Chapter 19 Mushroom Meat Sauce.
On the second day after getting the bicycle, He Susu slept for more than half an hour longer than usual in the morning. When she opened her eyes, she felt full of energy, and when she moved her hands and feet, she did not feel tired from not getting enough sleep.
After washing up, she went to the kitchen to get breakfast as usual, and put the rice, meat and fried beans that her mother had cooked in advance into an aluminum lunch box, then rode her bicycle to the county town.
Arriving at the cinema, He Susu opened the door and looked at the time. It was only ten minutes before the official start of work at ten o'clock. This timing was just right.
She parked her bicycle like she did yesterday and began her daily patrol of the screening room. As soon as she returned to the ticket counter and sat down, a customer came over to buy movie tickets.
Soon it was noon. He Susu heated up her lunch and ate it up, then rinsed the aluminum lunch box and pot. She sat behind the ticket counter and read the newspaper that the director brought back from the meeting. She was about to go to sleep when she suddenly remembered that she had forgotten something.
Oops, from the time her third brother sent her the bicycle, until now she has bought the bicycle home, but she actually forgot to tell her eldest sister about it. If her eldest sister or brother-in-law had heard about the bicycle ticket and bought it, it would be a big mistake and she would lose a lot.
He Susu immediately picked up the key, pushed the bicycle out, locked the door, and rode the bicycle directly to the meat processing factory.
The meat processing factory was quiet in the afternoon. He Susu said hello to the uncle guarding the gate and rode her bike directly to the meat canning workshop. She didn't get off the bike until she got to a place where she was more likely to bump into people.
There were only a few workers left in the meat canning workshop. He Susu poked her head inside and asked someone near the door to pass the message to her eldest sister.
He Xiuxiu came out quickly and saw the bicycle next to the little sister. Her eyes lit up: "You bought a bicycle so quickly?"
He Susu nodded: "Yes, I just bought it at the supply and marketing cooperative yesterday at noon. Big sister, I was so busy that I forgot to tell you that my third brother sent the bicycle ticket back. I just remembered and hurried over to tell you, for fear that you would ask someone to buy a ticket for you later."
"I was wondering why you came here in the middle of the day." He Xiuxiu said relaxedly, "Don't worry, although your brother-in-law and I asked people to help ask, no one has a bicycle ticket for the time being. Lianzhou is really reliable. It's easier to get a ticket in the army."
He Susu nodded: "I guess someone in the army just happened to have a bicycle ticket but didn't plan to buy a bicycle, so I got it at a discount."
He Xiuxiu told her: "It's much more convenient for you to ride a bicycle now, but you must pay close attention to the road, don't get scared by people rushing out suddenly, or fall down due to potholes on the road."
"I know, don't worry, big sister." He Susu said.
The two sisters talked for a while. After all, nap time was rare and they needed to rest well so they could work in the afternoon. He Susu said goodbye to her elder sister and rode her bike back to the cinema.
After a while, she returned to the cinema and couldn't help sighing that it was great to have a bicycle. She could go anywhere easily without feeling tired.
He Susu parked her bicycle, left the door of the cinema ajar, and sat behind the ticket counter, sleeping on the table.
When she got home from work that day, she saw her mother was already home again. He Susu asked casually, "Is it my third sister-in-law who brought Dabao and Erbao back again?"
"She just came back not long ago, how could she come back so often?" He's mother said unhappily. After her daughter parked her bicycle in the yard, she called her to her room.
He Susu was stunned for a moment, not knowing what her mother wanted to say to her. Seeing her sister-in-law standing at the kitchen door, she looked over and saw her winking at her, which made her feel even stranger.
As soon as she entered her mother's room, He Susu decided to take the initiative: "Mom, do you have anything to say to me?"
He's mother told her what happened in the afternoon: "It's not your marriage yet. Matchmaker Huang came to my house this afternoon and introduced three young men to me. There is the second son of Fang Wu in our village, the youngest son of Secretary Wang from the Sha Production Team next door, and a man named Wu Qiang from the Mianshan Production Team a little further away. They told me about their family conditions and personal situations, and said they could arrange for you to meet someone suitable. Here, these are their photos."
He Susu took a casual glance and was not satisfied with his appearance. She refused directly: "Mom, please help me and the matchmaker to reject him. I don't want to talk about marriage for the time being. I want to stay with you and dad for a few more years."
"It's okay if you refuse." In her heart, He's mother was not very satisfied with these three people. But it was the first time a matchmaker came to introduce a marriage to her daughter, so she had to tell her about it.
