Chapter 62 One-day trip to the county town.
He Susu chose another red movie today, with an exciting and thrilling narrative rhythm and a passionate patriotic theme. She and Cheng Shi were immersed in it until the end. They were proud to be able to live in this era and to be able to contribute their meager strength to the great motherland.
After exiting the cinema and saying hello to Sister Chen, He Susu and Cheng Shi went straight to the state-owned restaurant. Before coming to the county town, she had told her mother that she would not go home for lunch.
He Susu smiled and said, "You can try the state-owned restaurants here later to see which one is better than the one in the military county."
Cheng Shi smiled and agreed.
It was still early when the couple walked into the state-owned restaurant, and there was only one table of guests eating.
They looked at today's offerings written on the small blackboard: crispy duck, pickled fish, fried pork patties with leeks, and wolfberry leaf and pork liver soup.
Cheng Shi simply ordered one of each, and asked for four taels of rice each, and paid promptly.
Meeting Susu's eyes, he smiled and explained, "We can try a little bit of everything. Don't worry about not being able to finish it. At most, we can pack it up and take it home."
He Susu didn't say much. She was looking forward to the lunch, and she had never eaten any of the dishes.
The two found a table and sat down. Not long after, they heard the staff calling out their numbers. Cheng Shi went over and brought the food over.
"Eat it, it looks delicious."
He Susu picked up the chopsticks and first picked up a piece of crispy duck. It lived up to its name, the duck skin was crispy, and the duck meat inside was firm and tender. Juice would come out when bitten, and it was not dry at all.
A bowl of pickled fish soup was full of pickled cabbage, and the white, tender fish slices were vaguely mixed in it. You had to look carefully to pick it up with chopsticks. When you put it in your mouth, you can taste the salty and sour taste of the pickled cabbage. The fish slices are very thin, smooth, tender and sweet. Then you pick up two pieces of pickled cabbage and eat them. Maybe because the sour taste is neutralized by the soup and the fish slices, I think the taste is just right and delicious.
Unable to resist, He Susu scooped a spoonful of the sauerkraut fish soup and drank it. It was salty with a little sourness, and had the sweet taste of fish, and was very delicious.
I reached out my chopsticks and dug deeper, only to find that there were some softened mung bean sprouts inside, which were also very crispy and refreshing.
It turns out that the meat patty is made of minced meat with flour added to fix the shape, then cut into strips and fried with leeks. I picked up a piece to try and the meat patty tasted good with the aroma of leeks. It might have been braised after frying, so it was moist and not dry.
He Susu couldn't help but praise: "Today's three dishes are all very good and delicious."
Cheng Shi nodded: "It's really good, you should eat more."
He Susu quickly finished a bowl of white rice with these meat dishes. Her favorite dish was the pickled fish, and she ate most of the fish fillets, and also ate a lot of pickled cabbage and bean sprouts.
She took a spoon and scooped herself a bowl of wolfberry leaf and pork liver soup, which tasted sweet. She didn't like pork liver, so she could only eat a few wolfberry leaves, but mainly drank the soup, and drank two bowls in a row before putting it down.
"Cheng Shi, I've heard that wolfberry leaf and pork liver soup can clear the liver and improve eyesight, but we've never cooked it at home. You should drink more."
Cheng Shi smiled and agreed. The food for lunch tasted so good that he had a big appetite. After Susu finished eating, he ate all the remaining meat and vegetables. Now he drank a bowl of wolfberry leaf and pork liver soup, which he also thought tasted very good.
He suggested: "When you return to the army, if you go to the county town to buy things and see wolfberry leaves for sale, you can buy some, and also some pork liver, and I will cook it for you when I get home."
He Susu smiled and agreed. However, she had been to the county grocery store so many times, but she had never seen any wolfberry leaves for sale. If it really didn't work, she could just exchange some in the shopping system.
Both of them felt a little bloated after eating, and since there were no other customers waiting, they simply sat there for a while longer, and only stood up and left after they had recovered a little.
After leaving the state-owned restaurant, He Susu suggested, "My high school, the No. 1 High School in the county, is nearby. Do you want to go take a look? But the school gate is probably locked now, so you can't get in."
Cheng Shi: "Let's go and have a look. It's still early."
