Chronicle of the 70s
Chapter 53 - 053 Large Wontons at Midnight (Yan’er and He Shi Bi add more)

Chapter 53: 053 Large Wontons at Midnight (Yan’er and He Shi Bi add more)

It was exactly mealtime, and several people were coming in to eat. Mr. Li, glancing at the menu hanging by the window, smiled and said to Li Xianglu, "Girl, what would you like to eat? Today is a good day; let’s treat ourselves."

Li Xianglu also glanced at the menu, which featured wontons with an option between large and small bowls. A large bowl required three food tickets, filled with pure meat and green onions.

Thus, she smiled and suggested, "Grandpa, how about we have some wontons? They are soupy and hot."

Instantly, Mr. Li agreed with a clap of his hands, then sat there and handed the money and food tickets to Li Xianglu for her to make the purchase.

Li Xianglu curiously examined the food tickets, noticing that these looked different from the ones she had seen before—they had a more exquisite pattern and felt thicker.

At that moment, Mr. Li, while looking at the household register, saw his granddaughter’s curious expression and smiled, "What are you staring at? Hurry up and go buy the food. Aren’t you hungry?"

Li Xianglu smiled and blinked. Two large bowls of wonton required six food tickets, each costing fifteen cents, and two bowls summed up to 30 cents.

This hard-earned money left Li Xianglu amazed. Just as she was about to ask Mr. Li about these food tickets, a sharp female voice shouted at the window, "Two large bowls of wontons!"

Li Xianglu jolted to her feet, walked over, and saw two bowls of wontons and two pairs of chopsticks being served at the window.

Was she supposed to carry them herself? Wasn’t this a restaurant?

She noticed the woman serving the wontons tapping the window frame with a large ladle, and Li Xianglu looked up to see four characters "Self-reliance" above the window.

Momentarily speechless, she first brought a bowl to Mr. Li, then returned to fetch the other bowl.

At this time, the service industry’s attitude was generally poor, but there was no complaint about the taste of the food.

The wonton, pure meat with some green onions, had thin wrappers floating attractively on the rich broth, immediately appetizing. There was a generous amount of seaweed, only the dried shrimps were a bit lacking—probably due to regional reasons, these ingredients were scarce here.

Li Xianglu stirred with her spoon and counted fifteen wontons—so many that she wanted to give some to Mr. Li. However, seeing her intention, Mr. Li quickly shook his head and said, "Hurry, eat up yours. I’m old now, and can’t eat too much."

Only then did Li Xianglu start to eat. The meat was fresh, and the broth rich, tasting absolutely delicious.

Mr. Li, used to eating quickly from his military days, wasn’t afraid of the hot soup. By the time Li Xianglu had eaten half, he had already leaned back and was sipping his soup.

Seeing Li Xianglu enjoying her meal made him happy, and he said, "If you like it, we can buy some meat later and make some ourselves tomorrow."

Li Xianglu shook her head and said, "Yeah, let’s buy some to make buns, which we can eat for a couple of days. It’s going to be hot soon, and we won’t be able to keep much."

After finishing their meal, the grandfather and granddaughter strolled a bit before heading to the first floor of Jinquan Department Store. There was no meat left, but there were three large marrow bones and two depilated pig trotters. Li Xianglu’s mouth watered at the sight, as since arriving here, her hunger had intensified. Eating anything did not seem enough, similar to how everything felt irresistibly delicious during a diet in her past life.

Mr. Li looked amused at the girl’s craving and bought two pig knuckle bones for ten cents and two hairless pig trotters for thirty cents, totaling forty cents.

Before coming, the two had brought baskets which now came in handy to carry the items.

Mr. Li checked the time; it was already half past one. The community center should be open by now, so he took Li Xianglu there.

Li Xianglu was also very curious; this community must be where Mr. Li’s household registration was located.

Generally, there are two possibilities to have a household registration in the county city: one is a collective household, and the other is having a property. The household register Mr. Li had contained an address, indicating that it might be the house in the county he mentioned.

The place was not hard to find; it was located in the eastern Literature Alley of the county.

It was a small courtyard with a red brick structure, featuring a red iron gate just like the one at Li Family Village Production Team.

As soon as Mr. Li opened the door, a ’click’ sound was heard, and someone from the next courtyard asked: "Who is it?"

Mr. Li immediately raised his voice and called out: "Is that Xiao Chen? Why are you home today?"

The neighbor, unable to see Mr. Li from his side, heard the cheerful laughter and then a young man in his twenties appeared. Seeing Mr. Li, he happily said, "Grandpa Li, you’re back! My mom heard someone opening your door just now and told me to come out and check."

Mr. Li gratefully smiled and said to Li Xianglu, who was carrying the basket: "This is Brother Chen from next door, about seven or eight years older than you. When Grandpa isn’t here, he often helps watch over the courtyard."

Li Xianglu quickly smiled back and thanked him: "Hello, Brother Chen, thank you! It’s a blessing to have such caring neighbors like you and Auntie. This way, my grandpa can rest assured while living in the countryside."

Xiao Chen, seeing that the visitor was a young girl, chuckled kindly, greeted them, asked Mr. Li when he’d be returning, and then left.

Upon entering the courtyard, Li Xianglu instinctively turned around to lock the door behind her, and casually placed the items on a stone table inside the courtyard. This yard also had a stone table and was not small, measuring about 60 square meters. Li Xianglu thought that, if possible, it would be nice to start a small vegetable garden here, although it might go unattended and end up fruitless. However, towards the end of summer, she could think about setting up a frame to grow some winter radishes. Radishes are a wonderful vegetable that can be shredded and mixed with chili powder and vinegar without oil to make a dish, not to mention their medicinal benefits — aiding digestion, expectoration, detoxification, hydration, and bowel movements. Whether cooked in soup or stir-fried, they are great.

Mr. Li, seeing the girl staring at the empty space, immediately realized what she was thinking and said with a bit of amusement: "We don’t often stay here; if we plant vegetables, they might be stripped clean in a few days without anyone to watch over them. Besides, gardening requires frequent watering and fertilizing, and travelling back and forth!"

Li Xianglu looked somewhat disappointed at the empty space.

But Mr. Li smiled and said: "During winter, we might stay here for a while, and you can try to build a small greenhouse to grow some leeks. I see Old Man Lan has done the same in his backyard, and it’s very convenient. We could even have pork and leek dumplings for the New Year."

Li Xianglu’s eyes lit up instantly. Yes, a greenhouse! How could she have forgotten about that? However, it would require coal; she’d have to think of some other methods, or else if it’s not warm enough, nothing would grow. She’d have to start gathering more firewood when she gets back.

Mr. Li opened both doors, inviting Li Xianglu to take a look inside.

The four-room house was quite spacious; the main house on the east side had two connected rooms, with a bedroom inside and a living room outside.

The furniture was sparse and looked somewhat outdated, but it exuded an ancient charm that made Li Xianglu realize that Mr. Li was no ordinary person.