Chapter 95: From 1977 to..

You can’t be arrogant at the factory, but Wen Jiajia still felt a bit proud when she returned home.

That evening, Wen Jiajia spent a substantial amount of money on beef bones, and Hao Qingying bought some spices, planning to make braised beef bones at home.

Hao Qingying said, “I heard the news that you became the deputy director at the pharmaceutical factory. It seems transferring to the medical department was a good move. From now on, I’ll call you Director Wen.”

Wen Jiajia smiled and said, “Don’t say that. It feels awkward. Just call me whatever you like. Honestly, I never thought I could be promoted to deputy director before this. It’s just that I benefited from the expansion of our hospital.”

“Well, they say timing and opportunity align. Besides, you’re capable enough. Even with luck, it would be hard to get promoted if you weren’t qualified.” Hao Qingying shook her head and handed the spices to Wen Jiajia.

Wen Jiajia took the spices and said with emotion, “Since Master He left, it’s been inconvenient for me to buy things.”

Wuyuanlou had opened for business, and Master He had successfully entered the place he had always dreamed of. He didn’t do much private business.

Of course, it was probably also because the market was squeezed.

After the red armbands disappeared, business in the black market became bolder.

But Wen Jiajia still didn’t dare get involved easily, because the college entrance examination at that time required a political review.

Who would conduct the political review? The party organization of the candidate’s office, factory, mine, or commune was responsible for it.

For example, if Wen Jiajia passed the exam, the party organization in the hospital would conduct a political review of her. If she was caught on the black market, the factory would have to rescue her, and there was no guarantee that the political review would go smoothly.

Of course, the probability of problems was low. After all, they were from the same factory, and if it wasn’t a serious issue, they might overlook it. But what if it was? Wen Jiajia couldn’t afford to gamble.

Speaking of this, Hao Qingying asked, “When are you free? How about we go to Wuyuanlou for a meal?”

Wen Jiajia perked up. “Is it expensive there?”

Hao Qingying showed a pained expression. “It’s quite expensive. I heard from my uncle that eating one meal there is equivalent to eating three meals in a state-owned restaurant.”

Wen Jiajia touched her pocket and said with embarrassment, “Let’s go after the Chinese New Year and the beginning of spring. I’ve been saving up food coupons and meat coupons for the New Year.”

“Okay! Then let’s plan for March or April,” Hao Qingying agreed, waving as Wen Jiajia left.

Wen Jiajia returned home and told her family about her promotion.

Wei Dai wasn’t home, but the aunt was very happy for her.

Zhong Huisheng said, “You’re an official now, right? People should have a career. It’s the same for men and women. Only when you can make money can you stand tall and speak confidently.”

Wen Jiajia placed the beef bones on the stove with a smile. “I’m still a lowly official, but it’s true that I make more money than before.”

She looked forward to receiving her salary at the end of the month.

Beef bones need to be stewed for a long time, so there wasn’t time to eat them today, which made Wen Xuan salivate. She wished she could cook them now and wait until ten or eleven o’clock in the evening to eat them.

The two sisters were on winter vacation and had been a bit free recently. Since they had nothing to do the next day, they stayed up late.

However, Wen Jiajia couldn’t bear to see them idle, so after they had relaxed for a few days, she would give them some exercises to do.

It gets dark early in the winter, and it was already pitch black outside by the time they had dinner.

That evening, they had fish head and tofu soup. The fish head weighed two kilograms, and the soup was as thick and white as milk.

Because the two sisters had been huddling by the fire, eating grilled sweet potatoes and chestnuts, which made them feel a bit hot, they didn’t make spicy dishes but just cooked the original soup.

The soup was white and rich in flavor. Drinking a bowl of it in the winter made one feel relaxed and comfortable.

Zhong Huisheng said with emotion, “I’ve recovered a lot since coming here.”

Otherwise, why do people say “Jiangnan is the best”? Even if you can’t eat meat very often, you can eat fish more frequently if you’re diligent.

Fish is nourishing. In the past, Zhong Huisheng always felt very heavy in the winter, with severe soreness in her waist and legs, and often had cramps at night. However, last year it got much better, and this year, she hasn’t had any cramps.

Although Jia Jia took her to see a Chinese doctor because of her medical experience, the more important reason was probably that her nutrition was adequate.

Nowadays, most people in rural areas are sick due to “malnutrition.”

Wen Jiajia picked up two thick pieces of fish and gave them to Wen Chun and Wen Xuan. She said, “Auntie, you’re so young and healthy. I wouldn’t say you’re old at this age. When your son comes back, you’ll need to take care of your grandchildren.”

Zhong Huisheng laughed. “My grandchildren… that’s too far off. I just hope he comes back soon so I can spend a few more years with him. I don’t dare think too far ahead.”

Wen Jiajia said, “Your son will be back soon. How many years has he been gone?”

“It’s been exactly 12 years—a complete cycle.” There was a gleam in Zhong Huisheng’s eyes.

Wen Jiajia said, “Then he should be back soon. Your son’s wife is from here, so you don’t have to worry about him settling down there. Besides, your son is also thinking about you. He sent you a big bag of naan and raisins a few days ago, asking you to take care of yourself.”

Wen Xuan suddenly raised her hand, her eyes sparkling: “I love eating that naan so much. I could spend the whole morning eating half of naan.”

Wen Jiajia was speechless: “Aren’t the cookies at home better than naan ^[1]also known as a pancake, or a type of Indian flatbread.?”

Wen Xuan said seriously: “I have compared them carefully. Biscuits are delicious when they first enter the mouth. But the more you chew naan, the more delicious it becomes. If I were only allowed to eat one bite of something, I would choose biscuits. But if I am allowed to eat three bites, I will like naan more.”

“…”

Wen Jiajia felt that her niece Wen Xuan might become a master of food, a glutton, in the future.

Zhong Huisheng was very happy that someone liked the things his son sent so much, so he said, “When you want to eat them in the future, just go to the cupboard and get them.” It won’t make you get irritated, so you can eat a whole piece.”

Wen Jiajia joked, “You will gain weight after the Chinese New Year. You are now six kilograms heavier than your sister. If you stand outside, people who don’t know you will think you are the sister.”

There was laughter in the room, and Wei Dai also returned from the wind.

He was shrouded in cold air, and the air he exhaled turned into a white mist when he entered the room.

“Why did you come back so late today?” Wen Jiajia asked, putting the casserole of fish soup on the stove next to her to heat it up. They had finished their meal, and the soup was already a little cold.

Wei Dai came out of the kitchen after washing his hands: “I was helping Fang Hongjun move. Because the door of the house is not big enough, many pieces of furniture had to be disassembled and moved into the house before installation.”

Wen Jiajia used clean chopsticks to stir the fish in the casserole. She was curious when she heard this: “Huh? When he told me that, I thought he would be coming with his wife soon. Why did he wait until now?”

Wei Dai filled a bowl with rice and sat at the table. “His mother, Aunt Tian ^[2]also known as Tian Junxia, the matchmaker between Wen Jiajia and Wei Dai., broke her leg accidentally on the third day after his wedding. Because of this, his wife, your friend, stayed at home for a while longer. She was supposed to come in the second month, but she was suspected of being pregnant again. To be on the safe side, we waited until now to bring her here.”

Wen Jiajia was surprised: “Is Aunt Tian okay? She is quite old. The older people are, the more afraid they are of falling.”

Wei Dai shook his head: “It’s probably okay; otherwise, the Red Army wouldn’t be so happy.”

Zhong Huisheng said: “Tian Junxia’s family is very long-lived. Her mother is long-lived, and her grandmother lived to be 90 years old. I have met her grandmother and talked to her a few times. It is said that her great-grandmother lived to be over 100 years old. But I don’t know if it is true or not.”

Wen Jiajia exclaimed in amazement: “This is a longevity gene ^[3]a genetic trait associated with long life..” And it’s the kind that is stably inherited by the female side. She is so envious.

In this day and age, if you can live to be over 80 years old, you can be considered to have a long life.

But Aunt Tian’s mother was indeed strong and sometimes even went to work in the fields. Her quick hands and feet were better than those lazy people.

The fish soup was bubbling, it was already heated up, and the aroma was filling the air again.

Wei Dai took a clean bowl and drank a large bowl of soup. He felt much better after the hot soup went into his stomach.

