The 1970s: Military Family Beauty

Hu Xiuqing ate a few bites of dinner and then hurried to light the fire to boil water in the big pot. She didn't even bother to feed her baby son. "Zhaohui, feed your brother. I'm busy washing the mosquito net and blanket. The water will be cut off soon."

Jiang Chaohui was suddenly called by his mother and was stunned for a moment.

In this family, the eldest sister has always been the main labor force.

It seemed that things were different now. She couldn't run away and could only obey orders and feed her brother obediently.

In fact, Hu Xiuqing calmed down and thought in her mind that there would be nothing wrong with having a few more pieces of furniture at home. After all, it was not her who asked her daughter to ask for them. If someone came to ask about it, she could just say she didn't know.

To be honest, when Hu Xiuqing was not angry, she was good at doing housework. She was strong enough and liked cleanliness. Because she worked in a bedding factory, she knew that washing clothes with hot water and detergent would be easier and cleaner. She would chop firewood, make fire, rub mosquito nets, wring out water, and hang them to dry in the courtyard, and she did all the work by herself.

Jiang Furong was wiping the dust in the small dark room, listening to the busy washing sounds in the courtyard, feeling ashamed of herself.

Hu Xiuqing was still there, urging him from time to time: "Chaohui, hurry up and wash your face and feet while there's still hot water."

After dark, the temperature can drop to around zero degrees. Once the fire in the stove goes out, the hot water will quickly turn into warm water and then into ice water.

When Jiang Furong heard about washing her face and feet, she remembered something urgent that needed to be addressed. Due to a shortage of daily necessities, her family only had two basins: a large aluminum bathtub for bathing and washing large items, and an enamel washbasin for washing her face, feet, and clothes. She looked at them with genuine helplessness.

She has been in this time and space for three days. She insists on not using the washbasin at home. Instead, she uses her own toothbrush cup to get a cup of tap water, wets the towel and wipes her face, and then brushes her teeth.

She could tolerate a simple diet, but as for hygiene habits, she really couldn't get it right.

Therefore, the most urgent thing for her to do is to add three or five washbasins to her purchasing budget, so that at least everyone has their own dedicated washbasin.

On the price list in her schoolbag, she wrote down two types of washbasins from the supply and marketing cooperative: the one with red printed edges cost one yuan each, and the washbasin specially supplied to the army cost thirty cents each.

Although the price of the plain special washbasins is not high, the quantity is large, and the total amount is a huge amount of money.

Jiang Furong scratched her head but couldn't figure out how to open up sources of income in this era when we have not yet gotten rid of the planned economy.

She thought about asking Hu Xiuqing for a dollar for a long time. Finally, when Hu Xiuqing had hung up the blanket and mosquito net and looked very satisfied, she went up to him and asked for fifty cents. She didn't say she was going to the provincial capital, but just said she had picked up her grandmother and wanted to buy some pickles and tofu to cook.

The fare for a long-distance bus from the county bus station to the provincial capital bus station is 22 cents, and the return fare for three people is 66 cents. There is no ride available from the county town back to the family compound, and the ticket costs 8 cents. In total, 90 cents is required.

Perhaps because washing the mosquito nets had worn out his energy, Hu Xiuqing's words were quiet. After the job was done, he even offered an extra dime: "Don't ride a bike to the county bus station. You could lose your bike if you're not careful. Keep your money close to you. There are thieves at the station. If they catch you, you'll be in trouble."

Jiang Furong had to go out at six o'clock in the morning. She knew that she could not hide it from Hu Xiuqing, so she simply told him about going to the county town with the kitchen staff to prove that she was reliable.

Unexpectedly, Hu Xiuqing was silent for a moment, then snorted, "You're a girl, and when you go out with a guy, remember this: no matter who it is, if they tease you, ignore them. Some veteran soldiers have bad mouths. Remember, you look like a wilted eggplant, clumsy and awkward. If someone teases you, remember to be aggressive back. Humph, you only dare to be aggressive with me, just like your grandmother. You better be tougher out there, do you understand?"

As he spoke, Hu Xiuqing became more and more angry and his voice became louder and louder.

Jiang Furong suppressed her annoyance and replied, "I heard it."

Hu Xiuqing was still angry and asked loudly: "What did you hear? Tell me again!"

"Keep the money and don't talk to them!" Jiang Furong's patience was almost at its limit.

Hu Xiuqing's lips moved, but she finally held back and turned around, holding Jiang Guoqing's hand and going back to the house.

Jiang Furong breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as Hu Xiuqing takes a step back, she will also take a step back. Who wants to have an enemy confrontation at home all day long!

She checked the doors and windows, brought the alarm clock into the room, and set the alarm for 5:30. Feeling uneasy, she added a safety precaution: "Zhaohui, when you hear the alarm, call me. I'm afraid I won't hear it."

It was five-thirty in the morning. The kitchen was cold, dark outside, and quiet everywhere. All she wanted most was to turn off the alarm and go back to sleep.

Jiang Zhaohui took out a lunch box mysteriously: "Sister, I packed a box of fried rice for you. When you heat the rice, use the steamer cloth to make it into a rice ball and put it in the pocket of your cotton-padded jacket so it won't get cold."

Will always carry body temperature.

Jiang Furong was a little touched. This was because he was afraid that she would get scolded and have nothing to eat, so he secretly hid it for her.

This sister still cares about others.

She accepted her sister's kindness: "Thank you."

Jiang Zhaohui was not used to being thanked, and finally expressed his feelings: "Sister, why do you keep saying thank you, thank you, don't you feel uncomfortable?"

Jiang Furong paused and asked cautiously, "I don't think it's anything. Did you hear something wrong?"

Jiang Zhaohui couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong, but his usually timid sister had changed. "Those words are used by people from the Foreign Affairs Office and the art troupe. When we ordinary people use them, it seems like you're trying to stand out."

"Oh, I can't stand out." Jiang Furong remembered that the survival principle of the lower class people is that they can't be different from others.

Jiang Zhaohui didn't know how to explain, and was a little at a loss for words: "It's not that you can't be outstanding, it's just that those who are outstanding are very capable, like our mom, who always wants to be outstanding. No, no, I'm not saying our mom is outstanding, I mean, it's you who usually doesn't talk much, but when you suddenly speak, you speak like a machine soldier. Oh, and you dare to quarrel with our mom, if it were Wu Hui's family, they would have been beaten with belts long ago."

If you try to be outstanding without being outstanding, the consequences will be serious.

Jiang Furong probably understood what Jiang Zhaohui wanted to say, but she absolutely disagreed with his approach: "Even emancipated serfs can sing! Your sister has suffered so much injustice, even worse than the White-Haired Girl! If no one rescued the White-Haired Girl, wouldn't she have died in the deep mountains and forests? You have to learn to save yourself! Do you understand self-help? Forget it, you won't understand even if I tell you. Anyway, your sister can no longer be as cowardly as before! Okay, go to sleep, I'm too sleepy to open my eyes. Remember to listen to the alarm clock."

"Oh!" Jiang Chaohui seemed to understand but not quite. He was speechless and fell asleep with a lot of questions in his mind.