When he got home, Lu Cheng had just finished washing the dishes: "Wait for me at the door. I'll go borrow a car."
Speaking of borrowing a car, Lin Qingqing remembered something: "I ordered a few cabinets a few days ago. Sister Xiuyao took me there. Today I can go and see if the cabinets are ready. If they are, I can pick them up."
Lu Cheng: "Okay, you show me the way later."
Then, Lu Cheng went to borrow a car, and Lin Qingqing went back to the house to get the money and tickets. She originally wanted to use her passbook to withdraw money, but after thinking about it, it was too polite, so she took the loose change from the iron box that Lu Cheng gave her. She didn't know how much it would cost to buy a sewing machine and a bicycle, so she simply counted out five hundred. What's more, although the iron box was filled with loose change, after she took out five hundred, there were probably two or three hundred left. Isn't this too much loose change? Thinking of what Lu Cheng said about saving half of the salary and spending the other half, Lin Qingqing thought that this money should be from the half of the salary that was not spent.
Not long after Lin Qingqing arrived at the gate of the family compound, Lu Cheng came. Knowing that Lin Qingqing would get in the car, Lu Cheng did not go down to open the door.
Arriving at the county town, they went directly to the department store, because they had a clear goal. But they were also very lucky, whether it was a women's bicycle or a sewing machine, they were all in stock, so they spent about 330 yuan on the two items. After buying the things, the two went to the vegetable market again. Since they were here, they just went there. However, Lin Qingqing was worried about the sewing machine and bicycle in the car, so she asked Lu Cheng to wait in the car and she went there by herself.
There are a lot of vegetables in the market. It should be said that as long as it is not too late, there will be no shortage of vegetables in the market. However, meat is not available. Lin Qingqing bought some red beans, edamame, green peppers and a whole winter melon. She planned to make stinky winter melon. Lin Qingqing is very good at making pickled vegetables, whether it is stinky winter melon or pickled radish, because her grandmother is an expert in this area.
A whole winter melon weighed about 20 kilograms, and Lin Qingqing couldn't lift it, so she put it on the stall first and asked Lu Cheng to take it later. Then, she went to the meat area.
"Hey... are these bones and pig intestines for sale?" Although Lu Cheng bought meat yesterday, there were many people eating, so she could only make minced meat stewed eggs, which was not very satisfying.
The salesperson glanced at Lin Qingqing and said, "Sell, one pound of meat coupons can be used to buy three pounds of bones. Pig intestines don't require meat coupons. Do you want them?"
"Yes, yes, yes." Lin Qingqing wanted it the most. Although there was not even a bit of meat on the bones, the nutrition of the bones was in the soup. As for the pig intestines, the taste of stir-frying them with onions was also unique.
So, Lin Qingqing bought three pounds of bones and ten pounds of pig intestines, and then went to buy onions. When she came out of the market, her hands were no longer able to carry them.
Lu Cheng was staring at the entrance of the market. Seeing Lin Qingqing's hands full of things, he hurriedly got out of the car and went over. "I'll do it." He took the things from Lin Qingqing's hands. "Did you buy pig intestines?" Pig intestines were packed in wooden barrels. Lin Qingqing didn't have anything to pack pig intestines. The salesperson bought all the pig intestines for Lin Qingqing and even lent her the wooden barrel. However, the wooden barrel required a deposit of 10 cents.
"Let's make braised pig intestines. They have a stronger flavor and can be stored for a few days. Cut a little when you want to eat them, and then heat them up, and the flavor will be lighter." Lin Qingqing had already thought about it. And even though the pig intestines weigh ten kilograms, they only weigh six or seven kilograms after washing. "By the way, I also bought a twenty-kilogram winter melon. You can pick it up later. The stall number is 3-25."
Lu Cheng: "Okay, you get in the car and rest first, I'll get it."
When Lu Cheng came out, he was holding the winter melon against his chest. He looked very relaxed holding the 20-jin winter melon. Lu Cheng put the winter melon in the back of the car, got into the driver's seat and asked, "Where else do you want to go?"
Lin Qingqing said: "No need, let's go directly to the carpenter's house."
Lu Cheng: "Okay."
