Chapter 23 Chapter 23 Mid-Autumn Festival (1)

"Auntie Wang Nian..."

There was a loud swallowing sound, and Zhang Liye stared at it eagerly without asking for anything. The sound of him swallowing saliva was enough to explain everything.

"Go home, get a bowl, and eat some rice."

Wang Nian was always generous to children, and smiled as he grabbed another handful and threw it into the pot.

"You guys should just eat such precious food yourselves. If you let this child get used to it, he will have to be a beggar every day in the future." Liu Chaoxian shook his head helplessly.

"If Liye heard this, he would be sad. How can a mother say that her son is a beggar?"

"Look at him..." Liu Chaoxian grabbed Zhang Liye who ran out holding a bowl of soup and said, "What's the difference between him and a beggar?"

"Go get a smaller bowl!"

"Then you can change if you promise that dad won't steal my food." Zhang Liye immediately exposed his father's daily behavior of stealing food: "Dad always eats more than me."

Zhang Guiqiang, who was secretly expecting something in the room, blushed and pretended not to hear anything, picking up a book to cover his face.

"Go change quickly, stop talking too much!" Liu Chaoxian was also embarrassed, so he pulled Zhang Liye into the house, pointing his index finger at Zhang Guiqiang as he walked.

When he came out again, he had changed the bowl to a noodle bowl, and Zhang Liye was holding a net bag in his other hand.

Liu Chaoxian's voice came from inside the house.

"Take these taro and steam them. They are not the small taro from Wenxi Township. They are soft and sweet."

Wang Nian looked down.

They are quite big, two or three of them can fill a net bag, and their skin looks like taro.

"Thank you, sister-in-law."

"Why should we be polite?"

Liu Chaoxian is not the kind of person who would take advantage of others, so Wang Nian is willing to associate with her.

Of course...she wouldn't take advantage of others.

Zhang Liye scooped a spoonful of wontons into the bowl, licked his lips, and his eyes lit up instantly after the second spoonful.

He took three full spoonfuls of wontons, filling them till they were sticking out before passing them over.

"It's time to eat."

When the kids in the room heard about dinner, they immediately stopped talking and rushed out.

"Please take your seats first. I'll bring it over."

Shi Xiangming sent the impatient children away and served the food to several people in order of age, finally serving the couple.

Wang Nian put a spoonful of water into the pot and went into the house.

“…”

No one in the room started eating. Regardless of age, they all looked at Wang Nian and waited for him to come over and sit down.

"Eat it." Shi Xiangming lowered his head and used the spoon to stir and blow on it, then handed the spoon to Shi Wan: "Blow it first and then eat it."

Over there, Shi Shuwen couldn't wait to drink some soup, breathing heavily due to the scalding.

“It’s delicious.”

The soup is clear, the wonton skin is so thin that you can see the meat, and it is decorated with dots of green onions. The appearance alone is eye-catching.

The wonton skin melts with a light sip of the tongue, and the meat filling is tender and elastic, mixed with the thick sesame oil soup. It is so delicious that I quickly pick up another one before swallowing it.

Shi Xiangming, who could describe the taste, seemed quite polite while eating. Looking at the three children, they were just busy wolfing down the food.

belch--

After a few minutes, everyone's bowls were clean. Zhang Meili patted her stomach and burped loudly.

It would be nice if I could eat Aunt Wang Nian’s cooking every day.

"I'll wash the dishes. You and Comrade Liu can go ahead." Shi Xiangming took the initiative to collect the dishes.

Shi Shuwen licked the corners of his greasy lips, jumped off the stool and helped to clean up the dishes. His round belly was pressing against the edge of the table.

Children grow up fast. In just a month, his face has become visibly rounder, and his arms and legs seem to have gained some flesh.

Wang Nian looked at the father and son working hard with a smile on his face.

All the hard work of the morning seemed to be fulfilled at this moment.

***

Changshengpo, Yanziba.

"Are you sure you can buy beef here?"

At first glance, the grass around was taller than people, there was not even a path for people to walk on, and it didn't look like there were any houses.

To be precise, this is a barren mountain, so remote that no one even picks firewood on the mountain.

"Don't worry, this is not my first time here." Liu Chaoxian made a promise and looked around like a thief. After a long while, he waved in a direction and said, "Go this way."

After pulling aside the grass, a bunch of grass tied with a red rope suddenly appeared behind it.

Liu Chaoxian stepped over the grass carefully, and reminded Wang Nian: "Don't step on the grass."

Avoid the red rope and go around the grass.

