Early in the morning, Su Ye got out of bed at the sound of the army's horn. After looking at the calendar, he found that it was already Laba.
Every household in the compound got up early and cleaned the house. When the sun came out, the family members took their quilts to the yard to dry them in the sun. The skillful daughter-in-law pickled sauerkraut for the New Year. The cabbage used for pickling sauerkraut was grown in her own vegetable garden. The hardworking and simple family members used their hands to cultivate three acres of thin land in the compound and carefully prepared it every day.
Su Ye couldn't buy cabbage and didn't have any vegetable garden to cultivate, but luckily Grandma Zhou gave her one.
Although cabbage is not valuable, it is now a precious food that requires tickets and queues. Su Ye has not eaten sauerkraut for a long time. She couldn't resist the temptation of sauerkraut. After thinking about it, she went back to the house and got half a pound of cornmeal to give to Grandma Zhou.
When she brought the noodles to Grandma Zhou, she happened to see another family's daughter-in-law drying meat on bamboo poles.
Seeing the white pork, Su Ye instinctively stopped to admire it for a few seconds.
When she saves enough pork belly, she will also make bacon to eat. Bacon is so tempting!
"Hey, Mr. Li, this piece of meat you have is really good. It must weigh at least one pound, right?" asked a family member.
"That's right. It's almost the holidays and the supply and marketing cooperative has pork available. A few days ago, my husband insisted that he could only smell the aroma of braised pork and kept asking for it, as if he was possessed. So I got him a pound of meat. This piece of meat was bought by my relatives who waited in line all night long without sleeping." The woman said proudly, and as she spoke, she swiftly dried the meat.
The bacon can be dried in the sun for a week and saved for eating during the New Year.
She was wearing corduroy pants and a woolen coat, with a sweetheart-neck sweater showing a little on her chest. She looked very Soviet, and you could tell at a glance that she came from a well-off family.
The family member was very envious after hearing this, "Li Maogang is so lucky to have a daughter-in-law like you, who is capable and talented."
The family compound is like a small society. Although everyone is a military family, there are also differences in wealth. Some people can't even afford coarse grains, such as perilla leaves. Some people can eat pork, how can they not be envied
Being able to eat white flour during the festival is already enough to make people envious! The Li family bought a piece of pork, and maybe it would spread throughout the compound in the afternoon.
A few words floated into Su Ye's ears, and she quickened her pace and walked towards Grandma Zhou's house guiltily. The smell of braised pork... Isn't this talking about her
After Su Ye gave the noodles to Grandma Zhou, He Meimei came to invite Su Ye to make dumplings together.
"Let's go together. The sisters-in-law are organizing a social gathering. There will be dumplings and steamed buns. It's quite a feast."
It's not even the Chinese New Year yet, but we can eat meat and steamed buns? This is no small matter.
Su Ye couldn't help but feel her stomach sour after listening to this. She had already eaten up the braised pork that was given to her as a reward last week. After not seeing any oil for a few days, Su Ye felt like she was floating even when she walked.
Su Ye has been here for almost two weeks, and if you count the time when the original owner was with the army, it has been almost one and a half months. For such a long time, Su Ye had been "ignored" and suddenly such a good thing came. Su Ye instinctively thought that this was not a friendly gathering, but perhaps a "Hongmen Banquet".
But for the sake of pork, Su Ye grabbed He Meimei's hand and nodded excitedly, "Wait a moment, I'll clean up and come right over."
Su Ye changed into clean clothes and washed up simply before going out.
She looked at her face in the mirror, and it was not bad. Although the face in the mirror looked thin, the facial features were regular. These days, Su Ye had been wasting fine grains, eating noodles every meal, and her qi and blood had recovered a little. After a little dressing up, she could be considered a pretty lady.
He Meimei led Su Ye to a dormitory of a military family. She said, "When you first came to our compound, Captain Gu was assigned a one-month mission. Logically, we should treat you to a meal on his behalf. But it was difficult during this difficult time, and it was not easy for everyone to have something good to eat. Finally, on Laba Festival, the leader took out two kilograms of pork to treat everyone to the festival, and everyone remembered you."
This was a very decent statement, without mentioning at all the terrible things that "Su Ye" had done. Su Ye felt very comfortable after hearing it and accepted He Meimei's kindness.
I was thinking that if I really encountered a Hongmen Banquet, I would have to be polite when speaking to others.
Su Ye pushed open the closed door and walked in. Everyone in the room looked at her in unison. A warm atmosphere came over her. The fire in the room was burning brightly, the atmosphere of the party was lively, and the air was filled with the smell of a festival.
There were several bowls on the table, filled with chopped mushrooms, white radishes, and vegetables mixed with minced meat. Although there didn't seem to be much minced meat in the stuffing, it smelled fragrant, and a faint meaty aroma permeated the air.
