Chapter 006: Meat and Bone Incident
It wasn't that Jiang Nan didn't want to confront the issue head-on; it was that in this day and age, everything required a reputation. She had just graduated from high school and hadn't found a job yet, so her reputation couldn't be too bad just yet.
Well, for now. After all, her dad, ahem, also pretended to be a photojournalist for a few years.
The woman in the white shirt glanced at Jiang Nan a few more times, nodded at her, and walked away with Granny Fang in her arms. "Old comrade, the oilfield is not a place for unreasonable behavior. If you insist on cutting in line, I'll go find your son's unit. I'm also retired from the oilfield, and I know a lot of people. Tell me, which unit does your son work for?"
These days, the biggest fear is finding someone's work unit; if you do, you're guaranteed to get criticized. Granny Fang muttered, not daring to speak again. She kept looking back as she made her way to the back of the queue, and when no one was paying attention, she glared at Jiang Nan fiercely.
Cheng Gaigai saw this and secretly gave Jiang Nan a thumbs-up. She had come over to give Old Lady Liu the cloth bag, and after that she had to run to the front to check the contents.
"There are a lot of melons this time." Cheng Gaigai came back quickly and whispered in Jiang Nan's ear, "Cheng Meijuan is at work today. You can ask her to save a few more for you."
Jiang Nan's eyes lit up and he patted Cheng Gaigai's shoulder to show that he understood.
In reality, Cheng Meijuan and Jiang Nan had no real connection. Jiang Nan was a natural, always chatting up the salespeople whenever she came to buy something. Her father, Jiang Mancheng, was even more talkative than she was, so they became close friends. Jiang Mancheng was incredibly cheeky, having asked Cheng Meijuan to keep an eye out for peach pastries after just two meetings. So, the two girls had a pretty good relationship.
People are very enthusiastic these days, so Jiang Nan often asks Cheng Meijuan to keep an eye out for food for her.
Cheng Gaigai left quickly, and Jiang Nan began to think about buying some watermelons. If I had a refrigerator, the more the better. But now I don't have one, and it's hot. So, yeah, let's buy three. One a day for three days, they shouldn't go bad.
Why was Jiang Nan so sure he could buy more? There are always families with limited financial resources. Cheng Meijuan's family is okay, but other families in the supply and marketing cooperative are struggling. So, often, Jiang Nan could buy an extra share, simply by paying more money and tickets.
The line moved quickly, and once we reached the supply and marketing cooperative counter, we saw Cheng Meijuan perched high up on the counter, collecting payments one by one. These days, counters are so high that paying customers have to crane their necks to look up, which is one of the reasons for the salesperson's poor attitude. Looking down at people like that all the time, how could she not be arrogant?
When it was Jiang Nan's turn to pay, she coughed lightly and winked at Cheng Meijuan.
Cheng Meijuan understood and nodded imperceptibly.
Jiang Nan received the signal and happily carried her big watermelon, humming a song all the way back home.
Living in a tube-shaped building is convenient, but the tap water is not as cool as the well water. The watermelon was heated by the sun all the way, and it was difficult to cool down. Jiang Nan put the watermelon on the dining table, sighed, and started to prepare to paint.
But she didn't draw for long. Cheng Gaigai helped carry the watermelon home and came to play with her. The two of them talked about the whereabouts of many classmates.
Perhaps because he wasn't as outgoing as the people of his generation, Jiang Nan didn't pay much attention to his high school classmates. Only then did he realize that many of his classmates had chosen to go to the countryside, or rather, it was their parents who had chosen to go to the countryside.
Moreover, among those who went to the countryside, most were girls.
"All the work at home is reserved for boys. Girls will get married sooner or later, so no one cares." Cheng Gaigai saw it clearly. "There are subsidies for going to the countryside, and many of my classmates' parents have signed up."
This was also the source of Cheng Gaigai's anxiety. Although her family wasn't severely patriarchal, they still favored boys over girls. Her eldest brother took over their mother's job after graduating from junior high school. Even if she graduated from high school, she would still have to go to the countryside if she didn't have a job.
The two chatted for the entire afternoon. Cheng Gaigai watched the sun set in the west and hurriedly got up to leave. Not long after, Old Lady Liu's voice could be heard outside, scolding him: "Lazy guy, it's already this late and you still don't know how to come back to cook. You just know how to be lazy."
Jiang Nan shook his head, stood up, cleaned the bones, and went to the hallway to light the fire to simmer the soup. Soon, the aroma of bone soup wafted into the air. At this time, even though there was little meat on the bones, the bone soup still smelled delicious.