The couple walked to the No. 1 Middle School in the county town. The door was indeed locked, and they could only see the only five-story teaching building inside through the gaps in the iron bars.
He Susu said: "I studied in high school here. Because my family didn't have a bicycle, I couldn't catch up with the classes by riding a bullock cart, so I had to walk to and from school. I don't know where I got the willpower to stick to it. Maybe I thought that if I didn't go to school, I would have to work in the team, which would be much harder, so I gritted my teeth and persevered."
Cheng Shi listened silently, put his arm around Susu's shoulders and silently gave her strength.
He Susu pointed and said, "My second-year classroom was on the fourth floor, near the corridor. I don't know what's going on there now. But this one is in a good location. It gets some sun in the morning and isn't too hot in the afternoon. It's close to the toilet and far from the teacher's office, so I don't have to worry about getting scolded if I play around."
As she spoke, she couldn't help laughing out loud. Perhaps it was because revisiting an old place easily brought back memories, so she picked out some funny things to tell Cheng Shi.
Cheng Shi smiled, and occasionally couldn't help laughing. I didn't expect Su Su to be so interesting when she was in high school, which was rare in this era.
He Susu sighed, "But there are very few girls in our class, only five or six in total, and most of them are from the city. For rural girls, if they can finish junior high school, their families are considered open-minded. They go back to the village to work and earn money, and then get married when they are old enough. There are very few who can graduate from high school like me."
Cheng Shi nodded: "So your parents love you and are open-minded enough."
He Susu: "Yes, I am also very lucky to have such parents, so I have to treat them better."
The two stood in the shade at the school gate and chatted for a while. When they were about to leave, they suddenly heard an uncertain greeting: "Are you... He Susu?"
He Susu looked over and saw a man in a white shirt and black pants with gray hair and glasses walking towards them. She smiled and nodded: "I'm He Susu, hello, Teacher Zhou."
Teacher Zhou saw her nod and said happily, "It's really you. I just passed by the school and saw you guys and thought it was strange. When I got closer, I wasn't sure if it was you."
He Susu smiled and said, "Thank you, Teacher Zhou, for remembering me."
Speaking of which, He Susu had only graduated for two years. She was one of the few female students who had graduated from the countryside. It was a pity that she could not find a job in the county town and had to return home. Naturally, Teacher Zhou still remembered her.
He looked at Cheng with some hesitation, not sure what the relationship between them was.
He Susu took the initiative to introduce: "Teacher Zhou, this is my husband Cheng Shi, he is serving in the army."
Looking at the look in the teacher's eyes last week, she knew what he was thinking at the moment. It was as if the student had found a good destination and wanted to tell it out loud so that the teacher would know and feel at ease. So He Susu talked about her writing.
"Teacher, don't worry. I started writing last year and submitted my articles to magazines and newspapers, all of which were published. Now I mainly write long stories for a magazine, and I can get royalties every time, so I can support myself."
When Teacher Zhou heard that the man in front of her was He Susu's husband, she was happy that the two looked a good match, but she also felt regretful that this female student who went to high school from the countryside chose to get married after graduation.
After hearing what He Susu said later, Teacher Zhou's eyes became brighter and brighter, and he couldn't help but praise happily: "Great, great, He Susu, you were good at writing when you were studying. Now you can write long articles for magazines to earn royalties, which is also a very good place to go."
A lot of ideas suddenly popped up in his mind. He decided to tell his students about this matter after school starts again after the New Year, and encourage them to continue their studies. Even if they couldn't find a job in the city after graduation, they still had the option of writing and submitting articles.
Especially the girl in the class who has excellent grades. Recently, her family has been hesitating whether to let her continue her studies, and she herself has also become hesitant. This incident has to be used as a shot of adrenaline to give her a shot in the arm.
Listening to He Susu chatting with her teacher and seeing that Teacher Zhou was happy and proud to have such an excellent student like Susu, Cheng Shi stood by and listened and watched silently, and couldn't help but feel happy.
At the end, He Susu said: "Okay, then we won't bother you, Teacher Zhou. Goodbye, Teacher Zhou."
Teacher Zhou nodded and said, "Okay, come back to school often when you have time."