The carpenter's house was between the county town and the army, so it was on the way. When Lin Qingqing and Lu Cheng went there, the carpenter was not there, and it was the carpenter's wife who entertained them. The carpenter's wife was in her fifties and was a warm-hearted person.
"Comrade Lin is here. Your cabinet is ready. We are preparing to deliver it to you in the next few days." It was convenient for them to go to the army, as they had delivered furniture to the army before.
Lin Qingqing paid the money: "Thank you, auntie. I also have a car today, so I stopped by to take a look. By the way, auntie, do you want to exchange the chickens you raise?" In fact, it means whether to sell them or not, but to avoid gossip, everyone uses the word "exchange" to describe it. After all, the policy of barter is advocated by the country.
The carpenter's wife was stunned: "Comrade Lin wants it now?"
Lin Qingqing said: "No, no, I just want to ask, if my aunt's chicken is exchanged, I can come over next time I want it."
So that's it. The carpenter's wife understood: "Then Comrade Lin, come over when the time comes. By the way, Comrade Lin, do you buy eggs? You usually buy eggs at the market or the supply and marketing cooperative, right? You need egg coupons for that, but our eggs don't need egg coupons, and they are only one cent more expensive than those at the market or the supply and marketing cooperative, what do you think?"
Eggs at the market or the supply and marketing cooperative cost 50 cents per pound, but you still need a ticket. If you don't need a ticket, you can buy one pound for 60 cents, which Lin Qingqing thinks is a good deal.
Of course, for the carpenter's family, if they took their eggs to the supply and marketing cooperative for recycling, the price would not even be 50 cents per pound.
Lin Qingqing said without hesitation: "Of course, in addition to money, if you want to exchange tickets, you can also tell me and see if I have any tickets."
Hearing this, the carpenter's wife was moved. She did have something she wanted to buy, but she didn't have a ticket. "Comrade Lin, do you have an industrial ticket? I want to buy a thermos, but I don't have a kettle ticket or an industrial ticket." You can buy a thermos with one kettle ticket or five industrial tickets, but unfortunately, they were country folk and had no way to get either kettle tickets or industrial tickets.
Lin Qingqing remembered the pile of tickets in the tin box and said, "Yes, I will come to exchange them with you tomorrow morning. In addition to industrial tickets, I have other tickets. I can exchange them with my aunt for potatoes and sweet potatoes." The food obtained in this way can still be eaten, killing two birds with one stone.
When the carpenter's wife heard this, she said happily, "That's great." It would be even better if she could exchange it for sugar coupons or cloth coupons.
While Lu Cheng moved the cabinet that Lin Qingqing had ordered, he did not stay in the car, but waited on the side. It was the first time for Lu Cheng to wait for someone like this, and the first time to hear Lin Qingqing chatting with others, which he found quite interesting. The proud and persistent impression from more than half a month ago has gradually faded away. After two days of getting along, he felt that she was a steady, sensible, interesting, and thoughtful person.
Lin Qingqing didn't want to keep Lu Cheng waiting for too long. She had to go back to study the sewing machine. She had been using Lu Cheng's training clothes as pajamas these past two days. She couldn't wait to make pajamas and home clothes. So she ended the conversation with the carpenter's wife after a short while.
"Are you anxious?" Lin Qingqing walked towards Lu Cheng.
"No hurry." Lu Cheng said, "Will you come to exchange food tomorrow?"
Lin Qingqing said, "Yes, there are a lot of tickets anyway. I will find some that the carpenter needs but we don't need to exchange, so that we can buy less food at home."
Hearing her say the word "we", he felt inexplicably happy: "I have to start training tomorrow, so I can't come with you."
"I have a bicycle." Lin Qingqing didn't care at all. "By the way, if you go for training, what is your daily schedule?"
Lu Cheng said: "Except for special occasions, the wake-up call usually rings at 6:30 every day. We get up and have to get to the training ground within 15 minutes, then have breakfast at 8 o'clock. After breakfast, we have an hour's rest time. At noon, there is a one-and-a-half-hour rest time from 12 o'clock to 1:30, and then 5:30, which is the normal time. But in July and August, the weather is hotter, so the training time will be changed from day to night. It is usually from 6:30 to 11 o'clock in the morning, and from 6:30 to 11:30 in the evening."
