Chapter 22 Chapter 22 Chicken Soup Wontons

We were busy with things in the fields and backyard for more than half a month, and the factory's policy on children's schooling was also posted at the factory gate amid the commotion.

Factory 431 will no longer enroll students other than children of factory employees.

I don't know who came up with this idea, but it was followed up with a condition that would allow direct admission to the factory's children's primary school - children of external employees who graduated from the factory's kindergarten could attend the factory's children's school.

There are also corresponding limits on the number of participants. There are only a few spots available each year, first come first served...

As soon as the news came out, people brought their children to the gate of the 431 Factory Kindergarten every day to inquire about the news, and the gate was often blocked by crowds.

Wang Nian went to check on Shi Wan twice himself, and his desire to send Shi Wan to kindergarten dropped to zero.

One hundred places does not mean that if a family has only one child and only a few cents of living expenses every month, most people can afford it with a little effort.

When Wang Nian went there for the first time, the shouting in the kindergarten almost blew the roof off.

The chaotic scene of the second time is still fresh in my memory.

After returning home and discussing with Shi Xiangming, Wang Nian took the initiative to take on the task of taking care of Shi Wan.

Shi Xiangming felt that the main reason why the factory leadership team made this decision was that they were worried about being caught by someone with ulterior motives, so it was just a stopgap measure.

The notice only said that children from kindergarten could go directly to primary school, but did not mention technical schools or working in factories.

"They are just biding their time..."

As for how long they had to wait, Shi Xiangming did not elaborate, but Wang Nian understood it immediately.

The two got married on August 12, 1975.

This year, some educated youth in the Red Flag Brigade received a notice to return to the city. The team members began to raise chickens and pigs at home and no longer feared speculation.

Next year, this special revolution that has lasted for nearly a decade will come to an end, and the era of the great wave of reform and opening up will arrive.

Professor Wu paid a surprise visit half a month ago, and Wang Nian believed that it was not just a simple visit to see the students.

But Wang Nian doesn’t have too many thoughts at the moment. He just wants to make his family live a good life first.

As the air in the mountains grew colder, the first Mid-Autumn Festival after the establishment of our family arrived.

What woke Wang Nian up today was not his biological clock, but a tiny groaning sound coming from next door.

At this time, through the gaps in the curtains, I could see that it was not yet completely bright.

"Towards……"

I glanced to the side and found that the pillow on my right was empty. It felt cold to the touch and I had no idea how long I had been awake.

Wang Nian put on his clothes and sat up, wanting to confirm whether he had heard it wrongly.

“Woof woof——”

This time it was not a whimpering sound, but a loud dog bark, and then it became muffled as if someone covered its mouth.

Then, there was another crackling sound coming from the direction of the living room.

Wang Nian quickly got up, dressed, opened the door and looked in the direction of the noise.

The morning light was dim and the fog was thick. A faint light from behind the wall just happened to shine on the busy figure in the backyard.

I don’t know how long this person has been busy, and it seems like a layer of water vapor has condensed on his hair.

The last few tiles were being put up in the firewood shed near the door. The bamboo fence boards that Carpenter Wang had just delivered yesterday were standing upright in the corner of the wall, and the chicken coop inside had also been built.

That location happened to be the planning layout that Wang Nian mentioned inadvertently during the conversation the day before yesterday.

It was just a vision of future life, but it became reality in the blink of an eye.

Wang Nian watched the figure come down the ladder quietly, watched him mark the remaining ground into blocks with branches, and then muttered that the remaining bricks could be used to pave another path.

Finally, Wang Nian was the first to let out the anger that was stuck in his heart and spoke.

"Why didn't you call me?"

Her eyes were filled with sadness, and she was so moved that she didn't know how to express her joy for a moment.

This is what it feels like when someone takes a casual word from you to heart.

Shi Xiangming raised his head and waved to Wang Nian.

"Come here and take a look at the chicken coop I built."

Wang Nian pulled a towel off the shelf, picked up the coat hanging by the door, then pushed the door open and went out.

"Let's wait until the sun comes out. What if you catch a cold?"

Wang Nian wiped Shi Xiangming's hair with a towel with concern, and when she looked closely she found that water was dripping from the hair.

"Let's finish it early while we have a break, so that we can eat eggs earlier." Shi Xiangming smiled and asked Wang Nian to see the firewood shed he had built.

He looks like a child waiting for praise, and it is hard to skip the step of giving him candy.

