The 1970s: Military Family Beauty

Grandma Jiang and Jiang Xiaocui were cooking dumplings while chatting, talking about how when they were in the countryside, someone's family had some good omens.

These things are believed once you say them.

"Grandma, ten are enough for me!" Jiang Zhaohui used chopsticks to transfer food from the big bowl to the small bowl.

Good things come in pairs, so you should eat in even numbers. The number ten is a good omen.

Grandma Jiang said, "You need to grow taller now, so you need to eat at least twenty!"

As he said this, he pushed the bowl of dumplings forward, wanting to help get a few more.

Jiang Zhaohui covered the small bowl with his hand: "Grandma, I changed the small bowl specially. If you eat too much, your belly will be bloated and it won't look good."

"Beautiful! Our Chaohui is so beautiful! Strong and healthy, blessed, and pleasing to the eye!" Grandma Jiang quickly added the auspicious words.

Jiang Xiaocui smiled and said, "Oh, you said you were afraid of farting if you ate dumplings stuffed with radish, so I specially cooked dumplings stuffed with cabbage. You were wearing a cotton-padded jacket, so who could tell that you were full?"

Jiang Zhaohui wrinkled his nose and said, "Aunt, the female soldiers who dance in their art troupe only eat six dumplings. Really, eight at most. Only the men eat thirty or forty."

Grandma Jiang shook her head. "How can you have the energy to jump if you only eat six dumplings for one meal? You can't even walk. People with better conditions may have eaten two meals in the time you haven't seen them."

On other issues, Grandma Jiang always followed the wishes of her children, but when it came to eating, especially during the Chinese New Year when there was a good meal to eat, it would be unacceptable not to take the opportunity to eat more.

Without hesitation, she handed Jiang Zhaohui a few more dumplings: "It's not good-looking for a girl to be too thin. Sixteen dumplings, no less."

Jiang Zhaohui pouted: "Grandma, my sister is so thin, but you didn't force it on her."

Grandma Jiang clicked her tongue and said, "Your sister has always eaten little and is used to being hungry. Oh, no," Grandma Jiang quickly changed her words and said, "Your sister doesn't eat fat or skin, unlike you.

The purpose of being a soldier is to have enough food to eat. If you can’t even have enough food to eat for being a soldier, then you shouldn’t be a dancing soldier.”

Jiang Chaohui was anxious. She loved singing and dancing the most, how could she give it up just for a few dumplings!

"Grandma, my sister said the art troupe is great!"

Grandma Jiang gave in: "Okay, okay, I'll listen to your sister. Ten is ten. When your aunt was little, she could eat forty dumplings in one meal."

In times of economic hardship, if children in the family are particularly good at eating and grow up strong, it means that the family is well-off and can afford to eat.

It is something to be proud of.

Jiang Xiaocui said with a smile, "Maybe my brain isn't working properly because I ate too many dumplings in one meal when I was a kid. So I should be like Furong and eat less."

Grandma Jiang rolled her eyes at Jiang Xiaocui and said, "You're just following the kids and making trouble!"

Jiang Xiaocui said, "Mom, Furong and Zhaohui will have classes from now on, get paid every month, and won't have to farm. We can't hold them to the same standards I held them to when I was a kid. Have you forgotten?"

"I really forgot," Grandma Jiang said, as if waking from a dream. "Furong mentioned this. Okay, okay, I remember now. Zhaohui, you can have as many as you want. We can heat up some extra food before we go out to the movies, and it'll be perfect when we get back hungry."

"Grandma, I'm full. I'm going to go play with my classmates." Jiang Zhaohui had a movie ticket in his pocket and couldn't sit still any longer. "I'll go straight to the auditorium and won't come back to see you."

Grandma Jiang said, "Go ahead. If they're having dinner at home, don't just sit there like an idiot. Go outside."

"I know!" Jiang Chaohui grabbed a few more candies and a handful of melon seeds and ran away.

Grandma Jiang smiled and shook her head: "This child! Xiao Cui, I need to take a nap, otherwise I will be sleepy in the afternoon."

"I'm going to take a nap too. I don't know what's wrong with me now. I feel sleepy as soon as I eat." Jiang Xiaocui cleaned up the dishes and went to lie down.

Jiang Chaohui went out for a walk and came back in less than ten minutes, only to find that his grandmother and aunt were taking a nap.

No one was talking and she felt very bored, so she took a novel and sat by the stove.

Jiang Xiaocui heard the noise, put on her clothes, sat over and asked why they didn't play anymore.

"Hush!" Jiang Zhaohui gestured and lowered his voice, "I just ran into Grandma Lu. She asked me if I had gone back to my hometown with her. I said I had something else to do and ran away."

Jiang Xiaocui nodded in understanding, then suddenly thought of a question: "Did you go to see your mother?"

Jiang Zhaohui shook his head: "No! I met Grandma Lu on the road. She asked and said that our house was locked on New Year's Eve. She thought Qingqing and the others had also returned to their hometown."

"What?" Jiang Xiaocui asked in surprise, "Your mother and Qingqing are not at home? Where did they go?"

Jiang Zhaohui shook his head: "How would I know? I was afraid that Grandma Lu would ask more questions, so I ran back quickly."

Jiang Xiaocui tilted her head and thought for a moment: "The day before yesterday, when we were collecting holiday supplies at the factory, I saw your mother's stamp. There are no fellow villagers here, so where can your mother take Qingqing?"