Chapter 24

Pen Pals

People often say that either the east wind prevails over the west wind, or the west wind prevails over the east wind.

Originally, it was Chen Lina who begged Nie Bozhao to take her to get the marriage certificate, but now Chen Lina is not in a hurry and Nie Bozhao is rushing to get the marriage certificate on his own.

"It's the weekend, what's the point of getting a certificate? Don't the people at the Civil Service Bureau need to rest too?"

Chen Lina felt strange. It was finally a weekend and Nie Bozhao was at home. She could help prepare milk powder and bake hot buns for the three children, but she wanted to sleep a little longer.

"Yesterday, Secretary A personally called the people from the Ulu Civil Affairs Bureau. They set out from Ulu early yesterday morning and should be arriving at the base by now. We hurried. We also asked the people from the Civil Affairs Bureau to take a photo of us and our three children."

"What? We are not going to the Civil Affairs Bureau, but the people from the Civil Affairs Bureau have to come to the base?" It was the first time in Chen Lina's life that she heard that someone came to her home to apply for a marriage certificate.

Nie Bozhao was dressed very formally today, wearing a navy blue shirt and black-rimmed glasses. He also wore an old-fashioned suit for this era. He was tall, gentle, and handsome, which was different from the military uniform he wore yesterday.

Of course, even if Secretary A wanted to get married, he would have to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau, but he didn't have to, because he was the scientific backbone of the oil base.

As long as he said he couldn't leave for Uru due to scientific research, with the approval of his superiors, everything would be decided by him first.

However, Nie Bozhao would never speak of this superiority.

The two of them fed the children milk and ate steamed buns, then hurried to the base building. Sure enough, people from the Uluru Civil Affairs Bureau had arrived.

"Nie Gong, Comrade Xiao Chen, please look here, one, two, three..."

They took a family photo with a snap. There was not even a photo on the marriage certificate, and they filled out the certificate by hand. In this way, the two of them got the certificate and were considered a real couple.

Of course, from now on, when Chen Lina goes out, she can openly say "I am Nie Bozhao's family member."

"Dad, when can we get the photos?" Nie Weimin thought the camera was very novel. It was very small and had a gourd-like lens. The photographer asked him to come over and take a look. When he turned it around, he saw five people sitting upside down in the thumb-sized small frame. Upon closer inspection, they really were their whole family.

"Dad, do you think I look majestic with this haircut? Does this box gun look like Yang Zirong's?" Erdan put a wooden branch on his waist, pretending that it was a box gun, and went out with a laugh.

"You're all so impressive, but Erdan, Dad has a request. You can't smear your hair with saliva anymore. Look at you. You just came out of the building and your hair is already covered in ice. It's easy to catch a cold this way."

The two of them slid and skated, and ran away happily in the snow and ice.

After returning home, Chen Lina cooked while Nie Bozhao lit the fire wall. In the middle of winter, the most consumed item was coal, and the most produced was coal ash. He had to get rid of the ash in the fire wall.

Nie Weimin and Erdan don't seem to like going to far places to play, so they have recruited Chen Tiantian and Qian Gouder, the son of Director Qian next door, and the four of them are playing outside.

However, children always like to run around, so Chen Tiantian said, "Come on, Dadan, let's go to Uncle Wang's house to play with Wang Fan, do you want to go?"

"No, we can just play in front of my yard. Why do you always have to look for Wang Fan?" Nie Weimin was unhappy. "And you are not allowed to call me Dadan'er anymore. I have a name, Nie Weimin."

"Wang Fan always laughs at you for being a coward, but I still don't believe it. Humph, you are just a coward." After saying that, Chen Tiantian pulled Goudan up and said, "Come on, Goudan, let's go play with Wang Fan."

"Take me with you, take me with you too?" Erdan said, and followed Chen Tiantian and Goudan to run.

Nie Weimin got angry and said, "Erdan, I order you not to go."

"Wang Fan's house has a TV, so there should be some TV programs on right now. I want to go too, why aren't you letting me go?" Erdan said as he wanted to run away.

Nie Weimin's angry face flushed. "If I don't allow you to go, then I won't allow you to go."

Nie Bozhao was in a bad mood. When he heard the two children quarreling, he said, "Nie Weimin, let Erdan go. Tell him to leave."

"No, I won't let him go."

"You are his brother, not his father. Why do you control him? Let him go," said Nie Bozhao.

Nie Weimin also became stubborn and said, "I won't let him go."

Chen Lina was making dough for steamed buns in the kitchen. When she heard a cry in the yard, she knew that Nie Weimin was crying again.

But did Nie Bozhao hit him? No, he was the eldest and a crybaby. He felt wronged and his eyes were filled with tears. But Nie Bozhao got angry when he saw him like this. "You are a boy, how can you cry for no reason? Stand up and help your mother carry firewood."

Nie Weimin was still stubborn, "No, I won't let Erdan go."

"Why don't you let him go? Give Dad a reason."

Nie Weimin stopped talking again.

"Okay, don't go anymore. Tiantian, call Goudan in. Auntie has some popsicles for you. Come quickly." Chen Lina called the two children into the house.

