Chapter 27 Resignation.
After getting the package from the mailroom, He Lianzhou looked at the mailing information posted on it and when he saw his younger sister's name he was sure it was sent from home.
He smiled. Since his mother sent him mushroom meat sauce and fermented bean curd last time, his family would send him some things from time to time. It was not like before when they only exchanged letters, and he would send back fifteen yuan every month.
The fact that his family was able to send him things meant that they were living a good life and had some extra things, and of course they were thinking of him.
In a good mood, He Lianzhou returned to the dormitory and sat at his desk to open the package. He was surprised to find that it contained two and a half strips of bacon and seven or eight pieces of sausage.
These are all made of meat, and they smell delicious just by smelling.
There were also two bottles of fermented bean curd that he loved.
He Lianzhou opened the envelope stuffed in the package, unfolded the letter paper, and found it was a letter written by his younger sister.
The letter said that everyone in the family missed him very much. On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, everyone was watching the moon in the yard, and his mother kept muttering that she hadn't seen him for half a year.
Everything is fine at home. After the autumn harvest, work is not so busy. I thought that the mushroom meat sauce and fermented bean curd sent last time should be eaten, so I made bacon and sausage and sent them to him, so that he can eat more oil and water in his daily life, so that he can have the strength to complete his usual training. I look forward to meeting him soon.
He Lianzhou felt guilty when he saw his parents thinking of him during the Mid-Autumn Festival. He missed them too, but there was nothing he could do. The army had tasks assigned to him, and in addition to training, he also had to go out on missions, so he never had a vacation of more than two days.
After reading the letter, He Lianzhou had a smile on his face. He was also looking forward to meeting his parents, wife, children and brothers and sisters.
The last time he took the mushroom and meat sauce that his family sent him, he shared it with his comrades when he heated it up in the cafeteria. The rest of the time he used it as a snack for himself occasionally, and of course he would share some with Uncle Zhang who helped heat it up.
Everyone knows that it is difficult to get meat these days, and even comrades were embarrassed to share the food that was specially sent by home.
I think it was because I mentioned Uncle Zhang's help in heating up the mushroom and meat sauce in my last letter home that my mother thought of making sausages and bacon and sending them to me. At least there is a place to heat them up.
He Lianzhou was a little greedy when he smelled the bacon aroma. His comrades usually took good care of him, and the army canteen didn't always have meat, so he planned to share it with his comrades this time, just like before.
He Lianzhou took out half of the bacon and wrapped the rest back in oil paper and put them in the package. He planned to take it with him when he went to training in the afternoon.
After the afternoon training, He Lianzhou was the first to rush to the canteen. The training of several companies in their camp was very intense and they finished the latest. By then, most of the food in the canteen had been eaten, and the soldiers who had finished training first had already finished their meals and left.
He Lianzhou found a window near the kitchen and said to Uncle Zhang, "Uncle Zhang, my family sent me some bacon. Could you please help slice it and steam it? It's the same old routine."
Uncle Zhang smiled and said, "You are lucky. Your family even made some bacon and sent it to you. OK, I'll help you steam it."
He looked at the bacon he had taken over. It was beautifully smoked and had a hint of cypress and fruit aroma. He estimated that it weighed half a pound. He was polite. Every time he asked him to help heat it up, he would share some with him. He would be able to taste the bacon later.
"Thank you, Uncle Zhang."
He Lianzhou went to another window to get food, found a table to put it on, and when he returned to the window near the kitchen, the bacon had been steamed and was placed on a plate with shiny slices.
"Uncle Zhang, please save a few slices of bacon for your taste."
Uncle Zhang smiled and said, "I'm not being polite with you. I've already reserved a few pieces. These are all yours."
He Lianzhou didn't hesitate to take the plate of bacon and bring it to the previous table. He was quick to greet several comrades from a distance and asked them to come over.
When the comrades came over, someone joked: "It's ok to train together during normal times, but you have to get together after dinner."
