Chapter 1 Mutton Soup
On the last day of December, it snowed in Jin City.
Xie Wei told Lin Qingqing about this.
Since winter began, Lin Qingqing has become increasingly lazy, going to bed early at night and staying in bed in the morning, not wanting to get up. As a result, she hasn't eaten breakfast with Xie Wei in the cafeteria for a long time; he always brings it back for her from the cafeteria.
Today was the same. Xie Wei got up before dawn. Lin Qingqing had just woken up when he came back after buying breakfast. She reached out with her eyes closed, took the clothes from the desk, and stuffed them into the warm quilt, wanting to wait until the clothes warmed up before wearing them.
Xie Wei pushed the door open and came in at that moment, saying to her, "There was mutton soup in the kitchen this morning, and I brought back two bowls."
Although Lin Qingqing's eyes were closed, Xie Wei knew her habits. She usually slept on her side, and sometimes she liked to stick her hand out. Because of this habit, she had caught a cold a few days ago and took medicine for several days to recover. So last night, Xie Wei had been pressing down on her blanket while she slept, and she even slapped him with her hand at night.
That slap woke Xie Wei up, and she didn't sleep much for the rest of the night, but she turned over and slept even more soundly.
When pretending to be asleep, Lin Qingqing would sleep very straight, with the blanket tucked in from her feet to her shoulders, leaving only her head sticking out. Sometimes, if she felt cold, she would cover her nose as well. In short, she seemed to be sleeping very soundly.
So after she came in, Xie Wei didn't need to wake her up; he just talked to her directly.
Just as Xie Wei had expected, Lin Qingqing opened her eyes and asked, "Why is there mutton soup?"
At that time, mutton was even rarer than pork. City dwellers could eat pork every few days, but mutton was something they might not eat even once a year. Mutton was not even on the list of residents subject to rationing.
So before Xie Wei could answer, Lin Qingqing asked again, "Don't we need tickets?"
"It's mainly made with lamb bones, there's not a single piece of meat in the soup, so you don't need meat coupons," Xie Wei explained. "I heard that a lamb came in from the market, the meat and ribs were sold, and some scraps were given to the canteen."
"How much does it cost to buy mutton at the market?" Lin Qingqing asked, her eyes lighting up. She wanted to have mutton hot pot. "Do you need a ticket?"
"No ticket required, but the price is a bit expensive. Do you want to eat here?" Xie Wei asked.
Upon hearing that no tickets were required, Lin Qingqing immediately sat up in bed and said, "I want to eat it! Let's buy some lamb chops and have a lamb hot pot tonight to warm ourselves up." As for the price, Lin Qingqing might consider it if it were common chicken or duck, but she could accept lamb, a food she might not be able to eat for a year or two, as long as it was no more than ten yuan per kilogram.
The price certainly won't exceed ten yuan. This is the era of planned economy; prices can't be set arbitrarily by the vegetable market.
Lin Qingqing sat on the bed, put on her sweater, and looked at Xie Wei with longing eyes.
Xie Wei was somewhat tempted by her gaze. He could only sleep at home three days a week anyway, so he couldn't hug his wife every day. After the weather got cold, they did that kind of thing even less, not because Xie Wei didn't want to, but because Lin Qingqing felt cold.
That's right, it's because of the cold.
The quilt they're using now was packed by Li Xingfang before they left home; it's 1.5 meters wide. At the time, Li Xingfang thought that since they weren't overweight, a 1.5-meter quilt would be enough for them. Well... if it wasn't big enough, they could just hug each other tighter.
Li Xingfang had asked for their opinions at the time, but since it was quite hot, they didn't think too much about it and just nodded in agreement. Before, when the weather wasn't so cold, this blanket was enough for them, since their bodies would get warm when they exercised, and they were lucky if they didn't have to lift the blanket.
But now that the weather is getting colder, they don't have enough blankets. Because when the lights are off, it's hard for them to check if the blankets are properly secured or if drafts are getting in.
Xie Wei, being strong and healthy, was fine, but Lin Qingqing couldn't stand the cold wind. Even if she was warm, the moment the cold air entered, her mind would become completely clear. Therefore, after this happened several times, Lin Qingqing stopped wanting to turn off the lights.
