Chapter 28 Mistreatment of Comrades?
Dang Xianghong has a quick temper, but she is unusually patient with the delicate Shen Wanjun.
Trying to guide: "There are lots of bubbles, what should we do now?"
"Fire it out?" Shen Wanjun asked tentatively.
Seeing that Dang Xianghong's expression wasn't very good, she added, "Then...should we cook it a little longer?"
Dang Xianghong didn't say anything, but poured a bucket of cold water on it.
The bubbles were all gone, and Shen Wanjun felt a little regretful.
"When the noodles are about to overflow, add some water, repeat this two or three times, and they'll be cooked."
Shen Wanjun nodded, watching Dang Xianghong busily prepare the noodles.
A tomato and egg sauce, sprinkled with chopped scallions, looks so appetizing.
Shen Wanjun took a bite and praised repeatedly, "Big sister, you're amazing! In Shanghai, your noodles would probably sell out as soon as they're set up."
No wonder everyone in China says they want to sell their food to people in Shanghai; it's really easy to make money off them.
Song Zhan buried his head in his food and ate heartily. Shen Wanjun asked, "Is the noodles my eldest sister made delicious?"
You can't just eat without saying anything. They worked so hard to cook, you have to give them some feedback.
Song Zhan simply nodded, without saying a single extra word.
Shen Wanjun was a little embarrassed, and tried to smooth things over by saying, "Big sister, don't mind him, that's just his personality."
“Sigh, my husband Li is the same way, just like a block of wood.”
At this moment, the two wooden figures eating were thinking to themselves: Delicious, really delicious.
"Hey little sister, do you eat garlic?" Dang Xianghong asked.
"I...I'll eat noodles." Shen Wanjun was puzzled. Isn't garlic a condiment?
Dang Xianghong peeled a few cloves of garlic, gave some to Lao Li and Song Zhan, and then ate his noodles and garlic bites at a time, slurping them down.
After just a few bites, more than half of the noodles in the bowl were gone.
She squinted her eyes, looking thoroughly satisfied: "Eating noodles without garlic diminishes the flavor by half."
Shen Wanjun was truly amazed. She was used to eating rice and rarely ate noodles, let alone knew that noodles could be prepared in this way.
Dang Xianghong met Shen Wanjun's eager gaze and couldn't help but say a few more words.
"There are many rules to eating noodles. For example, if the chili peppers aren't splashed on the surface, the noodles won't look fresh. The noodles should be wide, the soup should be plentiful, and the vinegar should be bright and sour."
After finishing his noodles, Song Zhan drank every last drop of the broth, wiped his mouth, and said, "Drinking noodle soup is better than any medicine."
Shen Wanjun asked, "Is this true?"
"Of course it's true, the main point is to use the original soup to digest the original food."
Perhaps because he was enjoying the meal, Song Zhan became more talkative, saying things like, "You have to finish all the noodles, or you'll be poor for three years if you leave a bite."
Shen Wanjun still had more than half a bowl of noodles left, and she hesitated, saying, "I... can't eat anymore."
She has a tiny appetite.
"It's okay, I'll eat it for you." Song Zhan poured the noodles directly into his own bowl.
Old Li, being very perceptive, nudged Dang Xianghong, saying, "If you can't finish it, I can help you."
Dang Xianghong was somewhat possessive of her food: "I can finish it."
She didn't feel comfortable eating freely at Shen Wanjun's house.
The bowl is too small; it's simply not enough for her to use.
While eating, Dang Xianghong observed Shen Wanjun and Song Zhan. Seeing the two chatting and laughing, in perfect harmony, she felt much more at ease.
When Song Zhan had his accident, she was worried that he might do something rash.
Now, with Shen Wanjun around, Song Zhan seems to have "come alive" again.
After finishing her meal, Shen Wanjun took out a pile of yarn.
"Big sister, do you know how to knit?" Shen Wanjun asked. "The weather here is quite cold, and I'd like to knit a sweater."
"Is this knitted for your Song Zhan?" Dang Xianghong asked with a smile.
Shen Wanjun nodded, and Song Zhan, who was opposite her, almost spilled his tea when he heard this.