Su Su was pretty and graduated from high school. Sooner or later, she would have a stable job. In He's mother's opinion, she should at least marry to a city. If she married a young man in the production team, even if he was capable and could earn a full centimeter, her daughter would still have to go to work in the fields.
She was never allowed to work in the fields at her parents' home, so how could He's mother bear to let her do these things after she got married? Her life would become more and more difficult.
He's mother said, "You are still young now. Next year I will ask your sister to introduce you to some outstanding boys in the city. They will definitely be better than these."
He Susu waved her hand hurriedly: "Mom, please don't, I really don't want to talk about marriage for the time being, so please don't bother my sister for now."
"How can it be a hassle? Your sister is happy about it." Mother He said unhappily, "Seeing how nervous you are, don't worry, your sister will definitely tell you before introducing you to someone."
It’s still early until next year, so He’s mother comforts her daughter first.
With the confirmation of her daughter's marriage, she decided that if a matchmaker came to her house in the future and introduced someone from a nearby production team, she would tactfully refuse.
After packing up at night, He Susu lay on the bed and opened the shopping system screen to watch. She planned to exchange some things and send them to her third brother to thank him for exchanging her bicycle ticket and donating 200 yuan.
Life in the army is simple. Apart from training, there is food and accommodation. As for accommodation, the third brother has always lived in a dormitory, with the simplest bed and quilt. He always wears a simple white vest underneath and an olive green military uniform. As for food, the canteen provides rice and meat, but I guess the meat cannot be eaten freely.
Sometimes when I get home late from training and go to the cafeteria, the meat and vegetables might have been almost eaten by others.
He Susu thought so, and the next second she saw that there was fermented bean curd available for exchange in the shopping system.
I remember that one time my aunt came to visit us and brought a can of fermented bean curd for them. During that time, my third brother would scoop a spoonful of fermented bean curd with every meal, mixing it with rice, sweet potatoes, and corn steamed bread, and he ate it with great relish. He would even refuse to eat the rare fried meat at home when we asked him to eat it.
It takes 2 points of diligence to exchange for a can of fermented tofu, which is almost as much as the value of a pound of pork. He Susu couldn't help but complain in her heart and still exchanged two cans.
She also thought that her third brother's training was very tiring. What if he was late for training and all the meat and vegetables in the canteen were gone? He would have to have some meat to eat.
So He Susu exchanged two kilograms of pork, the kind with three parts fat and seven parts lean hind leg meat, and then exchanged for a kilogram of mushrooms, intending to ask her mother to make mushroom meat sauce.
Estimating the final amount, He Susu exchanged for three glass bottles that could hold mushroom and meat sauce.
The next day after get off work, He Susu rode her bike home, with the package on her back containing items she had redeemed from the shopping system.
After dinner, she took these things to her mother and said, "Mom, I went to the supply and marketing cooperative today and bought two cans of fermented bean curd. My third brother likes to eat this, so I will send it to her. In addition, I bought a pound of mushrooms and asked my classmates to help buy two pounds of pork. Please help me make mushroom and meat sauce and send it to my third brother later."
"Oh, by the way, I also bought three glass bottles to store the mushroom sauce."
He's mother was naturally worried about her son who was in the army and could not see him all year round. Her daughter wanted to send something to her third brother, so she bought these foods. He's mother was naturally happy. She said, "Okay, you spent a lot of money on these things. I will give you the money later. Just think of it as a gift from my mother to my son."
The daughter is generous to her family. She buys as many things as she can when she has some money. He's mother feels sorry for her and can't help wanting to give her some money back.
He Susu shook her head: "No need, Mom, if you want to buy something, send it to Third Brother, and then you can buy something for yourself later. These are my thoughts. Besides, I wanted to give you the remaining 25 yuan from the last bicycle purchase, but you refused to take it and left it with me."
Thinking of the twenty-five yuan, He's mother felt relieved knowing that her daughter still had money on hand: "Okay, when you write to me later, just write clearly that these were bought by you. Your third brother will definitely be happy."
He Susu smiled, leaned closer and said coquettishly: "Mom, you have also contributed. You will have to help make mushroom meat sauce later. I don't know how to do this."
So late at night, He's mother lit a kerosene lamp and started busying herself in the kitchen.
Stir-frying mushroom meat sauce is simple, but it takes a lot of preparation. She put the one pound of mushrooms in a basin, washed them and soaked them, took out the two pounds of pork, put it on the chopping board and cut it into pieces, then chopped it quickly with a knife.
