The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 588 - 557: Trading Sincerity for Sincerity_1

Chapter 588: Chapter 557: Trading Sincerity for Sincerity_1

Once the two of them split up to stand in line, buying vegetables!

It was just as crowded as before!

He Tiantian missed the free markets immensely, where, as long as you had money, you could buy anything you wanted. You didn’t need to get up so early, nor endure such crowding, and certainly, there was no need for all those messy coupons.

This was why He Tiantian preferred to be in Qijia Village, rather than Nan City.

In Qijia Village, you only needed to buy a small number of industrial goods, and most of the food came from the small plot of land belonging to the family, as well as game from the mountains behind and fish caught from the river.

There was no need to queue up so early at the supply and marketing cooperative for a bit of meat, a few radishes, and cabbages.

By the time the two finished their shopping and returned home, it was already past nine in the morning.

He Tiantian made radish soup, and there were still some crispy cakes left over from yesterday. They just needed to be toasted on the stove, so she didn’t bother to make breakfast specifically.

They were having guests over tomorrow night, and not all the ingredients were ready yet. They still had to go shopping early in the morning.

After two consecutive days, they finally gathered all the necessary items.

He Tiantian and Huo Yingjie started preparing early, picking vegetables, washing them, and making the condiments in advance.

He Tiantian was quite lucky to have actually purchased a pig’s head.

It was more economical than buying meat directly—there’s a lot of meat that comes from one pig’s head.

Two pig ears, one dish; the tongue made another plate, and there was still a lot of meat from the pig’s head.

He Tiantian, holding a brush, repeatedly scrubbed the pig’s head in the big basin, then pulled out two pairs of tweezers and said, "Come on, don’t just stand there, help me pluck the pig hairs."

Huo Yingjie, tweezers in hand, looked as if he wanted to cry but had no tears.

However, since his wife had spoken, he had no choice but to obey!

"It would be nice to just buy pork. The head has so many hairs, and it’s difficult to clean!" Huo Yingjie murmured, especially pained to see He Tiantian’s hands, red from the cold.

"It’s a bit of trouble, but once it’s done, you’ll find it delicious," He Tiantian said with a smile, quickly plucking the hairs with her tweezers.

Once cleaned, she put the pig’s head into a large pot, filled it with water, and threw in a spice bag, starting to stew the pig’s head.

It was one of He Tiantian’s signature dishes, as well as the skill that had earned her a living in her previous life.

She had been afraid that the past would repeat itself, which is why she had always avoided cooking these things. But now things were different. She had a completely different life than before, and the events of her previous life no longer cast a shadow in her heart and had little impact on her.

She could now face her past experiences calmly.

When Jiang Lifang and Huo Zhekun returned home that evening, they were greeted by the aroma, although the meat had not fully absorbed the flavors yet, but it was done.

He Tiantian cut off a big chunk of the head, sliced it into small pieces, and served it as the meat dish for the evening along with stir-fried radishes.

"Mmm, it’s really tasty," Jiang Lifang said after tasting the pork head meat, "Tiantian has learned quite a few skills in Qijia Village!"

"Yes, it’s like my second hometown," He Tiantian replied with a smile, "I can make other dishes too. It’s just that resources are scarce right now. When we have more abundance, I’ll make you some really delicious food."

"We are truly fortunate," Huo Zhekun said, rarely having a dish suitable for drinking. He took out a little wine, and he and Huo Yingjie had a few light drinks.

Starting in the afternoon, it had taken eight hours to stew the pig’s head properly.

He Tiantian had Huo Yingjie scoop the pig’s head out of the pot and place it in a basin to cool.

The next day, He Tiantian and Huo Yingjie stayed busy all day. They steamed buns in advance, sealed them up as the staple food. Finally, they had everything ready, just waiting for the right time to start cooking the dishes.

In the evening, Huo Zhekun arrived with Secretary Guo, followed by six others into the courtyard.

He Tiantian made tea and had Huo Yingjie bring it in.

Jiang Lifang also came back early from work to help He Tiantian with the cooking.

They prepared a table full of dishes, then He Tiantian changed into clean clothes, and she and Huo Yingjie came out to meet the guests who were friends and colleagues of the seniors.

This was a private gathering, not exactly a feast – it was meant to introduce the two newlyweds to everyone.

Since these people had come, they couldn’t come empty-handed and brought gifts for He Tiantian and Huo Yingjie.

Seeing Huo Yingjie healthy and now married, they were all delighted. They no longer had to worry about their leader being in trouble, which would also impact their own futures.

After drinking and dining, they moved to the living room to talk about some state affairs.

Huo Yingjie accompanied the guests. As the junior and the reason for the gathering, he was responsible for entertaining the elders.

The dinner went pleasantly, and by nine-thirty, everyone went home.

In front of his wife and son, Huo Zhekun praised He Tiantian fiercely, saying, "Everyone who came today had nothing but praise for Tiantian."

"Of course," Jiang Lifang said with a smile, "Who else’s daughter-in-law would she be. By the way, we’re not holding a big event here because of the tense situation. Your grandparents in Yanjing are eagerly waiting. When are Yingjie and Tiantian going to Yanjing?"

"How about tomorrow evening’s train?" Huo Zhekun suggested. "The sooner we go, the sooner we can return."

"That makes sense," Jiang Lifang agreed. "Shuping is due in early February. Tiantian should go back early and avoid rushing on the trip."

When she heard her mother-in-law say this, He Tiantian was touched!

She had thought of several ways to broach the topic of wanting to go back to Qijia Village with her mother-in-law.

Yet before she could speak, Jiang Lifang had already brought it up.

Sincerity begets sincerity.

"Hmm," Huo Zhekun nodded, "Yingjie, now that you’re married and healthy, what are your plans for the future?"

Huo Yingjie had discussed this with He Tiantian before. They planned to go to college, to apply to a university in Nan City so that he could stay with his parents and wife without being apart. As for those cutting-edge projects, he didn’t want to work on them for the time being.

"I’m thinking of reviewing and preparing for college," Huo Yingjie said. "Tiantian has been studying consistently over the years. We plan to apply to a university in Nan City together – that way, we can be with our parents while completing our education."

"Ah?" Huo Zhekun was momentarily stunned. "You don’t need to take exams for university now, just a recommendation will do!"

Huo Yingjie smiled and said, "You’re talking about the Worker-Peasant-Soldier University, right?"

"Yes, right now the state only admits students to the Worker-Peasant-Soldier University," Huo Zhekun nodded, admitting that even with his high position, securing a place was extremely difficult.

"Those are selected through recommendation without strict assessments, resulting in varying quality. Some Worker-Peasant-Soldier University graduates already joined the workforce, and that’s when the drawbacks become apparent. Moreover, in the future, our country will need many well-educated people with genuine skills, so open recruitment is inevitable," Huo Yingjie explained to his father.

"Is that so?" Huo Zhekun was half-convinced.

"Why not!" Huo Yingjie continued. "Our country is vast with a large population. How to govern, how to develop is an urgent matter. Everyone understands the situation of the country, but no one wants to change, nor dares to make changes."