Chapter 45 Dragon Boat Festival.
Another seven or eight days passed before He Susu received the reply letter from home.
She originally wanted to go to the mailroom to see if there was any reply from the magazine. There was a remittance notice in the letter, and of course she had to get her hands on something that involved money as soon as possible.
When she asked the mailroom staff and told them her name, they looked through the mail and handed her two letters: "Comrade, these are your letters."
"Okay, thank you comrade." He Susu smiled and thanked him. She looked at the first two letters in her hand, one was obviously sent by the magazine, and the other was actually sent from her hometown.
It was really rare because my parents were illiterate. Even if Guifang was there to help write, they obviously didn't have the heart to do so. This could be seen from the fact that they didn't receive a reply when they sent the letter back the first time.
Unexpectedly, they actually wrote back this time. He Susu guessed that perhaps the news of her dating was too surprising for her parents, and they had a lot to say to her.
With a smile on her face, she put the two letters away and walked back home.
After returning home, Su Yu took Dabao and Erbao out to visit friends and relatives. He Susu went straight back to her room, sat at the desk, and opened the envelope sent from home.
There were three pages of letter paper, and He Susu started reading.
Guifang's handwriting was still immature, but it was neat and elegant, and the tone of her mother's voice was evident in her words. He Susu breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her mother saying that everything was fine at home, that she would take a break while working, and that she would buy mung beans and cook them into mung bean soup to cool off.
She glanced over the words expressing concern for her third brother and his wife, and planned to show them to her third brother and his wife later.
When He Susu heard her mother mention Cheng Shi, she slowed down her reading of the letter.
My parents were very satisfied with Cheng Shi’s personal conditions. They praised him repeatedly in the letters and said that he was handsome and a good match for their daughter.
When He Susu's mother told her that it was rare to meet such a good partner and that she must cherish him and get along well with him, she could no longer hide the smile in her eyes and eyebrows.
She knew that her parents would be satisfied with Cheng Shi.
This letter also expressed her parents' blessings for her, hoping that she would be happy during her relationship and supporting any decision she made.
At the end of the letter, my mother also said, "I know you like handsome guys, so if you meet someone you like, you should seize the opportunity." She also told me not to reply, and hoped that the next letter I received from the army would be good news about you.
He Susu read the letter twice before happily folding the letter paper and stuffing it back into the envelope, waiting for her third brother to come back and show it to him.
She then opened another letter, which was a routine reply from the magazine, stating that it was accepting submissions and would pay for them. The 5,000-word story was exchanged for a total of 20 yuan.
He Susu kept the remittance notice and would exchange it for cash next time she went to the county town.
I took a walk downstairs after dinner in the evening. It was a bit stuffy as the heat from the day had not yet dissipated. Only scattered stars were shining in the dark night. Occasionally a breeze blew by, bringing a bit of dryness. It was really not comfortable.
But He Susu still let Cheng Shi hold her hand.
She shook their holding hands and said, "I received a letter from my parents today. Guess what they said about you?"
Cheng Shi cooperated and said, "You praised me for my good looks. Are you satisfied?"
"You're so rude." He Susu said with a smile, "You guessed half right. They saw our photo and thought we were a good match in appearance."
Cheng Shi breathed a sigh of relief in his heart: "It seems that I have to thank my parents for giving me a good appearance."
"That's right." He Susu had to admit that she was initially attracted to Cheng Shi because of his handsome face.
"My parents praised you for being young and promising. You are already the deputy head of a group at the same age as my third brother. Since we are dating, we should get along well. Anyway, we are very satisfied with you."
Cheng Shi smiled happily: "Then I feel relieved."
He talked about the reply letter he received last night, "My parents also wrote back to me, praising you for being beautiful and saying you are a good girl. How could I be so lucky to find such a good partner? They asked me to cherish you."
After listening to this, He Susu suddenly leaned closer to look at Cheng Shi's face and said with a smile, "Why didn't I know you were so smooth-talking before?"
Cheng Shi was distracted by why Su Su suddenly approached him, so close that he could smell the faint orange scent on her body. When he heard her words, he said, "Heaven and earth can prove that what I said is what my parents wrote in the letter. If you don't believe me, I will bring the letter to you tomorrow to show you."