The kitchen door and windows were closed, which could somewhat mask the noise of chopping meat and prevent the neighbors from hearing and envying.
He's mother sighed: "The fat-to-lean ratio of these two pounds of pork is quite good, just right for making mushroom meat sauce, and I won't get tired of eating it later."
He Susu watched from the side: "When I asked my classmate to help me buy it, I told her that I wanted to use it to make mushroom meat sauce. She brought me two kilograms of hind leg meat, saying that this part was suitable."
"Your classmate is really good." He's mother affirmed.
It took a long time to chop two pounds of pork into finely chopped meat. He's mother went to the vegetable garden in the yard to pick some green onions and minced them. She opened the cupboard and took out a piece of ginger and garlic to chop them up: "You didn't tell me in advance that you wanted to make mushroom meat sauce, otherwise I could have gone to your aunt's house to ask for some onions. Fortunately, it's okay if there are a few onions."
He Susu smiled and didn't respond.
He's mother then took out the soaked mushrooms, squeezed out the water, and cut them into cubes on the chopping board.
Seeing that everything was almost ready, He Susu helped light the stove.
He's mother first poured two pounds of minced meat into the pot and stir-fried it until it changed color and produced a lot of oil. Then she poured in chopped green onion, ginger, garlic and diced mushrooms and stir-fried them. The aroma instantly overflowed.
He Susu couldn't help but take a deep breath: "This smells so good!"
"There are mushrooms, meat, and so many other ingredients. How can it not smell good?" He's mother smelled the aroma and added seasonings such as soy sauce and salt. She then mixed a bowl of starch water and poured it in. She then stir-fried it with a spatula. The mushrooms and minced meat blended together, and even the soup slowly became thick.
After simmering for ten minutes, when the mushroom meat sauce in the pot showed a shiny luster, He's mother knew it was done. She turned off the fire in the stove and said, "Next, wait for the mushroom meat sauce to cool down, and then put it in a glass bottle."
Mother He glanced at her daughter and asked, "First, let me scoop two spoonfuls out of a bowl for you to taste?"
He Susu nodded quickly after hearing this: "Okay, mother still understands me best."
"You are the greediest person in the family." He's mother said this without showing any disgust.
He Susu took the bowl with two spoonfuls of mushroom and meat sauce, scooped one spoonful and handed it to her mother first: "Mom, you have worked hard, try this first."
The spoon was pushed directly in front of her. Mother He couldn't resist the fragrance and ate it: "This tastes really good. Your third brother will definitely like it."
He Susu tasted the mushroom meat sauce in her mouth. The mushrooms were cooked until soft, and the aroma blended with the aroma of the meat. The slight grainy texture made it more fragrant when chewed. If eaten with white rice, she could eat as many bowls as she wanted.
Opening the kitchen door, He Susu saw the eager eyes of the children in the yard and asked, "Mom, how about scooping some for Guifang and the others to try?"
"Okay, you're all greedy cats." Thinking of the big pot of mushroom and meat sauce, He's mother became generous.
So He Susu went to get a bowl and scooped a spoonful of meat sauce for each of the five children, asking them to share it and not forgetting to instruct them: "You will be responsible for washing the dishes later."
The little ones were already eating a spoonful of the mushroom and meat sauce, saying, "It smells so good!"
"Don't worry, aunt. I'll wash it later." Only Guifang could respond and ate her spoonful of mushroom and meat sauce in one gulp.
It smells so good! It would be great if we could have mushroom meat sauce at home every day. Guifang thinks this is the most delicious meat she has ever eaten!
After eating the mushroom and meat sauce, the five children felt their gluttony was appeased and they became well-behaved, rushing to wash the two bowls.
After sending her daughter to take a bath and go to bed, He's mother was thinking about the pot of mushroom and meat sauce in the kitchen. After it cooled down completely, she filled the three glass bottles bought by her daughter.
She thought that these three glass bottles were probably not cheap.
There was so much mushroom and meat sauce that in the end there was still a small bowl left after filling three glass bottles. He's mother simply put it in a bowl and saved it for her daughter to take to the cinema as lunch the next day.
She washed the pot, spatula and chopping board, then went back to her room to sleep.
The next morning, He Susu got up and washed up. When she entered the kitchen, she saw three bottles of mushroom and meat sauce next to the chopping board. She opened the pot and saw porridge and egg custard, white rice, fried vegetables, and a small bowl of mushroom and meat sauce.
