Chapter 102: Chapter 101: Spousal Conversation, Fresh Garlic Chive Dumplings

“Running a photo studio like this, taking on private jobs, doesn’t this violate discipline? Could this be considered speculation?” Ling Chengyan asked.

After a few days of interaction, Ling Chengyan had gotten a sense of Wang Liansheng. Although he had worked at a farm for over half a year, he was still sensitive to policies and trends. He had a certain depth to his perspective and unique insights.

Thus, Ling Chengyan was willing to discuss these questions with him. At least for the time being, they were a community of shared interests, discussing sensitive topics without worrying about hindering each other.

Wang Liansheng indeed had a thorough understanding, saying: “Nowadays, our country is striving to revive various sectors, actively working towards building the four modernizations… To achieve development and progress, to energize the economy, loosening the rigid regulations is an inevitable trend… You probably saw it when you went out, didn’t you? There are more street vendors each day, selling buns and donuts clandestinely is increasingly common. A few counties have restored rural markets recently… This photographer taking on private jobs surely violates discipline, but, as I see it, such people are clever and eloquent, and there’s a chance they can achieve something in the future.”

What Wang Liansheng said echoed Ling Chengyan’s observations and thoughts. She nodded without adding anything more.

She could see more clearly than Wang Liansheng and was more convinced that trading would be liberalized. Commerce and trade emphasize flexibility; facilitating the flow of goods and money is crucial to realizing value appreciation, commercial profit, and economic development. The state can also gain more tax revenue…

Precisely because of this conviction, she decisively took action to train Liu San and Gou and others in business and trade.

However, the reason she hadn’t yet dared to expand her operations was due to concerns about unstable policies. She was just waiting for the policies to become clear and stable, and for Liu San and the others to be fully trained. Then, they could make bold moves.

Walking from the photo studio, the sun was nice, the wind not too strong, but it was still cold.

Wang Liansheng held Shi Tou, bundled up like a cotton ball, who watched all around. He occasionally stopped to introduce roadside buildings and street vehicles, pedestrians, and so forth, to Shi Tou.

Passing by the grocery company, they saw many people lining up. Xiao Yu went over to ask and was told some frozen hairtail had arrived, no ticket needed, just a supply book to buy it, with half a pound per person.

Since they drove around coastal shops and other ports and fishing villages, the family never lacked seafood. Frozen fresh fish wasn’t much, while dried fish and shrimp, and pickled products were often eaten, so they weren’t much interested in frozen hairtail, opting not to join the queue.

Passing the bustling and somewhat chaotic grocery company, Wang Liansheng suggested going to a state-run restaurant for a meal. The adults and children had been in town for several months already without dining out!

Ling Chengyan didn’t want to go, noting that restaurants didn’t have food suitable for children.

While discussing this, suddenly a man in his forties turned out from the corner. His dark complexion was reddened by the cold wind. His head was wrapped in an old scarf of indistinct color, revealing only his eyes, which carried a hint of slyness amid his earnestness. He looked around and approached, asking, “Do you want some green chives? Fresh green chives.”

“Green chives?” Ling Chengyan’s eyes lit up.

In Great Qi, fresh vegetables were available in winter, though they were cultivated with special techniques at great expense, with a pound or two being precious and rare, like they were for the Ling Family.

For instance, chives cultivated in winter came in two kinds: green chives and yellow chives, with the latter grown without light, yellow and tender, and the former, exposed to some light, had thick and succulent green leaves. The two differ in color and have slightly different flavors.

If examined closely, more people would believe green chives taste more delicious than yellow ones.

“Yes, just a bit grown at home, I’ve cut a few pounds…” The man said, slightly lifting the small quilt covering the basket, revealing indeed a splash of vibrant green.

Little Apricot took a sniff, murmuring, “They truly are chives.”

Ling Chengyan asked the price, and the man held up two fingers, waving them.

Ling Chengyan calmly bargained, “How many pounds do you have?… Less than five pounds, I’ll take it all, can you do it for one dollar and fifty cents?”

After some bargaining, Ling Chengyan bought four and a half pounds of green chives at the high price of one dollar and sixty-five cents per pound.

They hadn’t brought any bags, so Ling Chengyan gave the man an extra dollar, leaving the basket with him.

It was agreed that when the man harvested his next batch of chives, he would bring them to Ling Chengyan, along with the basket, returned to him then.

After buying chives, the children became very happy, not wishing to go to the department store. They dashed home even more eagerly than the adults, as their mom promised to make dumplings with fresh green chives for them!

After eating cabbage and radish for months, they had longed for some fresh vegetables.

Ling Chengyan called out to Little Apricot to run slower, while conversing with Wang Liansheng: “The new recruits are having their theoretical exam today. I want to make more dumplings. It’s impossible to guarantee enough for everyone, but let them have a few to taste the novelty, as my celebration for their theoretical completion.”

Wang Liansheng nodded with a smile: “Let Qingyun and Wan Xiang come and help out. Just the two of us wrapping will take till night…”

Recalling her cooking skills, Ling Chengyan couldn’t help but smile: “Sure, call more people, whoever can make dumplings. Let’s prepare some cabbage filling too, green chives aren’t sufficient, cabbage will make up.”

The family unexpectedly got a basket of fresh green chives. Returning home, Ling Chengyan bundled three small heaps of green chives with straw and sent Xiao Yu and Little Apricot to deliver them to Staff Officer Xing and Political Commissioner He. She wasn’t home that day, calling over two elder sisters to help care for the child late into the night, and she remembered this favor.

A small heap of green chives wasn’t much, and couldn’t repay the favor, but it could express her intentions.

Theoretical exams did not take long. When Ling Chengyan’s family returned to the compound, the recruits’ theoretical exams were also finished.

Wang Liansheng took the children home, while Ling Chengyan went over to the recruits’ platoon side. Seeing them coming out of the exam room, most appeared normal, except for a few who looked unhappy, evidently feeling that their performance wasn’t good. But most seemed to have done reasonably well.

Ling Chengyan didn’t ask each person in detail but spoke a few brief words, sharing the policy arrangements she learned from the company office. This batch of recruits, as long as they hadn’t made serious mistakes, would not be discharged for failing the theoretical exam. They would be given one resit opportunity. So, even if this time went poorly, there was no need to fear; they should just strive harder.

When she said this, those few did indeed relax noticeably.

Ling Chengyan picked a few and took them back to the family courtyard.

By then, Wang Liansheng had already prepared the dough, now working on trimming and washing the green chives.

Ling Chengyan returned with five or six helpers, who all had cooked before, some even able to make dishes. They quickly got to work, chopping vegetables, mixing fillings, kneading dough… With many hands, strength is multiplied. Soon, tray after tray of plump, white dumplings were wrapped.

In the kitchen, the firewood stove’s big pot boiled water, the dumplings entered the pot, boiled three times, and puffed up like plump white geese swimming on the water surface.

Ling Chengyan filled two large basins, one with chive filling and one with cabbage filling, packed them up, and sent people to deliver them to the recruits.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep