In the evening, Li Weiguo gave his sister the two hundred yuan sent from home, along with some household money, entrusting her with the responsibility of buying groceries and cooking from then on.
He counted out six ten-yuan bills. "From now on, we'll eat better. Both you and your sister-in-law need to nourish yourselves. Forty yuan will be for groceries, and twenty yuan is for you to save."
Li Weiguo earned a monthly salary of 120 yuan. He had discussed it with his wife: while his sister was taking care of them, they would only save 20 yuan each month, and the remaining 20 yuan would be given to his sister as wages.
People in the city married later than those in the village. If she happened to meet a suitable partner, they would give her another hundred yuan as a dowry.
He counted out the final forty yuan. "These forty yuan are for…"
Li Qingxiu snatched all the ten-yuan bills from his hand in one swift motion. "Give me the remaining forty too."
Li Weiguo was taken aback. "These forty are meant to be sent back to our hometown."
"Mom said I should take these forty yuan from now on." Li Qingxiu sat cross-legged on the bed, calmly counting out four ten-yuan bills and setting them aside.
These forty yuan were for household expenses and couldn't be touched.
The hundred yuan she had brought with her remained untouched. The original owner had saved over forty yuan, and after buying the ticket, there were still more than ten yuan left. Adding the two hundred and sixty yuan, she now had over three hundred and seventy yuan.
Hehe! In this era, she could be considered a person of modest means.
"Mom said to give these forty to you?" Knowing his mother, Li Weiguo found it hard to believe, but his sister spoke with such certainty that it didn't seem like a lie.
"What? Don't you believe me?"
Li Qingxiu glared at Li Weiguo with her almond-shaped eyes, her brows furrowed. "How could I lie to you? If I were lying, Mom would definitely call your office. They've installed telephones in the county town now. Mom said I should hold onto this money for now and bring it all back when we return to our hometown. Otherwise, our younger brother would find a way to trick it out of us and give it to his mother-in-law's family."
Li Weiguo knew about his younger brother's relationship with a girl from the county town. He had indeed heard their mother complain that his brother had forgotten about her after getting a wife and that the other family was demanding a high bride price.
Besides, his sister probably wouldn't dare to lie about something so significant. So, Li Weiguo nodded. "Then make sure you keep the money safe."
"Got it, got it." Li Qingxiu impatiently shooed him away, and Li Weiguo had no choice but to stand up and leave.
Humming a tune, Li Qingxiu carefully put the money away. She was in a very good mood—exceptionally good.
She trusted Li Weiguo and Su Qingyun's character. In the original story, they were both kind-hearted, almost to the point of being "saintly," which was why they were constantly taken advantage of by their aunt and the Li family.
Between the two, Su Qingyun was even softer-hearted and more indecisive. In comparison, Li Weiguo was slightly better.
Li Qingxiu had thought it through carefully: if someone was going to take advantage of them, it might as well be her. If she took everything, that aunt and the Li family wouldn't get a chance.
Early in the morning, Li Qingxiu woke up. Without a phone or the internet, people really did go to bed early and rise early.
Porridge was simmering on the gas stove. Li Qingxiu kneaded the dough, covered it, and set it aside. She sliced the pickled mustard tuber into thin strips, rinsed them several times, and placed them on a plate for later use.
Once the porridge was ready, Li Qingxiu switched to a wok and poured in a little over half a bowl of oil. She chopped dried chili peppers into a bowl. When the oil was hot, she added a few Sichuan peppercorns. As soon as the peppercorns began to change color slightly, she poured the oil into the bowl with the chili peppers.
With a sizzle, the aroma instantly filled the hallway. She had made quite a bit of chili oil today, enough to last for several days.
A little scallion white was added to the shredded pickles, then a dash of vinegar and sesame oil, and finally two spoonfuls of chili oil were mixed in—the stir-fried pickled vegetables were ready.
Li Qingxiu tasted a bite; the flavor was just right.
"What are you making? It smells so good!" The speaker was the woman next door, in her thirties, with a ruddy complexion that made her look full of vitality.
Li Qingxiu smiled. "Is that Sister-in-law Chunhua? I just mixed some shredded pickles."
Yesterday, Li Weiguo had briefly introduced her. Everyone on this floor was a leader at the cotton mill. Li Chunhua's husband was the director of the spinning workshop and had a good relationship with Li Weiguo. His wife was quite warm-hearted, though a bit gossipy.
"Oh! How did you mix these pickles? Why do they smell so fragrant?!" Li Chunhua was also from the north and couldn't get used to sweet dishes. Her family had plenty of pickles too.
"I just added a bit of chili oil," Li Qingxiu brought the chili oil over for her to see. "Sister-in-law Chunhua, go get a bowl. I'll pour some for you. This chili oil can be used to mix pickles or other cold dishes."
"That's too much trouble!" Li Chunhua laughed warmly.
"It's fine, it's just a little chili oil, nothing much. Sister-in-law Chunhua, go get a bowl quickly."
Seeing that Li Qingxiu wasn't just being polite, Li Chunhua immediately went inside to fetch a bowl, returning with two boiled eggs in hand.
Li Qingxiu didn't stand on ceremony either and accepted them. "Thank you, sister-in-law," she then advised, "Rinse the shredded pickles several times, then add a bit of vinegar and sesame oil. You can also add some scallion."
