Chapter 16 Peach Crisps
Nan Zhiyi looked up at him with her wet eyes. This fifth brother, whom she had always looked up to and who was incredibly aloof, was now offering to help her wash her clothes.
She couldn't help but laugh: "Fifth Brother... you can even do laundry and cook?"
When Gu Xiao saw her smile, his tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly.
He didn't answer her question, but simply reached out and pulled her into his arms.
Nan Zhiyi did not resist.
His embrace was broad, warm, and firm, carrying a reassuring quality.
She pressed her forehead against his chest.
The two embraced quietly, a warm feeling flowing between them.
After a while, Nan Zhiyi felt her hands warm up: "Fifth Brother, let's hang up the wet clothes first. We need to put a rope in the yard."
Gu Xiao found a hemp rope, and she helped pull it, tying both ends of the rope to the wooden stakes nailed to the courtyard wall, pulling it straight.
He stopped her from doing anything else, wrung out the washed clothes even drier himself, and hung them on the line.
After the meal, Gu Xiao cleared away the dishes and said to Nan Zhiyi, "I have training this afternoon, so I'm leaving."
"Mm." Nan Zhiyi nodded.
Gu Xiao put on his military jacket, walked to the door, and then looked back at her once more.
She was sitting on a small stool, leaning against the door frame, squinting at the clothes drying in the yard. The warm sunlight shone on her, and her face was serene and lazy.
He then turned around and strode away.
The courtyard fell silent.
The sun was shining brightly, and it felt warm and cozy on my skin.
Nan Zhiyi moved the small stool to a sunnier spot, wrapped her coat tighter around herself, and leaned against the doorframe, lazily basking in the sun.
Knock, knock, knock—the courtyard gate was being knocked on.
Nan Zhiyi went to open the door.
Standing outside the door was Sister Wang from next door, holding a rough porcelain bowl filled with glistening pickled radishes. A little girl of about six or seven years old huddled close to her legs, her cheeks chapped from the wind, her big eyes looking timid.
"Sister-in-law Wang, please come in quickly."
Sister-in-law Wang walked in with a smile and placed the bowl on the square table.
"Hey, I hope I didn't disturb your lunch break. These are homemade pickled radish strips, they're cheap and appetizing. I was worried you wouldn't like the cafeteria food since you just arrived."
She pushed the little girl forward. "This is my youngest, Xiaoling. There are three older girls above her, all in school, and they're quite mischievous."
Xiaoling called out softly, "Auntie."
"Thank you, sister-in-law, you're too kind."
Nan Zhiyi felt a warmth in her heart and led them to sit down on the square benches against the wall.
She turned and went to the chest of drawers in the storeroom, took out peach shortbread, arranged it on a plate, then took out a few teacups, brewed two cups of brown sugar water, and served them to the mother and daughter on the square table.
"Sister-in-law, Xiaoling, come and have some snacks. There's nothing good to eat at home."
Xiaoling's eyes lit up as she looked at her mother.
Sister-in-law Wang quickly waved her hand: "Oh dear, this won't do, it's too precious..."
"Don't be shy, come on, have a sweet treat." Nan Zhiyi smiled and picked up two peach shortbreads, stuffing them into the hands of Sister Wang and Xiaoling.
Xiaoling thanked her softly before taking small, precious bites.
Looking at Nan Zhiyi's extravagant behavior and her brand-new maroon sweater, and then glancing around the clean but still simple house, Sister Wang had a pretty good idea of what was going on.
She looked away and asked tentatively, "Nan, are you getting used to living here? This compound is definitely different from the city."
Nan Zhiyi sat down and smiled, "It's fine, Sister-in-law Wang, it's quiet and peaceful."
"That's good, that's good." Sister Wang nodded, wrapped the peach shortbread in her handkerchief, and placed it aside. "I don't like sweets, I'll take it back for Sister Xiaoling later."
Nan Zhiyi hurriedly said, "Sister-in-law, there's more..."
