Chapter 70: Going to the Countryside as Educated Youth in the 1970s 33
[This is a parallel fictional world. Please do not take any similarities between place names and people as they appear.]
Zhang Xiaojia sent He Fei back to the army and went back. The two of them spent three hours alone together.
I asked Ping'an and Yanyan to take sea cucumbers, hairtail, half a roast duck and 10 meat buns back home and told them to come home for dinner today.
Xiaoyi made a pot with pork belly, cabbage and sweet potato vermicelli.
Xiao Yi ate a meat bun and asked, "Sister, it's so cold, and we travel for 7 or 8 hours just to spend 3 hours together. Is it worth it?"
Zhang Xiaojia smiled but didn't say anything, just like she didn't like He Shiba, but Sister Jiaojiao did, so now let them get along, and they would know the ups and downs of their feelings.
Fatty interrupted and said, "You don't have to drive yourself. You can sit in the back with a reclining chair and quilt, food and drink. Your eldest cousin has already arranged everything. It's not your turn to work hard."
After working hard until the New Year's Eve, Jiayi secretly distributed 5 chickens, 30 eggs, and 10 kilograms of pork to each family in the He family in the middle of the night.
On the eve of the Chinese New Year, the village slaughtered pigs, and the He family also slaughtered pigs. Judging from the number, the village slaughtered 2 pigs, while the He family only slaughtered 1 pig. Since each household in the He family slaughtered only a small number of pigs, the people in the village even laughed at the He family.
When the grain was distributed, the He family had no shortage of it, but it was sweet potatoes. This year, the He family's New Year's goods could be said to be a little worse than those in the village.
Zhang Xiaojia asked for two pig's trotters and half a pig's head. Xiaoyi wanted to curse after seeing this. He could have had 5 pounds of pork belly.
Zhang Xiaojia dragged Xiaoyi to the house in the back alley, pointed at the meat hanging on the roof and said, "What do you have to complain about? Last time, all the meat sent by the He family was made into bacon by you. Let me see how you can make bacon out of pig heads and pig trotters."
Xiao Yi lectured her, saying, "Eating well and wearing well is not enough, but you never know how to live in poverty. Besides, I left two chickens for the cured chicken!"
Zhang Xiaojia chuckled and said, "Pack it up later and send the package tomorrow. Aunt Leng doesn't need to send it, she's going to be transferred here."
"He Fei wants to send it?"
"No, I'll go on the third year."
"Okay. I'll post it the day after tomorrow and go to the market tomorrow.
"I'm going to the market, and you go mail the package, otherwise I'm afraid I won't be able to make it by New Year's Eve."
The market was in the ninth village. Zhang Xiaojia, Pangpang and Yanyan took a cart to the market, but all the chickens, ducks and geese were snatched away by the educated youth in the village.
Yanyan didn't care about the blood and picked up a skinned sheep and said to the people, "We want this sheep."
Zhang Xiaojia ran over quickly. "Mutton!" She hadn't eaten mutton in a long time. She quickly paid, put the lamb into a woven bag, and threw it into the cart.
She quickly told Yanyan to take the sheep home to avoid arousing jealousy.
Sister Jiaojiao and He Wu’s wife made dried tofu and bean curd together, and also sold kimchi. There were a lot of people there.
Ping'an is selling fruit wine and his business is very good.
Jiayi was selling brick gravity lamps, and there was also a long queue.
Zhang Xiaojia suddenly thought that she could also sell her ointment. She wouldn't make much money, but she could still make money. Even a little bit of money is still money, and she could also help people, killing two birds with one stone.
I bought 30 kilograms of soybeans and 100 kilograms of peanuts. I also saw taro, so I bought 100 kilograms and went home.
When he returned home, Zhang Xiaojia saw that Xiaoyi had returned and had built a natural refrigerator in the yard. He and Yanyan were cutting up the mutton.
"Sister, I'm going to make some soup with the goat bones and offal. Can I invite Jiayi and the others to come and eat with me?"
Zhang Xiaojia: "Okay, but leave half of the mutton for me. I want to bring it to He Fei on the third day of the junior high school. I bought 100 kilograms of peanuts. You can take them to He's house to make oil together."
"Sister, I told you yesterday to buy 200 kilograms of sweet potatoes. Did you buy them? We are going to make sweet potato candy."
