Chapter 13 Chapter 13 Big Steamed Bun

Meng Yufei poured a glass of water for Zhang Dasao, "Sister-in-law, drink some water."

Mrs. Zhang said hurriedly, "Don't bother. I made some steamed buns today and wanted to give you some to try. Thank you for the candy you sent yesterday. The kids at home said it was milk candy and it was very expensive."

As he said this, he put the plate in his hand on the dining table, lifted the covering plate, and the white steamed buns appeared.

"Oh, sister-in-law, you are so polite. This steamed bun is so delicious."

"My cooking skills are average, I hope you don't mind."

Meng Yufei said hurriedly, "Junshan said yesterday that the steamed bread you made was the best, and I was thinking of going to learn from you when I have time."

Mrs. Zhang smiled sheepishly and said, "You can come anytime you want. I'm just sitting at home with nothing to do and thinking about it."

She saw the fabric on the sofa and asked, "Are you going to make clothes from this?"

Meng Yufei: "No, I'm going to make a sofa cover."

Mrs. Zhang walked over, touched the cloth, nodded and said, "This linen is very good for making sofa covers. It is breathable and wear-resistant. Let me help you. I have nothing to do this afternoon." As she spoke, she picked up the pile of cloth and started to tidy it up.

Meng Yufei said: "Then I'll trouble you."

Two people were sitting on the sofa sewing the sofa cover, and two little girls were lying on the table next to them drawing.

With help, the sofa cover was quickly sewn. After being put on the sofa, the old wooden sofa turned into a refreshing and pure blue, and the linen fabric added a touch of neatness and simplicity.

Mrs. Zhang looked at it carefully and said, "This sofa will be different once it is put on. I will tear off a piece of cloth and make one someday." She looked at Meng Yufei and praised, "Xiao Meng, you really have a way. You people in big cities are good at decorating."

Meng Yufei smiled and said, "I'm just messing around. Next time you make a sofa cover, I'll come over and help you."

Mrs. Zhang said, "That's great. You can give me some advice when the time comes." She glanced at the sky outside the window, stood up from the sofa and said, "Oh, it's getting late. I'm going home first."

Meng Yufei also stood up and said, "Wait a moment, I'll get the plate and put the steamed buns on it."

She went to the kitchen, took out a plate, put the steamed buns that Mrs. Zhang had brought on it, and returned the empty plate to Mrs. Zhang.

Mrs. Zhang said to her daughter, "Little girl, let's go home."

Fangfang reluctantly put down the crayon and whispered, "Oh."

Xia Qinqin raised her head, reluctant to leave this little sister, and said to Mrs. Zhang: "Auntie, can you let Sister Fangfang play for a while longer?"

Meng Yufei smiled and said, "It's rare for these little sisters to have such a good time. Let Fangfang play here, and I'll take her back later."

Mrs. Zhang waved her hands and said, "No, no, it's getting late so we won't bother you." She lowered her head and said to Xia Qinqin, "Let her come over to play with you tomorrow, okay?"

Xia Qinqin pouted and looked unhappy. Meng Yufei said, "Qinqin, come and see Auntie and Sister Fangfang off."

"Okay." Xia Qinqin jumped down from the chair and pulled Fangfang, saying, "Sister Fangfang, remember to come see me tomorrow."

Fangfang nodded and said, "Yes, I will."

Mrs. Zhang took her daughter out and said, "Okay, you guys stay home and do your work. We're leaving."

"Sister-in-law, come to our house and play again when you have time."

Xia Qinqin tiptoed and said loudly, "Goodbye, Auntie. Goodbye, Sister Fangfang."

…

After seeing off the guests, Meng Yufei cleaned up the leftover fabrics in the living room. Although they were just scraps of cloth, they were still good stuff in the days when materials were scarce, and they could be saved to paste the soles of shoes in the future.

Put the rags away and use a broom to sweep away the loose threads and dust on the floor.

Xia Qinqin carefully put away the colored pencils and drawing paper on the table and put them in the drawer of the desk in the small room.

I looked at the time and it was already past five o'clock. Xia Junshan said he would usually get home around six in the afternoon.

Meng Yufei took the ticket and money and took Xia Qinqin out to the cafeteria.

She had walked a long way today, and she had originally wanted to go to the cafeteria by herself without letting her daughter follow her. But when she first arrived at the place, she felt a little worried about leaving her daughter alone at home, so after thinking about it, she decided to take her out with her.

Fortunately, the cafeteria is not far away, only five minutes' walk away.

The dishes in the cafeteria have just been served, steam rising. I took a quick look and found that there are quite a variety of vegetables here, and they are all different in the past two days.

She took out the aluminum lunch box she brought with her and made a dish of scrambled eggs with leeks, which cost her 17 cents.

A dish of winter melon and duck soup cost thirty-five cents.

The ducks are produced at a county farm on the other side of the coast, and a batch is sent to the island every ten days by supply ships.

Since they are ducks from a farm in the county and they are raised by the sea, it is not difficult to raise them, so there is no need to pay for meat tickets for the ducks. This can be considered a benefit for the people on the island.

These days anything that doesn’t require a ticket is easy to sell, especially when it’s meat. So every time a supply ship of ducks arrives, everyone goes to the meat stall of the supply and marketing cooperative early to line up, and the ducks are quickly sold out.

When Meng Yufei went to the supply and marketing cooperative in the morning, she found that even the duck feathers had been cleaned up. It was only when she saw the winter melon and duck soup in the kitchen that she realized that there was such a benefit.