He Susu laughed when she saw how serious he was. "I was just kidding. You can tell that's not your tone. I'm happy that my uncle and aunt like me."
The two young lovers chatted and laughed as they walked, and as usual they walked around the family area twice before parting ways.
After getting the approval of both sets of parents, it is undeniable that the two get along more naturally and become much closer.
In the blink of an eye, it was the Dragon Boat Festival. Su Yu came back from watering the vegetable garden in the morning and said, "I heard that the Women's Federation organized the military wives to go to the canteen to make rice dumplings. The glutinous rice, rice leaves, and pork are all provided by the government. We are responsible for making the rice dumplings, and we can bring some back home for the men to eat. Little sister, let's go and join in the fun."
This is also a rare event held by the Women's Federation to unite the wives of soldiers in the family quarters.
Food is hard to come by these days, and if you put in some effort to make rice dumplings for free, you can eat them yourself and bring some home for your husband to eat. Military wives all love to join in the fun.
Su Yu thought that since this was the first time she had come across such an activity since her family moved to the family quarters, it would be good to participate.
People in my hometown don’t take the Dragon Boat Festival that seriously. Or maybe people in the countryside are just happy to have three meals a day, so they don’t have the money and time to make rice dumplings.
He Susu was at home with nothing to do and was quite interested in making zongzi, so she nodded and said, "Okay, sister-in-law, let's go over and take a look. I have never made zongzi before."
This kind of activity can also be taken with children, so the eldest and second child were happy to go along.
When we got to the canteen, we saw a few large round tables in the corner near the door for the Women's Federation to work on. Many military wives had already gathered there and were busy.
When Mrs. Chen saw them, she waved, "Xiaoyu, Susu, come over here."
She smiled and explained, "You came late. The people in front have already washed the leaves, cooked them and are drying them. There is a lot of pork belly today, and they are all sliced and marinated. They are peeling peanuts over there, and I heard there are green beans as well. We will start making zongzi later when they are ready. For now, just sit down and listen to Director Du's speech."
He Susu took Erbao by the hand and found a seat with her third sister-in-law next to Sister-in-law Chen.
The military wives were obviously very excited and were still discussing it.
"I saw it all. There are several strips of pork belly. I would conservatively estimate that there is a piece of pork belly in each zongzi."
"It's so rare to have meat in zongzi. I saw that it's all good meat. There will also be peanuts and mung beans later. This year's zongzi will definitely be delicious!"
"Oh, this activity is really great. We can eat zongzi if we contribute a little bit to make them. It would be great if the Women's Federation could hold more activities like this."
Director Du stood in the middle of several round tables, coughed lightly and said, "Everyone, be quiet. Seeing you so happy, we know that this event was organized correctly, and the comrades of the Women's Federation have been busy preparing for these days. Today is the Dragon Boat Festival. In the family area, we are not only neighbors, but also comrades who watch over and help each other..."
He Susu listened to Director Du's speech and summarized that everyone usually gets along well and helps each other. It is a rare opportunity to get together to make rice dumplings. She hopes that through this activity everyone can get to know each other better. Finally, she wishes everyone a happy Dragon Boat Festival.
When Director Du finished his speech, warm applause broke out in the cafeteria. The wives of the soldiers kept responding and said that they would get along well with their neighbors in normal times.
Director Du smiled and said, "Okay, now that we've finished our serious talk, let's get down to business, making zongzi!"
The military wives placed the ingredients for making zongzi on several large round tables, including a bucket of zong leaves, a pot of glutinous rice, a pot of marinated pork belly, a pot of peanuts, a pot of mung beans, and three bundles of thin cotton threads.
The organizer in charge said loudly: "Each zongzi has three spoons of glutinous rice, a piece of pork belly, half a spoon of peanuts, and half a spoon of mung beans. The amount cannot be more or less. We must strictly control it, so that what everyone eats later is fair."
The military wives all responded with a smile.
Neither He Susu nor Su Yu knew how to make zongzi. Fortunately, Chen Saozi had participated in several Dragon Boat Festival activities organized by the Women's Federation and knew how to make zongzi. She took the initiative to say, "Let me teach you."
