"Sister Yuanyuan, let's go to the grocery store, I'm craving tofu," Buling said, huddled timidly in the back seat.
"Sure, do you have any coupons for bean products?"
Buling froze for a moment: "It seems...no, never mind then, I won't eat it." She wasn't particularly fond of tofu anyway; she just wanted some seafood soup.
"How about we check the black market?" Wu Yuanyuan didn't have any tofu coupons either. Tofu was a nutritious food, very rare, almost as valuable as meat coupons.
"Forget it, it's too windy today, let's not go. Maybe another day. I'm not really that keen on eating anyway." Buling wasn't insistent; if they didn't have the three-delicacy soup, a tomato and egg soup would be fine too.
"Are we still going to that grocery store?"
"Let's go take a look; what if there's something new?"
"Okay." Wu Yuanyuan didn't say anything more. Anyway, it wasn't far, and what Buling said was right.
When the two arrived at the grocery store, it was almost closing time, so there wasn't much of anything good. In the end, they returned to the compound empty-handed.
The courtyard was very quiet, except for housewives and children running around wildly.
Wang's second sister-in-law was washing clothes outside with cold water in the dead of winter, keeping an eye on her two nephews and occasionally giving them a few words of advice.
Unfortunately, the two unruly children of the Wang family ignored them and even made faces at Wang Ersao.
Seeing this, Buling instinctively frowned, but said nothing. Since the other person hadn't said anything, what could she, an outsider, say?
After parting ways with Wu Yuanyuan, I pushed my bicycle home, and even greeted Wang Ersao as I passed by.
Wang Ersao smiled shyly and didn't say anything.
Bling went home, washed a tomato, chopped it into small pieces, and took a bowl of cornmeal, mixed in some wheat flour, and planned to make some hand-pulled noodles later.
This was already a luxurious way for her to eat. Ordinary families ate cornmeal as a refined grain, but she wasn't used to it. Cornmeal these days wasn't ground so finely like it is now; it was ground whole, with the corn cob still attached, resulting in a very coarse texture.
Since you have the means, why compromise yourself?
Heat oil in a pan, add tomatoes and stir-fry until they release their juices. Pour in a bowl of water, crack in an egg, add noodles, and once cooked, you'll have a delicious bowl of tomato and egg noodles.
After finishing her meal, she boiled some water, wiped herself down, and went to bed early. She'd stayed up late the night before and needed to make up for it today.
On the other side, Grandma Tian dragged her tired body home after work. It was already dark when she got home. Seeing her grandson covered in sweat in the yard, she quickly stopped him: "Congcong, stop playing. Come home with Grandma."
"Grandma, I want to play a little longer, it's my turn to be the general!" The little boy was a little reluctant to leave.
"No, you'll catch a cold." Aunt Tian said sternly.
The child was a little scared, but still wanted to try: "Grandma, let me play a little longer, just a little longer. I've been a Japanese soldier for so long, it's not easy to be a general for once."
Looking at her grandson's longing eyes, Aunt Tian relented: "Then don't sweat. If you do, we'll go home immediately, or I'll take you to get a shot."
Upon hearing about the injection, the child immediately covered his bottom and said, "I understand, Grandma."
Looking at her grandson's innocent smiling face, Aunt Tian smiled lovingly. No matter how tired she was, as long as she could see her grandson grow up healthy, she didn't feel bitter.
She walked towards the main room without stopping, first putting down the cloth bag, then taking a sweet potato, scooping out a bowlful of cornmeal, and after thinking for a moment, scooping out some more.
He took the things and went to the kitchen next door. Her kitchen had a stove connected to a heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed-stove) on the other side, which was very useful in winter, but the firewood she burned every day was quite expensive.
As Aunt Tian cooked, she thought about this month's expenses. Her salary and her grandson's martyr's allowance were barely enough to feed them. She still had to be frugal and save some money to feel at ease.
The aroma of food wafted out: "Congcong, time to eat!"
"Coming!" Little Chen Cong appeared in response.
Looking at her grandson's rosy, smiling face, Aunt Tian forgot all her worries. "Here, you carry the sweet potatoes and go ahead."
"Great!" The child was so happy to be able to help Grandma.
The grandmother and grandson ate only about half full for dinner. Grandma Tian added hot water and had her grandson wash his face and feet before tucking him into bed.
Aunt Tian took advantage of the time to wash the clothes and hang them up to dry tomorrow. She has to work during the day, so these chores can only be done in the evenings.
After washing and mending clothes, it was getting late, so she washed her feet and went to bed.
In the middle of the night, Grandma Tian was fast asleep when she turned over, intending to cuddle with her grandson. Finding nothing, she immediately opened her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her grandson lying not far away.
She tucked the blanket around her grandson, accidentally touching his face. Her heart skipped a beat. She sat up, touching her own forehead with one hand and her grandson's with the other. Realizing his temperature was indeed higher than hers, she immediately withdrew her hand.
"Congcong, Congcong, wake up, wake up!" She gently patted her grandson's cheek.
Chen Cong groaned in discomfort, but showed no intention of opening his eyes.
Aunt Tian calmed herself down, immediately took out the fever reducer she had prepared, poured a glass of warm water, pried open her grandson's mouth, and forced it down his throat.
Chen Cong was born prematurely and often gets sick, so she keeps a variety of commonly used medicines on hand to avoid frequent trips to the hospital.
After giving him the medicine, Grandma Tian didn't dare to sleep. She just stayed by her grandson's side, occasionally raising her hand to check his forehead.
But as dawn approached, her grandson's forehead temperature not only didn't drop, but actually rose slightly, and she panicked.
She pushed her grandson hard, "Congcong, wake up, look at Grandma, look at Grandma."
Chen Cong kept his eyes tightly closed, his cheeks flushed, and remained motionless.
Aunt Tian immediately got up, put on her clothes, rushed out of the house, and pounded on the neighbor's door: "Xiao Bu, Xiao Bu, Xiao Bu!" Each bang grew louder than the last.
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