It is said that people don’t eat ice in winter, but this is not true.

The northern part of the country has a strong heat-related temperament. Chen Lina's popsicles are made of rice wine and milk. They are sweet, can reduce heat, promote salivation and relieve coughs. They are delicious and can also moisturize the lungs.

In order to keep a few playmates for his son, Nie Bozhao took out all the comic books he had collected over the years.

Speaking of this comic book, since Nie Bozhao had been reading it to his sons since they were young, Nie Weimin could almost recognize all the words on it. He gave each of the children a popsicle and started telling stories to them.

Fortunately, the dispute between the children was finally resolved temporarily.

"With Wei Min's temper, I'm afraid he'll have real problems when he grows up." Nie Bozhao took the time to go into the kitchen and said.

"Why don't you think about why your son is such a crybaby, who never fights back when hit or scolded, and is so stubborn even if he dies?"

"Of course, he was always taken care of by his grandmother when he was little, which has ruined his character."

"He has no sense of security. Do you understand what security means? Both his parents work outside, and he lives with a grandmother who has a weird temper and can only make weird and unpalatable things. Your son is also very thoughtful, so it is inevitable that he has a weird personality. Besides, don't you realize that his personality makes him look like he deserves a beating?"

"Why didn't I realize that my son deserved a beating?" Nie Bozhao was of course unhappy when he was told that his son deserved a beating.

His newlywed wife finally smiled. In the kitchen, against the light, Nie Bozhao's heart skipped a beat. Seeing her roll up her sleeves, he thought, she always changes into pajamas before sleeping at night. He had never seen her skin before, and wondered if it was this fair.

"He is not as tall as other kids his age and he is thin, which makes it easy for him to get beaten by other kids. He is also stubborn and won't ask for mercy or hide. When he is beaten, he just stands there and takes the beating. Don't some kids who like to beat others like to beat him?"

It seems to make sense.

"So what do you say we should do?"

"What can I do? No problem! Your son needs to be supplemented with nutrients, and he doesn't like to drink milk, so he must eat cheese and yogurt in a variety of ways to supplement his body with calcium. As for his stubbornness, it's because he has lacked love since he was a child. Don't worry, as long as there is always someone who loves him in this family, the child will slowly become fatter and more courageous."

Just as he was talking, Nie Bozhao turned around and saw little Nie Weimin standing at the kitchen door.

"Why don't you go play with your friends?"

"I heard you guys arguing." Nie Weimin said that the boy was actually quite gentle and handsome, with fair skin and two big cute eyes, but he was too thin, with a neck as thin as a rope.

"We didn't argue, we just chatted for a while."

"You are not allowed to quarrel, Dad. I have to tell you, if Comrade Xiao Chen leaves, I will definitely go with her." After saying that, the little guy blushed, turned around and ran away.

"My son, why do I always think you're leaving?"

"You and Sun Gong must be arguing about divorce every day. The demons in your child's heart were planted when he was a child."

Nie Bozhao thought about it and realized, "Chen Lina, you are really smart."

In a family compound like the one at the base, there are usually two fire walls. In the winter, in order to save coal and to keep warm, the whole family basically squeezes onto one kang.

After all, the base is full of young employees and cadres, and I haven't heard of any elderly people in any family. The whole family sleeps on one kang, which is warm.

Who knew that Nie Bozhao would actually mobilize a large force today and set fire to the firewall near the small bedroom.

"Comrade Xiao Chen, do you have any cotton left? We need to put something on the bed here," he said.

"Why, you want to sleep separately from us? That's perfect, I've made an extra mattress and will give you the quilt later, just carry it over." Chen Lina didn't look very happy today, no, she should be very unhappy. Logically, she had always wanted to marry her, and now that the marriage was finally done, she should be happy.

They got their marriage certificate today and became a family, but she wasn't as interested in him as usual.

Look, the food is a bit mixed as well.

"I have to have two dishes for lunch. Why are they noodles again? And 85% vermicelli?"

As soon as he entered the kitchen and smelled a earthy smell, Nie Bozhao couldn't help but say something more.

It was precisely because of this sentence that Chen Lina was immediately unhappy. "A tomato costs one cent, an egg costs two cents, and although milk is free, rice wine is very expensive, three yuan a can, that's a sky-high price, and a bag of expensive flour costs ten yuan, and that's it, and there's only 85% flour, no fine flour. Nie Bozhao, your monthly salary is only 70 yuan, if I eat to my heart's content, I can buy delicious fish and meat, but how, with your salary, is it enough for us to eat for a few days?"

"Let me calculate. Even if I eat a lot, I still can't finish 70 yuan in a month. Can't I switch to refined flour?"

"No, my monthly living allowance must be kept at 30 yuan. I have other uses for the remaining money."

"I will take care of the saving myself. Comrade Xiao Chen, the 70 yuan I gave you is our food allowance. You can't let my child suffer in terms of food and drink."

"Look, your child, we just got married and I realized that you are a family and I am the only outsider."

"Comrade Xiao Chen, did you take some gunpowder today?"