In the evening, Mrs. Zhang sent me some steamed buns, so I didn’t have any staple food.

When I got home, I arranged the dishes on the dining table. I poured the duck soup into the soup bowl and the scrambled eggs with leeks into the same white porcelain plate. I carefully wiped the juice off the edge of the plate with a cloth.

I went into the kitchen to wash the two lunch boxes, and then took out the steamed buns that Mrs. Zhang had sent. It was hot, and the buns had just been steamed in the afternoon, so they didn't need to be heated up.

Xia Qinqin followed her mother around the kitchen and dining room. Meng Yufei looked up at her watch and said to her, "Qinqin, Dad will be back soon. Go to the door to greet him."

"Oh, great." She skipped out the door.

Xia Qinqin lay at the gate of the yard and stretched her head to look outside. From afar, she saw several tall figures walking towards her at the intersection ahead. They were wearing the same clothes, and she couldn't tell at first whether her father was there or not.

When people got closer, Xia Qinqin saw her father in the crowd, her eyes lit up, and she ran over happily.

"Dad!" she shouted loudly, her childish voice echoing in the air.

Xia Junshan was talking to his colleagues about the training plan. When he heard a familiar voice, he immediately looked up and saw a small figure running towards him.

His originally stern features softened. He took two steps forward, bent down, and took his daughter who was running towards him. He picked her up and said with a smile, "Qinqin, are you here to pick up Dad from get off work?"

"Yes, my mother asked me to come." Xia Qinqin nodded happily.

Xia Junshan tidied up the hair on her forehead that had just been scattered due to running.

"Old Xia, this is your daughter," said Captain Fang from behind with a smile, "Daughters are so considerate. Those brats in my family have never come to pick up their father after get off work."

"Wow, Captain Xia's daughter is so pretty."

"The daughter looks like her father. Our Captain Xia is a well-known handsome guy in the school, so it's natural that the daughter he gave birth to will be pretty too."

"Haha, Lao Chen, then you can't have a daughter in the future, otherwise what will happen if your square face grows on a girl's face..."

"That's not necessarily true. Deputy Colonel Chen's wife is pretty, so maybe the girl they give birth to will look like her."

Several people were talking and laughing at the same time. The soldiers had loud voices, and their voices were deafening. Xia Qinqin was in her father's arms, looking at these strange uncles. She was a little scared when she heard their loud voices, and shrank into her father's arms.

Xia Junshan held his daughter in his arms and greeted everyone one by one. Xia Qinqin politely greeted all the uncles and aunts, which naturally brought her some compliments.

When the father and daughter entered the house, Meng Yufei had just set the table and said, "You guys are back. The cafeteria is cooking duck soup tonight, and you don't even need a ticket."

Xia Junshan put down his briefcase, hung up his hat, and said with a smile, "I forgot to tell you about this." He turned around and saw the changes in the sofa, "Hey, the sofa cover is done so quickly!"

He walked over, took a look, and nodded, saying, "You have a good eye. Now our home is different. Hmm... how do you say it, a humble home brings glory to the world?"

Meng Yufei said: "You might as well say, a new look."

"Yes, this word is more appropriate," he said, raising his thumb, "Our college students are still amazing."

Meng Yufei said with a smile: "Why don't you go wash your hands quickly."

"Okay." Xia Junshan picked up his daughter and went to wash his hands.

Sitting at the dining table, he was a little surprised to see the white steamed buns, "The cafeteria is making steamed buns today?"

The main staple foods here are rice and noodles, and pasta such as steamed buns and noodles are rarely made.

Meng Yufei served her daughter a small bowl of duck soup and set it aside. She then picked up the steamed bun and broke off half of it for her daughter to eat.

"It was delivered this afternoon by Mrs. Zhang from next door. Didn't you just ask me how I finished the sofa cover so quickly? She helped me this afternoon."

Xia Junshan picked up a steamed bun, took a bite and said, "I have to say, the steamed buns made by Zhang Dasao are authentic."

Xia Qinqin nodded and agreed: "Yeah, authentic."

She held the steamed bun in her hands and ate it with gusto. Xia Junshan asked her with a smile: "Do you know what the word 'underground' means?"

"Authentic means delicious, Grandpa said so, right, Mom?"

When her grandfather told her a story, the protagonist mentioned the word "authentic" and she wrote it down.

Meng Yufei nodded and said, "Yeah, yes, Qinqin has a really good memory."

After hearing her mother's praise, Xia Qinqin raised the corners of her mouth happily and continued to eat the steamed bun with a smile.

Xia Junshan ate some fried eggs with leeks and a steamed bun, and finished a big steamed bun in just a few bites.

Meng Yufei served him a bowl of soup and said, "Eat slowly. Eating too fast will hurt your stomach."

Xia Junshan took the soup and said with a smile: "I haven't eaten steamed bread for a long time. I couldn't resist it."

"By the way, did you send the telegram this afternoon?"

Meng Yufei nodded, swallowed the steamed bread in her mouth and said, "I got it. I'll go there again in a few days. The books and clothes my mother sent me should be arriving soon."

Xia Junshan said, "Don't worry, let's go together on Sunday when I'm off." He knew that the Meng family loved reading and had a large collection of books at home. He estimated that there would be a lot of books to be sent this time, and he was afraid that the books were too heavy and his wife would be too tired to carry them back.

Meng Yufei knew his good intentions, so she nodded and said, "Okay."