However, Lin Qingqing still has to go to work later.
Xie Wei suppressed his disappointment and said, "I'll go buy mutton as soon as the market opens."
Lin Qingqing immediately beamed with joy: "Thank you, honey!"
Hearing her address, Xie Wei almost lost control and could only lower his voice to say, "Don't seduce me."
Lin Qingqing had been married to him for almost half a year, so she could naturally see the changes in his body. She didn't dare to say anything and picked up the coat on the desk to put it on. But before she could put the coat on, she heard Xie Wei say, "It's snowing outside, wear more clothes."
Lin Qingqing paused for a moment and asked, "Is it snowing?" A hint of anticipation appeared in her eyes.
"Yes, it's snowing." Xie Wei nodded, walked to the wardrobe, opened it, and handed Lin Qingqing what he thought was the thickest cotton-padded coat. "Wear this?"
The cotton-padded coat he took was the one she had made last year. Because she had it made by someone else, unlike the clothes Xingfeng made this year which needed to consider all aspects of cost to determine the final price, it was thicker than the clothes Xingfeng gave her. But Lin Qingqing shook her head and pointed to another black cotton-padded coat from Xingfeng in the closet, saying, "I'll wear that one."
After receiving the clothes from Xingfeng under the guise of work uniforms, Lin Qingqing has been wearing them in rotation. This has been quite effective; because of Lin Qingqing's styling, the clothes she wears always sell better on the days they are worn.
Although Xie Wei was unaware of Lin Qingqing's plans, he wasn't overly controlling, not wanting to dictate what clothes she wore. As long as she was warm and didn't get sick, that was enough. Seeing that the black cotton-padded coat was quite thick, Xie Wei put it back in the closet and took out the clothes Lin Qingqing had requested.
Lin Qingqing dressed quickly, then put on her pants and leather shoes, and went out with Xie Wei.
After going outside, Lin Qingqing didn't rush to brush her teeth or wash her face. Instead, she opened the door and walked out. Looking at the snow-covered landscape in front of her, a smile unconsciously appeared on her face: "It really snowed?"
Seeing how happy she was, Xie Wei walked up behind her and asked in confusion, "Don't you dislike snow?"
"Huh? Really?" Lin Qingqing was also puzzled.
“Last year, the older folks in the village said it was going to snow, and you were in a bad mood for a few days. But it never snowed, and you started to feel better,” Xie Wei said.
Hearing him mention it, Lin Qingqing remembered that it happened after they started dating. At that time, she was indeed worried about the snow for a few days, which was probably something that most poor people had to worry about in winter.
However, Lin Qingqing's situation is much better this year. When she thinks back to that time, it feels like a lifetime ago. She said in a light tone, "Actually, at that time I was not only worried about snow, but also about rain, because my cotton-padded coat could not keep out the cold, and my cotton shoes had holes that could let in water at any time."
Xie Wei looked enlightened and said, "You could have told me back then."
"I didn't dare back then. I was so insecure and afraid of what people would say, so I just forced myself to stay calm." Looking back on her thoughts now, Lin Qingqing only feels that she was very naive. She said with a smile, "But now it's better. I have a thicker cotton-padded coat and waterproof leather shoes. I'm much happier when I see snowy days."
Hearing Lin Qingqing's words, Xie Wei silently hugged her and asked, "Have you ever built a snowman?"
Lin Qingqing was taken aback, then shook her head: "We tried to build it up, but it didn't work."
“When you come back tonight, let’s build a snowman,” Xie Wei said.
Lin Qingqing smiled and said, "Okay."
...
Although the mutton soup in the cafeteria was clear and contained no visible mutton, it was very flavorful. It was sprinkled with pepper while cooking, making it slightly spicy but not overpowering.
Besides the mutton soup, Xie Wei also bought three steamed buns and two flatbreads. The flatbreads were the kind used for making roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), and they had a chewy texture. Lin Qingqing tore the flatbreads into pieces and soaked them in the mutton soup, which she also found quite delicious.
