Chapter 19: Egg Noodles

Meng Yufei explained, “I reviewed the accounts from the past few years. Their usual practice was to compile a list of people who needed additional ration coupons in December each year, and then they would make up for any previous shortages all at once.”

Wang Cuilan said, “That’s just like our salaries, which are also adjusted once a year.”

Meng Yufei nodded, “Yes, this method makes it easier for the finance department. For example, if some people have an increase in March, and others in May, calculating each month would be quite a bit of work. So, it’s better to set a specific time, like June, and then just make up the difference for the people whose coupons were increased in March and May.”

Wang Cuilan nodded repeatedly, understanding. She then asked, “So why weren’t Qin’s family’s coupons increased in December last year?”

Meng Yufei replied, “I looked at last year’s account book. December was when the previous finance section chief and deputy section chief were transitioning. The ration coupon calculation was delayed until the next month, which was January of this year.”

“That means it was two months ago?” Wang Cuilan said. “It’s already the end of March, that’s two months already.”

Meng Yufei said, “I saw on the handover form that the person who signed off at that time was Zheng Meiqin.”

“Right, it was Accountant Zheng. At that time, she was the only one left in the finance department. Accountant Zhou only transferred here last month. So, this really does seem to be unfair to Accountant Zhou,” Wang Cuilan sighed.

After thinking for a moment, she angrily said, “Then why didn’t Sun Dahua mention this earlier?”

Sun Dahua was the family member of Battalion Commander Qin.

Meng Yufei said, “Director Wang, do you know where Accountant Zheng is? After she took over, the accounts seemed to be quite messy. I wanted to ask her about the situation.”

Wang Cuilan replied, “She’s from Qiongzhou, and she went back there last month to have a baby.”

Meng Yufei said, “Then let’s go to Accountant Zhou’s house and ask her about it.”

“Alright, let’s go now,” Wang Cuilan decisively said, immediately getting up to leave.

The two of them, along with Xia Qinqin, went to Accountant Zhou’s house. Since leaving her job, Accountant Zhou had been staying home for the past few days. When she saw Wang Cuilan, her expression wasn’t particularly friendly, but she still invited them inside.

Wang Cuilan pointed to Meng Yufei and said, “Xiao Zhou, this is Meng Yufei, the family member of Regiment Commander Xia. She used to work at a bank. Today, she went to the finance department and reviewed the account book. She clarified everything regarding the previous matters. I apologize, as I was wrong about you earlier, and I’m here to offer my apology today.”

When Wang Cuilan introduced Meng Yufei, Xiao Zhou nodded slightly in acknowledgment. Meng Yufei also smiled and gave a slight nod in return.

Upon hearing the apology, Xiao Zhou quickly said, “Director Wang, you don’t need to apologize. I was also in the wrong, my temper was too quick, and my work ability wasn’t enough. I delayed everyone from receiving their ration coupons.”

Xiao Zhou led them to the couch and poured them some water, also offering Xia Qinqin some coconut candies.

Xia Qinqin happily thanked her while holding the candy, “Thank you, Auntie.”

Once seated, Wang Cuilan spoke up, ” Zhou, there’s something else we wanted to ask you. It’s about Battalion Commander Cao’s family. Do you know anything about the situation?”

Meng Yufei repeated what she had just discussed with Wang Cuilan and added, “So, we wanted to ask if Accountant Zheng said anything to you about Battalion Commander Cao’s family before she left.”

Xiao Zhou shook her head, “No, when I came in, she was about to give birth. She said she wasn’t feeling well and handed me the account book, asking me to look over it first. Then she just went home.”

As she said this, her tone became a bit agitated. “I had never worked as an accountant before, how could I understand it! I didn’t even look at it for two days before people started coming to claim their ration coupons. Oh, you don’t know…”

She sighed deeply, “I only just realized how complicated it is to issue ration coupons! There’s coarse grain coupons given monthly, fine rice coupons given every ten days, fine flour coupons issued every three months, sesame oil coupons given monthly, and meat coupons issued every half month… It’s all so scattered. Oh, right, and for children, it’s different too. There are different coupon amounts for infants, children, teenagers, and adults in each age group. I got so confused, I didn’t even have time to look at the account book!”

She spoke all this in one breath, finally finding someone to complain to.

