In those days, going out was not easy. You needed a letter of introduction, a donkey cart, or an oxcart to get to the town. If there was a vehicle in the town, that would be best, as it could take you directly to the county seat. If not, you would have to be taken to the county seat by oxcart, and then take a bus to the city. The entire county bus station probably didn't have more than three buses.
They have four buses at the county bus station, all of which were scrapped from the provincial capital and transferred to the city, and then reassigned to other vehicles, layer upon layer, making the class distinctions very clear.
Xiao Jiu didn't expect to get so carsick. It was mainly because there were so many people, the road was bumpy, the smell of gasoline was strong, and it was too cold to open the windows. If it weren't for Sister Cui Mei helping her grab a window seat, she probably would have thrown up on someone else's car.
The bus ticket cost 32 cents per person, but she got a half-price ticket. Luckily, just in case, she didn't eat much for breakfast, otherwise she would have been very embarrassed.
After a long and arduous journey, they finally arrived in the city around afternoon. They had left home at seven in the morning, and her legs were trembling when she got off the bus.
After Zhou Yue's brother got out of the car, he immediately squatted down.
"Come on, get on my back. I think you shouldn't go sightseeing this afternoon. I'll find you a guesthouse near our school so you can rest for half the afternoon and then go out for a stroll in the evening."
We've been traveling for so long and none of us have eaten, but Xiao Jiu can't eat anything. My eldest and second eldest brothers are still carrying the luggage, so Sister Cui Mei suggested...
"Big brother, second brother, let's take the luggage to the dormitory first, and then find a guesthouse."
Cui Mei had already carried the luggage that Zhou Yue was carrying. Seeing Xiao Jiu looking so dejected, she felt sorry for her.
Xiao Jiu lay softly on Zhou Yue's back, so light that he could hardly feel her weight.
"You don't eat enough, girl. It's not heavy at all to carry you."
Even though Xiao Jiu wasn't feeling well, she didn't forget to respond to her brothers.
"It's not enough. My mother is worried that I'll get indigestion. Maybe I've used up a lot of energy, so I haven't gained much weight. Um, I want to go to the guesthouse to rest in a bit. I don't want to eat anything. You guys go eat. Don't worry about me. Let me sleep for a while, and I'll be fully recharged."
They brought a lot of dry food with them when they came. Grandma fried meatballs, lotus root sandwiches, and fried dough sticks for the New Year, and steamed bean buns, fried rolls, and steamed buns. They brought a lot of all of these. When they heard that Xiaojiu wasn't going to eat, everyone saved money.
"Then let's borrow the fire at the guesthouse to bake a few buns for dinner, and then find a small restaurant for dinner."
Not all the small restaurants have closed down yet; those that are still open have completed the necessary procedures.
There aren't many county towns, but looking at the city, most of them are old brands that have been around since the Republic of China era.
No matter how big the shop is, if they've been in business for decades, the food must taste good.
Everyone agreed with the second brother's suggestion, but the routes were different. Cui Mei escorted Tao Zui and his brother to the entrance of the No. 1 High School in the city. The two brothers took the luggage from her and then asked Cui Mei to go to a nearby guesthouse to book a room.
“We still need to tidy up in the dorm for a while. While the sun is still out, let’s take the blankets out to air them for a bit. A-Yue, take Xiao Jiu over first, then come back to help later. Cui Mei, please take care of her for now. We’ll go over later.”
Cui Mei naturally had no objections. The room in the city cost one cent a day, with two beds, and it looked fairly clean.
After showing the letter of introduction, Zhou Yue handed over 50 cents and a 30-cent deposit to reserve two days' time.
The waiter noted the time and registered the information. Zhou Yue carefully placed the drowsy Xiao Jiu on the bed, gave Cui Mei a wink, and then left.
"Fifth Sister, could you please help me take off my shoes? I'm exhausted, and my head is throbbing. I'm so useless; I still feel dizzy and nauseous."
"Okay, don't worry about anything. I'll get some hot water in a bit, you can drink some water and you'll feel better."
He quickly and efficiently took off her thick cotton-padded coat, hat, scarf, shoes, and socks, then covered her with a blanket, letting her hair down. Once she was comfortable, he began cleaning the room, rinsing the thermos, washing the kettle they had already finished drinking from, and then closed the door and went out.
...
When Xiao Jiu woke up, it was already dark outside. She was stunned at first, and then suddenly sat up in bed.
"Oh my god, how long have I been asleep?" Hearing the noise, Cui Mei sat up from the bed next to her. The next second, the room was lit up; she had lit the kerosene lamp.
"Oh, you're awake? Are you hungry? I'll heat up some buns for you. We were planning to have dinner together tonight, but you've been sleeping until now, and nobody wanted to wake you. We just made do on the coal stove in the guesthouse and baked a few buns and steamed bread, which we ate with some pickled vegetables."
"Sister, what time is it now?" Cui Mei pulled open her wrist and glanced at it. "Wow, it's already nine o'clock. Time really flies. I actually slept for two hours."
Xiao Jiu glanced at Cui Mei's wrist in surprise. She actually had a watch?
Then I thought about it and felt relieved. Everyone has cameras, so it's not surprising that someone has a watch.
She touched her stomach; she was a little hungry, but not obviously so. She then shook her head at Cui Mei.