Wang Nian raised her eyebrows, with a look of surprise and joy on her face: "My husband is not only excellent at work, but he is also the most considerate husband in life."

In this age where emotional subtlety is important, it is hard for anyone to resist Wang Nian's words.

The fact that Shi Xiangming's ears quickly turned red and his eyes became brighter proved that even someone as calm as him at the moment was embarrassed by the compliments.

"After the Mid-Autumn Festival, I'll go to the grain station to exchange some vegetable seedlings. Let's plant some pea tips..."

When Wang Nian began to plan when to plant according to Shi Xiangming's arrangement, two louder dog barks in the hut interrupted the warmth.

"I'll go and take a look."

For safety reasons, the door of the cabin was not locked. Shi Xiangming walked into the room and pushed it gently.

The door was wide open.

There was no puppy in the house.

However... the quilt underneath was bulging up into a big bulge, and I could still hear Shi Shuwen telling Shi Wan to stop talking.

"Not coming out yet?"

No need to look, the brother and sister are both under the quilt, and maybe the culprit who made the noise is also there.

Shi Xiangming lowered his voice, and as soon as he opened his mouth, there was a commotion under the quilt. After a while... a black dog's head popped out from under the quilt.

Then Shi Shuwen lifted the quilt and saw the brother and sister were already kneeling on the bed obediently.

“…”

"Where did the dog come from?"

"Because Aunt Liu didn't allow us to raise him, Liye was given to us." Shi Shuwen explained honestly.

Wang Nian took a closer look and found that it was indeed the little black dog that Zhang Liye had hidden under the table on their wedding day.

It was a little bigger than it was more than a month ago, but its two rows of ribs were still visible to the naked eye. Its shiny black eyes stared straight at Shi Xiangming, and its hind legs kept shaking.

"This dog has never had a bath since it was born. You put the dog on the bed. What if there are fleas?" Shi Xiangming lowered his voice and looked at Shi Shuwen: "Did you wash your sister's bed sheets and quilt?"

There was no quilt cover at that time, so if you wanted to wash the quilt, you had to remove the cotton wool and then sew it back together after washing.

Therefore, ordinary people who are diligent will wash it once every two or three months, while those who are not particular may only wash it once a year.

"Both of you should get dressed and come outside to review."

When educating children, one has to do it in a way that doesn’t freeze them, Shi Xiangming sighed, picked up the puppy and turned around.

Wang Nian didn't say anything, just turned around and walked out.

She should not play the role of mediator when the father is teaching his children what is the right behavior.

Unexpectedly, when she turned around, Shi Wan was so frightened that her face turned pale and tears quickly filled her eyes.

"Brother, what should we do if Aunt Wang Nian doesn't want us anymore?"

“…”

Shi Shuwen's face turned pale. He glanced at Wang Nian's back through the door, bit his lip and decided, "Let's go and apologize. She will definitely forgive us."

If the puppy hadn't suddenly barked in the morning, they wouldn't have put the dog into bed.

The brother and sister put on their clothes with heavy hearts and walked out of the house with tears on their faces.

When the two of them looked, they didn't see Wang Nian in the room. Shi Wan was so frightened that she burst into tears.

Shi Xiangming, who was sitting upright and preparing to educate his two children properly, stood up inexplicably.

"Why are you crying? I haven't said anything yet..."

Wang Nian, who caused all this, was actually squatting on the dam holding the puppy. He was watching the sun come out outside and was planning to carefully check whether the little black dog had fleas.

If there are fleas, you have to take out all the cotton wool and expose it to the sun.

The little black dog lay obediently on the bench and let Wang Nian play with it. Although its eyes were rolling around nervously, it never stretched its paws out of its paw pads.

His body was very clean and had a faint smell of soap, so he must have just taken a shower not long ago.

"Little guy, follow us from now on..." The last word was still in his mouth when the deafening crying sound in the room reached his ears.

Wang Nian was startled and hurried back.

She felt that she shouldn’t interfere with the proper education of her children, but she didn’t say to hit them…

I had just reached the door and hadn't even stood firm when a figure rushed over and hugged my thigh.

"I...I was wrong...You, please don't leave me..."

After finally finishing his speech, Wang Nian immediately felt a warmth spreading up his legs.

Shi Xiangming spread his hands with a puzzled look on his face and said helplessly: "I haven't even opened my mouth yet..."