This is the bad thing about the tube-shaped building. The stove is outside, so everyone can see exactly what is being cooked at home and there is no way to hide it at all.
Cuckoo.
The sound of a stomach growling came from the side. Jiang Nan remained silent. Anyone who came while others were cooking was not a respectable person.
After all, who would look for someone else at dinner time?
Sure enough, Jiang Nan turned around and saw Granny Fang holding a large bowl, followed by two little boys, Fang Nansheng and Fang Nanhai. The twins, eight years old, looked no older than six or seven because they didn't eat well. Their eyes were greedily gazing at the bone broth, and it was clear they weren't content.
Granny Fang was also shameless. She had just disgusted Jiang Nan in the afternoon, but now she acted as if nothing had happened. She still had a bitter face and said weakly: "Xiao Nan, how about you make bone soup today? Look at your poor little brothers Nan Sheng and Nan Hai, they are already eight years old and have never eaten anything good. Can you pity them and give grandma a bowl of bone soup? We don't want meat, just a bowl of soup. You won't be reluctant to add an extra bowl of water, right?"
Before Jiang Nan could speak, Chen Jinhua's lion roar came from behind him.
"You are so good, Grandma Fang. You are taking advantage of my family's absence to bully Xiaonan, right? Why do I have to give you the bone soup I stew? What are you thinking? Your family had scrambled eggs for lunch, why didn't you give me some? And you said it was easy to add a bowl of water. I only bought a pound of bones, so how can I stew them with ten pounds of water? You are an old hag who is always good at pretending to be pitiful. Put away your pitiful face. I am not one of those old men who are clueless and can't be fooled by you. It's ridiculous. You are the only one who is pitiful. You have eaten scrambled eggs for lunch, and you still want to drink bone soup for dinner. How can I not be happy? What you eat is better than what the landlords eat, and you are still pitiful. Bah."
Grandma Fang cursed in her heart, if she had known this, she would have come earlier, but who knew Chen Jinhua would get off work so early today.
She cursed him a hundred times in her heart, but her face remained gentle and pitiful: "Jinhua, why are you so mean? I only came here out of pity for the child. Who doesn't have a child? If it were me, I would starve to death rather than come to someone else's house to beg for food. The child is young, and he has cramps in the middle of the night. He must drink some bone soup to nourish him. I'm an old woman who is about to die. I can eat anything, but the child can't. I have to sacrifice my reputation for the sake of the children."
Fang Nansheng and Fang Nanhai immediately lay down on the ground and rolled around, demanding to drink bone soup.
"Bah! Stop playing pitiful here. Your two children are eight years old, not two or three-year-old children who don't know anything. They are so old, but they don't know anything, and they are still throwing tantrums and asking for food. You spoil them! If you don't do anything, I will do it for you. These children will not become useful without a beating!"
Chen Jinhua put her hands on her hips and rolled up her sleeves, ready to strike. The two children on the ground jumped up in fright and scurried into the house. There was no other way. Chen Jinhua looked so fierce, with a strong build, she could definitely stop a crying child.
It wasn't that Chen Jinhua was making a big deal out of nothing; it was just that Granny Fang was used to taking advantage of others. Every time someone in the building cooked something delicious, she'd stand at their doorstep with her two children. It wasn't like Chen Jinhua hadn't been soft-hearted at first, but she couldn't stand it every time. Of the thirty households in the building, twenty-nine had been treated this way by Granny Fang. It was outrageous.
Even though Chen Jinhua spoke so harshly, no one spoke up for Granny Fang. This shows that Granny Fang has been suffering in the building for a long time.
Besides, who doesn’t want to eat something good? At this time, even those old men who are easily drunk don’t show up.
But this didn't include Lin Bing. He was already in a bad mood today. First, Sun Lingling picked on him, and he was so angry that he didn't even go to buy watermelon. Now, seeing someone bullying his "Sister Qiao Lian"'s child, his blood was boiling. He said angrily, "Chen Jinhua, your words are too harsh. It's just a bowl of soup. It's just a neighbor's child with a leg cramp at night. What's the big deal? How can you be so stingy? The richer you are, the more stingy you are!"
Could Chen Jinhua let Lin Bing go?! She still remembered what Xiao Shulin had said. She was already annoyed with him. That self-conceited ugly bastard was still dreaming that her Jiang Nan liked him. Why wouldn’t he go to heaven?
