Chapter 162
The second course was cold cucumber
It was sort of an appetizer, because it was quick and easy to make, just so everyone would have something to pad their stomachs with
The next course was a hard dish, marinated elbows
One elbow per table, eight people per table, a total of one hundred tables
A pig only has four elbows, at least twenty-five pigs
Although buying twenty-five pigs was not a problem for Xu Man, how to buy them was a problem
Although Pengcheng is a special administrative region, the special administrative region mainly develops industry and does not develop farming, and all other places are still collective economy
Buy meat to ticket, buy pig meat factory simply can not sell to the individual so many pigs
The good thing is that Lu Yuanzheng’s unit is not an ordinary unit, that is, there are many people and many canteens
Each company has its own pigsty
Lu Yuanzheng bought all over the archipelago, and got all these pigs together
With so many pigs, there was no need for hard food
With the exception of a chicken soup and the grand finale fish, most of the other meat dishes came from pigs
In Weizhuang Commune, if you see fish on the serving dish, it means the serving dish is over
Xu Wen guessed that this is about Wei Zhuang Commune people like to figure auspicious, just for the phrase “year after year”
Usually, when the banquet is just started, the guests are hungry, and they can almost finish the food
However, even if they are hungry and short of food and water, their bellies are so big that they often can’t eat anymore at the end of the meal
The bowls and plates in the north are unusually large, and in the last few dishes, there is basically no chopsticks
Therefore, the fish on the table, without exception, can be left over some
Oh, it’s not called leftovers, it’s called surplus
There’s no official explanation for this, it’s Xu Man’s own guess
The third and fourth courses are again vegetarian dishes
Vegetarian dishes are better to get, garlic shoots scrambled eggs, beans fried meat, ground three fresh, will be enough
Meat dishes, in addition to elbows, there is braised pork, sweet and sour pork ribs, lion’s head, meatball soup, potato stewed chicken
These are not eight bowls, they are called ten bowls
People! Want to try to luck how all have words, tube this is called ten perfect
The leaders of the cooking class and the sisters-in-law who know how to cook were all on the scene, and the dishes were served like a stream of water
Lu Yuanzheng and Xu Wen didn’t have to cook, but they weren’t idle either
The two of them held their children and stayed at each table for a while to say a few words
Lu Yuanzheng was in charge of the toasts and thank yous, while Xu Man was in charge of receiving the red envelopes for her baby
The red envelope is not indiscriminate, a dollar cap, no matter who, more than a dollar will not be received
The new recruits don’t have allowances, so they don’t receive them
Xu Man and Lu Yuanzheng now not lack of money, just want to share the joy and do not want to take advantage of everyone
The unmarried ones were fine, but the married ones felt that they were taking advantage of Lu Yuanzheng and Xu Man, so they separated their gifts
One dollar for men and one dollar for women, each taking their own
There are so many tables, Xu Man will not be able to honor them all
Xiao Xiachu won’t stop eating, drinking and pooping just because everyone is celebrating her full moon
As usual, she will cry in about two hours
Zhu Meizhen saw that there were enough people busy with the meal, so she washed her hands clean and came to hold Xiao Xiachu, except for breastfeeding, she didn’t need Xu Man to control her
Sister-in-law Li slipped the red envelope to Xu Man, “That was fast! You all have children”
Xu Man smiled and said, “That’s true!”
