Year 1983: I was a carpenter in Northeast China

Before starting the meal, Zhao Fengying, as the oldest member of the family, raised a glass as usual.

"Today is not only the Little New Year, but also a day worth celebrating. The household registration and food ration have been transferred out, and we have delivered them to them as well."

Although we fought, to be honest, I still felt quite relieved and satisfied.

From now on, as long as those people don't cause trouble, we won't bother with them; we'll keep to ourselves.

However, if they still insist on causing trouble, then we won't tolerate it!

Xu Bei also raised his glass, being the first to enthusiastically express his support, "Mom is right, we absolutely cannot spoil them, otherwise they'll think we're easy to bully!"

A sapling won't grow straight if it's not pruned, and a person will become arrogant if not disciplined. They need to know that even a pot made of iron is made of steel.

Xu Li, Zhu Wenliang, and Xu Juan were also holding glasses.

Hearing what Xu Bei said, the two sisters laughed so hard they almost spilled their soda.

"Brother, you're really something now, your words are so witty and hilarious. Don't just use this energy on your own family, show it off to Miss Zhou too."

"Yeah, brother, I've noticed you're so serious when you're talking to Sister Xiaowan."

Now that Zhu Wenliang, the brother-in-law, knows that his brother-in-law's personality has changed drastically, he no longer dares to make jokes easily and just smiles silently at Xu Bei.

"That can't be shown off easily. If you don't get the sizing right, it can easily come across as glib and make the girl dislike you."

Xu Bei knew that his family was particularly interested in and expected progress in his love life, but he was getting annoyed by the constant nagging. "Anyway, you don't need to worry about me. I know what I'm doing. Come on, we've been holding our glasses for ages, the food's going to get cold. Let's have a drink and eat. The sooner we finish, the sooner my sister and the others can go home. What if they slip and fall on the cold, slippery roads?"

Zhao Fengying quickly agreed, "Okay, okay, come on, let's all clink glasses and then start eating. That way, Wenliang and the others can get home earlier. You've spent the Lunar New Year with us too, I wonder what will happen to your parents..."

Zhu Wenliang quickly smiled and said, "It's alright, Mom. My parents were just saying at noon that it's good that we can spend the Lunar New Year here and New Year's Eve at home, so that we can both enjoy the holiday."

When Xu Bei heard the phrase "equal distribution of rain and dew," he couldn't help but think of a line from a skit, and he pursed his lips to suppress a smile.

The meal was very relaxed and ended around 7 p.m.

Not long after Xu Li and her husband left, Dahei also came to their house pulling a sled.

He also brought the camera he had borrowed yesterday.

Knowing that Xu Bei had borrowed it from someone else, Da Hei protected it very carefully, fearing that if it got even slightly bumped or scratched, it would be difficult to explain later.

Now that we've finally finished shooting the entire roll of film, we can return it to its rightful owner intact.

After handing it over to Xu Bei, he said, "Da Bei, I've decided. I'll save up money and buy a camera too."

As Xu Bei put the camera down, he said with a smile, "Okay, this supposedly cost over 160 yuan. With a little effort, it's not a difficult task."

Big Black chuckled, "I don't think it's difficult either. When I buy it, you can use it as you please, and you won't have to borrow from others."

Xu Bei couldn't reveal the truth about the camera for the time being.

After all, the amount of money we could earn through legitimate means was limited, and our family's current financial situation couldn't support buying a camera, which was a luxury item in the 1980s.

At the same time, he was happy to accept the pie in the sky that his childhood friend had painted for him.

"Okay, I'll be waiting."

Afterwards, when Dahei looked at the dozens of photos he had taken, he was full of praise and regret.

"If I had known you were such a good photographer, I wouldn't have asked my neighbor next door who's a great photographer."

"There's no such thing as knowing beforehand; even I didn't expect it to turn out so well."

At this moment, Dahei saw the photo of Xu Juan and Zhou Qingwan.

He deliberately leaned closer to examine it carefully, then looked up at Xu Bei, and then revealed a mysterious smile.

Xu Bei shoved Da Hei's shoulder and chuckled, "What are you laughing at, you little black rascal?"

Dahei pointed at Zhou Qingwan in the photo and laughed, "I was wondering if you had your eye on that girl and if she had taken a liking to you. But now, looking at you like this, your eyes are full of affection when you look at the camera. It means you two are mutually interested."

Xu Bei raised an eyebrow and said shamelessly, "Of course, your buddy is quite charming."

"That's true." Dahei had to admit it, whether he wanted to or not. "Guodong's sister is also interested in you, but unfortunately, her feelings are unrequited."

Xu Bei always treated Song Guomei as a friend's younger sister, without any ulterior motives. "Let's not talk about that. By the way, have you received your food and oil supplies?"

He knew that although his childhood friend worked at the grain depot, he still needed to use grain coupons and money to buy grain.

However, because of their proximity to the source, they have access to more inside information and know when scarce supplies will arrive.

"We picked them all up the day before yesterday. After all, my dad and I know the delivery situation very well, and we can avoid the peak period," Dahei said quickly. "Your family hasn't picked them up yet? Then you should go to the grain store early tomorrow morning. A batch of freshly milled high-gluten flour has arrived, and it's especially white."

"Really? Then I'll hurry up and go tomorrow."

Xu Bei's family is currently not short of money and is eating grain at negotiated prices, but since they can buy the low-priced grain supplied per capita, they naturally won't miss it.

The next morning, Xu Bei first dropped his mother off at the shop and then left after it opened.

Then, carrying the brand-new ration book, I went to the grain store to buy grain.

As it turned out, he arrived not too late, but a long queue had already formed in front of the grain store, which hadn't even opened yet.

Many people were dressed in bulky clothes, wearing hats, scarves, and gloves, stomping their feet to keep warm while chatting.

And like Xu Bei, they all had their own supplies, such as flour bags, rice bags, oil bottles, oil drums, and so on.

After the door opened, everyone entered in batches.

As soon as Xu Bei entered, he was greeted by a unique aroma that was a mixture of raw flour and soybean oil.

The lighting inside the grain store wasn't very good, and it seemed like dust was floating in the air.

When it was Xu Bei's turn, he handed the new ration book to the staff at the counter.

"Comrade, let's buy grain."

The middle-aged woman, wearing arm sleeves, skillfully flipped through the grain ration book.

After checking the number of people in the household and the monthly quota, I picked up a red and blue pencil and quickly crossed out the amount for the month on the form. Then I stamped it with a red "paid" stamp and announced the amount supplied and the amount to be paid.

After paying the money, Xu Bei went to the side to collect the fine and coarse grains and soybean oil.

Since it had been many years since I had done this, it felt quite novel and nostalgic, and it was like reliving the joy of receiving rations.

After collecting all the grain and oil he was entitled to, Xu Bei carried it home.

When he got home, Zhou Qingwan had been there for a while.

Two little girls were looking through the developed photos together in the east room.

As soon as they saw Xu Bei return with the grain, they all came out to help...