There were roasted sweet potatoes on the way, and when she got home, there was a sour and spicy egg soup waiting for her. Holding a big bowl of egg noodle soup, she felt completely relaxed.
With the start of the new school term approaching, my older brother and sister were leaving, so the two families got together for a farewell dinner this weekend.
As the saying goes, dumplings before boarding and noodles upon disembarking, Cuihong offered up two large sea fish when she had no meat coupons and couldn't buy pork on the black market.
It took quite a bit of time just to pick out the bones and mince the meat, but thankfully all the hard work was worth it.
The combination of fish, radish, scallions, and cilantro gives the filling a white base with a touch of green, making it more spicy and refreshing.
The three ingredients blend together to create a rare and sophisticated taste.
Unlike the traditional cabbage and radish dumpling filling, the radish and fish filling was something they were eating for the first time. Combined with the milky white broth made from the fish bones, it felt even more comforting than the New Year's Eve feast.
Outside, the weather is so cold that my face and hands are chapped and frozen. But holding a bowl of sour soup dumplings made with broth, I feel so fresh and fragrant, it's delicious to the bone.
Having long been accustomed to parting, they didn't say much, but their reluctance to leave was evident from the way their family members packed their luggage.
In previous years, Grandma was always the main force, but this year, although she was sick, she still gave Zhao Lingli some instructions.
Because they were going to a place in Northeast China, the grandmother was afraid that her grandchildren would get cold, so she would crochet some woolen socks for them every year. Knowing that the training was tough and that shoes would wear out, she also made a lot of insoles for them. She thought of every child, but she never expected that she would collapse so soon.
Seeing the neatly folded insoles and socks, several boys who were not good at expressing themselves were moved and walked up to the old lady to hug her, burying their heads in her arms and greedily enjoying the moment of warmth.
Watching the wild boys who used to follow her around grow into upright men, even though they no longer pester her and she only sees them a few times a year, the old lady feels that her mission has been perfectly accomplished, and she has no regrets even if she dies.
So when Xiao Jiu saw that unprecedented sense of ease in her grandmother, she hoped even more that this kind old woman could live a few more years.
After the Lantern Festival, the New Year celebrations were over. The children went their separate ways. Tao Changyi, being a skilled worker, returned to the factory early. Ordinary workers Zhao Lingli and Tang Cuilian had no work for the time being and continued to stay at home.
The packages belonging to Tao's two aunts were sent home via military mail. They were supposed to arrive before the Lunar New Year, but for some reason, they were not delivered until after the Lantern Festival.
What's the most anticipated thing at this time?
Receiving packages from relatives in other places, even if it's just a bunch of dried vegetables, can always save someone from dire straits.
These past two years have been tough for everyone, but the difficulties faced by Henan Province are known throughout the country.
So, Grandma Tao's two daughters, one from the south and one from the north, would send supplies to her once or twice a year.
This time the supplies were particularly plentiful; we received four whole sacks of them.
When Grandpa pulled the cart to town to bring it back, it even attracted a crowd of onlookers in the village.
Fortunately, Cuihong, who was strong, helped them, and they dragged and pulled them back to the Tao family.
When you leave, close the door behind you to shut out those people's unrealistic ideas.
"This child is so lucky! Look how good that girl is, sending so many things at once, and using the military's special line. These days, only the military's special line won't get robbed, right?"
In famine years, people will do anything for food. The reason for using the military express route is to prevent packages from being stolen.
The military green bag is sturdy and durable, and even a country bumpkin who has never seen much of the world knows what this green represents.
Although Tao's two sons sacrificed their lives on the battlefield and his two daughters married far away, both of them were soldiers. Only Tao Changyi was left, but he had four sons and one daughter. Now, three of them have been admitted to university. Just look, his good fortune is yet to come!
Over the years, my sister-in-law Tao Hua is still in Chongqing, while my sister-in-law Tao Yuan is still in Harbin. They are in the north and south, respectively, and are so busy that they can't even find time to go home.
It's not their fault. They mainly marry soldiers, which means they have to shoulder more responsibilities. Besides taking care of the children, they also have to support the elderly. If they also have a job, they won't have many days off throughout the year.
The two sisters-in-law are not unfilial people; they send packages to them every year.
So, from Taoyuan in Harbin, she sent her parents cashmere vests, cashmere socks, cashmere scarves, as well as various seafood, dried mountain delicacies, and even nourishing wild ginseng. Two large packages couldn't contain all her thoughts and feelings for her parents.
The clothes she sent back also contained two hundred yuan and over ten kilograms of national grain coupons, which shows that my sister-in-law was living a fairly good life.
The eldest sister-in-law also gave a lot. Tao Hua, who lives in the mountain city, sent back nearly 20 catties of cured meat, and also sent back 30 catties of dragon beard noodles to the two elders, plus some dried wild game, dried vegetables, sesame oil... She is obviously a very honest person.
They say family members don't enter the same door unless they're from the same family. I also stuffed two hundred yuan into the sweater I knitted for my parents. Perhaps because I sent them noodles and meat, I didn't prepare any coupons.
