◎ 1st update + 2nd update + 3rd update ◎ 

At this time, Xu Shengjie was holding a food ticket and an aluminum lunch box to get food in the canteen of the State Cotton Factory. The food in the canteen today was quite good, there’s sweet and sour spareribs, dry-fried yellow croaker, beer duck…

The factory provided food tickets to the workers, with a big dish costing 20 cents. The food was delicious, and the portions were generous, so it was hard to get; if you arrived late, everything would be gone. 

After spending two meal tickets on a serving of sweet and sour pork ribs and a serving of braised yellow croaker, Xu Shengjie carried his lunch box and prepared to go home. 

As soon as he entered the courtyard, he met Xu Hai and Qian Jingjing, a couple who lived in the back house, and they were just coming back from work. 

“Xiao Xu, back with the food?” 

“The food at your State Cotton Factory is delicious.” 

Xu Hai and Qian Jingjing were a blended family. After divorcing and remarrying, they brought their children together. 

“Sister Qian, Brother Xu’s cooking skills are also delicious, so you can enjoy it too.” 

After exchanging greetings, Qian Jingjing followed her husband into the house and did not forget to comment, “Look at him. He knows how to cherish his wife; he even brought back two meat dishes.” 

“They just got married, that’s why,” Xu Hai said, touching his chin and puffing out his chest. “I was the same too.” 

“Enough of that. You’re far behind Xiao Xu,” Qian Jingjing said with a laugh, pushing him gently as she prepared to cook. 

After turning the corner of the first courtyard and heading towards the second courtyard, Xu Shengjie happened to meet Liu Nianhua. 

“Sister Hua.” 

“Xiao Xu!” Liu Nianhua became excited when she saw him and told him everything that happened in the afternoon. “Your third uncle and his family came to your house today and pushed and shoved with your grandmother and your wife for a long time. You should go home and take a look.” 

Third uncle’s family came?! Hearing Liu Nianhua’s words, Xu Shengjie quickly thanked her and hurried home. 

Zhou Yun was sitting in front of the house, with a table of food laid out. Xiaowei and Xiaoya, who had just come back from school, were preparing to sneak a taste. 

“Brother, you’re back!” 

“Did you bring some food?” 

Xu Shengjie would occasionally bring home some meat and vegetables from the factory to satisfy his family’s cravings since they didn’t have enough meat tickets. 

“Wash your hands and come eat.” Putting the lunch box on the table, Xu Shengjie looked around and didn’t see a trace of his beautiful wife. “Grandma, how are you? Are you still upset?” 

Zhou Yun smiled and waved her hands repeatedly, “It’s okay, it’s okay, just sit down and have a rest.”

 

After briefly telling his grandson what happened in the afternoon, Zhou Yun suggested that Baozhen should take over the job left by his parents. Xu Shengjie had no objection, but he stayed in the house for a few minutes and still didn’t see his wife. 

“Grandma, where’s Baozhen?” 

“She went to Aunt Li’s house next door. Hailin is about to take the high school entrance exam and doesn’t know some parts, so she asked Baozhen to help. Go over and call her back for dinner.” 

Xu Shengjie agreed and went to Aunt Li’s house. Uncle Wei and Aunt Li’s family of eight lived in the main house, which was the largest and most spacious house in the courtyard. They had three regular workers and lived a good life. They had a grandson named Wei Guobiao, who was three years younger than Xu Shengwei but grew up strong and sturdy. He was raised by the whole Wei family, and they were willing to give him malted milk and eggs. 

At this time, every household was preparing dinner. Liang Baozhen was about to leave after tutoring the Wei family’s youngest daughter. Her grandmother thought it would be good for her to meet more people since she was new to the courtyard, so she asked her to come over. 

Aunt Li was also a sincere person. When she saw that Liang Baozhen was about to leave, she handed her some red shrimp cakes. “Baozhen, thank you for this time. My old man and I don’t understand those things. It takes young people like you to understand them.” 

“Aunt Li, you don’t need to be polite. We’re neighbors, so it’s only natural to help each other. If you need any help in the future, just let me know.” 

“Okay.” Aunt Li said she happened to see Xu Shengjie coming to her house. She smiled and teased Liang Baozhen, “Then I won’t keep you here. If you stay any longer, someone will come looking for you!” 

Liang Baozhen didn’t understand what Aunt Li was talking about. Following her gaze, she turned around and saw Xu Shengjie walking over. “You’re off work?” 

“Yeah.” Xu Shengjie heard Aunt Li’s joke from a distance and deliberately explained, “Grandma asked me to call you home for dinner.” 

“Quickly go then, don’t let yourself go hungry.” 

The two of them said goodbye to Aunt Li and walked back to the east wing from the main house. The east wing was next to the main house and was occupied by two families. In addition to the Xu family of five, there was another house where a family of three lived. However, the door had been closed these days. 

“You weren’t pushed around by my uncle and the others this afternoon, were you?” 

“I’m fine.” Liang Baozhen was quite upset after hearing from her grandmother about the unreasonable behavior of Xu Shengjie’s third uncle. She took the opportunity to complain, “They were really unreasonable with Grandma. They didn’t want to leave and stayed from morning until noon. We need to come up with a solution; otherwise, when you go out to work, they’ll keep causing trouble.” 

