Chapter 22

After being reminded by him, Qiao Wei felt a bit guilty. Holding the basket and leading Yan Xiang, she quickly walked home.

Upon closing the courtyard gate, she dared to take out the four bottles of canned peaches, placing them on the Eight Immortals table in the main hall. The four glass bottles glittered, giving off a sense of having obtained war spoils.

Yan Xiang was even more excited, tiptoeing and leaning against the table, constantly saying, “Wow, wow, wow!”

Qiao Wei patted his head and asked, “Have you eaten?”

“Eaten!” Yan Xiang’s voice was crisp. “But I’ve never eaten so many.”

In an era of scarcity, who buys four cans of canned goods at once? Moreover, the supply in the town was not as abundant as in the cities. The town was so small that when the goods arrived, each store would only receive a small portion, usually one or two boxes.

It was just that Qiao Wei happened to come at the right time, just as the goods were being shelved. The vendor also told her that people were not aware yet, but once they found out, they would rush to buy, and it would be sold out in one or two hours.

Qiao Wei, who used to find it hard to understand hoarding, finally felt the pleasure of hoarding. Yesterday, when she cleaned the house, she roughly counted all the various possessions. Apart from rice, flour, grains, and oil, there was no surplus of other items.

The only surplus was cigarettes. Not because Yan Lei was a heavy smoker; in fact, based on Qiao Wei’s recollection, Yan Lei usually smoked only when he was in a bad mood or during social gatherings.

But cigarettes were almost like a hard currency among men. Any man with connections would try to keep some at home. It was useful when asking others for favors.

Other items were basically rationed. Qiao Wei’s family was well off because Yan Lei had a high salary and was allocated more industrial coupons.

In contrast, Captain Zhao’s family had similar wages and various vouchers as Yan Lei, but they had more people to support, resulting in higher consumption. This was most evident in clothing; consumption was particularly high. So, despite being a cadre’s family, the two younger siblings still had a lot of patches on their clothes, and the shoes were all hand-me-downs from older siblings.

It wasn’t because they didn’t have money; it was because they didn’t have enough vouchers.

Captain Zhao’s salary could support five children. However, the salary, while high, was limited to one person’s allotment of vouchers.

When Yan Lei finished work, he drove back home in a jeep, separating from Captain Zhao and the others at the intersection, each going their own way.

As soon as he returned home, Yan Xiang rushed over and said, “Daddy, Daddy!”

Yan Lei lifted Yan Xiang up. “Son!”

Yan Xiang clung to Yan Lei’s shoulder, his eyes shining. He told his dad the good news: “We bought canned peaches! Yellow peach canned peaches!”

Canned goods weren’t something you could buy at any time. It depended on luck. Yan Lei’s eyes also lit up when he heard this: “The supply and marketing cooperative has canned goods.”

Yan Xiang approached Yan Lei’s ear, covering his mouth with his hand. “We bought four bottles. Mom said not to tell others, or we won’t be able to buy them in the future.”

Yan Lei was very surprised.

If it were him, he could definitely handle this kind of thing. But Qiao Wei… Qiao Wei, born into the working class in the city, came downgraded to the small town and looked down on everyone in the small town equally. If you asked her to do these social things, she would give you three days of cold face.

Yan Lei patted Yan Xiang, “Have you eaten? Is it delicious?”

“Not yet!” Yan Xiang, full of anticipation, said. “Mom said it’s not tasty when it’s warm, it’s better when it’s cold. We’ll eat it tonight.”

In an era without refrigerators, cold water was the only option. Qiao Wei soaked the canned peaches in a wooden barrel. The water drawn up by hand from the well was naturally cold.

Yan Xiang dragged Yan Lei to see the canned peaches soaking in the barrel, and then he pulled him to see the other three bottles stored in the cabinet. For children, canned goods were moments of happiness.

They had four bottles—happiness times four.

Yan Lei smiled and patted Yan Xiang’s head, letting him go play. He went into the house, took off his uniform, and when he came out, he saw rubber shoes airing under the eaves.

He went to the kitchen, and indeed, Qiao Wei was stir-frying vegetables.

With his hands in his pockets, he leaned against the door and watched her.

Qiao Wei stirred the pot, turned her head, and smiled at him. “You’re back.”

This is quite good; they have a unified pick-up and drop-off service among the cadres, and the working hours are very punctual, with no mention of overtime.

Yan Lei asked her, “How did you manage to get four bottles of canned peaches?”

“Just from the supply and marketing cooperative. They brought in two boxes of canned peaches yesterday, and they only shelved them this morning. I happened to pass by, and no one else knew yet.” Qiao Wei waved the spatula to illustrate, “I quickly grabbed four bottles like a thunderstorm.”

Yan Lei didn’t believe it. “Why would they sell them to you?”

Qiao Wei said, “The comrade over there wanted to buy a pair of rubber shoes for his child but didn’t have industrial coupons. I gave him one, no problem, right?”

She turned to look at him. After all, industrial coupons were relatively difficult to obtain here. If he said it was not okay, she wouldn’t do it this way in the future.

But Yan Lei did not deny her approach; instead, he looked at her with a peculiar gaze. “Well done.”

Qiao Wei asked, “So using industrial coupons is not a problem, right?”

“Use them. Our family is not short of them,” Yan Lei said affirmatively, paused, and added, “If we are short, tell me.”

There was a hint of a smile in Qiao Wei’s eyes.

Yan Lei seemed to particularly like saying, “If we are short, tell me.” It couldn’t exactly be described as a peacock displaying its feathers, but in this era, it was somewhat similar to the domineering CEO in modern romance novels saying, “Buy, buy, buy.”

“I also bought a pair of rubber shoes for myself today and spent another industrial coupon.” She said, “I spent two in a day.”

