Chapter 66: Leaving the Pharmaceutical Factory

The sewing machine was transported directly home. After unloading the donkey cart, Wei Dai went to return it. When he came back, it was almost noon, and the sun was high in the sky. He came into the house carrying a bulging sack that didn’t look like it contained just two rabbits.

“What else did you buy?” Wen Jiajia asked. She could tell at a glance that he had purchased extra items.

“Guess,” Wei Dai said with excitement in his eyes, and Wen Jiajia grew curious.

“Chicken and duck?” Wen Jiajia guessed.

Of course not. Who would sell chickens and ducks at this time? Even more reluctant than at the end of the year, as the double harvest season was approaching. The chickens and ducks that could be slaughtered and eaten had to be kept before and after the double harvest season.

The double harvests in rural areas are indeed tough on people. Without enough oil and water, one can lose more than ten kilograms after a double harvest.

“…No. Do you want chicken and duck? If you do, you can find someone to buy them tomorrow,” Wei Dai said.

As he spoke, he opened the sack and revealed something wrapped in oil paper.

“Noodles!” Wen Jiajia exclaimed in surprise as she approached. “Rice noodles! Someone actually makes rice noodles.”

She was even happier to see the noodles than if they had found chickens or ducks.

At that time, rice noodles were hard to come by in both the supply and marketing cooperatives and grain stations. They were even more difficult to find than chicken or duck meat.

Wen Jiajia loved noodles, and since moving to the military family quarters, she had eaten them only a handful of times.

“Each bag weighs one and a half pounds. I bought four bags in total. They ground the noodles for a long time at their place before they agreed to sell them to me,” Wei Dai said as he placed a few pieces of rice noodles on the table and weighed them. It was indeed six pounds—enough to last until the end of the year.

Wen Jiajia took a piece of rice noodle, examined it carefully, and then smelled it. “Rice noodles are relatively thin, so they can be boiled or fried. If you can catch some fish later, we can make fish noodles tonight.”

“What’s fish noodles?”

“Hey, you’ll know after you taste it.” Wen Jiajia carried a few packets of rice noodles to the utility room, wrapped them in a layer of oil paper, and then placed them in the cupboard.

The lockers in the utility room are made of camphor wood and are filled with mothballs.

These mothballs are not synthetic but natural. Synthetic mothballs contain paradichlorobenzene^[1]is a chemical used primarily for its pest-repelling properties and in industrial applications, but it should be used with caution due to its potential health effects. and naphthalene^[2]is widely recognized for its use in pest control and industrial applications, but should be handled with caution due to its potential health risks., which are harmful and considered strong carcinogens^[3]are substances or agents that can cause or promote cancer. They work by altering the DNA in cells, which can lead to uncontrolled cell growth and the formation of tumors.. Wen Jiajia had read about this in her previous life and avoided buying mothballs from the supply and marketing cooperatives because she couldn’t tell if they were synthetic or natural.

However, the mothballs she made herself are definitely natural.

Wen Jiajia gathered a basket of camphor tree branches and leaves from the back mountain and used them to make five mothballs.

Natural mothballs are incredibly effective. They not only have a pleasant fragrance but also prevent insects and moths. After two months, she hadn’t seen a single insect or moth hole in this cabinet.

Wen Jiajia planned to make more, as several cabinets at home needed mothballs to prevent insects, moths, and mildew.

The sewing machine’s excitement was overshadowed by the rice noodles. It wasn’t until Sister Bao from next door visited that Wen Jiajia remembered the sewing machine.

“Where did I put the sewing machine?” Wen Jiajia wondered. It was in the room.

She realized she couldn’t leave the machine in the room any longer, as someone might borrow it. Leaving it there would mean someone would need to use it in the room every time they borrowed it.

That wouldn’t work. The room is a private space. Even Wen Chun and Wen Xuan wouldn’t go to Wen Jiajia’s room just to play.

Valuable items like banknotes and some personal books were kept in the room.

So, Wen Jiajia asked Sister Bao to wait for a moment and then took Wei Dai to move the sewing machine out of the room and place it in the corner of the living room.