Wen Jiajia pushed several plates of food in front of him and said, “Eat them all, don’t leave any leftovers.”

She really didn’t like leftovers, but it was common to eat leftovers at this time, especially in winter, when even green vegetables would be saved for the next day.

Wen Jiajia didn’t know whether the concept that long-stored vegetables are prone to produce nitrite ^[4]a chemical that can form in stored vegetables and may be harmful if consumed in large quantities. had been proposed, so it was not easy for her to bring this up to explain to Wei Dai and the others. She could only try to finish all the vegetables the day before.

Wei Dai simply poured the dishes and soup into his rice bowl. He had a big appetite, and these dishes were no big deal for him.

At night.

Wen Jiajia filled several hand warmers with hot water, gave one to the aunt first, and put another in her room. The aunt was very afraid of the cold, so she had to refill the hand warmer with hot water when it got cold in the early morning.

She gave two more to Wen Chun and Wen Xuan.

The two sisters sometimes used to sleep together, but now they prefer to sleep alone.

Maybe it’s because they are with each other day and night and get a little bored.

She took the last two to her room.

First, she put the hand warmer bottle on Xiaomei’s bed to warm up the quilt, and then she put it on her own bed.

Xiaomei has been grinding her teeth a lot recently, so Wen Jiajia resolved to wean her off because of this.

However, without breast milk, she still has goat’s milk, cow’s milk, milk powder, and complementary food to survive, so she doesn’t miss breast milk that much.

The little girl was crawling on the bed at the moment. When she climbed onto her father’s lap, she lay there giggling. She drooled from laughing, and her father quickly wiped her saliva with a handkerchief.

Wen Jiajia touched her underwear and sniffed it again: “It’s okay, there’s no sour smell. Let’s take a shower when the weather gets warmer.”

Wei Dai retorted: “How can such a young child have any sour smell?”

“…” Wen Jiajia didn’t even want to argue with him. In Wei Dai’s eyes, his daughter was perfect in every way.

Xiaomei played for a long time before she felt sleepy. When she fell asleep, Wen Jiajia was still reading. This was the most comfortable time of the day.

She was half-sitting on the bed, wrapped in a blanket and covered with a quilt, with a hand warmer at her feet, but she still felt a little sleepy.

“Oh!” Wen Jiajia almost fell asleep again and wanted to pinch herself. “A comfortable environment really makes people relax their vigilance.”

Wei Dai stood up and poured her a glass of water: “Don’t push yourself too hard. I think even if you can recover, it will be next year.”

The next year he refers to is 1978.

“Probably next summer, which means you still have a year and a half.”

Wen Jiajia snorted softly, with a look that said, “How do you mortals know that I have opened the eyes of God?” She turned over and continued reading, muttering to herself, and decided that she had to memorize this passage thoroughly no matter what.

The next day.

Today was a rest day, so Wen Jiajia personally stewed the beef bones.

The beef bones were very large, so Wen Jiajia asked Wei Dai to chop them into small pieces with an axe, then blanch them in water and stew them in the pot.

The smell wafted out soon. The aroma of beef was so overbearing that it could drift with the cold wind to the house farthest from her home in the North Mountain.

Wen Jiajia took a deep breath, drank the soup deliberately, and then nodded with great satisfaction.

Not bad, not bad. It seems to taste even better than what she made in her previous life.

From morning to noon, the sun occasionally appeared and then hid behind the dark clouds. Although it was noon, the temperature was not high.

Finally, most of the beef bones in the pot were cooked through.

Wen Chun and Wen Xuan smelled the fragrance before they got home and were already waiting by the stove.

The two sisters would also eat meat every now and then. Although they had eaten many delicious foods, they still could not resist the aroma of beef bones. They would stay by the stove, waiting for the pot to boil, as if they had just eaten meat two years ago.

Wen Jiajia suddenly smiled and asked, “Do you two still remember our hometown?”

It has been a few years since they left home, and the two girls have grown up a lot, so she was afraid they might have forgotten most of it.

Wen Xuan has an average memory and indeed doesn’t remember much.

But Wen Chun still remembers and nods, saying, “I like the eel porridge made by my aunt.”

She also felt a little regretful: “I used to eat eels at home, but now I rarely eat them.”