Lin Qingqing wrote down the time. If she could coordinate her meal with Lu Cheng's training time, she would do so. If she couldn't, she would leave his food behind. Of course, this was based on the premise that she was free and interested in cooking. If she was not free and not interested in cooking, they would eat in the cafeteria together.
Back at the family compound, Lin Qingqing prepared lunch while Lu Cheng went back and forth several times to move cabinets.
Lin Qingqing was just washing pig intestines. As soon as Lu Cheng came back, she gave him the job of washing pig intestines. Men are strong and can wash faster. In later generations, pig intestines are always washed.
While Lu Cheng was washing the pig intestines, Lin Qingqing was washing the winter melon. Although the winter melon needed to be pickled, it could be stir-fried for lunch. At noon, Lin Qingqing decided to make three dishes and a soup, stir-fried winter melon, braised pig intestines, three fresh vegetables, and a bowl of steamed egg. "Lu Cheng, can you get a wine jar? The kind made of clay, used to hold wine. I want to pickle the stinky winter melon, I need this." If there is really no such thing, you can only use a wooden barrel, but the effect of a wooden barrel is definitely not as good as that.
Lu Cheng knew what she was talking about: "There are some in the cafeteria. I'll get them later. I want a few."
"One is enough." Three pounds of the twenty pounds of winter melon were cut and fried, and the remaining seventeen pounds were peeled and seeded, so they could not fill a wine jar.
Lu Cheng: "Okay."
Before Lu Cheng finished washing the pig intestines, Lin Qingqing had already washed her winter melon and three fresh vegetables. The so-called three fresh vegetables refer to three kinds of fresh vegetables grown in the field, namely potatoes, eggplants, and green peppers. This is why she bought green peppers at the market today. As for eggplants, there are really a lot of them at home, some brought by Yu Xiuyao, and some brought by the military wives who came to dinner last night. Fortunately, in this kind of weather, eggplants are very durable.
The staple foods are rice and sweet potatoes. Rice is precious in that era and eating rice every meal is too luxurious. Coincidentally, Lin Qingqing likes rice mixed with sweet potatoes, a coarse grain. It is economical and kills two birds with one stone.
Cooking rice in a clay pot, with egg custard on top. Cooking vegetables in an iron pot, she first fried three fresh vegetables and winter melon. While cooking, she asked Lu Cheng to cut a pound of washed pig intestines. Braised pig intestines with green peppers and onions, just in case the smell is too fragrant.
kindergarten
This morning, after Lu Haici and Ji Yang arrived at the kindergarten, he took out the comic book "Seagull" that his mother gave him and read it. Ji Yang sat next to him, and the two good brothers stood next to each other, reading very seriously.
Suddenly, a figure blocked their way. Lu Haici and Ji Yang looked up and saw that it was the kid who pushed Lu Haici down yesterday.
The boy's name was Chen Zhou. He was holding a piece of sugar cake in his hand. He looked at Lu Haici proudly and said, "Look, this is the sugar cake my mother made for me. It's delicious. I won't give it to you."
Lu Haici blinked his eyes, still not understanding. However, when he heard Chen Zhou say this, he took out a lunch box from his schoolbag and said, "My mother made me baked potatoes today." Lu Haici thought that the other party was here to compete in eating.
"Tsk..." Chen Zhou glanced at the baked potatoes in Lu Haici's lunch box, "What's so delicious about potatoes? They are not as delicious as sugar cakes. Sugar cakes are sweet and soft, really delicious."
Lu Haici agrees that sugar cakes are delicious, but says: "My mother's baked potatoes are also delicious, and they are also sweet."
Because Lin Qingqing added sugar, the baked potatoes were of course sweet. In fact, if it were in later times, rock sugar should have been added.
"Wow... Lu Haici, can I have some?" Ji Yang was extremely confident in Lin Qingqing's cooking skills. He drooled at the sight of the baked potatoes.
Lin Qingqing put twelve baked potatoes in Lu Haici's lunch box. Because baked potatoes are relatively small, she put them in the box because she thought that Lu Haici has six good friends, and if he shared them, two would be just right for each of them.
But Lin Qingqing didn't know how Lu Haici could possibly give two to others, not even one.