"Sis, I don't want to eat. Since it's so late, let's just sleep. We won't be hungry when we wake up."
Cui Mei, unsuspecting, responded and got up to pour her a cup of hot water.
"If you really can't eat, drink some hot water to soothe your throat,"
Xiao Jiu was indeed thirsty. After drinking three cups of hot water, she felt completely hydrated. She then asked her fifth sister to blow out the light and lay down on the bed, sleeping for six or seven hours. She was no longer sleepy, especially after waking up and seeing the unfamiliar environment, which made it even harder to fall back asleep. However, her sister was clearly tired and soon fell asleep. As she heard the sound of even breathing, Xiao Jiu had a thought and entered the space.
Here are some of the foods she makes when no one is home, such as fried dough sticks, fried dough fritters, sugar cakes, and vegetable dumplings. There are also steamed spicy tofu buns, shrimp buns, and braised pork buns. There are also some frozen foods currently in the freezer. However, she is used to eating what she makes herself, and she doesn't care for even the best frozen foods.
I picked up a meat bun and took a bite. The juices flowed out, and it was savory and delicious. The meat was also quite chewy. Although the bun was handmade and not as white, it had a slightly alkaline taste, which made it very tasty.
She even peeled an orange for herself to whet her appetite, and then ate the sweet and sour cherry tomatoes one after another, thoroughly enjoying them.
She stopped eating when she couldn't eat anymore and started cleaning the space. She couldn't sleep because she was too full, so she simply moved the items she could reach down the space slowly. Before, she was too young to reach them, and now she still has some strength to spare. Fortunately, her family has been well-off these past few years, so she has hardly touched anything. Even when making these snacks, she doesn't use more than 100 pounds of flour or 50 pounds of meat a year.
Once the food in my stomach had been mostly digested, I left the space and lay down to sleep.
As a result, I tossed and turned until dawn before finally falling asleep.
My older sister woke up at six o'clock in the morning, and worried that she would be hungry, so she woke her up too.
It's early in the morning, time to eat something warm.
“Yesterday, my older brother and his friends said they were going to have breakfast at school, and told us not to wait for them, but to find somewhere to buy something to eat.”
Xiao Jiu's eyes lit up. "If we can't finish the beef soup, let's have the mutton soup, sis?"
As cattle are an important means of production, they naturally cannot be slaughtered unless they die of disease. But even then, they are not served by restaurants outside the village; they are mostly consumed within the village itself.
"Alright, I've heard that the mutton soup in our city is amazing. Let's get ready and go have some soup."
The two sisters washed their faces, brushed their teeth, and got ready before heading out. They asked a waiter which restaurant had good mutton soup and then turned into the alley.
After wandering around for a long time and asking many elderly people who were exercising in the morning and queuing to buy groceries, I finally found Chen's Lamb Soup Restaurant.
When asked about the price, the two sisters clicked their tongues in surprise: "A bowl of soup costs 15 cents, and comes with a flatbread and a meat coupon for 2 ounces."
This is almost as much as the lodging fee. Cui Mei was about to take out her money when Xiao Jiu came over and asked, "Fifth Sister, we still need meat coupons, do you have any?"
When Cui Mei realized there were no meat coupons for the small wine, she paused for a moment and subconsciously shook her head.
"How could I forget about that? I only have three to five jin of grain coupons here, and meat coupons... I really don't have any."
Xiao Jiu's face fell. "Looks like we can't have this soup for now. Oh well, let's go, we won't eat it."
You have to pay for meat coupons just to eat meat. Where are they supposed to get meat coupons? The meat they sell isn't even cheap to begin with.
Although they gave her a pancake that didn't require food coupons, Xiao Jiu still felt it wasn't worth it.
So she grabbed her sister's hand and started walking, but before they had gone a few steps, a woman screamed behind them, and the two sisters turned around at the same time.
The woman saw the man's face turn red at a visible speed, accompanied by itching. He was extremely nervous, scratching here and there, looking horrified. Whether it was psychological or not, his stomach also started to feel uncomfortable.
"My God, Lao Guo, what happened to you?"
The woman stood up excitedly and saw that the woman was pregnant. The two sisters, one Chinese and one Western, were both studying medicine. Just by looking at the man's reaction, they understood what was going on. The woman turned to the shopkeeper with a look of fear and questioned him.
"Is there something wrong with your food? Why does he have so many red rashes? Lao Guo, how are you? Is there anything else that's bothering you?"
"My stomach hurts, my stomach hurts, I need to go to the toilet, oh, where is the toilet, please point it out to me quickly."
"Comrade, come with me to the backyard. Come on, slow down. In the backyard, this lady, you're pregnant, don't be afraid, don't be afraid. We've seen him like this before. Is this his first time eating mutton?"
The pregnant woman thought about it for a moment, and realized it really was her first time eating it. "How could this have anything to do with how many times I've eaten it before?"
"It's not about how many times it's been, but that he's never eaten it before and now he's getting a rash. That means his body isn't suited to eating mutton. The doctor said it's a food incompatibility reaction, an allergic reaction. It's nothing to worry about, just stop eating it and it will subside gradually."
"Is that really the case? Are you trying to shirk responsibility?"
"Comrade, if you're worried, you can go to a nearby hospital to get it checked out. Besides, look, we've put up a notice here!"
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