Chapter 6: Happier Than New Year’s with Sweets

Wang Jianguo visited the supply and marketing cooperative for the first time. The cooperative members looked at him with strange eyes, as if he were a wild man. He ignored their stares, took out his money and tickets, and bought a pound of meat, some rice, flour, oil, and grain. Finally, he saw a pretty floral dress and thought it would suit Huang Yuelan, so he bought one.

When Wang Jianguo returned home, he saw Wang Xiuhe in the kitchen, tidying up and boiling water in an iron pot, pouring it into a green enamel water kettle.

Wang Jianguo’s heart melted. Wasn’t this the scene from his dreams?

He always thought Huang Yuelan was the most beautiful and best girl in the world. Now he found that his wife was not only beautiful and kind but also very virtuous, and a feeling of happiness filled his heart.

“Yuelan, I’ll do all the rough work. You’re the new bride today; you don’t have to do anything. Just wait for dinner,” Wang Jianguo said, taking the ladle.

Huang Yuelan smiled, “It’s okay, I’m not delicate. There’s no need for all this fuss.”

“Let me do it. Come on, try on the new dress I bought you. Let’s see if it fits,” Wang Jianguo said, taking out a white dress with green flowers from the basket.

Huang Yuelan put it on. It fit perfectly. “It’s great. It’s comfortable and fits perfectly.”

Huang Yueqiang and Huang Yuehu ran in. Seeing their sister’s new dress, they were envious and cried out, “Sister has a new dress, why don’t we?”

“You may not have new clothes, but you have candy and biscuits. Do you want some?” Wang Jianguo asked.

“Yes, yes! Candy and biscuits are much better than clothes!” Huang Yueqiang said happily.

Huang Yuehu also smiled happily. Since their father’s death, let alone candy and sweets, they hadn’t even had a yellow noodle cake. Usually, a sweet potato was a treat. Hearing about candy and biscuits, they were almost jumping for joy.

Wang Jianguo took out candy, biscuits, and a package of candied fruit wrapped in oiled paper from the bamboo basket.

“Here you go. I’ll make chili-fried meat for lunch,” Wang Jianguo said, handing it to his two younger brothers.

“Thank you, brother! Good wild man brother!” the two brothers said in unison.

Huang Yuelan quickly said, “Just call him brother, don’t add ‘wild man,’ that’s impolite.”

“Got it, Sister!” Huang Yueqiang and Huang Yuehu ran off happily with their treats. One was seven years old, the other six. They spent their days eating and playing. Whoever gave them treats was a good person.

“The younger brothers are still young, they don’t understand. Don’t take it to heart,” Huang Yuelan explained to Zhao Jianjun.

“It’s okay, they’re just kids. I know they didn’t mean any harm. Besides, how can a grown man argue with children? They’re your brothers, I don’t care at all,” Wang Jianguo smiled at Huang Yuelan, happy as a carefree child.

Then Wang Jianguo took out a package of candied fruit, untied the string, and opened the oiled paper. “Have some candied fruit to fill your stomach. I’ll have the meal ready soon.”

Huang Yuelan took the candied fruit and tasted it. The texture was smooth, and the aroma lingered in her mouth. It was delicious. She had to admire the purity of the honey at that time; it was very sweet, and it couldn’t be faked.

Huang Yuelan saw Wang Jianguo take out a pound of meat, chili peppers, and potatoes from the basket. He was very generous. Ordinary families, if they had relatives visiting, would only offer half a pound of meat at most, and that would be for the whole family.

Wang Jianguo also took down half a rabbit from the wall. “I hunted this yesterday. There’s half left. I’ll hunt two more fresh ones another day.”

He chose, washed, and chopped the vegetables, putting them in a basin. Unexpectedly, the rough Wang Jianguo was quite skillful in cooking, his movements flowing smoothly. A man who can cook has a unique charm, especially heartwarming.

With a ‘sizzle,’ the oil in the pot heated up. Wang Jianguo put the meat in to stir-fry, until it changed color. Then he added the scallions, and the green onions were added just before serving to preserve the flavor. He stir-fried it for a while, then added the chili peppers…

Soon, a rich meaty aroma filled the kitchen. The pork of this era was truly fragrant. The aroma spread quickly, and Huang Yueqiang and Huang Yuehu stared at the kitchen, thinking one thing: their sister had made the right choice.

What was good about living with their grandfather, grandmother, and uncle? They were always sent to the mountain to gather firewood, but only ate cold vegetable cakes.

Following their brother and sister was different. They had candy, biscuits, and candied fruit, and now they could eat meat! Their life was better than New Year’s! They couldn’t be happier.

Although the two were hungry, they didn’t dare eat all the candy and candied fruit. They knew that this kind of life wasn’t everyday. They had to save it. One piece a day was enough. They planned to take one out to show off after dinner.