1980: I have a spiritual spring

Chapter 61 Marrying Second Sister-in-Law as Soon as Possible
Cured meats are an essential food for celebrating the Chinese New Year in Cenhe area.

After the eleventh month of the lunar calendar, every household begins to cure meats such as fish, pork, sausage, and tofu, which is the prelude to the New Year.

In previous years, the Qiao family's financial situation was not very good, so they would only make a small amount of preserved meat to enjoy during the Spring Festival.

However, this year, my family started raising laying hens. Now we can earn forty or fifty yuan a day selling eggs. Even after deducting feed costs, it is still a very considerable income, which is equivalent to a month's salary for an ordinary worker.

With money now available, the preserved meats can be prepared properly, and we can no longer be as frugal as in previous years.

So, over the next few days, the Qiao family made a total of ten cured chickens, ten cured fish, twenty catties of cured pork, thirty catties of cured sausage, ten catties of cured pig liver, thirty catties of cured pig trotters, and fifty catties of cured tofu.

While drying the food, they filled the area in front of their house to the brim, a lavish display that left the villagers speechless.

After preparing the preserved meats for the New Year, the Qiao brothers had enough eggs saved up at home, so they once again set off with the eggs to sell in Shashi.

However, this time Qiao Sanduo did not go to the commune to sell, but stayed at home to watch over the many cured meats drying at the door.

Although everyone in Qiaojiawan except the women who married into the village were related by blood and shared the same surname, and generally no one would steal other people's preserved meats, as the saying goes, you can't judge a book by its cover. When you have little, others might not steal from you, but when you have a lot, it's hard to guarantee that others won't have ulterior motives.

Especially when no one is watching the house, it is very likely that someone will steal something.

After all, resources are scarce these days, and meat is especially scarce. The temptation of having so much meat in front of someone who can't eat meat more than twice a month is something that most people can't resist.

Therefore, the best way to prevent others from having wicked thoughts is to not give them the opportunity to steal.

Upon arriving in Shashi, Qiao Erhe put down his load and said, "Brother, Sihai, I'm leaving this place to you. I'll go to the hospital first to wait for Xiao Su to get off work, and then we'll have lunch together. You can take care of lunch yourselves."

Qiao Dajiang said, "Go quickly, leave this to us."

Qiao Sihai nodded and said, "Second brother, work harder and marry your sister-in-law as soon as possible."

Qiao Erhe chuckled and said, "Don't talk nonsense, kid. It's not even close to being settled yet!"

Qiao Sihai rolled his eyes and said, "Second brother, don't be modest. Second sister-in-law came to your house in person and brought you so many nice things. This is more than just a normal boyfriend-girlfriend relationship."

Qiao Erhe: "..."

……

noon.

The entrance to the First People's Hospital.

When Su Jinxiu rode her bicycle out, she immediately saw Qiao Erhe standing at the door.

Before, she rarely looked around after get off work and would just ride her bicycle home. However, after meeting Qiao Erhe, she learned that he would come to Shashi to sell eggs every now and then and would definitely come to the hospital to see her.

So, during this period of time, whenever she rode her bike home from the hospital at noon, Su Jinxiu would habitually look around, which was the main reason why she was able to spot Qiao Erhe at a glance today.

Upon seeing Qiao Erhe, Su Jinxiu was overjoyed and instantly flashed a stunning smile. She stopped her bicycle in front of him and greeted him, "Brother Qiao."

Qiao Erhe laughed and said, "The usual place?"

Su Jinxiu hummed in agreement and handed the bicycle to him. Qiao Erhe took the bicycle, sat down decisively, put his feet on the pedals, and the bicycle slowly moved forward.

Upon seeing this, Su Jinxiu immediately stepped forward, sat sideways on the back of the bicycle, and naturally grabbed his clothes with both hands.

The whole process was as smooth as flowing water, with both sides cooperating seamlessly, just like they often did when riding bicycles or cars.

After leaving the hospital, Qiao Erhe asked, "Jinxiu, did your father drink the sweet rice wine? Has his back pain been cured?"

Su Jinxiu smiled and said, "After drinking it, my dad's back pain completely disappeared. Thank you so much."

Qiao Erhe said, "There's no need for such formalities between us."

Su Jinxiu said, "I have relayed what you told me last time to my father. He is now collecting medicinal herbs through various channels. As for tiger bone and tiger penis, he has also asked his friends to help him keep an eye out for them."

Qiao Erhe said, "That's good. Tiger bone is of utmost importance. It's best to use male tiger bone, as the medicinal wine made from it will be more effective. If the timing of collecting the tiger bone can be controlled, it would be best to collect it around the Dragon Boat Festival next year."

If the tiger bones are obtained accidentally, they should be processed immediately after acquisition to prevent them from spoiling, which would be a waste.

Su Jinxiu said, "Don't worry, I will explain all this to my dad."

After discussing the medicinal wine, Qiao Erhe asked, "Jinxiu, I haven't asked you yet, how many siblings do you have?"

Su Jinxiu said, "I only have one younger brother, who is currently studying at a university in the provincial capital."

Qiao Erhe exclaimed, "Your brother is actually a college student! That's amazing!"

Su Jinxiu laughed and said, "That brat is indeed better at studying than his older sister."

Qiao Erhe said, "The college entrance examination has only been reinstated for two or three years. The first batch of college students admitted have not yet graduated. The value of these college degrees is beyond doubt. As long as your brother doesn't make any fundamental mistakes after graduation, his future is truly limitless!"

Su Jinxiu said, "That's what my dad said too. This brat is my dad's pride."

Qiao Erhe smiled and said, "You are just as proud of your father."

Su Jinxiu said, "Brother Qiao, please stop teasing me. I was able to get a job at the hospital because of my dad. How could I be his pride?"

Qiao Erhe said, "I'm not kidding you. After all, there's an old saying that a wife's status depends on her husband. As long as the man you marry is successful, your status will rise accordingly, and then you'll become your father's pride."

Su Jinxiu blushed upon hearing this, reached out and slapped him, spitting out, "Brother Qiao, what nonsense are you talking about? Who wants a wife to gain status through her husband!"

Qiao Erhe laughed and said, "I'm not talking nonsense. I can tell from your face that you will definitely marry a rich and noble man in the future. We'll see if you believe me."

Upon hearing this, Su Jinxiu quickly reached out and tugged at his clothes, whispering, "Brother Qiao, don't say anything superstitious."

After being reminded, Qiao Erhe realized that although the country has been reformed and opened up and many things are not strictly regulated by the authorities, it is still best to avoid such things to avoid unnecessary trouble.

"Okay, let's not talk about that. What kind of food do you want to eat later?"

"I want to eat braised spareribs."

(End of this chapter)