Chapter 13: Job, Arrangements
It was already five or six in the afternoon when they came out of the hospital, and there were noticeably more pedestrians on the main street.
There were cadres with ear-length short hair wearing Lenin suits, looking anxious and hurrying along;
There were students with braids wearing striped, checkered, or floral blouses, chatting and laughing;
There were workers in dark blue work clothes, gathering in groups of three or five, heading to the state-run restaurant to have a good meal…
Walking on the street amidst all this, Su Ning looked at the colorful people around her and felt a rare sense of relaxation; her always tense nerves had eased for some reason.
“Ice cream for sale~ Red bean, mung bean, milk flavor ice cream!”
“Ding ding ding~”
A young man riding a bicycle with a foam box tightly wrapped on the back seat.
Mingling in a group of playful children, Su Ning bought a mung bean ice cream and ate it savoringly as she walked.
“Young Comrade!”
Carrying a back basket, with a scarf covering most of her face, wearing a gray blouse and dark green side-tie pants, her exposed eyes darting around nervously from time to time.
Instantly understanding, Su Ning followed her to the entrance of a sparsely populated alley.
“Eggs, roe deer meat, want any, young comrade?”
“How to trade?”
“Eggs ten cents each, roe deer meat one yuan twenty cents per catty, no tickets needed.”
The two exchanged no extra words and quickly completed the transaction, then strode off in opposite directions.
When she circled back to the main street, she had an extra yellow feed bag in her hand.
It was like hitting the pillow when sleepy; wasn’t this a better reason to bring some good stuff to the old man?
With joy showing on her face, she quickened her pace while thinking about what to add from the space when she got close.
……
Qinghe Lane No. 68.
“Phew~ Finally here!”
Although she only carried it a short distance, she kept adding to it, and the feed bag ended up stuffed full; its weight was imaginable.
She immediately set down the bag in her hand and knocked on the door, breathing raggedly.
“Knock knock knock…”
“Coming, coming, who is it?”
“Grandpa Fu, it’s me~”
Opening the door and seeing the lively girl standing there with a mischievous smile, Fu Chenggong, as always, couldn’t maintain his stern image in front of his children and grandchildren; his old face creased with delight.
“Come in quick. I was just wondering why you hadn’t arrived yet—did this brat stand this old guy up again?”
“How could I stand you up? Don’t wrongly accuse me like that!”
As he stepped aside to let her in, Fu Chenggong noticed her hands were red from carrying a bag of stuff. “What have you been messing with this time? Give it to me!”
“No need, Grandpa Fu, it’s too heavy, but I can manage.”
She didn’t dare let him carry it for real; Su Ning mustered all her strength and strode into the yard with the stuff.
Two pomegranate trees planted in the yard were blooming vibrantly with bright red flowers.
On the stone table under the trees were enamel cups printed with “Labor is the greatest glory” and a reed fan; it seemed the old man had just been sitting there sipping tea and enjoying the cool.
Next to it, two rows of green onions and chives in the corner of the wall were growing well, lush and green, looking very pleasing.
“Just put it here; don’t worry about the weight, set it down quick.”
“Okay~”
Fu Chenggong frowned and wagged his skinny, withered finger at her head. “Forgot what I told you?”
This girl was even better than the master, outdoing Su Ting’s old ways with even more elaborate etiquette.
To put it bluntly, he had never treated them as outsiders from the bottom of his heart; Su Ting was like his half-brother.
Coming to his house empty-handed? No, she even had to bring gifts and make a fuss about etiquette, teaching the good girl to follow suit.
The young and the old, the young and the old—weren’t the old just like kids?
Seeing his indignant face, Su Ning pursed her lips in a smile, revealing her small dimples, and skillfully coaxed him.
“Of course I remember, but who made me want Grandpa Fu to try good stuff the moment I see it!”
“Hahaha, good, good, you little girl with your twisted logic!”
Sure enough, one sentence made Fu Chenggong forget his anger; he followed her and squatted down. “Come on, let me see what good stuff it is that made my girl carry it here without complaint.”
“Oh, this is roe deer meat? It’s been a long time since I had wild game.”
Inside the feed bag, besides half a roe deer, there were twenty or thirty eggs, one chicken, one duck.
But these chicken and duck… they looked freshly slaughtered, with fresh blood still.
“Yatou, did you go to the black market?”
“No, no, I ran into this on the way here.”
“It better be that way!”
Speculation and profiteering folks were everywhere, but Fu Chenggong knew she hadn’t sneaked off to the black market alone, so he let it go lightly.
“Perfect timing. Auntie Hehua will come later; use this chicken to have her stew you some medicinal cuisine to nourish you well.”
“Don’t say it—it’s been a while, and I’m really craving Auntie Hehua’s cooking.”
Squinting with a kindly smile, Fu Chenggong stood up and led her to the study room. “That’s easy; if you want to eat, come home more.”
Then he thought that the girl wouldn’t be in Beijing City much longer; going to Xiangnan would mean taking a two- or three-day train ride to see her.
He, an old thing, how many more trips could he make? How many more times could he see her?
After following him inside, Su Ning sensitively noticed the old man’s sudden melancholic and downcast emotion; she seemed to recall something and instantly knew the reason.
But she couldn’t explain future matters, so she could only sigh silently in her heart. Could she tell him: our grandfather and granddaughter will meet again in Xiangnan and spend some good years together?
“I’m really getting old~”
People become sentimental, disliking parting in life and fearing death.
Self-mockingly, he shook his head; Fu Chenggong opened the drawer in front of the desk and handed her three envelopes.
Two were flat, like they contained a few sheets of paper; the remaining one was bulging, who knows what was stuffed in it.
“The job matter is settled. By coincidence, Old Zhang’s son is transferring work to Xiangnan; these two work quotas were obtained through him.
See which one you want to go to; keep the remaining quota for big use there.”
Afraid she still didn’t understand, Fu Chenggong patiently explained in detail: how to get along with leaders, how to integrate with colleagues.
Afraid she’d be wronged or bullied where he couldn’t see, and have to endure it silently…
Just thinking about it made his heart, liver, and lungs ache; Fu Chenggong’s words of humility and magnanimity immediately changed. “Of course, we don’t stir trouble doesn’t mean we’re afraid of it. If someone deliberately picks on you and bullies you, here!”
He slapped the second envelope hard; the bang bang bang sounded like he was really pounding that nonexistent bully, Fu Chenggong’s face full of sternness—
“Get Grandpa’s old comrades; one not enough, then two. If two aren’t enough, those two can wash up and lie flat! Call Grandpa Fu, this old man will charge over!”
“Mm!”
With a heavy nasal tone, Su Ning forced a smile and blinked away the mist on her eyelashes. “Good, with Grandpa Fu here, I’m not afraid of anyone.”
“That’s right!”
Busy with personal matters these past two days; normal updates start tomorrow. Thanks, all you passing by little cuties, begging for votes~