The stepmother who smiles all day long, in the words of the base people, treats the three children more closely than their own mother, but when she changes her face, it is enough to make Nie Bozhao drink a bottle of wine. He feels that her words are full of gunpowder.

"Since I am the one taking care of the baby and the household, I have control over the income. I can only spend thirty this month and save forty. If you are not satisfied, I will be the hands-off manager and you will be the manager of the household."

The dough in the basin has risen. 85% flour is 85% fine flour with 15% wheat bran added. This kind of flour is coarse, so it is not tasty when rolled into noodles.

But when steamed into buns, they are rough and crunchy, but surprisingly delicious. At least Erdan likes them very much.

In order to prevent the children from eating plain and boring bran buns, Chen Lina scooped a large spoonful of cooking oil, snipped some chopped green onions, spread it on the dough, and steamed the buns into flower rolls for the children.

"Comrade Xiao Chen, you are saving money to buy a sewing machine, right? Didn't you ask your pen pal whether the sewing machines smuggled directly from the Soviet Union are cheaper?" After standing for a long time, Nie Bozhao suddenly said.

"What, you Nie Bozhao, you actually monitored my private correspondence?" As she spoke, Chen Lina had already picked up the rolling pin.

"Dad is going to be beaten again, Dad is going to be beaten again." Erdan happened to pass by the kitchen door and actually yelled this.

Just from this sentence, Chen Lina could guess that he had probably had actual sex with Sun Zhuan'an.

But to be honest, in an era of material abundance, all conflicts between a couple could be resolved with money.

For example, in her previous life, if she got angry, the wealthy Nie Bozhao would immediately call Xidan or Wangfujing and have someone send new brand-name clothing to her home for her to choose from.

As for human beings, no matter how much energy they have, matter cannot resolve it, but it can differentiate it.

But in these difficult times, almost all conflicts are caused by lack of food and clothing. When you are hungry, you get angrier. What can you do when you are angry? Force can solve everything. Who said that what we advocate now is fighting?

Chen Lina had fought with Nie Guozhu many times in her life.

As soon as Nie Bozhao saw the dough stick, he immediately raised his hands in surrender. "Comrade Xiao Chen, we want to fight with words instead of with fists. Can you at least listen to the situation first?"

…

"You want to send a letter from the base. It looks like it's been put into a mailbox, but in fact, this batch of letters must be sent to Secretary A, who will review it before sending it. Your letter is sent to Tacheng, which is at the port, so the review is more stringent. Fortunately, there are few people in the base who know Russian, and they thought it was a letter I wrote to the border, so it was sent to me. Otherwise, if it got to Secretary A, Chen Lina, I couldn't save you."

"Your three sons all need clothes. Your house is so empty, as if it had been ransacked by the Homecoming Corps. Do you think I can sew clothes for them endlessly just by sewing with my hands? Of course I need a sewing machine, but the Kazakh businessman's sewing machine costs 280 yuan.

I calculated that if there were Soviet goods that were directly smuggled, I could buy them for 80 yuan. Nie Bozhao, my fortune is only 168 yuan, I am not even worth the price of a sewing machine. "

"So, you rashly wrote a letter to An Heshan? Want to ask him to find a cheap smuggled sewing machine?" Nie Bozhao asked.

Chen Lina said, "Well, you are so secretive and don't want to tell me about his situation, so I wrote to him and asked about him, and I also asked about the sewing machine. That's right."

"He died last year. You should not write to Tacheng anymore in the future," said Nie Bozhao.

They were pen pals from her previous life. If it weren’t for Umayyad, if it weren’t for Nie Bozhao mentioning him, Chen Lina would have actually forgotten about that person long ago.

However, An Heshan is humorous and witty. He is an elder who speaks eloquently and is also a very good teacher.

Chen Lina thought for a long time and said, "You knew he had passed away, but you didn't tell me. You deserve it."

This young lady was very happy as soon as she arrived, of course. On the day of getting the marriage certificate, although she didn't show it, you could tell she was very happy just by looking at her actions. She was busy in the kitchen, and the whole thing was like a symphony of pots and bowls.

All of a sudden, I was saddened by the news of my pen pal's death.

Suddenly he became listless.

"Two hundred and eighteen is two hundred and eighteen. If you really want it, I can find a way to buy you a sewing machine. But you must never send letters in Russian again. And try not to show the fact that you can speak Russian in front of your family members. I completely trust you, but your family members are gossipy and there are always some busybodies." Of course, he would never give her any chance to access his work secrets.

"You only earn 70 yuan a month, how long will it take to buy a sewing machine?" Chen Lina's eyes suddenly lit up. A new big group, Nie Bozhao took out a stack of money.

"I've been working overtime a lot lately. I've also been teaching a few students and writing a few commissioned articles for newspapers. I get paid for my articles and overtime. This is my salary for this month."

Chen Lina took it and counted it. "Well, Nie Bozhao, three hundred yuan, and you lied to me that your monthly salary was only seventy yuan."

She is saving money here, but he is hiding it secretly.

This person's attitude was completely different from what Chen Lina had expected.