He Susu smiled and agreed. After watching him leave, she couldn't help but sigh, "This is the first time I've met my homeroom teacher since graduation."
Cheng Shi smiled and said, "It seems like I'm lucky today."
"Yes." He Susu nodded, "Where are we going next?"
Cheng Shi suggested: "Let's go to the post office. I'll call my mother and see if she can answer it."
"Okay, it's time to call Mom back before the New Year." He Susu nodded and led him to the post office.
When he arrived at the post office telephone window, Cheng Shi told the staff the number of his mother's workplace. After several transfers, he took the phone and waited.
After a long while, someone answered the phone. A cheerful female voice said, "Hello, who is this?"
Cheng Shi: "Mom, I'm Cheng Shi."
Cheng's mother was surprised: "Cheng Shi, why did you call me suddenly? I haven't heard your voice for a long time. By the way, I received the package you sent last time. The milk lumps tasted very good. Your father and I both love them."
Cheng Shi smiled and said, "Since the New Year is coming soon, I'm calling you. As long as the milk dumplings are delicious, Susu bought them specially for you."
Cheng's mother: "Then thank Susu for me. This child is very thoughtful."
Cheng Shi: "How are you and my dad doing recently? Is your work going well?"
Cheng's mother: "Your father and I are in good health. I'm doing OK at work. There's not much to do around here. But your father is very busy. He often doesn't even come home for dinner. I don't care about him. I'm happy and at ease."
Cheng Shi: "Then tell my dad to get more rest."
Cheng's mother: "I see. How are you and Susu doing lately?"
Cheng Shi: "It's fine. I saved up my annual leave to rest. On the 27th of the lunar year, I will accompany Susu back to her parents' home to stay for a few days. From the time Susu and I started dating to the time we got married, we have never met her parents. This time is also a formal visit."
Mother Cheng smiled and said, "That's great. That's how it should be. You should buy more good things for your in-laws. You have to be polite enough when you come to their house."
Cheng Shi: "Yes, and Susu and I plan to take the train to Shanghai on the fourth day of the New Year to stay with you for a few days."
Mother Cheng was delighted to hear this: "Your vacation is so long this time, and you can actually come home. Your father will be very happy to hear this. I have been cleaning your room these few days, waiting for you to come back."
He Susu stood aside and listened, and felt that she had to say hello, so she gestured to indicate that she should say a few words.
Cheng Shi understood: "Mom, Susu wants to talk to you."
He Susu took the phone and called out, "Hello, mom. I'm Susu. I'm sorry that I can only talk to you over the phone for the first time."
Mother Cheng smiled and said, "Hello Susu, your voice is so nice. Why are you being so polite? It took Cheng Shi so long to accompany you back to your parents' home. Please don't be offended if I am not polite enough."
He Susu smiled and said, "It's okay, mother. Cheng Shi has tried his best to be considerate and polite. My parents are very satisfied with him."
Cheng's mother: "That's good. I heard that you will come to Shanghai on the fourth day of the New Year. I will clean up Cheng Shi's room and buy your daily toothbrush, mouthwash cup, towel and shoes. If there is anything else you need for daily use, please tell me and I will prepare it first."
He Susu: "Mom, you are so kind. There is nothing special to prepare. What you just said is enough."
Mother Cheng: "Okay, then Cheng Shi's father and I will wait for you two to come back."
He Susu talked to Cheng's mother for a few words and found that her mother-in-law was more straightforward and cheerful than she had expected. Her voice sounded very kind just by listening to it.
She handed the phone back to Cheng Shi, who spoke to his mother for a few more words before ending the call.
He smiled and said, "Mom just said that after hearing your voice and talking to you, she is looking forward to seeing you as soon as possible."
He Susu smiled and said, "Looking forward to seeing me is one thing, but she is also looking forward to seeing you. Just now when she heard you say that we are going back, her voice suddenly became happy."
After paying the phone bill, the couple left the post office. Thinking that the department store was quite close, they decided to go shopping there.
On the day they returned home, the two of them came here to buy things and take them back to He's. They still remembered that they had been there once and that each counter was basically selling the same things for a short period of time.
Passing by a counter selling cakes, He Susu saw peach cakes for sale and simply ordered two kilograms of them. This was a new and novel thing. Cheng Shi was responsible for paying for the tickets.