“Don’t worry, I’ll go find him tomorrow.” Xu Shengjie’s dark eyes looked at Liang Baozhen up and down. Seeing that she didn’t seem to be injured, he felt relieved. It would be unacceptable if she were injured shortly after marrying into the Xu family. “I heard from Grandma that you tried to confront them this afternoon?” 

“I just wanted to scare him. I knew he was very stingy and was very nervous about his money, so I just said a random amount. At first, grandmother couldn’t chase them away, but when I told him he had to give her ten yuan to go to the hospital, he ran away faster than a hare.” Liang Baozhen found it amusing the more she talked about it. The way those three people hurriedly left is still in her mind. 

Hare? 

Xu Shengjie smiled as he thought of something and stopped to look at Liang Baozhen. “Is the wild hare you picked up in the mountains half a month ago delicious?” 

Hare? Liang Baozhen was stunned and looked at the man in surprise. “How do you know I picked up a hare?” 

“I caught it,” Xu Shengjie said shortly, then turned to head home. His grandmother and his younger siblings were already sitting at the table waiting for dinner. 

He caught it? Liang Baozhen stood there muttering to herself, trying to figure out what was going on. Could it be that Xu Shengjie was there when she picked up the hare? 

At the dinner table, Liang Baozhen was still thinking about this matter, but the two fragrant meat dishes in front of her finally caught her attention. 

“Brother, I earned three candies today.” Xu Shengwei talked non-stop while eating. He held up three fingers to show off to his older brother. 

“Where did you get them?” Xu Shengjie glanced at him, clearly amused by his younger brother. 

“My classmate wanted to borrow my military bag, so I traded them for candy.” 

No wonder. The three adults at the table realized that Xu Shengwei had carried his things back by himself today, and of course, he put some of them in his sister’s bag. 

“My second brother gave me the candy.” Xu Shengya took out the shiny candies from her pocket and smiled. However, there were only three candies, so she was embarrassed. “Brother, since there’s only enough for Grandma, sister-in-law, and me, can you and Second Brother skip it?” 

“I don’t want any Xiaoya, you can have it.”

 

“Grandma won’t eat it either, so keep it for your sweet tooth.” 

No one at the table competed with her for the candy, so when she felt that the medicine was too bitter, she took another one. 

After dinner, Xu Shengjie led Xu Shengwei to wash the dishes. Liang Baozhen looked at the gentle girl and waved her hand, wanting to get closer to her. “Xiaoya, I heard from your brother that you’ve saved a lot of candy wrappers?” 

“Yes!” Xu Shengya loved the candy wrappers she had saved; they were so beautiful that she couldn’t help but invite her. “Sister-in-law, do you want to see them?” 

“Sure.” 

Xu Shengya opened the drawer in the room and carefully took out the tin box inside. The tin box contained the Golden Rooster biscuits that her eldest brother bought for her on her tenth birthday. After the biscuits were eaten, she kept the box to store her most cherished items. 

“Sister-in-law, look.” Xu Shengya pushed the box forward and took out more than ten candy wrappers which made a rustling sound. 

Blue, white, purple, orange… all kinds of candy wrappers were pressed flat and stacked one on top of the other, like a colorful dream. Liang Baozhen looked at Xiaoya’s tin box, which also contained two black ties, all neatly arranged. 

“So beautiful! I also saved up three of them before, but I gave them all to my sister before I got married.” 

“Your sister?” Xu Shengya asked her sister-in-law, her eyes twinkling like grapes as she remembered what her sister-in-law had mentioned before. “Is she the younger sister you talked about?” 

“Yes.” Liang Baozhen talked nonstop about her family. “She is so naughty. She loves to go up the mountain and down to the river. She runs around the village every day. When I was about to leave, she kept pestering me for my candy wrappers.” 

“Then if I see her in the future, I’ll give her one.” 

Liang Baozhen smiled. “That’s great, then I’ll thank you on her behalf. I’ll make sure you two meet if there’s a chance.” 

Xu Shengya is a quiet person with only a few good friends around her. After listening to what her sister-in-law said, she was secretly looking forward to meeting her sister-in-law’s sister. After all, her sister-in-law’s sister is so amazing that she can even go fishing in the river and climb trees to catch birds! 

She doesn’t know any of these. 

“Sister-in-law, I’ll give you a candy wrapper too.” Xu Shengya generously offered. “What color do you like?” 

How could Liang Baozhen compete with a child over such things? She just smiled and shook her head. “I like them all, but your brother doesn’t have space in his room. You should keep them. If I want to see them, I’ll come to you.” 

Xu Shengya thought about it and decided it was a good idea. She nodded eagerly, like a little chick pecking at grains. 

After talking to her sister-in-law for a while, Xu Shengya finally caught a glimpse of her brother outside. She looked at the time and saw that it was getting dark. “Sister-in-law, my brother is looking for you. I have to do my homework too.” 

“Okay, then focus on your homework. I’ll go out now.”

 

Liang Baozhen raised her hand to touch the girl’s little head, but her hand remained in the air for only two seconds. She then changed to her right hand to touch it again, and then left the room with a smile. 

Outside, Xu Shengjie observed his wife and immediately asked, “What happened to your hand?”

