Return to the 1982 Staff Compound

Chapter 52 Let’s Eat Fish

"Before I knew it, I've grown old." Qiu Huoming sighed, "Teacher Cheng treated me to a piece of bread. Did he know it was my birthday? But I don't even remember it myself."

"Teacher Cheng is so nice. In my life, no teacher has ever treated me to a meal..."

The two men talked as they worked, and soon the bed was piled with tapes.

As expected, four hands are faster than two hands. They finally finished the work before going to school.

Ding Yu rubbed his hands and said, "Are you free on Sunday? My mother wants to buy me a bicycle."

"I probably don't have time, I want to rip the tape." Qiu Huoming stretched, put his schoolbag on his back, and got ready to go to school.

According to the current progress, more than half of the finished tapes can be delivered to Fang Jun this Saturday, and all of them can be delivered before next Wednesday. This wave will be over, and the rest will be determined based on sales conditions.

In class, Qiu Huoming continued to recite the political textbook. Although other textbooks were different from those of later generations, the overall framework was similar.

The political textbooks were different. Some of the contents were very different, and he had to memorize many outdated parts, but he didn't care about these in the exam.

Apart from this part which made Qiu Huoming remember it as somewhat painful, everything else was fine.

After school, Qiu Huoming just walked to the entrance of the alley and saw Chen Suniang squatting beside the sewer at the door of her kitchen, cleaning a green sheep.

He walked over quickly, "Mom, I'm back. This fish is so big, where did you get it?"

Chen Suniang didn't even raise her head. "I bought it. It's river fish!"

At this time, there was no fishing ban in the Yangtze River. River fish was a rare delicacy. Would Chen Suniang, who was usually frugal, be willing to buy this thing? Qiu Huoming was moved, "Mom, you have finished your work."

Chen Suniang then raised her head, her eyes full of smiles, "It's done. I'll officially go to the logistics department next Monday."

The eldest sister said with a smile in the living room: "Our mother is really amazing. There were seven people competing and she ranked first."

"If our mother had attended junior high school back then, she would have been able to become a college student when the college entrance examination was resumed in 78." Qiu Huoming meant what he said. Chen Suniang, who only had primary school education, actually only studied up to the third grade. Many of the words she knows now were learned by herself bit by bit later.

She often said, "If your grandmother hadn't passed away early, I would have been able to finish junior high school and get a job in a good unit. You just need to study hard, and I will support you no matter how hard or tiring your life is..."

She is probably the person who has been caught in the rain and knows the pain of lack of knowledge. As an adult, she tries hard to hold an umbrella to protect her children and give them more choices for the future.

"Stop talking nonsense! It's not that easy to get into university." Chen Suniang glared at her son in reproach.

After a while, she returned to the kitchen, took out a basin, and washed the cut fish pieces. The fish was too big, so she would braise part of it in the evening and fry the rest, otherwise it would be difficult to preserve it without a refrigerator at home.

I don't know where my little sister went to play, so Qiu Huoming went into the small room and continued to copy the tape. Half an hour later, the smell of fish wafted from the kitchen.

Qiu Huoming couldn't help but lick his lips. The meat of river fish is tender and the soup has a high gelatin content. When the locals talk about eating river fish, one way to distinguish it is whether it is sticky in the mouth.

"Big sister, take a soy sauce bottle and go to the door to get some soy sauce..." Chen Suniang shouted from the kitchen.

"Got it." The eldest sister responded, picked up the empty soy sauce bottle and put a few cents in her pocket and went out.

Soon I heard my little sister running outside the door, "Little Fatty, come home!"

Qiu Huoming raised the corner of her mouth. She was driving the chickens back to the coop.

He took out an empty shoe box and laid out the finished tapes neatly.

After a while, I heard Chen Suniang yelling in the kitchen, "It's time to eat, come in and get the bowls."

Qiu Huoming stood up suddenly and walked out.