After walking in the bushes for a dozen minutes, the view in front of me suddenly opened up.

There were several stalls set up on the open ground. There were three or four people standing in front of the beef stall that Liu Chaoxian mentioned. There were also fish stalls being sold directly on the ground around it.

The reason why Wang Nian didn't notice them after walking for so long was because everyone was talking in a very low voice.

Liu Chaoxian lowered his voice and spoke to Wang Nian: "We must keep our voices down. If we are discovered, we will all be arrested."

A black market hidden in the wilderness!

Wang Nian nodded, and his eyes passed Liu Chaoxian and fell on the lively river shrimps in the basin in the corner.

In the past, people were hungry and the crabs and shrimps that could be caught in the river were almost gone. Now it is rare to see shrimps this big.

Liu Chaoxian went directly to the beef stall, while Wang Nian turned around and walked to the river shrimps.

"How do you sell it?"

The shrimp seller was a young lesbian who was still wearing an old-fashioned thin jacket and her blue linen pants were full of patches.

Maybe river shrimps are not as satisfying as beef, and there was no one in front of her.

When Wang Nian asked about the price, the girl's originally listless expression suddenly brightened up. She held up two fingers and said timidly, "Two yuan."

Two yuan per pound is really expensive. Wang Nian secretly clicked his tongue. No wonder no one wants to buy it.

Then I heard the lesbian's voice without stopping: "A basin." Her slender fingers pointed to the wooden basin at her feet.

That basin weighed at least 15 to 20 pounds, and each piece was as long as my index finger.

Wang Nian's eyes lit up, and he pointed at the big basin and asked, "How much is this one?"

Seeing these shrimps, Wang Nian thought of the seafood paste on the seasoning rack that he had never found the chance to take out.

Adding seafood paste soup when refining shrimp oil is the best excuse.

"Five...five yuan." The young lesbian was so excited that she stuttered.

"All this for seven dollars."

I didn't bargain right away, but instead included the remaining two small pots in the price and bargained again.

If they don't sell, they will lose the opportunity to sell all of them. If they sell, it will be like giving them away for free. The decision-making power lies with the young lesbians.

“…”

"become!"

The young lesbian agreed without hesitation, and for a moment Wang Nian even wondered if she had raised the price too high.

There were so many shrimps, weighing at least 40 kilograms, and the dried shrimps and water filled half of the basket.

"Why did you buy so many shrimps?"

Liu Chaoxian, who had just watched the whole process, turned around and expressed his confusion after asking about the price of beef.

There was not much shrimp meat and not much fat, so it would be fine if I gave it to her for free, but it would be absolutely impossible to buy it with money.

Wang Nian spent money, a lot of money.

"Eat." Wang Nian's reply was even more infuriating.

"It seems that the old saying is right. Marry a man and you will have clothes and food. If you marry a good man, you will never have to worry about food and clothing." Liu Chaoxian sighed.

"It's not a blind purchase. You'll know it later."

How he knew it was impossible to see for the moment, but water was dripping from the backpack all the way back, and Wang Nian's entire back was wet. Liu Chaoxian saw it clearly.

On the way back, the two of them walked very fast. Wang Nian, carrying dozens of kilograms of things, walked on the mountain road as if he was walking on flat ground.

Approaching the family building, Liu Chaoxian muttered unconsciously: "Is it possible that farm workers, regardless of gender or age, are all so strong?"

Wang Nian's heart moved.

She had never walked before, and she didn't have any supernatural powers. The last time she carried Shi Wan for a few miles, her arms were sore for several days.

But now, he can still walk briskly without getting out of breath while carrying a backpack weighing dozens of kilograms.

It must have something to do with the space seasoning...

"Maybe we can make it in time for lunch." Wang Nian just smiled and pretended not to hear.

The factory has been profitable in the past two years. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, each employee was given two kilograms of meat coupons, plus three mooncakes and oil. This year, everyone can have a rich Mid-Autumn Festival.

When the two of them returned, it was lunchtime, so the factory was unusually quiet.

There was no one on the road, and I could see several carts carrying furniture in front of me at a glance.

"It's a major holiday, who would choose today to move?" Wang Nian was curious.

"I don't know who it is, but looking at the mahogany furniture on the cart, I know that this family lives a good life."

Next to the cart, two teenage girls were walking hand in hand, following the cart forward.

"Those two girls look familiar."

The tall girl already has a curvy figure, and the shorter one looks as tall as Xie Yulan. Logically, Liu Chaoxian should have heard of these two pretty girls.