 

*** 

Liang Baozhen was pulled back into the room by Xu Shengjie. He held her wrist and noticed the red marks on her palms. Earlier that afternoon, during the commotion, she had pressed her left hand against the wall, and it left some painful, bloodshot wounds. 

“I applied some grass on it,” Liang Baozhen explained quickly as she pulled her hand away. 

“There’s a bottle of medicine at home. Didn’t you ask Grandma?” Xu Shengjie turned to grab a bottle of red medicine from the upper drawer of the living room cabinet and placed it on the table. 

Liang Baozhen shook her head. “I didn’t want to upset Grandma. Besides, it’s just a minor scratch.” 

In the past, if there was a bruise or injury, people preferred to use mountain herbs for treatment since medicine was precious and expensive. They were used to relying on herbs. “I don’t need the apply the medicine; it’ll be fine in a few days.” 

Seeing his wife’s insistence, Xu Shengjie said nothing more. He grabbed her hand and pulled it in front of him and rubbed the red medicine on the wound. “I’ll remember this, and I’ll deal with Third Uncle tomorrow.” 

Looking up at Liang Baozhen, he added, “And you must tell me if you get hurt in the future.” 

Liang Baozhen looked at Xu Shengjie’s intense gaze and felt a little dazed. She didn’t think much of the wound; it was just a little scrape, which was normal in the village. The only time she made a fuss about it was when she was a child and wanted to act cute and get some sugar water from her parents. But as an adult, she felt it was strange to complain about a few wounds. 

However, seeing Xu Shengjie’s serious expression, she couldn’t say no. “Oh, okay.” 

Satisfied with her response, Xu Shengjie lowered his head to continue applying the medicine. He spoke again, “This won’t happen again.” 

Liang Baozhen felt the stinging pain as the medicine soaked into her wound and was confused by the man’s words, “What won’t happen again?” 

But Xu Shengjie was concentrating on applying the medicine and didn’t seem to hear it. 

Looking at Xu Shengjie’s dark hair as he lowered his head, Liang Baozhen felt that the stinging sensation from the wound was gone, and her palms felt ticklish instead. 

*** 

The next day, Liang Baozhen finally understood why Xu Shengjie had insisted she complain to him if she ever got injured again. 

Xu Shengjie went to his Third Uncle’s house during lunch. Liang Baozhen didn’t know what he said, but when he returned, he just told her they wouldn’t cause any more trouble. He even managed to get a yuan from Xu Mingliang. 

“How do you call this extortion?” Xu Shengjie said seriously, “This is your medical fee.”

 

Liang Baozhen looked at the “wound” on her palm that was almost healed and didn’t dare to say anything, “Won’t that make them feel miserable?” 

One yuan was enough to make the money-obsessed Xu Mingliang feel like he was dying. 

“Well, he’ll just have to endure it.” Xu Shengjie gulped down some water, noticing that his younger siblings had come home from school. 

As soon as Xu Shengwei dropped his bag, he went to his brother to complain. He moved his legs a few times and rushed to his elder brother, “Brother, Wang Tiedan said I was short today.” 

Xu Shengjie put down the enamel cup and replied calmly, “You’re too old to be complaining.” 

Thirteen-year-old Xu Shengwei: ? 

Twenty-year-old Liang Baozhen: ? You told me to complain yesterday. 

“Brother, you said if someone bullied us, we should tell you, and you’d get revenge for us!” 

“That was when you were five years old. How old are you now? Besides, why do you want me to intervene when you two kids are bickering?” 

When Xu’s parents passed away, Zhou Yun was the only adult at home. As the eldest brother, Xu Shengjie felt that he had to take responsibility. He was worried that his younger siblings would be bullied in places where he couldn’t see them, so he taught them several times that they should tell him anything and not keep the grievances in their hearts. 

He might not be very impressive, but he couldn’t stand seeing his family being bullied; he had to get back at whoever did it. 

“That’s okay, I also said he got fat!” Xu Shengwei said proudly. Anyone can fight back! 

“Where’s Xiaoya?” Xu Shengjie raised an eyebrow at his brother’s smug look and habitually asked about his sister. “If someone bullies you, remember to tell me.” 

“No one’s bullying me, brother!” Xu Shengya said while eating roasted sweet potatoes. She bites them into small pieces. At the end of the month, the rice at home was almost gone; after all, there was one more mouth to eat. For the last two days, they ate sweet potatoes and corn while waiting for the beginning of next month to collect rice. 

On the day when the grain station distributed rice, the sky was still dark, as if it was splashed with dark blue ink. People who were still dreaming got up early with their food books to line up. 

Usually, Xu Shengjie went alone since the lines were long and crowded. He didn’t let Zhou Yun or the younger ones come along, but this time, Liang Baozhen insisted on joining him. 

Liang Baozhen insisted on going with him since in the past, she had only gone to the grain station with her parents and brother to hand over their public grain. It was midsummer, and the whole village carried their grain to be weighed. She had never seen how people from the city bought rice. Besides, she didn’t have a grain quota now, so she felt she should at least lend a hand. 

Even if Xu Shengjie might not need her help. 

Zhou Yun took out the food book from the house and handed it to Liang Baozhen and reminded them, “See if you are lucky enough to get new rice. Also, see if there is any dry food, bring a few food tickets to exchange for some.” 

