Chapter 35: Each Generation Surpasses the Previous One

Su Xiaoli opened her eyes too. Seeing Tang Feng’s reaction, she couldn’t help but laugh. Tang Feng’s mother came in from outside. “Xiaoli, what are you laughing at?” Tang Feng’s mother asked, puzzled.

“It’s nothing,” Su Xiaoli shook her head and asked, “Aunt, why did you come back so early?”

“Isn’t little Feng inviting us to dinner tonight? I came back to see if there’s anything I can help with,” Tang Feng’s mother answered.

“You don’t need to lift a finger; just wait to eat. I’ll go buy some groceries first, and we can talk when I get back,” Tang Feng said before leaving the house.

“Take your time!” Tang Feng’s mother called after him.

“I know!” Tang Feng’s voice came from afar.

“Aunt, please have a seat!” Su Xiaoli hurriedly invited.

Tang Feng’s mother sat down beside her. “Xiaoli, was the lunch today really made by little Feng?” Tang Feng’s mother asked with a smile.

“Yes,” Su Xiaoli nodded, “I watched him make it.”

“It’s strange. He never cooks at home. When did he learn to cook?” Tang Feng’s mother wondered.

“I don’t know either. Maybe he has been practicing secretly, aiming to give everyone a big surprise,” Su Xiaoli guessed.

“This child, when did he become like this. Not only in studying but also in cooking,” Tang Feng’s mother couldn’t help but shake her head.

“Maybe he really enjoys these moments. Honestly, I’ve dreamt of doing such things too,” Su Xiaoli admitted somewhat shyly.

“You young people these days are really hard to understand.”

“Auntie, didn’t you want to do this when you were young?” Su Xiaoli asked with a smile.

“I never thought about it. When I was in school, my family was very poor, I didn’t have the mind to think about these things,” Tang’s mother replied.

“It seems not many families were well-off at your time,” Su Xiaoli noted.

“Yes, especially in the countryside, the conditions were very poor. Every time I went to school, I would carry a half bag of dried sweet potatoes. Eating from one meal to the next, now I feel nauseous at the sight of sweet potatoes,” Tang Feng’s mother said, shaking her head in sigh.

She attended school in the late seventies, having to walk from the village to the high school in the District every week.

The round trip was about thirty-six kilometers.

She also had to help with household chores on the weekends.

The difficulty of life back then was evident.

“I also heard from my dad. He used to eat dried sweet potatoes every day, only getting to eat white flour dumplings during the New Year,” Su Xiaoli shared.

“Our family couldn’t even afford white flour dumplings for New Year’s. We made dumplings mixed with white flour and sweet potato flour. Two pounds of white flour for a family of eight wasn’t enough,” Tang Feng’s mother responded.

“Did I hear that right? Auntie, does your family really have so many people?” Su Xiaoli was taken aback.

“I’m the eldest in my family. I have two younger brothers and three younger sisters. Plus, my parents, that makes eight,” Tang Feng’s mother explained.

“Your family really has many people. My dad has four siblings, which is fewer than your family,” Su Xiaoli said.

“It’s okay. My in-laws also had six children. In those days, having children was beneficial. Having a child meant an additional ration of food. Since children eat less, adults could benefit from it,” Tang Feng’s mother explained.

“Still, raising so many children was not easy. In today’s era, no one wants so many children.”

“Yes, so everyone had a hard life. By your generation, the number of children significantly decreased. For us working in the District, it was usually one child. Even in the countryside, it was two at most. Having three became very rare.”

“So our generation is much happier compared to yours,” Su Xiaoli said with a shy smile.

“Definitely. From the time you were born, you could eat white flour buns. There were also calcium biscuits and pineapple beans, which weren’t very common but available. Your childhood compared to ours is like heaven and earth.”

“So we cherish our lives now.”

“Yes,” Tang’s mother nodded, “I believe the next generation will have an even better life.”

Time passed by the minute. Soon, Tang Feng returned with bags full of groceries. Su Xiaoli quickly went forward to take them from his hands. Tang Feng’s mother also stood up and asked, “Little Feng, why did you buy so much?”

“I’m going to cook a feast,” Tang Feng replied.

“Where did you get so much money?” Tang Feng’s mother continued to inquire.

“Some of the money Dad gave me when we went to the Daocheng District is still left. And just now, when I passed by the supermarket, Dad gave me another hundred,” he explained.

“But if you make so much food and we can’t finish it, what then?” Tang feng’s mother worried.

“It won’t happen,” Tang Feng shook his head, “With five of us, eight dishes and one soup, we can definitely finish it.”

“Auntie, don’t worry. If there’s any leftover, I’ll eat it with him,” Su Xiaoli quickly promised.

Tang Feng gave her a glance. To him, that was such a warm statement! Tang Feng’s mother didn’t say anything, just smiled. She understood the meaning behind Su Xiaoli’s words. She was genuinely happy. No matter what, Su Xiaoli’s willingness to say such things showed she truly cared for her son.

“Mom, Xiaoli, I’ll go cook. You two keep talking,” Tang Feng said and went into the kitchen. Soon, the sound of chopping and cooking came from the kitchen. Su Xiaoli tried to help in the kitchen but was chased out by Tang Feng. After a while, delicious aromas wafted out.

“It smells so good!” Su Xiaoli couldn’t help but swallow her saliva. The meal took over two hours to prepare. When Tang Feng finally brought all eight dishes and one soup to the table, Tang Long and Su Gang had also returned home. Su Gang carried wine and cigarettes in his hands. Su Xiaoli went forward to take them, acting as if she was at her own home.

“Little Feng, did you make all these dishes?” Tang Long asked in shock.

“Yes!” Tang Feng nodded, “Try them and see how they taste.”

“Little Feng, I really didn’t expect you to be so talented! To make such a table full of dishes!” Su Gang also couldn’t help but exclaim.

Tang Feng just smiled.

Everyone washed their hands and sat down at the table. “Old Su, what would you like to drink?” Tang Long asked.

“Give me a glass of the white,” Su Gang replied.

Tang Long first poured him a glass of Moutai liquor, then poured one for himself. “Little Feng, do you want some?” Su Gang offered.

“No,” Tang Feng shook his head, “I’ll just drink tea.”

“That’s good. Alcohol isn’t anything good, drinking too much can lead to mistakes,” Su Gang laughed.

“Come on, try my son’s cooking!” Tang Long invited.

Everyone started to eat, leading to another round of praises.

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