Chapter 11: Eating Shrimp

On the other side, inside the Personnel Department of the Logistics Office.

Xiao Zhang let Meng Yufei sit in her chair to fill out a form. She took a few coconut candies from the desk drawer, peeled one, and brought it to Xia Qinqin’s mouth.

“Ah… open your mouth, this is coconut candy. I don’t know if you’ve ever had it before, but it’s a local specialty here.”

Xia Qinqin gently twitched her nose, the fragrant coconut smell with a hint of sweetness wafted toward her, and she couldn’t help but open her little mouth.

Xiao Zhang smiled and asked, “Is it good?”

“Mm, it’s really good.”

With the candy in her mouth, Xia Qinqin puffed her cheeks and nodded in a muffled voice.

“That’s great. Take the rest and eat them if you like. If you enjoy it, Auntie will bring some more next time.”

Xiao Zhang handed all the remaining candies to Xia Qinqin. When she saw that the little hands couldn’t hold them all, she put them in the small pockets on either side of Xia Qinqin’s skirt.

Xia Qinqin ran to her mother, pointed at her mother’s bag, and said, “Mom, give me the White Rabbit candy.”

Meng Yufei, who was filling out the form, understood what she wanted, and directly handed the bag to her daughter.

Xia Qinqin skillfully rummaged through the bag, took out a few White Rabbit milk candies, and handed them to Xiao Zhang, saying, “Auntie, I’m giving you some candy.”

Xiao Zhang was momentarily stunned, then couldn’t help but squat down and hug Xia Qinqin, saying, “Ah, how are you so well-behaved?”

With a serious expression, Xia Qinqin said, “Auntie gave me coconut candy, so I’m giving Auntie White Rabbit milk candy.”

Xiao Zhang smiled and accepted, “Alright, thank you, Qinqin. Next time, Auntie will bring you some more tasty treats.”

The two, one big and one small, solemnly made their little agreement.

Meng Yufei finished filling out the form, stood up, and handed it to Xiao Zhang. Xiao Zhang checked it over, confirming everything was in order, and successfully processed the ration book transfer for them.

“Alright, starting from the end of this month, you can collect your coupons directly at the family compound here,” Xiao Zhang handed the new ration book to Meng Yufei.

Taking the ration book, Meng Yufei put it in her bag. “Thank you.”

Xiao Zhang smiled and said, “Sister Meng, you’re being too formal. But,” she leaned close to Meng Yufei and whispered, “The coupons for the end of this month probably won’t be issued on time. Accountant Zhou from the finance department resigned yesterday.”

Meng Yufei was surprised. “What?”

Xiao Zhang said, “But don’t worry too much. I’m just telling you this so you can be prepared. Our family compound are attached to the military, so we won’t be left out. It will just be delayed.”

Meng Yufei nodded. “That’s true. In the end, the military will make sure we’re taken care of.”

She glanced at her watch. It was nearly 9 o’clock.

She said to Xiao Zhang, “I won’t keep you from your work. We’ll be leaving now.” Then she looked down at her daughter. “Qinqin, say goodbye to Auntie.”

Xia Qinqin still had the coconut candy in her mouth. She raised her arm and waved, saying, “Auntie, goodbye.”

Xiao Zhang smiled and said to the two of them, “Goodbye, come visit me when you have time.”

After leaving the Logistics Office, Meng Yufei took Xia Qinqin to the supply and marketing cooperative to pick up the pineapple she had ordered from the fruit stall yesterday.

Outside the cooperative, it was similar to yesterday, with not many people in line. Most people preferred to go out early in the morning to buy groceries, so there were few people like Meng Yufei who went out around eight or nine to shop.

Zheng Sanmei, the fruit vendor, quickly spotted Meng Yufei walking over and greeted her enthusiastically, “Sister, you’re here! I specially picked a pineapple for you this morning. It’s guaranteed to be sweet and juicy.”

She took out a pineapple from the bamboo basket behind her. “Sister, look, this one is bigger than the ones from other places. We call it ‘fengli’ here.”

“Why is it called ‘fengli’?” Xia Qinqin stared at the pineapple in her hand and tilted her head, asking curiously.

Zheng Sanmei explained, “Look at the leaves on top. Don’t they look like the tail of a phoenix?”

Xia Qinqin blinked and asked, “What’s a phoenix?”

Zheng Sanmei: “…”

Meng Yufei laughed and said, “A phoenix is a type of bird. You see, the leaves look like the tail of a bird.”