Xu Shengjie knew the entire process well, but Zhou Yun always liked to remind him of a few more things before he left. She finally pointed to the sacks of flour and the oil can on the ground and advised them to be careful on the way. 

Holding two things in each hand, Xu Shengjie and Liang Baozhen joined the line going to the grain station to buy rice. When they met their neighbors on the way, they said hello and went together. 

Liang Baozhen tightly held the red-bottomed food book covered with plastic film in her hand. On it was written in gold-plated letters “Grain and Oil Supply Certificate for Urban Residents.” Driven by curiosity, she kept flipping through it and saw that it contained the records of the Xu family’s grain purchases every month in the past, all of which were stamped as proof. 

The grain supply was divided into smaller portions, with more coarse grains and fewer fine grains in the monthly quota. However, Xu Shengjie, as a retired soldier, received preferential treatment with a better grain quota. Still, who doesn’t worry about food these days?  Every household struggled to get enough, and by the end of the month, they often needed to borrow grain from everywhere. At that point, their pot of porridge almost had no rice in it. 

“How much coarse and fine grain should we buy?” 

“I get 42 pounds a month, Grandma gets 30 pounds, and the two younger ones together get 30 pounds. That’s a total of 102 pounds. We’re buying 50 pounds of rice, 10 pounds of flour, 70 pounds of coarse grain, including cornmeal, sorghum flour, and soybeans. Each person in the household gets half a pound of oil per month, totaling two pounds. ” 

Xu Shengjie listed everything for Liang Baozhen, and seeing that she repeated it over and over again, he was satisfied that she had memorized it. 

“So, where’s the grain station?” 

“It’s between the big courtyard and the State Cotton Factory. Our courtyard uses the 125 Grain Station.” 

After walking for ten minutes, the group finally reached their destination. Liang Baozhen, who came to buy food for the first time, saw a long line in front of them. Everyone had a few bags and a bucket in their hands and were talking noisily. 

Seeing the continuous stream of people arriving behind them, Liang Baozhen felt anxious. “We need to hurry; there are too many people.” 

Having said that, she grabbed Xu Shengjie’s arm and hurried towards the team. 

*** 

The 125 Grain Station is neither big nor small. It is located in the middle of East Street. At the back is a large yard with a warehouse where grain is stored. 

There were two windows in front. The left window was where people lined up to get a receipt for purchasing grain. The staff at the grain station would determine how much could be bought based on the food book. After getting the receipt, they would then join the line at the right window to weigh the grain. 

If you are lucky, you can get the new rice; otherwise, you can only carry the old rice back. 

A few years ago, there were incidents of people fighting over new rice and old rice, so the grain station started randomizing the distribution, leaving it up to luck. 

As soon as you enter the grain station, the aroma of grain, oil, rice, and flour touches the residents’ nerves. 

“We’ll have to wait for a while. You should go back and get some sleep. You can come back in an hour or two.” Xu Shengjie stood in the line. He was tall and could always pay attention to the movements in front of him. 

Many people have their family members take turns waiting in line, and they only come back to pick up the goods when it’s almost their turn. 

“It’s okay. This is my first time here, and I find it quite new.” Liang Baozhen hugged the grain book tightly and looked around. She felt that everything was interesting. 

However, the people in line were all city residents who had been here many times before. They didn’t feel any sense of novelty and were instead very alert. 

“Hey, why are you cutting in line?” 

“Who cut in line? Stop talking nonsense!” 

Suddenly there was a commotion coming from behind, and many people in the front turned their heads to watch the fun. 

Whenever there was a line, there was always the issue of people cutting in. When an old man tried to cut in, an old lady immediately pulled him back. 

“What? Do you think I’m afraid of you? Everyone come and see; this shameless old man is cutting in line! How shameful! Even at his age, he still has such a thick skin.” 

“Bah! Are you going to keep shouting?” 

“Shout all you want! Do you dare to lay a hand on me?” 

After working hard to line up early in the morning, everyone hated people who cut in line. Seeing this, they all stood on the side of the auntie and started to blame the uncle who cut in line. 

“How can someone who cuts in line speak so loudly?” 

“Have some manners and don’t do shameful things!” 

There were also people who came out to act as peacemakers, “Alright, alright, calm down. Let’s all stay calm.” 

The issue was finally resolved when employees in white coats and hats from the grain station came out to maintain order. 

Liang Baozhen, who had been watching the commotion from the front, also joined in criticizing the line-cutter. Noticing that the line was getting longer, she felt someone tugging at her braid. 

“It’s our turn.” 

Xu Shengjie signaled Liang Baozhen to hand over the food book to the employee in a white coat. The employee opened the book with red and gold lettering, checked the household’s grain supply and allocation, and quickly stated, “20 pounds of rice, 20 pounds of millet, 10 pounds of flour, 26 pounds each of cornmeal and sorghum flour, and 2 pounds of vegetable oil.” 

“Comrade, I see we have some dried taro. Can you help us exchange it for 20 pounds for that?” Xu Shengjie had sharp eyes. 

“One pound of grain in exchange for five pounds of dried taro, and 24 pounds of corn flour and sorghum flour each. Go over there and wait.” 

After deciding the quota in a swift and decisive manner, the employee in the white coat waved his hand to tell them to hurry up, and then shouted to the ones behind him, “Next.” 

