Chapter 55 ☆ Soviet Chocolate

Cheng Yaoyao and the others returned to the village and ran into Cheng Nuonuo in the alley. She was sitting at the door of Lin Wuxing’s house with a few women. Everyone was holding a small piece of chocolate in their hands, talking and laughing, and seemed very affectionate towards Cheng Nuonuo.

Zhang Aihua saw the large and small packages in Cheng Yaoyao’s hands and immediately shouted, “Oh my, what good things did Cheng Zhiqing’s family send you? Such a big box. We all saw Cheng Zhiqing’s package just now. They even sent some Soviet chocolate. Cheng Zhiqing, what’s in your package? Let us see it too. Don’t be stingy!”

In the countryside, it was considered quite uncivilized to ask for food so blatantly. Only someone like Zhang Aihua would say that. The others watched and cheered. The chocolate tasted really good. It didn’t matter whether there was a date or not. Anyway, it was Zhang Aihua who was embarrassed, but everyone benefited.

Cheng Yaoyao glanced at her coldly. Zhang Aihua’s mouth was full of yellow teeth, and chocolate was stuck on them, which was really eye-catching. Han Yin rolled her eyes in anger. Zhang Xiaofeng pulled Cheng Yaoyao aside, smiled, and greeted everyone, saying, “This is something sent by Yaoyao’s family. It hasn’t been opened yet.”

Cheng Nuonuo also smiled, but there was a hint of loneliness in her tone: “Sister Yaoyao’s package is bigger than mine. I don’t know what good things Dad sent you.”

The women looked at each other, and Lin Wuxing’s third daughter-in-law, Liu Min, smiled politely and said, “Why should we separate the two sisters’ packages? The postage is so expensive.”

Zhang Aihua laughed, “Even my own father can be partial to me.”

No one knew what Cheng Nuonuo said behind her back, but these women were all filled with righteous indignation, as if Cheng’s father was partial to Cheng Nuonuo and Cheng Yaoyao had taken great advantage of Cheng Nuonuo.

Zhang Aihua stared greedily at the things in Cheng Yaoyao’s hand and said, “Xiao Cheng Zhiqing only has two chocolates in her package, and the rest are clothes that are not worth eating or drinking. What use are they? What we lack most in the countryside is food! Cheng Zhiqing, is there a lot of food in your package?”

Cheng Yaoyao’s lips curled up in a sarcastic smile. She said to Cheng Nuonuo, “Dad didn’t send you any food? How is that possible? Go back and look through those clothes; there must be canned food and black bread inside, which are much more delicious than steamed buns! And there’s a letter from Dad, with a thick stack of food coupons inside. Don’t treat it as scrap paper and throw it away!”

Following Cheng Yaoyao’s words, Cheng Nuonuo’s face changed drastically. She forced a smile and said, “Sister Yaoyao, Dad never sent me those things, you know that… Dad only sent me a few pieces of letter paper; there were no food coupons…”

Zhang Aihua immediately stood up and walked into the house, saying, “Oh, I still have sweet potatoes steaming in the pot. How could I forget?”

Seeing this, Cheng Nuonuo hurried inside without saying a word, hating Cheng Yaoyao to death. The package she brought today did contain black bread and a few canned foods, which she had hidden in advance. If the old hag of the Lin family saw it, she would definitely try every means to get it. Now that Cheng Yaoyao had revealed it, Zhang Aihua would definitely complain to the old hag, so Cheng Nuonuo had to move the things away quickly.

Finally, Liu Min stood up slowly, smiled, and went back into the house.

The other women winked at each other, obviously knowing the character of Lin Wuxing’s family and enjoying the spectacle.

Han Yin admired Cheng Yaoyao: “You are really good. You made them fight each other with just one sentence. But how did you know that Cheng Nuonuo hid the black bread?”

Cheng Yaoyao smiled mysteriously. After all, Cheng’s father had doted on Cheng Nuonuo for three years, so it was impossible for him not to send her anything. The most durable and filling Soviet goods were black bread and delicious canned meat. She had guessed it casually, but didn’t expect Cheng Nuonuo to actually hide those items.

As the sun set, the warm glow covered the small courtyard with white walls and black tiles. Smoke rose from the roof, prompting Cheng Yaoyao to quicken her pace and run to the door to knock.

Cheng Yaoyao felt a surge of joy and grabbed the doorknocker, slamming it hard: “Grandma, Xiao Fei, I’m home!”

“I’m coming!” Xie Fei’s timid voice sounded, and she smiled widely when she opened the door: “Sister Yaoyao, you’re back!”

Cheng Yaoyao smiled from the bottom of her heart. Since she left her grandparents at the age of twelve, she had only faced an empty living room when she returned home. No one had been waiting for her with a smile.

Cheng Yaoyao threw something to Xie Fei: “It’s from the Soviet Union. Take it and eat it!”

Grandma Xie was wearing an apron while washing vegetables. She said to Cheng Yaoyao sternly, “You knock on the door so hard every time you come home. You don’t act like a girl at all. Even Brother Zhao is more polite than you!”

“I’m happy!” Cheng Yaoyao went over and hugged Grandma Xie. The old lady had a clean scent of soapberries and age.

Grandma Xie had never been so close to her grandchildren before. She tensed up and was at a loss: “What are you doing? Did you get into trouble?”

“You smell like my grandma,” Cheng Yaoyao muttered softly and ran away to wash her face.

Grandma Xie held a handful of black fungus and muttered after a while, “You’re a grown-up girl but still so unruly.”

Her tone softened after all.

Xie Fei fiddled with the item in her hand for a long time. It was a long square with a pretty round-faced child printed on it. He didn’t look like a Chinese. “Grandma, what is this?”

