Chapter 59: 1974

The holiday was approaching, and Wen Jiajia packed up her belongings to head home, carrying a bag of frozen pears given by Hao Qingying and the New Year’s goods distributed by the factory.

The pharmaceutical factory provided plenty of New Year’s goods, and Wen Jiajia had also purchased numerous food ingredients for the holiday. Consequently, she was undoubtedly the most conspicuous person making her way home from work.

Bicycles of that era were incredibly sturdy. Wen Jiajia’s bicycle felt almost like a small tricycle with its heavy load.

The front basket held a large bamboo basket, the back seat was tied with a sizable package, and she carried a bulging backpack. Passersby couldn’t help but wonder what she was transporting.

Fortunately, with nightfall, visibility was poor, and people could not see clearly what she was carrying.

Curiosity was piqued, but Wen Jiajia had a reputation for having a sharp temper. Although many in the family compound thought she always smiled like a child, her sarcastic remarks at the military gate had led those who commuted with her to believe her good nature was merely a façade.

As a result, no one dared to approach her. It wasn’t until Wen Jiajia walked ahead that they dared to express their annoyance.

Arriving home exhausted and sweating, Wen Jiajia was relieved to finally dismount her bicycle. The sturdy bike had proven its capacity but had also drained her energy.

Her legs felt as weak as noodles. She collapsed onto the sofa, gasping for breath, and only recovered after drinking several gulps of hot water.

Wei Dai came out of the room upon hearing the noise. Wen Jiajia pointed at the bicycle in the yard and said, “Can you help move this?”

“Where did you get so many things?” Wei Dai asked in surprise, inspecting the bicycle. He marveled at his wife’s remarkable ability to gather supplies.

Wen Jiajia, feeling like a fish out of water, waved her hands dismissively. “You’ll see when you start unloading. No need to ask.”

Wei Dai began unloading the bicycle, starting with the large bamboo basket. He moved it to the door and, under the house’s light, was amazed at its contents.

Wei Dai was genuinely shocked. “No wonder you’re so exhausted. You even bought three live fish.”

The fish were in a small bucket of water, which made transporting them without spilling quite a challenge. Seeing that the fish were still lively, Wei Dai transferred them to the water tank next to the laundry pool.

In addition to the fish, the bamboo basket contained a slaughtered duck with its feathers already plucked. Wei Dai held up the duck’s head and asked, “Where are the feathers?”

Wen Jiajia rummaged through her pocket and pulled out a few candies. “Here, for the candies.”

She tossed the candy towards Wei Dai. He caught it and popped one into his mouth, savoring the familiar taste of Ding Ding Candy^[1]refers to a type of traditional Chinese candy known for its distinctive taste and texture..

Ding Ding Candy is essentially maltose and is known by different names in various places. In her previous life, it was called white sticky candy, illustrating its various names across regions.

Decades later, Ding Ding Candy would be rare, perhaps only found in small county towns or historic scenic areas. But back then, it was commonly available on every street, and you could even exchange chicken, duck, or goose feathers for it.

Nowadays, however, people were less inclined to exchange old clothes for candy, as old clothes were often too worn out to be of any use.

The sticky candy brought a grin to Wei Dai’s face, which made Wen Jiajia laugh. She felt a bit more refreshed as she lay half on the sofa, giggling.

She instructed Wei Dai to store the duck in the “refrigerator” and then asked him to retrieve the eight-treasure rice pudding from the bamboo basket.

“Did my lunch box get crushed?” she asked. “It’s been with me for so long, and now it looks like someone else’s lunch box that’s been used for five years.”

The lunch box was battered, with bumps and dents all over.

Wei Dai picked up the heavy lunch box and weighed it in his hand. It weighed at least three pounds. Opening the lid, he was greeted by the sweet aroma of rice and saw ingredients like red dates, lotus seeds, and longans.

“Where did you get the Eight Treasure Rice Pudding^[2]is a traditional Chinese dessert often enjoyed during special occasions, especially Chinese New Year and other festive celebrations.?” Wei Dai asked. “It’s easy to make, but gathering all the ingredients isn’t simple.”

“It was made by Chef He from the state-owned restaurant in front of the pharmaceutical factory. He’s been selling it recently, so I ordered one. It’s so large that if it weren’t for the purchase limit, I would have bought two and saved one for later.”

Wei Dai placed the eight-treasure rice pudding in the cupboard, planning to enjoy it on New Year’s Eve.

With the bamboo basket emptied, he began unpacking the remaining package.

The package was tightly bound with ropes, and Wen Jiajia insisted that he not use scissors, saying the ropes would be useful later. Wei Dai had no choice but to untie them painstakingly.

After half a minute of squatting and untying three knots, Wei Dai finally managed to move the package into the living room.

“What’s inside?” he asked.

Wen Jiajia settled on the sofa, covering herself with a blanket. “It’s the factory’s New Year’s gifts. The frozen pears are from Qingying. I don’t know where she got them. She gave them to me yesterday, but I forgot them in the cabinet. Luckily, the weather is cold; otherwise, they might have gone bad.”

She reminisced, “I’ve eaten apples frequently, but pears are rare. I’ve never even seen pears in department stores.”

Wei Dai put the frozen pears in the “refrigerator” and continued unpacking the New Year’s goods from the pharmaceutical factory.

The package included four large apples, each the size of a woman’s fist, placed in the room. There were also two cans of canned yellow peaches, which could be reused for storing salt and sugar once empty.

Additionally, the package contained two pairs of gloves, two towels, and two pairs of socks. The gloves were timely, as the old ones at home had just torn.

