Chapter 21

“More!” Huazi finished eating and shouted, “Mom! I want more!”

Sister Yang said, “Wait.”

She went into the kitchen and soon came out again. “Why is it gone?”

A bit puzzled, she saw them being made earlier in the morning; it should be enough.

Lin Xixi’s face tightened.

She wanted to make more, but in this era, unlike the 80s and 90s, the amount of rice and flour is strictly regulated. When making pancakes in the morning, her aunt was watching, and when she tried to scoop more flour, her aunt insisted, “Enough, it’s enough.”

This resulted in her not being able to make more. She took some to give to Yan Lei, leaving not enough for herself. This little guy can really eat.

Lin Xixi hurriedly said, “Uncle ate a lot.”

“This rascal!” Sister Yang scolded, “doesn’t know to leave some for the kids.”

Yan Lei waited at the intersection for a while, and the other three also arrived. When the car arrived, Captain Zhao ran over. The five cadres were all present, and they left together in one car.

As soon as they got in the car, Yan Lei didn’t have a chance to talk to Captain Zhao yet, and Captain Ma twitched his nose and asked, “What’s that smell?”

Captain Xue and Captain Wang also said, “It smells like baked goods.”

Everyone’s eyes fell on the lunch box in Yan Lei’s hand. “What kind of pastry is it? It smells good.”

Captain Ma patted his stomach. “Smells so good; I haven’t had breakfast yet.”

Yan Lei handed it over and said, “You can have it.”

Captain Ma chuckled. “Then I won’t be polite.”

Opening the lid, he saw that the pancakes were cut into pieces, making it convenient to hold. He picked up a piece and took a big bite. “Not bad!”

Captains Xue and Wang, seeing him enjoy it, couldn’t resist, and each took a piece and said, “I’ll have some too.”

They also invited Captain Zhao to join. Captain Zhao waved his hand. “I don’t need it; I just had breakfast.”

Captain Ma, eating and praising, said, “These pancakes are skillfully made and delicious!”

Captain Zhao continued to wave his hand. “Even if it’s delicious, I can’t eat it; I had scallion pancakes for breakfast. Save a piece for Xiao Zhang. Oh, Yan hasn’t eaten yet.”

Captain Ma said, “Later, I’ll buy a big roll steamed bun for Yan in the cafeteria!”

Yan Lei said, “No need; I’ve had breakfast.”

As Xiao Zhang drove and laughed, “Leaders, save a piece for me! Save a piece for me! It smells so good!”

Everyone laughed heartily.

Captain Ma finished eating, wiped his mouth, and thanked Yan Lei, “Thanks a lot.”

But Yan Lei waved his hand and said, “Don’t thank me; it’s from Old Zhao’s family.”

Captain Zhao said, “?”

Yan Lei told Captain Zhao, “Thank my sister-in-law for me; she wanted to send me some pastries. Coincidentally, my wife made porridge and fried eggs for me this morning, and I ate until I was full. I really can’t eat anymore.”

When he mentioned “my wife made porridge and fried eggs,” Yan Lei stood tall, chest out, and spirit lifted.

Captain Ma laughed and teased, “Oh, the sun is rising in the west.”

Everyone knew that Yan Lei and his wife had a bad relationship, and he usually ate at the cafeteria.

Captain Xue kicked him. Captain Ma hurriedly said, “Just kidding, just kidding.”

Yan Lei was in a good mood this morning and didn’t mind. “People can progress; how can we always judge others with our past views?”

As he spoke, he returned the lunchbox to Captain Zhao, saying, “Take it back directly. Remember to thank my sister-in-law for me.”

Captain Zhao was a rough man, and Yan Lei didn’t think he could be so thoughtful to have Lin Xixi bring pastries for him. It must be Sister Yang.

Even Qiao Wei, who couldn’t get along with others, admitted that Sister Yang was a good person and reliable.

Captain Zhao knew how busy his wife was in the morning. Thinking that he hadn’t seen her all morning and Lin Xixi had run outside, he looked at Yan Lei’s energetic face…

The insight of an experienced person.

No wonder his wife had been nagging at him yesterday, saying that Xixi had grown up, looked handsome, and quickly introduced her to a good match. Everyone would be at ease.

Indeed, when a girl grows up, starting to be interested in romance is not a big deal. Just don’t find a married man!

Captain Zhao couldn’t ruin his own reputation, so he took the lunchbox, pretending to be indifferent, and said, “There’s nothing to thank for. You don’t know what kind of person your sister-in-law is.”

He would scold that stubborn girl when he got home!

Today, Qiao Wei left early.

After waiting for Yan Xiang to have breakfast, the two of them held hands and went straight to the farmer’s market!

In this era, when buying meat, it’s not about choosing the piece you want; it depends on the mood of the vendor. The vendor gives you the piece they cut, and you can only buy that piece.

Don’t want to buy? Tough luck; don’t block the people behind you in line.

If you encounter an industrious vendor who has already cut the meat and displayed it, you can still pick and choose. If the vendor is lazy or has a bad attitude, it’s cut on the spot, and you can’t pick.

The meat seller in the town’s farmer’s market was the lazy type. Qiao Wei had already experienced it yesterday, so today, to ensure she got the meat she wanted, she specifically bought a large piece.

The middle-aged women behind in the queue were not happy. “Why are you buying so much alone?”