Chen Suniang came out of the kitchen carrying a large enamel basin. When she saw Qiu Huoming, she immediately shouted, "Be careful, it's very hot..." She spoke as she walked and carefully placed the basin in the middle of the dining table.

In addition to the braised fish, there is also a dish of stir-fried vegetables. Although simple, it is a combination of meat and vegetables.

The eldest sister brought in the dishes and chopsticks, and the youngest sister followed her with the rice pot.

Chen Suniang did not take off her bib as she still had to fry the remaining fish later, so there was still work to be done.

"Your father doesn't have a good meal." Chen Suniang said as she sat at the dining table and took a mouthful of rice soaked in fish soup.

"Dad is on a business trip. Who knows where he might be at one of his fellow villagers' houses enjoying delicious food and drinks." Qiu Huoming took a sip of the fish soup first, then put down the spoon and said jokingly.

"Your father is such a man. He would pay for even an egg if he had simple food." Chen Suniang felt sorry for her silly husband and also felt sorry for the money.

"Fortunately, Dad doesn't have any private money." Qiu Huoming picked up a piece of fish and put it into his mouth. The crispy and delicious taste immediately filled his entire mouth.

"He dares!" Chen Sumiang's eyes widened.

"Puchi" the eldest sister laughed, "Mom, this fish is so delicious!"

The younger sister also agreed: "It's delicious..."

Qiu Huoming quickly finished a bowl of rice and then had a second bowl.

"Mom, I'm going to the post office tomorrow. Do you have anything to tell my sister?" Qiu Huoming asked.

"Ask her what she needs. I made her a few summer jackets. It looks hot today, so I'll ask someone to bring them to her next time. Tell her not to come back during the Qingming Festival. She needs to be careful about her health."

My eldest sister has a day off every Monday and works normally on weekdays.

"Oh, okay...what about you? Do you have anything to say to big sister?" Qiu Huoming turned and looked at his two younger sisters.

"Tell my elder sister that we will go to see her during the summer vacation..."

……

At the dinner table, everyone was chatting, Qiu Huoming made jokes from time to time, and everyone was laughing.

"Big sister, go wash the dishes. I'll go fry the remaining fish..." Chen Suniang touched her stomach. She had eaten a few more bites without realizing it, and her stomach felt a little bloated.

"Let me do the washing. My eldest sister has cooked lunch." Qiu Huoming rolled up his sleeves and went to clean the table.

"Brother, you go back and do your work, I'll do the washing." The eldest sister pushed Qiu Huoming out without saying a word.

"Hey, other families are avoiding doing housework, but your family is different, everyone is competing to do it!" Zhang Yougen came over at some point and stood at the door with a fish basket in his hand.

"Brother Yougen, you're looking for me." Qiu Huoming walked to the door and asked.

"The boatman gave me some eels. My stepmother doesn't dare to deal with them, so I'm giving them to you. Remember to return the fish basket to me later." Zhang Yougen put down the fish basket, said something, and turned away.

"Thank you, Brother Yougen!" Qiu Huoming happily came over. Under the kitchen light, he saw several sturdy eels crawling in the fish basket. These were authentic game.

Chen Suniang came over and took a few glances at it under the light. "Keep it for now and wait for your father to come back to eat it together. Little sister, find me the wooden barrel in the firewood room..."

The little sister jumped out and said, "Okay."

The eldest sister has taken off her coat and is cleaning the table with a rag.

Qiu Huoming had no place to use his skills, so he retreated to his small room and continued to make tapes.

Copying the text did not waste his time, he held the political book and continued to study hard. If he worked harder tonight, he would remember most of it.

At twelve o'clock, Qiu Huoming counted the completed tapes and found that there were already 150 of them, which was more than expected.

He hurried to the kitchen in the dark to get some water to wash up. After washing up, he quickly lay back on the bed.

Just stick to the bed and sleep...

It's the day of the 6th day of the lunar calendar again. Welcome everyone to discuss the things of that era...