There was no electricity in the brigade, and they all used oil lamps. It was difficult to see people's figures in the dark, but Wang Ying had good eyesight. After Xu Shuang grabbed the man, she saw Wang Yaozong's appearance clearly.
How should I put it? It's very much a reflection of one's heart.
Wang Ying chuckled: "What are you doing at my door?"
There was no mention of asking Xu Shuang to let the person go.
Wang Yaozong gnashed his teeth and said, "Why do you mind me? I'm just walking in front of my house, what the hell is it to you!"
Although he took Wang Yongshun's words to heart, he also felt that his family now had two hundred yuan. With the money in hand, the house was not that important. He was going to move to the county town later!
but…
If you don't go to the Yellow River, you will always feel that the Yellow River will not give you a single blow.
Wang Yaozong's impression of Wang Ying still remained the same as before. He thought that this person was just a dough man who didn't dare to say anything harsh except working. Even though Li Chunjuan said that Wang Ying had changed, Wang Yaozong still didn't take it seriously. He thought, how much could she have changed
Besides, he may not want his second uncle's property, but he has a debt to settle.
It was about the time he smashed pots and bowls for Second Aunt.
Wang Yaozong felt that, not to mention anything else, just in this matter, he had helped Wang Ying a lot, and Wang Ying should compensate him in any way.
He was strolling outside Wang Ying's house, just wanting to wait for Wang Ying and have a good chat with her.
Wang Yaozong had thought it through, and he didn't want much. When he heard that Xu Shuang had married into the family because of her status, he asked Wang Ying for twenty yuan. Even if Wang Ying couldn't give it, Xu Shuang would always have it.
Twenty yuan, to compensate him, he is a male of the Wang family. He was the first one to stand at the funeral of Second Aunt!
But before he could face her face, he was grabbed by Xu Shuang.
Wang Yaozong felt like his arm wasn't his own anymore, it hurt so much, Xu Shuang was a cook, she had some skills, she was strong, and she was ruthless, she twisted his arm into a position that no normal person could do.
"Wang Ying! Tell him to get out of my way!"
Wang Yaozong felt a little panicked when he saw that Xu Shuang didn't let go and Wang Ying didn't say anything.
"I want to talk to you about something serious! Tell him to let me go! It hurts so much!"
Wang Ying didn't think she had anything serious to discuss with this person, so she replied casually, "Go ahead and I'll listen."
Letting go is impossible.
Wang Yaozong screamed twice in pain and broke out in a cold sweat.
Wang Ying: "Will you tell me or not? If not, forget it."
Wang Yaozong gritted his teeth and said, "My dad said that you have separated from us now. Since we have separated, you have to give me twenty yuan!"
Wang Ying looked incredulous: "Are you still asleep or drunk? Why should I give you twenty yuan?"
Wang Yaozong raised his head with difficulty and said confidently: "Because I was the one who broke the basin when your mother was buried!"
Wang Ying looked at this man with a hard time describing. When the original owner's mother was buried, the original owner was weak to begin with, and cried so hard that she was dizzy and didn't care about anything. Wang Yongshun took the opportunity to let Wang Yaozong stand at the front of the funeral. The original owner wanted to do the pot-breaking herself, but one, there was no room for her to argue at that time, and two, the entire funeral process was arranged by Wang Yongshun, so she couldn't squeeze to the front at all.
Wang Yaozong actually had the nerve to bring this matter up for discussion
Wang Ying signaled Xu Shuang to let Wang Yaozong go: "I don't have 20 yuan, but I do have two slaps in the face. If you say these nonsense in front of me again, I will give you two slaps in the face."
There's no need to waste time talking to this kind of person!
Wang Yaozong's hand was twisted for a while, it hurt so much, he was sweating and hunched over. Hearing Wang Ying say that, he was very unconvinced and started to argue: "How dare you? When your mother was buried, if it weren't for me, there wouldn't even be anyone in your family who would break the pot. Others would say that your mother died miserably and had no descendants. If it weren't for me, you would have been pointed at and accused of being unfilial! If you were more sensible, you should have treated me as your own brother. I don't want anything else now, I just want twenty yuan!"
Wang Ying found it funny: "I don't give it to you, so what?"
Wang Yaozong: "If you don't give it to me, then..."
Wang Yaozong felt a little uneasy. He remembered what Wang Yongshun had said. He was only concerned about asking for money and didn't think about what else he could use to threaten Wang Ying.
