Chapter 6

Su Wan felt quite embarrassed and apologized, “Sorry, sisters-in-law. I should’ve asked in advance.”

“It’s no big deal. You bought so much napa cabbage, it’s actually more than enough. It’s just that my husband likes chive dumplings, so I thickened my skin to ask them for some chives. We’ll just make both pork and cabbage dumplings, and chive dumplings.”

“Exactly! Chive and egg dumplings are pretty good too. My man just loves that kind,” Zhao-sao said with a laugh, trying to smooth things over.

The sisters-in-law were all understanding women. Besides, since Commander Chen’s household had already bought so much meat, them contributing a few vegetables wasn’t an issue. Their home gardens had no shortage of vegetables anyway.

After being reassured, Su Wan didn’t overthink it. She thanked them and got back to her work.

Once the duck and radish were stir-fried, she left them to simmer slowly in the pot. The pork intestines, small intestines, blood, liver, and lungs were all placed into the braising broth she’d prepared, and they were now releasing a mouth-watering aroma. She planned to stew the pork heart later as a tonic for Chen Yuan, so she didn’t bring it out yet.

“Xiao Su, how are you planning to cook this chicken?” asked Zhou-sao.

“I’m planning to stir-fry it with mushrooms—something the kids can eat too.”

“That sounds good. Looks like you’re almost done here, so I’ll go help with the dumpling wrapping.”

Zhou-sao, the wife of Commander Zhou, was from the north. She wasn’t skilled in the delicate cooking typical of the south, so she decided to be useful by helping wrap dumplings.

“Alright. Thank you, sister-in-law.”

Su Wan wiped the sweat off her forehead. Hearing children playing outside, she washed her hands, cleaned two serving trays, filled one with sunflower seeds, and grabbed a handful of candies for the other.

Candy in this era was still quite small, but the bright and colorful wrappers looked nice. A single jin (500g) could easily have two or three hundred pieces—very economical.

She remembered that the original Su Wan had also bought some White Rabbit milk candy. When she cleaned up earlier, she had found a half-full bag in a drawer. She grabbed a handful and added them to the tray before heading outside.

Carrying the candy and sunflower seeds, she smiled and called to the playing children, “Come have some candy!”

Upon hearing there was candy, over a dozen children of various ages ran over. When they saw the White Rabbit milk candies, their eyes lit up.

Little hands stretched out eagerly. Su Wan, worried they might fight over it, handed each child one piece of White Rabbit milk candy. The fruit candies were plentiful, so she let them grab those freely.

The kids quickly unwrapped the White Rabbit candies and popped them into their mouths. The creamy sweetness made them squint in delight. The older ones sweetly said, “Thank you, Auntie Chen!”

“Auntie” was a common form of address in the north. In the south, children usually said “auntie,” and in provinces like Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan, they preferred “auntie” in local dialects.

The rest of the kids followed suit, all chorusing their thanks. Su Wan gently patted their heads, “Go on and play. Don’t fight, okay? Auntie will make you some yummy food later.”

The kids rushed off to play again. Zhao-sao, watching with a smile, asked, “Xiao Su, when are you and Chen Yuan planning to have kids?”

Since they were married, it was natural to start thinking about children. In the 1980s, family planning policies were strict—most families were only allowed one child. Some preferred to wait a few years. Zhao-sao asked the question casually.

Su Wan smiled shyly. “Not for now. We’re still young. Maybe in a couple of years.”

Zhou-sao agreed, “Xiao Su is smart to think ahead. It’s better not to have kids too early after getting married. I got pregnant right after marriage, and I regret it now. If I’d known, I’d have enjoyed a few more years of freedom first.”

“It’s really tough without a mother-in-law to help. When your man goes on missions for months at a time, raising kids alone is exhausting,” added Wu-sao, clearly speaking from experience.

They had all married young. Wu-sao’s eldest child was already fifteen, and her youngest were thirteen-year-old twins. Raising them had been a challenge, but fortunately, once her husband gained higher rank, her mother-in-law was able to lend a hand. Otherwise, it would’ve been unbearable.

As they chatted, Su Wan checked the time and started plating the food—boiled fish, red-braised pork, mushroom chicken. The braised pork offal was taken out and sliced into neat chunks. She layered the top with cut dried chilies and scallions, then poured hot oil over it all.

The mouthwatering aroma wafted out, and the sisters-in-law who had arrived later were immediately drawn in.

“Oh my goodness, that smells amazing!”

“I’ll say! Commander Chen’s wife really has skills. That smells incredible!”

Su Wan cleaned the wok, then took the deep-fried pork strips she’d prepared earlier and cooked a sweet-and-sour sauce with water, sugar, soy sauce, and vinegar. Once the sauce thickened, she added the meat, coated everything evenly, simmered it down, and plated it.

She served the remaining stews and brought out the fish head tofu soup with chopped scallions sprinkled on top. She stir-fried three large plates of greens. The dumplings, cooked by the sisters-in-law, were also ready.

They had borrowed rice cookers from other households to cook the rice—six full cookers’ worth, generous and plentiful.

By then, Chen Yuan had already arrived with the senior officers and colleagues. The men filled two tables, the women sat at another, and the children ran around eating and laughing with bowls in hand.

On the menu were: fish head tofu soup, boiled fish, red-braised duck, mushroom chicken, braised pork offal, red-braised pork, stir-fried greens. The women’s table had an extra large plate of sweet-and-sour pork strips. As for the dumplings, eight large bowls were made—three bowls per men’s table, and two for the women. The fillings were pork and cabbage, and egg and chive.

Chen Yuan greeted everyone, while the political commissar and Commander Zhao made their way to the still-busy Su Wan.

“Comrade Su Wan, thank you for all your hard work tonight!”

Su Wan, still wearing her apron, had flushed cheeks and a bit of smoke on her face. She quickly responded, “You’re too kind, sir. Chen Yuan and I got married in a rush—I should’ve invited everyone for dinner much earlier. I’m not a great cook, so please excuse me.”

“The dishes already smell amazing. You’re being modest, Comrade Su Wan. Everything’s done, right? Come join us and eat.”

“Alright.”

After speaking, the officers returned to their table.

Su Wan brought out the rice wine she had bought earlier and placed a jug on each table.

The political commissar turned to Chen Yuan and said, “Have Comrade Su Wan sit down and eat with us.”

“We’ll clean up later. Sit and eat first.”

Chen Yuan took Su Wan’s hand. His palm was warm and tanned, a stark contrast to her fair skin, which blushed under his grip.

Su Wan blushed instantly. She had originally planned to sit at the women’s table and eat quickly, but since the political commissar had spoken, she couldn’t refuse.

Once seated, the commissar raised his glass. “Let’s toast to Commander Chen and Comrade Su Wan—wishing them a loving marriage and an early child!”

Everyone stood up. Su Wan, just about to pick up her chopsticks, paused and carefully picked up the glass of rice wine Chen Yuan had just poured for her.

“Thank you, sir. And thank you to all our comrades and sisters-in-law for your care and support. Chen Yuan and I toast you all!”

Su Wan, having spent time in the working world, understood some table etiquette. After Chen Yuan finished speaking, she also offered her thanks and took a sip.

The rice wine was mellow and fragrant, but Su Wan wasn’t used to drinking. One sip and her eyes began to water from the alcohol.

Looking down at the half-full bowl of wine, then glancing at Chen Yuan, she couldn’t help but whisper to him softly, “I… I can’t finish this wine.”