◎Second update◎

Liang Baozhen also got up early on her day off, this time to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy meat. Xu Shengjie did not accompany her, as he had to go to the Hong family to help build furniture today. Hong Saner's sister was getting married, and they needed to build a set of modular cabinets.

Cheng Caili came to the door early in the morning and asked Liang Baozhen to go with her. The beginning of the month is the peak period for buying meat. Everyone has received their salary and is eager to eat meat. The butcher shop is the most busy at this time, and people can queue for several hours to buy meat.

There are three butcher shops in the west of the city. The closest one is more than ten minutes' walk from Yueya Hutong. The butcher shop and the vegetable shop are next to each other, and there is a grocery store next to it. It is convenient to buy things, but there are too many people and there are often long queues.

After waiting in the butcher's shop until their legs were tired, they finally bought a pound of pork belly in the crowded crowd. Liang Baozhen thought that she still had a lot of potatoes at home, so she bought more than 30 pounds of fresh potatoes from the vegetable shop in front.

"Master, please help me get another two kilograms of lard." Cheng Caili's family was almost out of lard, so she had to buy some to refine.

There were so many people in the butcher shop that they had to shout to get people to talk. Liang Baozhen patted Cheng Caili on the shoulder, pointed to the other side where pork bones were sold, and said in a loud voice, "I'm going to buy some bones."

"Okay, I'll come to see you later." Cheng Caili was still concerned about her own lard and responded hurriedly.

Liang Baozhen was going to buy another two pounds of pork bones to make soup. Pork bones are actually not very popular among people because there is not much meat on them and they are not fat enough. Everyone would definitely line up first for the fat meat because it can relieve the craving for the fishy smell. However, pork bones are cheap and free of charge, so they are good when made into soup.

Pork costs 90 cents a pound, while pork bones only cost 40 cents a pound. Liang Baozhen came early today, picked out two pieces of pork ribs, paid 80 cents, and put them in oil paper and took them home together with Cheng Caili.

The two of them got up early, and it was just after eight o'clock when they came back from buying meat. The sky was gray. The weather was not very good today and it looked gloomy. When they reached the entrance of the alley, they saw many neighbors from the big compound next door who had bought meat going home.

"Xiao Cheng and Xiao Liang, are you guys going to buy meat too?"

"Yes, it's the beginning of the month, so we have to eat something."

"The meat is delicious today, very fatty!"

"Let's go, Mrs. Chen."

Each of them was carrying two packets of oil paper. The strong smell of pork went straight into their noses, and the children at the door began to drool when they saw it.

"Mom, are we going to eat meat today?" Song Xinhe and Chen Yulian were walking out together when they ran into Liang Baozhen and Cheng Caili coming back. The three of them nodded but didn't say anything.

Chen Yulian was preparing to go to the butcher shop with her eldest daughter, but she didn't know if they could still buy meat at this time. "Let's see what else is available. If there is meat, we'll buy some."

"Well, there must be more!"

Liang Baozhen had hardly spoken to Chen Yulian since she married into the mansion, but she had a deep impression of this person. She always dressed neatly and fashionably, and had a certain charm.

Chen Yulian is very beautiful, with delicate features. She always has a smile on her face and makes jokes from time to time. It seems that her life is pretty good.

But this is a bit strange. Liang Baozhen heard that she had no job and was a widow living with her two daughters, but she lived a good life.

"Chen Yulian said that her husband left some money behind, but no one believed her." Cheng Caili didn't know much. She only knew that Chen Yulian's husband died of illness. In the beginning, the widow had a very hard time raising her two children. The family often had trouble making ends meet, and the three of them were all hungry.

Her husband used to be a worker at the National Cotton Mill. He had always been in poor health. It was said that he had a genetic disease. But at that time, he was a formal worker and had no problem supporting his wife and children. But when her husband passed away, Chen Yulian and her children had a hard time without a job.

"At that time, people in the orphanage did help the three daughters a lot, often giving them sweet potatoes, corn and other things. But everyone was not well-off, so they could only help temporarily, not forever." The year Cheng Caili came, she met Chen Yulian and her two daughters. They were so hungry that they looked pale and thin, and it was heartbreaking to see them.

"So what happened next?"