Lu Haici took out a baked potato from the lunch box, broke it in half, and gave half to Ji Yang: "Eat it." He was very generous to give half. After Ji Yang took half of the baked potato, Lu Haici licked his fingers again. Although the baked potato was juicy, the potato skin was very delicious with the juice.
Ji Yang stuck out his tongue and licked the skin of the baked potato: "Wow..." He shouted, "It's really sweet, Lu Haici, why are the potatoes in your family sweet?"
Lu Haici just finished licking his hands: "I don't know, maybe because my mother is better." He started eating potatoes.
"I don't believe it. How can potatoes be sweet? You're lying to me." Chen Zhou suddenly felt that his cakes were no longer fragrant. Many people are like this. No matter how delicious their own food is, it is not as fragrant as the food that everyone eats together. "Lu Haici, let me eat your potatoes too, then I will believe that your potatoes are sweet."
"I don't." Lu Haici refused bluntly. He didn't care whether Chen Zhou believed it or not.
"You..." Chen Zhou glared at Lu Haici angrily.
"Wow..." At this time, another voice came from the classroom door, "Lu Haici, what are you eating?" Qin Ming rushed over like a small cannonball, "Lu Haici, my grandma said thank you for inviting me to dinner yesterday. This morning, my grandma made rice crust for you to eat."
Speaking of this rice crust, Zhang Hongping also took great pains to make it. Yesterday, her grandson went to the Lu family for dinner. Although Lin Qingqing gave her enough face when she went with him, Zhang Hongping always felt that she was embarrassed. Moreover, she didn't want her grandson to eat other people's food for free. Especially after her grandson came back yesterday, he praised Lu Haici's mother for her amazing cooking. He even brought back two pumpkin cakes.
Zhang Hongping also tasted the pumpkin pie and had to admit that it tasted really good, soft, sticky and sweet, and children's favorite. However, she felt annoyed when she heard her grandson calling her "Mom" all the time. In order to prove herself, Zhang Hongping made rice crust this morning. Rice crust is delicious, but it wastes oil and rice. But in order to prove herself for her grandson, Zhang Hongping tried her best.
Qin Ming also took out his lunch box, which contained golden rice crust. Qin Ming generously pushed the lunch box in front of Lu Haici: "Lu Haici, you eat." Qin Ming was spoiled since he was a child. What delicious food has he not eaten? So even if the rice crust is delicious, it is not his favorite. Therefore, he is very generous. Of course, it would be better if he didn't stare at Lu Haici's lunch box.
Lu Haici looked at Qin Ming's rice crust. He had never eaten this before. He thought for a moment, took out a baked potato from his lunch box and handed it to Qin Ming: "Here." In consideration of Qin Ming giving him rice crust, he gave Qin Ming a baked potato.
"Wow, Lu Haici, is this made by your mother?" He no longer mentioned Lin Qingqing's stepmother. He went to Lu Haici's house yesterday. Lu Haici's mother was so gentle, and the dishes and pumpkin pie she made had conquered him. If his mother and Lu Haici's mother quarreled now, he would definitely stand on Lu Haici's mother's side.
Qin Ming is such a realistic kid.
Lu Haici said, "Hmm." He also took a bite of a rice crust, his eyes lit up, "This is really delicious, can I have two pieces? I'll trade you a baked potato." There were a lot of baked potatoes at home, so he was willing to trade. He wanted to trade the rice crust for his mother to try.
"Sure, two is too few, let's exchange for more." Qin Ming thought that there was still rice crust at home, so it didn't matter if he exchanged for more. "I'll exchange a box of rice crust for a box of baked potatoes." One box for another, the child's idea is not wrong.
"Yeah." This is what Lu Haici thought. So, the two of them happily exchanged lunch boxes.
Ji Yang watched them exchange and bit his lower lip. The baked potato in his mouth suddenly lost its fragrance. Looking at the baked potato that Lu Haici's mother made for Lu Haici, and then looking at the rice crust that Qin Ming's family made for Qin Ming, he had nothing and couldn't exchange with them, and he felt a little uncomfortable.
"Ji Yang..." After Lu Haici and Qin Ming changed, he suddenly called Ji Yang.
