Chapter 174 Commemoration
Hearing the mother and son coming downstairs, Sister Zhang had already set breakfast on the table.
Xiaoman is almost six months old and has started eating complementary foods.
Today his breakfast was millet porridge, mixed with chopped vegetable leaves and egg yolk crumbs.
Sister Zhang took the wriggling Xiaoman and placed her on her special high chair. "Sister-in-law, you eat your breakfast first. I'll take care of Xiaoman."
As soon as she picked up her rice bowl, Xiaoman eagerly opened her little mouth, crying for food.
Sister Zhang quickly scooped up a spoonful and fed it to him.
"Thank you for your hard work, Sister Zhang." Nan Zhiyi picked up a hard-boiled egg and slowly peeled it.
Sister Zhang said, "You're too kind."
This Madam Gu was the least like a "madam" she had ever met.
Previously, when she worked as a maid in other families, those ladies were either mean or pretentious. Unlike Nan Zhiyi, who was kind and generous, she had never seen Nan Zhiyi raise her voice in the Gu family for so long. She was always very polite.
"By the way, sister-in-law, winter is just around the corner, it's time to stock up on winter vegetables. Our courtyard will start registering and purchasing in the next couple of days, I need to go and report the quantity."
Nan Zhiyi put down her bowl of porridge, somewhat curious: "What do we need to buy? How much do we need to buy?"
She had never worried about these things before.
"We need to buy 300 catties of cabbage, 200 catties of potatoes, 50 catties of green onions, and also pickle some pickled mustard greens and mustard tubers."
Sister Zhang wiped Xiaoman's mouth and said, "We have a cellar at home, so these vegetables can last until next spring. Cabbage is 1.3 cents a pound, potatoes are 5 cents a pound, and green onions are 4 cents a pound, which is about 21 yuan in total, plus the corresponding coupons."
Nan Zhiyi nodded, got up and retrieved the money and tickets: "Then I'll trouble you, Sister Zhang. If you need help from the orderly, just go to the duty room at the front and let them know."
Sister Zhang: "Don't worry, the supply department will deliver everything after registration, and the orderly soldiers will help carry it to the cellar. I'll make sure they stack it neatly, the cabbages are piled in a ventilated place, and the potatoes are kept out of the light, there's no mistake."
After Xiaoman finished eating, she babbled and reached out for her mother. Nan Zhiyi took the child and smiled at Sister Zhang: "I don't know much about these things, so I'm relying on you to take care of everything."
Sister Zhang waved her hand: "It's nothing, it's what I should do."
She quickly cleared away the dishes, planning to register at the supply department that afternoon.
Nan Zhiyi held Xiaoman in her arms and stood by the window, looking at the yellowing grape trellis in the yard.
Winter is really coming; this is her and Gu Xiao's first winter in the capital.
A few days later, the supply department sent someone to deliver winter vegetables.
Two orderly soldiers carried vegetables from a small truck outside the yard to the cellar, which was right outside the kitchen window. The cellar was covered by a heavy wooden door, which could be opened to descend five or six steps.
Nan Zhiyi stood at the door holding Xiaoman, watching as cabbages were piled up like a small mountain and baskets of potatoes were carried in. She couldn't help but ask Sister Zhang softly, "With so many vegetables, will we really be able to finish them all by spring?"
Sister Zhang was checking the quantities in her notebook when she heard this and smiled, "Don't worry, it's more or less. Fresh vegetables are scarce all winter, and pickled vegetables get boring after a while. We'll make cabbage stew with tofu, dumplings, potatoes that can be both a vegetable and a staple food, and scallions that we can't live without. When the lean season comes next March, you'll see that this amount of vegetables isn't enough."
She pointed to the cellar: "This cellar is deep. If stored properly, it can last until Qingming Festival. In previous years, when I helped other families prepare, I always prepared this amount, and there was never any left over."
A few days later, the weather became noticeably colder.
Nan Zhiyi pulled out the ration coupons that Gu Xiao had issued last month, including cloth coupons, cotton coupons, and some industrial coupons.
She thought she should make a new cotton-padded coat for Xiaoman, as the little guy was growing fast and his little cotton-padded coat was already too short.
