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

Xibao was already a big kid, a graceful youth. In her heart, she hoped her son would gain more knowledge; being around these masters was far more beneficial than being with her and Lu Jiang.

He Qingyin walked in with an old goose, hearing the conversation between the teacher and junior sister, and said, "There's nothing bad about staying in the hometown. Are we old folks any worse than the teachers in schools for the children of cadres? What they can teach students, we can too. But what we teach, they may not understand. If it weren't for the fact that it's better for kids to live with their parents when they're young, we'd want to keep Fubao and the triplets around to teach them properly. They are all little geniuses, adding endless fun to our lives."

Feng Qingxue saw her and couldn't help but laugh.

Even in her decline, He Qingyin was still an elegant elderly lady full of scholarly air, as if she should live in a picturesque setting of pavilions and streams. Yet here she was, holding an old goose.

The old goose was bound tightly, possibly aware of its impending demise, calling out miserably.

"Senior sister, where did the old goose come from? I don't remember us raising geese." Poultry had to be rationed per person, with no more than three per household, so they kept a few chickens and usually bought from farms.

He Qingyin laughed and said, "Jin Cuihua is marrying off her son's bride at year-end. Our brigade's work points are high, and she has saved a lot of money, but she can't buy what she wants without tickets or vouchers. By chance, Hongjun sent me quite a lot of stuff, including two pieces of fine cloth. Jin Cuihua saw them and asked me if she could buy some corduroy. I took part of her money and at the market price, requested a chicken, duck, and goose each from her family, along with some eggs. Today, I got the old goose; some other day I'll go for the chickens and ducks."

The corduroy piece was enough to make a whole set of clothes, worth far more than these poultry.

After explaining the origin of the old goose, she laughed again and said, "Last time we stewed a goose, everyone loved it, especially Erxiong. Let's kill this old goose and stew it at your place; it'll be tender by noon, just in time for the kids to eat when they come back from school."

"Sure!" Feng Qingxue moved forward to help slaughter the old goose.

The iron pot stewed goose had a delicious taste.

The sisters slaughtered and processed the old goose cleanly, and Feng Qingxue carried it to her small courtyard.

After a little while, Wang Jiao came over and spotted her sitting at a small square table in the kitchen, wielding a cleaver and chopping the old goose on the cutting board, the knife's edge glimmering coldly in the sunlight.

"Xiaoxue, your stance is impressive, just like my old Zhang chopping ribs!"

Feng Qingxue looked up, pursed her cherry-red lips, and her dimples appeared, her smile bright, "When did cousin come back from the city? Come in and have a seat. I brought some candies and pastries from Shanghai for you, and specially got a bottle of Ya Shuang Snow Cream for you. Now that you're here, I won't have to send it to you."

"Taking advantage of you again, Shanghai's snacks and candies are really delicious, and the snow cream is useful too." Wang Jiao smiled widely, placing the wooden bucket she brought in front of her, "I've saved the two hundred yuan I owed you. I asked old Zhang to reserve a set of pork offal in advance and cut a piece of pork belly as a token of appreciation for lending us the money."

Feng Qingxue raised her arm to wipe sweat off her forehead, puzzled, "Cousin, why so formal? Just days ago, when I got back, you said you hadn't saved up enough. How did you save it so quickly?"