When Father Lu returned home, he not only brought back the prized calligraphy of the old leader, but also photos left behind by Xibao at the old leader’s house, handwritten poetry and books from the old leader’s collection, and even bookmarks hand-made by the old leader himself. The old leader also gave him a box of his favorite Longjing tea, as Father Lu had engaged him in remarkable discussions on the topic of tea.
He certainly did... return with a bounty.
In addition to eggs, the old leader also left behind dried radishes, salt, beans, sugar, garlic, and asked Secretary Tang to buy a black fish from the supply department with his own ration for Feng Qingxue to boost her health.
Wang Zhengguo went empty-handed but didn’t return the same way. The old leader also gifted him one of his own calligraphy works, encouraging him to focus on production back home, and lead his villagers towards a better life. This left Wang Zhengguo feeling excited beyond measure, clutching his treasure all the way back home, showing off to his sister and niece, "I too got a picture taken with the old leader!"
The old leader instructed his staff to deliver a copy of the photo once it was developed.
Wang Fengqiao was initially afraid to even touch the items brought back but, after washing and drying her hands, she gingerly managed to touch them.
After hearing Wang Zhengguo recount how Father Lu had performed in front of the old leader, Feng Qingxue gave her father-in-law a thumbs-up. True to his idol, he had not only won the old leader’s approval but also paved the way for the future.
The money d once was not of importance, the safety of the family was.
After such an encounter, what is there to worry about for the future?
Father Lu kept the still lively black fish in a fish tank in the courtyard, which was later moved inside to keep it from freezing.
"The Capital is much colder than our home. After lunch, I noticed that the weather wasn’t looking good and the wind was quite strong," Father Lu said as he held his grandson and peeked into the fish tank.
"Fish, fish! We’re going to eat fish!" Xibao excitedly pointed at the black fish swimming in the water.
Wang Zhengguo said, "I’d better buy a ticket back home before it starts snowing."
Feng Qingxue was startled, "Uncle, you’re going back?"
"How can I not go back? You and your aunt are here, I don’t have to worry. There is so much work at home, I still have to continue to dig rivers and canals in winter. How can I stay in the Capital all the time?" The reason he accompanied Father Lu and his sister was to help carry things and to prevent gossip, as Father Lu and Wang Fengqiao had no blood relationship, traveling together could easily lead to rumors, "Besides, the old leader has spoken, asked me to return and focus on production. Of course, I must hurry back."
Wang Fengqiao didn’t find it strange, as this had been decided before coming here.
"Brother, can’t you go back a couple of days later? I want to venture into the black market with you to see if we can get any nutritious food for Xiaoxue. Xiaoxue is too thin."
Feng Qingxue quickly said, "Aunt, don’t take risks. I wanted to say this in the day but forgot. We have enough food at home, and my comrades from the army have given me plenty of supplies. I also have money and grain tickets, we can buy from the grain store and grocery store. Just like our home, things like offal don’t require tickets, we can always manage to buy them."
Upon hearing this, Wang Fengqiao stopped talking and went about preparing dry food for Wang Zhengguo.
Wang Zhengguo slipped into the kitchen and spoke in a low voice, "You don’t need to prepare too much dry food for me. We didn’t bring much grain here. Try to save as much as you can for Xiaoxue. It’s not easy for her to run around . I don’t lack money. Xiaoxue sent me a hundred yuan at the beginning of the year, and I have grain tickets too. I can just buy food on the train, I won’t starve!"
Wang Fengqiao nodded, "Alright, I’ll make you some mixed grain pancakes, and steam some mixed grain steamed buns." They hadn’t dared to eat any of the fifty catty white flour they brought, reserving it for Feng Qingxue and Xibao’s meals.