Chapter 32: Offering Gifts

Before the sun had completely set, Father Su headed to Factory Director Li’s house, carrying two mesh bags. The apartment building where the Director and his family lived was just to the north of their row of houses, separated only by a main road and a vacant lot; it took just a few minutes to walk there.

After Father Su left, Su Qiao went to wash the dishes. By the time she finished, he had returned with one of the bags.

"Why did you bring one back?" Mother Su asked, puzzled.

"Director Li kept the shrimp and the little cuttlefish, but he insisted I bring back the malted milk powder and the liquor."

"He told you to bring them back, and you just listened? You’re far too honest."

"I couldn't really refuse. The Director’s exact words were: 'Old Su, what is our relationship? We fought in the trenches together. As for helping the child get a job, that was because she was capable, and it just so happened there was an opening.'"

"That much is true. Our Xiaoying is a high school graduate; she would be an asset to any department."

"The Director also said he didn't want to take our gifts, but he couldn't resist. He said even if you ignore his grandchildren who were instantly drawn to those bright, vibrant shrimp, even an old man like him couldn't help but crave them. So, he kept the seafood but made me take back the milk powder and the liquor."

Father Su didn't know that after he left, the Director’s eldest daughter-in-law had grumbled for quite a while: "Dad doesn't drink, but you brothers could! That’s fine liquor. And that malted milk is good stuff—good for the adults and the kids."

The Director’s wife couldn't be bothered with her nagging. She shot their eldest son a knowing look and tucked the shrimp and cuttlefish away. The children, having each received one large shrimp, were eating happily. Seeing their grandmother putting the rest away, they looked at their grandfather with longing eyes.

Director Li, chewing on a piece of shrimp, agreed it was delicious. "But you can't eat all the good things in one sitting, can you?"

The youngest granddaughter quickly stuffed her shrimp into her mouth, fearing her brothers might try to coax it away from her once they finished theirs. She was small, but she wasn't foolish.

Amused by his granddaughter, the Director discussed it with his wife: "Dongmei, why don't you set aside half of these later?"

"What for?"

"We don't come across things like this often. I want to send some to Old Tian."

"Alright." Although she felt a bit reluctant, Li Dongmei agreed. After all, Old Tian had helped their family quite a bit over the years, and it was their mutual support that had allowed them to remain stable at the machinery plant all this time.

***

Before going to bed, Mother Su told Su Qiao that they would be heading home the next day and asked if she had any of Fang Xiaoying’s old clothes left. After hearing the reason, Su Qiao found a set for them. She wanted to ask the elderly couple to stay a few more days, but given the sweltering heat, it was truly inconvenient for four people to share the small room, so she agreed.

The next morning, after breakfast, Fang Xiaofeng left for school, and Father and Mother Su departed. Looking at the quiet house, Su Qiao told her daughter to rest well. She wanted to use the day to tidy up inside and out so she could report back to work the following day. However, after walking around, she found everything already spotless—her parents had taken care of it all. Once again, she sighed to herself: it really is nice to have parents.

At this hour, the adults were at work and the children at school; the younger ones were at daycare or preschool. The surroundings were silent. Su Qiao locked her courtyard gate from the inside. She glanced through the glass window at the room where Fang Xiaoying was fast asleep, then entered the supermarket with a smile.

The temperature inside the supermarket was cool and pleasant. Su Qiao went straight to the fifth-floor food court. The various snacks still smelled intoxicating: steamed dishes, spicy hot pots, spring pancake shops, malatang, soup dumplings, bridge-crossing rice noodles—each exuding its own unique aroma.

Passing the spring pancake shop, she saw the steaming stir-fried pickled cabbage and fresh pancakes. Su Qiao couldn't resist; she grabbed a pancake, rolled it with some cabbage, and took a bite. The thin pancake wrapped around the savory cabbage, vermicelli, and sliced pork belly. "Mmm, still the taste I remember. Delicious."

Muttering to herself, she grabbed a disposable plate with her left hand, afraid the juices might stain her clothes. Soon, the wrap was gone. She wiped her hands with a wet tissue and continued her stroll. By the time she finished her tour, even with her restraint, her stomach was full. She grabbed a cup of iced watermelon juice at the Fruit Party and sat on a massage chair, enjoying this rare, quiet moment of leisure.

She was going back to work tomorrow, but she felt she had forgotten something. After thinking for a long time, she finally realized: Ye Ting had looked out for them at the Red Flag Commune and helped them so much—shouldn't she send him a thank-you gift?

***

Thinking about gifts left her in a dilemma; she really didn't know what to send. Ye Ting was a soldier, so clothing didn't seem appropriate, leaving her to focus on food. But as mentioned before, she couldn't send bulk rice or flour, and in this sweltering weather, many options were ruled out.

Su Qiao wandered back to the first floor, carefully pondering what kind of food to send. Items that spoiled easily in the heat were discarded first. Long-lasting goods were the priority. She moved to the convenience food aisle: luncheon meat, canned braised pork, various canned fish, Lao Gan Ma chili sauce, beef sauce, mushroom sauce, fermented bean curd, sausages, bacon... Everything was there, dazzling to the eye.

Su Qiao remembered that Comrade Ye Ting seemed to like spicy food, so she eyed the crispy hairtail, Lao Gan Ma, and the beef sauce. After much thought, she eventually gave up. The packaging in the supermarket was vastly different from that of the 1970s; she didn't dare bring it out for fear of being accused of something suspicious.

Later, she found an old-fashioned brand of fermented bean curd. It was said that the packaging hadn't changed since the product was first launched. Su Qiao carefully scraped off the manufacturing date from the label, packed a pound each of the roasted shrimp and little cuttlefish, and went to slice some beef—she decided to fry some beef sauce herself to round out the gift.

With Ye Ting’s gift ready, she remembered the three children sent down to the Xiangyang Brigade. She prepared a small jar of bean curd, three bars of old-fashioned soap, three pounds of dried noodles, and about two pounds of bacon. As she packed, she thanked the leaders of those factories; the "light of old domestic goods" not only guaranteed quality but also kept their packaging unchanged.

Su Qiao wrote two notes to place in the packages. Once everything was packed, she took out the watch and bicycle ration coupons she had saved over the years and headed out. She went to the post office first, sent the packages to Ye Ting and the children, and then made her way to the department store.