After a long pause, he slapped his thigh and said, "Aren't those the two daughters of Deputy Section Chief Yang Fu?"

Wang Nian was not familiar with Deputy Section Chief Yang Fu’s daughter, but as soon as she heard the name, she remembered... Isn’t this Zhou Shanxiu’s lover!

As if afraid that Wang Nian had forgotten, he quickly pointed at his face and said, "That's the one with a particularly charming smile, the one from your Red Flag Brigade... Zhou something."

"Zhou Shanxiu." Wang Nian added.

"That's her. Those two girls are the daughters of Deputy Section Chief Yang. The older one, Yang Xue, is already fifteen years old, just a few years younger than the stepmother!"

Factory employees are very popular in nearby teams, and second marriages are quite common, but those with such a big age difference are rare.

As expected, the cart passed through the bamboo forest and stopped in front of the 43rd family building.

Wang Nian casually placed the backpack at the door and hurried into the house to change clothes. When he passed the window, he immediately saw the sheets and quilts hanging in the backyard.

Wang Nian touched his nose somewhat embarrassedly.

After examining Xiao Hei, she originally planned to just wash the sheets and dry the quilt.

I didn't expect that I had a lover with a slight obsession with cleanliness by my side. He immediately took apart and cleaned the house and even changed the quilt on the bed.

Comparing herself with Shi Xiangming...it seems that she is the rougher one.

Boom——

There was a loud noise outside the house. Wang Nian tied her apron and walked to the door to look at the dam.

It turned out that a dressing table had fallen off the cart and was broken into pieces.

Mirror fragments flew everywhere. The man pulling the cart moved quickly and immediately caught the coffee table that was about to fall.

Yang Xue just watched coldly, with no emotion on her oval face.

"Didn't I ask you to hold on to it?" The middle-aged man holding the coffee table turned around and blamed Yang Xue, his face terribly ugly: "The dressing table is broken and it's all your fault."

Yang Xue sneered: "Why blame me?" She protected her shrinking sister with one hand and pointed at herself with the other hand: "How can I hold on with my little strength? Why don't you find someone to judge for you?"

Liu Chaoxian immediately leaned over to Wang Nian's ear and said, "I saw with my own eyes that it was Yang Xue who let go first and dodged, but a little girl like her couldn't hold her ground in such a big cabinet."

Wang Nian raised the corners of his lips slightly and raised his eyebrows.

What a great little girl...

But he didn't have time to figure out whether Yang Xue did it on purpose or not. Wang Nian dragged over the still dripping basket and sat down.

"Watch while you shell the shrimp for me."

The shrimps must be processed while they are fresh, as the small refrigerator at home cannot accommodate so many shrimps.

“Just meat?”

"Put the shrimp heads and shells here."

Wang Nian picked up the basket and poured the shrimps into the large wooden basin. He rinsed them and put them into the small basin, filling two large basins.

At a quick glance at the black market, these river shrimps seemed to be of good size, but when they were poured out, I found that the big ones were at the bottom.

Most of them are thicker than Wang Nian’s thumb, and the shrimp bodies are transparent. It is obvious that they come from places with good water quality, and there is no need to process the shrimp stomachs and intestines.

Use gentle force to separate the shrimp head, then pull the shrimp tail hard, and the whole shrimp will be taken out.

“There’s quite a lot of meat.”

"I'll make shrimp oil later. Add some oil to soup or noodles. It'll taste... so delicious."

Wang Nian finally explained the use of shrimp shells, and while speaking he did not forget to continue looking at the people on the dam.

"You really know a lot." Liu Chaoxian replied casually, but his attention was actually always focused on that side.

The atmosphere on the embankment had become tense at this point. Yang Xue was standing there righteously, and the man who was pulling the furniture had nowhere to go to reason with.

At this moment, someone suddenly cried out at the stairs.

Wang Nian and Liu Chaoxian turned their heads and looked towards the staircase, and their buttocks left the stools at the same time.

Zhou Shanxiu jogged along the way, and before she even stood still she cried out in a sobbing voice: "This is my dowry."

The man holding the cart raised his hand and pointed, "Third sister, if you want to blame someone, blame her. She let go on purpose. I couldn't see what happened from behind."

"So he's Zhou Shanxiu's brother. He really knows how to shirk responsibility."

"He's not her biological brother, he must be her cousin."

"How can a gay man like him always blame a little girl for everything he does when something goes wrong? He is not a good person."

"Did he deliberately ask Yang Xue to help just now?"

In his previous life, Wang Nian was alone most of the time, and when he occasionally encountered celebrity gossip, he could only talk to himself.