"Huh?" Ji Yang's eyes lit up.
Lu Haici said, "Ji Yang, the day before yesterday you said you would trade me your meat buns for tofu pancakes, but you haven't given me your meat buns yet."
Ji Yang: “…” Forgot. “I… I forgot.”
"Then when will you give it to me?" Lu Haici asked. Good brother, let's be clear about the accounts. Lu Haici is also a realistic guy.
Ji Yang blushed: "I... I'll go back at noon and ask my mother to make meat buns. I'll give them to you when my mother is done. Is that okay?"
"I think it's okay." Lu Haici said.
"You... Qin Ming, I'll give you the cake in exchange for the baked potato." Chen Zhou watched them talking and didn't talk to him. He was so angry. As for what I said yesterday about not playing with you, I had long forgotten it.
"I don't want to." Qin Ming hugged the lunch box tightly. It was not like he had never eaten sweet cakes before.
"You... I won't play with you anymore." Chen Zhou ran out of the classroom angrily.
Lu Family
Lin Qingqing had already prepared lunch, and she and Lu Cheng were working on the squat toilet in the small room. The pit for the squat toilet was dug last night, and Lu Cheng got up early this morning to fix the pit with bricks and cement. Now the two of them divided the work, with Lin Qingqing handing over bricks and Lu Cheng receiving bricks in the pit. In just half an hour, they finished the rest of the work.
All that’s left is to seal the squat toilet, which should be done by this afternoon.
"Mom, I'm back." Lu Haici ran into the yard and headed straight for the kitchen. However, he didn't see Lin Qingqing in the kitchen. Just as he was about to go inside, he heard Lin Qingqing's voice coming from the small room.
"Here." Lin Qingqing came out of the small house, and Lu Cheng followed behind her.
"Mom, I brought you some rice crackers. They are delicious." Lu Haici ran to Lin Qingqing and pulled her into the hall. As for his father, he simply ignored him.
Lu Haici pulled Lin Qingqing to the hall and took out a lunch box from her schoolbag: "Mom, have a try." He picked up a piece of rice crust and gave it to Lin Qingqing.
Lin took a bite and found the rice crust to be fragrant and crispy, indeed delicious. "It's delicious, thank you Haici. But where did this rice crust come from? Why are there so many?"
Lu Haici said: "Qin Ming and I exchanged..." He recounted the process of exchanging the rice crust.
At the same time at the Ji family.
Ji Yang ran into the house and saw Xu Huijuan. His eyes turned red and he choked up and said, "Mom, I want to eat meat buns. I want to eat meat buns."
Xu Huijuan hadn't reacted yet: "Why do you suddenly want to eat meat buns? There is no meat coupon this month. If you want to eat meat buns, you have to wait until next month."
"I don't want it, I don't want it... I want to eat meat buns, I want to eat meat buns today." Ji Yang didn't want to lose face in front of his good friend, "Mom, I must eat meat buns today, wuwuwu..."
Ji Yang was always obedient and sensible, but this was the first time he cried and made a fuss like this, which made Xu Huijuan very worried: "Then tell mom why you suddenly want to eat meat buns?" Maybe someone was eating meat buns, so he was greedy? But even if the child was greedy, he wouldn't make a fuss like this.
Ji Yang explained with tears in his eyes: "I exchanged it with Lu Haici."
"You exchanged with Lu Haici?" Xu Huijuan didn't understand. "How did you exchange with Lu Haici? How did you get the meat bun?"
Ji Yang said: "I ate Lu Haici's tofu pancakes, and I promised to exchange them with him for meat buns. Woohoo... Mom, I want meat buns. I am an honest child and I cannot be a liar."
Hearing Ji Yang's explanation, Xu Huijuan frowned. Tofu pancakes for meat buns? Isn't Lu Haici too smart? Although Xu Huijuan had some opinions in her heart, she would not show her dissatisfaction on her face. She said to Ji Yang, "Ji Yang, there is no meat at home, so we can't make meat buns, but you ate Lu Haici's tofu pancakes and agreed to exchange for meat buns. We can't break our promise. How about this, mom also makes pancakes, and you ask him if it's okay to exchange pancakes for his tofu pancakes, okay?"