Chapter 17

Xu Di woke up a bit late in the morning.

“Dad, where are Mom and the others?”

“Your mother had to work overtime, she went to the factory. Your elder brother is accompanying your sister-in-law back to her parents’ house.”

Xu’s father was finally having a day off, he didn’t have any hobbies, he just liked listening to the radio.

Xu Di went to the kitchen for breakfast, she didn’t see Xu Jun, he must have gone out to play again.

After breakfast, Xu Di cleaned up the dishes.

“Dad, I’m going to hang out with my classmates for a while, I’ll be back for lunch to cook for you.”

“No need, go have fun, you’re finally having a day off. I’ll eat at the canteen for lunch, your mother said they have braised pork at the canteen.”

Oh, so she was going to cook a special meal for her father.  Since she didn’t have to rush back to cook, she wasn’t in a hurry.

Today she was going to the Liang family, no need to disguise herself.

Xu Di was wearing blue pants and a pink plaid jacket over her padded jacket and pants, making her look very bulky. She wore big cotton shoes on her feet, a red scarf around her neck, and cotton mittens on her hands, a full sense of the era.

She got on the bus and went to the family area where the Liang family lived. After getting off the bus, Xu Di, like a thief, found a blind spot and took out the basket she had prepared last night.

Inside were two bundles of chives and twenty eggs, too much wouldn’t be good.

Young people have good memories, Xu Di easily found the family courtyard where the Liang family lived.

This area not only had the family courtyards of the department store and the supply and marketing cooperative, but also the family courtyards of the city government and the public security bureau, all not far away.

“Little girl, are you the little girl who went to the Liang family last time?”

Xu Di turned her head and looked around, she was the only little girl nearby, it must be her they were talking to.

“That, that, are you Grandma Qian?”

Xu Di was stunned for a moment, then she remembered, this was Grandma Qian who had given her directions last time.

“You remember, my memory is good, I can hardly ever forget someone I’ve met. Are you going to the Liang family?”

“Yes, I’m going to the Liang family. I came back from my grandpa’s house in the countryside yesterday, I brought some chives that were planted in the house and a few eggs, I’m going to see Kangkang.”

Xu Di answered generously, there was no need to hide anything.

“The countryside is still good, you have vegetable gardens in front and behind your house, if you’re diligent, you won’t lack food. It’s not like the city, it’s so small, you can’t grow anything.”

Grandma Qian rarely met a young person she liked, so she chatted a bit more.

“I think so too, it’s easy to get food in the countryside. It’s just that the work is harder, you can’t really save any money all year round. Otherwise, why would so many people try so hard to get into the city, to eat rationed grain?”

Xu Di lived to be over forty in her previous life, and she worked hard to raise her son, so she was actually more on the same wavelength as older people.

“That’s true, it’s not easy for the farmers. I’m also from the countryside, those days of relying on the weather for food, it wasn’t easy.”

Grandma Qian thought about those natural disasters, and her heart felt a little sad.

“Grandma Qian, thank you for showing me the way last time. I haven’t thanked you yet. Since I have these chives and eggs, I’ll give you half, enough for a meal. I’ll bring some more when I go back to the countryside in a few days.”

Xu Di and the old lady were quite compatible, she casually took a bundle of chives and stuffed it into the old lady’s basket.

She probably hadn’t fully realized how tight supplies were in the 1970s, she gave the chives quite casually.

“No way, I just showed you the way. Take them to the Liang family, I’m alone, I can’t eat that much, it would be wasted.”

Grandma Qian refused, the two of them argued for a while.

“Oh, Grandma Qian, I have more. You have to eat well even if you’re alone, chives and egg dumplings, so delicious! Let’s not argue, if we attract the attention of the red armbands, we’ll be in trouble.”

Xu Di quickly put a few more eggs into Grandma Qian’s basket and ran into the family courtyard where the Liang family lived.

“This girl, she’s so straightforward, it’s just that she’s a bit young, otherwise, I’d bring her to Chaoyang to be his wife.”

Grandma Qian muttered to herself, thinking about her grandson who was on a mission somewhere, her heart was filled with worry, when would he bring her a granddaughter-in-law?

Xu Di walked towards the Liang family, and secretly smuggled another bundle of chives and a few eggs from the space.

The Liang family lived on the second floor, a three-bedroom apartment.

