readsfreenovel Chapter 211 "He Yuzhu" 15
Chapter 211 "He Yuzhu" 15
The next morning, when Wang Yan woke up and was getting ready to get out of bed, He Daqing asked, "Wife, you can rest today. Just ask for help with the housework, and Zhu Zi and I will do it."
Wang Yan was still a little confused. "Brother He, what's wrong?" He Daqing saw that she was probably dozing off all night. "You're pregnant? Do you remember?"
"What? I'm pregnant!" Wang Yan was both surprised and delighted. He Daqing laughed when he saw her like this, and helped her sit up on the kang (a heated brick bed), teasing her, "So you fell asleep when Dr. Wang came yesterday? You didn't hear a word!"
Wang Yan then remembered that she had called the doctor yesterday. "What did the doctor say? How far along am I in my pregnancy? What should I be careful about?" "Don't rush, don't rush. You can't get too emotional when you're pregnant. Take your time, I'll tell you slowly."
Inside the house, He Daqing and Wang Yan were talking. In the kitchen, He Yuzhu was busy. Taking advantage of the fact that there was no rationing in recent years, they had to eat well during the New Year. Besides, they couldn't keep too much money at home. When the currency was reformed, some families would have several million, while others would have tens of millions. That wouldn't be appropriate. Keeping a little over ten million would be the maximum.
Therefore, every time He Yuzhu received her salary, besides giving her family 100,000 yuan, she would exchange the rest for non-staple foods. She had no shortage of staple foods in her space, but she could stock up on snacks, tea, cigarettes, alcohol, side dishes, and the like. As for cotton and fabric, she would buy cotton whenever she came across it, and she had also stocked up on some suitable fabric. There was no rush; there was still plenty of time.
After making breakfast and bringing it to the main room, He Daqing and the others got up. While eating, He Yuzhu said, "Aunt Wang, I've started brewing the medicine. After you finish eating, drink the medicine in half an hour."
But don't throw away the dregs. Brew it again tomorrow, and you and Yushui can each drink half. I asked Dr. Wang; the medicine is mild, just a common tonic formula. The second brew won't have as much of a tonic effect, but it will still be somewhat useful. My mother passed away early, and Yushui was a bit deficient when she was little. This is perfect; let her benefit from your medicine and get some supplements too.”
Wang Yan didn't think much of it and said, "Then why don't we just give all the rainwater to drink the second time?"
"No need, Aunt Wang, Yushui is still young, she might not be able to handle too much. Our family's living conditions have been pretty good these past few years, just give her half a drink, just so the two of you can keep each other company. This Chinese medicine doesn't taste good, hehe." He Yuzhu could already imagine He Yushui's little bitter face as he spoke, and couldn't help but laugh.
"Zhu Zi, have you asked Doctor Wang? Is it really okay?" He Daqing asked. Taking medicine is no small matter. As the old saying goes, "Every medicine has some poison in it." We must ask for clarification.
"Dad, don't worry. I've asked Doctor Wang. Actually, we can have a drink too. According to Doctor Wang, apart from the high-ranking officials and wealthy people of the past, ordinary people like us all have some health issues. It would be best if we could get some nourishment. If not, we can wait until Uncle Wang comes back after the New Year and go see him so he can help us get some treatment."
When people have enough to eat and wear, they start to think about other things, such as how to live a long and healthy life. So He Daqing agreed with He Yuzhu's suggestion, "Okay, let's wait for Dahe to come back and the three of us will go and see how good life is now. We must live it to the fullest."
Wang Yan was pleased to hear that He Yuzhu always thought of her brother. This was because he considered her family. As for He Yuzhu not calling her "Mom," wasn't that normal? She wouldn't be able to say it even if she were given the chance. He wasn't a little kid anymore. Calling her "Aunt Wang" would be much better, and no one would feel awkward.
At this moment, He Yushui, who had just realized what was happening, said: "Brother, do I need to take medicine too? Why? I'm not sick."
"Rain, you're taking medicine so you'll get sick less often in the future, and you'll only need to take it ten times. If you take your medicine with Aunt Wang, I'll buy you candied hawthorns." He Yuzhu really didn't understand. He brought back so many snacks, why was this girl so fond of candied hawthorns? These days, candied hawthorns are made from hawthorn berries, and they're incredibly sour!
He Yushui initially wanted to resist, but she gave in as soon as she heard about candied hawthorns. "Then brother, keep your word, let's pinky swear!" she said, extending her little finger.
"Okay, pinky promise! By the way, Aunt Wang, if you want something sour, I'll ask my dad to find some pickled plums or something for you later. As for the candied hawthorns, you can only try one or two at a time, because eating too many hawthorns can cause miscarriage. I got the prescription from Dr. Wang, and I'll have my dad read it to you later. There are a lot of things pregnant women can't eat."
He Yuzhu was worried that Yushui might share the candied hawthorns with Wang Yan later, since the two were close and Yushui wasn't stingy, so he quickly reminded her.
"Ah! Is that so?" Wang Yan was indeed surprised. But isn't this common sense? In the past, when communication was underdeveloped and the illiteracy rate was 99%, the knowledge people received was nothing more than the experience passed down from their predecessors and their own life experiences. Many people in later generations still don't know this knowledge, let alone now.
"Yes, Dr. Wang has written it all down, but he only wrote down common ingredients. Dad, if you cook outside and come back with any unusual ingredients, it's best to ask Dr. Wang first before giving them to Aunt Wang."
“Okay, I understand!” He Daqing replied.
After breakfast, Wang Yan played with Yu Shui on the kang (a heated brick bed), while He Daqing and his son got busy. He Daqing prepared the vegetables, and He Yuzhu chopped the filling. They would fry meatballs in the afternoon, one with meat filling and the other with shredded radish.
At noon, the group just mixed some egg drop soup and made a paste. In the afternoon, the father and son were busy in the kitchen until after four o'clock. They even took the time to put up the couplets. The couplets were bought from Teacher Yan's house in the front yard. I must say, the calligraphy is quite beautiful, no worse than those sold on the street.
After all the dishes were brought to the main room and arranged, He Yuzhu set off firecrackers, and the He family began their meal.
The other neighbors in the courtyard also started eating at this time, but their food was definitely not as good as the He family's.
The Yi family, the Jia family, and the deaf old lady spent the New Year together. After all, there were only five people in the three families combined, and the New Year is more festive with more people. If there are too few people, there is no festive atmosphere at all.
In the second half of the year, Madam Jia Zhang was busy arranging a wife for Jia Dongxu, but she was as picky as if she were choosing a concubine. She would complain that the woman was not good-looking or that she did not have a job. It was still early days after the founding of the People's Republic of China, and people still valued social status and family background. It was already difficult for a widow's family to find a wife, and she was so picky that she offended all the matchmakers in the neighborhood.
As the Lunar New Year approached, none of the matchmakers in the neighborhood took on any of her family's jobs. Jia Zhangshi was still unwilling to give up, but reality taught her a lesson. During the New Year's Eve dinner, Yi Zhonghai said to Jia Dongxu, "If all else fails, find someone from the countryside. Look at your Uncle He, he found someone from the countryside and he's doing just fine."
He then said to Jia Zhangshi, "Sister-in-law, you can only have a grandson after Dongxu gets married, right? Why be so picky? I heard that land is going to be redistributed in the countryside. If you marry a daughter-in-law from the countryside, she won't have to work, and she'll still have food to eat. Besides, rural girls are hardworking. You'll be able to enjoy life once you have a daughter-in-law."