Wang Cuilan was also stunned after hearing this, her mouth hanging open in surprise, “Goodness, when you calculate it like this, it really is quite complicated.” After thinking for a moment, she asked, “But weren’t there any records of the previous distributions? If there were records, we could just follow what was written.”

Xiao Zhou replied, “The record sheet only had the number of people and their ages for each household. It would just issue the coupons according to the rules, but I didn’t know what the rules were. I couldn’t just give out coupons based on what people said. I wanted to ask Accountant Zheng, but she went to Qiongzhou to have her baby…”

“Ugh, there was nothing I could do, so I had to go through the documents. I didn’t even finish looking through them when the family members started showing up, complaining that I was too slow in issuing the coupons. But what could I do?”

Meng Yufei spoke up, “Indeed, there are issues with the previous account book records. While the total number was correct, some parts that should have been simplified were overly detailed, while some parts that should have been more detailed were too brief.”

Accountant Zhou nodded repeatedly, “Exactly. You said it, I’m not a professional accountant. How could I understand it? I was already stressed, and then when Battalion Commander Cao’s family came over and said all those harsh things, I just lost my temper and argued with them…”

Wang Cuilan said, “Xiao Zhou, now that we understand the situation, the main mistake wasn’t yours. How about you return to the finance department? I’ll go directly to speak with the deputy director.”

Xiao Zhou quickly shook her head in refusal, “No, no! I’m not going back!” She pointed at Meng Yufei and said, “There’s an expert here now. Let’s leave the finance department matters to Mrs. Xia. I really don’t want to do this anymore. If I ever see another account book in my life, I’ll get dizzy!”

Seeing that Wang Cuilan still wanted to speak, Xiao Zhou added, “Director Wang, if you really think I was wronged before, maybe you could let me go back to teaching. I think I’m more suited for that.”

Wang Cuilan saw that Xiao Zhou was determined and nodded, “Alright, if that’s what you want, I’ll speak to the school about it. As for the vacant teaching position, I’ll recommend you.”

Xiao Zhou beamed, “Thank you so much!”

After leaving Xiao Zhou’s house, Wang Cuilan and Meng Yufei took Xia Qinqin to Battalion Commander Qin’s house.

Wang Cuilan entered and immediately asked, “Sun Dahua, did anyone from the finance department tell you that your family’s ration coupons would be made up for in December last year?”

Sun Dahua froze for a moment but nodded, “Yes, they did mention it.”

Wang Cuilan said, “Then you know they were in the middle of handing over work in December, right?” Seeing her nod, Wang Cuilan continued, “Did you go to Accountant Zheng afterward to follow up on your family’s issue?”

Sun Dahua’s eyes shifted uneasily, “Yes, I did. But she kept saying she was too busy and couldn’t deal with my issue. She told me to wait a bit longer. I’ve been waiting for half a year already. When I pressed her, she said she had a stomach ache, but I don’t know if that was true…”

Wang Cuilan frowned, “Then did you go to Xiao Zhou and explain the situation to her in detail?”

Sun Dahua awkwardly replied, “I thought they were all from the finance department, so they should know. I didn’t say anything. Who knew Xiao Zhou had such a temper? I didn’t say anything, but she just exploded.”

Wang Cuilan took a deep breath, sensing that some of her words might not be entirely truthful. It seemed like Sun Dahua was afraid Xiao Zhou would delay things again, so she tried to stir things up. If Xiao Zhou had been easygoing, she might have given her the coupons, but since Xiao Zhou had a short temper and quit her job, Sun Dahua was now more reluctant to speak up.

Well, at least the situation was finally clear now.

Wang Cuilan pointed to Meng Yufei beside her and introduced her, saying, “Xiao Meng has cleared up the situation. Your missing ration coupons from the last six months will be made up for, so don’t worry, I’ll personally vouch for it.”

When Sun Dahua heard that Wang Cuilan guaranteed she would be compensated, she smiled. She knew the character of this women’s director. Although she usually appeared serious, once she made a promise, she would follow through.

Wang Cuilan turned and said sternly, “However, you need to apologize to Xiao Zhou first.”

Sun Dahua replied, “No problem. I didn’t mean anything by what I said that day. I didn’t know Accountant Zhou would take it to heart. People in the cultural field are so sensitive. Don’t worry, I’ll go apologize to her today.”

Wang Cuilan said, “Alright, I’ll take you to Accountant Zhou’s house now, and I’ll make sure you apologize in person.”