That kind of life was very happy, but now it feels good to have someone to gossip with.

It's like being inside and outside a besieged city, and everyone is curious about what kind of life the other person leads.

Neither of them stopped moving their hands, and their eyes never left the scene in front of them.

Zhou Shanxiu must have some ability to be able to successfully hook up with Xie Hua among so many girls. At least in Wang Nian's opinion, she acted very well.

Sadness, discomfort, and hesitation to speak, all eventually turned into a helpless sigh.

"Just break it! The child is still young and doesn't understand..."

"What's wrong?"

Especially when Yang Fu came, Zhou Shanxiu looked so aggrieved that he didn't want to cry, but in sharp contrast, he was full of nice words.

He glanced in the direction of his cousin, and he immediately started to complain, exaggerating the matter.

Yang Xue failed to hold the cabinet steady and was accused of deliberately pushing the cabinet off the car. She described it with such certainty as if she had seen it with her own eyes.

Although...it was indeed Yang Xuesong who opened his hand.

"Yang Xue." Yang Fu put his hands behind his back, looking very much like a leader, which made Liu Chaoxian spit: "He's just a deputy section chief, but he looks more impressive than our factory director."

Yang Xue raised her head and looked straight at Yang Fu, showing no intention of giving in.

The next moment, she suddenly raised her finger and pointed in the direction of Wang Nian and the others: "The two aunts can testify for me. You can ask if it was me who pushed it."

Wang Nian: “…”

The fire suddenly burned his body. Yang Fu turned around and looked, but he still had his hands behind his back.

Liu Chaoxian frowned and whispered, "Tell the truth?"

Wang Nian smiled at Yang Fu and shouted, "I saw the dressing table rolling down. If Yang Xue hadn't pulled her sister away, both sisters would have been crushed underneath it."

In fact, what she said was not a lie. She did not say who saw it, nor did she say that Yang Xue deliberately let go of her hand.

In short, the dressing table fell down by itself, and if the two sisters hadn't dodged, they would have been in trouble. It was not just a simple case of breaking a piece of furniture.

Yang Fu's brain worked quickly and he understood what was going on after raising his eyebrows.

"I'm glad the child is alright. I'll have a rest tomorrow and ask the carpenter to make you a new one."

"But these are..."

Yang Xue interrupted directly and said something nice: "Since Aunt Zhou likes it so much, let's pick up the planks and ask the carpenter to re-order them."

Yang Fu didn't say anything, apparently waiting for Zhou Shanxiu to make a decision.

After a long while, Zhou Shanxiu turned his head away with a sad look on his face: "Yang Xue is right. We should be frugal in our daily life. Let's just use this rotten one."

"This family will have troubles in the future," Liu Chaoxian predicted.

Wang Nian deeply agreed. Zhou Shanxiu was very powerful, and Yang Xue was not much behind. If two powerful people started fighting, the Yang family would not have a peaceful life.

Although they were chatting, both of them did not rest from their work.

After struggling for an hour, they peeled off dozens of pounds of shrimps and produced half a basin of shrimp meat, with the shrimp shells sticking out.

Liu Chaoxian sniffed his pickled fingers with disdain: "If your shrimp sauce doesn't taste good, I'll tell you how I'll smear you."

After saying that, he quickly took the soap and ran to the bathroom on the second floor to wash his hands.

As to whether he was washing his hands or just to watch the excitement, it is not known.

There was no one around, so Wang Nian slowly took out a few cubes of seafood soup and put them aside, and poured out half a basin of rapeseed oil.

“I don’t know if it will melt into the oil.”

Gently put a piece of seafood paste in, and it melts into the oil instantly without even a bubble.

You really can't use common sense to guess the seasoning in space.

A slightly burnt aroma spreads, and the surface of the shrimp shell gradually turns shiny and red. At this time, extinguish the open flame in the stove, add some ginger slices and green onions and simmer slowly.

Wait until the residual temperature makes the shrimps darker in color before you can pick them up. If you wait any longer, the oil will have a bitter taste.

Therefore, he had to stay by the stove while cooking. Even if he heard a quarrel upstairs, Wang Nian would just move his ears.

Pour the dark red and transparent shrimp oil into a bowl and let it cool, then scrub the stove clean.

I turned around and looked at the time. It was already past four in the afternoon. I was destined to miss the bustle upstairs today.

He picked up a bowl of shrimps that had been reserved for him and hurried back to Huang Qiuhong's house.

***

No. 17 Family Building.