Xu Di knocked on the door, and soon she heard footsteps, the door opened.

“Oh, it’s Xu Di, come in quickly.”

Wang Lan saw Xu Di at the door and warmly pulled her into the house.

“You child, you said you’d come over to play when you had time, you were just talking.”

“Aunt Wang, I’m here now, aren’t I? You’re all at work, you’re all busy.”

Xu Di went in and sat down, Aunt Wang brought out a bunch of food.

“Your sister Fangfang and the kids went back to her parents’ house, they just left a while ago. If you had come a little earlier, you would have seen them.”

“That’s really a coincidence, I was hoping to see Kangkang.”

Xu Di didn’t expect that Yan Fangfang and the others weren’t home, what a coincidence.

“Xu Di, eat more. Next time you have a day off, come over again, play here for a day, and try Aunt Wang’s cooking.”

“Okay, I’ll be bold and stay for a meal next time, I have a big appetite!”

Xu Di took the opportunity to accept the invitation.

“Aunt Wang can’t shortchange you on food, there’s enough for everyone.”

Wang Lan was in her forties, not much older than Xu Di in her previous life.

“Aunt Wang, I came back from my grandpa’s house in the countryside yesterday, I brought you some chives and eggs, for Kangkang to make dumplings.”

Xu Di lifted the cloth covering the basket, revealing the eggs and two bundles of chives underneath.

“Oh, there are still such fresh chives at this time, it’s so rare.”

“They were planted in a wooden trough in the house, it’s fresh.”

Xu Di said it half-truthfully, there was no way to verify it anyway.

“Okay, you child, you’re so thoughtful. Kangkang hasn’t been eating well lately, he doesn’t like cabbage or radishes, he wants to eat greens, where can you find them at this time?”

Wang Lan was also worried, she had only one child, and she was a bit weak.

“You can put some soil in a flowerpot, sprinkle some lettuce and spinach seeds, and they’ll grow a bit in ten days or half a month.”

Xu Di had done this in her previous life, not for food, but because she felt that the green color was full of life.

“Will it work? To be honest, Aunt Wang, I’ve never done any farm work in my life, I don’t know anything.”

Wang Lan was a little tempted, but she didn’t know where to start.

“It’s not difficult, I’ll bring you some soil next week, you prepare two flowerpots or a wooden trough at home. I have some vegetable seeds from my grandma’s house, I’ll help you plant them then.”

Xu Di thought it was simple, nothing difficult. She had a lot of soil in her space, and she wouldn’t lack seeds.

“Alright, I won’t be polite then. I only have one child, and I’ve spoiled him a bit. There’s no way, he’s been sick since he was born, I’m afraid he won’t survive.”

Wang Lan couldn’t help it, the Liang family had few descendants, she only had Liang Bo.

Xu Di understood, in her previous life, her son was premature, and he was weaker than other children from birth. Li Kai just complained that the child was noisy and always sick, he didn’t care about anything else.

She took the child to the hospital alone, and she watched over the feverish child all night alone, afraid that the child would stop breathing.

“It’ll be fine when he gets older.”

Xu Di didn’t know what to say, the mortality rate of children was still very high in this era.

“Let’s raise him slowly, it’s good that the family is in good condition.”

Wang Lan felt relaxed talking to Xu Di, sometimes, she felt that the child wasn’t like a teenager, she was more like an adult who had experienced a lot.

Xu Di stayed at the Liang family for over an hour, the two of them chatted happily.

During this time, Grandma Qian came over and brought Xu Di a net bag of food, and there was even chocolate.

Xu Di realized that her actions just now were a bit rash, she had to accept Grandma Qian’s generous gift.

She thought, next time, she would send her something else, to return the favor.

“I haven’t had such a good chat in a long time, you should stay for lunch.”

“Aunt Wang, I’ll definitely stay next time. I made an appointment with my classmates, I can’t break the appointment.”

Xu Di really wanted to go find Yang Dani, they hadn’t seen each other in a long time.

Xu Di was no longer a middle-aged woman in her forties, she was a seventeen-year-old girl, she also needed to interact with her peers!

Xu Di left the Liang family, took the bus back to the family courtyard, Yang Dani’s house wasn’t far from hers.

Wang Lan saw Xu Di off, looking at the chives and eggs on the coffee table, she thought that the child was really good, she should get to know her better.