Someone noticed the bacon on the table and said, "Wow, there's bacon to eat. No wonder they called us over."
"Brother, that's really nice!"
He Lianzhou smiled helplessly: "I must have thought of you when I had something delicious. This is the bacon made by my family. I just got back at noon, so I thought of sharing some oil and water with you."
The comrades thanked him and sat down to try the bacon. They knew He Lianzhou's character, he was not a man who pretended to be generous. The family wanted to share the food with them when they sent them something for the first time, and they usually did the same.
Several people picked up the bacon and ate it, praising it highly: "The bacon you make is really delicious, not only is it salty and fragrant, but it also sizzles with oil and has a light fruity aroma."
"This bacon is definitely the best bacon I have ever eaten. Your family is really generous to you."
"It's really delicious, and the salty and fragrant taste is even more delicious when mixed with rice."
He Lianzhou ate the bacon and felt that his comrades' praise was well-deserved. His childhood memories were already blurred, and this was the first time he knew that his mother's bacon making skills were so good. He could eat two bowls of white rice with this bacon.
With oil in the stomach, people feel less tired and have a more satisfying meal.
Cheng Shi happened to pass by after dinner, and He Lianzhou saw him. Since he exchanged bicycle tickets and sent mushroom meat sauce last time, the two of them would nod and say hello when they met. He asked: "My family sent bacon over, do you want to try some?"
Cheng Shi shook his head and said calmly: "No thanks, I just ate."
As Cheng Shi continued to walk towards the canteen exit, he was thinking that the bacon should taste good. The mushroom meat sauce last time was quite delicious. He Lianzhou's family was really nice. They would send him some things from time to time.
He Susu naturally didn't know what was happening in the army, she was working seriously. About eight days after the package was sent, she also received a reply from her third brother, which should have been written on the same day after receiving the package.
The letter said that bacon and sausage were delicious, and thanked his family for making and sending them to him. He was doing well in the army, and asked his family not to worry. He also said that he missed his family very much and would be able to come back for the New Year.
I took the letter home and read it to Mr. and Mother He, and they were naturally happy.
He's father only said: "I hope everything goes well for the third brother in the army."
He's mother breathed a sigh of relief: "It's good that he can come back for the New Year. I was really worried that he wouldn't even be able to come back for the New Year. This sausage and bacon should suit his taste. He should add some oil and water from time to time so that he will have the strength to complete the daily training."
Time flies and it is November now. The weather is getting colder and colder. It is time to test your willpower to get up every day.
He Susu has a hard time getting up every morning, but the working hours are fixed, so no matter how much she procrastinates, she has to get up, have breakfast, and ride her bike to work.
Sometimes I get up late and don’t even have time to eat breakfast. If I have steamed buns, I will take them directly to the cinema to eat. If I have white porridge, I will drink it in a few mouthfuls. I ride my bicycle at lightning speed on the road to arrive before the cinema opens.
After rushing to the cinema again, inspecting the three screening rooms and sitting down in front of the ticket counter, He Susu couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, there are only a few days like this left.
November was her sixth month working at the cinema, and also her last month. Zhou Xiaoqian had hired a helper because she was weak after giving birth so that she could stay at home and take care of her child for another six months. Now it was almost time.
He Susu had no regrets about leaving. The job at the cinema was indeed good and easy, but it was going to be deep winter and it was very cold. She would rather stay in bed to keep warm than ride her bicycle to work early in the morning.
Animals need to hibernate during the winter, so she might as well give herself a hibernation vacation.
Mother He was the more nervous, and kept repeating: "Susu, you finally got a job, but you're going to lose it soon. I wonder what those women will say if this gets out?"
"You need to get in touch with your classmates, even if it's just to get some job information from them. Then you can sign up for the exam and you'll definitely pass."
He Xiuxiu was also worried about her younger sister's work. She took advantage of her lunch break to come to the cinema and say to her, "Don't worry, younger sister. I've been keeping an eye out for work news for you recently. I've also asked a few good friends to ask about it. Sooner or later, there will be good news."