Sun Dahua: “…”

Meng Yufei turned to Wang Cuilan and said, “Director Wang, I still need a few more days to review the list of ration coupons for each household. I expect it will take a few more days before we can begin issuing the coupons.”

Wang Cuilan responded, “Okay, I trust you to handle it.”

After finishing her words, Wang Cuilan took Sun Dahua to Xiao Zhou’s house to apologize, not letting Meng Yufei follow. This was a private matter between family members, falling under the scope of the Women’s Committee’s management.

Meng Yufei noticed it was already nearly six o’clock, and the canteen was a bit far from the row houses. Her own home was conveniently located in between. After a whole day of work, she was feeling a bit tired and didn’t want to walk.

There seemed to be some dried noodles and eggs at home, bought from the supply and marketing cooperative the first day they arrived. The weather here was hot and the air was humid, so if she didn’t cook them soon, they might spoil.

“Qinqin, how about we have dried noodles for dinner tonight?”

“Okay~”

Once they got home, Meng Yufei washed her hands first, then lit the coal stove, placing a pot of water on top to boil.

Meanwhile, Xia Qinqin took out her colored pencils and drawing paper from her mother’s bag and ran to the small room. One by one, she placed them in the drawer, and pulled out the fruit drawing she made in the afternoon, planning to show it to her father later.

When Xia Junshan entered the courtyard, the water in the pot had just started to boil.

The coal stove produced carbon dioxide, so it had to be placed in a well-ventilated area. Meng Yufei moved it outside, so when Xia Junshan entered the courtyard, he immediately saw the burning stove and thought, “Is my wife going to cook again today?”

Meng Yufei came out of the house holding the noodles, “You’re back! How about we have noodles tonight?”

“Okay!”

Xia Junshan walked over and said, “Didn’t you work all day? Why not just get some food from the canteen? Why go through the trouble of cooking?”

The logistics department was right above the canteen, so after work, they could just pick up some food and bring it back. It was much more convenient.

Meng Yufei briefly explained what happened in the afternoon. Xia Junshan smiled and said, “I knew my wife wasn’t ordinary, she managed to resolve the issue in just one day.”

Meng Yufei placed the noodles in the pot and said, “I still need to reorganize the accounts. It’ll take at least a week to get the coupons to everyone.”

Xia Junshan said, “No rush, take your time, it’s not a big deal if it’s one or two days late.”

Meng Yufei nodded, “The main tasks are clear now, the next few days will just be about putting in the effort.”

While they were talking, Xia Qinqin, who was organizing her drawings inside, heard her father’s voice and quickly ran out holding her drawing.

“Daddy, look, I drew a fruit picture today. Is it nice?”

She held the drawing with both hands, smiling up at her father.

Xia Junshan took the “masterpiece” from his daughter, carefully examining the playful fruit drawing. He nodded repeatedly, praising, “It’s really beautiful. The fruit here is drawn so well! Look at this strawberry, it looks just like a strawberry. And this coconut, it’s big and round. Hmm, this pineapple, the yellow color is painted so well, it’s full of life.”

Meng Yufei listened to his over-the-top praise and couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

Xia Qinqin turned to look at her mother and asked, “Mom, why are you laughing?”

Xia Junshan rolled his eyes mischievously and smiled, “Your mom is laughing at me for not knowing much, giving praise that doesn’t really make sense. Come on! Let’s see what your mom thinks about it.” He then placed the drawing in front of Meng Yufei.

“…”

Meng Yufei shot him a look and then, taking the drawing, said with mock seriousness, “Qinqin’s fruit drawing is vivid, lifelike, and full of character. Keep it up and improve even more next time!”

She handed the drawing back to her daughter and instructed, “Go put it away. Next time, we’ll send it to your grandparents to see.”

Xia Qinqin was satisfied now and happily took her drawing back to her room.

Xia Junshan met his wife’s eyes and, with a smile, said, “It’s clear my wife is cultured. Look at that, she just came up with such a beautiful praise for our Qinqin, making her so happy.”

Meng Yufei laughed and said, “Who else can praise like you? The noodles are almost done, go to the kitchen and bring three eggs.”

“Alright, I’ll go right now.” Xia Junshan stretched his long legs and, in just a few steps, arrived in the kitchen, quickly locating where the eggs were stored.

