Chapter 92: Stuff the money.
He Susu first ordered three packages of dried abalone.
She still remembers the taste of the abalone. The dish of abalone and braised pork is the most delicious and is a must-have dish that is eye-catching enough to be placed on the table during the Chinese New Year.
I bought three packs because there were only three packs of abalone for sale in the counter. I asked my mother to take two packs back home, and I kept one pack at home to eat slowly.
The dried shrimps were also very large, and even after being dried, they were still as thick as two fingers. He Susu simply bought three bags, keeping one bag for herself and giving two bags to her mother to take back.
The scallops looked bigger than last time, and each one was very tender. He Susu ordered two packs and kept one pack for herself. After peeling the dried shrimp, it is very fresh and sweet when cooked with scallops in soup or noodles. It is definitely a good choice to buy it home.
There are some dried fish for sale at the counter today, including golden pomfret, redwood fish, and sea bream. He Susu thought they looked good and the fish were big, so she simply bought a bag of each for her mother to take back home for her family to taste.
She is not very interested in dried fish, and prefers to buy fresh fish to eat fresh and juicy. In the neighboring county of Linhai, there are often fish for sale in the grocery stores, unlike in her hometown where fish is not often available. Trying dried fish is also good.
The salespersons were shocked by He Susu's generosity. They quickly got her all the dried seafood she wanted, calculated the money and told her the amount.
These really cost He Susu a lot of money, but since dried seafood is usually hard to buy and tastes delicious, it is a good gift that can be given away, so it is worth it.
She packed all the dried seafood into the package and walked out of the supply and marketing cooperative. She found an empty alley and turned in, using her mind to transfer the things she had exchanged in advance.
First, some of the household necessities, such as milk powder for Tangyuan. Even though he can now eat rice, meat and vegetables, she still brews a bowl of milk powder for him to drink to supplement his nutrition. Then, two kilograms of apples. She just asked the salesperson and learned that they had sold dozens of kilograms of apples a few days ago.
In previous years, there was no fruit supply in the twelfth lunar month, so He Susu had no reason to redeem fruit from the shopping system even if she wanted to. This time, she finally came across apples in the supply and marketing cooperative, so she naturally had to get some home to try.
Then I bought some food for my mother, including milk dumplings, pork jerky and beef jerky.
Snacks like milk lumps had been recognized by the whole family when they were at her mother's house. They had a strong milky flavor and were a rare nutritious product. He Susu directly exchanged four pounds of them, kept one pound for herself, and let her mother take three pounds back.
I exchanged three pounds of pork jerky, one pound for myself, and two pounds for my mother to take back. The pork in this pork shop is made of solid pork, which tastes delicious and fills the stomach. It is also a good thing to show off.
As for beef jerky, it goes without saying that it is a very good thing. Beef is hard to come by. Cows are important farming helpers in farmland. Unless they die of old age or disease and are sent to the supply and marketing cooperatives for purchase, beef will be available. Otherwise, people generally cannot eat beef, let alone make it into beef jerky.
Ever since He Susu found beef jerky in the shopping system, she has exchanged it for some and eaten it secretly. The taste is completely different from pork jerky, very chewy, solid and fragrant.
This time she took it out and thought of making an excuse that she happened to see the supply and marketing cooperative selling it. Anyway, her mother and Cheng Shi would not go to the supply and marketing cooperative to verify it. If such a rare thing appeared, it would be sold out immediately, and sometimes no one would even hear about it.
Because it was so rare, she only exchanged for two pounds of beef jerky, keeping one pound for herself and giving one pound to her mother to take back to eat.
The things redeemed from the shopping system filled another package, and he carried a basket on his back. Now he had two packages on his left and right shoulders respectively, which meant he had gained a lot.
Fortunately, they were already near the supply and marketing cooperative, so He Susu could walk back and unload the items and put them away.
When Su Yu came back and saw the backpack that her aunt had placed on the ground and the two large packages piled on top of it, she was really shocked: "Little sister, you bought so many things?"
He Susu smiled and nodded: "Yes, I was lucky enough to run into the supply and marketing cooperative that had dried seafood, so I bought some to bring back to my mother, and kept some for myself, and also bought some other things. You know what, they all look insignificant, but when put together, they add up to a lot."
"Of course not, I always do this when I buy things." Su Yu smiled and said, "Little sister, you are thoughtful."