"Dad won't hit you, don't be afraid." Wang Nian patted Shi Wan's back with one hand and whispered to comfort her: "We are angry because you secretly brought the dog home and put it on the bed, not because we forbid you to have a dog."

"Aren't you angry?" Shi Shuwen asked suddenly.

Wang Nian nodded: "I'm not angry. Look... the puppy is still here!"

"I thought you were mad at us."

The little guy raised his tearful face, his long eyelashes wet with tears drooped on his eyelids, making him look even more pitiful.

As soon as his sister finished speaking, Shi Shuwen immediately snorted and continued, "I promise to wash the quilt clean, just don't rush us back to grandpa and grandma's house."

Shi Xiangming: “…”

After hearing these few words from the two children, Shi Xiangming no longer had any thoughts of educating them. His heart was completely filled with guilt.

He walked up to Shi Shuwen and touched his head: "From now on, our family of four will never be separated again!"

Wang Nian quickly followed up with a promise: "As long as we still have stutterers in the future, we will not send you back to your grandparents' house."

“Woof woof——”

Perhaps sensing the change in the atmosphere in the room, the little black dog suddenly barked twice, then licked Wang Nian's arm in a flattering manner.

"The puppy is very clean... If you want to keep it, give it a name first." Wang Nian held the little black dog in one hand and led Shi Wan to sit on the sofa with the other hand: "Just don't let the dog get on the bed anymore."

"Can it really be raised?"

Without even having the time to wipe away her tears, Shi Wan looked at Wang Nian hopefully with her big, blinking eyes.

"It's just right for us to look after the chickens in our backyard." Wang Nian smiled and waved to Shi Shuwen: "Give the dog some water. I'll go make breakfast. We are hungry, and the puppy must be hungry too."

"Just stay in the house and think about a name. It's cold outside and don't go out." Shi Xiangming also stood up.

Whenever he is resting at home, Shi Xiangming always takes the initiative to help with housework.

When Wang Nian cooked breakfast, he would light a fire and wash vegetables. He always found something to do.

The couple walked out one after the other. A few people were already standing in front of the doors of the two houses next door, listening for any noise. Zhang Guiqiang clicked his tongue twice, "It's a big holiday, if you want to spank the child, you should wait until the holiday is over."

"No!" Wang Nian had to explain the cause of the incident, and then let the culprit Zhang Liye be kicked twice by Zhang Guiqiang on the holiday.

Huang Yong sniffed and glanced at my mother secretly.

In fact, it was he who first asked Zhang Liye for the dog to raise yesterday. He played with the dog until dark and was worried about being beaten by his mother, so he sent it to Shi's house in the dark.

At this moment, I felt sorry for Shi Shuwen and his sister, but I was also glad that I didn't take the baby home.

Otherwise he will definitely have to sleep outside the door with the dog today.

Xie Yulan was busy asking what Wang Nian was going to do this morning, so she took two steps forward, otherwise she would have been able to see the guilty expression on her son's face.

"Your beehive coal bucket is ready!"

When I got closer, I saw a metal bucket next to the stove, and steam was coming out of the covered pot.

The pot is ordinary, but the silver iron bucket is really enviable.

I just heard about welding one two days ago, and now it's already being used.

Then she looked at her husband, who was brushing his teeth and washing his face in front of the sink with one hand on his hips. Even the sound of his brushing teeth seemed irritating to her.

Wang Nian laughed: "I just brought it back last night. I tried it this morning and it was OK, but it was too expensive..."

Well, when it comes to money, Xie Yulan will definitely not ask any further questions.

Sure enough, after he finished the next sentence, Wang Nian took out a large red enamel basin from the counter, with a wet towel covering it.

The cost of the beehive stove is about six yuan, but money is secondary. The most important thing is the favor that Shi Xiangming owes to the middleman.

The workshop masters had to rely on connections to help with cutting the iron sheets and welding, and Wang Nian was reluctant to let Shi Xiangming waste time and time again.

"What are you serving?"

Having given up on the beehive stove, Xie Yulan became interested in the things in the basin.

Today is Mid-Autumn Festival. We have to start preparing dinner in the morning. It is a rare occasion to have a big meal in the evening, so they are not having breakfast today.

Xie Yulan's family didn't want to eat it, and Liu Chaoxian's family didn't plan to eat it either.

"Dian Tuan, planning to make buns again?"

When Liu Chaoxian came over, he happened to see Wang Nian lifting the towel, revealing a small ball of slightly yellow dough.