No wonder such a package had to be sent via military shipping; if it had been sent via a regular civilian shipping line, it probably would have been lost long ago.
Because they hadn't received it before the New Year, their two sisters-in-law sent numerous telegrams home to inquire about it.
I was afraid that the things I had worked so hard to prepare would be lost again.
That's great, the items have been received, and Grandpa sent them a telegram immediately.
"If the items arrive a few days earlier, the kids can get a better deal."
Because the things sent were all good, the old man's first thought was not to hide them for himself to eat, but that his grandsons hadn't been able to eat them when they left. In this respect, he was better than many other elderly people in the family.
Zhao Lingli laughed when she heard this: "Dad, they ate quite well at home during the New Year. These were all sent to you by my eldest sister and the others. My mother is in this condition, so she should take more nourishment. The children are young and can eat whatever they want. You don't need to worry about them all the time."
"You didn't tell them about your mother, did you?" The old woman was used to reporting good news and not bad, so Zhao Lingli naturally had to obediently agree.
"Don't worry, my mother is recovering so well now. Why would I tell them? It would take so long to travel back and forth. I didn't tell them, so don't worry."
The old man sighed, "I'm getting old, and every time I see someone like this, it's one less time I'll have to!"
After packing the package, Zhao Lingli put everything into the old lady's mahogany box. She would go and get it if she needed anything else, so that at least the old lady would know that she, as her daughter-in-law, had no designs on the things her daughter sent back.
The two nuns were nice people, and Zhao Lingli always got along very well with them.
In particular, they have sent a lot of clothes home over the years. Although they are all old clothes, their body shapes are all similar, so the old clothes fit them well. Xiao Jiu has also gotten a lot of bargains.
In the cold weather of Northeast China, the clothes sent back are all very warm, so Xiaojiu rarely makes new clothes. From childhood to adulthood, apart from underwear, outer shirts, and coats, she has basically always had something to change into.
The classmates in the county only thought Xiao Jiu was dressed well, but in reality, these clothes were all hand-me-downs from others. It's just that she grew up in a big city, so even though the clothes were too small, they were still very clean and in good condition. Her aunt collected them and sent them home to her.
Every time she picks out clothes, it always brings various surprises, such as the leather cotton boots or little leather shoes that are hidden among them. As long as they fit her well, she will admire them for a long time.
Which girl doesn't love beauty? Xiao Jiu is no exception. Her family isn't well-off to begin with, so she feels very happy to have more opportunities to choose suitable clothes, especially since her two aunts from the north and south sent her clothes at the same time. There are probably more clothes than she can wear.
The first person I thought of was my sister, and my seventh and eighth sisters also benefited a lot from it.
They had never worn nice clothes in their lives, but after returning to Xihe Village, they not only had food and drink but also clothes to wear with Xiaojiu, which is why they felt resentful at first.
Fortunately, with the passage of time, I have been able to face this change in mindset with equanimity.
Do you want to study?
As the eldest sister, Cuihua naturally took on the role of mediator between the sisters.
She and her second, third, and fourth children were no longer suited for studying, and what they had learned in previous years was sufficient.
The fifth and sixth children have already been admitted to university, so shouldn't the seventh and eighth children, who are still young, go to school too?
This wasn't the first time Tang Cuihua had brought it up, nor was it the first time Cuifeng and Cuilan had refused.
"Forget it, sis. Just study at home. Why waste money? Anyway, we'd just be laughed at at school. It's better to stay home and work!"
The lame Cuifeng had longed to study in the town or county like Xiaojiu; she had even been insanely jealous of her.
But later she discovered that she was simply not cut out for studying. Not only could she not concentrate on learning, but she also couldn't sit still. Her fifth and sixth sisters, who were at home during the holidays, even brought books to teach her, but neither she nor her eighth sister could learn anything.
It was from this experience that I learned that if you're not cut out for studying, no matter how hard you try, it's all in vain.
Cuilan, whose right eye was damaged, chimed in, "Yes, eldest sister, as long as you can write your own name, do arithmetic, and recognize a few words, that's enough, right? We're not like Xiaojiu; we're not destined to study hard and become top scholars. Let's save the money we save to build a house in the future, shall we?"
"I'm just worried you'll regret it later. What if you bring up the drinking again?"
Hearing this, Cuifeng blushed and said, "Big sister, please don't embarrass me. I know now that I'm not cut out for studying, how could I possibly be jealous of Ninth Sister? I was just ignorant before. From now on, Eighth Brother and I will do more work and we can live just fine. Let's not try to balance our relationships over these things."
Cuihua felt much relieved to see that Cuifeng and Cuilan were speaking from the heart.
"It's best if you think like this. Actually, it's not bad to think like what Lao Liu imagined before. When conditions are better in the future, we sisters can contract to organize weddings and funerals and specialize in organizing banquets for people. After all, we only live once, and there are always people who can excel in any profession. Don't you think so?"
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