As she said this, Wen Chun grabbed another potsticker.

Wen Jiajia closed the lunch box and said, “Okay, wait for sister to come back, and we’ll eat together. Wash your hands and get started on your homework. Once you can write 100 words, I’ll make you some more potstickers so you can eat as many as you want.”

“Really?”

“More real than real gold.”

It’s just a meal of potstickers, so it’s no big deal.

Wen Chun jumped for joy, sang an off-key song, washed her hands, and ran to her room to do her homework with a very positive attitude.

Some time ago, we used force to motivate, but from now on, we have to use food as an incentive.

There needs to be a mix of both hard and soft approaches.

The porridge in the pot was gradually coming to a boil. As the aroma of rice filled the kitchen, Wen Xuan, who had been playing outside, finally came back.

“I smell meat,” she said.

You have a real dog’s nose if you can smell this.

“Smell it again and see what kind of meat it is.”

Wen Jiajia said as she scooped the porridge from the pot into a large bowl, not filling it completely, but only halfway. The large bowl allowed the porridge to cool quickly.

After serving, three bowls of porridge were placed on the table.

Wen Jiajia took chopsticks and a bowl to the utility room, opened a jar in the corner, and took out half a bowl of pickles.

The jar of pickles had been made by her under Wei Dai’s guidance last winter. Although Wei Dai’s hands were a bit smelly when it came to pickling, he did have some theoretical knowledge.

As expected, the pickles turned out very well.

Since the jar couldn’t be exposed to direct sunlight, Wen Jiajia kept it in this dark corner all year. When she wanted some, she could just open the lid and take it out.

After retrieving the pickles, she covered the jar and went back out. Wen Xuan had already washed her hands and was sitting at the table, waiting obediently.

“Chun’er, eat!”

“Okay, Auntie.”

With that, Wen Chun put down her pen and ran to the living room.

Seeing her hands covered in black and white marks, Wen Jiajia said, “Go wash your hands. Don’t you have an eraser? Why are your hands so dirty?”

“Also, the marks turned black because they rubbed against my hand.”

Wen Chun clearly had experience. She washed her hands with soap, and the black pencil marks quickly disappeared.

Wen Jiajia went to the cupboard and took out two salted duck eggs cooked that morning, peeled the eggs, and opened the lunch box.

“Wow, it’s dumplings!”

“Silly Xuanxuan, they’re potstickers,” Wen Chun corrected.

“It looks like dumplings to me.” She took a bite and nodded, “These dumplings are delicious.”

“It’s potstickers!” Wen Chun insisted, picking up a piece as well.

Wen Jiajia ignored the argument between the two sisters. At that moment, the rich, savory taste of the beef potstickers burst in her mouth, and the flavor spread across her tongue.

The skin was crisp and golden.

The meat was juicy and flavorful. With the addition of green onions, the meat’s fragrance was enhanced.

Taking a bite, the juice from the potsticker dripped onto the spoon. There was about half a spoonful of juice.

Master He is really skilled at making this kind of snack, Wen Jiajia thought with appreciation.

After enjoying the beef potstickers, she tried the pork ones. The pork was also good, but not as impressive as the beef.

The chive potstickers had a good ratio of leeks to eggs, and the dough was well-made—not too soft or too hard.

Wen Jiajia ate six potstickers, half a chive potsticker, and two bowls of porridge, accompanied by salted egg yolks with their rich, buttery flavor, and pickled taro and garlic shoots with a salty, fragrant taste. She felt extremely relaxed, both physically and mentally.

While the family enjoyed dinner, news about the Medical Glass Factory spread throughout the family quarters.

“Is it true?”

“It couldn’t be more true. Wen Jiajia said it herself. She told me twice. How could I forget? The exam is next Monday at 9:30 in the morning at the Municipal Industrial Bureau.”

“Oh my, that’s not much time left. No wonder those of us who don’t live in the city often miss the factory recruitment exams. It turns out there’s only a short time between the announcement and the start of the exam.”