"Wonton wrappers." Wang Nian replied.

"What leather?"

Xie Yulan has lived in the northern countryside for most of her life, and she has never even seen wontons, let alone eaten them.

For a moment I thought I had misheard and asked again.

Wang Nian took out the dough and threw it directly onto the wooden board. He rubbed it with both hands and sprinkled a handful of starch from the bowl on it while kneading.

Liu Chaoxian knew about wonton wrappers, but even though he knew it, he had never seen anyone getting up early in the morning to make wonton wrappers.

Not to mention how troublesome it is to roll out the dough, you also have to prepare the meat filling and wrap it... In short, it's a lot to think about.

"Making wontons so early in the morning?" So this is what Liu Chaoxian was confused about.

"Didn't I just get the meat coupons yesterday? I went to exchange some meat at noon and planned to make wontons today." Wang Nian said.

If you want to eat fresh meat, it is definitely better to buy it at the supply and marketing cooperative early in the morning.

But Wang Nian couldn't compete with the many "capable" aunties, and would just be stepped on if he went. So he simply bought the meat yesterday and put it in the refrigerator.

The most expensive home appliance that I bought with great effort is now finally used for the first time.

"I wouldn't have remembered if you hadn't told me. I have to buy meat quickly, otherwise I won't be able to buy even the front legs." Liu Chaoxian slapped his thigh and finally remembered the reason for getting up early.

After saying that, he hurried back to the house to urge Huang Guohua to leave quickly.

Seeing Liu Chaoxian still standing by, he couldn't help but wonder: "Did you buy meat yesterday, too?"

"No!" Liu Chaoxian held up his hands, and then he didn't say anything else. He waited until Xie Yulan and her husband walked away, then he walked to the stove and whispered, "I'm going to Changshengpo Commune in a while, let's go together!"

This "together" was more than just asking her to go with him, Wang Nian continued to wait for what was to come.

"I know a place..." He looked around and saw no one, so he lowered his voice and said, "You can buy beef there. Do you want to buy some?"

beef……

His mouth reacted before his brain did. Wang Nian swallowed his saliva, and the image of beef noodles popped up in his mind involuntarily.

"Is it safe?" Wang Nian asked.

"Don't worry, we are all acquaintances, and we dare not call outsiders." Liu Chaoxian pointed in the direction where Xie Yulan and her husband left: "Although Xie Yulan is a person who can get along with her, Huang Guohua is a door-opener, I dare not call her."

Although Huang Guohua is a quiet person, once he pushes up his glasses, he will definitely spend money in this way or that way. He is much more frugal than Xie Yulan.

"How can you hide it when several families are cooking together?"

If one family eats meat, three families will hear about it. How can you hide it? To avoid causing gossip, you still have to ask.

"You're right." Liu Chaoxian thought for a moment and slapped his thigh: "Then I'll catch up and ask, so as to avoid gossip later."

In such a large family building, the ones with the best relationship are the three connected ones.

Liu Chaoxian hurriedly chased after Xie Yulan and her husband, while Wang Nian continued to roll out the dough.

My ears had just been quiet for about ten minutes when Zhang Meili came skipping over on the embankment. Before she even arrived, her laughter came in first.

"Auntie Wang Nian, my mother wants you to come to my house for dinner tonight."

Shi Xiangming stood up, patted the sawdust, and waved his hand politely: "We won't go, we can just do it at home tonight."

"That won't do." Zhang Meili stopped seriously and then hugged Wang Nian's arm: "My mother said that Aunt Wang Nian must go, otherwise I won't be able to explain myself when I go home..."

Zhang Meili came so early because she had to bring the letter to Wang Nian before he went out to buy groceries.

Of course...it’s mainly for Wang Nian’s cooking skills.

For this meal, Zhang Liang went to Changshengpo yesterday and asked someone to buy two large silver carp, which he kept in a tank waiting to be cooked today.

"If I don't complete the task, my dad will have to come here in person later." Zhang Meili shook Wang Nian's arm and said coquettishly: "I just want to eat the food cooked by Aunt Wang Nian! Just agree..."

"Okay, then you can bring back a piece of meat and have it as a side dish for dinner." Wang Nian was shaken so hard that he couldn't even hold the rolling pin.

"My mom has already bought the meat." Zhang Meili smiled, her eyes rolling down the chopping board: "But I haven't had breakfast yet."

"We had wontons this morning. Would you like to stay and have some with us?" Wang Nian smiled.

