Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 278 Cannon Skin

March 2nd, 1991, the 16th day of the first lunar month, the day after the Lantern Festival, four days before the Awakening of Insects solar term.

The past few days have been sunny and breezy, with a warm, spring-like atmosphere filling the air.

A purplish-red sedan drove over mountains and into Fengtian City.

After opening the door that had been locked for more than two months, Xiaowei and Xiaohong carried their things into the house.

The room was very warm. Because the doors and windows had been closed for more than two months, the temperature inside was even higher, and there was a noticeable stuffiness.

After putting their things down, the two opened the bedroom window to let in the cold air, then lifted the sheets from the bed and began cleaning. There wasn't much dust in the room; the air was clean for this time of year.

The house was quickly tidied up. After closing the windows and putting away the clothes they had brought back, the two of them went downstairs hand in hand to buy groceries.

As soon as I stepped out of the building, I saw Chen Xiao walking towards me wearing a red scarf and loungewear.

Xiao Hong ran over with a smile: "Xiao Xiao, you saw we're back?"

Chen Xiao took his hand out of his pocket and grabbed Xiao Hong's hand, saying, "Well, I saw your car was coming, and I figured you should be all ready by now, so I came to check on you. I've been so bored at home lately, I'm practically growing mold."

Xiao Hong looked at Chen Xiao's belly, even touching it with her hand, and said, "It seems to be bulging a bit. What does it feel like to be pregnant?"

Chen Xiao rubbed her stomach and said, "I'm tired. I always feel weak and listless. I've been feeling better these past few days; I'm not throwing up anymore. I almost threw up to death those days. Now I spend most of my time sleeping, and the more I sleep, the lazier I get. If you hadn't come back soon, I would have turned into a pig. My mom doesn't ask me to do anything."

Xiao Wei asked, "Where's Xiao Hui?"

Chen Xiao said, "They went to Meigouying. They drove off early this morning, telling me to keep an eye on things when they got back today. What are you going to do? Buy groceries?"

Xiao Hong nodded and said, "Yeah, we're out of everything at home. Let's go buy some things, or what will we eat?"

Chen Xiao said, "I'm going too. I haven't left the house for over ten days. You see, my mom is definitely watching from upstairs. I definitely wouldn't be able to get out by myself." She pointed to the building where she lived. Xiao Wei and Xiao Hong had never been to her house before and didn't know which one it was, but they still subconsciously turned their heads and glanced in that direction.

Xiao Wei asked, "How far along are you? It should only be a few days, right?"

Chen Xiao said, "It's been more than two months, since the last time you came back to pick up the car. I told him it wouldn't work, but he insisted it was fine. See? It's a big problem now. Tell you, Xiao Hong, you two really need to be careful. You're still in school. Tomorrow I'll have Chen Hui bring you some firecracker casings."

Xiao Hong's face flushed red instantly. She glanced at Xiao Wei and said to Chen Xiao, "Get in the car and we'll talk. It's terribly cold. Let's hurry up and buy the things."

Back then, there weren't pharmacies everywhere like there are now, and adult products were scarce. Ordinary people couldn't buy condoms regularly; they were usually distributed by the neighborhood committee or factory, or you could ask the person in charge for them. In those days, people were ashamed to talk about these things, and going to the factory to get them was done secretly, like a thief.

In Liaodong, most people call condoms "paopizi".

Because the packaging used for setting off firecrackers looks very similar to condoms, except it doesn't have the front loop, children always say it's firecracker casing when they ask.

Many kids would use condoms from home as balloons to blow up. Although it's a bit strange that one is dry and the other is sticky, kids back then really didn't understand these things and would show off: "Look at mine, it's slippery and has a little bit of texture. Do you have any?"

The adults back then couldn't have imagined that the word "firecracker" would later become a common term with extremely broad meaning.

The three people got in the car, and Xiaowei turned around and drove towards the market. They needed to buy rice, noodles, vegetables, meat, and other necessities. It would be stupid to carry everything by hand when they had a car.

It's the beginning of the new year, and the festive spirit hasn't faded yet. There aren't many people in the market. The afterglow of the New Year is still lingering, so unless absolutely necessary, not many people are going out.

They bought rice, flour, oil, sugar, some meat and ribs, and a piece of liver, as Xiaohong likes stir-fried pork liver until crisp and tender. They also bought some beef and vegetables, and asked the vendors to help them load everything into the car and put it in the trunk. Chen Xiao then dragged Xiaohong to shop around some more, so Xiaowei had no choice but to follow behind.

Actually, Chen Xiao didn't want to buy anything. He was just lounging at home, looking around aimlessly. Many small shops were still closed and hadn't opened yet, so he didn't know what was interesting to see.

After walking around for a while, Chen Xiao and Xiao Hong got stuck in a clothing store. Xiao Wei had finished a cigarette outside and still hadn't come out. They didn't know what he was doing. It was cold outside, so Xiao Wei had no choice but to go into the store as well.

"This looks nice, and it feels so soft."

"I think this one is better; I like this color."

"Isn't that too big? When will I be able to wear it?"

"What kind of one should I buy? Why is this one dead?"

When Xiao Wei entered the store, he saw Xiao Hong looking at a baby bottle and asking the shopkeeper questions.

The proprietress said, "New pacifiers are all 'dead,' you can just cut them open yourself when you get home. Make them bigger if the child eats a lot, smaller if they eat less. The eye size is different for milk and water. How old is your child?"

Xiao Hong said, "It's been more than two months."

The proprietress said, "That bottle is too small. A two-month-old baby needs that big bottle. One bottle isn't enough for him to eat. It's fine for drinking water."

Xiao Hong blushed and pointed at Chen Xiao, who was looking at a small piece of clothing, and said, "It's not me, it's her. She's only two months pregnant."

The proprietress laughed and said, "You just got pregnant? I thought you were two months pregnant already. I was thinking how well you've recovered your figure. It's still a long way off. What's the rush? By the time you give birth at the end of the year, everything will be different, and there might even be better things." She said to Chen Xiao with a smile.

Chen Xiao said, "It looks rare, so I'll buy it and see. I'll use it sooner or later."

The proprietress said, "That's for sure. When I was pregnant, I couldn't resist buying baby stuff either. Everyone's like that. You really don't need to buy it so early. And let me tell you, little sister, it's best to alter some of the baby's undershirts or something similar to make a few close-fitting clothes for them right after they're born. This one you bought has a few minor flaws. Wait until after your confinement period before buying it."

Xiao Hong asked, "Why? What's wrong?"

The proprietress glanced at Xiaowei and said, "These aren't pure cotton anymore; they all have some blend in them. Sometimes when the baby sweats, they get rashes. Adults wear their thermal underwear underneath, so it's better to wear them close to the skin. Once the baby is a little older, their immunity will be stronger."

Xiao Wei said, "Boss lady, you're really generous! Does that mean you can sell less stuff?"

The proprietress smiled and said, "If there's anything we don't sell, we can't pretend we don't know, or we'll be fooling people."

Xiao Wei nodded and said, "Okay, I'll definitely buy everything from you from now on."

Xiao Hong nodded, and Chen Xiao said, "My family buys from here too. Xiao Hong, what should I do if I want to buy one now?"

Xiao Hong smiled and said, "You can't bear to put it down? Then go ahead and buy it."

(End of this chapter)