Chapter 11
Lu Yuanzheng was indeed torn
Dongsheng’s reliance and fondness for Xu Man was a bit beyond his imagination
But if Xu Wen had a better choice, it was bound to be impossible for him to let Dongsheng address and get close to him in such a haphazard manner
At that time, he was only afraid that Dongsheng would be even more hurt
He had wanted to ask Xu Man to alienate Dongsheng However, he felt that this would be unfair to both Xu Man and Dongsheng
Dongsheng is not a person who recognizes the mess, Xu Wen is the first, he is truly like Xu Wen
The first time I saw him, I was so happy to see him, and I was so happy to see him, and I was so happy to see him
He could not deprive them of the right to be close because he felt good to Dongsheng
In the end, Lu Yuanzheng half-truthfully said, “It’s just that I want to cheekily ask you again to seriously consider my marriage proposal”
That would be the best of both worlds
Usually Xu Man is up at three or four o’clock, and so on sheep home around eight o’clock, after washing clothes and eating something, the room is not too stuffy just enough to sleep
When he came back from playing with Dongsheng an hour later than usual, Xu simply went straight to bed
When Xu woke up again, already at noon, Sang Xiaoqing lunch are ready only waiting for parents and Xu Wen back to eat
Xu Wen took this opportunity to go to the river to wash the clothes she changed out of in the morning
When she returned home, not only was Xu Qiushi Zhu Meizhen sitting at the table with Xu Wen, but her older sister, Xu Wang, was also here
“Big sister? Why are you free to come back?” Xu Wen was especially happy to see Xu Wang
It was said that an elder sister was like a mother, and this was true in the Xu family
Xu Wang was a bit older than Xu Wen, nearly ten years older than Xu Man
Xu Wen was almost considered to be brought up by Xu Wang, and the sisterhood has always been very good
If Xu Wang hadn’t married earlier, I’m afraid that this matter of Xu Man changing her core wouldn’t have been hidden from the public
Xu Wang stood up from the chair and opened her arms to hug Xu Man, “Of course I wanted to ask you, I came to see you”
She pulled Xu Man to look left and right, lamenting, “Ask has become such a big girl! You’ve grown up so beautifully! Come on, let’s see if this dress matches us”
Xu Wang took out a white slightly waisted blouse and a plaid knee-length bustier skirt from the bamboo basket she brought along and handed it to Xu Man, “Go try it on”
“Thank you big sister” Xu Man took the clothes and ran into the room
Zhu Meizhen frowned, “These clothes look quite expensive! Your family isn’t exactly well-off, so why are you spending this kind of money?”
Xu Wang’s mother-in-law’s family is also from Wei Zhuang Commune, not far from Taoyuan Brigade Her father-in-law is the captain of their production team, the man is a carpenter, the family’s life than the Xu family a little more generous, but also just an ordinary family
“Ask are to find in-laws age, can not always wear my old clothes”
Sang Xiaoqing didn’t say anything, her eyes were envious
She also had an older sister, but her own sister didn’t have a good life, and she wouldn’t have rushed over at noon to give her new clothes
Xu Wang noticed Sang Xiaoqing’s expression, and busily said, “Xiaoqing, you have a body now, and I didn’t dare to buy clothes for you for fear that they wouldn’t fit But I’ve brought the cloth tickets and the money for the clothes” She said as she fished out the cloth ticket and ten dollars from her pocket and handed it to Sang Xiaoqing, “It’s fine if you’d like to make clothes now, it’s fine if you wait until you have a baby You decide for yourself”
The waist of a pregnant person changes quite a lot, she was afraid that buying it would not be suitable, and then make Sang Xiaoqing unhappy, then good things would turn into bad things
Sang Xiaoqing repeatedly excused herself, “Big sister, I have clothes to wear Besides, I’m getting fatter and fatter now, so I won’t be able to wear the clothes I made for a few days, it’s too wasteful!”
Xu Wang forced money and cloth tickets into her hands again, “Then wait until you have a baby before you buy clothes Xu Wen and Xu Wen are both the same siblings, Xu Wen can do without what Xu Wen has, but you have to have it”
Zhu Meizhen was even happier than when she got her own clothes: “Your sister gave it to you, so keep it!”
Xu Wen also said, “That is! When receiving it for me”
Only then did Sang Xiaoqing accept it, “Thank you big sister”
Xu Wen had already changed his clothes and came out, turning around in the open space beside the square table, “Does it look good?”
