Chronicle of the 70s
Chapter 107 - 104 spread through with an additional 270 - s thanks to monthly tickets - Part 2

Chapter 107: Chapter 104 spread through with an additional 270 Chapters thanks to monthly tickets - Part 2

Li Xianglu entered the home and greeted everyone, then sat down neatly by the kang table, smiling as she asked, "Mom, how have you been feeling lately?"

Old Mrs. Wu, hearing her granddaughter’s soft voice asking about her health, broke into a smile that lit up her wrinkled face like a chrysanthemum: "Good, I’ve been quite well recently. The white flour you gave me, your aunt makes me noodle soup every now and then. It’s really nourishing, I’ve gained quite a bit of weight."

Li Xianglu noticed that Old Mrs. Wu indeed looked good, but it wasn’t as exaggerated as she mentioned, there wasn’t any noticeable weight gain, just that she looked somewhat nourished.

Li Xianglu opened her cloth bundle, and first took out a paper package. It was high-quality pastry bought from Shanghai, flaky and in each pound there were twelve pieces. Qin Xi had bought four pounds, and Xianglu took a variety of flavors, eight pieces total. She thought about her paternal uncle’s family which was large; taking too few would mean not everyone would get a piece.

Carefully placing it on the table, she grinned and said, "Mom, these are pastries from Shanghai First Department Store, very flaky and incredibly delicious. Please have a taste."

Old Mrs. Wu, curious, opened it and became excited, "Oh my, even prettier than the pastries from the county. The flaky layers are almost falling off. Just how much sugar must be in this?"

Everyone chuckled, and Li Xianglu laughed as she added, "Exactly, without enough sugar, it wouldn’t hold together well."

Old Mrs. Wu carefully picked one up, broke a piece off for her drooling little grandson next to her, and gave the rest of that half to Li Xiangwei. She rolled up the rest and carefully handed them to Liu Aidang, saying, "Xiangwei’s mother, please keep these safe, be careful- the pastry crumbles easily."

Hearing her mother-in-law instructing her to keep them safe, Liu Aidang’s stern face burst into a radiant smile. She quickly accepted and carefully took them away.

Meanwhile, Li Xianglu continued to pull out more things: three pairs of nylon socks, a blue coverall, and three pounds of red wool. The wool, a common blended type bought from Huai Country Old Market, was only eight cents per pound. The dyeing wasn’t uniform, but seeing people were rushing to buy it, she picked some up anyway.

When Li Xiangwei, who was nibbling on pastries, saw the wool, her eyes lit up, "Xiangxiang, is this wool?"

Li Xianglu nodded and smiled, "Yes, the dyeing isn’t even, but no wool ticket was needed. I bought three pounds. You and your sister-in-law can each knit a pullover."

Li Xiangwei immediately hugged the wool to her chest, excitedly turning to her sister-in-law, "Sister-in-law, let’s start knitting tomorrow, we can wear them for New Year’s."

Jianqing’s eldest daughter-in-law wasn’t from this village but was the daughter of Liu Aidang’s brother’s colleague and a city dweller, a middle school graduate, quite well-cultured compared to this farming household. Hearing Li Xiangwei’s words, she just smiled faintly, not responding. She knew whether the wool really belonged to her was yet to be seen, as everything small like a needle or large like the family’s food and savings was controlled by her mother-in-law, Liu Aidang.

Li Xianglu picked up the coverall and addressed Old Mrs. Wu, "Mom, this is for Uncle. He often goes to the county commune and meets many people, so he should dress well. The dye on the seams isn’t great, but the material itself is really durable. Don’t mind the flaws. As for the socks, please divide them as you see fit."

Old Mrs. Wu happily nodded her head.

After packing away the cloth bundle, Liu Aidang returned, carrying a winnowing basket full of peanuts--easily two pounds—intending to place it on the kang table. But, noticing the three pairs of nylon socks, she exclaimed ’Oh my!’ realizing the value of these items and quickly made space. Then, turning to Li Xianglu, she said, "These peanuts were specially picked out by your grandma, very clean, though a bit small. You can take them back to boil or dry roast, they’re very fragrant."

Seeing the sincerity in Liu Aidang’s words, regardless of whether it was because of the coveralls, socks, or Shanghai pastries, Li Xianglu gladly accepted, smiling gratefully at Old Mrs. Wu, "Mom, you’re really good to me."

Old Mrs. Wu’s face blossomed into a chrysanthemum-like smile again, nodding, "Child, you have a sincere heart, a good one at that. Granny here has indeed ...\n "

Li Xianglu made some small talk with her two male cousins before leaving.

Jianqing escorted Li Xianglu to the door. Before she left, he pulled her aside and said, "Xiangxiang, be a bit more careful with spending, don’t buy too much. You and Uncle Huai Ren are living together now, people might misunderstand if it’s too generous."

Li Xianglu knew her brother meant well and chuckled, "I know, you sound like an old man at just sixteen, always nagging."

Jianqing, slightly embarrassed and annoyed, patted his sister’s shoulder, "Don’t be ungrateful, I’m serious. It’s enough to give Uncle just enough; people’s hearts are greedy. If you keep giving, they’ll think it’s expected, and if you ever stop, they’ll say you’re no good."

Li Xianglu’s eyes sparkled, "You’ve really grown up, even starting to understand human nature," she laughed and replied, "Don’t worry, Grandpa is also living in the village. We need Uncle’s look out. Besides, Grandma is getting old, her body isn’t what it used to be, and it cheers her up a bit to give her things occasionally."

Jianqing was relieved to hear his sister’s thoughtful approach, nodding his approval, "Alright, good. You’ve been to Shanghai recently and brought back these things. By this afternoon, word has spread throughout the ridges. Mom probably knows by now. Be careful when you go out, don’t be alone, okay?"

Li Xianglu nodded quickly and urged her brother to leave.

ps: This update is 3000 words.