"Aunt Lu, you don’t need to make such complicated als."
"In the morning, I want you all to eat well. I made these fried eggs for you."
The couple, feeling good after a satisfying breakfast, headed off to work.
Li Yunqiao also finished his breakfast. "Fengzhen, all the tickets for the house are in that drawer. Here’s twenty yuan for you. Go to the co-op and buy so nutritious food."
"Got it, Brother Li."
"Also, when you have ti, clear out the room on the first floor so Hong Lin and his wife can move downstairs. It’s getting inconvenient for Lihong with her big belly to keep going up and down the stairs."
"Okay."
Li Yunqiao, also in high spirits, rode his bike to work.
Lu Fengzhen tidied up the kitchen. The water was boiling, so she filled the thermos, then poured the remaining hot water into a large basin in the yard. She gathered Li Yunqiao’s bedsheets, duvet covers, and pillow towels, and with great effort, managed to wring them dry. She left them outside to drip dry, knowing they would be frozen before bringing them indoors, and they’d be dry by evening.
Only then did she find a few ration tickets and head out with a basket from the storeroom.
She roughly knew where the co-op was and noticed many elderly people carrying baskets along the way, confirming she was on the right path.
When she reached the co-op, it was indeed quite crowded. She managed to snatch two jin of eggs and then spotted the tofu for sale.
Unfortunately, she hadn’t brought a bowl, so she couldn’t buy tofu. After contemplating for a mont, she hurried ho.
Upon returning to the co-op, fortunately, there was still tofu left, and she quickly bought two jin.
There was already a long line at the at stall beside her. Lu Fengzhen queued at the end, having ti on her hands. It would be great if she could buy so at but if not, so be it.
Now people buy at in small quantities, a few ounces at a ti. After waiting a long ti, it was finally Lu Fengzhen’s turn.
She bought half a jin of streaky pork and also purchased a piece of pork liver.
Realizing pork liver didn’t require a ticket, she also bought a pork stomach, which could be consud over several als.
Because she managed to buy so at, Lu Fengzhen was in a particularly cheerful mood and hurried ho.
Once ho, she soaked the pork liver and stomach in water.
Then she began tidying up the downstairs room, simply doing so cleaning, which only took half an hour.
The bedsheets and duvet covers she washed this morning were already frozen, so she brought them in, placed them in the bathroom, and waited for the water to thaw them.
She wiped everything up and down the house again before finally sitting down to rest.
Despite the amount of work, having been accustod to farm work, she found it manageable and wasn’t tired.
It was now almost eleven o’clock. After resting for a while, she placed the sugar buns she brought into the stear for lunch.
After lunch, with nothing to do, she sat on the sofa reading the newspaper.
Having only graduated from elentary school, there were still so words she didn’t recognize, but it was a good way to pass the ti, different from the village where she could go out and visit friends for a chat.
After an hour, she hung the semi-dry bedsheets on a bamboo rod she had set up in the living room.
By evening, they would surely be dry. At three o’clock in the afternoon, she washed the pork liver and stomach, using a clay pot to stew the stomach. The liver was saved for the evening to be sautéed with so cabbage and scallions.
When Li Yunqiao returned ho in the evening and saw his bedsheets hanging in the living room, he was very satisfied at heart.
Not to ntion the aroma of at wafting from the kitchen. This was what made it feel like ho.
"Brother Li, you can rest, there’s no need to use the gas stove today."
"Sure, call if you need anything."
When Hong Lin and his wife returned, they were pleasantly surprised by the sll of at.
Rice with shredded stomach soup, sautéed pork liver with cabbage, and tofu with cabbage stalks. Leftover pancakes from the morning and so sugar buns as well.
"These sugar buns are the ones I brought, made with new flour and brown sugar. Lihong, give them a try."
"Aunt Lu, I’ll save the sugar buns for breakfast tomorrow morning. Right now, I want to eat rice."
The three of them ate to their satisfaction. "Aunt Lu, how did you sauté the pork liver so it’s not tough or gay?"
"Just add a bit of vinegar when marinating the liver." Lu Fengzhen blushed from the complint.
After dinner, the three of them still sat in the living room for a while to digest.
Once she had cleaned up, Lu Fengzhen went to the living room, "Lihong, I’ve already tidied up the room, but I haven’t moved your things downstairs. Would you like to take a look with to see what needs moving?"
"Aunt Lu, there’s no need. Let Hong Lin take care of it."
"No, no. You’ve both worked all day, you’re tired. I’ll handle it, and tomorrow I’ll also wash your bedsheets."
"Thank you, Aunt Lu," Zheng Lihong was genuinely satisfied.
Hong Lin and Lu Fengzhen together moved the belongings from upstairs and made the bed.
They also helped Li Yunqiao put on his bedsheets.
"Thank you, Fengzhen."
"Brother Li, it’s my job, but I’ll do it wholeheartedly."
"Okay, use the tickets for the house as you see fit. We’d like to eat well too."
Lu Fengzhen nodded, "Okay, I understand."
Li Yunqiao watched as the woman bent to make his bed, squinting his eyes as he thought about observing her more closely.
He felt sothing shift in him. If this woman were to spend her life with him, it wouldn’t be impossible. She t his expectations for a woman, but it had only been a day, so he couldn’t see much yet.
Unbeknownst to Lu Fengzhen, as she saw him standing by, not helping with the bedsheets, she had to climb onto the bed and tidy it herself.
Squinting, Li Yunqiao watched the woman on his bed with excitent, deciding to give both of them a chance.
After tidying up, Lu Fengzhen said a few words before leaving.
That evening, instead of looking at docunts, Li Yunqiao sat in his chair, contemplating Lu Fengzhen’s situation.
He heard she liked the father of one of the educated youths, known to be quite good-looking, but he hadn’t agreed to anything.
That wasn’t really a problem. As long as she was willing to focus on a life with him.
The next morning, Lu Fengzhen made noodles with pork stomach soup, added cabbage, and poached an egg for each of them.
Li Yunqiao noticed that Lu Fengzhen didn’t have an egg. "Fengzhen, in the future, you should eat the sa as us."
Lu Fengzhen hesitated for a mont, eyeing the eggs.
"Brother Li, eggs are hard to co by this season. I want to save so for Lihong."
"Then my son and I won’t eat them either."
Lu Fengzhen considered saying they needed good food for work but knew her place as a maid and that she should just follow instructions, so she simply nodded.
The three of them went to work, it was Friday, and the young couple ntioned they wouldn’t be ho for dinner or sleeping at ho tonight since they were visiting their mother-in-law’s.
With just the two of them for dinner, there was no rush to bring the bedsheets inside.
With only two people eating, there was no need to buy more groceries. She still had so streaky pork, which she used to make dumplings for Li Yunqiao.
She also cleaned inside and out and did the laundry for Li Yunqiao’s clothes.
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