By the end of the day, their voices would be hoarse.

 

After waiting an hour in the grain weighing area, they finally reached the front. 

The old man who weighed the grain took the receipt, squinted his eyes to look at it, and started to pack the rice and grain. After weighing it, he poured it into the bag brought by Xu Shengjie, and it was done. 

Finally, he turns on the valve for the cooking oil and measures out precisely two pounds. Liang Baozhen watched as the deep yellow, aromatic oil filled their container and felt as if she could smell the stir-fried dishes already. 

After buying all the things, including rice, flour, cornmeal, sorghum flour, dried taro, and cooking oil, the total weight was more than 100 pounds, and Xu Shengjie carried it all effortlessly. 

“Give me a bag.” Liang Baozhen and Xu Shengjie squeezed out of the crowd and finally breathed some fresh air. 

“No, we don’t need two people for this.” Xu Shengjie just asked her to take the food certificate. 

***

The white rice was poured into the rice box, and the whole family watched eagerly. They thought the raw rice also smelled good, so fragrant! 

“Xiao Jie, how is Baozhen’s work going?” Zhou Yun asked her grandson to check. 

Many years ago, Xu Mingyuan and his wife fell into the river outside. Although it had nothing to do with the factory, the State Cotton Factory gave them a 20-yuan pension and out of consideration they reserved a job quota for them to support the family’s widows and orphans. 

But Xu Shengjie was still young at the time, and Xu Mingliang’s family was eyeing the job. So, Zhou Yun asked a child from a distant relative to take over the job. They received five yuan a month and planned for Xu Shengjie to reclaim the job when he was older. 

However, Xu Shengjie joined the military, and the issue of reclaiming the job was set aside. When he returned from his service, the job he got was arranged by the military and he didn’t take up the reserved quota. 

“I asked the other day. It turns out we need to go through the factory office director to handle the paperwork. But Director Xue is dealing with something at home and won’t be back for a few days.”

 

“Alright, just keep checking.” 

*** 

The State Cotton Factory in Beijing has two factories. The first factory was established forty years ago on the east side of Beijing. It suffered significant damage during various wars and was rebuilt after the founding of the country. The second factory was established ten years ago on the west side of Beijing, and many workers from the first factory were transferred there. 

Xu Shengjie’s parents were originally workers at the first factory, but after his discharge he was assigned to the spinning workshop of the second factory. 

In the spinning workshop of the second factory, workers were operating the machines. The State Cotton Factory’s machines were quite old, with some being even older than the younger workers, so they often broke down. 

It is necessary to have someone keep an eye on it and make adjustments at any time. 

If some machines have serious problems, they will ask the factory’s experienced workers or Xu Shengjie. 

Xu Shengjie was smart and learned quickly. He could often understand and figure things out after studying and experimenting. 

At this moment, he had just finished helping a coworker with a machine and was heading outside to wash his hands. 

“Old Xu!” Hong Saner followed him out eagerly and whispered beside the sink, “Are we going to keep working here in the factory?”

 

Last time, he traded in some urea bags and dyed them to make pants, which sold very well. Hong Saner got a full 80 yuan. Although Xu Shengjie provided the bags and came up with the idea of dyeing and covering the words, it was Hong Saner who handled the sales. 

He was a little timid at first, but later, seeing that the urea pants were in great demand, he wished he could produce dozens or even hundreds more. 

“The crackdown on speculators and traders is very strict outside. Do you really want to go to jail?” Xu Shengjie splashed water on his face, shook his hands, and prepared to drink some water. 

The weather was hot, and he felt thirsty and uncomfortable. 

“Old Xu, Brother Xu, Brother Jie!” Hong Saner didn’t give up and kept chasing after him. He thought that since childhood his brother had always been very capable and full of good ideas. It had only been a short time since he returned, but he had already earned 80 yuan with him, which was equivalent to two months’ salary. 

“You weren’t like this before. Why are you so stubborn all of a sudden? There are many people out there doing things like this. Take the black market, for example—there are so many people involved!” He had no other skills, but he had many friends and connections and liked to ask questions. “Chen Yong’s nephew has even bought things on the black market.” 

“You seem to know quite a lot.” Xu Shengjie was amused by this. 

“Of course. So, what are you afraid of? Besides, we’ll be cautious, and it won’t be easy for us to get caught.” 

Xu Shengjie shook his head, patted his brother on the shoulder, and said earnestly, “You are not married and haven’t started a family yet, so you don’t understand these things. The burden is heavier, so I need to be more careful.” 

Hong Saner watched Xu Shengjie leave and stood there thinking for a moment. “Who am I even jealous of? Really! It’s just about finding a wife. I’ll find one tomorrow!” 

***

Since getting married, people have different topics to talk about. 

At noon in the canteen, everyone ordered dishes and ate together. Hong Saner noticed that Xu Shengjie was surrounded by several married co-workers and couldn’t get a word in. 

“My wife got me this enamel cup from her factory. She noticed my old cup was worn out and gave me a new one.” Liu Gong was drinking from an enamel cup with Lei Feng’s portrait on it with a very proud look on his face. 

He got married half a year ago, and his wife was a cotton worker at the factory. 

“My wife also asks me questions every day, like ‘Are you coming back early?’, and in the evening she asks, ‘How was your day?’” 