Sister Chen took two pieces of zong leaves and said, "Come over these two pieces of zong leaves and fold them at one-third of the way to make a funnel. Then add a spoonful of glutinous rice into the funnel, followed by a piece of pork belly, another spoonful of glutinous rice, half a spoonful of peanuts and half a spoonful of mung beans, and finally a spoonful of glutinous rice to seal it. Then we can wrap the zong leaves and tie it with a thin cotton thread, and the zongzi is ready."
As she explained, she demonstrated with her hands, and a diamond-shaped rice dumpling was wrapped.
Mrs. Chen smiled and said, "It's easy to make zongzi. You can't go wrong if you follow my method. You two can try it too."
He Susu and Su Yu agreed with a smile.
He Susu was good at learning and doing things. Recalling what Mrs. Chen had just done, she picked up two pieces of zongzi leaves, overlapped them, and folded them at one-third of the way. Soon the leaves took on a funnel shape. She followed the steps to add glutinous rice, pork belly, glutinous rice, peanuts, mung beans, and glutinous rice into it. She then folded the leaves to seal it and tied it with thin cotton thread. A water chestnut-shaped zongzi was ready.
At the same time, Su Yu also wrapped a rice dumpling.
Mrs. Chen saw it and praised: "I told you two that you can do it. It's not difficult to make zongzi. Let's make them quickly."
The wives of the soldiers who came were very quick and had already wrapped several zongzi in a few seconds. The wives of the soldiers who were usually lazy and gluttonous also wrapped zongzi diligently for a bite to eat later.
He Susu thought making rice dumplings was quite interesting, so she joined in the fun.
At first, Dabao and Erbao came over to watch. When they saw that there was meat wrapped in the leaves, they were already looking forward to trying it later.
But the two of them couldn't sit still. The adults felt that the ingredients were precious and didn't let the children touch them and make trouble. There were other children present, so Dabao and Erbao said hello and then slipped away to play with their friends.
Su Yu shook her head in amusement: "These two are like naughty monkeys who can't sit still. When Dabao goes to school, let the teacher take care of him. I will discipline Erbao properly."
Hearing this, He Susu looked at Dabao and Erbao who were playing rock-paper-scissors with their friends not far away, with pity in her eyes. The poor kids had no idea that a miserable life was about to begin, and she was also looking forward to the show.
It is said that there is strength in numbers. Twenty or so military wives plus He Susu quickly wrapped dozens of zongzi. Two or three military wives freed up their hands and filled the empty wooden barrels that were originally used to hold zongzi leaves with zongzi, and took them to the kitchen to cook.
Around ten o'clock, the leaves and all the ingredients were wrapped, and there were nearly a hundred dumplings the size of a woman's fist. A large pot on the stove in the kitchen was cooking in turn, and most of the dumplings were cooked and served in bowls.
Director Du made the decision and said, "It is said that working people are the greatest. Today we have made some rice dumplings, so let's try them here to see how they taste."
All the military wives smiled and agreed.
Dabao, Erbao and other children smelled the fragrance and gathered around, clamoring to eat zongzi. Director Du also gave them some, of course not a whole one, two children shared one zongzi.
He Susu picked up a rice dumpling, which was still steaming, and even the rice dumpling leaves outside were hot to the touch.
She put it in the bowl, then began to untie the thin cotton thread and open the rice leaves. The glutinous rice inside was steamed until it was soft, sticky, and dyed with the green color of the rice leaves.
She picked up the bowl, held a corner of the bamboo leaf in one hand, and tried to take a bite of the glutinous rice. The rice was soft, sticky, and tasty, with a hint of saltiness.
As I ate further, I found that the mung beans and peanuts were also cooked soft. The mung beans were crunchy and the peanuts were a bit crispy, both of which were salty. I took a few more bites and found that the glutinous rice near the pork belly was still oozing with lard. Not to mention that the pork belly itself was marinated, so it was already salty and fragrant, and the fragrance of the glutinous rice made it even more delicious.
The wives of the soldiers also praised the deliciousness of the rice dumplings they made this time, and the biggest contributor was naturally the two-finger-sized slices of pork belly.
