The 1970s: Military Family Beauty

Jiang Xiaocui saw Jiang Furong carrying a board back home and said to Grandma Jiang with a smile, "Mom, have you noticed that Furong never comes back empty-handed every time she goes out?"

Either you get food and supplies, or you find a job.

In these times of scarcity, it is heartening to be able to get any unexpected supplies.

Grandma Jiang nodded. "It's good that she can dig for food. She won't be hungry in the future. If Furong grows stronger, she can get married and have children. If she can give birth to a child as well-behaved and obedient as Xiao Baoying, then we will have a better future. Don't you think so, Xiao Baoying?"

Grandma Jiang said the following sentence to Xiao Baoying.

After Zhao Baoying woke up, he found himself in a strange place and facing strangers. He started crying and called out to his mother, grandpa and grandma, "Where are you?"

The tender child's voice was full of grievance, which made Jiang Xiaocui feel distressed. She didn't know how to coax the child, so she just thought the child was hungry, and quickly lit a fire to bake steamed buns for Xiao Baoying to eat.

Zhao Baoying was well taken care of in his own home. He almost never saw the burning of firewood. He was so attracted by the dancing flames that he forgot to cry. He stared at it with his big eyes without blinking. Even when he ate the steamed buns, he did not forget to smile at Jiang Xiaocui.

Grandma Jiang Xiaocui was so touched that she liked Zhao Baoying more and more.

Especially Grandma Jiang, no matter what they talk about, she always asks "Did Xiaobao respond well?"

Jiang Furong looked at him with a headache: "Grandma, little Baoying is only two years old, and you're already thinking about his lifelong affairs?"

"It's not for him, it's for you!" Grandma Jiang blurted out in a hurry.

I'm still thinking about taking Jiang Furong back to my hometown.

When Jiang Furong meets someone with stubborn ideas, she basically won't repeat her answer a second time.

There is absolutely no need to waste time explaining something that can avoid disputes.

Her small body is malnourished, so she needs to use her limited energy to find a way out for herself.

"Aunt, the carpenter who gave me the wooden board lives in the village next door. He has an uncle who can weave bamboo baskets. Is there any use for bamboo baskets in our house?" Jiang Furong still followed the same principle and diverted everyone's attention first.

Jiang Xiaocui was immediately led astray. After thinking carefully for a while, she came up with a question: "I don't need a bamboo basket, but a flat basket. I think the weather is good, so I can dry some radishes. There's no place to dry them here, so a flat basket is best. I can just carry them wherever there's sunshine, and it'll be convenient to take them home."

Grandma Jiang agreed, "Yes, a flat basket is useful for drying things. Ask him if he has a winnowing basket. He must have one at home."

Jiang Furong took out her notebook and wrote it down again: "Grandma, you two are really good at living. Unlike our family, we don't have what we need. Hey, I wonder how much these things cost."

Grandma Jiang said, "It's not a lot of money. In the countryside, bamboo is free. I'll just pay you to make baskets. Flat baskets are sturdy and can last for years. Every year, I can dry radishes, beans, eggplant peels, and cabbage in the sun, so I have food year-round. This is the right asset to buy."

"Okay!" Jiang Furong added a striking curve under the word "flat basket" to indicate that it was a necessity.

Zhao Baoying stood by and watched, pointing at the small notebook with the steamed bread in his hand: "Write a report, I want to write one too."

"Haha," Jiang Furong laughed. The child imitated what he did. She probably knew what Zhao's father did, but she couldn't ask. She just knew it in her heart. "Little Baoying, let me teach you how to write."