Xia Qinqin nodded. “Oh~”

Meng Yufei took the pineapple and asked, “How much is this?”

Zheng Sanmei replied, “Fifty cents. Our pineapples are sold by the piece, the big ones are sixty cents, and the small ones are fifty cents. But the taste is the same.”

Meng Yufei quickly paid. “Can you save a coconut for me tomorrow?”

She had tried coconut chicken at the cafeteria yesterday and was curious about the taste of coconut.

Zheng Sanmei eagerly nodded. “Sure, no problem. Don’t worry, I’ll personally pick out a big and sweet one for you.”

She thought to herself, feeling happy: Another deal made! Looks like this sister is really a big customer, haha. I’m really suited for this job, the captain definitely made the right choice by picking me.

After leaving the fruit stall, Xia Qinqin kept looking curiously at the pineapple in Meng Yufei’s hand, walking around her.

Meng Yufei smiled and said, “This is heavy. Look at the leaves on top, it could prick your hand. You can’t carry it, I’ll let you see it properly when we get home.”

Xia Qinqin said, “Mom, this pineapple is so big, it’s like a lantern. Hmm, I wonder if strawberries taste better.” She was still thinking about the strawberries from yesterday.

Meng Yufei replied, “I’ve never had them either. Let’s try them together when we get home.”

Xia Qinqin cheerfully said, “Yes, we’ll eat them together with Dad when he gets off work.”

Meng Yufei paused slightly, then smiled and replied, “Alright.”

As they passed by the vegetable stall, the meat had already sold out early. However, the fresh, lively shrimp in the wooden basin caught Meng Yufei’s attention.

“How much are these shrimp? Do I need a coupon?” Meng Yufei stopped and asked.

“Seventy cents per pound, no coupon needed. They were just caught from the sea this morning.”

Upon hearing that no coupon was required, Meng Yufei immediately said, “Then weigh me a pound.”

After buying the shrimp, Meng Yufei also bought two stalks of green onions and a piece of ginger to remove the fishy smell from the shrimp.

Entering the supply and marketing cooperative, Zhao Meixia, who was behind the counter, was busy weighing white sugar for a customer. She saw Meng Yufei coming in and quickly smiled, saying, “Sister, you’re here! Please wait a moment, I’ll be with you as soon as I’m done here.”

Meng Yufei replied, “You go ahead, I want to take a look at some fabric.”

Zhao Meixia pointed to the counter on the east side and said, “The fabric is over there. Take a look at the patterns.”

Meng Yufei walked over and saw seven or eight rolls of fabric on the counter, in different colors and materials. She touched them and could tell they were cotton, linen, and blended fabrics.

Once Zhao Meixia finished with her customer, she came over and asked, “Sister, what kind of fabric are you looking for?”

Meng Yufei pointed to a light green floral blended fabric and said, “Please cut me three pieces of this, each five feet long.”

She planned to use this fabric for curtains since the windows in the living room and two bedrooms were bare.

She then pointed to a blue linen fabric and said, “Please cut me seven feet of this.” This one was for making sofa covers.

“Okay, I’ll cut it for you now.” Zhao Meixia grabbed the scissors from under the counter, used a ruler to measure, and marked the fabric with chalk before quickly cutting it.

Both fabrics were made by the local textile factory, so they were relatively cheap. The blended fabric was 1.35 yuan per foot, and the linen fabric was 1.30 yuan per foot.

The total cost was 7.35 yuan, and the good news was that the linen fabric only required half the fabric coupons.

Holding a bundle of fabric in her right hand and the pineapple and shrimp in her left, Meng Yufei casually carried everything as she walked home with Xia Qinqin along the stone path.

Once home, she placed the fabric on the sofa and the pineapple on the dining table. She then took a basin, placed the shrimp inside, and went to the outdoor faucet to wash them.

Xia Qinqin squatted beside the basin, staring at the shrimp, and couldn’t help but reach out to touch one. The shrimp jumped, and she quickly pulled her hand back in fright.

“Mom, do they bite?”

Meng Yufei held up a shrimp and pointed to its pincers. “They don’t bite, but these pincers can pinch you.”

“Won’t you be scared of them pinching you, Mom?”

Meng Yufei held the shrimp with one hand and used a brush to clean it with the other, smiling as she said, “Look, I’m holding it by its back, so its claws can’t reach me.”

Xia Qinqin exclaimed, “Mom, you’re so amazing.”

After washing all the shrimp, it was almost 11:00.