Wang Yaozong subconsciously raised his hand to slap her. If Xu Shuang hadn't been there, he would have slapped her as soon as he heard Wang Ying's first rebuttal!
Don’t give? If not, I’ll beat you until you give!
But at this moment Xu Shuang was there, Wang Yaozong raised his hand and then put it down again, gasping for breath in anger.
He had no means to threaten Wang Ying, but Wang Ying was in control of their family.
Wang Ying said to Wang Yongshun who came out after hearing the noise: "Uncle, I really don't want to argue with your family. I chased the old ones away and now the young ones are here. What's going on? Will my cousin from town come to my doorstep to make trouble later? I'm telling you clearly, you know whether you owe my family a debt or not. I'm not going to cause trouble for you now, you should thank God and your ancestors. Next time, cousin, if you get angry in front of me again, don't blame me for not giving you face."
Wang Ying pulled Xu Shuang into her house and slammed the door shut.
Wang Yongshun's face was pale and blue, while Wang Yaozong covered his arm and cried out, looking at his father while crying out.
"Dad, it's all Wang Ying's fault. I was standing at the door and she came up and asked Xu Shuang to twist my arm. Look, it must have turned blue!"
Wang Yongshun wanted to say something to his son, but he opened his mouth and swallowed it back: "Ask your mother to apply some purple medicine on you."
Wang Yaozong nodded, and Wang Yongshun finally said to him: "I told you, don't bother her anymore in the future."
Wang Yaozong secretly thought it was bad luck. Who would have thought that this girl would be so tough now? It turned out that she had a partner and she was different from before.
Wang Yongshun felt heavy in his heart when he handed Wang Yaozong to the fussing Li Chunjuan.
What did Wang Ying mean by that? What did she mean by "the account has not been settled yet"? Did she know that her family had taken the money left by her mother
Wang Yongshun felt as if he was in the fog of deep mountains, with thick mist everywhere.
What if Wang Ying really knew...
Impossible! Judging from her recent behavior, if she could prove this, she would definitely ask someone to make the decision directly!
Moreover, there was no one around in the hospital at that time, and he was the only one who heard Wang Yingniang's last words.
Wang Yongshun felt a little relieved. As long as there was no evidence, what could Wang Ying do even if she made a scene? There was no print on the money, so who could say that the money was left by Wang Ying's mother
Wang Yongshun thought that he had to quickly secure his son's job. As long as his son went to the city and found a city girl to marry, he could bring Li Chunjuan with him. As long as the three of them stayed far away, it would be hard to say what Wang Ying would do to him later.
Now the two families are separated by a wall, which really makes him feel uneasy.
Wang Ying pulled Xu Shuang into her home and listened for a while, but apart from Li Chunjuan's series of curses, she didn't hear any important information.
Xu Shuang saw her with her ear pressed against the courtyard wall and felt that Wang Ying looked very lively, totally different from her lazy appearance before.
"Don't rub it. The wall has just been built and it's dirty."
Xu Shuang pulled the man up. Wang Ying felt very sorry: "My uncle is really tight-lipped."
Ever since Xu Shuang got a hundred yuan from Wang Yongshun, Wang Ying was basically certain that the original owner's mother must have left something behind. Otherwise, with the mediocre abilities of the uncle and his wife, how could they have given a hundred yuan all at once
It might be the savings of the original owner.
During this period of time, Wang Ying still had the dozen or so yuan she had in her hand. Xu Shuang gave her a hundred yuan, but she was embarrassed to spend it.
Besides, in this marriage, I actually got more benefits than Xu Shuang. It seems that Xu Shuang's family got through the difficulties with my background, but I don't seem to have paid anything except getting married.
Xu Shuang built the wall for her and took care of all the things needed for the wedding. It seemed like she only needed one person...
We still have to get back everything the original owner’s mother left behind!
But the incident happened so long ago that Wang Ying really couldn't find any clue.
Xu Shuang thought for a while and said, "How about we look for a solution in the hospital?"
Wang Ying's mother was in a hurry to go because there were many injured people and the team leader was very busy. Only Wang Yongshun and his wife were watching over Wang Ying's mother. Wang Ying was still in school at that time, so it was too late when she rushed there the next day.
Considering Wang Yongshun's personality, it was probably normal for him to send Li Chunjuan away.