When she first met Mrs Li, she and Lu Yuanzheng were still a fake couple
Sister-in-law Li had attended their wedding on the beach, and now she had watched their child being born
It was inevitable that she had some feelings
“Speaking of which, I still have to thank you If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t know where I’d be right now!” Sister-in-law Li smiled gratefully at Xu Man
When she could barely stay on the island, it was Xu Man’s suggestion that allowed her to get this kiosk, and now she was considered the only resident islander on the island
No, the only two, and her son
At that time, the sisters-in-law were all on the island doing nothing, receiving their military allowance
Sister-in-law Li obviously had nothing to do, and Lao Lu’s pension had been paid out, but Lu Yuanzheng also applied for a military allowance for her as well
She was too embarrassed to take this money, plus her children were old enough to go to school, and there was no school on the island, so she had to leave for the sake of her children
At that time, she had decided to go, but she didn’t know where she would go after leaving the island
Maybe she would go to Lao Lu’s hometown
But there was also the question of how she would live there
Sister-in-law Li’s account did not move to the old Lu family, only the son’s account, I do not know whether the production team to earn work, and I do not know a person’s work can support them mother and son
At that time, she didn’t show it on her face, but in her heart she had no confidence
It was Xu Wen who showed her the way
Xu Wen shook his head, “This is all due to your own efforts Mrs Li, don’t worry, life will get better and better Maybe in a while, we’ll be able to implement the individual contracting system When you contract out the kiosk on Rainbow Island, your income will be higher than it is now We’ll all have to call you Boss Li by then!”
Sister-in-law Li laughed out loud, “That can you borrow your good advice!”
She only thought that Xu Man was joking, but she didn’t know that the maybe in Xu Man’s mouth was just about the exact time
Besides Sister-in-law Li, the other sisters-in-law did the same, praising little Xiachu first
“This girl takes after her mom, she’ll definitely be a beauty when she grows up”
“I think she’ll grow up to be a beauty” “I think she’ll grow up to be like her father, she’s so young, but she’s got a heroic spirit in her brows”
“She looks like Xu Wen, doesn’t she? Look at this white face!”
The “like father” and “like mother” factions each argued their case, and both found evidence
Dongsheng heard on the side and protested, “No, my sister looks like me!”
The sisters-in-law were amused and agreed with him, “Dongsheng is right! A sister should be like her brother!”
After praising the children, as usual, they praised Xu Qi
“Sister-in-law you’ve finally finished your month Otherwise, it always feels like the whole island has followed you on your monthly cycle” Doudou mom teased Xu Wen
Xu Wen was busy shaking her head and waving her hands, “Sister-in-law, you’re overdoing it! How could I have such a big face?”
Song Boying chimed in, “It’s not that much of an exaggeration It’s strange, you usually don’t show up much We don’t see much of you either, but you always feel like there’s something missing when you’re really having a month”
Wang Lingling nodded along, “Right! I also have this feeling Ask your sister-in-law about the period of time she has been sitting on the moon, you teachers still continue to teach classes, and we do business at home and are still busy with our work But, it feels like something is missing, it feels like life is a bit boring, like something is missing”
Mrs Li smiled and gave them a solution, “There’s a lack of Xu Wentian’s bustle! With Mrs Xu asking, Rainbow Island is never short of new things to do There’s always something new to do on Rainbow Island with Mrs Xu here Once she’s in labor, we’re all doing the same routine as we did back home, day in and day out, so it’s not boring!”
A few other sisters-in-law came to a realization and all felt that this was indeed the case
Xu asked, “”
Why didn’t she personally know that?
“Sister-in-law, now that you’re out of the month, what are you going to do next? Can you take me one?”
The sister-in-law who asked the question, Xu Wen was a bit familiar, she was the one who only came to the island this year, she couldn’t remember her name
Being arranged plainly Xu Man: “”
Although there was more or less a plan in his heart, Xu Wen still stereotypically said, “The next step is to plan to study how to bring a breastfeeding child!”
One sentence amused the sisters-in-law
After exchanging a few pleasantries, they continued to the next table
Those who knew each other chatted more and those who didn’t spoke less
Lu Yuanzheng followed Xu Man around, quietly accompanying and not interrupting
Xu Wen’s gaze was always as gentle as water, permeated with endless tenderness
Occasionally, when he was distracted, he would also think, if there was no Xu Man, Rainbow Island would be just like the other islands or reefs in the archipelago, as boring as a monk’s temple, right?