He Susu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She confessed to her mother and elder sister that she just wanted to stay at home during this cold weather. If she really wanted to find a job, she would wait until the spring.
Her excuse was also legitimate: "Factories in the county don't recruit workers at the end of the year. It's a bit busy but it will pass. We can't give out more New Year benefits. There should be more job opportunities in the spring of next year."
He's mother was persuaded and had to let her daughter go. Although He Xiuxiu felt that her younger sister's words made some sense, she still did not give up. Anyway, she asked someone to inquire about it, maybe she would get some news if she was lucky.
Brother He and Brother Two naturally hope that their younger sister can get a good job. Of course, they have no objection if her younger sister stays at home until next year before looking for a job.
They both have their own little thoughts and don't have to go to work after December.
In previous years, they stayed at home and killed time out of boredom. This year, they found He Xiuxiu and asked her to help ask if there were any factories in the city that were hiring workers. Even if it was heavy work, it was okay. They would work as many days as they could and earn some money.
He Xiuxiu was naturally happy to be able to help her parents' family. Not only did she help to inquire about the matter herself, but she also asked her husband to pay attention to the matter.
In mid-November, there was a response to the grain that had been delivered to the commune during the autumn harvest, and the grain was redistributed. The brigade broadcast a message to organize the distribution of grain and money to the whole village.
This was a big event of the year, and all the adults in the He family went to the scene to line up, waiting to carry the food home together later.
Team leader He Shengli first announced the value of the centimeter this year. Because the grain harvest was less, the amount of grain that could be distributed per centimeter also decreased, but the money distributed was similar to last year.
Everyone was talking about it, and even though they knew the result already, they still couldn't help but sigh one after another.
"So the amount of food each family gets is 10% less than last year. It's really unbelievable!"
"Fortunately, the situation was not good during the autumn harvest, so my family started tightening their belts to eat, and we had some food left over to save for next year. Otherwise, I don't know how we would have gotten through the day."
"There's a new baby in the family, one more mouth to feed and less food to eat. Life is tough just thinking about it."
The He family's reaction was not bad. When they were in a bad mood, they would complain about the bad weather and forget about it. But they still remembered the 20 kilograms of rice they bought at home. My younger sister had a way to help buy food, so she would not go hungry if she saved some food.
For this reason, the foresighted Mother He straightened her back and talked a lot, lamenting the lack of food with a few of her good friends.
There was no other way, if she didn't say that she would seem out of place.
He Shengli said some comforting words and asked the scorekeeper to start calling people from the highest to the lowest according to the calculated centimeters of each household. The accountant, the branch secretary and he helped to distribute the grain and money.
The food includes rice and sweet potatoes, and the money includes great unity and scattered money.
The He family has many adult laborers. The eldest and second brothers He can earn a full centimeter, or ten centimeters, every day. He's father, mother, Zhao Miling, and Qian Chunhe can earn eight centimeters every day. The whole family are good at farm work and rarely take leave. In addition, the centimeters earned by the children who work hard to pick grass for pigs every day can rank among the top in the village. Naturally, the food and money they get are also among the top in the village.
These days, there are wealthy families with more than a dozen or twenty people, and there are also young couples. The more they work, the more they earn. They exchange the cents they save in a year for food and money, and everyone is convinced. They are envious, but not jealous.
As the housekeeper, He's mother counted the several hundred yuan she had just received and put them into her pockets, then asked the family members to take the bags of food they had received back home.
When He Susu got home from get off work, she learned that the village was distributing grain and money today. She was naturally happy to see the extra grain in her family's warehouse.
The family members were all together. When talking about the distribution of food and money during the day, He's mother cleared her throat and talked about her plans: "Besides your father and I, the main earners in our family are the eldest and second sons. Although I am still in charge of the family, your father and I have discussed that you should keep some money on hand so that you can decide what to buy."