By this calculation, I guess the only way to find the direction is from the hospital.
Wang Ying nodded: "This is the only way."
This kind of thing is not easy to investigate, there is no evidence, so we can only look for a breakthrough. Fortunately, Wang Ying went to the county town this time to establish a relationship with the hospital there, so we can slowly investigate later.
They agreed that both of them would go to get a letter of introduction the next day, and Xu Shuang went home in the dark. Wang Ying sent him to the door, thinking that Xu Shuang had bought so many things, should she buy something for him tomorrow too
I can’t buy the big stuff myself, so why not buy him a flashlight
The next day, Wang Ying didn't hear any noise from next door when she got up, and she didn't see the family of three next door when she opened the door. But after thinking about it, she understood that the couple must have gone to send their son to school.
Tsk, I don’t know how spoiled he is, a high school boy still needs his parents to send him to school.
Wang Ying sorted out the medicinal herbs she had saved during this period of time and picked out some to take to the county town to ask for the price tomorrow.
In the afternoon, Wang Ying went to the team leader to ask for a letter of introduction.
Tian Youfu had also heard about the Xu family during this period. He had originally felt sorry for Xu Shuang's character, and when he heard that Wang Ying was going to marry Xu Shuang, he also felt that it was a good match. However, as a leader, he had to be especially careful in this regard, so he did not show any attitude.
But Tian Youfu was grateful to Wang Ying. This girl saved his son Xiao Shitou last time. Xiao Shitou often went to play with Wang Ying recently.
I heard from Xiao Shitou that Wang Ying dried a lot of medicinal herbs in the yard.
Tian Youfu asked Wang Ying about medicinal materials, and Wang Ying was very frank: "I learned a little from my mother before, and I also found some books to read at school."
Tian Youfu asked her, "Can you treat the people in our team now?"
It would be great if Wang Ying could take over the barefoot doctor job. Tian Youfu never found it difficult to see a doctor before, but after Wang Ying's mother passed away, their Seventh Brigade has not been able to pick a decent barefoot doctor, so they could only look for one from the neighboring brigade every time.
Not to mention the distance, each person had to pay 20 cents, which caused all the members in the brigade to complain.
Wang Ying: "It should be possible. But barefoot doctors have to learn, right? If they don't learn, it won't work."
Tian Youfu waved his hand and said, "Winter is coming soon. You should just do the work first. After winter is over, I will send you to the commune's clinic to learn more."
It's not that Tian Youfu didn't follow the rules, it was just that it was difficult to do things in winter. Their Seventh Brigade was at the foot of the mountain, and after winter, the mountain was closed due to heavy snow. For more than two months, they were isolated from the world, and even the road to Xipo Town was blocked.
The brigade could call on young and strong people from each household to shovel snow together and clear the roads in the village to facilitate patrols. But it was not the same outside the brigade. When people went out, they saw nothing but white.
At this time, if someone happens to give birth to a child or something important happens, you can only go to the next brigade to look for someone, and you may not be able to catch up.
"The barefoot doctors in our brigade are paid two yuan a month, and they don't deduct work points in the winter. I'll tell you who has elderly or children in their homes, and I'll ask you to pay more attention to them."
Wang Ying thought about it and agreed. It was not bad to be a doctor in the village these days. There was no medical trouble. She was thankful to have someone to check her illness. Why make a fuss? In addition, Wang Ying had a good impression of Tian Youfu. Although there were many people with different surnames in this brigade, they got along well. It was obvious that the leader was not a fool.
"OK."
Tian Youfu's eyes were a little complicated: "Do this for a few months first, and I'll go to the commune to ask you in the spring."
He just remembered that Wang Ying was the daughter of a martyr, and she was a high school graduate. With these conditions, plus some medical skills, it is possible that the health center will enroll her in the spring. This is also a common care policy in the commune.
Wang Ying has graduated now and is about the same age. Under normal circumstances, the commune should have arranged a job for her this fall. I don’t know if there was any delay.
After hearing Tian Youfu's explanation, Wang Ying understood that the original owner's title as a martyr's child could entitle her to preferential treatment in the commune.
but…
"Captain, I don't want to go to the clinic."
Tian Youfu was delighted, but he still explained to Wang Ying conscientiously: "But barefoot doctors are half-time workers... Our brigade can only count you half of the time, and the rest has to be counted as work points."
