Chapter 31

After Xu Di went back from the Liang family, her work life continued as usual, without any waves.

She brought Sister Tang a rooster and the vegetables her grandma had given her, and she also shared some vegetables with Team Leader Zhao.

“Xiao Xu, thank you so much, here’s the money for the rooster. Such a big rooster, it’ll be enough for the kids and adults at home to have a taste of meat.

And here are some coupons, take them. I know there are fewer coupons in the countryside, I took so many vegetables from you, I can’t just ignore it.”

Taking advantage of their lunch break, Sister Tang and Xu Di hid in a corner behind the department store, Xu Di brought a bag, no one knew what was inside.

“Sister Tang, I won’t be polite then. The countryside doesn’t get many coupons in a year, these things are really in short supply.”

Xu Di’s family wasn’t small either, and they weren’t rich in coupons. They saved as much as possible and kept some for her grandparents.

“Don’t be polite, I need to thank you properly.”

Sister Tang’s family didn’t really lack these coupons, they had two workers in the family, and they got coupons every month.

Except for the essential meat coupons, egg coupons, and grain coupons, they didn’t lack other coupons, like soap coupons, match coupons, shoe coupons, etc.

Sister Tang took the opportunity to quickly carry the bag back home, she could skip her nap.

Sister Zhao also expressed her gratitude, receiving so many fresh vegetables from Xiao Xu, she couldn’t just accept them without any reciprocation.

“Xiao Xu, take this.”

“Thank you, Sister Zhao.”

Xu Di took the coupons Sister Zhao handed her, thinking that she would give them to her grandma next time she went back to the countryside.

There were no problems with her work, Xu Di was organized and got along well with her colleagues, the only headache was the roosters and eggs in her space, there were too many.

She only had one day off a week, even if she ran her legs off, she wouldn’t be able to sell them all!

Forget it, she wasn’t worried, she would sell one if she could, anyway, they wouldn’t go bad or mold in her space.

In her previous life, she worried, got angry, and fumed, what did she get in the end? She left the world at forty-something, in pain.

After realizing she had a second chance, Xu Di made up her mind, in this life, she wouldn’t rush, wouldn’t get angry, wouldn’t fume, she would live a simple and happy life.

“Second sister, are you off work?”

At the entrance of the family compound, Xu Jun saw his second sister walking over from afar.

“You’re out of school, today the sun rose in the west, your clothes are actually clean?”

“Second sister, are my clothes clean, is there a reward? A dime is not too much, a cent is not too little.”

Xu Jun grinned at his second sister, his sun-tanned face was shining.

“You little rascal, you’re obsessed with money.”

Xu Di patted Xu Jun’s forehead, took a dime out of her pocket and gave it to him.

“Thank you, second sister, thank you, second sister… I won’t take it for nothing, I’ll wash your socks tonight.”

“Really, you’re not fooling me?”

“Second sister, am I that kind of person? You’ll see, I’m very good at washing socks.”

Xu Jun put the money in his pocket and ran towards the supply and marketing cooperative.

People were coming and going in the family compound, all rushing home from work.

Xu Di went upstairs, her mother had already cooked dinner, the house was full of delicious smells.

“Mom, what are we having for dinner?”

“Rice, braised pork.”

In the kitchen, Xu’s mother lifted the pot lid and flipped the food in the pot with a spatula, afraid that the bottom would burn.

“Mom, what’s the occasion?”

“What do you mean?”

“We’re having braised pork, and rice, it’s not a special occasion, why are we eating so well?”

Xu Di now fully understood the living conditions of the 1970s, it was really tough.

A planned economy, it wasn’t that you could buy things just because you had money.

There was a shortage of supplies, and no money. The gap between rich and poor was not big at this time, everyone was generally poor.

“It’s not any special occasion, we just managed to get two pounds of meat today. We haven’t eaten meat for a while, so I thought I’d cook a pot of rice and make a braised pork and potato stew, everyone can have a taste of meat.”

