Chapter 2 Zhou Xiaoying

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

But what she didn't expect was that Li Duoyu pulled her back before she even stepped into the kitchen.

"Your belly is so big, and you have been standing for a day of classes. I will cook tonight."

"It's only been three months, it won't have much impact."

"I told you to sit down and I will do it."

In his previous life, Li Duoyu thought about making a lot of money all day, but his luck was always bad, and he kept dragging his family down.

After being released from prison, he was unwilling to make small money, so he embarked on a crooked path again. There is a saying that "a dog can't change its eating habits", which is exactly what he is like.

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

In the 1980s, the island country could be said to be the richest place in the world. The starting price of a taxi was 10,000 yen, which was four months' salary for ordinary working class people in China at that time.

They all ate Kobe beef, lobsters were used for their food, everyone played golf, and some island media even said that the land price in Tokyo was enough to buy the entire beautiful country.

At that time, if someone in the village successfully "landed" on the island, the family would not only set off firecrackers to celebrate, but also invite a drama troupe to perform a play in the ancestral hall.

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

Unexpectedly, as soon as he set foot on the island, he was sold to an illegal factory by the snakehead, doing the hardest and most tiring work, earning the least money, and even the minimum living security was a problem.

After escaping from the illegal factory with great difficulty, he caught up with the collapse of the island's bubble economy and the economy began to decline.

Because of working illegally and not speaking the language, Li Duoyu ran away when he saw the police. He washed dishes in the kitchen during the day and slept in a broken house at night.

Every day he lived in fear like a fugitive.

In his forties, half of his hair was white.

After returning to his hometown, he found that he had missed the golden opportunity for development in China. The money he had saved in the island country over the years could only afford a house in the city.

What Li Duoyu found most difficult to let go was that he was unable to see his old father off during the years he was working illegally.

And his wife had been raising the children alone and paying usury over the years, which left her with a lot of problems. After he came back, she passed away in less than two years.

It can be said that it was a choice question in life.

Li Duoyu almost 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 experience such suffering again. He just wants to make money and live down to earth.

Zhou Xiaoying saw that Li Duoyu was being attentive and even went to the kitchen. How could she sit still? There were already huge waves in her heart.

She knew very well what kind of person Li Duoyu was. The better he treated her, the bigger the matter was. Could it be that this time was more serious than fighting?

Or did she lose all the money in the shipment?

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

"There are two hundred in here, you can use it first."

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

He instantly understood what was going on.

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

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

Even the first sum of money used for the shipment was from Zhou Xiaoying's salary that she had saved with great difficulty.

Recalling the past, Li Duoyu found that he was really a big idiot. He did not love such a caring and beautiful wife, and only knew how to fool around outside all day.

When he got emotional, Li Duoyu could not help but hug this silly woman tightly in his arms.

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

Zhou Xiaoying was frightened 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 just got pregnant not long ago, and my mother said that I can't come there."

Before she finished speaking, Zhou Xiaoying ran away from the kitchen with a flushed face like a frightened rabbit.

Li Duoyu was so depressed.

I didn't think about that, what are you afraid of, but when he looked down, he was speechless.

"Alas"

The food in 1983 was quite ordinary. For people living by the sea, there was a good thing, that is, there would be no shortage of seafood, but most of them were salted fish and dried oysters.

When he was working illegally, he washed dishes for almost ten years, and then worked as a chef for five years. It was still easy for him to make some small dishes.

Zhou Xiaoying came out of the room with a blush on her cheeks. When she saw a table of delicious food, she was full of question marks.

"You cooked all of this. When did you learn how to cook?"

"You don't trust me."

Zhou Xiaoying naturally didn't believe it. Li Duoyu could cook, which surprised her more than the last person in their class got 100 points. She was afraid that he mistook sugar for salt.

Zhou Xiaoying carefully picked up a piece of dried oyster and put it in her mouth. Unexpectedly, it tasted very good, but she frowned.

Li Duoyu asked: "Is it not 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: "Half a month's worth of lard was wasted by you in one meal. Can I still laugh?"

Only then did Li Duoyu realize that the lard used on the island at this time was lard, which required oil stamps to buy, and the supply was rationed. Normally, he would only put more lard on holidays and to say goodbye.

The couple ate all the food on the table, but because they were so stuffed and greasy, Zhou Xiaoying was so happy that she vomited out all the food she swallowed.

Make 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 eating.

"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. It's not like when I was pregnant, when I would do all the work by myself."

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.

This man is a famous gossip on Dandan Island.

She especially likes to praise one and criticize the other, making puns, while accusing Zhou Xiaoying of not doing housework, and by the way, saying that her husband 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, but he married the most ferocious tigress in the village.

I can't even scold you.

I can't even beat him.

She can only do it at home.

Li Duoyu felt that if there was 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 Zhu Xiuhua 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 became anxious.

"Get up quickly."

"With your second sister-in-law's mouth, if I ask you to wash the dishes once, half the village will gossip about us tomorrow."

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

A fishing village like theirs where the male leads the outside and the female leads the inside. Men generally go out to sea to fish, and women do household chores such as cleaning and mending fishing nets and taking care of children.

If a man oversteps his bounds, 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 doesn't do housework.

In short, it is very troublesome in this era.