Passing by a fabric counter, she saw various colored wool yarns for sale. She thought that since she had nothing to do at home recently, she might as well buy some and take it home to knit a sweater for her mother.
Then she thought of the good impression her mother-in-law had made on her, so she asked Cheng Shi, "I don't have much to do these days, so I might as well buy some wool and knit a sweater for each of my mothers. Do you know what size your mother wears? Or you can tell me her body shape."
Although He Susu is very lazy, she has inexplicably felt a sense of accomplishment since she learned how to knit a sweater and successfully knitted one for Cheng Shi, who also liked it very much. This sense of accomplishment is different from the sense of accomplishment brought by writing a good article and being accepted by a magazine, but it makes people very happy anyway.
During the New Year period, she didn't have to write manuscripts, so she just passed the time knitting sweaters.
Cheng Shi didn't expect that his wife wanted to make clothes for her mother. He hesitated and said, "Will this be tiring? Knitting sweaters is not easy. You can just make a sweater for your mother-in-law."
He Susu smiled and said, "It's okay. I'll buy some more wool and keep it in stock. I'll start knitting if I have enough time. I didn't tell my mother about this, so I won't be afraid that she will be disappointed if I don't finish knitting."
Cheng Shi then said, "Okay, then you decide. My mother is about the same height as my sister-in-law, but a little fatter. I don't know the specific clothing size."
He Susu, who had only learned how to knit sweaters lately, couldn't immediately judge how big a sweater to make based on these few sentences.
The salesperson was idle and heard them talking. Seeing the good looks of the two men, he couldn't help but interrupt and said, "Comrades, you can take a look at the clothes we have here. I think they are about the right size for you. You can knit a sweater according to the size when you go back."
As she spoke, she picked out a few large pieces from the wardrobe counter and said, "Look, which one can fit the person you just mentioned?"
Cheng Shi picked out a piece of clothing based on the size of the one his mother wore in his memory: "This piece of clothing should be similar to what my mother wears."
Salesperson: "Okay, lady, take a closer look and knit a bigger sweater next time so you don't have to worry about it not fitting."
He Susu carefully noted the size of the clothes and thanked him with a smile: "Thank you, comrade, you are really serving the people and helping us a lot."
The salesperson smiled and said, "It's just a small matter. You're welcome."
He Susu picked out the yarn. Knowing that her mother liked green, she picked dark green yarn. After asking her mother what color she liked, she picked out purple yarn and bought it as well.
As usual, Cheng Shi paid for the ticket.
The two of them walked around the department store and finally walked out of the store without buying anything else. Unexpectedly, they ran into an acquaintance at the door.
Seeing his classmate whom he hadn't seen for a long time, Zhu Yun couldn't help but greet him: "Susu, it's been a long time. I haven't run into you since you stopped working at the cinema."
When He Susu saw Zhu Yun, she couldn't help but wonder, is today a good day to meet an old acquaintance?
But he smiled and greeted: "Zhu Yun, long time no see."
This time, without waiting for the other party to show a puzzled expression, she took the initiative to introduce Cheng Shi, and explained that she had been in the army recently and only came back the day before yesterday.
Zhu Yun congratulated him several times before saying, "No wonder I was so unlucky that I never ran into you."
The two chatted for a while, and He Susu took the initiative to say, "You want to go into the department store to buy something? We won't keep you away, go in quickly, or all the good stuff will be sold out."
Zhu Yun nodded: "Okay, then Susu, we'll see each other when we have time."
"See you when you have time." He Susu waved to her and walked towards the supply and marketing cooperative with Cheng Shi.
She explained, "This is my high school classmate who works in a textile factory. I met him a few times when I was working in a movie theater before. I didn't expect to meet him again this time."
Cheng Shi: "We all live in the same county, so it's normal to run into each other."
When they got to the supply and marketing cooperative, they had to wait for the ox cart, but they couldn't help but go into the cooperative to buy a pound of White Rabbit candy. He Susu remembered that she had to make red envelopes for the New Year, so she simply bought some red paper.
I also bought some things to give as return gifts.
Not long after leaving the supply and marketing cooperative, Uncle Dashan came over driving a ox cart.