Grandma Xie took a look and said, “It’s foreign chocolate and candy. Eat it.”

Xie Fei looked at the chocolate in her hand in surprise. This was chocolate! She had only heard of it from the village girls; it was something that only people in the movies could eat.

The chocolate wrapper was very beautiful. Xie Fei carefully peeled it off, revealing a layer of shiny silver foil inside. Peeling it off again, she revealed the dark brown chocolate, which smelled bitter but also very fragrant.

Xie Fei looked at it for a long time and was reluctant to eat it, so she insisted that Grandma Xie try it: “Grandma, please have a bite.”

Grandma Xie broke off a small piece and put it in her mouth, and Xie Fei also ate a small piece. It was bitter and fragrant, and the sweetness was incomparable to white sugar and fruit candy.

Grandma Xie tasted the aroma of chocolate in her mouth and sighed. She had eaten chocolate from France before, which was real chocolate, melting in the blink of an eye when held between the tongue, delicate and fragrant with crunchy nuts. But now her sister Fei doesn’t even recognize chocolate.

Cheng Yaoyao washed her face and body, changed her clothes, and came out. Xie Fei quickly gave her some chocolate to eat. Cheng Yaoyao took a bite and said, “This chocolate tastes bad. Next time, I’ll ask Dad not to buy Soviet goods but French ones.”

“Isn’t this delicious?” Xie Fei said in surprise, “I’ve never eaten such delicious candy.”

“I have a few more pieces here. I’ll give them all to you.” Cheng Yaoyao took out all the things sent by her family and showed them to Xie Fei and Grandma Xie.

Xie Fei was dazzled by the sight. She had never seen any of Cheng Yaoyao’s things before, especially the little dress, which made her eyes pop out. It was a jade-colored dress with complicated lace on the chest, and the neckline was just enough to reveal the collarbone.

When Cheng Yaoyao gave the piece of fabric with pink and white flowers to Xie Fei, Xie Fei let out the most passionate scream of her life and almost hugged Cheng Yaoyao to death. She grabbed the fabric and ran back to the house, saying she wanted to find a pattern to make a dress like Cheng Yaoyao’s.

Grandma Xie sighed and asked Cheng Yaoyao, “How much is that piece of material?”

“Xie Zhao gave me the money,” Cheng Yaoyao said immediately. “This material cost four Yuan and thirty cents, and there’s still some money left.”

Grandma Xie stared at Cheng Yaoyao and said, “Keep the things your family sent you for yourself. Xiao Fei is not sensible, so don’t give all the good things to her.”

Cheng Yaoyao pursed her lips, looked directly at Grandma Xie, and said, “Grandma, if you say that, I won’t dare let Xiaofei do the housework or wear my clothes in the future. Should I pay for the vegetables, water, and firewood I use every day?”

Grandma Xie’s eyes shone with wisdom: “Yaoyao, you know what I mean.”

“I also know what I’m doing.” Cheng Yaoyao picked up the canned food one by one and said, “I know you’re doing this for my own good, don’t worry.”

Grandma Xie said, “Brother Zhao is like his father; he is stubborn. Once he sets his mind on something, he will be with it forever. What about you? Are you ready to spend your whole life with him?”

Cheng Yaoyao was stunned for a moment, then hesitantly repeated, “For a lifetime?”

This word was too far away and too heavy for Cheng Yaoyao. She was unable to react for a moment, so she kept repeating these three words.

Cheng Yaoyao’s eyes were filled with innocence. Grandma Xie looked at her and sighed imperceptibly: “Okay, put away the cans; dinner is ready.”

“Oh.” Cheng Yaoyao picked up the can, turned around, and ran away.

Grandma Xie shook her head. Cheng Yaoyao is really a child. I’m afraid it will be difficult for Brother Zhao to follow this path.

Unlike Grandma Xie, Xie Fei was in high spirits. She had lost her appetite for the past few days and would go into the house to study her new clothes after eating a few mouthfuls of food.

Cheng Yaoyao was also pestered by Xie Fei. Cheng Yaoyao was the most knowledgeable about fashion. She had worn countless high-end clothes from famous brands in her previous life and also had many good clothes in this life. She could give opinions and suggestions on various styles and details of clothes.

Xie Fei was worthy of her talent. With just a brief description from Cheng Yaoyao, she could make exactly the same thing. She could also simplify things, innovate, and create the most suitable style.

The piece of pink material with small white flowers was skillfully cut by Xie Fei and gradually turned into a beautiful and simple cardigan with a relatively wide style and no waist.

This is the opinion of Grandma Xie. Grandma Xie said: “You are still young, so make your clothes looser, and you can wear them for two more years!”

Cheng Yaoyao was chewing a tomato and said lightly, “What are you afraid of? In two years, when Xiao Fei grows taller, she can wear my clothes.”

Grandma Xie gave her a sidelong glance, and Cheng Yaoyao then remembered that Grandma Xie and Xie Zhao never let Xie Fei go out, let alone let her be in the spotlight or wear figure-hugging clothes.

There was no way out. The Xie family was labeled as landlords, and Xie Fei’s beauty was the root of trouble for her.

Cheng Yaoyao had no choice but to pout and keep silent. Grandma Xie said to her again, “When Xiao Fei finishes making your clothes, you are not allowed to wear these dresses out. Wearing such nice clothes to work really doesn’t know how to live.”

“Brother Zhao will be back tomorrow. You should go to bed early tonight and help me knead the dough and roll out the dumpling skins tomorrow.” Grandma Xie spoke to Cheng Yaoyao more and more impolitely, with a kind of intimacy that she was unwilling to admit.

“Oh.” Cheng Yaoyao made a bitter face, secretly glanced at Xie Fei, and stuck out her tongue.

***

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