He Susu: "It's my duty. I haven't been back for two years. I just want to bring some back for Dad and the others to try as a token of my appreciation."
Su Yu smiled and said, "Don't worry, my parents will be happy to see it. I'll help you carry it later."
She didn't buy much, so it's no problem for her to help carry the package.
"Okay." He Susu replied.
When the car arrived, the two worked together to carry the things into the car. When they arrived at the family compound, He Susu said she didn't want Su Yu's help at all: "Sister-in-law, you should just take the car home. I can walk a few steps after getting off the car. It's okay."
Seeing that her aunt was so sure, Su Yu agreed.
He Susu came back home carrying a lot of bags. When her mother saw her, she came over to help take them. She couldn't help but say, "Child, you can just buy some things. Why did you buy so much?"
"I happened to see good stuff at the supply and marketing cooperative, and I was almost dazzled by the choices, so I bought more. Not all of it was for you, I also bought some to keep at home to eat." He Susu explained with a smile, holding the glutinous rice balls that came to her.
Mother He nodded: "No wonder, then you can leave more at home to eat."
As she packed, she exclaimed, "Oh my God, how much does it cost for you to go to the county town? Just these dried goods must cost a lot of money, and there are also pork jerky and beef jerky, which are hard to buy. Hey, why are there milk lumps?"
He's mother remembered that these milk lumps were sent by Susu's friend, so why did she bring back so many milk lumps when she went back to the county town this time?
He Susu had already thought of an excuse: "I wrote to my friend and asked her to buy it. I calculated the date and thought that I would go to the county town today, so I just asked her to send it directly to the county town. I will bring it back by the way, so I don't have to go to the mail room again."
He's mother didn't doubt it too much and nodded to show that she understood.
She put away the meat and vegetables, and when it was her turn to put away the dried seafood, pork jerky, beef jerky, etc., she heard her daughter say, "Mom, let's separate these when we put them away. For things like abalone, dried shrimp, and scallop meat, we can keep one bag each. You can take all the dried fish back home for Dad and the others to eat. For things like milk lumps, pork jerky, and pork jerky, each bag weighs one pound, so we can keep one pound."
He's mother disagreed: "Leaving so little? Why would I need to take so many things back? You can leave more."
He Susu insisted: "Mom, just listen to my arrangements. It's fine as long as there's enough food at home. Since I bought the rest, I plan to bring it back to you. Not only for you, but also for my father, brother, sister-in-law and children. It's a little gift from me. You can't refuse me on their behalf."
He's mother couldn't argue with her, and knowing that her daughter insisted on giving it to him, she didn't continue to say no. She smiled happily: "Okay, okay, okay, I'll listen to you and divide it according to your request."
He Susu then smiled with satisfaction and stood aside watching while holding the glutinous rice balls.
Tang Yuan is a child who is always greedy when seeing food. He can't wait to pounce on it and shouts, "Eat, eat!"
He Susu smiled and stopped him from rushing forward: "Why are you in such a hurry, kid? You are indispensable. Let's wait for lunch later."
Mother He waved her hand and said, "You should take the dumplings out first, otherwise he will get greedy just by looking at them."
"Okay, then I'll go out first." He Susu agreed and came to the living room with Tangyuan in her arms and sat down. She put Tangyuan on a chair next to her and asked him to sit facing her, so that the child wouldn't run to the kitchen again because she could walk more fluently.
She held the child's hands and said with a smile, "Come on, tell me what you did with grandma this morning."
Tang Yuan tilted his head to understand for a while, and suddenly got excited, pointing at the pile of building blocks on the ground and laughing: "Play with blocks, drink water, and eat cakes!"
He Susu smiled: "It seems that you had a lot of fun this morning. You even ate some cakes."
Tang Yuan nodded heavily: "Yes! Save it for mom to eat!"
He Susu understood what he meant: "You actually left some cakes for me to eat. Thank you Tangyuan!"
Tang Yuan shook his head: "You're welcome!"
He Susu really likes talking to Tangyuan. The child has just learned to speak and many of his ideas are not expressed clearly, but she can guess accurately based on the little experience she has gained from getting to know him, which gives her a great sense of accomplishment.
Moreover, Tangyuan likes to repeat words when speaking, which makes her very cute with her round, chubby face and rich expressions.