Sister Bao’s eyes lit up when she saw it. “It’s a Butterfly brand! They say the Butterfly brand is the best. The pedal is so smooth. I’ve wanted to buy one for a long time but couldn’t save up enough industrial tickets.”

She came over just to take a look. As a skilled needleworker, it was hard for her not to be impressed by the sewing machine.

Wen Jiajia waved her hand and said, “If you have any large sewing projects, just come to my house. For small things, it might be faster for you to sew them yourself.”

“Haha, I dare say no one in our family compound sews better than I do!” Sister Bao laughed proudly. “My great-grandmother was an embroiderer in the palace when she was young. You know Beijing embroidery, right? My great-grandmother was the best at it. It’s a pity my grandma didn’t learn all her skills. Later, she learned a bit from a Suzhou embroidery master and became more of a quantity-over-quality type. My mom didn’t learn much either, and my skills were taught to me by my grandma after she couldn’t stand it!”

Wen Jiajia was surprised. “Really? Your grandma’s level wasn’t that high?”

She had seen Bao Jie’s grandmother’s embroidery. Bao Jie had a four-piece bed set sewn by her grandmother. When Bao Jie’s eldest daughter got married, this quilt cover was part of her dowry. Wen Jiajia had been fortunate enough to see it and was completely amazed!

It was no exaggeration to say it was the most skillful embroidery she had seen in her two lifetimes. The intricate dragon and phoenix designs looked like they were copied from imperial robes. Wen Jiajia couldn’t take her eyes off it.

Later, Sister Bao showed her two round fans and two embroidery works, all of which could be displayed in a museum. Yet, Sister Bao claimed that her grandmother’s work wasn’t “refined” enough.

“It really wasn’t enough!” Sister Bao insisted. “When my mother visits someday, I’ll ask her to bring some of my great-grandmother’s embroidery for you. Then you’ll see why I say my grandmother’s work isn’t good enough.”

“Okay!” Wen Jiajia nodded. If possible, she wanted to buy a piece from Sister Bao. Sister Bao’s great-grandmother was still alive, but Wen Jiajia didn’t know if she still did embroidery.

Wen Jiajia then remembered something and asked Sister Bao, “Sister, will you accompany your son to the Municipal Industry Bureau the day after tomorrow?”

“Of course! I have to go. I need to visit the textile factory to get some thread. I’ve taken a job there and need to pick it up.”

“Embroidery work?” Wen Jiajia asked curiously.

Local textile factories not only produce cloth but also create fine embroidery.

Who buys fine embroidery? It’s sold to foreigners. Fine embroidery is one of the main products that earn foreign exchange. Sometimes, textile factories focus all their resources on fine embroidery.

Embroidery workers are highly valued and don’t need to do housework. They even receive a monthly subsidy of vanishing cream, which is used by others on their faces but by embroiderers on their hands.

Wen Jiajia heard from Sha Yue that her mother had a good friend who was an embroiderer. She could earn an average of 48 yuan a month. She was provided with fruits and eye-protecting foods like pork liver and carrots. If she embroidered well, she could get a bonus. In this era, this was definitely a high-income group.

Sister Bao said, “That’s not the case.”

She rarely showed a shy expression and said, “I’m not at that level yet. I just embroider buttonholes and can earn more than ten yuan a month.”

“Net buckle flower^[4]refers to a type of decorative design or embroidery pattern.?” Wen Jiajia didn’t know what it was and quickly said, “I’ll take a look when the time comes.”

Sister Bao said, “Look! That thing is called fetal cloth^[5]refers to a type of fabric used in textiles that is soft, gentle, and often used for newborns and infants. in our place. Many people in our family compound know how to make it, especially those from the north. You people in the south rarely have this thing. Anyway, I haven’t seen it in the past few years. I just heard from the family members working in the textile factory a few days ago that the factory decided to make net buckle flowers. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have remembered this thing.”

She added, “It’s very easy. I’ll teach you when the time comes, and you can do it when you get off work in the evening.”

“Forget it,” Wen Jiajia said, covering her forehead, “I’m always exhausted after work.”

Sister Bao laughed, “Hahaha! That’s right, you have to pedal the bike for more than half an hour.”