“Tsk tsk, those of us who live outside the city can’t even catch a break. No wonder not many people work in the city’s factories.”

“…”

The harshness of this metaphor caused a moment of silence before the conversation resumed.

“Jia Jia was transferred from the pharmaceutical factory to the medical glass factory. She should be promoted, right? So, she’s a leader now. Will she know more insider information in the future?”

“You want insider information? Will your man share army secrets with you? Don’t think that the new factory will be any different. They also have confidentiality regulations, you know?”

What a confidentiality policy, most people thought. But no one could admit that. If the confidentiality had already been exposed, holding onto it would just make one seem mean.

“Hey! Are you planning to send your kids to take the exam on Monday? Should we walk there or something? We need to be there by 9:30, and the bus won’t be fast enough.”

“Yes, would you like to borrow a bicycle?”

“There aren’t that many bicycles available for rent.” Almost everyone who owns a bicycle needs it for work in the city. “Let’s borrow a donkey cart from the nearby village.”

This idea was well-received, and many people agreed with it.

Dusk fell, with few stars visible tonight. Even the moon was obscured by thick clouds, appearing and disappearing intermittently.

“Today is the Ghost Festival^[1]also known as the Hungry Ghost Festival, a traditional Asian festival celebrated on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month.,” Wen Chun suddenly said.

Wen Jiajia was about to step into the yard when she stopped and asked, “What?”

“The teacher said today is the Ghost Festival, also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival^[2]also known as the Moon Festival, a traditional East Asian celebration held on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month.. After the Ghost Festival comes the Mid-Autumn Festival. Auntie, don’t you know about festivals? It’s okay. We have been learning about them recently. I’ll teach you once I finish learning.”

“…”

She quickly glanced at the calendar hanging by the door, and it was indeed the Ghost Festival.

Wen Jiajia had originally planned to go outside to pick some osmanthus flowers to see what the essence smelled like, but now she has decided against it. It was pitch dark outside, and she preferred to stay in her room.

“Go back to the room,” Wen Jiajia instructed the two children. “Don’t come out.”

The children didn’t understand, but since they weren’t planning to go outside at night anyway, they nodded.

Wen Jiajia also went back to her room, closed the door, lay on the bed, and picked up a book to read.

After a while, she heard some noise outside the house.

“Wei Dai——” she called out.

“It’s me,” Wei Dai replied. “What’s the matter?”

“It’s nothing… The rice is in the pot.” Wen Jiajia lay back down, stretched, and continued to read with more focus.

Wei Dai ate, bathed, and washed his clothes in less than half an hour. When he returned to the house, he said, “I’m free tomorrow. Let’s go buy the sewing machine.”

Wen Jiajia put the book aside and said, “You’re finally free. I was thinking about asking the logistics department to help transport it back!”

“Did you buy it?”

“Not yet, but I mentioned it to Lao Yu and asked him to reserve a Butterfly brand for me.”

Wei Dai smiled and said, “You’ve been waiting for a long time.”

“Of course not. I’ve wanted to make clothes for a while. Who knew I’d put it off until now? In another month or two, it’ll be time to make winter clothes.”

Although they had enough winter clothes at home, they could use a few more sets of autumn clothes. There weren’t enough autumn clothes for everyone in the family. In winter, clothes can’t dry in the sun, so they have to be dried using charcoal fires before they can be worn.

“Hey, today is the Ghost Festival,” Wen Jiajia said as she stuffed the book back under the bed. “Is anyone secretly burning paper money^[3]is usually a visible and communal part of the Ghost Festival, intended to provide for the spirits and ensure peace. outside?”

Wei Dai replied, “You have quite an imagination. Who dares to burn paper money now? They don’t even dare to light incense.” He added, “But in my hometown, many people set off fireboats on the river^[4]often decorated with lanterns or symbolic items, are set off on rivers or bodies of water as part of rituals to honor and guide spirits, celebrate festivals, or mark special occasions. today.”