In other words, if Wang Ying was in the brigade, she would have to go to work. If she didn't, this part of her grain would be deducted from her grain distribution at the end of the year.
Wang Ying still insisted. She had originally considered going to a clinic, thinking of finding a place with a cafeteria. But now that she had three meals a day, each one was different, she didn't want to go to the clinic. Besides, wasn't the original owner's mother pretty good
You can just turn around and go to the back mountain to pick some medicinal herbs without having to run around.
Tian Youfu was overjoyed: "Okay! Then I'll discuss it with the branch secretary and get you three yuan a month."
Three yuan is not worth much. Wang Ying charges 10 or 20 cents for each visit, plus the cost of the medicine. That's only 5 or 6 yuan a month. If you are a good doctor, like Wang Ying's mother, you can get more than 10 yuan a month.
The purchasing power of five or six dollars at this time is still strong, at least enough for a family to eat for a month.
Wang Ying agreed, and then said that she would go to the county town to buy something the next day and asked Tian Youfu to write a letter of introduction.
Tian Youfuli took out the stamp and stamped it on her, then he remembered something.
"Ying girl, here, I'll give you three dollars, go to the hospital and buy a bottle of medical alcohol."
It’s all that bastard Lao Gou’s fault. He drank the medical alcohol in the brigade office and had to ask the brigade to buy more.
"You know what I mean. If you see any medicine that needs to be purchased, buy some. The analgin that our team had stored here is almost used up."
Tian Youfu finally got someone who knew some medical skills, and he wanted to use them immediately.
Wang Ying took a look at the remaining medicines in the office, wrote down a few names of medicines on a small piece of paper, and reported to Tian Youfu: "These ones need to be replenished. The remaining two are for emergency use, so let's prepare them as well."
Tian Youfu did not respond. He took out another ten yuan and said, "If it's still not enough, you can pay first, and I'll make up for it when I come back."
Wang Ying put the letter of introduction in her pocket: "Of course it's not enough."
These are all cheap. More expensive medicines would not be cost-effective.
After sending Wang Ying away, Tian Youfu was still a little puzzled.
"This girl, I remember her mother didn't know Western medicine, right? How come she knows about Western medicine pills..."
"Forget it, never mind her. She's a high school student, so she must have learned it on her own."
Wang Ying got up early and opened the door. Xu Shuang was already waiting there.
"When did you come? Why didn't you knock on the door?" It was so cold in the morning that it was hard to speak. Fortunately, he was waiting outside. Wang Ying locked the door, and the two of them walked towards the town together.
Xu Shuang took out a paper bag from her bosom: "Not long ago."
Wang Ying opened the paper package and found a steaming meat bun inside.
"Hmm... delicious, have you eaten it?"
Xu Shuang handed the army green water bottle to Wang Ying: "I've eaten. This is filled with soy milk."
The meat buns are stuffed with lotus root cubes and pork, which have a crispy texture. The lotus root cubes are cut slightly larger, which just neutralizes the fat of the pork. The soy milk is also steaming hot, with a mellow bean flavor.
Wang Ying took a bite of the meat bun and a sip of soy milk, and she felt sober after finishing them.
"How do we get there?"
Xu Shuang pointed outside Xipo Town and said, "Take a ride on the roadside."
Xipo Town is the closest town to the county seat, and some people in the town go to the city by bicycle. Wang Ying and Xu Shuang stood by and watched several bicycles pass by.
Wang Ying discussed with Xu Shuang: "I don't want a watch, let's buy a bicycle."
The bus to the county town only runs once a day, and waiting is too tiring. She thinks she will go to the county town more often in the future, and it would be convenient to have a bicycle.
Xu Shuang also prefers bicycles, but he feels that he uses them more often, and it would be more convenient for Wang Ying to have a watch at home.
"Let's go check out the bikes first, and then I'll ask my master if he has a ticket for the watch."
The most amazing thing is to buy both. It’s not like he can’t afford them.
As we were talking, the shuttle bus arrived.
The buses at that time were not very similar to the ones later. They were not painted bright white, but military green. There were not many seats, so there was a lot of space for people to stand. Otherwise, people couldn't get on.
It was still early, less than nine o'clock, but the bus was already full of people, some of them with their own animals. Chickens and ducks were shivering in the cold outside, and once the bus got warm they started to flutter about, with chicken and duck feathers flying about, and children making all sorts of noises. There was no place to step.