Hearing this, Zhao Miling and Qian Chunhe became excited. They didn't expect their parents to have such an idea. As a daughter-in-law, who doesn't want to get rid of the control of the mother-in-law one day, hold the money in their own hands, and buy whatever they want.
Since the family hasn't been divided yet, it's already very good that my mother-in-law can think of giving them some money to keep for themselves.
He's elder brother and his second brother didn't feel anything about it. After all, when the mother was in charge of the money, she would buy anything the family needed, and when she wanted to share the money with them, it was the wife who would collect the money. However, the children were growing up, and it was always good for the family to have some money.
He's mother announced, "After discussing with your father, we decided to give the first and second wives 20 yuan a year. You can decide how to spend the money. We don't care."
As for the third room, the third son in the army would send money back every month. His wife had a job and a salary, but she didn't work in the village, so naturally she didn't get a share of the money.
Susu didn't work, so the money was for the couple's household expenses, so naturally she didn't have any. But He's mother planned to subsidize her daughter privately. The child was honest, and she probably spent all her salary on buying meat for her family.
She was a decisive person. After announcing the division of the money, she immediately took out four big unity tickets and gave two each to the eldest son's wife and the second son's wife.
Zhao Miling said excitedly: "Thank you, mother. I will definitely manage this money well and spend it where it should be spent."
Qian Chunhe also nodded: "Thank you, mother. I will discuss with the head of the family to manage the money well."
Both daughters-in-law are frugal, so Mother He is naturally not worried: "Okay, I believe you."
He Susu supported this matter. Looking at the happy expressions of her two sisters-in-law, she knew how correct her mother's decision was.
Privately, she praised He's mother: "Mom, you are really courageous. You divide the money as you wish. The sisters-in-law all remember your kindness."
"Even if I don't share the money, they still remember my kindness," said He's mother proudly. She thinks she is the best mother-in-law in the village. She never beats or scolds her daughter-in-law. They eat meat together at home and she doesn't show partiality to either of them.
She pulled her daughter into the room and said, "Susu, when we get home, I'll give you some money. Apart from anything else, you've spent a lot of money buying meat for the family."
As he said this, he was about to get the money.
He Susu hurriedly stopped her: "Mom, you don't have to give me money. I have my own salary. Even if I don't work anymore, I can still write articles to earn royalties."
Writing articles and earning royalties is a way out for her. No matter whether she writes or not, she will definitely keep writing in front of her family, so that she will have a reason to redeem things from the shopping system and take them home.
He's mother insisted: "It's your business if you have money on hand. This is the money your family gives you as a subsidy. Just keep it."
Unfortunately, He Susu was determined not to accept it. He's mother couldn't convince her and finally couldn't give her the money.
He Susu went to work as usual and persisted until the last day of November.
When Sister Chen came to take over yesterday evening, she was reluctant to let her go: "It would be great if the cinema could have more employees, so that Susu you can stay and continue to work."
They have been getting along quite happily for the past six months. There has never been any conflicts regarding their rest arrangements, and they have developed some feelings for each other.
In response, He Susu could only smile and said, "There is no such good thing in the world. I agreed to come to help Sister Zhou for the first half of the year. If I come to the county town in the future, I will definitely come to the cinema to chat with you, Sister Chen. Sister Chen, please don't think I'm annoying."
Sister Chen also laughed after hearing this: "Of course not, I definitely welcome you to come."
That day, Zhou Xiaoqian came to the cinema, and after exchanging a few pleasantries with He Susu, she went to the office to find the director to go through the formalities for returning to work. She was familiar with the business of the cinema, so naturally she didn't need to learn anything.
She smiled and thanked him: "Susu, it's really thanks to you coming here to work in the past six months, and helping to buy milk powder, I can stay at home with my child with peace of mind. If you have time in the future, please contact me more often."