Xu’s mother turned off the fire, covered the pot, and let it simmer, everyone could eat when they came back.

“That’s true, it’s the same at our canteen, we eat vegetarian food every day, we hardly see any meat.”

Xu Di and the others had been eating cabbage, radish, and potatoes every day. Now, they were eating eggplant, green beans, and potatoes every day.

The key was, the eggplants and green beans without oil were watery and really not tasty!

“It’s the same everywhere, only those who do heavy physical labor can eat meat occasionally at our canteen.”

Xu’s mother, as a chef, knew a little bit. Many places were like this now, the previous plague had caused a shortage of pork, there wasn’t much chicken, and eggs were also in short supply.

The mother and daughter chatted and cooked in the kitchen, after a while, the family members came back one after another, Xu Di set the table and prepared to eat.

Braised pork and potato stew, with a bowl of rice, this was a dish that many people in the previous life disliked, the enemy of those on a diet.

Now, the whole family was eating with gusto!

“Mom, do we have any more rice after this meal?”

Xu Jun had another bowl, even though he was only eleven, he ate more than Xu Di.

“No more, we’ve finished it all.”

“No more, no more…”

Xu Ping’an, the little one, also learned to speak like his grandma.

“I think so too, I’m going to savor this bowl, I don’t know when I’ll get to eat it again!”

“You little rascal, hurry up and eat, go do your homework after you’re done.”

He had so many things to do, day after day.

“Second sister, I’ll wash your socks later.”

“Okay, I’ll be waiting.”

“Xu Jun, you’re only washing your second sister’s socks, what about us?”

Sister-in-law teased her younger brother-in-law, he was the family’s little treasure.

“My second sister gave me pocket money, I have to repay her for her labor.”

Xu Jun said seriously, looking at his sister-in-law.

“You’re asking your second sister for money again, are you itching for a beating?”

“Itching?”

Xu Ping’an liked to imitate others now, he spoke in a baby voice, making everyone laugh.

After dinner, Xu Jun really washed his second sister’s socks. Don’t say, he washed them quite clean, he just used a lot of soap.

The Xu family was lively and noisy, the house was full of laughter and chatter.

Grandma Qian, sitting alone in her room, was pondering something lately.

Chaoyang hadn’t sent a letter since he called last time, she didn’t know if he had finished his mission or not, or if he had been injured.

More than half of 1971 had passed, and he still didn’t have a girlfriend.

She had noticed a few girls in the compound before, but she didn’t think they were suitable.

Her Chaoyang was a hardworking and practical person, he wasn’t good at sweet talk.

The girls in the compound were too pampered, Chaoyang might not like them.

These days, she had been thinking more and more about Xu Di.

Her cheerful and hearty laugh, her efficiency in doing things, and her thoughtful way of dealing with people.

She had lamented her young age before, she was quite regretful. She didn’t expect that the girl was already eighteen years old, five years younger than her Chaoyang.

Although five years was a lot, it was still a good match.

The more Grandma Qian thought about it, the more she felt that Xu Di and Chaoyang were a good match. Their height, appearance, and even their personalities were quite compatible.

The only problem was, she didn’t know if Xu Di liked to marry a soldier. Being a military wife, especially the wife of a soldier guarding the border, was really not easy.

This was Grandma Qian’s dilemma, her Chaoyang didn’t have much leave time all year round. Even though he was now a deputy battalion commander, he didn’t have the qualifications to bring his family with him. Even if he got promoted in the future, the environment there wasn’t suitable for family members to join him.

This meant that after they got married, they would have to be separated for a long time.

Grandma Qian thought a lot, she was a bit indecisive.

Forget it, she would talk to Wang Lan one day and let her indirectly understand Xu Di’s thoughts.

Chaoyang hadn’t contacted her yet, she wasn’t in a hurry, haste makes waste.