Has this woman really changed? She even knows how to knit him a sweater now?
But her hands are so delicate, can she really knit it?
Dang Xianghong selected two bundles of yarn, saying, "These need to be bundled into balls first, so they will be easier to knit later."
"How do I tie it up?" Shen Wanjun was a complete novice in life, but she was not ashamed to ask questions and was willing to learn.
Dang Xianghong directed two men who were drinking tea, "You two come over here and help."
His tone was serious and left no room for refusal.
Old Li pushed Song Zhan in his wheelchair, and the four of them busied themselves in the living room.
Dang Xianghong's speed in winding yarn was astonishing; it was as if there was no job she couldn't do.
Pressed by her, Old Li had no choice but to speed up his movements.
On the other hand, Shen Wanjun somehow got herself and Song Zhan entangled in the mess, and her wheelchair also suffered as a result.
Song Zhan looked utterly hopeless and let her do whatever she wanted.
But the more Shen Wanjun struggled, the more chaotic things became, and she almost got Song Zhan wrapped up like a dumpling.
Finally, Song Zhan couldn't take it anymore and said, "How about we buy a sweater? They're not that expensive."
"The cheaper ones are only ten or twenty yuan, while the better ones are at least twenty or thirty yuan. Isn't that expensive?"
Dang Xianghong was astonished. "That's not how you spend money. This expense is completely unnecessary."
Shen Wanjun silently calculated Song Zhan's salary: a basic salary of 133 yuan for a battalion commander, a regional subsidy of 20 yuan, and a grain price difference subsidy of 10 yuan, for a total of 163 yuan.
It seems there are indeed very few; I can't buy many sweaters.
“With the money you have to buy sweaters, you could buy several kilograms of flour and pork head meat,” Dang Xianghong said.
Flour is 18 cents a pound, pork is 80 cents a pound, nothing is cheaper than buying a sweater.
“Then let’s knit a sweater instead. I can learn to do that,” Shen Wanjun assured her.
She possesses enormous wealth in her personal space, but Song Zhan's salary is meager.
For things that are out in the open, he still has to pay for them, so let's save money wherever we can.
Song Zhan felt somewhat guilty, blaming himself for his low salary, which left his wife without sweaters and forced her to knit them herself.
"I'll do it."
Song Zhan wrapped the ball of yarn around the chair next to him, found the end of the yarn, and wrapped it back into a ball.
As the four were talking, a rude knocking sound suddenly came from outside the door.
"Who is it? It's so rude of you to knock on the door. I'll go see."
Dang Xianghong put down the yarn, opened the door, and was clearly taken aback when she saw the person opposite her.
"Political Commissar?! What brings you here? Is something the matter?"
Political Commissar Hao wore a Lei Feng hat and a green cotton military overcoat with four pockets.
A navy blue V-neck sweater hugged her long, slender neck.
Wearing red collar tabs, they came in with a menacing air.
“I just received a report from the public that someone here is mistreating our comrades.”
Without saying a word, Political Commissar Hao rushed into the house, fearing that if he hesitated even a moment, the evidence at the scene would be destroyed.
The living room wasn't big, and Lao Li and Song Zhan were both winding yarn.
The difference is that Lao Li only uses both hands to hold the yarn, while Song Zhan does.
Her hands and legs were covered in yarn, and even her wheelchair was affected.
At first glance, it looked like he had been kidnapped.
Political Commissar Hao pointed at Song Zhan and said, "Shen Wanjun, right? Look at the mess you've made."
Shen Wanjun smiled and said, "Comrade Political Commissar, you're being too kind."
"As Song Zhan's wife, it's only right that I knit him a sweater. How is that doing a good deed?"
"It's so cold, I'm just worried he'll get cold. Isn't it natural for a woman to care for her man?"
Looking at Dang Xianghong, Shen Wanjun said somewhat embarrassedly, "If we're talking about mistreating comrades, then I've probably been too harsh on Sister Dang."
"She taught me to cook and knit, it was really hard on her. It's all my fault for being so stupid, I haven't learned it after trying for so long."
Political Commissar Hao: What a sharp-tongued little girl.
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