1983 Small Island, Starting From a Large Farmer

 Chapter 2 Zhou Xiaoying

 When she got home, it was already past five o'clock, and Zhou Xiaoying went straight to the kitchen. She planned to ask him what happened after she finished cooking.

What she didn’t expect was that Li Duoyu pulled anyone back before they even stepped into the kitchen.

“You have such a big belly and you have to stand up for class all day. I will cook tonight.”

“It’s only been three months, so it doesn’t have much impact.”

 “I’ve said it all, you sit down and I’ll come.”

 In his previous life, Li Duoyu wanted to make a lot of money all day long, but his luck was always bad, which kept dragging down his family.

　　After he was released from prison, he was unwilling to make a small amount of money, so he embarked on a crooked path again. There is a saying that "a dog cannot change his eating of shit", which refers to people like him.

He borrowed tens of thousands of dollars from underground banks at usury, and followed the local smugglers to sneak to the island country to work illegally.

 In the 1980s, the island country was arguably the richest place in the world. The starting price of a taxi was 10,000 yen, which was four months’ salary for an ordinary working class in the country at that time.

 Everything they eat is Kobe beef, lobsters are used as tooth sacrifices, and everyone can play golf. Some island country media even advocate that the land price in Tokyo is enough to buy the entire beautiful country.

At that time, whenever someone in the village successfully "landed" on the island, the family would not only set off firecrackers to celebrate, but even invite a theater troupe to sing a play in the ancestral hall.

At that time, Li Duoyu also came to the island country with the same dream of getting rich. He thought that he would be able to pay off the loan sharks in less than two years, make a lot of money, and then go home to build a big house and buy a big car.

Unexpectedly, as soon as I set foot on the island country, I would be sold by a smuggler to a black factory, where I would have to do the hardest and most tiring work for the least money, and even the minimum living security would be a problem.

 After finally escaping from the black factory, the bubble economy of the island country burst and the economy began to decline.

 Due to working illegally and having a language barrier, Li Duoyu ran away as soon as he saw the note. He washed dishes in the kitchen during the day and slept in a shabby house at night.

Every day I live like a fugitive, trembling with fear.

 In his forties, his hair is half gray.

After returning to my hometown, I found that I had missed the golden opportunity for domestic development. With all the money I had worked hard to save in the island country over the years, I could only afford to buy a house in the city.

 The most difficult thing for Li Duoyu is that during the years he worked illegally, he was unable to see his old father off for the last time.

 Over the years, his wife had been raising her children alone and paying high interest rates, which resulted in a lot of problems. After he came back, he passed away in less than two years.

 It can be said that it is a multiple-choice question in life.

Li Duoyu almost always made the wrong choice.

 Every day after September 17, 1983, Li Duoyu spent his time in regret.

Now that he has the opportunity to start over, he really doesn’t want his family to go through such suffering again. He just wants to make money and live down to earth.

Zhou Xiaoying saw that Li Duoyu was so attentive when he had nothing to do, and even got out of the kitchen, where he could sit down, and his heart was already filled with waves.

She knows very well what kind of person Li Duoyu is. The better he treats her, the bigger the problem will be. Could it be that this time it is more serious than a fight?

Or, did you lose all your money by taking away the goods?

Zhou Xiaoying struggled for a while, and then took out a small iron box from under the rice vat in the kitchen.

“There are two hundred here, you can use them first.”

Li Duoyu, who was cooking vegetables, was stunned by his wife's sudden words. After seeing clearly the small iron box with "Glorious Sending to the Countryside" printed on it in her hand.

 I instantly understood what was going on.

The small iron box was left to her by Zhou Xiaoying's parents, and it was her only dowry. She would not touch the money until the critical moment.

Since the division of the family, except for this half house and furniture, he has not received any money at all, and his living depends entirely on her teaching salary.

Even the first fund for shipping the goods was made from Zhou Xiaoying’s hard-earned salary.

Recalling all the past events, Li Duoyu realized that he was really a fool, letting such a considerate and good-looking wife have no pain, and only knowingly fooling around outside all day long.

 When he got emotional, Li Duoyu couldn't help but hold this silly woman tightly in his arms.