“Whatever we ask to wear looks good” Xu Wang complimented, pulling Xu Man to sit beside him
The rest of the Xu family also praised Xu Man for looking good
They weren’t coaxing her, they were genuinely good looking
Xu Man’s features were outstanding, and her skin was especially white White short-sleeved and plaid skirt is a simple style, but Xu Wang picked the right size, plus usually Xu Man always pick up Xu Wang or other relatives of the old clothes, it is rare to have such a fit clothes
The more she appears to have long legs and a thin waist, the taller she is
Not many Xu family members are educated, and can’t think of any adjectives to describe what looks good, just two sentences back and forth
“Good looking! Like a little fairy daughter” Grandma boasted
“Even prettier than Erma’s rag doll!” Xu Che gave a thumbs up
The Erma in his mouth is the little girl next door about the same age as him, Erma just got an old rag doll from a relative in the city, the face of the rag doll is snow-white, with big eyes and long eyelashes, but the eyes are blue
To Xu Qiushi and Zhu Meizhen, there are only two words: “good-looking!”
Xu Wen touched his chin, sighing: “Ask really grown up!” The little girl who chased after him back then had already reached the age of marriage
Being from the same mother, Xu Wen and Xu Wang’s looks were considered superior
But for some reason, they were no match for Xu Wen
Xu Wen looks especially comfortable, like a young lady from a scholarly family
Anyway, she was different from the people who worked in the fields all year round
The same is to go to the city, they are the bumpkin, Xu will not, she is wearing patched clothes than the city girls look good, the focus is not the slightest bit of stage fright, wherever you are generous
They don’t understand, there is a word called temperament
Xu Wang’s in-laws are also in Weizhuang Commune, Xu Wen is now being talked about naturally can not hide from her, after a short catch-up, Xu Wang went straight to the point: “Ask, you and that comrade Lu how? And that Comrade Wen Someone else asked me about you on my way here today”
Zhu Meizhen knew about Lu Yuanzheng and wondered, “Why is there still gossip about Comrade Wen? Didn’t they stop seeing each other after that day?”
Grandma spoke up, “Comrade Xiao Wen came to ask this morning”
“Ah? What did he want to see you for?”
Xu Wen first explained the series of misunderstandings with Lu Yuanzheng to Xu Wang in a few words, and then talked about Wen Yiming’s invitation to go to school with her
“I just see that Comrade Little Wen is a good one! He even came to invite Xu Wang to go to school at this time, I think he’s a favorite of ours” Zhu Meizhen was happy
Xu Qiushi frowned: “That Comrade Xiao Wen is indeed a talented person, he speaks in a civilized manner and is quite knowledgeable The family conditions are not to speak of, really want to ask good is not impossible to deal with But now people only said to invite ask to go to school together, and did not say anything else Maybe they really just want to ask for help with their homework? Don’t be so happy and don’t go out and talk nonsense It’s good that the two kids got together, or else they’ll be gossiping about Ask again”
Xu Wen also almost the same meaning: “I also think that this Wen Yiming heart a little deep, afraid of the two ask together also not as much as his mind”
Sang Xiaoqing retorted, “That’s not necessarily true Maybe Comrade Wen simply likes to ask! His family’s conditions are so good that he doesn’t have to be inquisitive about us, right? Ask is a good student, but now he can’t go to college Can Wen Yiming still be courting us because of his grades? He is handsome and his family’s condition is also good, and I think it’s a good match for him to be with Ask”
Xu Che didn’t understand, and was busy picking up his meal The meat that Big Sister brought in smelled really good!
Grandma waved her hand, “Children and grandchildren will have their own blessings! The Wen family’s kid really wants to come to the house and ask you to find out more about him You should all hurry up and eat! Don’t you still have to work in the afternoon?”
There is a limit to the amount of time you can rest at noon, and in the summer, there are only two hours in total, so after eating and squinting for a while, it’s time to get back to work
Xu Wang put down her chopsticks when she was full and pushed her bicycle to leave, she still had to go home to take care of her children
Xu Wen came out to see her off, “Big sister, you don’t have to buy me clothes all the time in the future, your brother-in-law will have a problem if you keep subsidizing your mother’s family”
Every time Xu Wang went home, she brought a lot of food and drink If you give her a share, you have to give Sang Xiaoqing a share
But Xu Wang herself wasn’t in charge, and it wasn’t easy to save up some tickets and money
Xu Wang sighed softly, “We’re all sisters, I won’t hide it from you Your brother-in-law doesn’t have a problem with it, but my in-laws don’t talk much to me What should we do? Our family’s conditions are really difficult right now, I can’t feed myself and watch you guys starve, right?”
Xu Wen was silent for a while and hugged Xu Wang: “Sister, endure for a few more years, I will let our family live a good life”
After dinner, Zhu Meizhen counted out ten dollars and handed it to Xu Man, “Five dollars for you to pay tuition and miscellaneous fees The other five dollars are for your living expenses for a month, so keep them safe”
Xu Man counted and pulled out three dollars and returned it to Zhu Meizhen, “Mom, I still have three dollars for the scholarship”
“I’ve counted your scholarship money for you I’ve heard from other people in the commune who went to high school that a month’s food expenses, no matter how frugal they are, must be about eight dollars Is it okay for you to keep five dollars?”