After finishing a bowl of mutton soup, Lin Qingqing's hands and feet warmed up. Seeing that it was almost time, she prepared to go out and catch the bus. She didn't ride her bicycle much after the weather turned cold; the cold wind was too chilly. However, the bus only ran every half hour, so she had to leave early, otherwise she would have to eat or ride her bike.
Lin Qingqing tied on her scarf and put on her hat, tucked the umbrella under her arm, put her hands in her pockets, and went out with her body hunched over.
Xie Wei couldn't help but laugh when he saw her fully armed, and said, "Go home early tonight."
When it was hot, Lin Qingqing would always try to come back for lunch on Xie Wei's days off. But after it got cold, Xie Wei saw that her nose was red from the cold every time she came back, so he told her not to rush back and that it was too much of a hassle. As a result, she came back less often at noon.
"Okay." Lin Qingqing smiled and agreed, took her hand out of her pocket to say goodbye to Xie Wei, then lowered her head and hurriedly walked out.
After Lin Qingqing left, Xie Wei washed the clothes they had changed out of the night before, and then left for the market well in advance. Although the market opens at eight o'clock, the opening time is not fixed and can be a few minutes earlier or later. But today it was delayed by an unusually long time; Xie Wei waited at the door for about ten minutes before it was finally opened from the inside.
Yu Xiuhong had just sat down at the stall when she saw his surprised expression: "Oh, you're here to buy groceries today?" Seeing his ears were red from the cold, she asked, "How long have you been here?"
"About ten minutes," Xie Wei said.
Yu Xiuhong was even more surprised: "Why have you been waiting for so long?"
Xie Wei didn't see any mutton at the meat stall, and replied, "I went to the cafeteria for breakfast this morning and heard that a new sheep had arrived at the market, so I always buy some mutton there."
The butcher at the meat stall happened to be carrying out half a sheep when he heard his words and laughed, "You've come at the perfect time."
Xie Wei saw the mutton and went over. He first asked if he needed a ticket, then inquired about the price, and finally bought two jin of lamb chops. Following Lin Qingqing's instructions, he then bought white radishes, Chinese cabbage, fried tofu skin, scallions, ginger, and garlic. The white radishes were mainly to make the soup base sweeter, while the Chinese cabbage and fried tofu skin were side dishes. In addition to what Lin Qingqing had instructed, he also bought mushrooms, lotus root, and other ingredients.
He didn't buy large quantities of vegetables, but they looked quite a lot in the basket. Someone couldn't help but ask, "Commander Xie, you bought so many vegetables? Can you finish them all in one day?"
"If we can't finish it, we can eat it tomorrow." It's cold now, so we can eat leftovers even if it's been sitting overnight.
When Xie Wei was there, no one said anything, but as soon as he left, some people couldn't help but mutter: "Commander Xie is really generous. He bought two pounds of mutton, which costs only a few yuan per pound, and so many vegetables. That's enough for other people's families to eat for two or three days. Doesn't Commander Xie's wife say anything to him?"
It's a bit of an exaggeration to say that those dishes could last for two or three days, but everyone understood what was being said, and they began to whisper among themselves.
Listening to their discussion, Yu Xiuhong said, "It's probably his wife who made him buy it." Thinking about how the Xie family could eat meat every few days and how Lin Qingqing changed her clothes every day, her tone was filled with bitterness.
People are most afraid of comparison. When everyone was just getting by, they didn't realize it. But now that someone is doing well, the good life they used to see seems tasteless.
But she couldn't say anything. Although the Xie family ate well, Xie Wei earned more! Lin Qingqing had a lot of clothes, but they were all employee benefits from the clothing factory. She benefited from them because she managed Xingfeng's counter.
Thinking back to how Lin Qingqing received an eight-yuan bonus last month for being the top-performing salesperson, Yu Xiuhong couldn't help but wonder why she, also a military wife, wasn't so lucky to find such a good job. She had worked at the market for almost three years, and her salary had barely increased to twenty-eight yuan, while Lin Qingqing had only worked there for less than three months, and her salary plus bonus was already over thirty yuan.
Thinking that tomorrow is the beginning of the month again, and Lin Qingqing might receive another bonus, Yu Xiuhong sighed heavily.
Author's Note: Second update
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