Chronicle of the 70s-Chapter 318 - 307: Work Planning (Part 1)

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it’s already the fifteenth day of the lunar new year. Sister Xing rushed back a couple of days earlier, and now she’s in the kitchen preparing the Yuanxiao Festival meal with Leng Qing.

Mr. Xun had given everyone a heads up a few days ago; since his granddaughter had a cesarean delivery, she needed time to recover. Additionally, with the cold weather, repeatedly going in and out to see the baby wasn’t good for the child, so he decided to cancel the full-month celebration. Instead, he planned to invite just a few close relations for a simple shared meal.

However, the number of guests exceeded expectations: the Lu family, including Lu Xun and his family of three; Mr. Lu and Lu’s mother came personally; Qin Shen, the great-grandfather, was also there; and so were Qin Zhen and his family of three, Li Huan and her husband Da Heiniu, and Xu Wu’s men, Mr. Xun, the An family. Having no choice, they simply heated up the floral hall and set up three tables.

Although it’s now 1982, grain, meat, and vegetables are still rationed. During the New Year, Qin Xi bought a pig from the countryside. With so many men who loved to eat meat, nearly every meal consumed two jin of meat, leaving not much leftover. Stir-frying a few dishes would have been enough to celebrate, but now with three tables to serve, things were getting a bit tight.

Fortunately, Xu Wu sent over two sheep and twenty chickens and ducks during the new year, specifically for Li Xianglu’s postpartum recovery. There was still one sheep left.

Li Xianglu, wearing a thick cotton padded jacket, woolen hat, and a thick scarf, saw the heap of raw ingredients, and decisively instructed Sister Xing to cut the meat from the lamb’s leg, stir-fry it with cumin, and stew the rest with spices to make a big plate of hand-grabbed meat, to serve as the main dish. Other dishes, like sauerkraut with white meat and potato braised pork, would round out the meal nicely.

Consequently, the full-month feast turned into a lamb banquet. With most of the guests being men, steaming large flower buns paired with lamb meat and a bowl of fresh lamb soup made the meal beyond critique.

After a group of people feasted and drank their fill, the women went to see the baby before taking their leave.

Li Xianglu had a bowl of lamb soup with hardly any added salt and then took the towel passed by Qin Xi to wipe off her sweat and said, "All the lamb is gone?"

Qin Xi nodded and replied: "Of course, thirty people came. Finishing one sheep is nothing."

Beside them, Su Yan was helping to feed Ba Yi and became increasingly fond of the baby. She couldn’t help but say, "Don’t you think Ba Yi’s temperament follows after Qin Xi?"

Qin Xi was taken aback, and Li Xianglu, with a smile, said, "Then what about Ba’er? Does he take after his Uncle Qin Zhen?"

Hearing this, Su Yan really nodded her head: "You know what, it is indeed like that. The elder one has his father’s temperament, while the younger is like his second uncle – fond of eating and bossy."

Qin Xi glanced at Ba’er, who Xu Wu was holding and who was blowing bubbles, and couldn’t help but think helplessly about Qin Zhen’s perpetually childish nature. Her own son seems to be just like him; doesn’t he need to be disciplined three times a day, to be done with it early and rest early?

However, Xu Wu seemed unconcerned and said, "What’s wrong with being like Qin Zhen? Never troubled, living a life full of joy."

Li Xianglu widened her eyes at Xu Wu, sensing the seriousness in his words, though his eyes betrayed not a ripple of emotion, and she did not think of herself. So she put her heart at ease: "Ah Wu is right; it’s pretty good this way, isn’t it? Besides, we have Ba Yi, even if Ba’er makes a mess, the elder brother will take care of it." Just as Qin Xi always cleaned up after Qin Zhen.

Qin Xi instantly felt a headache, wondering what kind of logic that was, and couldn’t help looking at Ba Yi, held by Su Yan, oblivious to the world; so young and already shouldering such a heavy burden.

After the New Year, Xu Wu’s joint venture project had officially started, and he needed to make a trip back to the United States, expecting to return only in October.

Thus, after the lunar January was over, Xu Wu left. Li Xianglu was full of worries; she was always skeptical about the people behind Xu Wu, who himself was reluctant to discuss it. All she could do was repeatedly remind him to stay safe and be more cautious.

When Xu Wu left, he had Da Li stay behind. Da Li moved into the siheyuan to help out with anything that might come up.

With Xu Wu gone, the house seemed to have become more silent. After recovering her health over the winter, Li Huan packed her belongings after the New Year and returned to the Bay. She wanted to thoroughly investigate her own injury, and then the whereabouts of that person, as it would be worrisome otherwise.

Hence, the siheyuan was emptier than before. Even Sister Xing who was always busy with the daily meals had suddenly lost her gauge on portion sizes, preparing too much for a few days in a row. It took several meals of leftovers before she slowly adapted.

After the fifteenth, Li Jianqing had been shuttling back and forth between Li Xianglu’s bought courtyard. Xu Wu had already cleared out the people there, and the previously low perimeter wall had also been thoroughly repaired and rebuilt into a new wall over two meters high. Lately, he ran back and forth, taking advantage of the available time to level the ground and clear out some unnecessary trash.

Li Xianglu was out of her confinement period by the end of February, and Qin Zhen and Li Jianqing also left to attend school.

They still had a year’s worth of studies, while Li Xianglu, after exiting her confinement, started to prepare for graduation.

Qin Xi’s job was now settled, as an assistant to the confidential secretary at the Capital Military Commission Office.

Staying in this position for three years, then moving down to the grassroots level and climbing up step by step, that’s the best path forward.

Li Xianglu, on the other hand, continued to work at the bank where she interned, but thanks to her excellent performance during the internship, she started off as a minor official, the leader of the savings counter. This position might seem minor, but it is actually quite impressive; normally, it takes at least three years to earn it, and even that requires good performance.

As for the children, they now needed someone to take care of them. Breastfeeding could only continue until April, after which it would have to be stopped as it was inconvenient for work.

Moreover, Li Xianglu’s milk supply was too low. Even focusing on feeding one child was not sufficient, so they decided to just have both children drink goat’s milk. By six months, after adding some solid foods, their nutrition would be adequate.

The plan was thus settled. After the New Year, Qin Xi entered her new work unit, which was in the same building as Mr. Lu, while Lu Anna also worked in the same compound, although in a different department.

Li Xianglu, due to taking leave, missed her graduation thesis defense. She went back to school with Lu Anna in March to finish the last part.

They also met Iro, whom they hadn’t seen in a long time.

Iro had lost a lot of weight, even slimmer than the last time they met at the hospital. His previously well-fitted cashmere overcoat now seemed a bit too large.

Li Xianglu wanted to say something, but Lu Anna shook her head.

Thus, the three didn’t talk much. A few days later, they wrapped up the graduation clearance procedures and went to their counselor to pick up their graduation photos. At that time, Li Xianglu was pregnant when they took the picture.