After thinking it over, he sighed and decided that, ultimately, he just hoped the child would be healthy. Everything else was secondary.

Wen Jiajia was about to fall asleep when his sigh woke her up.

“What are you doing?” Wen Jiajia turned over and said in a muffled voice, “Go to sleep quickly. You have to go to work tomorrow.”

Wei Dai, suppressing his excitement, asked, “How do you read that poem? I only wish my son to be free from disasters and become rich.”

“…”

Wen Jiajia took a deep breath and said, “Shut up and go to sleep!”

She then pulled the quilt over him and fell asleep.

She worried she might have a nightmare because their child might follow Wei Dai’s example in studying.

“Hey, you have to tell me so I can fall asleep… Never mind, I’ll check it myself tomorrow.”

As he spoke, he turned over, and they lay back to back. The quilt in the middle was constantly blowing in the wind, making their backs feel cold. So, they ended up lying face to face and fell asleep.

The next day, Wen Jiajia forgot all about this because she got up late and didn’t have time for breakfast. She quickly washed up, rode her bike to work, and even tied her hair casually.

On her way, she met Lan Lan, who was standing next to the steamer selling steamed buns. She looked up and saw that it was only 7:45. No rush, no rush—let’s stop and have a meal.

“Jia Jia, you didn’t have breakfast today,” Lan Lan said, making two steamed buns for the customer.

Lan Lan was very particular. She wore a mask and covered the steamed buns with a clean white towel to protect them from road dust. Even though there were two state-owned restaurants nearby, this one always had the most customers. It was already past 7:40, and many people were still coming to buy steamed buns.

“Good morning, Lan Lan. What do you have for breakfast today?” Wen Jiajia parked her bike and entered the restaurant.

She glanced over and saw Professor Feng and his wife sitting there. There was a plate of buns on the table, and they were eating happily.

Master He leaned out and asked, “We have xiao long bao^[1]a type of Chinese steamed bun that originated from Shanghai. They are known for their delicate, thin dough and savory filling, which typically includes pork and a rich, flavorful broth. today. Do you want some? They’re almost gone.”

Wen Jiajia quickly replied, “Yes, yes, yes. Master He, please give me one portion quickly. Do you have porridge? Give me another bowl of porridge.”

After she finished speaking, Professor Feng turned around, having heard her voice. “It’s Comrade Xiao Wen.”

Wen Jiajia greeted him with a smile. “Teacher Feng, the dumplings here taste great, right? I wasn’t lying when I said our food is delicious.”

“Hey! You’re a sly one. You talked a lot at the time, but the only things you mentioned were food and accommodation,” Teacher Feng said. “Equipment had to be discounted by 20% to 30%!”

“I’m just a small soldier. You have to find Director Gao for that. He’s the one who holds the key,” Wen Jiajia said with a smile as she sat down opposite them. There was only an empty seat at the table for the couple.

Teacher Feng didn’t acknowledge Jia Jia’s comments. It was her husband who spoke. “It has sour, sweet, and spicy flavors, which suit our local taste. But the pickled cabbage I had yesterday was Sichuan style, and I prefer that.”

Wen Jiajia was surprised. “Are you from Sichuan? Master He went there to study when he was young. He knows how to make some Sichuan pickles, but they’re only available on Thursdays.”

Teacher Feng said, “He is! He has been away from home for more than 30 years, but his taste hasn’t changed.”

Wen Jiajia responded, “Taste and accent are established when you’re young, so they don’t change easily. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have the same accent despite having gray hair.”

Teacher Feng smiled and said, “Not necessarily. I’m from the north, and I’m used to the taste here, right?”

Wen Jiajia said confidently, “Teacher Feng, your ancestors must be from around here… Well, by ‘around here,’ I mean the Yangtze River Delta.”

Teacher Feng was surprised. “That’s right! My parents’ hometown is here, which shows that taste is not only acquired but also inherited.”

The couple had almost finished eating, but Wen Jiajia was just starting her meal.

The steamed buns were thin and juicy. Dipped in vinegar, the sweetness of the filling was heightened, making them so delicious that one couldn’t help but savor them quickly.

After finishing a bowl of porridge and a tray of steamed dumplings, Wen Jiajia felt extremely satisfied.

The factory had recently entered a stable period. After everyone had worked hard for two months, it was time for a week or two of rest.

Wen Jiajia could now finish her daily work by around three o’clock in the afternoon. After that, she had free time. Sometimes she went to the water room to pick up coal slag^[2]is a byproduct of coal combustion, often found in power plants. It forms when coal is burned at high temperatures, and the minerals in the coal fuse together and cool into a glassy, granulated … Continue reading—winter was here, and the water room always had boiling water, so coal was essential.

What could coal slag be used for? Wen Jiajia was surprised to find out that coal slag can be used to make cement.

Cement—this is cement!

Nowadays, you can’t buy cement without buying cement strips, and a bag of cement strips costs several dollars.

The only problem was that the amount produced was not very large. She was only given two or three kilograms each time, like squeezing toothpaste. This made Wen Jiajia a bit discouraged.

Fortunately, coal slag is a waste product and almost every factory has it, so she could accumulate a lot by collecting it little by little.

In addition, she would wander around the factory. Director Gao noticed that she enjoyed walking around, so he often gave her the task of delivering documents.

After visiting each department and attending weekly meetings, Wen Jiajia understood at least 70% of the new factory’s operations.

