The Xiao and Lu families, whose minds were filled with the aroma of pork, were jolted awake by Xu Lai's reminder to "hurry up and line up."
They had only taken a few steps away from the counter when they heard this, so they quickly followed Xu Lai.
Those who somehow found out about the meat and lined up specifically to buy it ultimately fell behind.
"Comrade, how much is this pork per pound?"
This wasn't the first time Xu Lai had lined up to buy pork at the government supermarket since the apocalyptic disaster, but she hadn't been as lucky as she had been before; every time she came, the pork was already sold out.
"Today, pork is 30 cents per pound, and each person is limited to one pound!"
The staff member in charge of selling pork answered with a smile while tidying up the pork on the counter.
Such fresh pork, and as an employee, she was able to buy a pound of it herself first.
Upon hearing about the purchase restrictions, Xu Lai nodded in understanding.
The purpose of this purchase restriction policy is simply to prevent wealthy people from buying up all the pork at once, so that ordinary people also have the opportunity to buy some meat to improve their lives.
Although she was told she could only buy one jin (500g), her second great-uncle and father were queuing behind her today, so the three of them could buy three jin.
Thinking about this made Xu Lai feel much better.
As the first person in line to buy pork, Xu Lai, along with Grandpa Xu and Xu Haiguo, discussed it and the three of them specifically asked for the pig's trotters.
Grandpa Xiao and Li Qingya also chose two pounds of high-quality pork belly with a good balance of fat and lean without hesitation.
As for Grandpa Lu and his daughter-in-law Leng Jia, they were happy to have earned a lot of work points today and chose a pound of pork fat and a pound of pork belly.
"Comrade, could you please bring another box of milk biscuits and five eggs?"
In addition, Grandpa Lu also specially bought biscuits and eggs for his granddaughter An'an.
Unfortunately, these items are now subject to purchase limits. You can only buy a maximum of five eggs, and even these biscuits, which were vacuum-packed and preserved from before the natural disaster, are limited to one box per person.
"Dad, An'an is all grown up now. Let's skip the eggs for her to help her grow, and forget about the cookies!"
This box of milk-flavored biscuits, weighing one pound, costs sixty cents a box—that price could buy more than a pound of pork.
Leng Jia knew that her father-in-law valued and cared for his daughter, but in the current situation, although the family had saved up some work points and gold from the previous ice brick business, they couldn't spend it like that.
"No, no, this was specially bought for my granddaughter!"
Still wearing patched clothes, Old Master Lu wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and immediately rejected his daughter-in-law's idea.
His poor granddaughter was born into this cruel natural disaster and has never had a good life since. Today he earned some work points, but he can't even buy his granddaughter some biscuits.
Thinking of this, Old Master Lu became somewhat unhappy.
Seeing that her father-in-law was obviously unhappy, Leng Jiajia, who was standing to the side, did not blame him. Instead, she was filled with gratitude.
If this extreme natural disaster continues, she and her husband Lu Ping will only have one child, An'an, in their entire lives. How could she not want her child to eat and drink well?
"Could you please cut me two ounces of pork belly?"
After Grandpa Lu paid the bill, the people behind him in line quickly stepped forward, afraid that their share of the fatty pork belly would be snatched up by someone else.
After the three families finished buying the meat, Xu Lai and her group walked out of the hall carrying their purchases. At that time, no one in the queue was buying a pound of meat; most were buying an ounce or two, and the largest was half a pound.
"Alas, life is hard for the common people!"
The three elderly men couldn't help but sigh, but they also secretly vowed to themselves that from tomorrow onwards, they would work even harder when searching for steel protective netting.
They have to work hard to ensure that their family members can eat meat every now and then.
By the time I got home, it was already pitch black.
"Mom, let's stew these three pounds of pork hock too!"
Although Song Qiu'e had already prepared dinner and was waiting for them, the three pounds of fresh pork hock she had just bought would turn into frozen meat if left in the space freezer until tomorrow.
It's such a waste to buy frozen meat at such a high price instead of fresh meat!
Xu Haiguo, who always loved to eat meat in large bites, couldn't help but feel a strong urge to eat the stewed pork hock that melted in his mouth.
"Stew it, stew it now!"
Seeing the eager looks on the family's faces, Song Qiu'e made a decision with a wave of her hand.
The moment braised pork hock was mentioned, the whole family got to work.
At this time, the temperature inside the air-conditioned room was still about 46 degrees Celsius, especially in the west-facing kitchen, where it felt like stepping into an oven as soon as you entered.
Worried that her mother might get heatstroke while cooking inside, Xu Lai simply plugged the living room air conditioner into the power strip connected to the solar power unit on the balcony and turned on the living room air conditioner.
Then the sliding door separating the kitchen from the living room was opened, and the temperature in the kitchen dropped in no time.
Since the kitchen was now safe to stay in, Song Qiu'e went there to get busy.
She asked for everyone's opinions before deciding to stew the pork hock with potatoes and add some dried mushrooms that she had previously stockpiled.
Song Qiu'e started peeling potatoes. After Grandpa Xu reinstalled the exhaust pipe of the metal wood-burning stove and placed the other end outside the kitchen window, he sat down and started a fire.
Xu Haiguo was responsible for chopping the three jin of pork hock he bought into pieces.
Xu Lai and her younger brother were responsible for helping Song Qiu'e with her work.
To reduce the stewing time, Song Qiu'e blanched the chopped pork hock pieces and then put them into an old-fashioned wood-fired pressure cooker and cooked them for more than half an hour.
Then add the potatoes and dried mushrooms and simmer for ten minutes. Finally, add salt and chopped green onions, and a pot of incredibly fragrant braised pork hock is ready.
The mouthwatering aroma of meat not only filled the entire kitchen, but even the neighbors upstairs and downstairs could smell its rich fragrance.
The adults were fine, especially those with children. They had already eaten dinner, but the aroma made them clamor for meat.
The adults at home, who were also craving meat, couldn't dissuade the child, so they deliberately shouted loudly out the window: "Who's so dishonest, hiding at home stewing meat so late at night!"
Li Qingya, who was enjoying a bite of tender and juicy braised pork with her father-in-law in the air-conditioned room, almost burst out laughing when she heard the sound: "I'm eating meat at Uncle Xu's house next door!"
After hearing his daughter-in-law's words, Old Master Xiao swallowed the piece of braised pork that was in his mouth, which was oily but not greasy, and said with some amusement, "Not only the Xu family, but the Lu family must also be eating meat at this time!"
Three catties of pork hock isn't much, but Song Qiu'e added a lot of potatoes and dried mushrooms. When it was time to eat, Song Qiu'e served each of the five family members a large bowl, soup and all.
The Xu family, who had been waiting impatiently, sat around the dining table in the living room and took a big gulp of the meat soup that was mixed with the aroma of meat, potatoes and mushrooms. They all looked extremely satisfied.
"Pork is still the best!"
Xu Haiguo couldn't wait to pick up a piece of the incredibly tender stewed pork hock and eat it, praising it with obvious enjoyment.