“That’s right, in the morning you have to say what time you’ll be home.” 

Xu Shengjie was eating his meal and listening to the conversation when Liu Gong suddenly asked him, “Xiao Xu, you’ve been married for half a month, right? How’s it going? Is it different now that you’re married?” 

“Of course, look at Xiao Xu’s appearance; he must be very appealing to women. His wife probably wishes she could stick to him all the time.” 

Xu Shengjie stuffed the food into his mouth and responded vaguely. He moved quickly and washed the aluminum lunch box. Several workers behind him were still talking. He couldn’t help but think for a moment and remember Liang Baozhen’s appearance. 

Is it like that for everyone? 

The next morning, after breakfast, Xu Shengjie stood at the door and turned around several times. It seemed like he wanted to speak to Liang Baozhen but hesitated. 

“What’s wrong?” Liang Baozhen, who had planned to make clothes with Liu Nianhua, was searching for needles and thread in the room. She was preparing to knit a pair of gloves for winter. Yesterday, she heard her grandmother talk about how frostbite is common in winter and how cold it is. 

But then she saw Xu Shengjie staring at her with a wandering gaze. 

“Do you have something you want to say to me?” 

After searching through the cabinet for a while, Liang Baozhen finally found an old pair of work gloves her grandmother had mentioned before. Without looking up, she asked, “What is it?” 

Xu Shengjie rubbed his nose and shook his head. “It’s nothing. Do you need work gloves?” 

“Well, I’ll undo the threads and knit a new pair.” Liang Baozhen took out the gloves and shook off the dust. It was said that these were issued by the factory many years ago. There were already several holes in them, and they were very worn out. “But there are too few of them. I don’t know if I can knit a pair.” 

“I’ll look in the factory’s abandoned warehouse. I should be able to get something.” Xu Shengjie heard from his co-workers a few days ago that many female employees picked up old labor protection gloves and took them apart to weave scarves and gloves. 

“Really? Then that’s good. Remember to bring them back. If you can get enough, we’ll knit a new pair for everyone in our family.” 

“Mm.” 

Xu Shengjie looked at the time. It was getting late. If he didn’t go out now, he would be late. He took two steps and looked back at Liang Baozhen. “Well, I’m going to the director of the factory office today to ask about your work situation. After work, I’m going to go to Hong Saner’s house. His father said that there will be pig offal today. No tickets are required. Shall we buy some to eat?” 

“Sure!” 

“Okay, I might be twenty minutes late coming back tonight.” 

“Okay, we’ll wait for you.” Thinking about having pig offal to eat, she was willing to wait no matter how long. The family had a total of two pounds of meat coupons per month, and they had to save one pound to make bacon for the New Year, so they were really craving meat. 

In the first few days after getting married, they ate meat several times at home and used up a lot of the meat tickets they had saved. After that, they had to live frugally. 

Meat that doesn’t require a ticket has become a hot commodity. 

However, watching Xu Shengjie leave, Liang Baozhen suddenly realized that something was strange. He had been unusually talkative before leaving today. 

 *** 

Today, the two younger ones went to school, Zhou Yun had gone next door to help an old friend’s family with finding a granddaughter-in-law. Liang Baozhen took her needlework and work gloves, locked the door, and went to the west wing. 

Liu Nianhua was sweeping the floor in front of the door. When she saw Liang Baozhen coming, she put down the broom and came over to greet her. “Baozhen, have you eaten? I steamed some cornmeal buns today.” 

“I’ve already eaten.” Life is not easy for everyone, and rice and flour are even more precious. How can she take advantage and eat other people’s food.

Liu Nianhua welcomed Liang Baozhen into the house, and they bumped into her husband, Zhou Guoping. 

At this time, Liu Nianhua’s two sons, Xiaolong and Xiaohu, were at school, and her husband was supposed to be at work. Normally, she should have been alone, but Zhou Guoping had swapped shifts last Sunday, so today it was someone else’s turn. Zhou Guoping was a bus driver; he was big and had a kind face. He smiled and greeted Liang Baozhen. 

“Xiao Xu’s wife is here? Come inside.” Zhou Guoping helped take out a few oranges from home to entertain her. “Have some fruit. These were picked up by the other drivers at the city entrance. They are quite sweet and not sour.” 

“Thank you, Brother Zhou.” 

As a grown man, it wasn’t appropriate for him to get involved in the affairs of the two women, so he turned and went to his son’s room. Before leaving, he reminded Liang Baozhen to feel comfortable at their home and told his wife to take some headache powder when needed and not to endure it blindly. 

After he left, Liang Baozhen started talking to Liu Nianhua. She had met Zhou Guoping before and had always heard from Zhou Yun that their family was loving and caring and was well-known as a good family in the courtyard. Two years ago, when the neighborhood office selected the “Model Families,” Zhou Guoping and Liu Nianhua’s family were chosen. Now, a red plaque with yellow characters was still posted on their gate; it says, “Model Family.” 

When she saw him today, it was just as the rumors said. 

“Sister Hua, do you have a headache? Brother Zhou really cares about you.” 

Liu Nianhua nodded, pressing her temple with a bit of discomfort. “It’s an old problem, I always get headaches, I can only take some headache powder to relieve it.” 