After cracking the eggs into the pot, he turned off the heat and let them simmer for about five to six minutes. This way, the eggs would remain intact and not break apart. This was a secret Meng Yufei learned from her father.

When she was young, Meng Yufei’s mother often had to work overtime at the hospital, and apart from eating in the canteen, the most common meal was noodles and fried eggs that her father made. Over time, fried eggs became her father’s signature dish.

Three bowls of noodles were served on the table. The largest bowl was for Xia Junshan. The bowl with just half a serving was for Meng Yufei, as she didn’t like to eat much at night. Of course, the smallest bowl was for Xia Qinqin.

Each bowl had a fried egg on top, and Meng Yufei added a few drops of sesame oil, immediately releasing a delicious fragrance.

The family of three began to eat.

Xia Junshan ate quickly, a habit formed during his military training. In just a few quick bites, he had finished half a bowl of noodles. Xia Qinqin watched in wide-eyed amazement and tried to mimic her father, picking up a large portion of noodles and stuffing her mouth.

Meng Yufei saw the father and daughter and quickly said, “Eat slower, both of you!”

Xia Junshan and Xia Qinqin obediently slowed down.

After the meal, Xia Junshan stacked the three bowls together and took them to the kitchen to wash. Tonight was easy, only three bowls to wash.

Meng Yufei wiped the table and then took out the rags she had saved earlier. She called to Xia Junshan in the kitchen, “I’m going to visit Sister Zhang next door. You and Qinqin stay at home.”

“Oh, okay.” Xia Junshan replied from the kitchen.

However, Xia Qinqin quickly ran to Meng Yufei’s side, tugging at the hem of her clothes. “Mom, Mom, I want to go too!”

Meng Yufei looked helplessly at the little tail behind her and said, “Alright, let’s go.”

When they arrived at Sister Zhang’s house, they had just finished dinner. A 13 or 14-year-old, pretty girl with twin ponytails opened the door. Seeing Meng Yufei, she asked, “May I help you?”

“I’m the wife of Regiment Commander Xia from next door. I’m here to see your mother.”

The girl immediately smiled and said, “You must be Aunt Meng! Please come in.” She turned to call into the house, “Mom, Aunt Meng from next door is here.”

She led Meng Yufei inside. “Aunt Meng, let’s go inside. The milk candies you gave us the other day were so delicious. Thank you so much.”

Meng Yufei smiled and said, “I’m glad you liked them.”

She thought to herself: The usually quiet Sister Zhang has raised such a talkative daughter.

“You must be Fangfang’s second sister, right? What’s your name?”

“My name is Ma Weimei, but you can call me Xiao Mei.”

Sister Zhang was in the kitchen washing dishes, but upon hearing her daughter’s voice, she wiped her hands and came out. Seeing Meng Yufei, she said, “Oh, you’re here! Go ahead and sit on the sofa for a bit, I’ll finish washing these dishes and be right out.”

“Sister, you go ahead and finish up. Don’t mind me.”

Ma Weimei poured a cup of tea for Meng Yufei and gave some candy to Xia Qinqin. She said to her younger sister, “Fangfang, take Qinqin to play in the room. She’s been talking about her new little sister all day. I have some new hairpins on the table for you to play with, but don’t break them, alright?”

Fangfang happily pulled Xia Qinqin to play, and Xia Qinqin smiled as she shared the candy with Fangfang.

Meng Yufei smiled as she took the tea from Ma Weimei and asked, “Xiao Mei, isn’t Regiment Commander Ma at home?”

Ma Weimei replied, “My dad took my older brother and third brother to the beach for training.”

Meng Yufei was a bit puzzled, “They’re going to train right after dinner?”

Ma Weimei shrugged, “They usually just run in the morning, but since my older brother is going to join the army next month, my dad wanted to give him some special training in advance so he won’t embarrass himself. As for my third brother, he’s just tagging along for fun.”

Regiment Commander Ma and Sister Zhang have four children: the oldest, Ma Weidong, is 17 years old, the second, Ma Weimei, is 14, the third, Ma Weiliang, is 12, and the youngest, Ma Weifang, is 6.

While they were talking, Sister Zhang finished washing the dishes and came out. Meng Yufei said, “Sister, your oldest is joining the army next month?”

Sister Zhang nodded, “Yes, Weidong isn’t good at studying, and he didn’t get into high school after graduating from middle school. But he’s tall and strong, so we decided to send him to the army.”

