The 1970s: Military Family Beauty

When Jiang Guoqing woke up the next morning, the swelling on the wound on his face had subsided a little, but the wound on his lip had turned into an ulcer, which hurt when touched and made him scream.

"Tomorrow is Sunday." Hu Xiuqing looked at him with heartache: "Qing, if you feel any pain, just rest at home. Ask your sister to ask for leave for you. Mom will buy you some meat and make wontons tomorrow."

At that time, it was still a six-day work week. In order to take care of everyone's time, the living compound only supplied pork once a Sunday, and the purchase was limited to one pound. If you wanted to eat it, you could only wait, and there was no back door.

Jiang Guoqing somehow insisted on going to school: "Teacher Tao said learning pinyin is so important. I can't miss a single class."

As soon as he said the silent vowel, his lips touched each other, but Jiang Guoqing insisted on finishing his words.

Jiang Xiaocui looked at him with both heartache and amusement: "Guoqing loves studying so much! Don't cry, I'll cook for you. Can I make you some vermicelli noodles as a meal? You'll get hungry quickly if you just eat porridge."

Jiang Guoqing tearfully put forward a request: "I want to eat steamed egg paste."

Jiang Xiaocui was in a dilemma: "Oh, there are no eggs at home, do you want to eat something else?"

A good cook cannot cook without rice. The rice jar in the kitchen is empty, and it is impossible to eat delicious food.

"Sister-in-law, do you have the food allowance at home? Let me go buy some rice and noodles for you." Jiang Xiaocui pondered for the entire night before finally figuring out how to talk to Hu Xiuqing. "You're busy at work, and I happen to be free. This way, we can avoid the crowds at the service center tomorrow and have to queue for everything."

Hu Xiuqing's expression suddenly turned ugly: "You went to the service center? What were you doing there?"

"Just strolling around," Jiang Xiaocui said, puzzled. She felt as if she had gone somewhere she shouldn't be. "After dinner, I had nothing to do, so I went for a walk over there. I also looked at the school where Guoqing went to school."

Hu Xiuqing curled her lips and said, "Great! It's nothing! Oh, I'm going to be late. I'll leave now."

After saying that, he took the lunch box and left, leaving the matter of the food tax certificate unattended.

When Jiang Xiaocui and her grandmother were the only ones left at home, she couldn't help but complain, "Mom, my sister-in-law hasn't changed at all over the years. She's still the same, never calling us to eat. Now that my brother is not at home, my sister-in-law doesn't even care about the meal!

Are you worried that we'll eat too much or something? I brought food coupons and money with me, so I'm just using my brother's quota."

After two days of being there, Hu Xiuqing treated them as if they were air. He only met them at the dinner table and didn't even bother to say a word of courtesy.

It's clear that they are not welcome.

Grandma Jiang finally revealed her dissatisfaction: "Dapeng has been writing letters for years saying everything is fine. Alas, look at last night, Xiuqing refused to let Furong eat in front of me. Sigh, it's really hard for these children."

Jiang Xiaocui snorted, "You're just being mean to us, almost starving us. Tsk, so what if you're a city dweller? You're still getting more and more stingy!"

"Forget it, there's no point talking. I still have some money. I'll use it to buy rice and vegetables first. I can't just watch my child go hungry." Grandma Jiang had no choice but to grit her teeth and bear it.

The mother and daughter sighed and hoped that Jiang Dapeng would come back soon to resolve this embarrassing situation.

Just as I was muttering to myself, Grandma Lu from across the street came to visit. "The cabbages and radishes grown by the company are all being harvested today, and they'll be available in large quantities tomorrow. I saw that there weren't many people here today, so I thought I'd ask Furong to go with me to the vegetable patch to buy some."

This was a good thing. Jiang Xiaocui quickly agreed: "Furong is not at home because of something. Grandma Lu, I will go with you. How much can you buy? Will pushing a bicycle be enough?"

Grandma Lu liked Jiang Xiaocui very much. She liked her efficiency and strength. "It depends on how much you buy. A bicycle can pull a whole sack at a time. Last time I bought 50 kilograms of potatoes. Furong didn't have a bicycle, so we each carried a sack."

"The bicycle key is with Furong." Jiang Xiaocui thought for a moment and said, "I'll go to the vegetable garden with you to pick some vegetables. My mother is at home. When Furong comes back, I'll ask her to ride her bicycle to the vegetable garden to find us."

Grandma Lu was extremely happy. More people means faster work. "Okay, okay, I'll go home and get a sack. Auntie, we'll be out right away."

Jiang Xiaocui responded and turned around and said, "Mom, let's buy some too. If it's not too expensive, let's buy a hundred kilograms too?"

Grandma Jiang thought this was a good idea: "Okay, you decide. I'll go clean those two big vats in the back so we can pickle a vat of sauerkraut today."

It's good to have work to do, and it makes me feel at ease, which is always better than being treated as a profiteer.

Grandma Jiang didn't wait for her granddaughter to come back, but went straight to the back patio to collect firewood to boil water.

The living conditions in the staff compound are more convenient than those in the countryside in that you don’t have to go out to fetch water, and there is heating in the house. I heard that you don’t need to heat the kang when sleeping in the winter nights.

The biggest advantage is that it is convenient for children to go to school. They can get there in just two steps. There is no need to worry about what may happen to the children on the way even on windy and rainy days. The school is also good, with many teachers. One teacher is in charge of one class, so all the children can learn. It’s great.

Grandma Jiang was satisfied with the environment here and looked at every detail. She couldn't help but feel happy while working alone.

"Grandma, I'm back." Jiang Furong called out at the door, then let the guest into the house: "Captain Qian, please come in. My grandma may be busy in the back."

After sending her brother to school, Jiang Furong did not go home, but went directly to the service center to find Sister Li to ask about finding a babysitter.

She couldn't find a job for the time being, and Hu Xiuqing didn't give her any household allowance. The expenses for food alone for the whole family were considerable, so she planned to take on the job of babysitting.

Not liking children is one thing, but being able to make money by babysitting children is another. The motivations are different, and of course the attitudes are also different.

In order to increase trust and favorability, Jiang Furong plans to take on this job under the name of Grandma Jiang.

Coincidentally, Qian Yuyan, who was in a hurry to find a nanny, was also shopping at the service center. However, she had a bad impression of Jiang Furong's shabby clothes and began to doubt whether Grandma Jiang could take good care of the children, so she asked to go to her house to take a look.

Qian Yuyan is the captain of the dance team of the art troupe. She has lived in good conditions since childhood and has high requirements for cooking and hygiene. She has to watch her parents cook twice before she feels at ease.

Jiang Furong was eager for Qian Yuyan to come to her house for inspection.

Grandma Jiang and Aunt Jiang Xiaocui are both capable people. Anyone who sees their work gives them high marks.

"Captain Qian, these two are bedrooms. Behind them is the kitchen. There's also a patio and a small room behind the kitchen." Jiang Furong introduced them one by one. "Our house is spacious and has little stuff. There's enough space for a child's bed."

Qian Yuyan looked around the room. There were indeed few things in the room, and it could be said to be shabby, but it was very clean. The cement floor was shining, and the glass windows were wiped clean and crystal clear.