I forgot. Just as Zhang Xiaojia was about to go to the market, he saw He Miaomiao and He Xincao being carried in on wooden boards.
Zhang Xiaojia randomly called one of He Fei's cousins and asked him to buy 200 kilograms of sweet potatoes.
Xiao Cao endured the pain and said, "Sister Xiao Jia, please perform the operation on her first."
He Miaomiao took the opportunity to say, "Xiaocao, you do it first. For the sake of me saving you, can you forgive grandpa and let him go home to die?"
"Get lost! I'll pay you back for what I owe you, but you can't let my grandma suffer any injustice."
"Really?"
Zhang Xiaojia took the pulse of each of them with one hand, and asked Xiaoai to scan their bones. It was really fate. He Miaomiao had a fracture in her left foot, and He Xincao had a fracture in her right foot. There was no obvious displacement of the bones, the alignment was good, and the surrounding soft tissue conditions were also good, so no surgery was needed.
But she has bone-setting ointment, and the surgery will only take 10 days.
Zhang Xiaojia said directly, "You two shut up. Now there are two options: (1) No surgery, I will put a cast on your leg, and it will take three months to heal. (2) Surgery, it will heal in 10 days. You choose."
He Xincao immediately said, "Surgery, He Miaomiao, my sister-in-law is very good at bone setting. You can also do the surgery together. I can do it for you first."
"There's no need to perform surgery on me first. Can you come back to my grandfather first? Don't live in the old house and never disturb your grandma." He Miaomiao asked desperately.
Zhang Xiaojia also admires He Miaomiao. She has been here for a year and a half and still hasn't given up. She keeps asking for help even after breaking her leg.
Zhang Xiaojia asked someone to carry them into the operating room, gave each of them a cup of sleeping pills, and performed the operation together. He asked Yanyan to perform the operation, but she didn't dare to do it and only dared to take their pulses with her left and right hands.
Zhang Xiaojia had no choice but to do it himself. He quickly completed the operation. Yanyan immediately said in a flattering manner, "Master, you go and rest. I'll do the rest."
He Xinyan breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that her master did not look disappointed.
Zhang Xiaojia was not disappointed. She had a cheating tool, but Yanyan didn't. It was forgivable that she didn't dare to have the surgery. But next time she saw He Fei, she would ask him to make a CT scan. After that, if Yanyan still didn't dare to have the surgery, hehe~
After taking a shower, we went to check on the patient's condition after the operation as usual. When we reached the door, we didn't want to go in. Xiaocao and He Miaomiao were arguing with each other.
After Zhang Xiaojia went in and took the pulse of the two people, he found that their pulses were stable and there was no problem.
He Miaomiao suddenly said, "Zhang Xiaojia, can I ask my relatives to take care of me?"
He Miaomiao looked at her pleadingly. Before Zhang Xiaojia could speak, Xiaocao said loudly, "No, I'll ask someone to take care of you."
He Miaomiao looked at Zhang Xiaojia without giving up. Zhang Xiaojia said speechlessly, "You will be discharged from the hospital in three days, and your legs will be able to run and jump again in ten days. Honestly, you saved Xiaocao this time, and the He family will definitely treat you well. Wouldn't it be good to gain more benefits for yourself? I think you also understand that your grandfather is wrong. Why? Your life in Pingzhiyuan, Zhongcheng, is not easy. Your father doesn't love you, and your mother doesn't love you. Going to the countryside was not originally your choice, but your mother couldn't bear to leave her eldest son and her youngest daughter, so she forced you to give up your job. Why are you still so persistent?"
He Miaomiao smiled bitterly and said, "Grandpa promised me that he could come back. From now on, my marriage and life will be decided by myself. I don't want to be manipulated by them anymore."
Xiaocao and Zhang Xiaojia sighed in silence. He Wu came in and said, "I can get you out of the He family in Zhongcheng Pingzhiyuan. Do you still want your grandfather to come?"
He Miaomiao was surprised at first, then dejectedly asked, "How is that possible?"
He Wu said, "Last time you saved He Shiwu's partner. He Shiwu and his partner like you very much and want to adopt you. What do you think? If possible, you will be a member of the He family, but no longer a member of Zhongcheng Pingzhiyuan. If the educated youth can return to the city in the future, you will not be able to return to the city. Are you willing?"
