Chapter 22

The military school was very simple at the beginning, but most of the students attending the school were children of soldiers on the island, and we were afraid that it would be unsafe in the event of a natural disaster. So the higher-ups gave us approval, saying that the soldiers on leave should work hard and we would pay for it, and little by little, the school was built to its current size.

It is a brick and tile house, and looks more magnificent than the military compound.

Qiao Yu found the principal.

The principal was an elderly man wearing glasses. After hearing the noise, he exhaled, wiped his glasses with his sleeve, and said, “Come in.”

“Hello, principal. I am a family member who has just come to accompany the army for a week. This is my son Dawei. He is old enough to go to school. I have brought my household registration and marriage certificate. Can you please help me with the enrollment?” Qiao Yu said in one breath.

The principal poured her a glass of water and saw that she was still breathing slightly. He asked, “Is it urgent?”

“I just arrived and have a lot to do. I haven’t let my family know I’m safe yet. I want to go after I’ve settled the child’s schooling.”

“I see…How are his grades?”

“Just like his real father, very smart. Oh, his real father is a high school student, he grew up eating at many people’s homes, and he is grateful for the kindness of the members, and has been contributing to the production team.”

Hearing this, the principal said with emotion: “He is a good comrade.”

Because it was a military marriage, Qiao Yu had to investigate everything throughout her life. In addition to that weird adoptive parents, her late husband was also investigated. The higher-ups tacitly allowed her to bring Dawei and Xiaoyong with the army. After all, they were both good comrades with good character.

“You pay the tuition first, and then let him take a pre-school test tomorrow to see what class to assign him to.”

“You’re not going to school today?”

“I can’t get in today.”

Qiao Yu thought about it and didn’t think it was a bad idea. He decided to let Dawei take care of Xiaoyong when he called later, which would be more convenient for him.

“Okay, thank you, Principal.”

After leaving school, Qiao Yu took the two children to the post office, where in addition to writing letters and sending telegrams, one could also make phone calls. There was an aunt from the family compound guarding the place.

Qiao Yu: “Hello, comrade. I’m calling Beijing. Here’s the phone number.”

He handed over the folded paper.

The aunt looked at Qiao Yu and said, “Wait.”

The call was made by my aunt.

As soon as the call was connected, my aunt went to the side to knit a sweater. Dawei and Xiaoyong were also playing in the shade of a tree not far away.

After two rings, the other end picked up the call.

“Hello?”

“Grandpa! I made it to the island safely!”

“Oh, it’s Qiao Yu. How is life on the island? Are you used to the food and accommodation? Do you have enough money?”

Qiao Yu was suspicious: “Grandpa, do you still have money?”

“I don’t have any. I can ask your parents…then what about the evil couple?”

Qiao Yu was not happy: “Grandpa, I don’t want to have anything to do with them.”

“How can I ask you to get involved with them? I’m old enough, it’s time for them to take care of me in my old age. Shouldn’t I give them some money for my old age?”

“…Oh, that makes sense. We can order more. My son Xiaoyong likes to drink milk powder, and the other four children also like to drink malted milk. But food is hard to get. There are six of us, and we only have 60 kilograms of food for two months. And it’s all sweet potatoes and potatoes. Eating too much will give you heartburn.”

Grandpa Zhang was silent for a moment, then said, “Wait, I’ll find a way for you!”

“Hey, I know that grandpa treats me the best! Grandpa, what are you going to do?”

“secret.”

“…Okay, I won’t say any more to you. I still have to send a telegram to my mother-in-law. Goodbye, Grandpa.”

Click.

Hang up.

Grandpa Zhang was so angry that he laughed when he saw the beeping phone.

Telegrams were charged by the word, 1 cent per word.

Qiao Yu has plenty of money, but there’s no need to go into too much detail in the telegram, right?

So there were only eight short words: I have arrived at the island, I am safe, don’t worry.

The telegram cost one dollar and one cent.

