It was right around mealtime, and the state-owned restaurant was packed with people.
After parking her bicycle, Wu Cuicui grabbed her daughter’s hand and hurried inside. They joined the line at the back, and after glancing at the small blackboard beside the counter, she exclaimed happily,
“They have braised pork today! Let’s order a serving. Darling, let’s see whether the canteen’s is better or the one here is better.”
Lin Wanwan was looking forward to it too.
She had heard that the chefs at state-owned restaurants were exceptionally skilled!
Today’s menu featured braised pork, braised eggplant, shredded pork with green peppers, glass noodles with minced meat, and tomato egg soup.
When it was finally their turn, Wu Cuicui called out in a loud, confident voice,
“One braised pork, one braised eggplant, two bowls of rice, and one egg soup.”
After speaking, she placed the money on the counter.
The cashier swiftly took the money, casually tossed a ticket onto the counter, and said,
“Come get it yourself later. Next, next.”
There was obvious impatience in the tone, and the expression carried a sense of superiority.
Wu Cuicui was long accustomed to it. She snatched up the ticket and immediately dragged her daughter away to claim two empty seats.
Lin Wanwan had not even processed what was happening before her bottom landed on a stool.
“My daughter is so lucky. Your father and I could never get seats whenever we came before!”
Wu Cuicui praised her happily.
Lin Wanwan gave her mother an obedient smile.
Her mother really loved complimenting her. No matter what she did, she would find something to praise.
The state-owned restaurant was quite spacious, yet every seat was occupied. Many people who could not find seats simply squatted near the entrance. The rich aroma of food filled the entire room.
After a while, their food was ready.
Wu Cuicui stood up and quickly carried everything over, setting it down on the small table before them.
A rich fragrance immediately drifted into their noses.
“It smells amazing.”
Lin Wanwan inhaled deeply. Looking at the beautifully prepared braised pork, she could not help swallowing.
“Smells good, right? Eat more!”
The pork had been stewed until it was incredibly tender. It was sweet without being greasy, fragrant and soft. One bite felt as though it would melt into liquid, dissolving on the tongue.
The flavor truly lived up to its reputation.
It was even better than the cooking of some five-star hotel chefs from the future.
The braised eggplant was delicious as well. Despite the name, it was not particularly oily, yet the flavor was excellent.
The tomato egg soup was equally satisfying.
The only unpleasant part was the cashier’s attitude.
No wonder state-owned restaurants gradually declined after the Reform and Opening-Up period.
After all, who wanted to spend money just to be treated like a servant?
After finishing their meal, mother and daughter headed home.
Just as they were preparing to go upstairs, Lin Wanwan suddenly heard someone calling her name.
“Wanwan!”
She turned around and saw a graceful young woman standing not far away.
The girl was quite beautiful, though her expression appeared somewhat cold and detached.
She wore a white blouse decorated with small floral patterns, tucked neatly into her trousers. Two braided pigtails hung over her chest, and she stood perfectly straight.
Wu Cuicui heard the voice too. After taking a look, she smiled.
“Oh, it’s Xiaoshuang. You two chat. I’m heading upstairs.”
“Goodbye, Auntie Wu.”
Xu Zhishuang smiled politely and waved.
Lin Wanwan said nothing.
She stared at the girl about her own age and looked her over several times.
This was the original owner’s only close female friend.
The two of them had been extremely close.
However, this girl had a rather unfortunate life.
Xu Zhishuang’s father was a technician at the Machinery Factory. His first wife had died in childbirth after giving birth to Xu Zhishuang.
Later, Father Xu remarried.
As the saying went, where there was a stepmother, there was often a stepfather.
After the stepmother entered the household, Xu Zhishuang’s life became difficult.
She was clever. Whenever she was mistreated, she would run outside the factory and cry loudly until everyone in the factory knew what was happening.
Lin Guoqiang had even personally spoken with Father Xu about it.
Afterward, Father Xu returned home and had a major argument with the stepmother.
From then on, the stepmother no longer dared openly abuse Xu Zhishuang. Instead, she encouraged Father Xu to ignore and isolate her.