"Wontons!" Zhang Meili shouted in surprise. It turned out to be the right decision to run errands.

"Go inside and play with the dog with your brothers and sisters. I'll call you when you're ready."

If you let this little girl linger around you any longer, no one will be able to have sex with you today.

"I'll take the kids to help Brother Zhang at that time. I heard that his radio had some problems a few days ago." Shi Xiangming said as he added firewood, "Take the meat with you as well."

The reason why Wang Nian was not included was that he was sitting next to Liu Chaoxian when he was speaking just now!

"You can also repair radios?" This is what Wang Nian was curious about.

"Paranormal."

Wang Nian: “…”

She had to think carefully in her mind what the idiom meant by just four random words. By the time she understood it after a while, Shi Xiangming had already turned around and walked into the house.

"Quite knowledgeable." Wang Nian muttered and laughed.

After sprinkling in the last bit of potato starch, the dough becomes more pliable.

Fortunately, no one noticed that the small bowl did not contain flour, otherwise we would have to explain why this thing did not exist in the supply and marketing cooperative.

The thinner the dough is rolled out, the better. When it is about the same size as the chopping board, cut it into wide strips first and then into squares.

No need to sprinkle with flour, just pile them up neatly.

Wang Nian rolled out three sheets of dough and cut more than two hundred sheets of dough. He planned to put the leftovers in the refrigerator as breakfast for the children.

Several children in the room were discussing the puppy animatedly.

"How about calling me Xiao Hei?"

The new student who had just been in school for a week had just learned small characters and black characters in the first two days, but he didn't expect to use these two characters so soon.

Shi Wan didn't understand, she just listened obediently to what her brother and beautiful sister were talking about.

"Xiaohei is too ugly, let's call him Dahuang," said Zhang Meili.

"It is obviously black, why is it called rhubarb?" Shi Shuwen disagreed.

"Danger is amazing! My grandma's Danger can kill a mouse this big with one bite!" Zhang Meili excitedly measured the size of the mouse.

"It doesn't sound good." Shi Shuwen firmly disagreed, but he didn't recognize a few words. He thought about it and looked at Wang Nian in the corridor.

But she was too embarrassed to ask, so she gently pushed Shi Wan and said, "Sister, go ask Aunt Wang Nian what the dog's name is."

Shi Wan nodded obediently, jumped off the sofa, and rushed out of the house barefoot.

"Auntie..."

Wang Nian had already heard what the children were saying, and actually had an idea in his mind after Shi Xiangming finished speaking.

However, when he heard Shi Wan's question, he pretended to be thinking seriously and hummed twice.

Shi Xiangming carried Shi Wan to sit in front of the stove, picked up her two little feet and warmed them by the fire. Without saying anything, the father and daughter waited quietly for Wang Nian to make his decision.

"I originally thought Zhixuan was pretty good, but..." Wang Nian smiled and blinked, then slowly changed the subject: "Xiaohei sounds better."

Shi Xiangming lowered his head slightly, a deep smile on his lips.

Wang Nian was just teasing the children. Zhixuan is an ancient word, which means Xiaohei!

"Brother, auntie said Xiao Hei is a nice name." Shi Wan shook her little feet and curled up in Shi Xiangming's arms with no intention of getting off the ground.

As far as I can remember, the first time my father held her in his arms was when he was getting on the train before coming home.

This was the second time that Shi Wan was reluctant to get down. She tilted her little head back and rubbed it in Shi Xiangming's arms, like a cub eagerly looking for its mother.

"I'm done wrapping, let's start cooking!"

The water was boiling in the big pot, and Wang Nian quickly wrapped the wontons for the first pot.

Pour some soy sauce and vinegar into five bowls, then sprinkle some chopped green onions. Today I changed the chicken bone paste soup and put it into the bowls to melt.

Finally, scoop a ladle of boiling water into the bowl, and the soup base for the chicken soup wontons is ready.

Pour the wrapped wontons into the pot and continue wrapping the remaining wonton wrappers.

"She's not going?"

His eyes and mouth were busy at the same time. He looked at Liu Chaoxian running closer and asked with a smile.

Liu Chaoxian shook his head, gasping for breath: "Huang Guohua said that they can just buy some pork liver to eat, and the meat coupons at home have to wait until the children arrive."

As expected, neither of them said anything more.

However... Zhang Liye, who was originally sleeping, came over after smelling the scent.