When they returned, they were still the only ones there. Uncle Dashan said with a smile, "It's a rare time for me to have free time during the New Year. I'll have tomorrow and the day after tomorrow off, and I'll continue driving the ox cart on the second day of the New Year. You guys should remember to make sure you don't miss out."
He Susu and Cheng Shi agreed with a smile.
It was already evening when they got home. Mother He was relieved to see them coming back: "Thank God, you are finally back."
Maybe it was because it was a rare occasion for her daughter to come back, so she was always worried about her during this trip to the county town and felt uneasy doing anything.
He Susu smiled and said, "Mom, there's no need for you to be so nervous. I've been to the county town so many times since I was a child. And with Cheng Shi accompanying me, nothing will happen."
As she spoke, she walked over, took her mother's arm, and patted her gently to comfort her.
Mother He smiled awkwardly: "I am just thinking about you. It's almost dark, and I'm worried that you won't be able to catch the carriage back. It will be so tiring to walk back."
He Susu didn't expose her, and replied with a smile: "Okay, okay, thank you for thinking about us, we will definitely come back earlier next time."
After feeling relieved, He's mother went to the kitchen to see how her two daughters-in-law were cooking dinner.
He Susu and Cheng Shi first took the things they bought into the room and put them away, then took the two kilograms of peach cakes and one kilogram of White Rabbit candies they bought and placed them in the main room.
"It's rare to see peach cakes for sale in a department store, so we bought some so that everyone can try the taste. There are also these White Rabbit candies, so everyone can eat them if they want."
He's father couldn't help but ask, "Why are you spending this money, kid?"
He Susu: "I have to be filial to you. I rarely come back so I bought you something to eat. You must not refuse to eat."
"Eat, I'll eat it right away." Father He said with a smile. He reached out and took a piece of peach cake to eat. Not to mention that it was crispy and more fragrant than biscuits.
He Susu gave a piece to Cheng Shi to eat, and urged her elder and second brothers to try it, and she also took a piece to eat herself.
The children in the family didn't need to be called. They would come over happily when they smelled the food and take a piece to eat. They kept nodding their heads and smacking their lips, saying that it was delicious.
He Susu also thought the peach cake tasted delicious. After eating it, she took three more pieces and went to the kitchen to give to her mother and her eldest and second sisters-in-law.
Zhao Miling and Qian Chunhe took it with great care and put it into their mouths to eat. They didn't expect that their aunt would actually send such precious peach cakes to the kitchen for them to eat while they were cooking.
He Susu stuffed the peach cake directly into He's mother's mouth. He's mother subconsciously bit into it, and after tasting the fragrance of the peach cake and swallowing it, she couldn't help but say, "You are such a kid who loves to buy things for us to eat."
The words were spoken with disdain, but everyone could hear that she was happy.
He Susu smiled and said, "Dad said the same thing just now. I just wanted to buy more food for you and Dad since it's a rare opportunity to go home."
He's mother shook her head and smiled, happy to have a daughter who cared about her and the old man.
Then He Susu was driven out of the kitchen by her mother, for fear that the smell of kitchen fumes would smoke her new cotton-padded jacket.
He's mother also came out and saw that it was getting dark. "It seems that your third brother and his family haven't come back yet. I guess they just finished eating at his mother-in-law's house. Ignore them and let's get ready for dinner."
The third child had made arrangements before leaving in the morning, and he might have dinner at his mother-in-law's house. He's mother had already made preparations, and the amount of rice and meat dishes was controlled.
I had originally thought that if they came back, I would cook some stir-fried sweet potatoes, but now I don’t have to.
The family had dinner together. After dinner and taking a shower, He Susu remembered the wool she had bought and went to borrow something from her mother.
"Mom, can you lend me the crochet tools you use to knit sweaters for a few days?"
He's mother asked, "What do you want to do here?"
He Susu: "I bought some wool today, and I thought I'd knit you a sweater when I have nothing to do in the next few days."
Mother He was surprised: "Knitting sweaters? Susu, when did you learn this skill?"
She still remembered that her daughter washed clothes and tore a hole in them. Her daughter was always lazy and had never taken up thread to mend clothes, but now she said she wanted to knit a sweater for herself.
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