After returning to the room for a nap and coaxing Tangyuan to sleep, He Susu talked about how she was lucky to buy a lot of dried seafood in the county town today, and told Cheng Shi about them one by one, including pork jerky and beef jerky.
Cheng Shi smiled and nodded: "That's great. These will be perfect for mom to take back later. I couldn't go back with you this year, so a gift like this is just right."
The gift to Yue's family, no matter how expensive it is, is appropriate. The reason is that it is Su Su's family, the family that gave birth to her and raised her, and they have helped her family a lot.
He Susu smiled and said, "Yes, I was thinking that we couldn't go back on the second day of the Chinese New Year, so I bought more as a return gift. The supply and marketing cooperative probably just received some new goods today, so I picked up a lot and bought some. We will keep one bag each of abalone, dried shrimp, and scallops, and wait for my parents to come over to eat together. There isn't much seafood in Shanghai, and although the dried seafood is not as good as the fresh ones, it still tastes good."
Cheng Shi was touched: "Thank you very much. You even thought of letting my parents taste the seafood here during the Chinese New Year."
He Susu: "What's the big deal? We will eat together too. We just need to prepare some New Year's goods. For example, scallop meat and dried shrimp can be put into porridge or noodles to make them sweet and fresh. I'm sure glutinous rice balls will also like them."
Cheng Shi nodded: "Of course, Tangyuan likes to eat fragrant food, and the soup cooked with seafood is the most fresh and sweet. He will definitely like it."
Although my kid is small, I can already get a glimpse of his foodie appearance. He is so small but has a big appetite. When we eat together, he can increase his appetite just by looking at me.
After finishing talking about this, He Susu urged: "Go to bed quickly, you still have to go to training in the afternoon."
Cheng Shiying was fine, and the couple lay down on the bed and prepared to go to sleep.
In the afternoon, He Susu left the dumplings to her mother while she wrote an article in her room.
The story has entered its final stage, and He Susu has been unable to find a suitable ending for the story. Fortunately, the plot that needs to be written is relatively clear, and there is no lag in writing.
By the time she finished writing this story, it would be almost the Chinese New Year. In this way, she could rest assured and have a good New Year, without having to stay in her room writing manuscripts while everyone else was resting and sitting around. It was too uncomfortable to feel that people's joys and sorrows were not shared.
Cheng Shi's monthly allowance and bonus were all given to her. He Susu also saved a lot of royalties, so she had no worries about food and clothing. She always believed that enjoyment came first in life. How could she sacrifice the joy of the Chinese New Year, which came only once a year, just to write articles and earn royalties?
With this in mind, He Susu continued to write the manuscripts, and finally on the day when she finished writing the expected content, she thought of a good ending. Upon closer inspection, it was a happy ending, but there were some small regrets in it, and there were enough memorable points for readers to savor.
It took her two days to successfully write the ending of the story, which also meant that this year's writing time was officially over.
It was already the twenty-fifth day of the lunar year.
After checking the manuscript and confirming that it was correct, He Susu put it in an envelope and planned to find time to take it to the mailroom to send it to the magazine.
He Lianzhou couldn't return to his hometown until the 27th day of the lunar year, so He Susu took a day off to help her mother pack her things for the trip.
Mother He smiled and said, "I will be back again after the New Year, so I will take some clothes back to change into, as well as the things you bought for me to take back. What else do I need to pack?"
He Susu smiled and said, "Mom, you are going home. There is everything at home, so there is definitely nothing to pack. You have already picked out the clothes, I will help you check if you have left anything behind. By the way, remember to bring the vanishing cream I bought for you. Keep applying it when you go back, and don't let it freeze and crack."
She opened the package her mother had packed, which contained some winter clothes, many of which she bought last year and this year.
He Susu smiled. Fortunately, her mother knew to take the new clothes back to wear instead of taking the old clothes she had brought back before.
Then I heard my mother say, "It's a good thing you reminded me, otherwise I would have forgotten. Anyway, I don't use it at night, so I might as well put the vanishing cream in the package first, so that I won't forget it when I'm in a hurry to go out tomorrow."
While her mother turned around to get the cold cream from the bedside table, He Susu stuffed the several hundred dollars that her mother had agreed to give her last year but was unwilling to accept into one of her clothes, and then quickly put the clothes in order.
Ever since her mother was about to go back to her hometown, she had been keeping this in mind, fearing that she would forget it. If she gave it to her mother openly, she would definitely not accept it, so she could only let her mother take the money home in this way, and act first and ask for permission later.