Meng Yufei started the coal stove, filled the pot with half a pot of water, and waited for it to heat up and start bubbling. When the water was almost boiling, she added the shrimp, along with the green onions and ginger slices, and then covered the pot.

After about five minutes, she opened the lid, and the shrimp had turned red. She took them out and rinsed them with cold water to make the meat firmer.

This dish was simple and convenient, retaining the shrimp’s freshness. However, it required the shrimp to be very fresh, or it would easily develop a fishy taste.

She placed the shrimp on the dining table and covered them with a large plate. Glancing at her watch, it was already 11:30.

She took the money and coupons and went to the cafeteria to order a dish of winter melon with pork, a dish of braised eggplant, and a bowl of white rice for one jiao.

When Xia Junshan entered the house, he saw his daughter squatting on the grass in the yard.

“Qinqin, what are you doing?” Xia Junshan asked aloud.

Hearing his voice, Xia Qinqin looked up, her eyes brightening. She got up and ran over, cheerfully saying, “Dad, you’re back!”

Xia Junshan smiled, his eyes narrowing as he squatted down and hugged his daughter who had pounced into his arms. “Eh, Qinqin, did you miss your dad?”

“Yes!” Xia Qinqin nodded seriously. “Mom and I were waiting for you to come back and eat pineapple. Auntie said that pineapple is called ‘fengli’ because its leaves look like the tail of a phoenix. A phoenix is a little bird…”

She chattered on, and Xia Junshan listened and smiled while holding her as they walked into the house.

Meng Yufei was arranging the bowls and chopsticks at the dining table. “You’re back, wash your hands quickly, dinner is ready.”

Xia Junshan looked at his busy wife in the living room, and the clear, childish voice of his daughter filled the house, which had once felt empty but now was full of warmth and contentment.

“Why are you standing there with a silly smile?” Meng Yufei glared at him. “Take Qinqin and wash your hands.”

“Okay,” Xia Junshan replied.

He put down his briefcase and, holding his daughter, walked to the outdoor faucet to wash their hands.

After Xia Qinqin washed her hands, she skipped into the house and pointed to the pineapple on the table. “Mom, let’s eat the pineapple quickly!”

Meng Yufei replied, “First, eat your meal. We’ll have the pineapple after.”

“Ah…” Xia Qinqin pouted unhappily. “I want to eat it now…” She stood there grumbling.

Xia Junshan said, “How about we cut it first?”

Xia Qinqin looked at her father with gratitude, then turned to her mother with eager eyes.

Meng Yufei refused, “No, you forgot what happened last night? If we eat fruit first, we won’t have room for dinner.”

“…” Xia Junshan looked at his daughter shrugging her shoulders. “If mom doesn’t agree, let’s eat dinner first.”

Xia Qinqin sighed in disappointment. “Okay…” She realized that Dad had to listen to mom too.

Xia Junshan chuckled at the way she sighed, her little body so expressive. He lifted her onto the chair at the dining table. “Alright, let’s eat quickly, and after dinner, we’ll cut the pineapple.”

Meng Yufei took a small dipping dish, which contained vinegar with a few drops of sesame oil, and placed it next to the boiled shrimp for dipping.

Xia Junshan looked at the boiled shrimp on the table and asked, “Did you make this?”

“Huh? How did you guess?”

In order to make it look better, she had transferred the dishes from the lunchbox that she brought back from the cafeteria into small dishes.

“The chefs at the cafeteria in the family compound like to make braised shrimp and stir-fried shrimp with green onions, but boiled shrimp isn’t their style. Since you went to the supply and marketing cooperative today, I guessed you couldn’t resist buying these fresh shrimp.”

Meng Yufei handed him a bowl of rice. “You guessed it right. Didn’t I say I’d let you try my cooking? Here it is, but I can’t guarantee the taste.”

“It looks refreshing. The color, aroma, and taste all score top marks,” Xia Junshan said as he took the bowl with a smile.

He picked up a shrimp, peeled it, and placed it in Meng Yufei’s bowl. “This first shrimp is thanks to our chef at home today.”

Xia Qinqin, sitting on the chair, watched her parents talk with a smile and clapped her hands in agreement. “Thank you, Mom~”

Xia Junshan peeled another shrimp and placed it in his daughter’s bowl. “This one is a reward for Qinqin, who helped Mom today.”

Xia Qinqin picked up the shrimp, took a big bite, puffed her cheeks, and gave her mother a thumbs-up. “So tasty, Mom’s shrimp is really delicious!”

Meng Yufei smiled as she watched the father and daughter, and she picked up another shrimp and peeled it for both of them.