Knowing that this was her lunch, He Susu felt much better.
She first brought the porridge and egg custard to the dining table in the living room and ate them. After breakfast, He Susu went to the kitchen to put the lunch in the pot into the aluminum lunch box. The white rice was the base, and the small bowl of mushroom and meat sauce was poured on it. The fragrance instantly wafted, and the green vegetables were spread on the side. It was undoubtedly a hearty lunch.
Then He Susu went back to her room and took the letter she had written last night.
The letter contained a lot of content. She told her third brother that she had bought a bicycle, promised that she would work hard and live up to his expectations, and expressed her gratitude. In addition, her parents had a lot to say to their third son. Since they couldn't write, they told their daughter everything and asked her to write it on the letter paper. Even the eldest and second brothers He said something to the third brother, just "Be safe" and "Take care of yourself".
He Susu packed her lunch and the things she wanted to send to her third brother into two separate packages and rode her bicycle to the county town. She went straight to the post office and approached the window and said, "Comrade, I want to send a package."
The staff member pulled out a piece of information paper and asked, "Where do you want to send it to?"
He Susu reported the receiving address of her third brother's military unit. The staff filled in the information according to the address and quoted the mailing fee to her.
He Susu paid the money promptly and watched the staff take the package away. Only then did she feel at ease and rode her bike back to the cinema to work.
That evening, when handing over the shift, Sister Chen said, "Susu, I have something to do in the next two days and I need to rest. Please help me with work."
"Sister Chen, it's okay, just go ahead and get busy." He Susu responded readily. This was actually the rest she owed Sister Chen.
In the evening, she came home and said that she had to work full days the next two days and would not be able to go home until nine o'clock in the evening.
He's mother was worried when she heard this: "I just got off work at 9 o'clock and rode back from the county town. Although the surrounding area is quite peaceful now, it's still not safe for a girl like you. Your father and I are worried. How about this, let your brother pick you up after get off work. It's not a difficult thing."
He's father agreed very much.
Brother He: "No problem, I'll go to the county town after dinner and wait to pick up my little sister."
He Erge also said: "This kind of thing is very simple. When I come back, I can just ride my bicycle and take my little sister home in a short while."
He Susu didn't have any idea at first, but after hearing what her mother said, she felt a little scared.
Since her elder and second brothers said so, she didn't hesitate: "Okay, thank you for your hard work. The road to the county town after dinner is not easy to travel, so I will just take a bullock cart to work in the morning these two days and leave the bicycle at home. You can ride your bicycles to the county town to pick me up later."
He's mother thought her daughter's words made sense: "Okay, then it's settled."
Privately, Gui Xi and Gui Mian pestered their father: "Dad, can you take me with you when you go to pick up my aunt? I haven't been to the county town yet."
Gui Xi also tried to use his age to pressure his brother: "You are still young, you can only go to the county town after I have been there first."
Brother He was too lazy to pay attention to them: "Stop making a fuss. What can you see in the county town at night? I won't take anyone with me."
Ke Jie also pestered his father to go to the county town, saying in a particularly caring way: "I want to pick up my aunt."
He Erge rubbed his son's head and said, "It's dark at night and you can't see anything. It's enough for me to pick up your aunt. When your aunt is resting, I will ride my bicycle to take you to the county town for a stroll."
Ke Jie was so happy to get his father's promise: "It's a deal now, whoever lies is a puppy."
He Erge was so angry that he hit his son on the head.
The next day, He Susu got up early again. After having breakfast, she put on her bag and walked to the village entrance to wait for the ox cart.
Uncle Dashan was surprised to see her and asked, "He girl, you're not riding your bike today?"
He Susu nodded: "Well, I'll take the ox cart for the next two days."
Several aunties who were in the same car with her stopped her and asked her a lot of questions, such as whether it was easy to work in a movie theater, how much the salary was, and whether there were any ways to find a job.
He Susu answered what she could, and laughed off what she couldn't. After finally reaching the county supply and marketing cooperative, she greeted everyone as soon as she got off the car and quickly walked towards the cinema.
We work as usual during the day, except that we still have to work after 5:30. The cinema has a half-hour break from 6:00 to 6:30, and there are no scheduled movies. In fact, it is because most people are eating at this time, and few people come to watch movies, so they just give the staff a break to eat dinner.