Sister-in-law Wang waved her hand with a smile and turned to chat about everyday things.
“We women have to take care of things while the men are busy outside. There are seven necessities of life: firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea. We have to learn how to do them all.”
She kindly reminded him, "I think Commander Gu is excellent; he brings you three meals a day. But do you even know the ins and outs of life in the military?"
Nan Zhiyi sat up straight.
This topic hit the nail on the head regarding her confusion these past few days.
Things left by one's parents should never be touched unless absolutely necessary.
Gu Xiao's allowance and food coupons were the foundation upon which his little family depended for survival.
She shook her head honestly, "Sister-in-law, I'm totally confused. Do we need money and coupons to eat in the canteen? Wouldn't it be cheaper to cook for ourselves? How can we use these food and oil coupons most cost-effectively?"
As she asked the question, she stood up, walked to the old desk against the wall, and took out a worn notebook and a fountain pen.
Seeing how seriously she was taking it, Sister Wang felt a little embarrassed: "Oh, you're still keeping track of this? It's nothing, we'll understand after a chat."
Nan Zhiyi held the pen tip over the paper: "Sister-in-law, please speak slowly, I'm afraid I won't remember. This is so different from before..."
Sister-in-law Wang's eyes showed more understanding.
She cleared her throat, and with the shrewdness of a seasoned housewife, began to explain in detail:
“We family members eat in the mess hall differently from the soldiers; we have to pay for our own meals with our own money and food coupons. We have to pay a meal allowance, the exact amount of which is calculated according to rank and ration, and it is deducted from the men's allowance at the end of the month. Food coupons, oil coupons, and meat coupons are all issued in rations per person, and they are very precious.”
“Take my husband, Lao Zhang, for example. He’s a deputy battalion commander. His ration is fixed, and he has four children to support. He has to stretch every penny he earns.”
Nan Zhiyi neatly wrote on the paper: Meal allowance (deducted allowance), grain coupons, oil coupons, and meat coupons (rationed).
"Eating in the canteen every day seems convenient, but it's actually quite expensive, and the food isn't very nutritious. If you really want to save some money, you have to cook for yourself."
Behind the family compound, across two streets, there was a small market. Before dawn, villagers from nearby production teams would come to sell their vegetables, which were cheaper than those at the city's supply and marketing cooperative. Sometimes, they could even exchange old clothes and scraps of cloth for eggs.
These radishes, for example, are homegrown. If we can't finish them, we pickle them; they last a long time. Every household needs a pickling jar.
Nan Zhiyi's writing is relentless: buying groceries, the backstreet morning market, storing pickled vegetables.
"Grain coupons are the most precious! Use fine grain coupons sparingly. Buy them along with coarse grains like sweet potatoes and cornmeal. One pound of fine grain coupons can buy several pounds of coarse grains, enough to fill you up."
Adding sweet potato chunks and corn grits when cooking rice or porridge will yield about 1.5 jin (750g) of porridge. By the end of the month, you can save some grain coupons, which you can either hoard or exchange for sugar or soap coupons.
Nan Zhiyi frowned and wrote down: Save on grain coupons: Add coarse grains to rice to increase volume.
"You'd better keep a close eye on the oil bottles!"
Sister-in-law Wang continued to teach, "When stir-frying, just take a clean cloth, dip it in some oil, and wipe the bottom of the pan. Use it sparingly. Lard is more fragrant than vegetable oil and lasts longer, so buy some fatty meat and render it yourself. Don't throw away the cracklings either; they make stir-fried cabbage and steamed buns very fragrant."
She looked at Nan Zhiyi's hands. "The same goes for washing clothes. Let the men take the big, thick items back to the barracks and wash them with hot water and a washboard. It saves effort and also saves the soap and hot water at home."
Hand-wash small personal items yourself. In winter, the water is cold, so add some hot water to dilute it. Don't try to tough it out; it's not worth getting your hands frozen.
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