Every day, there’s a limited amount of meat. If the person in front buys a lot, the person behind may not be able to buy any.

The lazy vendor who liked to stir up trouble chuckled, “I have plenty of meat tickets.”

Qiao Wei, with her charming smile, said, “We have guests at home.”

Her beauty and good attitude made the aunties stop complaining and start murmuring instead.

However, beautiful people tend to leave a lasting impression. Someone recognized her and asked, “Wasn’t she the one who bought so much meat yesterday?”

Oh my, buying a bit more meat is not allowed. Qiao Wei quickly walked away, holding Yan Xiang.

Yan Xiang asked, “Mom, are we having guests at home?”

“Hush.” Qiao Wei winked at Yan Xiang. “Mom is deceiving them. Actually, Mom wants to make fried oil residue.”

Frying oil residue and refining pig oil require a bit more fatty meat. However, people nowadays prefer lean meat over fat, and fatty meat is in high demand. To get a bit more fatty meat, they had to buy more.

And Yan Xiang had no idea what the oil residue was.

“Anyway, it’s something delicious.”

“Fried eggs are delicious too! I like soft-boiled eggs!”

Like a father, like a son. Yan Xiang, just like his dad, loved soft-boiled eggs.

“Oil residue is even more delicious.” Qiao Wei swung Yan Xiang’s hand. “Come, let’s buy vegetables!”

On the way home, passing by the Supply and Marketing Cooperative retail store, they were originally about to walk past, but Qiao Wei glanced inside and seemed to see something. She suddenly grabbed Yan Xiang and dragged him into the store.

“Comrade, comrade, I want that!” Qiao Wei’s eyes lit up.

Yan Xiang’s eyes also sparkled. “Wow, canned peaches!”

A row of canned peaches gleamed on the shelf.

“Why didn’t I see them yesterday? Did I come too late, and they were all sold out?” she asked.

The market is such that if you go late, you might miss out on some things, like meat or fruit. If that’s the case, she’ll have to get up earlier in the future.

The vendor sneered, “Do you think they sell every day? They arrived yesterday afternoon, only two boxes in total, and we didn’t even want to display them. You came in just as we put them out. You, this lady, are really lucky.”

Canned peaches are considered a luxury item, and they are not always available. It depends on luck.

Understanding this, Qiao Wei asked, “Can I buy a whole box?”

The vendor laughed heartily, “You can take both boxes.”

In the future, buying things by the box from a supermarket would be normal, so Qiao Wei believed it and actually took out her wallet. The vendor was dumbfounded. “Are you serious?”

Qiao Wei was also dumbfounded. “Aren’t you serious?”

The two stared at each other.

“You, this lady, are quite amusing.” The vendor sweated on his forehead. “You bought everything; what will others buy? You can’t be so selfish.”

Qiao Wei was greatly disappointed, and she tried tentatively, “Then… can I take ten bottles?”

The vendor didn’t say anything; she just stared!

Helplessly, Qiao Wei asked, “Well, how many bottles can I buy?”

The vendor said, “There are a total of twenty bottles. One person can buy a maximum of two bottles, not more.”

But early in the morning, there was no one at the retail store.

Qiao Wei wasn’t such a rigid person. She rolled her eyes, opened her wallet, and whispered, “Comrade, I have surplus food coupons at home that I can’t use. You see if you need them…”

The vendor waved his hand and said, “What are you doing? What are you doing? Don’t use these tactics here.”

Qiao Wei didn’t give up. “Meat coupons? Cloth coupons?”

“We have plenty of coupons. A cadre’s family, right?” The vendor puffed out his chest. “Comrade, let me tell you, don’t use these tactics with me… Hey? Hey? Industrial coupons too?”

Qiao Wei, being out for the first time yesterday, had gathered various types of certificates. Upon hearing this, she immediately took out the industrial coupons and asked, “Yes, Comrade, what do you need to buy at your home?”

“Well, uh, the child wants a pair of rubber shoes.” The vendor’s voice softened, and he no longer refused. “Just one more industrial coupon is needed…”

Industrial coupons are much rarer than food and oil coupons. Industrial coupons are allocated based on wages, with one industrial coupon for every 20 yuan of wages. However, everything from towels, handkerchiefs, shoes, and umbrellas to pots and pans requires industrial coupons.

Yan Lei had a high salary, so he had more industrial coupons. With a small family of three, the daily needs were limited, resulting in an excess of industrial coupons.

Qiao Wei, with a smile, placed two industrial coupons on the counter and pushed them forward. “You reminded me. I also need to buy a pair of shoes.”

One coupon was enough to buy shoes, but she pushed forward with two.

The vendor looked around, covered the two industrial coupons with his hand, and coughed, asking her, “How many bottles do you want?”

…

In this way, Qiao Wei returned home with a pair of rubber shoes and four bottles of canned peaches.

The reason she didn’t ask for more was that she realized it was too heavy when she was loading it into the vegetable basket. The glass jars were heavy, and they were filled with syrup. She had also bought vegetables and meat from the farmer’s market, making them impossible for her to carry.

The vendor also specifically warned her, “Cover it with vegetables and don’t let others see it.”

He also said, “Keep it low-key. Just enjoy it at home and don’t show off.”

While he spoke, he kept looking around, afraid that other customers might come in at this time.

Well, buying canned fruit had to be done secretly, like a thief.