"Later, Aunt Luo wanted to introduce a man to her so that she could remarry. Having a man at home would make life easier, but Chen Yulian refused." At this point, Cheng Caili was also a little angry. "It's okay for Aunt Luo to introduce someone, but the man she introduced was really not that good. I know that a widow can't choose good conditions when she remarries, but she can't choose such a thing either."

Thinking of the sly-looking widower she had met before, Cheng Caili felt a little sick, and her stomach was churning. "He was said to be a fourth-level worker in the match factory, with a high salary. His wife died, and he had three sons, but one of them was very ugly, and he had a bald spot on his face! None of his three sons were good, they were very naughty. Tell me, why did Chen Yulian, who was so beautiful, marry such an ugly bald man?"

"Sister Caili, is it really that ugly? It's been so many years and you still remember it?" Liang Baozhen couldn't help laughing when she saw Cheng Caili sounding a little excited.

"No, I can still remember that scene. Chen Yulian didn't agree even though she was having such a hard time. Many people in our alley said she was stupid."

"Anyone else you can recommend? Someone who's a little better in every way?"

"It's difficult. Who would want to marry a widow or widower? Especially when she has children. In fact, with Chen Yulian's looks, she should be able to pick a decent guy. There's a divorced man with no children in the next street who wants to propose marriage to her. He's not bad looking and has a good job. He works in a steel mill and does transportation. They were about to get married, but the family changed their minds when they were about to propose marriage."

"Why?"

"The bad thing is that she had two daughters before her. I don't know where the rumor came from, but it said that Chen Yulian was too beautiful but couldn't give birth to a son. The man's mother didn't agree to it. She was worried that Chen Yulian would not give birth to a son after marriage, which would cut off their family roots. She refused to let her son marry Chen Yulian."

Liang Baozhen listened to Cheng Caili for a while, and thought of Chen Yulian whom she had met before, but she couldn't make sense of it. "That's not right. Why are they living so well now?"

"She has a man outside." Cheng Caili sighed, not knowing what she felt in her heart, "You haven't seen what Chen Yulian looked like back then, how could she be the same as she is now? Now she loves to seduce people everywhere, I don't know how she became like this."

Cheng Caili's final words were vague, and Liang Baozhen hadn't understood them yet when they got home. They both hurried back to prepare lunch.

Today, there is pork belly roasted in the pot. The roasted pork is soft and glutinous, with a golden color, elastic and smooth, and exudes an alluring aroma. Even the brown soup is so tempting that one almost drools.

The whole family sat at the table and feasted on the food. With five people sharing a pound of meat, naturally each person could only eat a few pieces. In the end, everyone ate up the potatoes inside and dipped the potatoes in the soup. Everyone was very full.

Xu Shengya hadn't eaten braised pork for a long time. When she took a bite, the gravy mixed with the rich aroma splashed over her face. It was so delicious that she wanted to swallow her tongue.

"Sister-in-law, this meat smells so good, even better than the one at Aunt Zhang's."

"Then eat more."

"Sister-in-law, can you eat braised pork every month when you get your salary in the future?" Xu Shengwei had a far-sighted vision. He was already thinking about the next meal before he finished this one. If this was true, he wished his sister-in-law would get his salary every day!

"It depends on your performance. If you can do well in the exams, we will eat there every month." Liang Baozhen heard Xu Shengjie say that Xiaowei's academic performance was average, much worse than Xiaoya's, so she had to give him some motivation.

"Then I won't be able to eat it anymore." Xu Shengwei sighed heavily, and instantly felt that this was his last meal of braised pork. However, he still had hope. "If Xiaoya gets 100 points in the exam, we should reward her, right?"

Zhou Yun couldn't help but smile as he listened to Sun Zi's calculations. "Are you thinking of rewarding your sister? You just want to eat meat yourself."

"Hehe~" Xu Shengwei grinned at his grandmother, his teeth were stained with soup and his mouth was full of oil.

The family was satisfied with the meal. Liang Baozhen brought a bowl to the Wei family. It contained half a bowl of soup with a few pieces of meat and a pile of potatoes. It looked delicious. The Wei family had become close to their grandson ever since he was rescued by Xu Shengjie and his wife. They had given them gifts many times. This time, Liang Baozhen, thinking about eating meat at home, also brought them a bowl.