She felt confident about opening a small factory, and perhaps she could consider starting a garment factory after graduating from college.

For now, she didn’t have the capability to run a medical glass factory like this, and she probably wouldn’t have it for another ten years.

Busy and leisurely, the end of the year came in the blink of an eye.

The wind outside was so cold that the courtyard door creaked.

“Xuanxuan, go and lock the door. You were the last one to enter the yard, and the door wasn’t closed properly,” Wen Jiajia shouted into the house. The two children were enjoying themselves, hiding in the warm bed and listening to the radio.

“Auntie, I’m cold!” Xuanxuan complained, acting like a spoiled child as Wei Dai came back to close the door.

Wen Jiajia didn’t have time to pay attention to her, so she asked Wei Dai, “Did you give all the items to Fang Hongjun?”

Wei Dai nodded. “Yes. He bought the ticket for 2 o’clock this afternoon and will probably arrive in our hometown tomorrow night.”

Wen Jiajia said, “That’s good. I was worried that the roast duck might go bad after a long journey.”

Recently, the Hao family had installed a stove. Hao Qingying’s father was keen on making roast duck. Wen Jiajia had asked him to roast two ducks. One was eaten yesterday by the family of four. The other duck was placed in the luggage and asked Fang Hongjun to take it back for the family to enjoy. Wen Jiajia remembered that Wei Dai’s mother seemed to really like duck.

Wei Dai said, “No, the weather is cold.”

He rubbed his hands and poured some of the milk tea that was warming on the stove. After a few sips to clear his throat, he went to make honeysuckle tea.

Sure enough, no one could avoid catching a cold.

The year came quickly.

Wen Jiajia got a roll of red paper, cut some into window decorations, and pasted them in the room.

It’s not easy to stick them outside, but inside the bedroom, they made the place feel more festive.

Even Wei Dai remarked, “The house needs a touch of red.”

Yes, she thought so too!

So she decided to buy red fabric from the department store and make two red dresses for the girls.

Little girls should wear brighter clothes.

Who knew that the atmosphere on the streets had become a bit strange recently. The red armbands that were about to disappear reappeared, causing Wen Jiajia to ride her bike more cautiously.

Master He’s private business had also stopped quietly. Everyone in the county was in a panic. Even an old hand like him didn’t dare to break the rules.

“I can’t get you the chicken, so take all the beef. Do you want two ducks as well?”

Master He had originally wanted to buy some for other old customers, but now he just hoped to sell everything at once.

Wen Jiajia nodded. “Yes, of course.”

Master He sighed with relief and whispered, “Your family is quite particular about celebrating the New Year. You need to have all the chicken, duck, fish, and meat.”

“Isn’t it your home?”

“It really isn’t!”

Even though he had plenty of supplies, his daily life wasn’t as comfortable as Wen Jiajia’s.

After all, even if you ate a plate of stir-fried meat, your neighbors would keep an eye on you. If you ate meat a couple more times during a certain period, they would report you.

Even as a chef, he had to control the frequency of meat consumption, so most of the meat at home was used to make dumplings. When the dumplings were packed, the meat was enclosed inside, reducing the smell.

Wen Jiajia left contentedly with the beef and duck meat and bought a few kilograms of flour at the grain store.

With the holiday approaching, there was a long queue at the grain store.

Wen Jiajia waited in line for more than half an hour before she got to the counter. She bought ten pounds of flour in one go, enough to last until March.

When she got home from shopping, her kitchen was so filled with supplies that there was almost no room to move.

Hanging from the beams were cured meats, sausages, and ribs made by Hao Qingying’s father. On the stove, from left to right, were Gaoqiao pancakes^[3]a type of Chinese pancake and are known for their distinctive, thin, and crispy texture. given to her by Teacher Feng, Northeastern pickled cabbage made by Teacher Yan’s mother, five-spice beans given by Sha Yue, and wide vermicelli made by Lan Lan’s family…

Wen Jiajia was completely confused and didn’t understand why the trend of giving away New Year’s gifts had suddenly become popular this year. She initially thought it was because she was well-liked, but she soon realized that everyone was giving gifts, so she hurriedly prepared a batch of gifts to distribute.

Wei Dai said to her, “You still read the newspaper every day. A few days ago, there was an article about giving New Year’s gifts. Isn’t this the new trend?”

Wen Jiajia suddenly realized, “I hadn’t thought of that! This is actually great. We don’t have to queue up to buy so many things for home.”

Moreover, it allowed her to enjoy New Year’s treats from all over. For example, the chokingly sour sauerkraut that Sister Bao praised for its flavor, saying it was fermented by old Northeasterners. If there was only one jar, she would have asked Wen Jiajia for some.

Wen Jiajia swallowed her saliva, looked at the pork ribs Wei Dai had bought that morning, and said, “Let’s have sauerkraut and stewed bones today.”

It would be a shame not to use such good pickled cabbage to stew bones. Without waiting for Wei Dai to respond, Wen Jiajia immediately threw the bones into the pot to blanch them.

After blanching, the stew began, and the aroma of sauerkraut slowly filled the kitchen.

“Jia Jia, is your family stewing sauerkraut bones?” Even though he had been away from home for many years, he could still recognize the unique flavor of his hometown food across two yards.

Wen Jiajia replied, “Yes! I’ll treat you to a meal later.”

“Okay!” Sister Bao responded quickly.

The lively New Year had begun again.