Xu Zhishuang and her stepmother constantly battled each other with schemes and countermeasures.
She often told the original owner about these matters.
“Wanwan, you’re really being sent to the countryside?”
Xu Zhishuang pulled her beneath the shade of a tree and asked softly.
Lin Wanwan nodded.
“Yeah. The people from the Educated Youth Office already came to the house. What about you, Zhishuang? In your family, between you and your younger sister, who’s going?”
Xu Zhishuang’s stepmother had also been married before and had brought a daughter into the marriage.
The relationship between the two girls could only be described as being like fire and water.
“Heh. Of course that woman wants me to go.”
Xu Zhishuang let out a cold laugh.
Her eyes seemed covered with frost.
“Do you think I don’t know what she’s planning? I prepared for this before graduation even came. The reason I came today was to say goodbye.”
“Huh? Goodbye? Because you’re going to the countryside?”
Lin Wanwan looked confused.
Xu Zhishuang shook her head and dropped a bombshell.
“I got married. My husband is in the military. I’m going to join him at his posting. Once I leave, I don’t know when I’ll be able to come back.”
Lin Wanwan’s eyes widened.
“Y-you got married??”
“Mm.”
Xu Zhishuang did not think it was a big deal.
After getting married, she no longer had to go to the countryside.
The one who would be sent down now was that woman’s daughter.
Just remembering the expression on her stepmother’s face made her feel immensely satisfied.
Xu Zhishuang curled her lips into a smile.
When she looked at her only close friend, her gaze softened considerably.
Reaching out, she tucked a loose strand of hair behind Lin Wanwan’s ear and said softly,
“The one I’ll miss most is you. With your health, you definitely won’t be able to handle heavy farm work. But Auntie Wu and Uncle Lin love you dearly. They’ll make arrangements for you.”
“Tell me where you’re going. Once I’ve settled down, I’ll write to you.”
“Honghe Commune, Yanghe City.”
Lin Wanwan obediently gave her the address.
A beam of sunlight filtered through the gaps between the leaves overhead and landed on her face, making her already fair skin appear even more flawless.
After hearing the location, Xu Zhishuang frowned.
“This is bad. Xu Wen is being sent there too. Be careful. She might try something against you.”
“It’s fine.”
Lin Wanwan smiled.
“I’m not that easy to bully.”
As someone who had lived through the age of information explosion, was she really going to be bullied by people from this era?
Impossible.
Absolutely impossible!
“If anyone bullies you, write to me. I’ll find a way to get even for you later!”
After speaking, Xu Zhishuang looked at her for a moment longer.
Besides reluctance to part, there seemed to be another emotion in her eyes.
The emotion disappeared so quickly that Lin Wanwan thought she must have imagined it.
Why had she thought she saw something almost… motherly in her friend’s eyes?
She had definitely seen wrong.
Lin Wanwan found herself quite fond of Xu Zhishuang.
Enduring the discomfort in her chest, she chatted with her for a long time before the two finally said their farewells.
By the time she went upstairs, her legs felt weak.
She leaned against the wall and rested for a while, stopping every few steps as she slowly made her way home.
When she finally reached the apartment door, her face had turned pale. Cold sweat covered her forehead, and she looked utterly exhausted.
Not wanting her mother to worry, Lin Wanwan rested in the hallway for quite some time.
Only after feeling slightly better did she push open the door.
“You’re back?”
Wu Cuicui’s voice came from the bathroom.
The sound of running water followed immediately afterward. She was probably washing clothes.
Lin Wanwan answered softly,
“Mm.”
“Mom, I’m a little tired from walking around this morning. I’m going to take a nap~”
“Alright, go sleep. Sleep as long as you want!”
Lin Wanwan returned to her room, locked the door behind her, and entered the mall space.
Only then did the unbearable discomfort ease somewhat.
“This is killing me.”
She collapsed onto the soft sofa.
After resting there for more than ten minutes, she finally left the space and returned to her bed, where she soon fell asleep.