It seems that the three-year famine also scared the country, and even with a good harvest, the food supply is still limited.
Zhang Jidi sighed and didn't take it to heart.
Xiang Mianmian touched the cotton shoes beside the brazier and said, "Fifth sister, your cotton shoes are ready. Would you like to try them on?"
Xiang Lili put her foot in and tried it: "It really works, thank you, little sister."
"No problem, you're welcome."
Xiang Mianmian continued to bake the shoes of her three brothers. Once the shoes became wet after the snow melted, they had to be dried quickly, otherwise they would easily become moldy without sunlight.
The snow was quite heavy and it kept falling, intermittently until the evening of New Year's Day.
The Xiang family heated up the New Year’s Eve dinner from last night. The whole family enjoyed the sumptuous meal happily. Xiang Hongqi, the staff member who stayed behind at the steel plant, went back to work.
Zhang Jidi tossed and turned as he planned to ask Meimei to go back to her parents' home the next day.
I don't know how Xiang Meimei is doing in the Chen family. The old custom in the county is that a married woman who is not pregnant is basically not allowed to go back to her parents' home except for the third day of the lunar year and the second day of the New Year.
She didn't want to go and see her daughter either. Her daughter had only been married for five days, and she missed her so much already.
The next morning, just after seven o'clock, when it was still dark, Zhang Jidi woke everyone up and waited together for Xiang Meimei to come home.
The snow stopped, but the sky was still overcast and the snow had not melted. It was almost nine o'clock before Xiang Meimei and her husband appeared.
Chen Wei stamped his feet to shake the snow off the doorstep, then smiled and handed the basket to Zhang Jidi: "Mom, I'm bringing Meimei back to see you."
Zhang Jidi looked at Xiang Meimei, who was a guest, and his eyes became moist. He quickly lowered his head to take the basket and put it away.
The three of them sat by the fire and explained to Meimei, "Mom, we originally wanted to ride our bikes here, which would have been faster, but the snow was so deep, so we just walked here."
"Safety is the most important thing. You'd better walk. Wait until the snow melts before riding your bikes. Did you have breakfast? I'll make you some egg tea."
Xiang Meimei quickly waved her hand: "No need, Mom, we've already eaten and are full now."
Chen Wei also kept persuading him, and finally pulled Zhang Jidi in front of the brazier to continue chatting.
Xiang Meimei and Zhang Jidi were chatting about family matters when she suddenly thought, "My eldest brother is getting married on the sixth day of the first lunar month. Mom, how much gift should we give?"
Zhang Jidi had already made plans: "I'll ask my younger sister to give you red envelopes and towels when the time comes. Just add 4 yuan to the envelope."
Elders are given red envelopes and meat, while peers do not receive meat, usually towels or handkerchiefs.
Xiang Meimei nodded: "Okay, mother, I will take a leave of absence and come to help prepare the banquet."
"Meimei, come over on the fifth night. There's room for you at home, and your boudoir will be left untouched."
Chen Wei immediately interrupted: "Mom, I'll come and help too. I can't let Meimei get tired all by herself."
He and Xiang Meimei are in love with each other. How could he let his wife suffer while he himself is free and easy?
Zhang Jidi said helplessly: "You'd better go to work. Your job is very important. It's not good to take too many days off."
When her own daughter comes to help, she doesn't feel any burden in ordering her around. But it's different for her son-in-law. After all, he's an outsider. Besides, he's a leader and has a high salary, so it's not cost-effective for him to take leave.
"My eldest brother-in-law is getting married, and it would be awkward if I didn't come to help. Meimei only has five siblings, and for something as big as a wedding, I still have to take five days off."
Chen Wei argued convincingly.
Zhang Jidi had no choice but to say, "Okay, come over and I'll prepare a room for you to live in."
When a newlywed couple visits someone else's home, they cannot stay in the same room. Although they don't know why this is the custom, Zhang Jidi and his family still abide by it.
Chen Wei looked aggrieved and wanted to be closer to his wife.
Xiang Meimei ignored him completely and asked Zhang Jidi, "My eldest brother is getting married soon, and Lidang is 15 years old this year. Mom, are you planning to find a girl?"
Zhang Jidi nodded: "How could I not have seen it? I have always been concerned about your brother's affairs. There are few girls in the coal factory, and Li Dang has a steady personality, so I haven't come into contact with many of them."
She was also anxious. Although 15 years old was not too old to be honest and she could wait for two years, Xiang Lidang was taciturn and it was really difficult to find a satisfactory daughter-in-law.
Xiang Meimei could only comfort her: "Mom, it's okay. I'll ask a friend and ask Chen Wei to go to the match factory to think about it. There's still time."
Chen Wei immediately supported Xiang Meimei: "Well, I will definitely keep it in mind. My brothers have sisters at home, and we will see if we can find one when the time comes."
Zhang Jidi frowned. "Well, I'm not worried about Li Dang. He has a job, so no matter how bad it is, it's not that bad. But Li Hua and Li Li are both 13 years old, which means they're only three years away from turning 16."
This is a real big deal. 16 is the age when one should go to the countryside, and these two children are twins, a boy and a girl, so they need two jobs at once.
"The factory's policies are also tightening. They say they won't be hiring this year. I don't know if I can still buy a job."
I was also worried when I mentioned this to Meimei.
She works in the Propaganda Department and is well-informed. The steel plant used to recruit more than a dozen people in previous years, but this year it simply stopped recruiting.
If we don't recruit people, it means we can only buy other people's old positions. But everyone has several children and they all take over. Jobs are hard to come by.
Zhang Jidi felt a little regretful. He exchanged two jobs for this big house for a vague demolition news.
"If I had known not to buy this house then, I wouldn't have to worry about Lihua and Lili now."
Xiang Meimei could only counsel her: "Mom, they are only 13, still young. There are still three years left, and maybe they can get into a technical secondary school and get assigned jobs."
"Three years have already flown by. Oh, forget it. There's no regrets. Could you please help me keep an eye out for jobs? We'll buy them for them."
Zhang Jidi regretted it but it was useless. He could only look at Xiang Meimei and Chen Wei with hope.
After all, Chen Wei was the one who brought two jobs to her family, so maybe he had some connections.
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