With his sister-in-law at home, the two little ones finally had someone to play with, and they stopped bothering Chen Yang.
Then the old man was called to help his wife till the land and pull weeds. Fortunately, there were only a few rows. The sun wasn't too strong at three or four o'clock, but it still made Chen Yang quite tired.
Farming and moving fish were not the same thing. Bending over to hoe was truly exhausting. After hoeing all afternoon, Chen Yang couldn't straighten his back.
Later, Shen Xue couldn't bear to watch and took over the hoe, telling him to rest.
Shen Xue had no intention of letting him work anymore. Looking at his condition, Chen Yang would only be able to lie down at night.
The next day, Chen Yang started preparing the fermented fish. He bought some seasonings, intending to try it out.
Chen Yang first made two fish to test his skills. He soaked the salted fish to remove some of the saltiness, then cut it into pieces and steamed it in a sieve.
Then, he stir-fried some minced garlic and ginger in oil, adding salt, soy sauce, and other seasonings. He had no choice, as there were no oyster sauce, chicken essence, thirteen-spice, mala xian, or anything similar in those days. He added some dried chili segments from peppers he had grown himself.
After stir-frying the seasonings until fragrant, he added the fermented rice and fish pieces and simmered them briefly.
Water could not be added during the simmering process, as raw water would cause the fermented fish to spoil easily. He let it cool completely after half a day.
Only then did Chen Yang find a small jar and seal it tightly. He would let it steep for one to two weeks, then taste it. Chen Yang wasn't sure if his fermented fish would be delicious.
After all, salted fish can be quite fishy, and if the fishy smell couldn't be suppressed, the fermented fish wouldn't be as fragrant.
Two days passed in a flash, and National Day arrived. It was the perfect time to send his sister-in-law back to school. Chen Yang also decided to take the two little ones to the city.
National Day should be a happy occasion.
If they could coincide with the National Day ceremony in 1984 and ideally witness the military parade in Beijing, that would be even more wonderful.
"Daddy, what is National Day?"
The little child sat on the donkey cart, tugging at Chen Yang's clothes. Although National Day wasn't a holiday yet, people passing by wore happy smiles.
"National Day is a festival to commemorate the birth of our great country. Just like Yan Yan and Hao Hao, the day you were born is your birthday, and you celebrate your birthday, right?"
"This National Day is our country's birthday. The motherland is like a mother, and we are like children. All of us in the country have to celebrate her birthday, understand?"
Chen Yang explained to the two little ones. Chen Hao, holding his pants, kept it in mind, wanting his father to take him to the tailor's shop later.
"Daddy, we've arrived at the tailor's shop. Remember to call me."
"Mommy brought all my pants for me."
Chen Hao still remembered the incident where he peed on Chen Yang's face last time. He was so small, yet he felt embarrassed.
"Okay, Daddy remembers."
"I'll get your pants fixed for you, and then we'll go to the state-run department store to buy some treats."
"Your mommy took your aunt to school. Daddy will take you to eat good food."
Shen Xue rode her bicycle to take Shen Rong to school. These days, after turning left and right, Shen Xue had finally become a little more proficient at riding her bicycle.
Chen Yang, pulling the donkey cart, secretly took the two little ones to buy food. This was the joy of a father taking his children out.
It was like in later generations, how many mothers would find fathers in KFC and McDonald's, feeding their children French fries and fried chicken.
Eating too much fast food was bad for their health, but children loved it. Mothers were strict, but fathers, being rough and ready, would secretly take their children out to eat.
"Yay, yay!"
"Daddy, we love you the most."
Upon hearing about the treats, the two little ones were so happy they almost jumped.
These days, Chen Yang had brought back so much good food from Feishi, but they could only look. Every time, their mother would only give them a small portion, and they had been craving it for a long time.
Looking at the two little ones hopping around happily, Chen Yang, the old father, felt immensely proud.
Don't think of men as too mature. Men of any age have a childish side.
Chen Yang took the two children to Liang Hongfang's tailor shop to alter their pants. Apart from the one on the little one's bottom, all others were sent for alteration.
Then, amidst the children's joyful excitement, he took them to the state-run department store to buy food.
"Comrade Xiu'e, give me a jin of mahua, yes, this one."
Unfortunately, there weren't many snacks for children to eat at that time. They had White Rabbit candies and raisins at home, so Chen Yang could only buy a jin of mahua for the two little ones to gnaw on.
This thing, mind you, was quite tough on the teeth.
But chewing it was truly fragrant.
Passing by the street, Chen Yang also saw someone selling malt candy. This was even tougher on the teeth. He was afraid it would knock out the children's teeth and didn't dare to buy it.
He also encountered someone popping corn. Good heavens, with a "boom," it sounded like a cannon.
This was thanks to the changes brought about by Chen Yang's shop. These small vendors used to do business secretly. Something like popping corn, which made a lot of noise, was something they wouldn't dare to do before. Now, they had openly set up a stall.
Chen Yang asked for a jin of popped corn. One bite, and it was fragrant and crispy. The two little ones couldn't stop their hands.
Next to the popcorn vendor was a cotton candy maker. A spoonful of sugar syrup, and in a short while, it turned into a large ball of cotton candy, like a magic trick. It immediately attracted the attention of the two little ones.
"Daddy, it's so pretty, I want this."
"Daddy, I want it too."
The two little ones tugged at Chen Yang's pant legs, refusing to leave, with the clear intention of sitting on the ground if he didn't buy it for them.
"Buy, buy, buy."
Chen Yang waved his hand. It was rare to have such novel snacks at this time. Buying some for his wife and children to try was definitely not because he also wanted to try them.
"Boss, give me two cotton candies first. Two fen each, right?"
Chen Yang threw a "big unity" note. The boss's eyes widened. He couldn't earn that much in a month.
"I can't make change."
Chen Yang patted his head. He usually didn't carry much money; Shen Xue managed it all. He had pulled out a few "big unity" notes from his wallet before leaving.
"See, you don't bring money when you go out. Have you forgotten the hard times we used to have? It's usually difficult to get change for such a large bill."
Chen Yang didn't know when Shen Xue arrived. She took out a dime from her pocket.
The boss happily took the money and handed Chen Yang two large balls of cotton candy.
"Here, you two little gluttons."
Chen Yang handed the two large cotton candies to the two little ones. They immediately started eating them.
"One more."
Looking at the woman beside him, Chen Yang asked the boss for another cotton candy.
"Yan Yan, can you give Daddy a bite, okay?"
"Just a bite, Daddy promises not to eat too much."
"Or Hao Hao, can you give Daddy a bite?"
Glancing at the two little ones who were eating with relish, Chen Yang squinted and smiled mischievously.
The little children, not understanding, handed the cotton candy to Chen Yang.
As a result, Chen Yang scooped up the entire large piece of cotton candy from the stick and ate it in one go.
The little children stared at him, stunned, and then started crying.
Daddy really only took one bite, but he ate her entire cotton candy in that one bite.