The 1960s: The Story of a Country Girl's Journey to the City

Chapter 135 Eating Pig's Trotters

As Bao Ya left the regimental office, she thought she should give Qi Jiaojiao some nourishment, since the Xu family would probably send her away in the next couple of days.

After returning home, she put the leftover pig's trotters that Xu Wanyun had eaten at noon into the innermost part of the cupboard, and told Liao Chunhua to cook some millet porridge for Xu Wanyun to eat something light that evening.

Xu Wanyun didn't have any objections. It has to be said that her mother-in-law and sister-in-law did not neglect her when it came to food. They always gave her, the new mother, the best food. They made chicken soup, fish soup, and pig's trotter soup every day without repeating a single dish.

She has plenty of breast milk now, and in just a few days, her baby's face has become plump. The only problem is that she's not sleeping well at night and feels dizzy.

The next morning, Bao Ya asked Liao Chunhua to help make meals for the patients. She also bought a crucian carp at the supply and marketing cooperative and cooked crucian carp soup in the hospital kitchen.

The food was ready, and she asked Liao Chunhua to deliver it to Jiang Tao and the others, since she hadn't seen Jiang Tao for a few days.

After everything was arranged, Bao Ya carried the crucian carp soup home. As soon as she entered the door, she heard Qi Jiaojiao complaining.

"What time is it? Why aren't you cooking? Do you want my cousin to go hungry?"

Hearing her words, Xu Wanyun frowned and glared at Qi Jiaojiao. She was growing increasingly disgusted with her cousin, who was lazy and always finding fault with others.

"Are you dead? Can't you cook for yourself if no one else is cooking? You're so lazy, no wonder nobody wants you."

Bao Ya wasn't about to let her get away with it and retorted, "This idiot has no self-awareness whatsoever. She's even thinking about finding an officer as a partner in the army. Now everyone's avoiding her like the plague."

"You... cousin, look at her."

The words "nobody wants her" really pierced her heart. She was already twenty years old and hadn't even found a boyfriend. She didn't have a job, and her family wasn't well-off. The six of them were crammed into two small rooms.

She wasn't oblivious to Xu Wanyun's desire for her to leave; she simply didn't want to go back. Given her family's circumstances, she couldn't find a good partner in the county town, so she had no choice but to set her sights on the army.

Xu Wanyun seemed not to hear what they were saying, and turned to go inside with the child in her arms.

Bao Ya ignored her and went into the kitchen with her lunchbox.

Find the leftover pig's trotters from yesterday, put them in a pot, add some soy sauce and salt, pour in a quarter packet of croton charcoal and stir it, and serve it when the broth has reduced to the desired consistency.

I heated up the steamed buns I got from the cafeteria, stir-fried some vegetables, and finally brought the rice to the table.

"Sister-in-law, have this fish soup. The pig's trotters are leftovers from yesterday. I added some salt and soy sauce, but it's too salty."

As she spoke, Bao Ya placed the lunchbox of fish soup in front of her and handed her a spoon.

"Okay, thank you, sister-in-law."

Breastfeeding mothers shouldn't eat too much salt, and she's very careful about it herself.

Qi Jiaojiao stared longingly at the box of crucian carp soup. Seeing that Bao Ya had given it all to Xu Wanyun and she couldn't get a single bite, she glared at Bao Ya fiercely.

Bao Ya didn't back down either, returning her a defiant look.

Qi Jiaojiao, as if venting her anger, picked up a piece of pig's trotter and bit into it fiercely. Bao Ya, on the other hand, was like a busy little bee, running around fetching things from the kitchen one moment and helping to watch the children the next, keeping herself busy throughout the meal.

When only two small pieces of pig's trotters remained on the plate, Xu Wanyun couldn't stand it anymore and glared at Qi Jiaojiao. Only then did Qi Jiaojiao reluctantly stop picking up the pig's trotters.

Bao Ya watched their subtle exchange and found it amusing. She thought it best if Qi Jiaojiao finished the pig's trotters, as they were prepared for her.