They chatted until half past eleven, and Sister Bao had to go home to make lunch.

Wei Dai also came back with two fish.

“What have you been talking about for so long?” Wei Dai put the fish in a basin outside the kitchen side door, picked up a knife, and started to clean them.

“We were talking about weaving webs and making flowers,” Wen Jiajia said, covering her mouth and laughing. “It’s over. Our family compound will have to be quiet from now on.”

“What do you mean?”

Neither of the two fish was very big, so Wei Dai simply killed them both, knocking them unconscious with two “bangs” from his knife.

Wen Jiajia said, “Because Sister Bao said that net buttonhole flowers are easy to make. After listening to her description, I think this thing is just like cross-stitch.”

“Well, it’s just like pasting matchboxes and sewing shoe soles. Of course, it’s definitely more difficult and technically demanding than pasting matchboxes and sewing shoe soles, but it’s easier to get started than embroidery.”

“Besides, the materials are provided by the textile factory, which means there is no cost! You can make it after you learn it. Sister Bao said that you can earn ten yuan a month by weaving. If you weave well and quickly, you can get fifteen yuan. You can guess whether the people in the family compound will chat or weave webs in the future.”

It must be a woven mesh, Wei Dai thought.

Wen Jiajia sighed after she finished speaking: “Women still need money in their hands. It’s true that money makes people brave. You men can get money every month and don’t care about the living expenses of the family. But it’s different for us women. After getting the money in our hands, we have to pay it out one by one. The more we pay, the more anxious we become. The key is not the money we earn. Sometimes, when we quarrel, we even feel inferior.

Let’s talk about Hongjie’s husband. Wow! I don’t even like to talk about him. Hongjie saves a few dozen yuan a month and supports so many children at home. She has to earn money to support the family. As if he is so good. When Hongjie got into trouble, he yelled that he wanted to teach Hongjie a lesson…”

“Hey, hey, hey—let me make it clear first, this is someone else’s family business. You can say whatever you want, but don’t get yourself angry.”

Wei Dai was sweating profusely after hearing this. His wife would get angry at him because of what she said, and when she was angry, she would treat him badly. He felt so wronged.

Wen Jiajia rolled her eyes and said, “Why am I angry? I didn’t say anything about you. Why are you so anxious?”

Wei Dai thought to himself: Once you let your thoughts wander for a while, you’ll start talking about me.

He didn’t dare to speak again and quickly lowered his head to slice the fish.

Wen Jiajia took a look and said, “Why is this fish so small? It must have a lot of bones.”

Wei Dai said, “I asked Xie Yang for the small grass carp. You may not be able to catch it if you go fishing now. Xie Yang happened to catch two, so I asked for his fish.”

“Slice it thinner and leave the bones.”

“Okay, go and take a rest.” He was like a powder keg at the moment. He could get mad at himself even while talking, and when he exploded, he would be the first one to get hurt.

“Why are you taking a break? You have to eat lunch. Really, look up at the sun.”

Wei Dai still didn’t dare to reply. He just counted the days silently in his mind. What day is today? The 19th, that’s right, my wife’s period is during these days—no wonder.

What should I eat for lunch?

Wen Jiajia, whose appetite was not affected by her bad mood, was eating noodles.

The weather is hot, and when steaming rice you have to stay by the pot and stir it all the time. The steam can make you sweat all over.

Kneading the dough is easy. After kneading, stretch it and put it in a pot after the water boils. Cover it with a lid and wait while it cooks. You can scoop it out and eat it after a few minutes.

Wen Jiajia scooped two bowls of flour and kneaded the dough, then let it rest for a while.

“Have all the rabbits been killed?” Wen Jiajia asked. Without waiting for Wei Dai to answer, she opened the sack and saw that all the rabbits had been killed.

It’s easy after killing the fish. Just cut it into small pieces after cleaning, then marinate it with ginger, rice wine, and soy sauce. Then scoop out two spoonfuls of chopped pepper sauce for later use.

“I’ll fry it,” Wei Dai said while washing his hands. “The fish fillets are done. See if you want to marinate them.”