much oil can be added. Only one egg can be added. It comes out fluffy and soft, and delicious."

Sister Wang ate it in two bites and nodded repeatedly, "It's delicious, really delicious."

Nie Weimin, who was still standing in the corner, in front of the washbasin stand, had been looking at the cake. He felt that he could always outsmart Chen Lina.

For example, his grandmother could handle the two younger ones, but she couldn't handle him. When he was four years old, he could make his grandmother so angry that she would jump like a dog and have a heart attack.

But the cakes were gone, and Mrs. Yao was still sitting there chatting with others, looking calm and relaxed, completely unaware that he had woken up in the morning and was still here hungry.

"Comrade Xiao Nie, wash your face quickly and pour out the water." Chen Lina said.

Nie Weimin was stubborn for a long time, but he had to save face when there were guests, so he couldn't lose his temper. He wiped his face roughly, rubbed the toothbrush in his mouth, and then splashed water and brought the basin in. Then he heard Chen Lina say, "Take this bowl to the kitchen."

Grandma Yao had no mercy on beating the baby. She would either pinch or twist the baby, and she would use a stick and a rope.

Nie Weimin silently prayed in his heart that God would quickly take away this old lady Yao. He entered the kitchen, smelled a fragrant aroma, lifted the lid of the pot on the stove and took a look. Oh my god, there was a bowl of hot soup and a pancake filled with vegetables.

He opened his mouth and let out a cry, feeling wronged and wanted to cry.

But when there were guests at home, since they had never been here before, Chen Tiantian's mother next door couldn't cry for the sake of her dignity and face.

His teeth were leaking to begin with, so he took the pancake in one bite, leaving two pieces of cabbage stalks. He took a bite of the pancake and a sip of the soup. Nie Weimin cried bitterly, wondering how it could be so delicious.

"Nieh Weimin, Nieh Weimin, come out and play." A little girl in padded clothes made a ball of snow outside the window and waved from afar.

"Mom, Chen Tiantian is calling me outside. I want to go out and play." Erdan ran over fiercely and rushed out like a rocket.

Nie Weimin also wanted to go out, but he had very few clothes on, only a small cotton jacket. It would be fine for him to stay at home, but he would be frozen to death if he went out.

And this old lady Yao was obviously knitting a sweater for him, stitch by stitch.

"Comrade Xiao Chen, can I go out?" Nie Weimin asked.

It’s so much fun to see Erdan and Chen Tiantian playing snowball fights in the yard. After all, they are children, and Nie Weimin’s heart is itching to take care of them.

"No, your cotton-padded jacket is too small. Wait until mom has knitted a sweater for you, then put on mom's big cotton-padded jacket before going out, okay." While the guests were there, Chen Lina took advantage of Nie Weimin again.

"Speaking of the pensions for these three children, it's quite a lot. Our unit only gives them ten yuan each, and it will be paid until they turn 18. But even if there are no cotton coupons, we can always buy some from the expensive cotton in the hands of the Kazakhs. Why does he wear your cotton-padded clothes?" Sister Wang asked with great curiosity, knitting a shoe insole in her hand.

Chen Lina was also puzzled. "These three kids still get compensation?"

"His mother is different from us. She was a veteran cadre of the base. When she died, the base gave her 5,000 yuan in pension. Then the baby's grandmother negotiated with the leader that each child would receive 10 yuan a month until they reach adulthood. Even though their mother is gone, the children should be guaranteed a living."

Chen Lina understood. In other words, the huge sum of 5,000 yuan, plus the 10 yuan per month, was all taken away by the baby's grandmother.

Having said that, Sister Wang left.

But after a while, Erwa's cheeks were red, and he was sweating profusely. He took his clothes and put a bunch of things in his pockets. "Mom, mom, these are things that Tiantian's mom gave you."

Chen Lina took it and said, "Wow, two round tomatoes and two big apples."

"Mom, I want to eat apples." Erdan said impatiently.

In the frontier in winter, fruit is almost a rarity.

Chen Lina cut an apple into three halves, scooped out the core and gave them to the three children. Erdan stared at the other one with drooling eyes and said, "Mom, there's one left."

"Mom, eat it." Sandan was only two years old and could not speak much. As he spoke, he held an apple in front of Chen Lina.

"Good boy, mom won't eat it. But tomorrow, I can use this apple to make a bunch of apples for you. Go and play." After saying that, Chen Lina took the other apple.

When it was getting dark, Nie Bozhao returned home, still cold. The first thing he smelled at the door was the smell of tomatoes. Chen Lina had prepared a pot of tomato soup. The sour and sweet taste of the tomato juice was very appetizing in this hot winter. The three children each held a big bowl and shoveled it into their mouths.

There was also a plate of cool shredded radish. It was clear that they were living through hard times, but they had managed to dig out an aroma that only landlords and wealthy people in the old society could have.

"All three children need big cotton quilts. I just asked Sister Wang. Kazakhs have expensive cotton, five yuan per pound.

Logically speaking, half a pound of cotton should be enough for the three of them. Nie Bozhao, where is the pension for the three children? "After dinner, the three children went to play on the kang. Chen Lina said to Nie Bozhao who was lighting the fire wall while washing the dishes and pots.

The man with thick eyebrows and big eyes was half-kneeling on the ground, clearing out the ashes. After the ashes were cleared out, he began to press new coal into the fire, putting in coal shovelful at a time, and he had to be careful to put it in evenly so that the fire could continue to burn until tomorrow morning.

"This is a really long story. If you want to listen, just sit down and I will tell you in detail." Nie Bozhao put down the firewall, washed his hands, and poked his head into the bedroom to check on his sons.

Well, the three of them were having a great time fighting on the kang with pillows in their hands.

He returned to the kitchen, took out a large, round tangerine from his woolen coat pocket, peeled it carefully, and held it in front of Chen Lina. He watched her eat a slice before saying, "Comrade Chen, eat while you listen to me."