He Susu smiled and responded: "I should thank you, Sister Zhou, for giving me the opportunity to come to the cinema for the first half of the year. Keep in touch when you have time in the future."
After chatting for a few more sentences, Zhou Xiaoqian went home seeing that there was nothing else to do.
He Susu continued to be busy greeting customers who were queuing up to buy movie tickets. She was familiar with the information on the movie tickets and could write them down quickly for the customers. She was also quick in collecting and giving change.
During the free time, the director asked her to come to the office. When she arrived at the office, He Susu asked politely, "Director, what do you want to talk to me about?"
During the six months that she worked at the cinema, the director did not arrange much for her to do. Most of the time, he just sat in the office to supervise the overall situation. Occasionally, when they met, he would give her a kind smile and was quite friendly.
The director said, "Susu, you will leave the cinema after work today. The formalities have been completed when Zhou Xiaoqian came this morning. I have seen your work attitude over the past six months, and you can usually complete the affairs of the cinema. I have nothing to reward you, so I wrote a letter of recommendation. Take this letter of recommendation, it may be useful for you to find a job in the future."
As he spoke, he handed the white paper with words written on it which was placed on the table to He Susu.
He Susu took it and read it. The recommendation letter stated that she was conscientious and responsible during her time at the cinema, had excellent performance, and was an outstanding employee. She was recommended for recruitment to various major companies and was also stamped with the cinema's official seal.
This recommendation letter is indeed an unexpected gain. When I give it to people in the other company when looking for a job, it may help them to have a better impression of me.
Unexpectedly, the director thought so highly of her. He Susu said sincerely, "Thank you, Director. Your recommendation letter is very helpful to me. Thank you for your appreciation."
The director waved his hand and said, "You deserve this letter of recommendation. I hope you can find a good job as soon as possible."
After thanking the director again and again, He Susu took the letter of recommendation and left the office. After returning to the ticket counter, she put the letter away and continued to work.
When it was time to get off work in the evening, He Susu started packing up.
In fact, she didn't bring much things to the cinema every day when she went to work. She would take the aluminum lunch box home every day, and she would often keep a water bottle there for drinking water, which would be gone after being put into the package.
After saying goodbye to Sister Chen who came to take over, He Susu left the cinema on her bicycle carrying her package, ending her first job.
To be honest, I didn't feel sad, but I did feel a little melancholy. However, when I thought about not having to get up early tomorrow and ride my bike to work in the county town in the cold wind, He Susu felt happy again.
To celebrate this happiness, she exchanged two kilograms of pork from the shopping system and took it home when she was about to return to the village entrance.
He's mother was worried that her daughter was in a bad mood. When she saw her buy two kilograms of pork, she couldn't help but say, "Susu, don't be so generous. You won't get paid if you don't have a job. You have to save money."
He Susu disagreed: "Mom, even if I don't have a job and no salary, I can still write articles to earn royalties, so you can eat the pork without worry. I asked my classmates to help me buy pork to celebrate that I don't have to get up early for work from tomorrow."
"You kid..." He's mother shook her head with amusement after hearing this. Although she did not quite agree with this approach, she felt relieved to see that her daughter was still talking and laughing, which meant that she was not worried about losing her job.
She listened to her daughter and specially made a rare and delicious dish, braised pork, for dinner in the evening.
When the He family got home from work, they were somewhat concerned about the fact that He Susu didn't have to go to work the next day, and were afraid that she would be in a bad mood.
Even Zhao Miling and Qian Chunhe were genuinely worried. They would be so depressed if they were to work for a while and then suddenly lose their jobs.
Who knew that when she returned home, she saw He Susu talking and laughing, and her family had specially prepared braised pork. The He family knew that she didn't take the matter to heart, so they all felt relieved and ate the braised pork with their stomachs full.
The next day, the first morning without having to go to work, He Susu listened to the cold wind blowing outside the window, turned over, tucked in the quilt, and went back to sleep.
It’s so nice to not have to go to work these days.
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