He's mother only made lunch for He Susu to bring over and heat up. As for dinner, she said, "I'm afraid it will go bad if it's left out for too long. It's only a few days anyway. Susu, bring some money and food coupons and go to the state-owned restaurant."
He Susu naturally agreed.
Because the state-owned hotel was not far from the cinema, He Susu did not ride a bicycle. After locking the door of the cinema, she walked straight there.
The state-owned restaurant does good business, serving meat for almost every meal. The chefs are skilled, and those who have the means will come here from time to time to eat meat.
When He Susu arrived, there were already two or three tables of people eating in the restaurant. She looked at the today's offerings written on the blackboard, which included braised fish, braised pork ribs with winter vegetables, and stir-fried spring bamboo shoots.
He Susu said to the waiter, "Comrade, I want a braised fish and stir-fried spring bamboo shoots, and three taels of rice."
The dish of braised pork ribs with preserved vegetables is not difficult to make. She can redeem the pork ribs and preserved vegetables from the shopping system later and take them home to cook for everyone to enjoy.
The waiter wrote it down in the notebook: "A total of 1.8 yuan, 3 taels of food coupons and 4 taels of seafood coupons."
He Susu handed her the money and ticket, secretly sighing that this state-owned restaurant was indeed not affordable for everyone. A meal cost only a few dollars, and she was already paying less.
He Susu took the paper that the staff tore off and handed over, put it on the window that connected to the kitchen, found a table and sat down to wait. After a while, she heard the staff calling out the names of the dishes, and she stood up and walked over to bring them over.
The braised fish was cooked especially well, with the skin of the whole fish browned and the sauce-colored soup flowing through it, emitting a fragrant aroma.
He Susu picked up a piece of fish and it tasted very fresh and tender. The soup was also very tasty when poured over white rice. The spring bamboo shoots were probably fried with lard, and they were crispy and fresh. You can't usually get this taste at home.
She ate quite fast and quickly finished a whole braised fish, a plate of fried spring bamboo shoots and three taels of white rice.
He Susu rushed back to the cinema before 6:30 and opened the door wide, waiting for customers to come and buy movie tickets.
There are fewer people watching movies at night. Most of them are people from the county town. They don’t have time to watch movies during the day because of work, so they will invite their partners or friends to come over for entertainment and relaxation.
Hearing the familiar voice, He Susu paused while writing the information on the movie ticket. She looked up at the other person, then lowered her head and continued writing without saying a word.
It's not that they know each other, but the man has been coming to watch movies with different lesbians recently. She has heard that they are on blind dates. The amazing thing is that every time the man brings a girl over, he always watches the same movie. He has watched it so many times, isn't he tired of it?
He Susu secretly complained in her heart. However, these customers' private affairs, at most she would sigh and lament, were none of her business.
Not long ago, a couple came to watch a movie, but the child ran over and complained that his parents were partial to him. They lied to him that he was going to his grandmother's house, but he ran out to watch a movie. In the end, the couple had to pay for another movie ticket and take the child to watch the movie together.
There were a few customers in the evening who were obviously regulars and asked He Susu if they wanted to buy some melon seeds.
He Susu had no choice but to say, "I'm sorry, customer, we don't have any melon seeds for sale these two days."
Besides, the working hours at night were easy to pass, and it was almost nine o'clock. He Susu saw Sister Zhang, who was in charge of cleaning, whom she had never seen before.
Sister Zhang smiled and said, "You must be Susu, right? This is the first time we meet."
"Hello Sister Zhang, thank you for your hard work." He Susu greeted with a smile.
"What's so hard about it? This job is easy." Sister Zhang said honestly. She came to the cinema to clean the sanitation, which was considered a lot of work. During the day, she swept the garbage on the street, and she could earn more at night than during the day.
She was very quick and nimble, cleaning each theater and arranging the chairs neatly. "Okay, we've finished cleaning, Susu, you can go back too."
"Okay, goodbye, Sister Zhang." He Susu turned off the lights in the cinema, locked the door, and called Brother He who had been there for a while, "Brother, we can go back now."
"Okay." Brother He replied. He had eaten and showered before riding his bike over. He still found it strange to see the little sister working at the ticket counter of the cinema. The little sister was quite serious about her work and looked very decent.
He Susu sat on the back seat of the bicycle and held onto her brother's clothes with both hands: "I'm ready, let's go."
Brother He responded and rode his bicycle to take the little sister home.
Occasionally, there were sounds and cool breezes in the night, but since her elder brother was carrying her, He Susu was not afraid.
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