Chapter 349 – Back to Work

Not long after, Laifu brought his younger brother and sister over to offer New Year’s greetings. Originally, Zhou Xuqian hadn’t wanted them to come, but he couldn’t stop Laifu from being stubborn.

How could they skip New Year’s greetings when they had such a generous elder brother? What if he gave them red envelopes? They’d definitely be bigger than the ones from their parents.

Zhou Xuqian gave each of Laifu’s siblings a dime. If he hadn’t earned quite a bit this year, he wouldn’t have been so generous—at most he would have given five cents, or even just one.

The adults mostly just gave out red envelopes for good luck. After all, times weren’t easy for anyone.

“Big Brother, Happy New Year!” Laifu and his siblings gave their greetings to Zhou Yimin.

Of course, they also knelt and kowtowed to offer New Year’s blessings to Grandma and the Old Man.

Zhou Yimin had also prepared red envelopes for the three kids. Although he wasn’t married and technically didn’t need to give them in the South, he handed over the red envelopes anyway: “Grow up strong and tall, study hard in the future…”

Each envelope contained five yuan.

In the countryside, a five-yuan red envelope was considered huge—it could scare someone senseless. After all, marrying a wife only cost eight or ten yuan.

The old man didn’t hold back either; he gave each of them a red envelope as well, though not as big as Zhou Yimin’s, of course. After all, those were his direct grandchildren—they were bound to be treated differently.

Zhou Yimin also grabbed a handful of peanuts and sunflower seeds to share with Laifu and the others.

One after another, quite a few children came by to offer New Year’s greetings. Zhou Yimin gave them all red envelopes too, though most only had fifty cents inside. Still, that was already generous.

Many kids didn’t even get that much from their own parents.

The village children were overjoyed. They knew coming here to give greetings would definitely be worth it.

And just like that, the first day of the new year passed quietly. The second day came around, and with it, the last day of the holiday. Work would resume tomorrow, so Zhou Dafu and the others planned to head back to the city after dinner.

If they waited until tomorrow, the time would be too tight.

Today, relatives would come to visit, including daughters who had married out and were returning home—this was the tradition for the second day of the New Year.

From the second day to the sixteenth of the first lunar month was the traditional time for visiting relatives. It’s an old Han Chinese custom, centered around Spring Festival, where family members strengthen bonds by paying each other visits—known as “visiting relatives” or “being a guest.”

On the second day of the New Year, married daughters return to their parents’ home with their husbands and children to offer New Year’s greetings. This is traditionally called the “welcoming sons-in-law” day. They must bring gifts when returning home, referred to as “hand-carry gifts” or “accompanying gifts.”

Though the custom isn’t limited to just the second day, it typically begins then and continues until the sixteenth. During this period, relatives visit and exchange well-wishes, deepening their relationships.

It’s a tradition that not only strengthens family ties but also gives relatives who haven’t seen each other in a long time a chance to reunite, catch up, and chat about life.

After dinner, Zhou Yimin also returned to the city. Tomorrow was the first day back at work—it wouldn’t look good if he wasn’t there.

The old man understood and didn’t try to stop him. A man should prioritize his career.

Although there was a lot of reluctance, there wasn’t much that could be done.

Even in the future, when transportation becomes convenient, people still don’t have time to visit their parents. The pressure from work is too intense. Working 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week is the norm.

February 15, 1961 – Second Day of the Lunar New Year

Back to work at the steel factory. A new year, a new beginning.

The first day back and the last day before the break were much the same—everyone had to clean up before starting work and check the machines for any issues.

Otherwise, if the machines malfunctioned, the consequences could range from mild to severe, potentially affecting production or even putting lives at risk.

Zhou Yimin arrived early that morning for work.

As soon as he reached the factory gate, he was stopped by Zhao Dezhi, which left him a little confused.

“Brother Zhao, is something the matter?”

“Team Lead Zhou, our Section Chief needs to see you,” Zhao Dezhi replied.

Zhou Yimin found it odd, but he still wanted to know what was going on. “Brother Zhao, what does Section Chief Yang want with me?”

“I’m not sure myself, but it seems urgent,” Zhao answered.

“Alright then. Is Section Chief Yang in his office or somewhere else?”

“In his office. Sorry for the trouble, Team Lead Zhou,” Zhao said apologetically.

Zhou Yimin didn’t need anyone to guide him—he made his way to Section Chief Yang’s office with practiced ease.

He knocked on the door.

“Come in!”

When Zhou Yimin entered, he found Section Chief Yang relaxing with his legs crossed, sipping tea and reading the newspaper.

As soon as he saw Zhou Yimin, it was as if he’d seen a savior. He hurried to pour him a cup of tea.

Zhou Yimin found the gesture a bit odd—it caught him off guard—but he decided to wait and see what this “urgent matter” was. He accepted the tea and took a calm sip.

The Security Section held a lot of power at the steel plant. You could ignore most factory leaders, but never the Security Section—they were the one department no worker dared cross.

If you offended the Security Section, you were in for trouble. Usually, if a worker broke some minor rules, they might turn a blind eye. But if they followed every regulation to the letter, barely anyone in the entire plant could escape scrutiny.

That’s why workers didn’t dare provoke the Security Section.

Seeing how calm Zhou Yimin was, Section Chief Yang finally couldn’t hold it in. “Yimin, how’s the tea? Pretty good, right? I only managed to get a little from an old commander by thickening my skin.”

“It’s good tea,” Zhou Yimin replied simply.

Yang had no choice but to get to the point. “Yimin, do you have a way to get hold of some ginseng?”

His old commander had fought in many battles and was left with internal injuries. When he was younger, it wasn’t a problem, but now that he was older, complications were starting to appear.

Yang had heard medicinal cuisine could be effective, so he wanted to make some and send it over. But the person he knew who could prepare such dishes said they still lacked a quality ginseng root—the older, the better.

Medicinal cuisine originated from the traditional Chinese fusion of food therapy and medicine. It is prepared under the guidance of theories from traditional Chinese medicine, culinary arts, and nutrition. The method involves combining medicinal herbs with certain beneficial foods, using unique Chinese cooking techniques along with modern scientific methods to create dishes that are visually appealing and flavorful.

Simply put, medicinal cuisine is the art of combining herbs and food into delicious meals.

It’s a product of traditional Chinese medical knowledge blended with culinary experience. It incorporates medicine into food, allowing herbs to be consumed like ingredients, and imbuing food with medicinal qualities. The food bolsters the herbs’ effects, and the herbs enhance the food’s value—they complement each other perfectly. Not only are these dishes highly nutritious, but they can also prevent and treat illnesses, promote health, and prolong life.

(End of Chapter)