Xu Shuang escorted Wang Ying up the bus. The female ticket seller said impatiently, "Hurry up, squeeze in the back, 20 cents per person, no refund if you get off early."
Xu Shuang handed over forty cents, and the two of them squeezed to the back of the car, until they got to an open space near the window. Xu Shuang put both hands on the window to cover Wang Ying inside.
Wang Ying: …
Xu Shuang said naturally: "Let's stand like this for now. We are standing at the back, so there are usually no seats when we come up."
The driver started the car, drove for about ten meters, and then stopped with an emergency brake.
The car was already noisy, and with the sudden brakes, someone was about to fall to the ground.
A series of grumblings of dissatisfaction arose, and the driver became very impatient. He was immersed in these noises every day and was annoyed to death.
"What are you arguing about! Didn't you see someone blocking the road ahead?"
Then he stuck his head out of the window and shouted, "Didn't you see this huge group of people? Why do you have to stand in the middle of the street?"
A woman trotted to the front door and slammed it twice: "I yelled at you to stop but you didn't! Open the door for me! I want to go into the city!"
The ticket seller was arrogant to begin with, and when he heard her being so rude, he immediately got angry: "Who are you? Can you speak properly?"
The woman below was also throwing a tantrum, shouting at the top of her voice: "If you don't open the door, I will stand in the middle of the road! You are serving the people, what? I am not a member of the people?"
After several arguments, the conductor opened the door reluctantly, and the woman got on the bus with a triumphant look on her face, like a rooster that had won a battle.
Wang Ying looked at Xu Shuang carefully through her arm.
Wow, it’s an old acquaintance.
Wang Lingling's hair was disheveled, and she no longer had the plump, fair complexion she once had. Her cheeks were sallow, and her lips were chapped from dryness. She looked like a slightly better-looking rural woman. She had aged several years in an instant.
Wang Lingling got on the bus and gave the conductor two cents while muttering, "What a lousy bus! I still need two cents."
The conductor rolled his eyes, tore off a ticket and put it in her hand.
Wang Lingling didn't feel that she had done anything wrong, nor did she pay any attention to the people in the car who were dissatisfied with her. She found a place to lean back, and her eyes started rolling around.
Wang Ying pulled Xu Shuang's sleeve and motioned for him to look.
Xu Shuang just glanced at him and looked away: "Are you cold?"
It was good to lean against the window, not crowded, but the window leaked air, and people shivered with cold. Wang Ying shook her head. Her physical condition had improved a lot recently, and in this kind of weather, her hands and feet were no longer as cold as the original owner.
"That's Wang Lingling, right?"
Xu Shuang hummed, "Several surrounding communes take the bus at this stop."
Other communes also have shuttle buses, but they are a bit roundabout, and the Xipo Town stop is the closest to the county town. So members of the surrounding communes all wait at this stop to enter the city.
The two people spoke in a neither loud nor soft voice. Wang Lingling listened to the familiar voices and soon found them.
Wang Lingling widened her eyes, but didn't believe it. She rubbed her eyes hard and finally confirmed that the two people stuck together were Xu Shuang and Wang Ying.
Wang Lingling:! !
Ever since she married into the Zhao family, she has never paid attention to what is happening on her natal side, so she really didn't know that Wang Ying and Xu Shuang are together now.
When Wang Lingling first saw this picture, she was shocked and angry, as if Wang Ying had taken something from her. Then her mind went blank.
She had originally wanted to pair Wang Ying and Xu Shuang together, but before she could take action, the situation changed a lot, forcing her to take a risky move.
But these two people didn’t bring themselves together, but actually took the initiative to get together
Wang Lingling wanted to slap her thigh in regret. Since these two people were like this, didn’t it mean that if she acted earlier, her original idea would come true
Why didn't she regenerate earlier!
Wang Ying looked at Wang Lingling's lively expression and quietly leaned over to Xu Shuang and asked, "What do you think she went to the city for?"
Xu Shuang had Wang Ying in his arms, but suddenly she came closer. He seemed to be frozen in place, and replied stiffly, "I don't know."
Wang Ying looked at Wang Lingling for a while and said, "I think she went into town to buy something."
Wang Lingling didn't bring anyone with her. She was only carrying a large empty cloth bag. She didn't look like she was going into the city for anything important. Instead, she looked like she was going to buy something.
