Chronicle of the 70s
Chapter 126 - 123 grab monthly ticket for 420 additional updates

Chapter 126: 123 grab monthly ticket for 420 additional updates

Before Lunar New Year, Lu Xun made a trip to the county. By then, the Li family’s grandpa and grandson, the Qin brothers, along with Xi Yunmei, and little friend Lu Ping’an had all moved into the house in the city.

After winter set in, it became difficult for the three people to secure grain. Grandpa Li decided on the spot to move to the city, feeling it was safer to return there at this time.

The courtyard house in the city was just like the one in Li Family Village, a small courtyard. Grandpa Li had a suite, Li Xianglu had a single room, and with five adults and one child, it wasn’t crowded at all. In fact, it was lively every day.

To curry favor with Huai Ren, Li Dafu had the mule cart from the production team deliver several loads of belongings, including cabbages, potatoes, and radishes harvested from their private plots, as well as the grain allotted to the Qin brothers.

Now they didn’t have to worry about food and drink. With the coal balls saved up from the last two years, and some coarse firewood brought over, they didn’t fear the cold weather would be too much for heating.

By the time Lu Xun arrived, it was already the 17th day of the twelfth lunar month. Although it was still a bit early for Lunar New Year, Li Xianglu had already prepared some pork portions meant for Qin Xi, as well as some big grass carp she had caught, disemboweled, and hung outside the kitchen to dry, all in preparation for the New Year’s feast.

Lu Xun didn’t come empty-handed; he brought four large packages containing clothes for his wife and children, gifts for Li family’s grandpa and grandson, and something for the Qin brothers too.

Seeing Lu Xun, Li Xianglu knew Xi Yunmei was leaving and felt somewhat reluctant to let go. After all, they had gotten along for quite a few months, especially with little Lu Ping’an whom she couldn’t bear to part with. At night, the child would warm up like a little heater. When the kang bed cooling in the middle of the night, she would cuddle the small child, and soon they’d warm up.

But reluctance couldn’t justify detaining someone. Li Xianglu warmly hosted Lu Xun, and that very day, prepared the Saozi Noodles, a favorite among Guanzhong people, along with two stir-fried dishes and a cooked fish. Everyone had a good time and even enjoyed a bit of alcohol.

In the evening, Xi Yunmei pulled out a camel-colored wool coat from the pile — a very elegant double-breasted design — and handed it over saying, "Try it on. Your brother-in-law bought it from the Overseas Chinese Store. Knowing you don’t like loud colors, I asked for a different color. I didn’t expect his taste to be quite good; the camel color really suits your temperament."

Li Xianglu tried it on, and it was indeed a perfect fit, even accentuating her waist. Cheekily, she boasted, "Well, it’s because I have great taste to begin with, okay?"

Xi Yunmei had grown accustomed to Li Xianglu’s façade of being kind and adorable while often acting shamelessly in private. She smiled and shook her head saying, "You are cultured, indeed it shows!"

Included in the gifts for Li Xianglu was a pair of round-toed, heeled leather shoes, which happened to be the latest fashion. Li Xianglu tried them on and walked around on the kang bed. The shoes were just right; made of pure leather, top-quality indeed. Not like those in later times, she thought, where you couldn’t even tell how many layers they had peeled off.

Xi Yunmei also handed over to Li Xianglu a wool Zhongshan suit and a pair of leather shoes intended for Grandpa Li, telling her to put them away properly. The gift for the Qin brothers was a Parker pen for each of them, nothing extravagant like gold or platinum, but an elite style. It was the model Parker launched in their 75th year, exceptionally smooth for writing. Li Xianglu noticed the price on the receipt was fifteen yuan each — quite a decent gift.

All good things must come to an end.

After a three-day stay, which was the maximum, Lu Xun departed with his wife and child on a car specially arranged to take them to the provincial capital.

Li Xianglu packed ten of her homemade cured fish into the box, along with ten jin of flour ground from the corn harvested from their private plot. Families like Lu Xun’s lacked many things, and the items they bought might not be appreciated, so it seemed better to prepare something they enjoyed eating. Li Xianglu had noticed Lu Xun took a special interest in her cured fish these days, so she included some, as well as the steamed corn cake that little friend Lu Ping’an loved to eat. Made with corn flour, a bit of sugar, and some dates, the child could gobble down a large piece as soon as it was out of the pot.

With a heart full of reluctance, Li Xianglu saw them off, and the house felt suddenly quiet with just two people gone, making even the usually irritable Qin Zhen feel bored.

Before the New Year, Li Xianglu, together with Qin Xi and Qin Zhen, rushed to grab some food supplies.

The word ’rush’ was the only fitting description.

At four o’clock in the morning, the three of them bundled up and lined up at the county’s grain supply station.

The day before, the community had notified that a batch of Fuqiang Flour had arrived. It was first-come-first-served, which meant those who didn’t get in line early enough would have to settle for grade 75 flour, and if that ran out, they’d have to buy cornmeal, which there was plenty of.

Qin Zhen had developed quite a taste for white flour dumplings last year. Now, whenever dumplings were on the menu at home, he insisted that they had to be made with white flour. He was very eager to buy grain. After attending school in the county for over half a year, he had shot up by ten centimeters and now stood at one meter seventy-seven, having transformed from slightly short and chubby to tall and rather plump.

Qin Xi also grew a bit, now standing at about one meter eighty-two, while Li Xianglu, who had been stuck at one meter sixty-three for a while, had stopped growing entirely. However, her body development was quite impressive, and she was beginning to take on the shape of a little steamed bun, which helped Li Xianglu regain some self-confidence.

It was pitch dark, without a hint of light. Although the night would normally be cold and quiet, it was anything but, as many families were already up, rushing out with their containers to buy grains, soy sauce, and vinegar, fearing they’d be left with nothing if they were late.

Li Xianglu lined up for the oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar section. The stocky Qin Zhen cut directly into the grain-buying line. Qin Xi, holding a sack, went to another area to get cabbage and other food items.

Sitting on a little stool, Li Xianglu took her place at the back of the crowd, fighting to stay awake.

From a distance, Qin Xi saw her but didn’t say anything. The girl was always sleepy, able to doze off even in the cold weather, fortunately, she was wearing a military coat from Grandpa Li layered over her own cotton-padded jacket, so she wasn’t at risk of catching a cold.

At six o’clock, when it was getting light, many of the people who had come to queue were stunned to see a long line at the food station, full of people who regretted not arriving earlier.

Finally, at half-past eight, the employees began to trickle in, and the large iron gate to the supplementary food station was pulled open. Everyone surged forward, with some attempting to cut the line amidst the chaos. Suddenly, a man in his thirties squeezed in front of Li Xianglu. Once she had repositioned herself, Li Xianglu called out: "Comrade, please go to the back of the line!"

The man acted as if he hadn’t heard and continued to look around.

Li Xianglu raised her voice again: "Comrade, didn’t you hear me? Please go to the back of the line!" This time, Li Xianglu’s voice was loud, and many people turned to look.

ps: I see I have to write an additional part again. Oh, my! Every night like a overnight laborer, I simply can’t keep this up. I’m working on the rest, but it’ll have to wait until the 18th, not sure at what time. I wasn’t in the best state this afternoon; I ate too much for dinner and felt too full, unable to sit down...