Bai Fumei in the 70’s

In the twelfth lunar month, there was a cold winter wind outside the house, but the inside was warm and peaceful.

Zhao Lanxiang was sweating after she ate and couldn't help but take off her coat. She drank the red grain wine brought by Tang Qing, and the clear and fragrant white wine with the red oily hot pot. Soon she was overwhelmed.

She sipped her milk to prevent hangover, and said with a smile, "I hope the days will be more prosperous next year!"

Tang Qing said, "Hopefully we will be able to eat meat and drink together next year as well!"

Zhou Jiazhen said, "I hope the brigade will have a good harvest next year!"

He Songbai hesitated for a while before he lifted his coarse porcelain bowl and clinked their bowls one by one, "I hope... next year will go well."

Sister He smiled and said, "Next year...the family is in good health."

Everyone couldn't help but hope for next year, and Zhao Lanxiang also silently made a wish in her heart: 'I hope everything goes well for He Songbai.'

The big bottle of wine brought by Tang Qing was high in concentration. The few women only touched a little, and he was not stingy with the rest. He directly filled his cup and He Songbai's.

He showed his white teeth and persuaded him to drink. "Drink more!"

At the end of the pork miscellaneous meat hot pot, everyone ate until their mouths were greasy, and their stomachs were full. There was a stack of bones piled high on the table, and they even fished out the bones out of the soup base and gnawed the bone marrow clean.

Tang Qing could only drink a fair amount of wine, but he drank a small bottle and fell flat on the table. His white face pressed the table until it made out a shallow trace.

Zhou Jiazhen and Sister He cleaned up the mess after dinner. They couldn't help but shake their heads when they saw this Tang Qing drunk like this.

Zhou Jiazhen said, "Jiang Li went back. Probably he was not too happy in his heart."

Sister He smiled and did not speak.

After sending Zhou Jiazhen away, she returned to the house with a pile of fabrics. Li Dali had finished his dinner. He ate pork belly noodles stewed in bone broth. The noodles were boiled with a few drops of oil, and there was a pork trotter lying on the noodles.

His stomach was full, and the dinner was very rich.

He said, "Done eating?"

He Songye nodded, picked up the needle and thread under the kerosene lamp to sew up the clothes quietly and meticulously. Li Dali leaned against the bed, sewing zippers and buttons with both hands.2

His hands were used to heavy farm work and full of hard and thick calluses. But when doing this meticulous work, there was no ambiguity. During this period of rehabilitation, he could only sit down and spend a whole day sewing clothes, hoping that he can have some effect instead of being a burden.

He quickly sewed the zippers and the buttons again.

"Come here and rest early."

He told her.

He Songye finished the work in her hands quickly, turned off the oil lamp, and walked to the bed in the dark. She fell into the warm and strong embrace of her husband.

Li Dali kissed her and touched her face, saying, "Don't be so tired, I will help you sew clothes from now on."12

He Songye hugged his neck and rubbed his stubbly chin slightly.

Her nose was full of this strong man's smell. His body was hot and strong. Although He Songye looked after the cattle of the brigade every day, she also hastened to make clothes. Made one set a day, which gave them one yuan of fee. The days were not tired at all, and she felt more and more fulfilled. She touched her husband's sturdy body, and her heart becomes sweeter.

He will get better soon!

After the eighth day, the days were bland and leisurely. Zhao Lanxiang took the time to make Chinese New Year cakes and gift box cakes. These things were all in short supply a year ago, and the supply and marketing cooperatives could not sell enough.

Whether it's a peasant who had been poor for a whole year, or a city dweller who lived in a fashion, they don't care about a couple of cents before the New Year. Everyone must buy cakes and sweets for visiting relatives and friends. When they brought back this kind of "high-end" pastry, they would have a face. The people who were walking with a few pieces of snacks bought from the supply and marketing agency could walk with their chin held high.

Taking advantage of this period without any farming work, Zhao Lanxiang made little cakes for ten consecutive days. She made 30 pounds a day and earned her pocket money before going home.

Liang Tiezhu came to take her food every day after finishing his guard duty for the pig farm. Zhao Lanxiang worked hard and had also made him earn a lot.

He wiped his sweat and said happily, "Our pastries are very easy to sell. However, it was too hard to make by yourself, and you also did it every night."

Zhao Lanxiang said with a smile, "I didn't do any work during the day. After I finished, I took a nap and rest."

Three days before New Year's Eve, she finally steamed a basket full of rice cakes. She pressed them into shapes and sprinkled them with sesame seeds. She left ten pounds for the He family to eat slowly, ten pounds for Liang Tiezhu, and ten pounds for Li Zhong. The rice cakes were made in the "Su" style and were sweetened with sweet-scented Osmanthus. It could be stored in a cold day for a long time and would not go bad. For eating, you could smear it with oil and sauce, and you could fry it.

Zhao Lanxiang said, "I heard Brother Bai said many pigs had been slaughtered on the farm?"1

Liang Tiezhu nodded.

"They didn't pay much attention to raising pigs before. In order to kill pigs every day, big pigs and small pigs were mixed together. Now Brother Bai changed the feed this time and divided the pigs into pens. The amount of feed was different for each pen. The little pigs soon grew up and could even reach a hundred kilograms. However, the price of pork was so high this time, so Brother Bai said it would be better to kill it earlier and make a fortune before the new year."

Zhao Lanxiang reminded him, "Be careful in everything and pay attention to safety."

Liang Tiezhu's ears had been tired of hearing these words. Not only Zhao Lanxiang who said this, but his mother also said it all day.

He responded, "You also be careful when you go home."

Two days before the New Year's Eve, Zhao Lanxiang packed up her luggage and prepared to leave. She waited and waited before leaving, but could not wait for He Songbai. Both Zhou Jiazhen and Tang Qing came to send her and made her pack up faster.

She knew that he was busy killing pigs these few days, and only he and another pig killer supported the whole pig farm. It was very hard. She thought for a while and quickly wrote a short letter and left it under the vase.

The sky was turning bright, and He Songbai had just finished his work. He hurried back from the farm in sweat. He stood in front of the girlfriend's door and knew that the room was empty without knocking the door.