Meng Yufei smiled and said, “That’s great, your family has two generations of soldiers, how honorable!”

Sister Zhang replied, “It’s not about glory, as long as the child can contribute to the country and not live off handouts, that’s enough.”

She noticed the rag in Meng Yufei’s hand and said, “By the way, I found a piece of fabric this afternoon. It’s from the leftovers of the shoes I made for Er Ya last time. Let me show it to you.”

Ma Weimei stomped her feet and said, “Mom, I’m already this old, why are you still calling me Er Ya?”

“Alright, alright, I’ll call you Xiao Mei from now on. Now, go to your room and do your homework while I chat with Aunt Meng.”

Sister Zhang took out a piece of deep red cotton fabric and showed it to Meng Yufei, “Look, isn’t this fabric nice? It’s breathable and durable, and the color is perfect for a little girl.”

Meng Yufei nodded, “It really suits her. I brought the leftover fabric too, so I’ll leave it to you, Sister Zhang.”

Sister Zhang waved her hand, “It’s no trouble. It’s just making a pair of shoes. But I’m not sure what size Jianhong’s feet are. I’ll go ask her family tomorrow.”

Meng Yufei said, “Sister, it’s better if you ask her privately.”

Sister Zhang was puzzled, “Why?”

Meng Yufei explained, “I went to Jianhong’s house yesterday, and the reason I want to make shoes for her is because I noticed her shoes have several patches, especially around the big toe. The patches are uneven in color, and it looks like they’ve been repaired multiple times. Her feet must have grown too quickly, and her shoes got damaged.”

Sister Zhang frowned, “But it shouldn’t have needed that many repairs, right? And if the shoes are too small, they must be uncomfortable.”

Meng Yufei continued, “I also looked at the other two kids at Regiment Commander Han’s house, and they didn’t have any patches. If you go directly to her house and ask, it might make things awkward for her.”

Sister Zhang thought it over and then realized, “So you mean Jianhong’s stepmother did this on purpose? Oh my, usually, I’ve been paying attention to the girls’ clothes, but I never noticed their shoes. I didn’t expect there to be such a story behind it!”

Meng Yufei said, “That’s why it’s better if you ask Jianhong privately. If you go directly and ask, her stepmother might think Jianhong told us bad things about her, and she might even try to make things harder for Jianhong later.”

Sister Zhang grew more and more angry. She was kind-hearted, and since Jianhong had saved her little girl, she naturally felt more sympathetic toward her. “No wonder people say children without mothers are like grass, they’re easy to trample on. This is just cruel, making her wear such shoes, it’s awful!”

Meng Yufei said, “After all, Jianhong saved Fangfang and Qinqin. If we just let her stepmother mistreat her like this, it wouldn’t be right.”

Sister Zhang said, “So, what do you think we should do?”

Meng Yufei asked, “Sister, do you know where the military families in our compound like to gather and chat?”

Sister Zhang answered without hesitation, “That would definitely be Battalion Commander Cao’s house. She has a bunch of people there every day, and everyone likes to go to her place.”

Meng Yufei then asked, “Sister, aren’t you going to make shoes? Could you take the shoes over to her house to make them?”

Sister Zhang replied, “What’s the problem with that? A lot of people go to her house with things to do—some are sewing, some are weaving bamboo baskets, and some are even pickling vegetables. Everyone sits around, chatting and laughing, and it’s really lively.”

In those days, without televisions or smartphones, people’s entertainment was quite simple. For the families who didn’t work, staying at home all day meant there was little to do except housework. Gathering together to talk was one of the rare moments of relaxation.

Even Sister Zhang, who usually didn’t talk much with others, had been to Battalion Commander Cao’s house several times.

Meng Yufei said, “Then you can take the shoes to Battalion Commander Cao’s house and tell them you’re making them for Jianhong. If anyone asks why, just tell the truth.”

Sister Zhang, not a fool, understood immediately, “You mean, you want to tell everyone what Wei Shufang has done.”

Meng Yufei replied, “If she can do something like that, why can’t we talk about it? We’ll just speak the truth. Wei Shufang is always walking around with the reputation of a good stepmother in the compound. If Jianhong ends up having any issues with her in the future, who do you think people will blame?”

Sister Zhang gritted her teeth and said, “Alright, we’ll do it your way, for Jianhong. Besides, it’s not us doing something underhanded!”