 When he hugged her tightly, Li Duoyu found that she didn't have much flesh on her body and was very thin.

Zhou Xiaoying was startled by Li Duoyu's hug and quickly pushed Li Duoyu away. She finally understood why Li Duoyu was a little abnormal today.

"The door is still open." "I have only been pregnant for a short time, and my mother said that I can't come there."

Before she could finish her words, Zhou Xiaoying ran away from the kitchen with a flushed face like a frightened rabbit.

 Li Duoyu is so depressed.

I didn’t think about that, so what are you afraid of? But when he looked down, he was speechless.

"well"

　　The food in 1983 was quite ordinary. One advantage for people living near the seaside was that there was no shortage of seafood, but most of it was salted fish and dried oysters.

And when he was working part-time, he washed dishes for almost ten years, and then worked as a chef for five years. It was still easy to cook some side dishes.

 Zhou Xiaoying came out of the room with a blush on her cheeks. When she saw a table of delicious, delicious food, her face was filled with questions.

“You cooked all these, when did you learn how to cook?”

 “You don’t trust me that much.”

Zhou Xiaoying naturally didn't believe that Li Duoyu could cook, and she was even more surprised that he got 100 points than the last place in their class, because she was afraid that he would mistake the sugar for salt.

Zhou Xiaoying carefully picked up a piece of dried oyster and put it into her mouth. She didn't expect it to taste very good, but she frowned.

Li Duoyu asked: "Isn't it delicious?"

Zhou Xiaoying shook her head and said: "It's delicious."

 “It’s delicious, why are you looking so sad?”

Zhou Xiaoying took out the enamel basin containing lard and said, "Half a month's worth of lard was wasted by you in one meal. Can I still laugh?"

Li Duoyu then realized that the lard used on the island at this time was lard, which could only be bought with oil coupons. The supply was also rationed, so he only put in more lard during festivals and worshippers.

The couple ate all the food on the table. As a result, Zhou Xiaoying became so happy that she vomited out all the food she had swallowed.

 Made her angry!

Li Duoyu, who has been washing dishes in the island country for more than ten years, naturally started washing the pots and dishes after finishing the meal.

 “Ouch, the sun is coming out in the west.”

"When did my brother-in-law become so considerate? He actually knows how to love his wife and even helps wash the dishes. Unlike when I was pregnant, I worked alone."

Li Duoyu, who was washing dishes in the courtyard, felt dizzy when he heard the voice. Even though he had not heard it for many years, he still recognized the voice of his second sister-in-law Zhu Xiuhua at once.

 This man is a famous gossip on Dandan Island.

She likes to praise one person and insult the other, making puns, while accusing Zhou Xiaoying of not doing housework, and by the way, saying that her lover is useless.

The second brother Li Yaoguo worked as an accountant in the village after graduating from high school. He always wore a pair of black-rimmed glasses and had a timid personality since he was young. However, he married the most ferocious tigress in the village.

　　I can’t even scold you.

　　Can't even beat him,

 It can only be done by her at home.

Li Duoyu feels that if there is anyone who was worse off than him in his previous life, it must be his second brother.

Zhou Xiaoying, who had just finished her morning sickness, heard that Zhu Xiuhua was gossiping there again, so she quickly came out and said to Li Duoyu, "Okay, I'll take a shower."

"It's just a few bowls, I'll wash them in two times." Li Duoyu felt there was no need to pay attention to the woman.

 Unexpectedly, Zhou Xiaoying was anxious.

 “Get up quickly.”

“Just your second sister-in-law’s mouth, if I ask you to wash the dishes once, tomorrow half the village will gossip about us.”

After Zhou Xiaoying said this, Li Duoyu remembered that women at this time can really hold up half the sky.

In a fishing village like theirs, the men are at home and the women are at home. Men generally go to sea to fish, and women do household chores such as cleaning and mending fishing nets and taking care of children.

If a man takes over the job, he will be said to be henpecked in private and become a joke at the dinner table.

If Li Duoyu really washes the dishes, Zhou Xiaoying will also be gossiped by other village girls and village women, saying that she is ungrateful and does not do housework.

 In short, it is very troublesome in this era.

 (End of this chapter)