Read Novel Full Chapter 85
Chapter 85 : Watching a Movie
The little girl was clever and spoke like an adult, which made Jiang Li laugh. She poured out the carrot meatballs the girl brought and gave her some lard residue. “Okay, I’ll ask for your help if I have any problems in the future.”
After being scolded by Xue Yingzi, Li Xiaohu didn’t dare to stay any longer and went back home in despair.
Xue Yingzi looked at him with disdain. “Luckily, he ran off quickly, otherwise, I would have told my classmates tomorrow that Li Xiaohu was fleecing the masses again.”
“Yingzi, how come you are so eloquent? You’re so smart!”
“Of course, I’m the class monitor at school. If I couldn’t speak well, the teacher wouldn’t choose me. Auntie, my family is having dinner, so I’ll go back now.”
Xue Yingzi walked away with the bowl in her hand, moving briskly and straight. From time to time, she would eat some lard residue from the bowl.
When Old Mrs. Luo saw her grandson coming back empty-handed, while Xue Yingzi next door got some lard, she was so angry that she scolded, “She’s so shameless, a little girl with such a sharp tongue. And they send her to school? Bah! What a waste of money.”
Fangfang had no choice but to set the table and invite Li Xiaohu, who was throwing a tantrum, to eat. Li Xiaotao watched from the side and saw that her grandmother didn’t eat and her brother was crying, so she didn’t dare to eat either.
Meanwhile, the pork ribs with preserved plums had already absorbed their juices, and Qi Shaoqiang made a shredded radish and egg soup.
He mixed the freshly boiled lard with the rice, added some soy sauce and chopped green onions, simple seasoning creating an ultimate deliciousness.
The spareribs were soft and tender, and the sweetness of the rock sugar balanced out the sourness of the plums, creating a perfect sweet and sour flavor. If you got tired of them, you could have a bite of shredded radish.
Served with two pickled cucumbers that Chen Xianyun had brought, and finished off with a cup of hot soup, Jiang Li was full and satisfied.
In the countryside, there’s nothing to do in winter but stay indoors. But in the county, it’s different, you can even watch movies.
Though the movies nowadays weren’t that great, and very few people came to watch them in winter, Jiang Li was still very interested.
The two bought some sugar-roasted chestnuts and soda, sitting side by side in the dark. Qi Shaoqiang peeled the chestnuts while Jiang Li ate one at a time.
The plot was so boring that Jiang Li fell asleep by the time the movie ended. When she woke up, they were already on their way home.
Jiang Li lay on Qi Shaoqiang’s back in a daze, wrapped in his military coat. She felt warm and safe, shielded from the cold wind.
The day after they moved to the county, Chen Xianyun came over, with drops of water hanging from her eyelashes. She brought many bags and even a chicken. “You only brought so little, it’s not enough.”
“Mom brought some dried vegetables, beans, pickles, fried peanuts, and eggs from home.”
Jiang Li felt very distressed and poured a bowl of hot sugar water for her mother-in-law. “Warm up quickly, Mom. It’s too cold. Don’t run around next time. Shaoqiang and I will go back and get it when we have time.”
Chen Xianyun drank two sips, her frozen body slowly warming up. “It’s okay. You and Shaoqiang are busy. I have nothing to do. It’s no big deal to run two trips.”
“This house looks nice. It’s quite big and spacious.”
Chen Xianyun turned her head and looked around. It was enough for two people to live in, but if she came along, it would be a tight fit. Fortunately, she didn’t plan to move into the city.
“Mom, after dinner, I’ll take you out. We’ll go shopping in the department store.”
Jiang Li planned to buy a cashmere hat for her mother-in-law and a pair of gloves for her grandmother.
Chen Xianyun was also very excited. She had saved about ten yuan from making hairbands during this period. Since she could now earn money, she was more willing to spend it than before.
It happened that Qi Shaoqiang had just come home for lunch, and the meal for two was not enough for three people, so they stewed an egg and drizzled some sesame oil on it.
After dinner, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law went to the department store, and Qi Shaoqiang went to work as usual.
Officer He was chatting in the security booth. When she saw Qi Shaoqiang, she greeted him, “Leader!”
Qi Shaoqiang nodded, his eyes falling on her braided hair, the knitted woolen hairband in the shape of a kitten, it looked very familiar. “The hairband is pretty.”
His wife is really smart. These days, he has seen many female colleagues in the factory wearing this kind of hairband.
He Lingling was a little surprised. Qi Shaoqiang was usually a serious person who didn’t talk much except about work, but today he was praising someone for the first time.
At the same time, she felt a little happy because she had spent two dollars on this hairband and had even been scolded by her mother for it.
Her mother had accused her of wasting money by buying a hairband instead of spending it on proper food or drink. She was so angry that she didn’t even go home for lunch.
He Lingling’s friend was a little envious. If she spent that much money on a hairband, her mother would be the first to scold her. But He Lingling was so happy that she was also a little moved.
“Lingling, where did you buy this hairband? Take me to have a look after work.”
“Okay, but the stall owner may not be open today. It’s snowing too heavily…”
“Doesn’t he want to sell his goods in the snow?”
“Not only does he not open the stall when it snows, he also doesn’t open it when it’s too hot, and he doesn’t open it when he’s in a bad mood. In short, he’s a weird boss.”
“It’s strange not to make money when you have it.”
Meanwhile, Jiang Li, who was being talked about, was queuing up with her mother-in-law at the supply and marketing cooperative to buy rubber shoes. Chen Xianyun touched the rubber shoes and couldn’t let them go, but she was still a little hesitant. “Lizi, these shoes are too expensive, and you need a ticket.”
“Mom, wear these so your feet don’t get wet. Put a thousand-layer sole insole inside. They’re warm and windproof. Buy two pairs, one for grandma.”
Jiang Li paid the money generously, and Chen Xianyun’s eyes were filled with tears. “This daughter-in-law is so thoughtful.”
“Your grandma will be so happy when you get home!”
Chen Xianyun also ordered some snacks that grandma liked. She came with a lot of bags and left with even more.
Jiang Li had nothing to do in the afternoon, so she decided to go set up the stall.
After squatting in the cold wind for a while, her face was frozen. It was cold, and there were fewer people in the black market. Jiang Li blew on her cold fingers.
While observing the passers-by, suddenly a woman with a fat face came towards Jiang Li with a fierce look on her face, pulling a girl behind her.
A hairband fell in front of Jiang Li’s eyes, and the woman asked the girl, “Is it hers?”
The girl’s eyes were red, but she didn’t say anything. Jiang Li picked up the hairband. It was clearly not made by her. It must have been made by the plagiarizing seller who was disrupting the market with low prices.
The quality of the hairband was poor. When Jiang Li picked it up, the rubber band inside was broken, and the seams were unraveling.
“You dare to ask for one dollar and fifty cents for such a broken thing! Do you think you deserve it?”
The fat woman spat angrily, and Jiang Li quickly stepped back to avoid the spit.
“Mom, let’s go back,” the short-haired girl said, pulling her mother with red eyes.
“My dear lady, this thing is not from my stall. You’ll need to find the right person to settle the account with. Ask around in the black market and see if my stall has ever sold this inferior stuff.”
“Bah! You have the exact same one on your stall. How dare you lie to my face? Give me my money back!”