Dabao and Erbao shared a zongzi and ate it with great relish, and even fought over the only piece of pork belly.
Su Yu stopped them directly: "It's no big deal, just cut it in half with a spoon."
She took a spoon and cut the piece of pork belly into two halves of equal size in the bowl. When Dabao and Erbao saw it, they had no objection and started eating together as brothers.
Mrs. Chen said, "The rice dumplings taste really good this time. I don't need to eat lunch after eating one."
Su Yu nodded: "Yeah, I feel full soon, so I can just cook something for my husband at noon."
He Susu also felt a little full.
After the meal, the military wives all wanted to go home.
Director Du also knows that it is not easy for everyone, and she has to rush back to cook for the husband and children.
So she said, "Our activity of making rice dumplings today ends here. The rest can be collected by our Women's Federation comrades. We made a lot of rice dumplings today. Everyone can take three home. The rest we will send to the families of military families who were unable to participate."
Unexpectedly, each family could get three dumplings. This is much better than last year. The military wives happily agreed.
Su Yu also got three rice dumplings. He Susu looked at the remaining mess, the bowls that had been eaten from and the basins that held the ingredients needed to be cleaned, and hesitated whether to leave.
Mrs. Chen pulled her away and said, "Don't worry, Susu. The comrades from the Women's Federation will take care of it. We need to deal with the people in the canteen's kitchen. The kitchen is not open to us casually. Only they can go there."
When He Susu heard this, she gave up the idea and followed her sister-in-law home. Dabao and Erbao were still craving for the smell of the rice dumplings and followed them like little tails, wanting to go home and continue eating.
After returning home, Su Yu couldn't stand the two children's pestering anymore, so she took the bowl and opened another zongzi for them to eat. Then she put the remaining two zongzi in the pot to warm them, and she walked to the living room and sat down.
Su Yu sighed: "I didn't feel it in the cafeteria just now, but I found myself very tired when I got home."
"It must be tiring to work, we also made a lot of rice dumplings." He Susu said. She went to the kitchen and looked around. Fortunately, there was still some hot water in the thermos that she boiled in the morning, so she simply took two cups and soaked them in chrysanthemum water and brought them out.
She handed a cup to Su Yu, "Sister-in-law, drink some chrysanthemum tea and take a rest."
"Okay, thank you, little sister." Su Yu took it and drank a few sips in succession. The dryness in her mouth from the morning was relieved, and the sweet taste dispelled the remaining glutinous rice flavor.
He Susu also lazily leaned back in the chair, drinking chrysanthemum water. Making zongzi looks simple, but it is actually very tiring. It is not convenient to scoop the ingredients while sitting at the round table, so I have to stand. I have to stand for more than an hour, which makes my hands and feet tired.
It is much more comfortable to sit here now. Taking a sip of the sweet chrysanthemum tea, I feel so refreshed.
Su Yu remembered something and said, "Susu, your brother will only need one zongzi to eat. The Women's Federation's activities this time are for the family quarters. There will be no zongzi in the dormitory. You can wait downstairs with a zongzi for Cheng Shi later."
To go back to the dormitory from the canteen, you have to pass through your own family area.
He Susu was not polite and nodded in response: "Okay, thank you sister-in-law."
Su Yu took a break and went to cook. After a while, He Lianzhou came back and was happy to know that there would be zongzi for lunch: "I have never eaten zongzi before. This time, it is thanks to you that I can taste it."
After taking a shower, he sat back at the dining table, unwrapped the leaves and tasted it. After taking a few bites, he praised: "This zongzi tastes really good. The glutinous rice is very fragrant when cooked this way. The mung beans, peanuts, and pork belly are also delicious."
Su Yu came out with the food and heard this and said, "If you like it, I'll go to the county town in a few days to ask if there are any zong leaves for sale. If there are, we can buy them back and make zongzi ourselves."
He Lianzhou responded: "This zongzi is actually similar to dumplings, both are filled with stuffing and taste delicious. Glutinous rice is also considered rice, so we can wrap it up and eat it as rice."