She widened her eyes, as if feeling uneasy about using two industrial coupons in a day.

Yan Lei straightened his back even more. “Those things are meant to be spent. Otherwise, how can they reproduce? If you need anything, just buy it.”

This man was easy to please.

Qiao Wei resisted a smile and said, “Okay.”

Yan Lei suddenly remembered and asked, “Why did you buy rubber shoes? Why didn’t you wait to go to the city and buy a new pair of leather shoes? Your leather shoes are already old, right?”

Leather shoes were considered valuable items. Qiao Wei’s pair had been patched twice. She wanted a new pair, but to buy leather shoes, she had to go to the city. Going to the city was not easy; a round trip would take at least a day. She didn’t want to ask Yan Lei for this favor.

Yan Lei had once taken the initiative to ask her if she wanted to go to the city. At that time, she was reading a book sent by a technician, and she felt annoyed that he disturbed her. She impatiently said, “No need to go,” and ignored Yan Lei after that.

Yan Lei, who had been rejected once before, wouldn’t easily broach the topic again.

However, today, he brought it up himself.

Qiao Wei really didn’t want to wear those leather shoes.

It wasn’t just because they were old; the main issue was… They were quite ugly.

In the overall context of this era, they might be considered rustic, but in Qiao Wei’s eyes, there was a distinction. Certain things, like the blue coarse cloth jacket and hand-made cloth shoes worn by the old ladies in the town, might be considered more traditional than leather shoes in the eyes of the locals. But for Qiao Wei, those particularly traditional items carried cultural connotations and were far less “tacky” than the leather shoes that others might see as “stylish.”

“I feel like I lack exercise, so I want to run in the morning. That’s why I bought a pair of rubber shoes.”

Rubber shoes, also known as liberation shoes, had a khaki rubber sole and canvas shoe upper. They were the same as the liberation shoes issued by the military.

Qiao Wei initially wanted to buy a pair of white canvas shoes, which her mother had mentioned before. Her mother said that when they were children, there were no sports shoes or casual shoes, and those things came later. In their time, everyone wore white canvas shoes to school. They could be considered a combination of sports shoes and casual shoes. Qiao Wei thought of buying running shoes and immediately thought of these.

She assumed that white canvas shoes were standard for this era. Little did she know that she had mistaken the time period. During this period, it was an era even earlier than her mother’s “childhood.” The salesperson at the supply and marketing cooperative told her that such trendy items as white canvas shoes were only sold in big cities. In the town, there were only liberation shoes.

So she bought a pair of liberation shoes.

Liberation shoes were popular now, and they would become even more popular in the future.

Rounding it off, it could be considered having a pair of fashionable canvas shoes.

“The dishes will take a while; you can go read a book first.” She dismissed him.

Yan Lei didn’t know why but felt a bit reluctant to leave.

Looking at her bustling around in the kitchen and having such a peaceful and pleasant conversation with her made him feel comfortable inside.

He found something to say: “Why does it smell so good? What are you making?”

Yan Xiang, in the yard, looked up with sparkling eyes and said, “It’s oil residue! Dad, oil residue smells amazing! Quickly, let Mom give you some! It’s so delicious!”

Qiao Wei chuckled, put down the spatula, used chopsticks to pick up a piece seasoned with salt, and walked quickly to Yan Lei. “Open your mouth!”

Following her instructions, Yan Lei opened his mouth and was fed a piece of oil residue. Qiao Wei deliberately chose a piece with both fat and lean parts. When chewed, it was crisp and fragrant.

Yan Lei swallowed, “Give me another piece.”

Qiao Wei fed him another piece.

Was it an illusion? Why did it feel like the contours of the man’s face had softened?

The initial “stern,” “cold,” and “aloof” demeanor had disappeared. While chewing in his mouth, his eyes were fixed on her.

The temperature in the kitchen seemed to have risen.

Qiao Wei let out a sudden exclamation, “Ah—,” disrupting the atmosphere!

She turned around, dropped the chopsticks, and picked up the spatula to stir the vegetables. “It almost burned! Quickly, get out, get out! Don’t mess things up for me!”

Yan Lei smiled and went outside.

He went to get the book and sat on a small bamboo chair under the eaves to read. He could see his son playing in the yard and hear his wife bustling in the kitchen.

Flipping through the pages of the book, he felt relaxed.

When Qiao Wei called “Dinner’s ready,” he quickly put in a bookmark and went over to help.

At the dinner table, he told Qiao Wei, “I asked someone about that thing of yours, and it can be done. You just need to apply some oil to the wood.”

“For preservation, right?” Qiao Wei added.

Yan Lei glanced at her and said, “You seem to know everything.”

Actually, it was common sense. However, don’t underestimate the spread of information. Those who come into contact with a large amount of information tend to know many common-sense things. On the other hand, people with limited exposure to information might not have heard of things that are considered common sense.

Even in the information explosion of the future, there were still many people lacking common sense that could be found on the internet. Not to mention in an era where communication relied on shouting.

But Yan Lei naturally attributed it to “her high level of education” and thought, “Indeed, she’s a cultured person.”

“I’m still praising you, saying you’re really good at finding solutions.” He scooped up a bite of rice and praised her.

Qiao Wei found that Yan Lei had a good personality. Perhaps it was because of his experience as a cadre leader; he was generous with his praise and affirmation.

This indicated that he was a person who could communicate well with others.

“Nothing much, just the principle of leverage, saving a bit of effort,” Qiao Wei modestly replied.

“The principle of leverage” and such were enough to instill awe of knowledge in Yan Lei. His eyes showed admiration and respect for her knowledge.

Could it be true? Was he, the main male character, actually a bit inherently insecure?

Qiao Wei recalled how this man had tried so hard to show off in front of her, saying things like “spend money and tickets however you want.”