He Miaomiao nodded and said, "I do. Are you Uncle Xu's daughter?"
"Well, that's enough. Have a good rest." He Wu turned around and hit Xiaocao on the head, scolding, "Are you a pig? Running up the mountain on a snowy day to seek death? If He Miaomiao hadn't followed you up the mountain this time, you would be dead. As punishment, you have to return your three-month dividend to the clan."
Xiaocao pouted and said, "Is the clan out of money? They confiscate dividends at every turn, and all the people in Jia and Xin have been fined."
He Wu smiled and said, "Then you have the ability to not get punished! Look, Yanyan is the most well-behaved, she is the only one who didn't get punished."
Zhang Xiaojia was stunned. There was actually such a thing. Forget it, she decided to go find Xiaoyi to see what to eat for dinner.
Xiaoyi got two large pots and started stewing the lamb bones, the aroma filling the air; Jiayi brought two large fish and prepared to stew them together in the soup.
Zhang Xiaojia came to the yard and opened the natural refrigerator. It was full of dumplings, buns, steamed buns, sticky rice dumplings...
At this time, Zhang Xiaojia noticed that Xiaoyi had called all of He Fei's cousins, more than 30 of them. She couldn't help but laugh happily. It was great that Xiaoyi already had so many friends here!
After a while, the mutton offal soup was ready and tasted very delicious. Zhang Xiaojia asked Xiaoyi to fill four large bowls for her and took eight steamed buns. Then she said to the others, "Have fun!" and took Pangpang, her apprentice, and Jiaojiao back to the kang in the house to continue enjoying the food.
Sister Jiaojiao brought a bowl of kimchi. She ate a mouthful of soup and a mouthful of kimchi, feeling warm all over.
"Sister Jiaojiao, how is your stall?"
"Xiao Jia, we each got 18 yuan this time. Here, this is your share." Leng Jiaojiao handed the 18 yuan to Zhang Xiaojia.
Zhang Xiaojia accepted it directly. It was agreed that she would teach them the craft, and the aunts said that she would be counted as a member, so she would get a share every time the money was divided. Zhang Xiaojia also agreed that she would only take the money for six times.
"Sister Jiaojiao, let's go to the supply and marketing cooperative tomorrow. Dad sent you a watch ticket, a sewing machine ticket, and a bicycle ticket. He asked me to accompany you to buy a watch, a sewing machine, and a bicycle ticket. He said it's to supplement your dowry."
Leng Jiaojiao was shocked when she heard that these things would cost at least 500 yuan. She quickly said, "No, Xiaojia, uncle sends me 20 yuan every month, which is already very kind. How can I ask for more? Besides, I have been married for three years."
Zhang Xiaojia said shamelessly, "Sister Jiaojiao, don't be embarrassed. You should learn from me. I am so thick-skinned! I have been taking your mother's money, cloth coupons, and sugar coupons since I was a child. I didn't feel embarrassed at all. I went to the countryside as an educated youth and even asked your mother for money every month."
Leng Jiaojiao was suddenly amused by Xiao Jia's words. She didn't know it before when she was a child, but during the past few months living here, Xiao Jia sent things back to her mother every month. Sweet potato vermicelli, sweet potato noodles, cold skin, meat sauce, dried vegetables, these foods were basically enough for her mother to eat even if she didn't sell her food rations. The most important thing was that her mother might not be able to buy them even if she had money.
Zhang Xiaojia continued, "We're family, so we shouldn't talk about different things. Let's go buy it tomorrow. Xiaoyi said he has a big gift for you and will wait for your bicycle to arrive. Besides, your mother will be transferred to this county soon and has a car. It would be convenient for you to come to her house every Saturday afternoon. Are you going tomorrow, Pangpang?"
Fatty said dejectedly, "My uncle said that I am the only one left in my family now. Every family in the He family must have someone working for the clan. They can't just take the dividends for nothing. I want to go and work for the clan."
Zhang Xiaojia patted Chubby's head and said, "Work hard, and I'll give you a New Year's gift this year."
She turned to look at Yanyan and said, "You have to work hard too. Those eight patients, especially the men, are absolutely not allowed to drink alcohol. Tell Yan Jing to keep a close eye on them. It's your birthday in two days, and Master will give you a gift."
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