Lastly, there were two taels of tea leaves and two taels of soybean oil. The tea had the aroma of this year’s harvest but wasn’t as flavorful as tea from Wen Jiajia’s hometown. The soybean oil was a golden yellow, and for such a large factory to give each employee two taels was quite generous.

Finally, Wei Dai took out a brand-new work uniform, two rolls of toilet paper, and two sanitary belts.

“Not bad, is it?” Wen Jiajia kicked off her shoes, put her feet up on the sofa, hugged her knees, and said proudly, “The factory is quite considerate. We female comrades even got more sanitary belts than the male comrades.”

Wei Dai hesitated to put the sanitary belts, socks, and clothes directly into the bedroom closet. Instead, he set them aside to be washed first. “I wonder how many times these things need to be washed before they can be used.”

The last item was the backpack that Wen Jiajia had set on the sofa. Wei Dai didn’t touch it, waiting for her to unpack it herself.

Wen Jiajia weakly brought the backpack over and, upon opening it, found butterfly cakes, fried peanuts, melon seeds, pastries from time-honored shops, a bag of mung bean cakes, and a bag of magnolia cakes that were still warm to the touch.

As she took them out, she heard noises coming from outside the door. Wen Jiajia hurriedly said, “Quickly, put these away. Put them on the top shelf of the cupboard. The two greedy ghosts are back.”

If the children knew there was so much food at home, they would find ways to get treats from her every day.

Wei Dai acted swiftly, stuffing all the food onto the top shelf of the living room cupboard, a shelf the children couldn’t reach even if they stood on tiptoe.

But the adults clearly underestimated how sensitive a child’s nose can be…

Wenchun sniffed on the left, Wenxuan sniffed on the right, and they both exclaimed in unison, “There’s food!”

The couple exchanged looks of exasperation.

“It’s really enough. How can you smell it with the wind blowing?” Wen Jiajia protested.

Wen Xuan insisted, “No, there must be!”

Wei Dai pushed the two children towards the kitchen. “Wash your hands and get ready to eat. There’s definitely food. The smell is so strong anyone with a nose can detect it.”

Tonight’s dinner was stewed mutton with radish in a casserole, and it was delicious. In winter, such hot soup was particularly satisfying.

Later that night, when it was time for the children to go to bed, they walked slowly, looking back every few steps, clearly still thinking about the snacks in the cupboard.

“Go on, go on!” Wen Jiajia shooed them away. “I’m going to turn off the lights and go to bed. Are you still dawdling?”

The two girls reluctantly went back to their room, pouting.

The house was a bit dim, and Wen Jiajia noticed it as she lay in bed, looking up.

Wei Dai got into bed beside her and said, “It’s normal for lamps to dim over time. We can change the bulb when it gets worse.”

The lamp at this time was an incandescent bulb. Although its name includes “white,” it actually emitted a warm yellow light.

Over time, the bulb’s light grew dimmer and more yellow. Long exposure to this kind of lighting could make one feel sentimental. Wen Jiajia often felt melancholic and her emotions were more fragile under such light.

“Let’s change the light bulbs tomorrow,” she said. “With the New Year coming, we should have brighter lights.”

Wei Dai didn’t mind, as he had several spare bulbs at home.

“Why do I feel like you’re hiding something these days?” Wei Dai asked as he turned off the light and embraced his wife, the two snuggling in the dark.

“Ah? Did you figure it out?”

“Yes, you’ve been acting distracted. You seem dazed during showers and even while eating. It’s too obvious.”

Wei Dai gently rubbed her head and began to comb her hair.

If you want to relax, the best way is to empty your mind and body, lie down quietly, and let someone help you detangle your hair.

Wen Jiajia sighed deeply and shared her concerns about the new factory and her conversation with Director Xue.

Wei Dai laughed, “This is a good thing. Why are you worried? About the family? Don’t worry about that. I’m busier than you. Chun’er and Xuanxuan have Yuhong class. Just focus on your work.”

Wen Jiajia pinched his face. “It’s not just about the family. I’m also… quite scared.”

She explained, “It’s a state-owned pharmaceutical enterprise. Director Xue mentioned that if I go there, I would likely be promoted to a team leader or director, managing more than a dozen people. I’m worried I might not be capable enough for the position.”

Wei Dai touched her head and wondered, “Why are you so timid all of a sudden? You’re usually so confident.”

Wen Jiajia admitted, “I haven’t learned much about this industry! It’s about human life; how can I be careless?”

In her previous life, she had been a social media influencer, focusing on daily life and handicrafts. She knew a little about various things but had no experience in medicine and healthcare. Being a small employee who followed instructions was one thing; being a leader who assigned tasks was another. She feared she would “definitely suffer disaster.”

“So, do you want to go?” Wei Dai asked again.

Wen Jiajia nodded sincerely, “I want to go.”

When she spoke with Director Xue, she was full of ambition and excitement, envisioning herself showcasing her talents and making the new factory thrive. However, as the excitement waned and reality set in, she felt a lack of confidence.

Wei Dai reassured her, “Don’t underestimate yourself. Director Xue wants you there because she believes you’re qualified. I think Director Xue is a very serious and rigorous person. If you weren’t suitable, she wouldn’t recommend you.”

Wen Jiajia seemed to want to say more but hesitated.

Director Xue was impressed by her behavior and obedience, as well as her ability to write articles. However, writing articles was different from leading a team. Even though Wen Jiajia had never been a traditional employee in her previous life, she often stayed up late editing videos and dedicating all her free time to her work.