After Liu Nianhua took the headache powder and looked better, they took apart their work gloves and prepared to knit them again. While working, Liu Nianhua asked about Liang Baozhen’s marriage. 

“How is your married life? I think Xiao Xu is a very nice person. He is always willing to help others, so I think you made the right choice.” 

“He is quite good.” Liang Baozhen thought about Xu Shengjie applying medicine to her and felt her face warm up. She quickly changed the subject. “Sister Hua, when did you get married?” 

“It’s been so many years. I wouldn’t even have remembered it if you hadn’t asked me.” After being married for many years, Liu Nianhua just felt that the days were passing by one by one, and in the blink of an eye, the children were already in elementary school. 

Back then, her father was a bus driver, and her mother was injured after giving birth to Liu Nianhua and could no longer have children. She was their only child, and their family lived a good life, but Zhou Guoping was from a poor family, the eldest among many siblings. 

At that time, both her parents were not very agreeable about the two being together, but Liu Nianhua felt that Zhou Guoping was good to her and insisted on marrying him. They were married for nearly ten years, and Zhou Guoping took over his father’s job as a bus driver. 

“Everyone in the courtyard says that your family is the best and you were even chosen as a Model Family.” Liang Baozhen had found it a bit strange when she first saw Liu Nianhua wearing patched clothes. Logically, her family’s conditions shouldn’t be that bad. Later, she learned from her grandmother that Liu Nianhua had always been frugal and liked to save money to dress her husband and children well, and she didn’t buy much cloth to make new clothes for herself. 

When talking about the Model Family, Liu Nianhua smiled shyly, which was rare for her. It was indeed a source of family pride. She remembered that when the neighborhood office came to present the award, many people came to watch and said that she had found a good man, and her children were sensible. 

As they chatted and handled the gloves, they quickly finished taking them apart. One person worked the yarn into balls with both hands while the other person knitted the gloves. 

“In winter, washing clothes can freeze your hands, and frostbite is both itchy and uncomfortable. A pair of gloves is really helpful for getting through the winter.” Liu Nianhua had plenty of experience, and although it’s still summer just thinking about it made her fingers itch. 

Liang Baozhen had rarely suffered from frostbite in winter before. At that time, Liang Zhigao and Liang Baojun were responsible for washing clothes. Song Chunhua was worried about her daughters’ hands and said that the father and son had thick skin, and they were not afraid of the cold. 

“Sister Hua, then you should let Brother Zhou wash it. Men are not afraid of the cold.” 

Liu Nianhua was stunned, then shook her head. “I’m just at home.” 

In the blink of an eye, it was eleven o’clock. Liang Baozhen packed her things and prepared to go home to make lunch. She stood up to say goodbye to Liu Nianhua and then said goodbye to Zhou Guoping, who was staying in the room. 

“Xiao Xu’s wife, please have dinner before you leave.” Zhou Guoping was hospitable and smiled as he tried to keep her. 

“Yes, we still have some wild vegetable pancakes that we made yesterday. You can eat them here.” 

Despite their insistence, Liang Baozhen firmly declined. “No, Grandma will be back soon, and I can just heat up a dish when I get home. You two enjoy your meal. I’ll be on my way and won’t disturb you any longer.” 

“Alright then. Let’s arrange to knit together again tomorrow.” 

Zhou Guoping walked to the door to see Liang Baozhen off. “Okay, take care. Come by when you have time.” 

After Liang Baozhen left, Liu Nianhua went to the stove to cook, but saw Zhou Guoping, who had been smiling a moment ago, turn serious. “You should keep your distance from Xiao Xu’s wife in the future.” 

Liu Nianhua’s heart tightened as she looked at her husband and stammered, “Baozhen is really nice…” 

“Nice, what’s so nice about her?” Zhou Guoping walked into the house while grumbling, “She’s from the countryside, and she doesn’t have a job. What’s the point of you hanging out with her all day?” 

Noticing Liu Nianhua’s displeased expression. Zhou Guoping sighed and continued, “You’re not working either and just stayed at home all day. When you have time, go and talk to those who have jobs in our courtyard, like Cheng Caili. She’s a salesperson in the supply and marketing cooperative. If you have a good relationship, wouldn’t it be more convenient to buy some defective goods? And there’s also Aunt Zhang, who has many relatives and is quite well-connected. Don’t spend all your time with this country woman.” 

Cheng Caili? Liu Nianhua was gentle, and Cheng Caili was outspoken and sometimes a bit aggressive. They didn’t have any conflicts but weren’t very close either. However, Liu Nianhua felt an immediate connection with Liang Baozhen when they first met, and their conversations flowed easily. Since she had just moved into the courtyard and Zhou Yun had been very supportive, it felt natural to get along well with her granddaughter-in-law. 

“I just knitted a pair of gloves with Baozhen, what’s the big deal?” 

“Think about it yourself. Don’t waste your time on this. Even if you want to make friends, you have to find someone who has a job and is capable.” 

*** 

Thinking about Liang Baozhen’s work, Xu Shengjie visited Xue Lijun, the director of the Second Factory, in the afternoon during his free time. 

Xue Lijun had just returned to the factory from a business trip to the neighboring city, and there was already a pile of things waiting for him on his desk. 

“Director Xue.” Xu Shengjie knocked on the wooden door of the office several times and walked in after receiving a response. 