Although Su Ye had not lacked food these days and even had a bag of Fuqiang flour, he could not afford dumplings. Seeing this, Su Ye found that he, who had a golden finger, still lived in such a shabby way, which was really miserable.
Su Ye took a look at the people in the room. Among a bunch of strangers, she recognized two people: one was Li Hongli who worked at the Women's Federation, and the other was the neighbor who had just been drying meat in the yard.
An elderly woman with a very leadership demeanor stood up and said with a smile: "Speak of the devil, the Xiang Qian family is here too."
He Meimei introduced her, "This is the wife of the political commissar, the director of the Women's Federation. She has been concerned about your work during this period."
She introduced the other people in the room to Su Ye one by one, and Su Ye also said some polite words, "Thank you for your concern, leader."
The women were full of curiosity about Su Ye. Their curious, scrutinizing gazes fell on Su Ye like the strongest x-rays.
Su Ye is very famous in the yard this month!
Gu Xiangqian is the golden bachelor in the compound. He has reached a very high position at a young age. He has a good education and high quality. The only bad thing is that his father died gloriously when he was young. Over the years, many leaders, big and small, have proposed marriages to him. Just when everyone thought he would marry the daughter of a leader, he unexpectedly turned around and brought the daughter of his father's comrade-in-arms from the countryside.
This is such a pity in everyone's heart, it is like a flower stuck in cow dung.
Unfortunately, Su Ye himself is a careless person who doesn't know how to appreciate his blessings.
I heard that she kept the canteen bowls for a week and didn't return them. She was lazy and ate all the food but refused to go to work. Comrade Gu Xiangqian finally went home on leave, but he forced her to sleep in the message room for a night.
Seeing is believing, it turns out she is such a person!
Some people looked at Su Ye's hands, wanting to see if there was the legendary black mud that could not be washed off under her nails; some people looked at Su Ye, looking at her skinny figure with regret in their eyes. Some people asked about Su Ye's work.
Su Ye washed her hands and sat down. She spread out her fingers and said, "What's the matter? You keep staring at my hands. Do you think they are dirty?"
The military wife who was named immediately shook her head awkwardly, "No, no, Comrade Su, please don't misunderstand me."
The leaders are watching us, and no one can take on such a big responsibility.
Li Hongli was cracking melon seeds nonchalantly, looking at the other woman on the side. She exchanged glances with the other woman and started talking about Su Ye's job search:
"Comrade Su, you've been here for over a month and you still haven't found a job. Today, while everyone is here, let's help you solve this problem!"
"Everyone is always concerned about you." said a round-faced woman.
One or two of them took the initiative to care about their comrades' work. The director of the Women's Federation listened and nodded with satisfaction. This was the collective humanity.
She frowned slightly, full of worry for Su Ye: "Su Ye, I heard that you don't seem to like going to work. You didn't apply for any of the jobs introduced to you by the office. Instead, you applied for a teaching position in a primary school. It's a good thing for people to be ambitious and have vision, but we have to be more practical, right?"
The director spoke earnestly, holding Su Ye's hand and patting it. His care for the younger generation was evident in his words. Su Ye looked at this upright woman with pure worry in her eyes. Su Ye believed that she was really worried about her job, but others might not be so sure.
Li Hongli suggested at the right time and thoughtfully: "I have a job in the street office here. It's a bit hard, but there will be an opportunity to transfer to the office as a clerk in the future. If you are interested, Su Ye, I will give you a call. This job is also very popular, and many people are waiting for it!"
To put it bluntly, the "good job" of the street office is just sweeping the streets and cleaning toilets.
So he was waiting for her here. Su Ye's heart trembled, and he sat up straight.
She shook her head and defended the original owner: "I'm not unrealistic or unrealistic. Work is a lifelong thing. I need to think carefully. I believe I have the ability to choose a better job instead of being forced to make do..."
Su Ye was interrupted before he could finish his words.
Li Hongli was very unhappy when she heard this, and her face showed an expression of being betrayed by her good intentions.
She spoke in an anxious tone, as if she was lecturing a younger generation: "When looking for a job, you should be practical. Don't be too ambitious. Even if you think highly of others, they may not think highly of you!"
After hearing what Li Hongli said, everyone nodded, thinking that Su Ye's attitude was completely "high expectations but low skills".
The iron rice bowl that everyone is fighting for is just a compromise in her eyes? She is not afraid of her tongue when she speaks so loudly. Could it be that Su Ye just came from the countryside and doesn't know how difficult it is to find a job in the city? The women looked at Su Ye with subtle eyes.