In fact, Wang Ying’s guess was basically correct.
Wang Lingling did bring money into the city today. During the time she had been married into the Zhao family, her life had not been easy, even if she was lying about her conscience.
My mother-in-law has such a bad temper, and the sisters-in-law are not easy to get along with. The man usually takes all the food, and the sisters-in-law are always fussy about the thin rice soup. You eat one more bite, and I eat half a piece less. Although we don't quarrel often, we still make various small moves every day.
Although Wang Lingling didn't make a lot of money in her previous life, she had never suffered much.
There is only Xu Shuang in the Xu family. Her eldest brother is gone, so there are no troubles caused by sisters-in-law in the family, and her mother-in-law doesn't like to interfere with the couple, so Wang Lingling became the head of the family when she got married.
Xu Shuang gave half of her monthly salary to her, so she had enough food and drink.
But the Zhao family is completely different. Although they have a son named Zhao Jun, Zhao Jun’s allowance is not enough for four families to spend together!
The men in the Zhao family did rough work in the fields. Although there were many males, they did not get much food. The sisters-in-law also had their own children. The five rooms were noisy every day, and there were more than a dozen sets of bowls and chopsticks for meals.
There were two children, one five years old and the other three years old. The five-year-old was running around everywhere and had to be watched closely, while the three-year-old was not very steady when walking and would fall if he wasn't watched.
However, Wang Lingling had in mind the idea that she could easily win with the two children, so she took care of them very attentively.
But doing so would offend the other sisters-in-law, who thought she was a stepmother and took better care of the children than they did themselves. In the eyes of their mother-in-law, weren't they the lazy daughters-in-law
As a result, Wang Lingling was exhausted from the fighting among the sisters-in-law and the daily life of her two children. After enduring such a long period of time, she felt like a mess.
This trip to the county town was originally the plan of my eldest uncle in the family. Because there were many children in the family and there was not enough food for the winter, we had to take this opportunity to go to the city to buy some food.
It stands to reason that she could be replaced in the village, but the old lady of the Zhao family was such a loser in life, and few people in the entire brigade liked her and were unwilling to replace her. She was also worried about being reported if she went to another brigade.
So the only thing I could do was go into the county town and find a place to buy it on the black market.
This was not an easy task. Going to the county town was not only far and tiring, but it was even more difficult to find the black market, and I had to be on guard against being caught. Most importantly, I had to walk all the way back to avoid being discovered.
Originally, this matter would not have fallen on Wang Lingling, but the sisters-in-law squeezed each other and Wang Lingling offended her eldest sister-in-law, so the eldest sister-in-law fooled her husband and passed the matter on to Wang Lingling.
Wang Lingling rubbed her arms. She was still wearing thin clothes. A few days ago, she took apart a piece of the thick clothes she brought to the Zhao family to make cotton-padded clothes for her two children. Now she had no thick clothes on her.
Looking at Wang Ying and Xu Shuang over there, Wang Lingling was in a better mood and Wang Ying was also wearing old clothes.
It can be seen that Xu Shuang was not very nice to her.
Wang Lingling thought about her past life and encouraged herself. No matter what, the man she picked would be the richest man in the future, while Wang Ying would only be the wife of a poor cook and live in poverty in the countryside. When she split up the family and lived alone with the two of them, Zhao Jun would be able to make a fortune when he came back! Or if she could get Zhao Jun to change his job earlier in this life, life would definitely be better...
Wang Lingling spent the entire journey to the county town in such a beautiful fantasy.
Until they got off the car, Wang Ying thought Wang Lingling would say something unpleasant, but when they got there, Wang Lingling just glanced at her and Xu Shuang condescendingly and left, leaving Wang Ying confused.
Xu Shuang picked up the basket she brought into the city and asked Wang Ying, "Shall we go to my master first? Or should we go to the supply and marketing cooperative in the afternoon after dinner?"
Wang Ying didn't care: "Sure." She was not familiar with the county town, so naturally she just followed Xu Shuang.
Xu Shuang carried a backpack and walked on the road with Wang Ying one after the other. This was also a feature of this time. According to people in the village, they saw a man and a woman walking on the road together in the county before and were arrested. They were said to be adulterers because they did not have a marriage certificate. I heard that if they were arrested, they would be detained for a few days and have to attend classes. They would also have to report to their work unit.