Xu Man still refused to take it, “I’ll bring more salted vegetables and cooked noodles for two more meals I’ll be hungry on Saturday morning, and then go back on Sunday night when I’m full Saving a little will be enough We don’t have much money at home right now, and my sister-in-law is pregnant and needs to buy some fruit Mom, ask my brother to buy my sister-in-law some grapes with this three dollars I’ve heard that if you eat more grapes, your child will have bigger and rounder eyes”
The family had a total of these dollars, and if one was spent, the other would definitely not be spent
Zhu Meizhen could still refuse to buy for Xu Che, but when she said she would buy for Sang Xiaoqing, she couldn’t say anything, so she only agreed to do so
It was Sang Xiaoqing who said, “I can eat whatever I want Can’t let ask not have enough to eat”
“Sister-in-law, don’t be polite People won’t die if they starve for two meals, but pregnancy doesn’t happen more than a few times in a lifetime Besides, it’s still worth it for me to eat less in exchange for my nephew or niece’s big black eyes”
Xu Man grabbed the dishes and started preparing the cooked noodles to be brought
White flour was too extravagant, and the noodles in the house were basically all mixed grain noodles, either wheat flour mixed with corn flour or bean flour
Most of the noodles were cornmeal, because corn was cheaper
Xu Man mixed the flour with the cornmeal and stirred it together, placing it in a pot and steaming it
As she sweats over the fire, she wonders how she will make it through the month on five dollars
Like Zhu Meizhen said, eight dollars was considered frugal living, five dollars was called a survival challenge
A steamed bun in the school cafeteria was five cents, rice was ten cents for four taels, and a vegetable was five cents
Before Xu asked is a steamed bread in the morning, noon and night is half a portion of rice with vegetables, so that a day down is twenty-five cents
The cafeteria will also provide a meat dish once a week on Thursday, a meat to forty cents
So calculate eight dollars are tight, after all, eight dollars can not be used to eat
You also have to buy stationery and daily necessities
Which girl a month must not buy some menstrual things
Xu Man calculated that the vegetables and meat will be reduced again
Buns and rice can never be reduced, the seventies is not like forty or fifty years later, fat people are especially rare
High school is not just sitting in the classroom, but also to do all kinds of work, only eat vegetables can be no strength
I switched to cooked noodles in the morning, half a portion of rice at noon, and a portion of vegetables in the evening, which was 10 cents a day
Add Saturday and Sunday, and you can save 80 cents
If you spend more than two dollars a month on food, stationery and toiletries, and a bus ride, that should be enough, right?
If it’s not enough, you’ll have to put up with it
Xu Man let out a long sigh
Reform and opening up is still two years away!
When the noodles are done steaming, put them aside to cool for a while
Xu took this opportunity to fish out a pickled carrot from the pickle jar, cut it into strips, and took a clean glass bottle to put it in
He also packed the change of clothes he would be wearing for the next week
Once the clothes were packed, I took a rolling pin and rolled out the dough, then strained the flour through a roasting sieve, or flour sieve
Pack up the fine flour and re-roll the remaining particles on one side again Until all the flour became fine
After thinking about it, Xu Wen opened the few remaining sugar jars and filled them with two small spoons of sugar, otherwise the dry noodles were really hard to swallow
As soon as she had finished cleaning up, Xu Qiushi Zhu Meizhen and Xu Wen got up and prepared to go to work
Before leaving Xu Wen also instructed her: “Ask, you do not be too truthful That Wen Yiming is not as good as Lu Yuanzheng! He has four eyes when he sees, but he doesn’t know how many eyes he has when he doesn’t see!”
Xu Wen smiled and answered
Xu Wen carried the hoe and walked a few steps back, seriously said: “ask, brother although not capable, but not to the point of selling sister to support parents, wife and children If you don’t like it, we don’t marry anyone, just stay at home”
Xu Man’s eyes were a little sore, rubbing his nose, he gave a hmm, “Thank you, brother”
Xu Wen sighed softly and rubbed a hand on top of Xu Man’s head and walked away
The desire to be warm and contented
Xu Wen, who used to have no worries about food and clothing, only realized why people rarely talk about love these days
When you can’t get enough to eat, you don’t have the strength to talk about love
Married together, but is a partner to live
As soon as she started school, she took away half of the family’s assets, and when Xu cut the school and then took part of it, the family was left with a few dollars to live on
Sang Xiaoqing is now pregnant again, Xu Wen is really embarrassed to let the family raise another year
The only thing is to marry this thing, now even if she is willing to have someone dare to marry
Lu Yuanzheng dares, but his family can’t agree
As for Wen Yiming, Xu Man is a bit confused about what he thinks
Said to her interesting, so many days no news He said he was not interested in her, but he dared to look for her in spite of the gossip
Just as she was thinking, she heard someone call out to her, “Xu Man, are you home?”