Chen Jinhua's eyes widened in anger as she attacked Lin Bing indiscriminately: "Get out of here! If you want to lick a widow's stinky feet, go ahead and do it yourself. Don't drag me into this. There's nothing wrong with our family being rich. We earned our money ourselves, so we can spend it however we want. So what? You still want to steal my money? I've never seen such a stupid bachelor. No wonder he can't get married. He's so stupid! He's been played around by others, and he thinks he's so smart."
"You!" Lin Bing was so angry that he jumped up and down. He hated it most when people said that he couldn't get married. He was so angry that smoke came out of his head.
"Sister Jinhua, Lin Bing and I are innocent. Please don't wrongly accuse Lin Bing like this."
Sun Qiaolian got off work early today and, upon hearing the quarrel in the building, had no intention of emerging. Her mother-in-law often held a bowl to beg for things, and because she was good at playing the victim, she often got some back. She would be a fool to go out now and be looked down upon.
Who would have thought that Chen Jinhua would be in trouble today, cursing at everyone. She had just persuaded Lin Bing to buy eggs and a bag of peach cakes, and she needed to win him over properly, so she pretended to have just gotten off work and started talking.
She continued, "I'm a widow. It doesn't matter what you say to me. People look down on widows. But Lin Bing is a grown man. He'll have to get married in the future. You can't be so unfair to him."
She bit her lips tightly, tears welled up in her eyes, but she stubbornly held back her tears. Only her chest trembled, and the grown men in the building drooled at the sight.
"Qiao Lian, you're finally back. Our family has been through a hard time. We rely on you to clean the house and keep us going. I've embarrassed you. We have to thank Lin Bing. He's such a good man. He spoke a few words for our family, and yet he was bullied like this. Lin Bing, don't be angry. Jin Hua said those words in anger. Don't take them seriously. My child won't drink anymore. Let him have a leg cramp. It's because we are orphans and widows. Life is so hard for us..."
Granny Fang hesitated, but seeing that no one spoke up for her, tears began to stream down her face. The tears flowed with more precision than the heroines in Qiong Yao dramas.
It's just that when a twenty-year-old girl cries, it's like pear blossoms in the rain. But when Granny Fang, an old lady, cries, they flow down the wrinkles on her face like a torrential downpour, without any aesthetic appeal.
Chen Jinhua had a cold face throughout the whole process, and Jiang Mancheng's dark eyes did not blink as he stared at Grandma Fang, which made her heart beat fast and gradually became silent.
No one in the neighborhood spoke up for the Fang family's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, but there were plenty of sour words about the Jiang family. After all, her family eats well.
Just then, Old Lady Qiu, who lived at the easternmost end, spoke up: "Oh, having an engineer dad is so capable. He eats either braised pork or big bones, and he can even have eggs every morning. Unlike us, poor peasants for eight generations, who eat either pickles or vegetable dumplings all day long. Life is more bitter than coptis chinensis."
Normally, the Jiang family lived in the west, farthest from Old Lady Qiu's house in the east, so the two families didn't interact much. But who made Old Lady Qiu think that the two families were a control group?
Yes, that's the control group. The houses at the east and west ends are the largest in the tube-shaped building. Mrs. Qiu's family was able to live there thanks to her son. His son is the deputy captain of the second drilling team, overseeing over twenty people, and his daughter-in-law is a kindergarten teacher, a full-time employee. Naturally, the houses given to working couples are larger, and Mrs. Qiu considered herself a prominent figure in the building.
But who can blame her? Chen Jinhua's father is a senior engineer in the oil field, and her two brothers are also engineers. Isn't that infuriating? She and the old man are both from the village, and her in-laws are also old farmers. Although he is the brigade secretary, this is nothing compared.
Or maybe it was because people in this era were simple-minded. Old Lady Qiu wasn't trying to flatter Chen Jinhua, but instead was targeting their family. Whenever they ate well, Old Lady Qiu would inevitably make some sarcastic remarks, making them as irritating as possible.
Chen Jinhua wasn't used to Mrs. Qiu's behavior and immediately retorted, "Stop being so sarcastic. My dad's an engineer, so what? I'm a union official, making 40 yuan a month. My husband also has a job, making at least 36 yuan a month. So what? There are only three of us in my family, and we only make 80 yuan a month, and we can't even afford a meal of meat? Even if we eat meat every day, it's none of your business. Stop blaming my dad. If he was willing to help me, we would have moved to the oil field headquarters long ago. Why would we still be in this shabby family compound?"
"Yes, Lao Chen is a senior engineer and has a say in the headquarters." Someone muttered.
