1979: Reopening Wenhao Road from the Village

"So it's already the college entrance exam!"

Chen Weidong suddenly thought of He Yan, Fu Xiao and Lin Xi from Yangjiatun, wondering how they did on the exam.

Is it possible for me to get into Yenching University?

How are things progressing between He Yan and Lin Xi?

……

"Second brother, dinner is ready, come and eat."

Chen Aihua's loud shout woke Chen Weidong up.

"Girls, can you please keep your voice down? If you keep this up, who will dare to marry you in the future?"

Chen's mother slapped Chen Aihua across the face in annoyance.

"Dad, look at Mom, she's already complaining about me on my very first day back."

Chen Aihua said in a coquettish tone to her father, who had just sat down.

Mr. Chen smiled and didn't get involved. However, Mr. Chen's gentle attitude was something that Chen Weidong and Chen Jianguo had rarely seen since they were children.

Chen Weidong was favored by his parents from a young age, and Chen Aihua was no less so. Perhaps because they had two sons in a row, Chen's father spoiled Chen Aihua rotten from childhood. Whenever there was something delicious or fun, he would give it to Chen Aihua first.

He also taught Chen Weidong and Chen Jianguo to take good care of their younger sister.

Seeing that Mr. Chen did not respond, Chen Aihua realized she had contacted the wrong person and immediately changed her target.

"If I can't get married, then I can't get married. I'll stay at home and stay with you all."

"Will we be there for you when you're old?"

Chen's mother gave Chen Aihua a disapproving look.

"And my older brothers too, my whole family will go for a day."

Chen Aihua became more and more excited as she spoke, "When my eldest and second eldest brothers get old, and Xiaoteng and Suisui are all grown up, they can still keep me company!"

Chen Xiaosui, who was engrossed in eating ribs, looked up at Chen Aihua when she heard someone call her name. Her lips were smeared with oil, and bits of meat clung to her baby teeth, making it seem like she was struggling to eat, mainly because her teeth weren't working well.

"Sui Sui, will you take care of your aunt when the time comes?"

Chen Aihua bowed her head and asked Chen Xiaosui.

"Eat, Auntie, eat!"

Chen Xiaosui held up the half-eaten pork rib in her hand and handed it to Chen Aihua. Offering food to someone else was Chen Xiaosui's most noble expression of affection.

hahaha~

Chen Weidong and the others burst into laughter, amused by Chen Aihua and Chen Xiaosui, the aunt and niece.

Chen Aihua didn't think much of it, took a bite, and then handed it back to Chen Xiaosui.

"Your aunt didn't kiss you for nothing."

giggle~

Chen Xiaosui smiled happily, swaying her body from side to side.

"Eat your food properly, or you'll fall."

Su Man glanced down at Chen Xiaosui, who immediately became obedient.

"Second brother, have you found a job yet? I heard from my classmates that it's especially hard to find work now that educated youth are returning to the city."

Chen Aihua asked Chen Weidong with concern.

"Found him, he works at the Central Academy of Drama right at the entrance of our alley."

"Central Academy of Drama! That's impressive, second brother, you've managed to get into university."

Chen Aihua was pleasantly surprised. As a college student herself, she knew the prestige of the Central Academy of Drama, which was far superior to her vocational school education.

"I just work as a security guard at the entrance."

"That's not bad either. Work has no class distinctions, and labor is the most glorious thing. Comrade Chen Weidong, you need to change your thinking."

Chen Aihua said in a very serious tone.

"No respect for elders."

Chen Weidong flicked Chen Aihua on the forehead.

"Dad~"

This time, Chen Aihua's calls finally received a response, and Chen's father glared at Chen Weidong.

"Eat if you can, and then go wash the pots when you're full."

Chen Weidong gave a wry smile, but still obediently stood up to clear the table. He was used to this; from childhood to adulthood, whenever Chen Aihua acted coquettishly, he and Chen Jianguo would definitely suffer.