In the past two years, except for the officers and soldiers on Rainbow Island who are not very willing to change defense, and the rate of sisters-in-law accompanying the army is super high, the officers and soldiers on the other islands and reefs are looking forward to changing defense and going ashore every year after the New Year, and the family members at home are not very willing to follow them over
The center island, where the regiment is located, does not have the same rate as Rainbow Island
Every time we have a meeting, Shi Lei will be praised
He was praised for his good ideological work, which made the officers and soldiers and their families be on the same page
They also let Shi Lei go to other islands to give lectures and pass on his experience
Because he knows that Xu Man does not like to be in the limelight, Shi Lei originally wanted to be brazen enough to recognize the praise
As a result, once he heard that he still had to go to lecture, he decisively sold Lu Yuanzheng, saying that it was all because of Lu Yuanzheng’s good cooperation, and that many of the ideas were from Lu Yuanzheng
Lu Yuanzheng: “”
In the end, it was Lu Yuanzheng who took the time to make two trips to other islands
If he didn’t go then Xu Man had to go
Xu Man didn’t like being in the limelight
In fact, he doesn’t like it either, but what can he do when his daughter-in-law is so outstanding?
After honoring his sisters-in-law, Xu Man invited the female students
Tomorrow they will all leave the island
Theoretically, they were also the last batch of students that Xu Man had tutored
This was a deal for Xu Man
She helped them with their revision, and they gave the warriors a chance to court
But, this had more limitations and a low success rate
Like the beginning of Lu Yuanzheng’s concerns, the first thing the educated girls fell for was also the educated officers
But the truth was that illiterate single soldiers were the majority
Even if they see eye to eye now, when the girls go to a better school and know better people, they will easily back out
What’s more, what right does a grueling long-distance relationship have over someone spending time together?
Since this is the case, Xu Man also did not bother to open up people on the island
It’s just that people are not grass and trees, perhaps each had their own purpose when they met, and after living together for most of the year, there were a few who stayed on the island for nearly a year
One by one, they all blessed Xu Man with tears in their eyes
Xu Wen secretly tugged on Lu Yuanzheng, “Those who know that they are my students have come to bless me with a child If you don’t know, you’ll think we’re getting married, and these are all your ex-girlfriends at the table”
Lu Yuanzheng: “”
He gave Xu Man an ill-mannered glance and also whispered, “Why is it that the more you become a mother, the more you talk out of turn? Can this be a joke?”
Xu Man spat out his tongue and stopped teasing him
Among these students, there were three that Xu Man was most impressed with
The first is Sun Pingping, this girl looks at the crepuscular, especially opinionated
Her family did not want her to go to school and wanted her to marry early, so they picked out a good family for her
She unintentionally saw Xu Man’s article in the newspaper and came to the island without her family’s knowledge
She came to the island without her family’s knowledge, but because of the remoteness of the island and the inconvenience of transportation, her family never found her
New Year’s winter vacation, everyone went home for the New Year, Sun Pingping is not good to stay on the island
But this girl is also a powerful, she followed the object home
Her object is the doll-faced driver who took them on a tour of the island
The two met the parents, negotiated to wait for the island wedding planned by Xu Wen
Sun Pingping came to the island before, all kinds of political review information, physical examination, it is impossible to go quietly
In fact, at that time to get the family’s signature is also her family rely on illiteracy to trick them to sign
She told her family that this is an application for withdrawal from school, the family of course signed the pain
As a result, Sun Pingping only left a letter and left home
At first the family thought she was just gambling, after a few months will come back not to delay the wedding at the end of the year
Who knows that Sun Pingping this gone a few months have no news
The family is anxious to look around
Sun Pingping on the island of the newspaper, of course, the Sun family can find
The problem is that Rainbow Island is currently a military compound, and ordinary people simply do not have access to the island
Like Xu Man, they used to go ashore by taking a military boat out and then taking a military boat back
Later, the Sun family was forced to go to the Armed Forces Department to make trouble
Who let them spend the bride price money, see to the wedding, the bride has not been found, the man can not make the Sun family?