"Alright," Li Chunhua replied cheerfully. She liked straightforward people like this, unlike that delicate young lady Su Qingyun.
"Sister Qingxiu, hasn't your sister-in-law gotten up yet?"
"No, my sister-in-law went to the train station to pick me up for two days in a row and seems to have been bothered by the smell of the bus. I told her to sleep a little longer." Li Qingxiu skillfully rolled the dough with lard and scallions, then divided it into portions. She was planning to make scallion pancakes.
"Oh dear, that bus smell really is unpleasant. Your sister-in-law already doesn't eat this or that." As she spoke, Li Chunhua headed back inside. "Let me get you some dried apricots. See if your sister-in-law will eat them."
"Thank you, Sister-in-law Chunhua."
"We're neighbors, no need to be so polite!" Her loud voice echoed from inside the room.
In Suzhou, people didn't often make pancakes, and there was no griddle at home. Li Qingxiu had to use a frying pan instead, which wasn't ideal but would have to do.
By the time five golden scallion pancakes were finished, the hallway was already filled with people cooking. Li Weiguo and Su Qingyun had also woken up.
"Xiù'er, you got up so early to cook? Your brother and I could have just eaten at the cafeteria in the morning." Though Li Weiguo sounded apologetic, his eyes lit up at the sight of the scallion pancakes.
"You two aren't used to the cafeteria food, and I need to eat too. Brother, go set the table. We'll be ready to eat soon."
Li Qingxiu started stir-frying the greens. The refrigerator only had this one type of leafy vegetable, which looked similar to the northern bok choy.
Su Qingyun was also awake. She hurriedly helped set out bowls and chopsticks. Although she had asked her sister-in-law to come to help with chores and look after the children, she felt a bit embarrassed seeing her get up so early to cook.
Li Qingxiu noticed this and smiled slightly.
Sister-in-law, don't worry. I'm not eating for free. You'll have to share some of your salary with me.
The stir-fried pickled vegetable strips were very popular, and Su Qingyun had a great appetite, eating half a flatbread in one go. The spiciness was just right for her.
Su Qingyun and Li Qingxiu each had one of the two eggs, and each had a bowl of porridge. Li Weiguo alone ate two scallion pancakes, and by the end of the meal, all three of them were a bit full.
After the meal, the two were about to leave for work. Li Qingxiu asked if they wanted to pack lunch.
"Pack some for your sister-in-law. I’ll eat at the canteen."
"Alright."
There was still one and a half pancakes left. Since Su Qingyun only ate half a pancher’s worth, the remaining portion was just right for her lunch. The pickled vegetables were finished, so Li Qingxiu prepared some more for her and also gave her all the stir-fried greens.
"Sister-in-law, these dried apricots were given to you by Sister-in-law Chunhua next door. Take them to school as a snack."
Su Qingyun paused. "Sister-in-law Chunhua gave them?"
Li Qingxiu replied without blinking, "Yes. She heard you took the bus to pick me up and was worried the gasoline smell might have bothered you."
Su Qingyun bit her lip, took a handful, and packed them. "You keep the rest."
"Alright."
She had tasted the dried apricots—they were sweet and sour, very appetizing.
After washing the dishes, tidying up the room, and taking yesterday’s clothes to the washroom to clean, she hung them on the clothesline downstairs.
The cotton mill operated on three shifts, so at this time, many people who had just finished the night shift were washing clothes, and quite a few were hanging laundry downstairs.
"Is this Deputy Factory Director Li’s sister? She’s quite pretty!"
"So tall, with such a slim waist. The pant legs look a bit short."
"Your sister-in-law is lucky to have such a capable younger sister-in-law."
"How old is this young lady? Is she seeing anyone…"
Young women, newlywed wives, and aunties gathered around, chattering for a while. No matter what they said, Li Qingxiu responded with smiles and vague murmurs.
After washing the clothes, Li Qingxiu had nothing else to do. She flipped through a few pages of the novel Su Qingyun had given her before leaving and found the content rather… unremarkable.
For someone who read hundreds of thousands of words of novels daily, these stories held little novelty.
Lunch required no preparation—leftover pancakes, porridge, and pickled vegetables. Li Qingxiu spent nearly the entire day lying in bed.
In the evening, she stewed the chicken from the refrigerator, adding mushrooms brought from her hometown and potatoes borrowed from next door. The main dish was hand-pulled noodles, which was a bit of a hassle. Tomorrow, she would need to visit the market to buy some dried noodles and vegetables to stock up.
Li Weiguo and Su Qingyun returned one after the other. Even before entering the room, Li Weiguo caught the aroma of chicken.
"Xiù'er, you’re stewing chicken. Should I go get some steamed buns?"
"No need. We’re having hand-pulled noodles for dinner. I’ve already rolled them out."
"Hand-pulled noodles! I haven’t had those in a year."
Li Weiguo went to wash his hands, while Li Qingxiu quickly served a bowl of chicken stew with mushrooms for Su Qingyun. "Sister-in-law, I borrowed two potatoes from Sister-in-law Chunhua today. Could you take this bowl of chicken over to her place?"
Su Qingyun hesitated for a few seconds before taking it.
"Alright."