Mother He put the vanishing cream into the package, not noticing the traces of her daughter rummaging through her clothes earlier. She smiled and said, "I took out the dried seafood, beef jerky, and pork jerky you asked me to bring back and put them into the package. It's a big package. Now everything is packed. Tomorrow, we can just take an aluminum lunch box to pack some food to eat on the train."
He Susu suggested: "I think you should just go to the canteen tomorrow and buy more to take with you on the road. It will also save you the trouble of cooking. Riding in the car is tiring anyway, so don't bother. It's just right for you to buy some meat buns and soy milk tomorrow. Tangyuan likes to eat these."
He's mother wanted to say no, she would just make some pancakes to take with her. But when she heard her daughter say that Tangyuan wanted to eat meat buns and soy milk, she immediately agreed: "Okay, I'll go to the canteen tomorrow morning and buy them if they have meat buns and soy milk."
Since everyone was going to the kitchen, she might as well give herself a break and buy some dry food to take with her on the way.
The next day, Cheng Shilin said apologetically before leaving: "Mom, I'm sorry I can't take you to the bus. Please be careful on the road and have a safe journey."
Mother He waved her hand and smiled, "It's okay, you can go to training if you need to, the third brother and the others will be with you. Don't get too tired, take more rest during the New Year, and say hello to your parents for me."
Cheng Shi nodded: "Okay, I will definitely tell my parents. Mom, please say hello to Dad for me when you go back. When Tangyuan is older, I will bring him and Susu back to visit my hometown."
He's mother smiled and agreed.
Only then did Cheng Shi feel at ease to go to the army for training.
He Susu got up early today and had breakfast with her mother. After Cheng Shi left, she took her mother aside and talked to her for a while. After all, she knew that he would come back after the New Year, so she didn't feel too sad about the separation.
He's mother did give her a lot of advice: "When your parents-in-law come, you should treat them well. They won't stay for many days anyway. It only happens once a year. Of course, if you feel uncomfortable, you should tell Cheng Shi in time. Cheng Shi loves his wife and will definitely help to adjust the relationship between you."
He Susu smiled sincerely, "Don't worry, Mom. My parents-in-law are easy to get along with. Like before, didn't I tell you that my mother-in-law said that she had to ask Cheng Shi to do the work so as not to tire herself out? They will only stay at the army for a few days, I will definitely treat them well, and there will be no need to cause any conflicts."
Mother He nodded: "That's good. You have to watch Tangyuan carefully. This child loves to run and jump. I'm afraid he will fall if I don't watch him. It will be troublesome if he gets bumped. Fortunately, you have finished writing the article now, so you can watch the child. You can continue writing the article when I come back, and have a good rest during the New Year."
He Susu smiled and agreed, then listened to her mother's instructions.
When He's mother was talking until her mouth was dry, Tangyuan's crying could be heard in the room. He Susu said at the right time: "Mother, drink some water first. When Tangyuan wakes up, I will take him to wash up."
Then he stood up and walked to the room.
Tangyuan is a lazy child. If he wakes up and finds no one in the room, he will cry at the top of his lungs.
He Susu also asked him why he didn't call his mother or grandmother directly when he woke up, but instead cried.
Tang Yuan thought for a moment and said, "If I cry, you can hear me. But if I call my mother, I can't hear it. I'm tired."
Well, He Susu was convinced by this reason and accepted that she had heard Tangyuan crying suddenly in the morning, which meant that he had woken up. She opened the door and walked in, and saw that Tangyuan had sat up on the bed and rubbed his eyes. When he saw his mother, he smiled and said, "Hug me!"
"Okay, hug Tangyuan." He Susu walked over and sat on the bed, hugged Tangyuan, satisfied his early morning coquettishness, and then took him to wash up.
He Susu pays more attention to washing and hygiene. Tangyuan cannot brush his teeth yet, so she usually takes Tangyuan to the bathroom after he wakes up, soaks his soft children's towel, wrings it dry and helps him wipe his face, then uses a comb to comb his slightly messy short hair, and then takes him to have breakfast.
Tang Yuan sat on the dining chair, looking at the soy milk and meat dumplings in front of him, his eyes lit up: "Delicious!"
The meat bun was easy to take, so He Susu let him eat it himself.