Chen Jinhua snorted and slammed the door in front of Grandma Fang. She slammed the door even harder than Lin Bing did in the morning, and the building shook!
Jiang Nan kept giving Chen Jinhua a thumbs-up. Her mother was indeed mighty.
Jiang Mancheng, who was outside the door, felt that everyone's attitude towards him was more friendly.
You see, marrying a capable wife is so awesome. He doesn’t have to do anything, the wife can take care of everything.
Jiang Mancheng hummed a song and walked home swaying with every step.
Sun Qiaolian's eyes darted over Jiang Mancheng, and she twisted her body and said coquettishly, "Brother Cheng, Sister Jinhua misunderstood my mother-in-law. You have to say a few good words for me. My child has a leg cramp, so he asked for a bowl of bone soup. You have to believe me." As she spoke, she blinked at Jiang Mancheng again and again.
Jiang Mancheng quickly jumped back two steps, arms folded across his chest, looking like a young girl who had been bullied. "No, please stay away from me. Although I, Jiang Mancheng, am handsome and charming, and everyone loves me, my heart and eyes are full of my wife, and I can't see other women. Besides, whether your child has a leg cramp or not is none of my business, what are you saying to me?"
"Go home." Chen Jinhua opened the door and shouted towards the cold outside.
"Wife, I didn't say anything to Sun Qiao Lian, really." Jiang Mancheng hurried into the house without even glancing at the woman with a fluttering eyebrow behind him.
In the room, Jiang Nan had already served each of them a bowl of bone soup. She was going to use the remaining soup in the pot to make noodles and was rummaging through the cupboards looking for instant noodles.
Noodles in broth, a few slices of greens, and an egg, that taste...
Jiang Nan's mouth watered as she opened the cupboard, but Jiang Mancheng hurriedly stopped her, "Bone soup noodles or hand-rolled noodles are the best. You take a break, I'll roll the noodles. I guarantee you two will have a full stomach. After dinner, nibble on a couple of watermelons, and that would be a truly blissful day, priceless!"
The family happily discussed eating noodles and melons, but Granny Fang from next door had a sullen face and kept scolding her daughter-in-law, as if her previous defense was all an act. "What's the point of having you? You got off work late, and you didn't get any soup. What if Nan Sheng and Nan Hai get cramps again?"
Sun Qiaolian bit her lip, shook her head and sighed, "Mom, Uncle Lin is keeping a close eye on me, and Lin Bing is broke now. Jiang Mancheng is such a clueless guy, he doesn't even look at me. I can't do anything with him."
"Then think of another way." After Granny Fang finished her scolding, she began to win over her daughter-in-law, offering advice, "Now Wu Dachui is definitely going to get a divorce. Qiu Xiangdong will be back in a couple of days, and there's also Dazhuzi from the old Cheng family. If you work hard, there's no place you can't get money!"
After she finished speaking, she sighed and said earnestly, "Qiao Lian, I'm not forcing you to do this. We have three boys in our family, and they all say that young boys are eating us out of poverty. If we don't cling to men for money, we, an orphan and a widow, can't survive. Don't worry, I will explain to Hongyun when we get to the underworld. You are a good woman, there is nothing we can do."
"Mom, I know." Sun Qiaolian lowered her head, thinking about how to defeat these people one by one.
A trace of disdain flashed across Granny Fang's eyes, and she quickly spoke again softly, "Now that Nanshan has graduated from high school, he'll have to go to the countryside if he doesn't have a job. What did your boss say? Did they give in?"
"Mom, no." Sun Qiaolian shook her head, her eyes full of fatigue. "Everyone is cutting positions now, and the leaders don't dare to go against the wind. Otherwise, let Nanshan take over my job first. After all, this job belongs to his father, and it will be given to Nanshan sooner or later."
Granny Fang nodded, a gleam in her eyes: "Then take Nanshan with you to handle the formalities tomorrow and give the job to Nanshan as soon as possible."
Fang Nanshan, who had been silent the whole time, spoke at the right time. His voice was soft, and his eyes were full of concern for his grandmother and mother: "Grandma, I just graduated today, there is no need to be so anxious."
"Of course we're not in a hurry." Sun Qiaolian said first, "I heard from the leaders that the regulations on going to the countryside will become more and more strict in the future. We'd better take over as soon as possible."
Looking at her eldest son, who looked so handsome and righteous, Sun Qiaolian felt a surge of fighting spirit. She had three other sons: Nanshan was sensible and filial, while Nansheng and Nanhai were clever and well-behaved. She couldn't give up easily.
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