Hello, My 1979

Chapter 9

( Hello everyone, I'm still confuse of Xiao Nanguo real gender as original translation is not specific on it. )

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"Fish!" Xiao Nanguo looked up and saw the fish in Su He's hands.

There were several fish, and they were quite large.

In total, there were five fish: four were silver carp, each weighing around three to four pounds. The other was a red carp, which looked very appealing!

Xiao Nanguo immediately reached out to grab the fish, but in the process, he had been holding a crab, which pinched his hand.

The sharp pain made Xiao Nanguo cry immediately.

Su He then noticed the crab in Xiao Nanguo's hand and couldn't help but laugh. He quickly removed the crab and realized Xiao Nanguo had actually caught several crabs!

The crabs were small, about the size of two fingers, and didn't have much meat. Su He had eaten similar crabs before, which were crispy and tasty when fried.

However, it was 1979, and there wasn't enough oil at home for frying. But for rural kids who lacked snacks and were often hungry, even roasting them over a fire would make a decent treat.

Seeing Xiao Nanguo still crying, Su He took out a big White Rabbit candy from the warehouse and said, "Look, what's this?"

Xiao Nanguo looked over and said, "Is it milk candy?"

Such candy was rare and usually only available during the New Year.

"I want to eat it, give it to me!" Xiao Nanguo immediately forgot about his pain at the sight of the candy.

Actually, once the crab was removed, the pain wasn't as bad. Xiao Nanguo was just a child, and would naturally cry when his parents were around.

Su He handed the White Rabbit candy to Xiao Nanguo. Xiao Nanguo unwrapped it and began to lick it with his tongue rather than biting it. This way, the candy lasted longer.

Su He shook his head, amused and a bit heartbroken to see Xiao Nanguo more interested in the candy than the fish. It was a tough time for kids of that era, where even a single piece of candy was precious.

Thinking about how children nowadays have so many treats that are often wasted made Su He feel even more for Xiao Nanguo's situation.

He picked up the bucket and called out to Black Star and Black Dog, "Let's go home!"

The cow and dog immediately came over, shaking off water and splashing some onto Su He and Xiao Nanguo. Xiao Nanguo giggled, and Su He felt relieved.

Using treats to calm Xiao Nanguo was the best outcome.

With the bucket in hand and accompanied by Xiao Nanguo, Black Star, and Black Dog, they headed back. The cow's tail swung to swat away flies, which could be quite bothersome.

As they reached the village entrance, Su He saw his mother, Ye Chuanxiu, watering the kangkong in her private plot.

In 1979, people were still working collectively, and the household responsibility system hadn't been implemented yet. It would be another year or two before it started to be put into place.

Kangkong is a high-yield vegetable, and Ye Chuanxiu grew a lot of it. Each day, she could gather a big bowl of kangkong from her plot.

The stems could be cut and stir-fried with chili, making a delicious dish. The leaves were also tasty when stir-fried. Despite the lack of oil, which would make the taste less enjoyable, it was still a good food source for rural children who often didn't have enough to eat.

Su He called out, "Mom!"

Ye Chuanxiu looked up and saw Su He with Xiao Nanguo, Black Star, and Black Dog. She quickly noticed the bucket Su He was carrying. "What did you catch today?"

Her son was clever and had been paying for his schooling himself, something Ye Chuanxiu felt guilty about.

Su He replied, "I caught some fish. We'll have fish stew tonight. I also collected some wild lotus roots and snails. I'll see if I can sell some for money. Dad's injury still needs medical attention; if it gets infected, it could be much worse!"

Ye Chuanxiu was worried. "But your dad doesn't want to go to the hospital!"

Poverty was the cause of this reluctance; Su Zhaohua was afraid of spending money. But Su Zhaohua didn't realize that avoiding hospital treatment could result in even higher costs if the wound became infected.

After a pause, Su He said, "Mom, I still want to repeat a year and go to the Fourth Middle School next year!"

The Fourth Middle School was a key high school in the city, often compared with the First Middle School. Although the Fourth Middle School was renowned for its high school level, the First Middle School excelled in its junior high school.

Since the resumption of the college entrance exam in 1977, Su He didn't want to remain uneducated, even though he knew more than most students of this era. His past life experience taught him the value of a diploma.

Ye Chuanxiu opened her mouth and said, "But we don't have enough money."

With Su Rong needing surgery, Su Zhaohua injured, the eldest daughter about to get married, and other children needing schooling, the family was stretched thin.

Ye Chuanxiu felt helpless. Su Zhaohua's illness might lead to the loss of his nine yuan salary, making it even harder to manage finances.

Su He, feeling a bit disheartened, said, "Don't worry, Mom. I'll make money."

He then prepared to leave, and Ye Chuanxiu picked up her watering tool and followed him. The tool was a simple bamboo stick with a bamboo tube, made by Su He.

As they walked, Ye Chuanxiu saw the bucket contained several fish and a large amount of snails, looking to weigh about thirty pounds.

Looking at her fourteen-year-old son, who had grown so strong due to life's hardships, Ye Chuanxiu felt a pang of sadness but could do nothing but try her best to support the family.

Suppressing her emotions, Ye Chuanxiu said, "These four silver carp are considered stimulating foods; your dad can't eat them. Let's cook this red carp tonight. Your second sister needs to recover from surgery, and your younger brother is too thin. He needs to eat well to grow. Your elder sister's suitor is coming soon, so she should eat well to make a good impression..."