Dabao and Erbao ate one zongzi each. They were not envious of their father's zongzi, but they were happy to hear that their mother wanted to make more zongzi: "Great, we have zongzi to eat again!"
Today's activity of making rice dumplings and then eating the soft, glutinous, salty and fragrant rice dumplings will give you a sense of the Dragon Boat Festival.
He Susu quickly finished her lunch and went downstairs with the rice dumplings that had just been heated up in a net bag.
The sun was strong at noon and it was easy to get tanned if you stood outside for a long time, so she stood in a shaded spot in the corridor.
Soldiers in olive green uniforms passed by the main road from time to time. He Susu could recognize Cheng Shi at a glance.
After standing there for about ten minutes, she looked up and saw a young man in a green training suit, with a straight body, broad shoulders and a wide waist. She knew that the person she was waiting for had arrived.
When he came a little closer, his handsome face was revealed under the green military cap, but he looked expressionless and cold as he walked on the road.
He Susu called out: "Cheng Shi!"
The other party came over following the voice, the coldness in his eyes disappeared, and a smile overflowed. He walked over quickly: "Susu, why are you downstairs at this time?"
He Susu raised the net bag in her hand and said with a smile: "The Women's Federation organized a group to make rice dumplings in the canteen this morning. My sister-in-law and I also went to join in and brought back three rice dumplings. My sister-in-law asked me to give you one. It tastes pretty good."
Cheng Shi smiled and said, "Just keep it for yourselves."
He Susu: "I've eaten them all. This is specially left for you. It's still warm after being heated up. You can also try the taste of the rice dumplings and treat it as a Dragon Boat Festival."
Cheng Shi then took it: "Okay, thank my sister-in-law for me."
He is older than Su Yu. Although he cannot call He Lianzhou "brother" yet, he can now follow Su Su and call Su Yu "sister-in-law".
He Susu smiled and didn't expose him: "Okay."
The two chatted for a while, and Cheng Shi said, "It's sunny, you should go back and rest."
He Susu nodded: "Okay, you can go back and eat this rice dumpling while it's hot, and take a good rest. I'll go back first."
The weather was hot and humid, so she didn't say much to Cheng Shi. After saying goodbye, she turned around and went back to the third floor. She stayed in the living room for a long time under the electric fan to get rid of the dryness before going back to her room to sleep.
Cheng Shi walked back to the dormitory. His roommate had already sat on the bed and was about to lie down to rest. Seeing him come back, he casually asked, "Why did you come back so late today?"
Cheng Shi walked back to the desk and sat down: "I just came back and my boyfriend brought me some rice dumplings. We talked for a while and that delayed us for a while."
My roommate couldn't help but sigh: "It's different when you're dating someone. Not only do they take walks every night, but they also send you rice dumplings at noon. When I was just in the cafeteria, I heard that the Women's Federation organized people to make rice dumplings in the cafeteria in the morning. Many of my comrades envied those who were married and could eat rice dumplings. I didn't expect you to have the same."
"If you find a partner soon, you can have rice dumplings to eat during the Dragon Boat Festival next year." Cheng Shi said casually. He untied the thin cotton thread, opened the rice dumpling leaf, and took the glutinous rice inside to his mouth and ate it while it was still steaming.
The glutinous rice was soft, the green beans and peanuts inside were cooked till soft, and the pork belly was salty and tasty. He ate the rice dumplings one bite after another and finished them in no time.
Fortunately, he usually has a big appetite, so he only eats about 80% full in the cafeteria. Now he feels just full after eating a zongzi.
The comrade laughed and said, "I want to date too. I'm thinking of waiting another year or two until my rank is high enough so I can apply for a house. Then we can get married and live together and have a good time. That way I won't let the girl down."
He asked, "By the way, I see that you and your partner have a good relationship. If it's appropriate, you should submit the marriage report as soon as possible so that you can get a house sooner. According to your rank, you may even be able to get a house with a yard."
Cheng Shi smiled and said, "I submitted my marriage report a long time ago."
As early as the moment he decided on He Susu, he submitted a marriage report to the organization. Now that he is dating Susu, he didn't mention it because he was afraid that the progress would be too fast and scare her.
He wished he could marry Susu home right away.
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