When collecting the money, Qiao Yu realized that symbols also cost money!

Regret it.

I should have omitted the commas and periods earlier. It’s enough if you can understand it.

She wrote another letter, which was very detailed and explained the specific situation on the island.

I guess it took a month for the letter to be sent to the production team?

The telephone call, stamps, paper and envelopes for the letter, and the telegram cost two dollars and a half in total.

Qiao Yu: ?_??

It’s too expensive.

Two dollars and fifty cents is enough to buy a lot of things.

After all the trouble, Qiao Yu went home with her two children.

Seeing that it was still early, Qiao Yu said to Dawei, “You watch over my brother. I’ll go see if I can get some fresh vegetables. Eating only sweet potatoes and potatoes won’t do.”

She hadn’t visited anyone since she came to the compound. The only people she had any interaction with were the director of the Women’s Federation and that… Wang Zhaodi?

She asked where Wang Zhaodi lived, and found out that she lived a few houses away in the yard.

She knocked on the door, “Is Sister Wang here?”

Wang Zhaodi had just finished removing the insects from the vegetable garden when she heard a knock on the door. She washed her hands before running to open it: “Come here, come here. Who is it? Uh… Sister Qiao?”

“Sister Wang, I just arrived at the compound and haven’t packed up yet. My house won’t be full without fresh vegetables, so I want to exchange these candies for a cabbage. Do you think it’s okay?”

There are three candies. Fruit candies are sold at one cent each in the supply and marketing cooperative, so three candies cost three cents.

A pound of cabbage is only one cent. Her cabbage is not big, and one cabbage weighs about two pounds. In exchange for three fruit candies…

Fruit candy.

I need candy tickets.

In the end, she got the better deal. Even though food was precious in a famine year, Wang Zhaodi managed to pull down two cabbages.

“Just don’t mind that the cabbage is too small.”

“Okay, thank you, Sister Wang. I will come to visit you after I am done with my work.”

“OK.”

When visiting someone, you have to give them something. Food is precious now, so you can’t just give something when you visit someone, right? So Qiao Yu only planned to visit the director of the Women’s Federation and Wang Zhaodi.

I got home with two cabbages and it was time to make dinner.

Qiao Yu: “Look after my brother, I’m going to cook.”

“good.”

Still use potatoes and sweet potatoes, chop them into pieces, wash and cut the cabbage.

Pour soybean oil into the pot.

The soybean oil was bought at the city market, generally less than a pound, and she placed it in a black box for copying.

The oil can was taken out just now and placed on the stove, along with soy sauce, vinegar, salt and other ingredients.

Heat the oil and add the Chinese cabbage, stir-fry until lightly fried, then add water, then throw in the sweet potato cubes, and finally grab a handful of rice flour. To make it taste better, add some soy sauce, vinegar and salt.

Although it still looks like rotten water…

vomit.

But at least I could swallow it.

When Zhou Jun’s three children came back, they smelled the fragrance from the kitchen and swallowed their saliva.

“Zhou Jun! Serve the food!”

Qiao Yu’s voice came from the kitchen, and several children ran away very fast.

This proves the contemporary slogan: If you are not active in eating, there is something wrong with your brain.

After taking a bite, the children’s eyes lit up.

Zhou Wu was the first to lose his temper: “Aunt, did you add oil to the pot?”

“Yeah, it’s soybean oil, otherwise the soup would be watery and tasteless.”

very nice.

It’s either bacon or sweet porridge, and today I added soybean oil to the pot. Tasting the rich aroma of oil, it’s definitely not the amount of oil that other people use chopsticks to brush the bottom of the pot.

Qiao Yu poured a lot of water into the pot at noon, but most of the boys at home drank it all up…

Fortunately, she has space and her grandfather is a man with a background.

Otherwise, how can we support so many boys?

Qiao Yu asked Dawei to wash the dishes.

“Take turns to brush. Xiaoyong will let your big brother take care of him and take care of the affection.”

Look how fair she is as a stepmother.