Xue Lijun, who had his hair combed back and was dressed smartly, was drinking tea from an enamel cup. When he saw Xu Shengjie coming in, he smiled and said, “Ah, it’s Xiaojie, I heard you got married recently? Congratulations.” 

At that time, Xue Lijun and Xu Shengjie’s father were of similar age and were quite familiar with each other. Although they had no contact after his death, he knew Xu Shengjie. He was a very capable man. After serving in the military for a few years, he really made a name for himself. He was much better than his disappointing son. 

“Thank you, Director Xue.” Xu Shengjie then smoothly transitioned to talking about Liang Baozhen. He places a document in front of Xue Lijun. “My family had a job spot that needed someone to take over. Now that I’m married, I want to take the job back and let my wife come to the factory. This is the information of my wife Liang Baozhen.” 

Xue Lijun naturally understood. He heard that Xu Shengjie married a country girl. Country people are not registered in the city and can’t receive the monthly grain ration. They have to buy it separately. This situation is definitely not as advantageous as having a job. 

Aside from making the family’s finances a bit more comfortable, it could also resolve the household registration issue. 

“I remember that this happened, but it’s been a long time, and I can’t remember which workshop it happened in.” 

“Ding Xiaoxia from the 3rd Spinning Workshop.” 

“Alright, I’ll look through the files later. If everything is in order, I can transfer the position to your family and will notify you in a few days.” 

“Thank you, Director Xue.” 

After Xu Shengjie left the office, Xue Lijun continued writing some documents, then got up to search through the glass cabinet by the office wall. He finally found the employment file from eleven years ago for Ding Xiaoxia, who temporarily occupied Xu’s family’s job quota. 

Taking out the file, Xue Lijun reviewed it for a while and felt there were no issues. He pulled out a sheet of paper to write a work description for Liang Baozhen and Ding Xiaoxia. 

Knock, knock, knock. 

His office was bustling today. Xue Lijun looked up and saw that it was Chen Siming, the son of the factory director. 

Recently, the Chen family was in a lot of trouble. Chen Siming, the son of the factory director and the head of the purchasing office, had been arrested by the Revolutionary Committee due to issues with his conduct and was subjected to reeducation and reform. Not long after, he married a girl from the countryside and became the most talked-about figure among the workers of the State Cotton Factory. 

“Director Chen,” though Xue Lijun was more than ten years older than Chen Siming and had more seniority at the State Cotton Factory, he knew how to speak appropriately to different people. 

The words “Director Chen” softened Chen Siming’s expression. 

Chen Siming had just returned to his original position yesterday and resumed his duties in the purchasing office. With the turmoil over, he was finally able to see the light at the end of the tunnel and was in a good mood, though no one dared to discuss his situation openly at the factory. 

“Director Xue, you just got back, right?” Chen Siming sat opposite Xue Lijun and chatted with him, “I just got back too.” 

“What a coincidence! I just returned to the city yesterday. We can have dinner together when we have time.” 

“Sure.” Chen Siming had a purpose in coming here. Dong Jiayan was pestering him to arrange a temporary worker position in the factory for her relatives. As the son of the factory director, it would be embarrassing if he couldn’t handle such a matter. Therefore, he sought out Xue Lijun, the director of the factory office. “Director Xue, I actually came here to ask you for a favor today.” 

“Oh, don’t mention it. Just tell me what you need, and if it’s possible, I will definitely help.” 

“Can we possibly free up a temporary worker quota in our factory? I have a relative who wants to come in.” 

How could any relative of the Chen family have to find him in this matter? Xue Lijun knew it had to be the country wife causing trouble. “Regarding this matter… The factory hasn’t planned to hire temporary workers recently.” 

“That’s why I’m asking for your help. Normally, I wouldn’t be able to ask anyone else, but you have this capability.” 

“Hahaha, Director Chen, you’re flattering me. I don’t have such ability.” Xue Lijun looked at Chen Siming. He didn’t care about this man at all, but since he was the factory director’s son, it wouldn’t be wise to offend him. “But since you’ve asked personally, I will certainly help. Wait for the good news in a few days.” 

“Thank you, Director Xue. You’re truly generous.” Chen Siming felt proud, especially when Dong Jiayan said before leaving that she didn’t know whether he, who had just resumed his original position, could have a say in the factory. This was a thorn in his heart. Now he could see clearly that Xue Lijun, an old veteran, still saved his face, and he was still the glorious son of the factory director and the head of the purchasing office of the State Cotton Factory. 

“Then I won’t bother you anymore. You are busy.” 

“Alright, take care.” 

As Chen Siming was about to leave and exchanged a few pleasantries with Xue Lijun, he happened to glance at the sheet of paper on the desk, where Liang Baozhen’s name was prominently listed. 

“Director Xue, what’s this?” Chen Siming’s eyes narrowed as he stared intently at the paper. 

“Oh, this?” Xue Lijun pointed at the list and casually said, “It’s the changes in the workers’ positions.” 

Chen Siming sneered, “Director Xue, changes in work positions, especially for someone from the countryside, should be handled with caution. Don’t let it affect your work arrangements.” 

The author has something to say: 

Liang Baozhen: Men who apply medicine seriously are quite handsome 

Xu Shengjie: Is there anyone who dares to push my wife?! Wait!