Tang Yuan held the meat bun, which was bigger and rounder than his hands put together, and took a bite. When he tasted the salty and delicious meat filling inside, he smiled happily.
He's mother sat by and watched with a smile on her face. Her grandson was so chubby and cute. Seeing his enthusiasm when eating made people feel that life was full of hope.
Worried that the child would be too busy eating the meat buns and find them too dry, He's mother scooped a spoonful of soy milk and handed it to him: "Tangyuan, have some soy milk."
Tang Yuan chewed the bun in his mouth, including the meat filling, and swallowed it. He opened his mouth and drank a spoonful of soy milk. It was so sweet that he couldn't help smacking his lips. He said sweetly, "Thank you, grandma."
"No need to thank me, just eat slowly." Mother He said with a smile.
In this way, Tangyuan ate meat buns, and He's mother sat beside him and fed him soy milk from time to time.
He Susu knew that her mother wanted to take care of her grandson one more time before leaving, so she simply sat aside and watched the interaction between the grandmother and grandson with a smile.
One meat bun is the perfect amount for a glutinous rice dumpling, but if you drink a bowl of soy milk with it, you’ll feel a bit full.
This child is a patient one. Even though he feels a little full, he doesn't say anything and keeps drinking the soy milk that his grandmother feeds him. When he finishes it all and is satisfied, he lifts up his clothes to reveal his round belly: "I'm full. My belly is round."
He Susu reached out and touched him, and she knew that he was full, so she couldn't help but poke Tangyuan's little head: "You kid, you didn't tell me in advance that you were full. I won't let you eat so much next time."
Fortunately, soy milk is just like water, and you can relieve the symptoms by urinating afterwards, so you don’t need to worry too much.
Tang Yuan laughed and said, "I want to eat it!"
Mother He held Tangyuan in her arms and rubbed his belly with her gentle hands: "Grandma will rub it for you, you will feel better soon."
Tangyuan leaned dependently in his grandmother's arms, allowing his grandmother to rub his belly. Occasionally, when her grandmother rubbed an itchy spot, he would laugh out loud.
As the departure time approached, He Lianzhou and his family also came with their luggage. They chose this day because the army sent more vehicles to the county town to facilitate the wives of soldiers to prepare New Year's goods, and it was convenient to take a bus to the county town.
He Susu, holding Tangyuan, followed her mother out and greeted her brother and sister-in-law with a smile.
Tang Yuan also called people obediently, which really made He Lianzhou and Su Yu so fond of him that they couldn't help but reach out and touch his little head. Dabao and Erbao held Tang Yuan's hands reluctantly and kept saying that they would come back to play with him.
He Susu: "Brother, sister-in-law, please be careful on the road and say hello to dad and the others for me."
He Lianzhou nodded in agreement: "You should also pay more attention here and have a good new year."
He Susu smiled and agreed.
They were about to go to the bus stop, so He Susu simply locked the gate and took Tangyuan to see them off.
She walked side by side with her sister-in-law on the road. Seeing that her mother and third brother were talking at a distance from her, she whispered, "Sister-in-law, I stuffed a few hundred yuan into the clothes that mother wrapped. Mother had agreed to come and help with the family. I was afraid that mother would not want to accept it, so I stuffed it directly into the clothes. Please help talk to mother about this when you go back."
Su Yu was stunned for a moment and smiled and replied: "You are so thoughtful. Don't worry, I will tell mom when I get back. I will also help keep an eye on her on the way."
A few hundred dollars is not a small amount of money. If my aunt hadn't told me in advance and the money was stolen by a pickpocket on the train, I would have been crying my eyes out. Of course, I had to keep an eye on it carefully.
He Susu smiled and agreed.
Everyone walked to the boarding point and waited for a while, and then the bus arrived.
He Susu smiled as she saw her brother, sister-in-law and mother off to the car, then greeted Mrs. Wu and the other two.
Mrs. Wu said enthusiastically, "Don't worry, Susu. We will definitely buy the meat and vegetables you asked for. You just need to take the dumplings home with you."
Mrs. Fang and Mrs. Ye on the side responded with a smile.
It was inconvenient for He Susu to go to the county town with the dumplings to buy New Year's goods, so her mother went back to her hometown. She told Mrs. Wu and the others about it, and they immediately agreed to help buy meat and vegetables.
She smiled and said, "Thank you, sisters-in-law."
She waited until the car drove away before going home with the dumplings.
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