Therefore, men and women on the street, even couples, all walk separately. There is absolutely no such thing as walking arm in arm with arm, for fear of being misunderstood by the red armbands passing by.
Xu Shuang took Wang Ying all the way to an area of low-rise houses and followed the alley to a large courtyard.
Xu Shuang introduced to Wang Ying in a low voice: "The houses in this area originally belonged to my master. Later, my master donated the houses and only kept this courtyard for himself. However, there are several other families living in the courtyard now. It can be said that the state-owned factory rented it to my master."
Xu Shuang's master is called Chen Dong. He was a young master before liberation. His family ran a sugar factory and had many businesses. Later, when the world became chaotic, he sold all his businesses and lived in the small county of Nanshao. What he loved most in his life was eating. Although his cooking skills were mediocre, he was very picky.
Wang Ying looked at the large courtyard in front of her in surprise. This courtyard seemed to be built in imitation of a quadrangle courtyard, with a main house and wing rooms, but no back house in the front, only a screen wall. There was another screen wall in the back of the front yard, so it should be a second courtyard.
Xu Shuang took Wang Ying all the way to the main house at the back. Along the way, Wang Ying saw clothes drying in the yard, coal briquettes at the doors of each house, and a public pool in the yard.
Xu Shuang: "My master lives alone in the three main rooms at the back. He works as a cook in a state-owned restaurant in the county. He is not married and has no children."
The two men walked to the main house, where a fat old man was sitting at the door of the three rooms.
The fat old man had no hair and looked like a white steamed bun. His face was full of joy and there were smile lines at the corners of his eyes. It was hard to tell his age. He looked like he was fifty or sixty, but it would not be an exaggeration to say he was seventy.
"Oh, I heard the magpie singing today, so I'm going to have a good time today!"
The fat old man stood up as soon as he saw Xu Shuang, and the chair squeaked at just the right moment, as if telling of his hard work.
The fat old man's eyes lit up: "Good disciple, how come you have time to come to see me today?"
Xu Shuang pulled Wang Ying and said, "This is my fiancée. I'm getting married on the 26th of next month. Let me tell you about it."
The fat old man: "Good marriage, good marriage! This girl is a good match for you! Will you set up a banquet on the 26th?"
Xu Shuang had a blank expression on her face: "Yes, but I won't cook." Who has ever seen a groom cooking on his wedding day
The fat old man seemed very disappointed: "So, you are here to ask me to prepare a feast for you?"
Xu Shuang: "It's all right. Mainly, I need to get some things for my wedding, so I came to exchange tickets with you."
The fat old man had no dignity of a master: "Okay, okay, what did you bring today that you brought such a big bag?" As he said that, he pulled the man into the house and kept staring at the backpack.
Xu Shuang already knew what kind of person her master was, so she directly took out the things she had prepared in the backpack.
"My fiancée sent you this fish, and this is some dried vegetables my mom dried earlier. This is black fungus."
The fat old man was very excited: "This fish is good, it looks delicious, you can cook this fish for lunch."
At this time, the fat old man remembered that his apprentice's fiancée was also there, so he quickly added a few words of greeting: "Girl, please sit down. There are peach cakes on the cabinet and melon seeds on the table. Grab some and eat them yourself."
Wang Ying finally understood why Xu Shuang had quietly added to her just now, saying that his master had no other problems in his life, he just liked to eat, and hoped that she would not take it to heart if he was a little neglectful later.
But this man is so fat, is his blood pressure okay
Xu Shuang saw that it was almost noon and knew what kind of person her master was, so she simply put on an apron and went into the kitchen.
After preparing the fish, Xu Shuang poked her head out and asked Wang Ying, "How do you want to eat it?"
The fat old man raised his hand enthusiastically to answer: "Fish head and pancake!"
Xu Shuang: "I didn't ask you... Wang Ying, how do you want to eat?"
Wang Ying looked at the old man opposite with eager eyes and said with a smile, "Let's have fish head and pancake."
Only then did Xu Shuang go back to light the fire and prepare to roast the fish.
The fat old man looked left and right, with a gossipy look on his face: "Little girl, Xu Shuang is a very obedient boy. How did you two know each other?"
Wang Ying said a few words casually, nothing more than that the two sides were attracted to each other.
The fat old man secretly asked Wang Ying: "This brat doesn't like to talk in front of you?"
