Chapter 293 Zhao Dongmei
Chicken leg mushrooms are long and thin, and they always grow in clusters.
There are quite a few in this nest right now.
Shen Lingyu said, "You've helped me a lot, and I don't have much to thank you for. Just quietly take all of this home with you."
She had discovered this cluster of chicken leg mushrooms a long time ago and had covered it with grass, specifically for Song Lubai.
Song Lubai invited her to have dinner at her house that afternoon.
Shen Lingyu waved her hand, "There's a big pot of food here, I'd be missing out if I didn't eat. I have to go back to work, or the team leader will deduct points from my score. I'm leaving now."
Shen Lingyu fled as if she were running away, and Song Lubai called over Chen Jingwen, who was playing in the water by the ditch.
The boy's clothes were already dirty, so Song Lubai pulled out all the chicken leg mushrooms and made him roll up his clothes to cover them.
Chen Jingwen gestured excitedly and said, "The ones Dandan picked before weren't like this. Their hats were bigger and their legs were thicker. Can these taste good?"
Song Lubai said, "I guarantee it will be delicious, and we happen to have meat today."
Wild mushrooms are all delicious, and these chicken leg mushrooms are especially fragrant.
After thinking for a moment, she said, "We already have something to eat today, let's go tomorrow. We'll go mushroom picking again tomorrow."
Her job doesn't require her to stay at the supply and marketing cooperative every day, and no one will say anything if she goes home early, as long as it doesn't interfere with her regular work.
When they reached the intersection leading into the regiment, a group of people came towards them. A familiar-looking male comrade led a dozen or so female comrades toward the direction of the Seed Company.
"Comrade Song, just got back from the vegetable garden?"
Song Lubai didn't quite remember the name of the man who greeted her, but she seemed to have seen him before.
The regimental headquarters was only so big, and Wei Yang was always out in public. Song Lubai had also gone to the headquarters to look for him, so quite a few people knew that she was Wei Yang's wife.
She smiled naturally and said, "Yes, where are you going?"
The male comrade, a staff member of the educated youth office, wiped the sweat from his brow and said, "These people were originally supposed to go to the 14th Regiment, but the 14th Regiment wouldn't accept them. Today, the division headquarters brought them here. There are more than 320 people. The regimental commander and secretary are having a headache today. Our Director Pang asked me to send these female comrades to the vegetable planting class first."
Among the group of women, there was a very thin woman with a protruding belly, who looked quite old.
When she looked at him, he looked at her too.
Zhao Dongmei looked at the young and beautiful Song Lubai, and when their eyes met, she felt ashamed and avoided her gaze.
After talking with the man for a while, Song Lubai said, "Then you go ahead with your work, I'm going back to the supply and marketing cooperative."
The man watched her leave with a broad smile.
After Song Lubai walked away, a female comrade asked, "Comrade Jiang, that woman looks so young, how come she already has three children?"
Jiang Ping said, "Comrade Song is the regimental commander's wife, and those three children belong to the regimental commander's sister."
When Jiang Ping greeted her earlier, he was worried that Song Lubai wouldn't recognize him and would be embarrassed if she ignored him. Fortunately, the regimental commander's wife was quite easy to talk to.
"The regimental commander's wife is from Henan Province, just like you. I heard she used to work in Shicheng."
When they arrived at the vegetable garden, Squad Leader Cao saw that another group of female comrades had been brought in. He pouted and said, "You can't just keep sending people here and not send us any more grain!"
Jiang Ping said, "The regimental commander said that you should plant vegetables well, because the regimental headquarters will rely on radishes and cabbages to get through the winter. More than 300 educated youths came today, and 19 female comrades were sent here. These people are entrusted to you. Open up more land and plant quickly, or it will be too late."
Squad Leader Cao was worried.
"Comrade Jiang, grain! I need grain! And I also need daily necessities!"
Jiang Ping patted Lao Cao on the shoulder, "Don't worry, I'll pass on the message to the regimental leaders."
Jiang Ping patted his butt and left. Squad Leader Cao looked at the group of young female comrades and then, surprisingly, spotted a woman with a protruding belly among them.
Zhao Dongmei noticed Cao's gaze, shrank back and retreated behind a female comrade to avoid his eyes.
Squad Leader Cao called over all the group leaders, divided the female comrades into groups, and made sure everyone was settled in.
Seeing Zhao Dongmei walking away with her head down, Squad Leader Cao called her back.
"Comrade, don't go yet."
Zhao Dongmei stood to the side with her head down, not saying a word.
Zhao Dongmei looked rather pitiful, her timid and hesitant demeanor prompting Squad Leader Cao to soften his tone and ask, "Are you sick or pregnant? How old are you?"
Zhao Dongmei lowered her head, avoiding his gaze, and mechanically replied, "I'm pregnant, my husband is dead, I'm nineteen this year, I'm not an educated youth, I signed up myself, and I don't have any relatives in my hometown."
Squad Leader Cao couldn't believe she was only nineteen years old.
He felt that the woman looked to be thirty-five years old, and he would believe her if she said she was forty.
The man died, but she was heavily pregnant.
With his thin arms and legs, and his timid and hesitant expression, he looked like he had suffered a lot.
Squad Leader Cao felt pity for the woman in front of him and said, "Do you want to find a father for your child? I know a lot of unmarried men. If you're interested, I can help you find a match after this busy period. You can take a good look at them."
After hesitating for a moment, Zhao Dongmei nodded, "Then thank you very much."
Squad Leader Cao waved his hand, "Alright, go ahead."
Zhao Dongmei lowered her head and went into the thatched shed to sit down.
She gently rubbed her lower back, her eyes filled with uncertainty about the future.
…
After Song Lubai returned home, she started to get busy, asking Chen Shaohua to light the fire and steam mixed grain rice in the pot.
Once the mixed grain rice was cooked, she threw the chopped fatty meat into the pot to render the oil.
This piece of pork belly is fatty enough, but not to the point of being as fatty as pork fat.
The fat was rendered until only golden-brown pork cracklings remained. After being ladled into a bowl, the three children blew on it to cool it down until it was edible. Chen Dongyang picked up a piece and handed it to Song Lubai.
"Auntie, you eat first!"
The crispy fried pork cracklings and the aroma of oil spread in her mouth. Song Lubai suddenly felt quite tempted, but with so little fried pork cracklings, the three children couldn't each get much.
She poured out the oil to use for making watermelon and soybean sauce later. There was still a layer of oil at the bottom of the pot, so she put the small amount of lean meat that she had removed into the pot.
After sautéing the green chilies, minced garlic, chicken leg mushrooms, and scallions in the pot, the aroma quickly filled the air.
Fortunately, most of the neighbors were not home at the moment, and only Miao Feng was peeking out from afar.
The three children were drawn by the aroma and gathered around the stove, eagerly waiting for the food to be cooked.
The dishes were cooked, but Wei Yang hadn't returned yet. Song Lubai set aside his portion and then ate with the three children.
Today's dishes were really flavorful. The chicken drumstick mushrooms were fresh and smooth, and although there wasn't much meat, they tasted delicious.
Chen Jingwen flattered her, saying, "Auntie's cooking is even better than what you get in restaurants."
The little brat provided a lot of emotional value, making it hard for Song Lubai not to feel proud. She even started thinking about how to cook more delicious food in the future.
The four of them finished their meal happily, and then Commander Wei returned carrying a bucket of lime water.
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