Chen Aihua chuckled, looking somewhat smug.

Chen Xiaosui watched this scene unfold, biting her finger and rolling her eyes.

……

As soon as Chen Weidong entered the school gate, he heard someone calling him from behind.

"Wei Dong~ Wei Dong~ Wait a minute."

"ignore."

"I've bought you both the cow's milk and the goat's milk you wanted. I bought five jin of cow's milk at 95 cents a jin, and ten jin of goat's milk at 60 cents a jin. See where I delivered it to?"

"Let's get to the dorm first."

I'm already at work, so going back now would definitely not be appropriate.

Chen Weidong was carrying a rather heavy plastic bucket.

Once inside the dormitory, Chen Weidong placed the two buckets of milk in a shady spot, then took out a dollar and handed it to Gou Buli.

"Ignore it, here you go."

These milks cost a total of ten yuan and seventy-five cents, which was definitely not enough for the ten yuan he had given Gou Buli before.

"Wei Dong, I don't have any change on me. I'll break it open for you later."

"It's not much money, we'll calculate it next time you order. I'll give you these two buckets later."

Chen Weidong waved his hand, and when it was lunchtime, he didn't eat at the school cafeteria, but instead carried the two buckets back home.

"Second brother, what did you mention?"

Chen Aihua, who was playing with Chen Xiaosui in the yard, saw Chen Weidong come in carrying two plastic buckets and asked him about it with some curiosity.

"Cow's milk and goat's milk."

"Where did it come from?"

Hearing the commotion, Chen's mother came out and saw that Chen Weidong had brought out so much milk. She immediately asked him about it.

"My colleague's family has some connections and can get milk, so I asked him to buy some for me to give to Sui Sui and Xiao Ting."

"This must weigh over ten kilograms; how could they possibly drink that much?"

"If you can't drink it all, you can drink it tomorrow."

"That sounds nice, but in this weather, this milk will spoil in a day or two at most."

Chen's mother unscrewed the lid and took a look.

Chen Weidong paused, realizing he had completely forgotten about it. When he bought the drinks, he was only focused on calculating how many people would drink how many kilograms, forgetting that he didn't even have a refrigerator at home and couldn't keep the drinks cold.

We need to buy a refrigerator as soon as possible!

"Mother, what should we do?"

"Go put some cold water in the iron bucket and let it cool down first."

"It won't last more than a few days."

Chen Aihua spoke up.

"Or you could make it into milk skin, yogurt, or milk tofu; it should keep for a month or two without any problems."

Su Man carried Chen Xiaoan out the door and offered her advice.

"That's a good idea. That's how the villagers handled it before when we were in Yangjiatun."

Upon hearing this, Chen Weidong immediately chimed in, saying that he had indeed forgotten about it.

"Milk skin? Milk tofu?"

Chen's mother looked slightly embarrassed. She had cooked all her life, but she really didn't know how to make these kinds of things. The main problem was that milk was a rare commodity that she rarely saw, let alone made.

"Mom, I'll cook in a bit. I learned some cooking in Yangjiatun. Weidong, have you eaten yet?"

Su Man noticed Chen's mother's predicament and immediately spoke up.

"Not yet."

Chen Weidong shook his head.

"Then I'll heat up some food for you."

Since Chen's father, Chen Jianguo, and Chen Weidong were not coming back for lunch, Su Man and the others ate lunch relatively early.

However, seeing Chen Weidong eating, Chen Xiaosui, who was playing nearby, came over again.

"Dad, give me some steamed buns."

Chen Xiaosui now recognizes quite a few foods, such as steamed buns, popsicles, and spare ribs.

"You've already eaten, you can't eat anymore."

Su Man immediately spoke up to stop her.

I'm hungry again!

To show that she was really hungry, Chen Xiaosui patted her round belly and stared intently at the steamed bun in Chen Weidong's hand.