Chapter 22 The Abandoned Capitalist Lady in the 1950s
Leaning on the kang with eyes closed, I searched the space for a piece of cloth suitable for making clothes for the baby.
There were no diapers in this era, so diapers still had to be prepared.
The fabric for children's quilts should also be soft and low-key.
Mark everything you find and take it out bit by bit later.
After a while, Lu's mother came back with Lu Dayong, carrying a basket of eggs. "Xiaoning, Dayong told me that you are pregnant. How are you feeling? Is there anything you want to eat? Just tell Dayong and ask him to make it for you. If he doesn't know how to make it, Mom will help you. Don't treat yourself badly."
"Mom, I get it. If I want to eat something, I'll definitely tell you."
"Ask Dayong to boil two eggs for you every day. Now that everyone eats in the cafeteria and the pots have been handed in, we can't ask for special treatment, so we can only let you down."
"The general environment is like this. There's no choice. Everyone is the same. There's nothing to feel wronged about."
It was never Ning Ning's turn to get involved in housework. After they got married, it was Lu Dayong who had been doing it.
When Lu Ma came, she ordered him around in circles.
Now that autumn has arrived, even the vegetables in the vegetable garden have been arranged by Lu's mother, and Lu Dayong has also planned the work for the next few days.
Ning Ning would secretly bring some things home every day on her way home from get off work.
He would bring back the cotton fabrics and other things he had picked out earlier, and from time to time he would also bring back two packets of milk powder, and occasionally a chicken or a large piece of meat.
At night, Lu Dayong often secretly hid in the cellar to cook for Ning Ning.
The first time he cooked for himself, he got a pigeon from outside and stewed it in the kitchen in the middle of the night. The next day, many people in the alley were discussing who cooked it in the middle of the night. The smell was so tempting that people couldn't sleep.
After that, we started stewing it in the cellar to avoid trouble.
By the end of the year, the supplies in the cafeteria were getting less and less. Lu's mother, who worked in the cafeteria, noticed that something was wrong. In addition, there was a pregnant woman in the family, and they were about to have a baby, so they could not afford to be short of food and drink.
He immediately made a decisive decision and went out secretly with his two sons to buy food every day, and then hid in the cellar of Ning Ning's house at night.
When I have a break, I go to the countryside and buy whatever I can. As long as it is edible, I take it home.
This also made the mothers and their friends realize the current situation more clearly. The supplies in the big canteens in the countryside were declining. What did this mean? It meant that everyone did not have enough food. The three of them were therefore more eager to store food at home.
This was a blessing in disguise, and Ning Ning didn't even need to remind them.
Although Ning Ning had food, she was unwilling to use it to feed her family for free.
In fact, they certainly do not have enough supplies to deal with three years of natural disasters now, so some subsidies are inevitable.
However, they were all trying hard to store food at home, so Ning Ning would not feel so uncomfortable about subsidizing them. Besides, the subsidies would be relatively smaller, so she wouldn't have to rack her brains to find excuses for herself.
The next year, Ning Ning started going to work every day with a big belly.
She was clearly seven months pregnant and looked like she was about to give birth, but when she was more than three months pregnant, it was discovered that she was pregnant with twins, and her family became extremely nervous.
If Lu Dayong doesn't have time to pick people up, Lu Ma or Lu Dajun will come to ensure that Ning Ning doesn't have to go to and from get off work alone.
That morning, the section chief came out of his small office holding a newspaper and said, "Everyone, come and look at this!"
Everyone's attention was instantly drawn to it, and a report in the morning paper made everyone panic.
The newspaper clearly stated that the content could be summarized as follows: canteens should be adapted to local conditions, and canteens in cities will be closed, but not in rural areas.
Yu Li's eyes widened. "If the cafeteria closes, where are we going to eat in the future?"
Sister Huang also frowned, "There's no food or vegetables at home, how can we cook?"
Chen Jianguo: "Forget food and vegetables, there's not even a pot! We've already dismantled the stove!"
The section chief waved his hands anxiously, "Then why are you still standing there? Go downstairs and buy a pot!"
As soon as the words fell, several people quickly took the money and rushed out.
Ning Ning was pregnant and couldn't run with them.
She hurried to the phone and called Lu Dayong.
After they called the person over, she estimated that the time was about up, so she called again. This time, it was Lu Dayong who answered the phone.
Ning Ning said anxiously, "Dayong, the morning paper today said that the cafeteria will be cancelled. You and Mom should take leave immediately. If you can buy food, buy food. If you can buy vegetables, buy more vegetables. I'll go downstairs to queue up to buy pots and send them to our house. I'm afraid Mom's slum will be in chaos when she gets home. You better hurry up. If too many people read the morning paper soon, it will be hard to buy things!"
Lu Dayong responded repeatedly on the other end of the phone: "Ah, I get it. Don't worry. You have to be careful and don't get bumped by others. I'll pick you up when I'm done."
On this day, the entire capital city was in chaos, with mess everywhere.
In the grocery stores, because the food was sold out, even the counters were turned upside down by the anxious people, but they still couldn't find a single grain of food.
In just half a morning, everything related to the kitchen in Beijing was snapped up by crazy people.
Ning Ning queued up to buy a pot. In fact, this pot was just for show. The previous pot was still there at home, but it was not convenient to take it out now.
After get off work, Lu Dayong came to pick up Ning Ning.
Along the way, many people looked at their iron pots with envy and came over to ask where they could buy one.
When they found out it was a department store, they all left and looked for other ways to deal with it. After all, the pots in the department store had been sold out long ago.
As soon as they entered the alley, everyone was discussing excitedly where they could go to buy things. When they saw the pot in Ning Ning's hand, they immediately surrounded her like a tide.
"Xiao Ning, are there any pots hidden in the department store that haven't been taken out yet?"
"Xiao Ning, when will the next batch of goods arrive? We're old neighbors, so please give us a heads-up."
"Xiao Ning, do you have any internal purchasing channels? Can you help me get one too?"
Ning Ning was surrounded and couldn't move at all.
Lu Dayong quickly protected Ning Ning, "Everyone, don't get excited, don't get excited, she is pregnant, everyone, be careful not to touch her."
Ning Ning also hurriedly explained: "The department store is indeed out of pots today. I also queued up to buy this after seeing it in the newspaper.
However, the store manager has already called to contact the source of goods today, and new stock will be available in a couple of days, so don't worry too much."
At this moment, Mother Lu came out from the yard, smiling broadly, "Everyone, don't make things difficult for her. She's just an ordinary accountant. How much inside information can she know?"
If she wanted to buy a pot herself, she would have to wait in line with her big belly.
Everyone should quickly figure out how to get a clay pot to make do for a couple of days, so as not to waste time and end up with nothing."
As Mother Lu spoke, she pushed through the crowd and supported Ning Ning as they walked towards their own yard.
The neighbors were not so tactless as to follow someone home. Besides, Ning Ning's big belly was really scary, and they didn't dare to actually touch her.
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