Li Hongli received everyone's understanding looks and became more enthusiastic in "educating": "Military wives should be more down-to-earth and pragmatic. If you are too picky, you will miss it forever."
This kind of condescending attitude really made Su Ye unhappy.
Su Ye glanced at Li Hongli impatiently, "How am I not pragmatic? Comrade Chairman said that if conditions are available, we should move forward; if conditions are not available, we should create them and move forward. My husband, Comrade Gu Xiangqian, is working hard on the front line and striving to be excellent in everything. I can't hold him back or embarrass him, right
I applied for the job, and I am certainly capable of doing it, so you don't have to worry about me. Different people have different tastes, and if you really think your job is good, you can recommend it to your relatives and friends."
She showed her white teeth and said, "Thank you all for your concern. I have found a job for the time being."
Su Ye spoke clearly and with a full voice. She was dressed neatly and neatly today, with her back straight. She was very elegant when she spoke. Yes, she had the temperament of a rich lady. She didn't use any dirty words or grievances when she spoke, but she made people feel that she was generous and convincing.
This perilla leaf seems to be different from the one in the legend.
After hearing what Su Ye said, the sisters-in-law, all of whom were shrewd people, sensitively smelled something.
The director smiled and brought out a plate of freshly cooked dumplings at the right time, breaking the awkward stalemate. "Eat, and we'll talk after you're done."
Su Ye had come to the banquet despite all the discrimination she had endured, waiting for this sentence! She picked up her chopsticks and swiftly put two dumplings into her bowl. The dumplings made by the sisters-in-law were really good, big and long, not stingy at all.
The freshly baked dumplings have thin and tender skin, the oily meat filling blends into the vegetable filling, the aroma is fragrant, and your mouth is full of juice when you take a bite.
The fragrance, crispness and sweetness of the radish and black fungus, and the delicious and fragrant minced meat, captured Su Ye's taste buds. Su Ye missed the taste of meat so much that he ate up his portion of dumplings in just two bites. He looked up at the others and saw that everyone was sucking the dumplings carefully, biting them lightly with their teeth, and chewing them repeatedly in their mouths, as if they were enjoying a rare treasure. The piety on their faces was something Su Ye had never seen before.
The expression of enjoyment while chewing repeatedly made Su Ye's eyes widen: What a loss! She was just like Zhu Bajie eating ginseng fruit, swallowing it whole. Each person could only get two dumplings, and they were gone after they were eaten. Now Su Ye could only watch others eat dumplings.
Su Ye's dramatic expression made the director of the Women's Federation laugh. She put one from her own bowl into hers and patted her hand: "Eat it."
Su Ye's face immediately turned red with embarrassment, and she quickly picked up the dumplings and tried to return them. But she covered her bowl and said, "Eat them yourself, don't worry about me."
"Eat more and get fatter. When Xiang Qian comes back, I'll give him a big fat boy."
The tempting dumplings lay completely at ease in Su Ye's bowl. Her stomach growled as she felt the warmth of the army. She picked up the dumplings happily but awkwardly, and ate them carefully like others.
The teeth chewed the filling repeatedly until every bit of essence in the dumplings was sucked out. It was so delicious! Su Ye decided to make dumplings next time when he had enough pork belly.
Everyone hurried to eat for half an hour, and even the slowest person had finished all the dumplings.
Li Hongli was about to attack Su Ye, but there was a knock on the door. A soldier poked his head in and asked, "Who is Comrade Su Ye here? The teacher from No. 1 Middle School just brought you the Laba Festival teacher nutrition allowance and asked you to go and claim it. In addition, the teacher notified Comrade Su Ye to go to school on Sunday."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's eyes fell on Su Ye, and everyone's heated gazes seemed to be saying the same thing: What's going on
Su Ye herself was also confused, thinking to herself: Logically speaking, her name was not on the list of middle school teachers released two days ago, so she should have been eliminated, but what was going on... Was she being re-enrolled
However, Su Ye showed no emotion on her face. She showed a fake smile on her face, looking like she understood everything and was calm. Su Ye nodded to the soldier: "Okay, I'll go right away. Thank you for your hard work."
Dalengtiandi came specially to inform us. It was not easy for a soldier. Hearing that the battalion commander's wife was so polite, he felt very happy.
Su Ye said to everyone: "I'm sorry I have to leave first. Thank you Director for your hospitality today and everyone's concern. My work has been completed—"
There was an unseen ripple in the last part of her voice. After she finished speaking, Su Ye smiled and left the room.
After Su Ye left, everyone in the room held their breath for a moment. After a moment of silence, the room suddenly became very lively. Everyone was confused by this scene.
"There is a nutrition subsidy for teachers. Was she selected?"
"Did I hear it wrong just now? The soldier said No. 1 Middle School, not No. 1 Small School?"