Back to the 60s: The Struggle Career of a Charmed Wife

The television has an irresistible attraction for children, so it's just Fubao accompanying Feng Qingxue on Lu Tianzhi's tractor to the house, while the other children stayed at the brigade office to watch TV.

When it was heard that Feng Qingxue bought a TV, the eyes of the elderly men playing chess in the courtyard lit up.

"Oh, a television? With images and people you can see, it's much better than the radio. Our brigade is going to be lively." Cheng Baoguo pushed the chessboard forward, "Let's go, let's check it out, maybe we can even see Ajiang on TV."

Most of the elderly who were sent to the countryside hadn't experienced television before, so hearing Cheng Baoguo's words, they became interested.

Aunt Xu spoke up first, "Let's take a look, see what's this TV that Erxiong keeps talking about."

"Old Lu, come with us." Wen Ruyu invited Lu's father and also called Jin Ruochu.

In the kitchen, Wang Cuilan, who was watching over the brick stove steaming buns, couldn't help but shake her head. She shouted towards the door, "The dumplings should be out of the pot, Xiaoxue, bring the basket over, and pack the luggage later."

"Coming right away." Feng Qingxue asked Lu Tianzhi and Fubao to move the luggage to her room and quickly went to the kitchen to help.

With a large family, they often gathered to eat together, steaming several large batches of buns, a few of which were cooled in wicker baskets: some with coarse flour, some with mixed flour, and one batch of cornmeal dough balls. The newest batch out was white flour rolls.

Though called white flour, they were slightly yellow, not snow-white.

Once all the rolls were out of the pot, Wang Cuilan naturally poured a ladle of cold water into the pot, removed the coarse cloth from the steamer, turned around to wash it, then added a few ladles of water into the pot, spread the coarse cloth on the steamer, and placed the kneaded and risen yellow buns on top, "This is the last batch for today. Guess what I mixed in the dough."

Feng Qingxue bent over to take a sniff, covered the pot, "Pumpkin flavor."

Wang Cuilan laughed heartily, "You have a sharp nose. I saw we had a lot of old pumpkins piled up at home, cooking pumpkin rice and stewing pumpkin every day got tiresome, so I steamed some mixed in the dough. The other day I steamed a batch, and the kids all said it tasted better than with cornmeal."

"Cornmeal is rough and scratches the throat, not as tender as pumpkin. The kids sure have picky tastes." Feng Qingxue remarked candidly.

Wang Cuilan nodded, then shifted the topic, "When do you plan to take the children back to the Capital?"

"In a few days. I still haven't used up half of my two-month vacation!"

Listening to Feng Qingxue's words, Wang Cuilan acknowledged, "Let me know in advance when you're leaving, and I'll prepare more food for you to take. Your third uncle and I have decided not to follow you to the Capital. We'd rather stay here with your dad and your uncle."

Feng Qingxue was taken aback, "Not coming with us? Auntie, I was planning to take Dad with us!"

"It's a time of transition between old and new, with instability everywhere, and Ajiang is very busy. Your dad said he's not going to the Capital for the time being. After all, his status is there, and personnel cannot move freely. Plus, there are so many unresolved old folks at home. Better to stay home, wait for the situation to stabilize, and everyone has a place. Then we'll decide whether to go or not."

Feng Qingxue wanted to ask her father-in-law for clarification, but when dinner time came, the elders and children who went out to watch TV hadn't returned yet. She went over to see the scene at the office door and was almost dumbfounded.

Men and women, young and old, either sitting or standing, formed a sea of people, all fixated on the television set on the square table.