Chapter 317

Huang Shi saw that her son’s place was neat, with everything properly arranged and the floor swept clean. She nodded with satisfaction, knowing her son well.

“Mother, have some water!” Zhou Dazhong took out a cup and poured some water.

At that moment, Zhou Dazhong’s younger brother, Zhou Daguo, also spoke up, “Brother, I want some too!”

Hearing this, Zhou Dazhong grabbed another cup and said, “Don’t worry, there’s enough for you.”

“Mother, wait a moment. I’ll take you around the city later,” Zhou Dazhong said.

Huang Shi shook her head. “What’s so good about walking around? Don’t you have to go to work?”

She was worried that her visit might cause Zhou Dazhong to be scolded by his boss.

“It’s fine, Mother. I’ve completed my tasks for the month. It doesn’t matter if I don’t go to the factory,” Zhou Dazhong quickly explained.

Huang Shi was somewhat relieved after hearing this but still said, “Take these vegetables and divide them among the neighbors.”

She pointed to one of the bags of vegetables she had brought. This bag wasn’t as good as the other, and good things were always reserved for herself.

After all, she had already given two cabbages to Old Niu, and if she didn’t share with the others in the courtyard, people might gossip behind her back. She didn’t want to give them that chance.

Zhou Dazhong didn’t hesitate. He grabbed the bag and walked toward the courtyard.

Starting from the back of the yard, he gave two cabbages to each household. The people in the courtyard received them and thanked him.

The others in the courtyard couldn’t help but feel envious. A cabbage cost four cents per pound, and buying over a hundred pounds would cost over four yuan, which wasn’t a small expense. It would be even better if they could save some.

Zhou Dazhong told them not to mention it, then returned to his room.

Zhou Daguo couldn’t wait any longer. “Brother, when are we going out?”

If their friends in the village knew, they’d be so envious. He’d have something to brag about when he went back to the village. Except for the Lai family siblings, no one else from the village had ever been to the city.

Of course, they couldn’t compare to Lai Fu’s siblings, as they were Zhou Yimin’s younger siblings.

“Alright, I’ll take you around the city now,” Zhou Dazhong smiled.

Zhou Daguo was immediately happy. “Let’s go, let’s go!”

Zhou Dazhong took them out. Not long after they left, they saw many people lined up.

Huang Shi asked in confusion, “Dazhong, why are they lining up?”

“Mother, they’re waiting to buy cabbages. It’s almost winter, and they’re buying them for storage,” Zhou Dazhong replied.

Huang Shi said, “I didn’t expect people in the city to have to stand in such a long line just to buy a cabbage.”

She had always thought that city people didn’t have to worry about supplies, but now she realized that wasn’t the case.

Even though their village wasn’t far from the city, Huang Shi rarely came here, so it was normal that she didn’t understand the situation.

It wasn’t just her. Many people from the countryside, especially women, had never been to the city. Most of their time was spent in the village.

“Yes! City people don’t have land, so they have to buy everything. There’s no choice,” Zhou Dazhong said.

He didn’t have to buy too many cabbages since he cooked for himself, and he mostly ate at the factory for lunch. He only needed to buy cabbage for dinner or for his day off on Sundays.

Thanks to his work as a purchasing agent, he was familiar with the roads in the capital and never got lost.

They quickly toured the nearby sights. By noon, Zhou Daguo tugged at Zhou Dazhong’s hand. “Brother, can we go eat roast duck from Quanjude? I heard it’s really delicious.”

He looked at his older brother with hopeful eyes.

Zhou Dazhong was a bit embarrassed. Quanjude’s roast duck required a special ticket, and while he had the money, he didn’t have the ticket. He said, “Daguo, you need a special ticket to get the roast duck from Quanjude. I don’t have one.”

“If you really want to eat it, I’ll ask Uncle Sixteen. He should have one.”

He knew that Zhou Yimin had everything, and other colleagues sometimes needed his help to complete tasks. At this point, getting supplies was still difficult.

Huang Shi spoke seriously, “Why eat out? Can’t you just cook at home? Don’t always trouble Uncle Sixteen.”

She was afraid her silly son would overuse his relationship with Zhou Yimin. If something important came up later, people might not help him. The way you treat others affects your relationships, and constantly asking for favors would make things worse.

“Mother’s right,” Zhou Dazhong nodded.

In fact, he felt that Quanjude’s roast duck was too expensive. One duck cost eight yuan, and you needed a ticket. His salary was only nineteen yuan and eighty cents, so he could barely afford two ducks, which would use up his entire month’s salary.

The family still had some seafood Zhou Yimin had given them, and they also had preserved meats that could make a delicious meal.

Back home, Zhou Dazhong had planned to cook something himself, but Huang Shi immediately took over the opportunity.

Originally, she hadn’t wanted to cook so much meat at once, thinking it was a waste, but in the end, she couldn’t resist Zhou Dazhong’s insistence. They had half a smoked fish and some smoked meat, totaling about three to four pounds. She added some sauerkraut to stew it, and the aroma was irresistible.

When Zhou Daguo saw so much meat, he immediately forgot about wanting to eat roast duck from Quanjude.

As the stewing time increased, the smell became stronger, and soon, everyone in the courtyard could smell it and couldn’t help but swallow their saliva.

Huang Shi looked at the time and said, “Dazhong, go call Uncle Sixteen to come and eat.”

Uncle Sixteen had helped her son so much, and now that they had cooked something good, they couldn’t forget him.

“Alright, I’ll go call him now,” Zhou Dazhong responded.

Zhou Dazhong turned and went to find Zhou Yimin, but he didn’t know if Uncle Sixteen was at home. Zhou Yimin was often unpredictable, and his whereabouts were hard to guess.

He walked to the neighboring courtyard and greeted the people there.

He saw the elderly men were busy drying the cabbages they had just bought. The sooner they dried them, the sooner they could store them in the cellar.

People with experience knew that freshly harvested cabbages needed to be dried on the balcony for 3-5 days to wilt the outer leaves. This process increased the cabbage’s cold resistance and reduced its volume, making it easier to store. While drying, the roots should face the sun, and the outer leaves should hang without breaking.

Zhou Dazhong looked around. Every household had neatly arranged cabbages with their roots facing outward on windowsills, wall corners, and corridors.

He arrived at Zhou Yimin’s house and found the door wasn’t locked, so he assumed Uncle Sixteen was home.

He knocked on the door. “Uncle Sixteen, are you home?”

Zhou Yimin opened the door and asked, “Dazhong, what’s going on?”

“Uncle Sixteen, my mother is here and has cooked some food. She wants you to come eat with us,” Zhou Dazhong said honestly.

(End of Chapter)