Back to the 60s: The Struggle Career of a Charmed Wife
Chapter 122 - 0122 Happy Birthday 2_1

Chapter 122: Chapter 0122 Happy Birthday 2_1

After cleaning up, Feng Qingxue chopped up the leeks she had previously washed and dried, mixed them with scrambled eggs, added seasonings, and set them aside. She then minced clean spring onions and ginger and mixed them into the meat filling that Lu’s father had chopped.

In their traditions, they eat dumplings with meat fillings on New Year’s Eve and dumplings with vegetarian fillings on the first day of the New Year.

Although in Buddhism, leeks and eggs are considered as non-vegetarian, in the eyes of ordinary people, they are considered vegetarian fillings.

Their rule is simple: if it doesn’t contain meat, it’s vegetarian.

Feng Qingxue was well-prepared, all to ensure the Lu Family had a good New Year celebration.

After Lu’s father chopped the meat filling, she cut a piece of well-rested dough into small pieces, coated both sides with some flour, and pressed them flat.

However, it turned out that Lu’s father didn’t know how to make dumplings. "I can roll the dumpling wrappers!" he protested.

"Alright, you roll out the wrappers and I’ll stuff them." Feng Qingxue rolled out a stack of wrappers before sitting down to eat.

"Auntie Qingxue, I want to learn how to make dumplings too."

"Sure!" Feng Qingxue immediately began to teach Lu Tianjun how to make dumplings. "It doesn’t matter if the dumplings look good or not, but make sure the edges are sealed properly. Otherwise, they will fall apart when boiled."

Lu Tianjun was extremely clever. Despite never having made dumplings before, after a short lesson from Feng Qingxue, he was able to make presentable dumplings.

For some of the dumplings that he couldn’t seal properly, he followed Qingxue’s example and crimped them to form a decorative edge.

Lu’s father, who claimed he could roll out the dumpling wrappers, managed to create wrappers that were far from round and of inconsistent thickness. However, they were fit for use. They were for their family’s consumption, after all, so aesthetics didn’t matter.

The three of them were quite efficient. Once a bamboo steamer was filled with dumplings, they moved it outside.

Of course, when they were freezing the dumplings, they kept them covered to prevent people from discovering them.

They started with the leek and egg fillings — not too many, just a little over two bamboo steamers full. After freezing them, they moved on to the meat fillings.

While making the dumplings, Feng Qingxue asked, "Uncle Lu, is Tianjun going to middle school in the spring?"

She remembered Lu Jiang mentioning that Lu Tianjun had a solid foundation from a young age. However, due to their family background, he had been receiving a standard education, and while his academic performance wasn’t remarkable, he had managed to get into middle school.

Yes, a test.

Currently, admission depended on whether they passed the test, whether it was for middle school or high school.

Your background determines your worth in many aspects, whether it’s work or education. Those with a poor background are always excluded. It was Wang Zhenguo’s intervention, combined with the fact that Lu Jiang was a soldier that ensured Lu Tianjun’s education didn’t get interrupted.

Through Lu Jiang’s stories, Feng Qingxue understood the significance of one’s socioeconomic background.

"Yes, he’ll be going to school at the commune in the spring," replied Lu’s father.

There was no middle school in their village; only the commune had them. Because there were many students from the surrounding villages, the commune had two middle schools.

"Will he be boarding?" Although Feng Qingxue hadn’t spent much time at the commune, she had seen it on her way to the city and county, and she knew that the distance from the Wanglou Brigade was a forty-minute walk.

Lu’s father smiled, "No, he won’t be boarding. He’ll live at home, go to school in the morning, come home after school, and can earn points by doing some work when he’s free."

He had long told Lu Tianjun not to stop working just because of Feng Qingxue’s care.

No matter how few the points earned, they were still the fruit of his own labor.

"That’s actually better. Eating at home is ultimately more convenient." They could have better food at home without anyone knowing. Outside, they couldn’t bring out the good stuff and could only bring coarse grains not to attract attention.

Although people in this era were generally simple, there were still those who were cunning and sly.

Lu Tianjun pursed his lips into a smile, revealing two deep dimples.

Every time she saw him, Feng Qingxue felt as if she were looking at Lu Jiang. The uncle and nephew looked so alike; they could easily be mistaken for father and son.