After Xu Wanyun finished eating, she took the child away and went inside to coax the child to sleep. Bao Ya then sat back down at the table to eat.

While Xu Wanyun turned around, Qi Jiaojiao shoveled the last two pieces of pig's trotters into her own bowl.

Bao Ya almost burst out laughing when she saw her actions, thinking that she had better lick the soup off the plate.

Qi Jiaojiao wanted to dip her steamed bun in the soup sauce on the plate, since the sauce also had a meaty flavor, but she held back when she saw Bao Ya's disdainful look.

After finishing her meal, Bao Ya quickly washed all the pots and pans in the kitchen, checked that nothing was left behind, and then came out of the kitchen.

After tidying up, Bao Ya went back to her room and lay down on the bed to rest. She checked the time on her watch and estimated that it would be about an hour later.

In another room, Xu Wanyun was putting her child to sleep and getting ready to take a nap. She had been exhausted these past few nights, always sporting dark circles under her eyes, and feeling dizzy when she stood up.

She had just dozed off for a while when she felt Qi Jiaojiao moving beside her, and a wave of irritation washed over her. She turned over and continued sleeping on the other side.

Qi Jiaojiao planned to take a nap, but after only a short while, she felt her stomach churning and her lower abdomen twisting in pain. She covered her stomach with both hands, curled up, and twisted and turned on the bed.

After holding it in for a while, I felt an urge to defecate, so I sat up abruptly, hurriedly put on my shoes, and ran outside.

The noise was too loud, waking up Xu Wanyun who was sitting next to her. The sound of the door closing was also loud, which frightened the child and made him cry.

Xu Wanyun sat up irritably to pick up the child. Her composure had been completely exhausted, and now she wanted nothing more than to curse Qi Jiaojiao out.

She couldn't stand it anymore and told Qi Jiaojiao to leave soon. Since she couldn't go home, she told her to sleep at her parents' house that night. She didn't want to see her at all right now.

Bao Ya heard the commotion outside and knew that things were starting up. She sat up and looked out the window. When she saw Qi Jiaojiao running out with her bottom tucked in, she quickly covered her mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

There are no flush toilets here, so during the day we have to go to the nearby public toilets to relieve ourselves, and at night we have to use a urinal.

Ignoring what was happening outside, Bao Ya continued to rest in bed. She had completed her task and needed to get some rest.

"Knock knock knock"

Xu Wanyun had just put her child to sleep and was about to lie down for a little more rest when there was another knock at the door. After a while, there was no response from Baoya's side, so she got up and asked herself:

"Who is it?"

"Is Wanyun home? Your cousin forgot to bring toilet paper when she went to the bathroom, so she asked me to get some for her."

It was Aunt Zhang, who lived nearby. As she spoke, she peeked into the house, as if looking for something.

Toilet paper isn't anything precious. Can't I just take a couple of sheets from your house? Why do I have to come all the way here?

Xu Wanyun, her face dark, handed Zhang's wife two sheets of toilet paper. Without even a thank you, she turned and went back into her room.

Aunt Zhang pursed her lips at her behavior; this Xu family girl really had no manners. She turned and went to the restroom to bring Qi Jiaojiao some toilet paper.

Qi Jiaojiao, who had just suffered a severe hemorrhage, walked home unsteadily and collapsed onto the bed as soon as she entered the bedroom.

The commotion here annoyed Xu Wanyun again, and the stench that Qi Jiaojiao brought back from the toilet made her want to scream in despair.

She turned over and sat up, speaking to Qi Jiaojiao in a serious tone:

"Jiaojiao, I need to talk to you about something..."

Before she could finish speaking, Qi Jiaojiao jumped off the bed with a somersault, grabbed a tissue, and rushed out.

Xu Wanyun's words caught in her throat, unable to come up or down, and tears streamed down her face as she covered her face and sobbed.

She regretted it terribly; why did she have to leave Qi Jiaojiao at home?