Qiao Zhenzhu carefully picked out several things in the store: a pack of Guangming Village fresh meat mooncakes, a box of Chenghuang Temple mung bean pastries, a bag of thirty White Rabbit milk candies, a bottle of floral water, and a box of Friendship cold cream.
The snacks were for the children, and the floral water could be used by the whole family.
As for the Friendship cold cream, that was specially chosen for Huang Qiuying.
After packing everything into a woven bamboo basket, Qiao Zhenzhu looked over at Lu Huai.
“Does Political Commissar Zhang smoke?”
Lu Huai smiled. “There are barely any men in the army who don’t.”
“Then why don’t you?”
“I’m one of the rare exceptions!”
“Then let’s get Political Commissar Zhang two packs of Peony cigarettes.”
Lu Huai nodded immediately. “Alright, we’ll do whatever you say!”
Among cigarettes, Peony brand was considered expensive—forty-nine cents a pack, and besides cigarette coupons, you also needed three industrial coupons to buy them.
After all, Zhang was a political commissar, and they were going to his house for dinner. They couldn’t very well bring him two packs of cheap Daqianmen cigarettes.
Once they packed everything up and locked the courtyard gate, the two of them headed toward Political Commissar Zhang’s home together.
After walking a little over fifty meters, they arrived at a small courtyard house.
The courtyard gate stood wide open.
In those days, people rarely shut their courtyard doors during the daytime.
Under the shade of a tree in the yard, three boys were squatting on the ground playing.
Hearing movement, all three looked up at once.
“Uncle Lu!”
“Dad! Uncle Lu’s here!”
“Mom! There’s also a really pretty big sister!”
Huang Qiuying came out of the house smiling and glared at her youngest son in mock annoyance.
“What nonsense are you saying? That’s your Auntie Lu!”
“It’s alright, Sister-in-law. They’ve never met me before, so it’s normal they don’t recognize me.”
As Qiao Zhenzhu spoke, she walked into the shade.
The three boys were different ages. The oldest looked eight or nine, while the youngest was only five or six.
None of them wore shirts. They only had on loose army-green shorts. Every one of them was painfully thin, their ribs clearly visible, with long, skinny arms and legs.
Political Commissar Zhang’s income wasn’t low, but every month he had to send money back to support the elderly at home while also raising his wife and three sons.
And boys that age ate a lot. With so little oil and meat in their diet, it would’ve been strange if they weren’t skinny.
Not just them—most people in this era were thin.
Even Huang Qiuying herself wasn’t actually fat. She simply had a larger frame, fuller cheeks, and fair skin, which made her look plump and healthy.
In truth, she was just average-sized.
Qiao Zhenzhu looked at the three boys, and the three boys stared right back at her.
She opened the bag of White Rabbit milk candies, took out three pieces, and handed one to each child.
“White Rabbit milk candy. Try one!”
The boys’ eyes lit up the instant they saw the candies, but none of them reached out to take them. Instead, they all looked eagerly toward Huang Qiuying.
Huang Qiuying felt awkward.
These little brats really knew how to make things difficult for her!
Qiao Zhenzhu immediately turned her own pleading gaze toward Huang Qiuying.
“Sister-in-law, you don’t want the children eating the things I brought?”
Under that pitiful gaze, Huang Qiuying’s heart practically melted.
“How could that be—”
Before she even finished speaking, Qiao Zhenzhu winked at the boys.
“Hurry and take them! Your mom agreed!”
The three boys instantly grabbed the candies, unwrapped them, and stuffed them into their mouths.
Only after they had already eaten them did they mumble out their thanks.
“Thank you, pretty auntie!”
Since the candy was already eaten, Huang Qiuying could only glare at them helplessly before inviting Qiao Zhenzhu inside.
Before entering, Qiao Zhenzhu handed the basket to the oldest boy.
“Take it and share it with everyone! Your mom already agreed just now!”
As she spoke, she winked at them again.
The layout of this courtyard was exactly the same as theirs.
But the Zhang family had more people and more belongings, making the place feel much more lived-in.
Huang Qiuying rubbed her hands together nervously.
“Zhenzhu, I didn’t know you were coming too, so I made hand-pulled noodles. If you don’t like them, I can steam some rice for you… though it’ll probably take a while.”
“Sister-in-law, I love hand-pulled noodles! They’re so chewy and delicious. Besides, in this summer heat, noodles are perfect!”
Qiao Zhenzhu was telling the truth.
Whether it was rice or noodles, as long as it tasted good, she liked it.
Huang Qiuying was still a little doubtful, but since Qiao Zhenzhu insisted, she said nothing more.
The noodles had already been rolled out and were resting nearby.
The stove held two pots, one large and one small.
The smaller pot contained the prepared topping, while the water in the large pot boiled vigorously.
The pot was big enough to cook all the noodles at once without worrying about them sticking together.
Back then, most flour wasn’t refined white flour. Instead, it had a slightly yellow tint.
But the wheat aroma was incredibly rich.
The cooked noodles were slightly yellow as well, about as thick as chopsticks. After being rinsed in cold water and placed into bowls, the fragrant smell of noodles rose immediately into the air.
The topping was diced eggplant stir-fried with tomatoes and chili peppers.
A big spoonful of it was ladled over the noodles, then topped with fresh schizonepeta leaves and garlic sauce.
The smell was irresistible.
But Huang Qiuying hesitated when it came time to add the garlic sauce.
“Zhenzhu, you probably don’t eat garlic sauce, right?”
A beautiful young lady from Shanghai, raised like a precious treasure—surely she wouldn’t be willing to eat something as rustic as garlic sauce?
“I do!”
Qiao Zhenzhu answered as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
“If you eat noodles without garlic, half the flavor is gone!”
Huang Qiuying burst into laughter.
“That’s exactly what I think too!”
Even so, she still only added a little garlic sauce.
What if Qiao Zhenzhu was only saying that to avoid embarrassing her?
Qiao Zhenzhu didn’t comment. She accepted the bowl with both hands, thanked her politely, then carried it into the next room.
With her big belly, climbing onto the heated brick bed wasn’t convenient, so she simply sat on a stool nearby.
After mixing the noodles thoroughly, she took a bite of noodles and vegetables together.
The satisfaction was indescribable.
In her previous life, the last time she’d eaten handmade noodles like this had probably been when she was a child.
And honestly—
They were unbelievably delicious.
She ate with complete focus. Only after finishing the entire bowl did she lift her head in satisfaction.
The moment she looked up, she found five faces—two adults and three children—staring at her without blinking.
Qiao Zhenzhu blinked in confusion.
“What’s wrong? Why are you all staring at me?”
“N-Nothing…” Huang Qiuying hurriedly replied. “I was just wondering if you ate enough. Do you want another bowl?”
“No need, Sister-in-law. I’m full!”
The bowl was huge, holding at least three liang of noodles, plus all the toppings. It was more than enough.
After dinner, Qiao Zhenzhu and Lu Huai soon took their leave.
Huang Qiuying knew the couple had only just moved in and probably still had a lot to unpack, so she didn’t insist they stay longer.
Only after escorting the husband and wife out the door did she suddenly remember the basket Qiao Zhenzhu had given her son.
She hurried back inside.
“Jianjun, where’s the basket your aunt gave you?”
Zhang Jianjun immediately ran into the inner room. A moment later, he came back carrying the basket and handed it to Huang Qiuying.
The moment Huang Qiuying looked inside, she sucked in a sharp breath.
“Good heavens! How did she give us so many good things?”