Wen Jiajia responded, “Yeah, there’s no place to even buy paper money. It has to be made of yellow paper and hammered with a mold. I helped my grandmother make it in my previous life, and my arms were sore for three days afterward.”

But it’s real money, especially in cities. A few paper houses and gold ingots could be worth four to five thousand yuan during the Ghost Festival.

Even though they don’t openly celebrate the Ghost Festival now, Wen Jiajia and Wei Dai still hold a sense of reverence for the festival.

They turned off the lights and went to bed before nine o’clock. They tacitly avoided mentioning any activities before bedtime, and the young couple snuggled up to each other and fell asleep.

The next day.

Breakfast was provided by the army canteen. Wen Jiajia was not tired of the fried dough sticks yet. It seemed she would need to stay for another ten days or half a month before growing weary of them.

After breakfast, the two went to a nearby village to borrow a donkey cart.

Bicycles were not suitable for transporting large items, so they needed a donkey cart. Otherwise, they would have to pay extra to have the department store deliver it. The store said it would cost three yuan for delivery to the suburbs, and it wasn’t even possible to deliver it to the troops. Wen Jiajia, growing increasingly frugal, was reluctant to spend the money.

Wei Dai had a friend in the village and easily borrowed a cart. He also bought two rabbits from him.

“Let’s have fried rabbit meat today,” Wen Jiajia said with a smile while sitting on the donkey cart. “The pickled peppers at home are ready, so the fried rabbit meat will be delicious.”

A moment later, she sighed, “Oh! If I’d known there was rabbit meat, I should have made a pot of mung bean soup before going out. Rabbit meat can cause internal heat, while mung bean soup helps reduce it.”

Wei Dai flicked the whip in his hand and said, “Rabbit meat doesn’t cause irritation. It’s the peppers and ginger that do.”

“Really? My tongue always hurts after eating rabbit meat. I thought rabbit meat would cause a sore throat.” It was the same in my previous life.

As they talked, they quickly arrived in the city.

The city had been expanding outward recently, with pieces of land being cleared outside the urban area, likely for new construction.

At that time, many factories were building houses because there was no land left within the city limits, so they built them outside the city.

The city was not very large at that time, and workers just needed a place to live; they didn’t care much about the location.

“Not only are they building houses, but they’re also constructing a new cultural palace,” Wei Dai said, pointing to a piece of land in the distance. “That land is for the Laogong People’s Cultural Palace. Let’s go take a look when it’s finished.”

Wen Jiajia was excited by this news. “What’s in the Cultural Palace?”

In her previous life, the Cultural Palace was a place for classes like piano, dance, and calligraphy, but she suspected there wouldn’t be those now.

“There will be basketball courts, a movie theater, and a swimming pool. Oh, and I heard there will also be a roller skating rink.”

A roller skating rink—she hadn’t been there for a long time.

Wen Jiajia rested her chin on her hand and gazed at the land in the distance, hoping it would be completed before 1977.

After entering the city, they soon arrived at the department store.

“Old Yu, I’m here to buy a sewing machine,” Wen Jiajia said as she went up to the second floor.

Old Yu came out from behind the counter and said, “Finally, you’re here. There’s only one Butterfly brand left. If it’s sold out, you’ll have to wait until the middle of next month.”

Wen Jiajia patted Wei Dai on the shoulder and said, “It’s his fault for not having the time to come sooner.”

Wei Dai smiled and said, “Brother Yu, lend me a hand and help me carry it to the donkey cart at the store’s entrance. I’m afraid it might be taken if it’s left there for too long.”

“Hey! The donkey cart needs to move quickly. The street office has emphasized that donkey carts are not allowed in the city. For large items, you have to load the cart bed onto the back of a bicycle,” Old Yu said hurriedly, going to help.

After Wen Jiajia paid the bill and the salesperson issued the invoice, the sewing machine was loaded onto the cart.

The couple didn’t dare to stay for long and didn’t even visit the vegetable market. They quickly drove the donkey cart out of the city.

***

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