Help others? It's better to help yourself - Chapter 31

A month passed, and Xu Jing’an and Shen He were spending time together, much to the delight of Sister Zhao.

Knowing that Xu Jing’an loved candy and that Shen He’s workplace was close to the mall, he often took the opportunity to buy some milk candies.

Now, when they talked about milk candies, they were referring specifically to “White Rabbit Creamy Candy”.

The origins of White Rabbit Creamy Candy trace back to the “Aipi Candy Factory” in Shanghai in 1943. The packaging initially featured a red Mickey Mouse design and was named “ABC Mickey Mouse Candy.” It wasn’t until 1950 that the design was changed to the white rabbit.

At that time, milk was a scarce commodity, and in White Rabbit Creamy Candy, milk and milk powder were the main ingredients. Many families would dissolve the candy in hot water and drink it as a substitute for milk.

There was even a saying that “seven pieces of White Rabbit Creamy Candy are equivalent to a glass of milk.” It is now impossible to verify whether this market-savvy phrase truly reflected consumer sentiment or was merely a marketing strategy.

Nevertheless, due to the rumor that “seven pieces of White Rabbit Creamy Candy equal a glass of milk,” it was considered a nutritious food, accompanying a generation’s growth.

Xu Jing’an also followed the current trend of dating and knitted Shen He a thick black crew-neck sweater.

Shen He was so happy that his eyes squinted with joy, and everyone at his workplace joked about it.

By the end of November, the weather turned cold. Xu Jing’an refused to ride Shen He’s bicycle back and instead chose to take the bus home.

Along the way, the vegetable market and grocery stores displayed red banners at their entrances, and the streets were filled with cars carrying cabbages back and forth.

Cabbages were piled like small mountains at the roadside and alley entrances, with signs indicating their grade and price.

People were dressed in cotton jackets, holding their grocery lists, and waiting in lines that stretched for dozens of meters. They stomped their feet to keep warm while discussing the quality of the vegetables.

As soon as Xu Jing’an arrived at the workplace, she received a notice: the steel factory was organizing a unified purchase and distribution of winter vegetables, but employees had to transport them back themselves.

The steel factory, which produces 600,000 tons of steel annually, couldn’t cater to every employee individually.

Currently, the most common seasonal vegetables available in the winter were just cabbage, radishes, and green onions. Grade A vegetables were limited to 20 pounds per person, while lower-grade vegetables had no limits and were much cheaper than the top grade.

Xu Jing’an ordered 200 pounds of cabbage, 100 pounds of radishes, and 20 pounds of green onions. Almost everyone else wanted to buy several hundred pounds of cabbage and dozens of pounds of green onions.

Shen He received the news and rode his bicycle over to transport the vegetables home.

At this point, Xu Jing’an couldn’t relax: she picked out the less desirable cabbages to make a full jar of pickled cabbage; she washed the radishes, drained them, and prepared pickled vegetables (soy sauce pickled radish, eight-treasure pickles, and five-spice radish strips); she also salted some eggs; and soaked garlic in sugar and in “La Ba” garlic (a type of pickled garlic).

Shen He was worried about the water being cold, so he took on the task of washing and cutting the vegetables. Xu Jing’an felt a surge of concern for him but still used gentle words to encourage him to keep going.

She also had Shen He go outside the city to dig three bags of yellow earth, which he then poured into several broken wooden crates salvaged from the recycling station.

Planting garlic cloves and sowing greens and chives next to the stove in the house, Xu Jing’an covered them with a straw mat. Next to the stove, yellow soybeans and mung beans began to sprout.

Watching Xu Jing’an busily working alongside him, Shen He felt particularly at ease in his heart.

“An’an,” Shen He looked at Xu Jing’an, “let’s get married.”

Xu Jing’an turned her head and saw his eyes, where there was only her—bright, filled with passion and determination.

“Okay,” Xu Jing’an replied with a smile. Her eyes were also filled with Shen He as she focused intently on him.

After agreeing to marry, Shen He urged her to meet his family. Xu Jing’an brought 2 pounds of apples she had managed to grab from the grocery store the day before.

“Hello, Uncle and Aunt,” Xu Jing’an greeted politely, handing over the apples. “I brought you some apples; please don’t dislike them.”

“Apples are not easy to come by these days,” Shen’s mother said happily as she took them, pulling Xu Jing’an’s hand to the table. “Sit down quickly. It’s so cold in winter; drink some water to warm your body.” She turned around and poured Xu Jing’an a bowl of brown sugar water.

Shen He helped by bringing out the prepared dishes. During the meal, Shen’s mother kept using the serving chopsticks to put food onto Xu Jing’an’s plate.

Shen’s father also spoke kindly, “How are your parents and family doing?”

Xu Jing’an replied, “They are doing well; they’re all healthy. We write to each other every month, but it’s inconvenient to meet since they live far away. It takes five or six days to travel back and forth by train.”

Shen’s mother sighed, “Oh, that’s quite a distance.”

Xu Jing’an smiled, “My parents and older brother are all workers and have to go to work. My sister-in-law gave birth to triplets last year, and they’re just over a year old and starting to walk. With three new children at once, the whole family is almost going crazy.”

Hearing this, Shen’s father and mother laughed heartily. “That’s right! With a new baby, everyone in the family has to pitch in; no one can be idle.”

Shen He, sitting beside them, poured more hot water for Xu Jing’an. She took it and continued, “I also have a younger brother who started high school last year. But since school is closed right now, he’s at home!”

“Yeah, it’s like that everywhere now; we’ll just have to wait for the notice!” Shen’s father nodded.

Shen’s mother then asked, “Is your brother obedient? Can he stay at home?”

Xu Jing’an chuckled, “Obedient? Not at all! Last year, when schools were shut down for the national strike, he insisted on going out, and no one could stop him. When he finally came back, he was limping back from Beijing, leaning on a stick.”

Everyone burst into laughter at this.

“When he got home, the soles of his shoes were worn out. It was just two days before the New Year. It’s almost been a year since he came back, and he hasn’t gone out at all since.”

Shen’s mother laughed heartily, “He’s still a child; he has to go through some hardships to learn.”

Shen He had introduced Xu Jing’an to his family’s situation: Shen’s father worked at the grain station, and Shen’s mother worked at a bank. Shen He’s older brother, Shen Yue, had not yet started a family and was still serving in the military, with limited time to come home each year.

Both sides were satisfied after this meeting.

Today, when Xu Jing’an came over, both of Shen’s parents had taken time off to be home. From the information gathered, Shen’s parents seemed quite decent, and after the initial interaction, it became clear that they were genuinely pleasant. They were warm and welcoming towards her, and it was evident that they were quite satisfied with her.

Shen’s parents were also pleased with Xu Jing’an. After all, as a family of workers without burdens, they appreciated that she had a good job and looked nice. Moreover, this introduction was made by Zhao, a relative of Shen’s mother, and Shen’s mother had given her approval. If the person wasn’t good, would they have been introduced to the family?

As a mother, Shen’s mother hoped for her son to settle down and start a family, yet she couldn’t help feeling a bit bittersweet about his marriage; it was a complicated feeling. But given the time that had passed, she had gotten used to it!

She had been urging him for seven years, from the age of 20 to 26, so she was psychologically prepared. The most important thing was that her younger son had been washing the sheets for almost two months! She was genuinely worried something might happen with him!

Now, if anyone dared to stop her younger son from getting married, she would take a rolling pin and march over to their house. It was so cold outside, and it wasn’t easy for the kids!