Wang Ying: …
How should I put it, Xu Shuang is indeed not talkative, but she is definitely not cold in front of me, and she says a lot of things that need to be said.
As they chatted about this and that, the aroma coming from the kitchen gradually became stronger.
The fat old man's appetite was excited when he smelled the fragrance. Wang Ying suddenly thought: "Shall I take your pulse?"
This old man doesn't look very healthy, and he doesn't control his diet. Even if Wang Ying is considering the ticket that Xu Shuang will get for free, she still has to check his pulse to see if there is anything wrong.
The fat old man didn't care. Wang Ying took his pulse and said, "Your spleen and stomach are not in good condition. It's best to go to the hospital for a detailed examination. You also need to pay attention to your blood pressure and eat less oil and salt."
Chen Dong laughed: "I knew it a long time ago, but I'm already seventy, it will be too late if I don't eat now. By the time I can't taste it anymore, I won't be able to eat it, so I have to eat a few more bites now."
Wang Ying took out two herbs from her backpack and handed them to him: "Then take these two packets and soak them in water. They will strengthen your spleen and stomach and lower your blood pressure."
The old man's physical condition was not bad, and at the age of seventy, a good attitude was far more important than abstinence, so Wang Ying did not make things difficult for him. The fat old man was old and had experienced a lot, especially since he had taken care of Xu Shuang for three or four years. He could not stop talking about Xu Shuang, and Wang Ying also supported him. The two had a good chat.
When Xu Shuang brought out the fish head pancake, the fat old man quickly sat down at the table.
In a large fish plate, the fish head was cut into two halves, the fish meat was cut into pieces, the fish head and tail were arranged, and the fish piece in the middle was served directly.
A plate of baked pancakes was placed next to it. Xu Shuang steamed a large pot of rice and paired it with the fish. The old man ate so much that he didn't even raise his head.
"Well, this fish is really good, much better than what we ordered at the food station!"
Wang Ying dipped the pancake into the fish soup and ate it. It was salty and delicious. The tender fish and the oily pancake made the combination particularly delicious. Especially when paired with the pancake, the pancake was soaked in the soup, and the fragrance was so delicious that it made people's tongues fall off.
Three people shared a big fish. By the end, the fat old man's belly was getting rounder and rounder. He even kept the remaining pieces of fish: "To be eaten with noodles in the evening."
After putting the plate in the kitchen, the fat old man came over with a handful of tickets in his hand.
"Come on, come on, look at what kind of tickets you want."
Most of the tickets were given to Master Xu Shuang, but he usually didn't have to use them. His family had everything, and he had several fellow disciples who helped each other, so he lived a very comfortable life. These tickets were usually given to Xu Shuang.
"This is a leather shoe ticket. Take it back and buy Ying a pair of small leather shoes. Girls in the county all wear them now."
"Take all the coupons. I don't need them anyway."
"This is an industrial ticket. I don't know how to exchange it. Take it and ask yourself."
When Wang Ying and Xu Shuang came out, Xu Shuang already had dozens of tickets of various kinds in her pocket.
The two of them went out and discussed it, and decided to go to the hospital's purchasing station first to sell the herbs that Wang Ying brought, and then go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy things.
As a result, I didn't walk far before I saw a commotion not far from the corner of the street. Several onlookers were whispering nearby.
"My goodness, this is the nth time this month that they are catching speculators again?"
"You don't understand. We catch more this month, but less next month. Next month everyone will start to prepare for the winter, and then everyone will turn a blind eye. So there will be no income next month, so it's just that we caught more this month, right?"
"It's obvious that these people are not from the county. They just go to the black market without knowing what's going on. They don't even choose the time."
"Let's go quickly, so they won't target us."
…
Wang Ying and Xu Shuang also quickened their pace. There were many speculations in towns, not to mention the county. Everyone was trying to avoid the speculations. Some families even deliberately sent their children to go there for fear of being targeted.
Just as Wang Ying and Xu Shuang were walking away quickly, the Speculation Office was twisting a woman with disheveled hair.
"You said your name is Wang Lingling, so you are Wang Lingling. Where is your letter of introduction?"
"You don't even have a letter of introduction, and you're acting sneaky. You run away when I ask you a few questions. And you still say you're not here to speculate?"
"Take him back and ask him clearly whether he is a bad guy or not."