Sister Zhang was peeling garlic when she saw Sister Zhang fiddling with the tickets and certificates, so she glanced at her a couple more times.
"Sister-in-law, you want to make cotton-padded clothes?" She wiped her hands. "Cotton coupons are precious. If you trust me, I have an idea."
Nan Zhiyi quickly said, "Go ahead."
"Children grow quickly, so if you're making them now, you can leave two inches of fabric at the hem for the sleeves and pant legs, folding it in and sewing it in. Next year, when they've grown taller, you can unsew it and let it sit longer, so they can wear it for another season..."
Sister Zhang then realized that the Gu family wasn't short of money, and felt a little embarrassed. "Sister-in-law, I was just being nosy, please don't mind."
“How could that be?” Nan Zhiyi thanked her sincerely. “I should thank you more. That’s a great idea.”
Sister Zhang relaxed and said, "If you want to save some cotton, Director Sun's wife from the logistics department is skillful. She can make clothes for children and refurbish old cotton wadding. The cotton clothes for Xiaoman don't need to be too thick. The heating should be on at the end of this month. Our compound uses a boiler, and the gas usually comes on at the end of November and won't be turned off until mid-March next year."
She pointed to the radiator in the corner and said, "When the house is warm, Xiaoman won't need to wear a thick cotton coat at home, so she won't sweat. But if she goes out in the morning or evening or if it gets particularly cold, she still needs to dress warmly."
Nan Zhiyi nodded; the heating system did save her a lot of trouble.
She casually asked, "How is the heating bill calculated?"
“Deputy Division Commander Gu and the others all have heating subsidies. The finance department will calculate it and deduct it from the subsidies or pay a small difference. I’m not too sure about the specifics, but we don’t need to worry about it too much.”
Sister Zhang explained.
"That's good." Nan Zhiyi was relieved.
She carried Xiaoman upstairs, found the cloth coupons and cotton coupons that Gu Xiao had just given her to keep this month, and measured Xiaoman's height and arm length.
The next day, Nan Zhiyi asked Sister Zhang to go to the service center to buy some soft new cloth and weigh some new cotton. She also found an old military overcoat belonging to Gu Xiao, took some old cotton out, and took it all to Sun's wife to make a cotton-padded jacket for the little guy.
Once the heating was turned on, Sister Zhang went to the Sun family to pick up the new cotton-padded clothes she had made: a new cotton-padded jacket with specially long cuffs and hem, and fluffy, soft padding, and two lightweight quilted jumpsuits.
Xiaoman was very restless when trying on his new clothes, twisting and turning. Nan Zhiyi laughed as she buttoned them up for him, saying, "Little rascal, don't move, try them on and see if they fit."
Sister Zhang watched from the side and laughed, "Perfect, perfect! Next spring, we can still wear them if we pull the sleeves down a bit!"
The room was warm and cozy, with a thin layer of condensation on the windowpanes.
It was completely dark when Gu Xiao returned from get off work, his hat soaking wet.
Hearing the noise, Sister Zhang came out of the kitchen. "Deputy Division Commander Gu, the food is still warm in the pot."
He hung his hat and coat on the coat rack in the entryway, saying, "It's snowing lightly outside, Sister Zhang, drive carefully."
"Yes," Sister Zhang replied, then pushed open the door and left.
After washing his hands, Gu Xiao went straight upstairs to find his wife.
Only a small bedside lamp was lit in the bedroom, and Nan Zhiyi was gently patting Xiaoman, who was fast asleep in the crib.
Hearing footsteps, she turned around and made a shushing gesture.
He gently pulled up a chair and sat down next to Nan Zhiyi, taking two jewelry boxes out of his pocket. "Guess what they are?"
Nan Zhiyi's eyes lit up. She leaned closer to examine the shape of the box carefully and then shook it to listen to the sound.
After guessing several things incorrectly, she pretended to be annoyed and reached out to pinch his arm.
Gu Xiao smiled and opened one of the box lids.
A delicate women's gold watch rests on a velvet lining, its dial gleaming warmly under the light. "Two-year anniversary."
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