What can the Sun family do? Can only look for the daughter all over the world, and can not find the daughter, can only go to the local Armed Forces Department to make trouble
Said the soldiers hid his daughter
Although the Armed Forces Department knows that their troops can not do this kind of thing, but the people to the door of the unit, said what must be dealt with
In the end, the armed forces department contacted the archipelago side, and figured out what happened
Sun Pingping has reached 18 years of age and has her own decision-making ability, she can choose to stay on Rainbow Island to study with Xu Wen to prepare for the university
But Sun’s family is very bad, non-said troops hide their daughter, all day to the armed forces department, crying just, big deal, the door is closed regardless of them
At every turn, they also hanged themselves
Supporting the family wrapped in small feet of the old lady, trembling with a hemp rope to hang
So that the armed forces of the Department of a great headache, what can they do?
Hundreds of people can not scold, can only honor
Rainbow Island side received the news, certainly the first time to find Sun Pingping, want to persuade her to leave the island
Sun Pingping refused to go back
She did not cry and did not make a scene, lovely apple face only a touch of age does not match the firmness
She found Xu Man, told him the whole story, and asked, “Mr Xu, do you think I should go back too?”
Xu Wen was silent for a while
In theory, she should support Sun Pingping to go back
After all, no matter what, Sun Pingping had deceived her family by coming to the island, and did not concur with her original requirement that students must seek the consent of their families
Sun Pingping was faking it
But parents arranged marriage itself is a bad habit, Sun Pingping herself is also very diligent and good at school, especially good grades
In Xu Man’s eyes, she is a good seedling who can get into a first-class university
Besides, in 1979, there were very few girls like Sun Pingping who dared to rebel against arranged marriages and pursued independence, and the average girl didn’t have the courage to do so
Basically, they were locked up by their parents and cried at home for a few days before marrying with lifelong regrets
Personally, Xu Man hoped that Sun Pingping would not compromise with her family
Xu Man let out a long sigh and didn’t reply directly to Sun Pingping, “It’s not that I don’t want you to stay Your matter is a bit of a big deal right now, and my lover and the others are also taking on a lot of pressure I need to discuss this with him”
After all, the crime of “abducting and selling a girl” was not easy for Lu Yuanzheng to handle, and if he didn’t get it right, he would discredit the army
Unexpectedly, when Xu Man opened his mouth, Lu Yuanzheng responded with extra pain
Xu asked: “??”
“You just agreed so painfully?”
“Or else?”
“Aren’t you afraid of taking the blame and having your reputation tarnished?”
“Right and wrong, justice lies in the hearts of the people It’s not like Shangdao is Sun Pingping herself, can their Sun family still say white is black isn’t it?”
Xu Man raised his eyebrows, not quite believing it as he looked at Lu Yuanzheng
That being said, the Sun family was an ordinary family in the end
It wasn’t a wise move to be hard-headed
Lu Yuanzheng spread his hands with a bitter smile, “Alright! I’ll be honest, the main thing is that my soldier begged to come to me, I can’t just ignore it”
Doll face and Sun Pingping is a pair, have brought her to meet her parents, at this moment of course will not look at Sun Pingping was arrested home and still sit back and do nothing
Knowing that this matter Lu Yuanzheng is not good to come forward, is Xu Man with doll face and Sun Pingping off the island to the sea city to see the Sun family
The Sun family is Sun Pingping’s father and brother
To deal with this kind of people, there is no need to talk nonsense, Xu Man came up to give them a downward spiral
He gave a few big hats to the Sun family, such as leaking military secrets and smearing the military with rumors
After being scared, he simply and brutally negotiated
Anyway, the Sun family married their daughters is for the bride price money, this bride price money doll face out
In addition Xu asked to give them another sum of money to compensate for the loss of the man
But this money can not be given for nothing, need to wait for Sun Pingping graduated from college, to Xu asked to work for two years to pay off the debt