The air was already filled with the aroma of stewed meat; I wondered which family had already started preparing dinner.

As soon as Wang Nian walked downstairs, Zhang Meili, who was leaning against the kitchen window and watching where he was coming from, started waving excitedly.

"Auntie Wang Nian, you are finally here."

Looking again at Zhang Meili, Shi Shuwen and Shi Wan were both lying there, their eyes sparkling with obvious joy.

"I was delayed by something." Wang Nian also waved to the three children: "The window is dangerous, don't lie there."

Shi Shuwen was quite obedient and immediately retracted his head. Then he pulled Shi Wan, who didn't want to leave, back with him.

Although this little guy is a little arrogant, he is really obedient.

After climbing up a few steps, Huang Qiuhong was already waiting at the kitchen door. When she saw me, she teased, "If you don't come, Xiang Ming will go to the factory door to pick you up."

"Auntie Wang Nian." Shi Wan quickly broke free from her brother's hand, flew over and hugged Wang Nian's thighs: "Did you buy the delicious food?"

"This is it." Wang Nian lowered the basket for the little guy to see.

"Wow! It's rare to see shrimps this big." Huang Qiuhong was not as direct as Liu Chaoxian. She praised him very flatteringly, then turned her eyes and smiled again: "Look at Xiang Ming, he can't help but see his kung fu at this time!"

Several gay men were sitting in the small living room. Shi Xiangming, who was sitting with his back to the door, turned around and followed Wang Nianyi's gaze.

Zhang Liang joked: "The young couple has only been married for a few days, thinking back to the night of our wedding..."

"Shut up!" Huang Qiuhong scolded with a smile, "What nonsense are you talking about in front of a child?"

"I'm going to cook. We won't have dinner for a while."

Wang Nian, who could barely be considered an "experienced person", was not yet at the stage where he could talk openly with others about his married life. His face turned red with embarrassment and he turned away in a hurry.

Huang Qiuhong smiled, pointed at Zhang Liang from a distance, then turned and walked into the kitchen.

"The vegetables have been washed, just cut them and stir-fry..."

In the living room, Shi Xiangming withdrew his gaze, covered his lips and coughed twice with embarrassment.

In fact, what Huang Qiuhong said was right. I felt uneasy in my heart after not seeing him for half a day.

The announcer on the radio read out some recent adjustments in national policies in a clear and clear voice. Zhang Liang stood up and lowered his voice.

"Has anyone from your hometown written to you recently?"

"Even my brother heard about it."

How quickly can a person's expression change... Zhang Liang looked over and saw Shi Xiangming's smiling eyes suddenly become frosty in an instant, and then returned to calm in the blink of an eye.

"My father-in-law mentioned it all in his letter."

Coincidentally, Huang Qiuhong's parents and Shi Xiangming's parents worked in the same factory, one living at the head of the alley and the other at the end of the alley.

If something happened in the big compound, it would spread throughout the whole alley in half a day.

What's more, the parents are looking for a partner for their second son who is not around anymore...

"Have you ever told Comrade Xiao Wang that your family disagreed at first?"

"It doesn't matter whether they agree or not. My old man wanted to control my marriage back then. Do you think I can let them do it again now?" Shi Xiangming sneered.

After confirming his relationship with Wang Nian, Shi Xiangming immediately wrote a letter to express his condolences.

In the end, instead of receiving a reply, he received a telegram expressing disapproval of their marriage.

The reason was nothing more than that he disliked his daughter-in-law because she was a rural girl and would not be of any help to Shi Xiangming's future, and he would make others laugh at him if he told others about it.

The counterpart to this is the elder sister-in-law Hu Xiumei.

Hu Xiumei is a poor woman. Her father works in a government agency, and her eldest brother Shi Xiangqian's work is largely due to the help of his father-in-law.

His parents wanted Shi Xiangming to find a father-in-law who was rich and powerful - a sheer fantasy.

Shi Xiangming is no longer the teenage boy he was back then who could only let them do whatever they wanted.

"What your aunt did was really bad. She's still arranging blind dates for you even though you're already married."

"I have already called back to warn them that if they try to interfere in my marriage again, I will have to report the situation to the Rising Sun Radio Factory for handling."

The Rising Sun Radio Factory was where Shi's father worked.

I was inevitably scolded when I called, but fortunately the blind date ended up being dropped.

The moment he hung up the phone, Shi Xiangming suddenly thought of his first marriage.

He even wondered whether it was his grandfather who was the one in charge or whether his parents were also involved.

This is like the practice of cutting first and then reporting.