Biaozi ate the pork belly cooked by his mother and kept saying it was delicious. After the meal, he came to play with his "little uncle" and "little aunt", although he was unwilling to admit it.

"Biaozi, your aunt will be out soon, your uncle will go play pinball with you first." Xu Shengwei wanted to scold Wei Guobiao whenever he saw him, and acted like an uncle. He always felt that he was an elder now and had to behave himself.

"Xu Shengwei! Don't talk nonsense. You are only three years older than me. Aren't you ashamed?"

"What's there to be ashamed of? Do you call me brother or godfather? Then do you have to call me little uncle?" Xu Shengwei knew all about family relationships clearly. Looking at this nephew who he picked up for nothing, he always felt that he had made a fortune.

"Brother, let's go!" Xu Shengya came out of the house and saw Wei Guobiao was there too. She nodded at him, "Biaozi, did you eat the braised pork? Was it delicious?"

"Yes, my godmother's cooking is really delicious, better than any state-owned restaurant!" Wei Guobiao now feels that his godfather and godmother, who saved him, are perfect in every way. Even the state banquet chef cannot compare to them!

A group of children were playing in the open space in the yard, and Liang Baozhen was called over by Jin Hong, her neighbor who lived in the east wing.

Jin Hong lives with her family of three. She usually lives close to the Xu family and has frequent interactions with them. Today, she smelled the aroma of meat from next door and was eager to learn a few tricks. Her cooking was average, and even with meat and vegetables, it couldn't be as delicious as this.

Liang Baozhen didn't have any secret recipes, so she explained the steps one by one. "The most important thing is to be willing to use more ingredients. It's not easy to eat meat, so don't be stingy with oil and seasonings, otherwise you won't be able to enjoy it."

This is indeed the case when Jin Hong cooks, with little oil and seasoning. She feels sorry for the little bit of oil she uses every month and always wants to save some. In the end, she eats a good meal of meat and a big dish, but when she smells the food next door, she realizes that it is far inferior, so she might as well eat to her heart's content.

"Okay, I'll try it next time!" Jin Hong held Liang Baozhen's hand, ready to show off her skills next time, "Our Binzi just smelled the meat and was so hungry."

"Just do it this way, the taste will be similar."

"Xiao Liang, your cooking skills are really good. We were really spoiled just now." Jin Hong's husband Fang Hongming had just come back from washing the dishes. He put the dishes and chopsticks away and turned his head to say, "I told Honghong that I must buy a pound of meat to eat tomorrow."

"We haven't used our meat coupons this month yet. We originally wanted to save them all for Binzi's birthday next month, but after thinking about it, we decided to use one pound of meat coupons."

"Then you can still eat some snacks first."

"By the way, do you and Xiao Xu want to go to the movies?" Jin Hong thought of this. Her husband Fang Hongming is a movie projectionist, working at the People's Cinema in the south of the city. Yesterday, the cinema gave employees internal discounts on ticket purchases. Today, since she troubled Liang Baozhen, she had to return the favor. "Movie tickets are 1 cent each."

"10 cents a ticket?" Liang Baozhen heard from Cheng Caili that movie tickets in the city were 20 cents a ticket, and they were hard to buy and in great demand. She had only watched open-air movies in the commune, which were free, and had never been to a movie theater. She thought that since it was her birthday soon, she could go and see what was going on. "Okay! Then I'll take a few tickets."

Liang Baozhen's birthday is the day after tomorrow, and there will be a showing of the movie "Golden Sunshine" at 6:30 in the evening. She and Xu Shengjie should be able to make it in time if they rush to the cinema after get off work. I just don't know if Xiaowei and Xiaoya want to go to see it.

There was no sign of the two children in the yard, but my adopted son Biaozi was there.

"Biaozi, where are your uncle and aunt?" Liang Baozhen walked up and asked.

"They went out with Xiaolong and said they were going shopping."

"Okay, then you continue playing."

After his godmother left, Biaozi continued playing pinball. As he was playing, he realized something was wrong. Something was wrong. Why did he agree to it just now?

He doesn't want to recognize his uncle and aunt!

The author has something to say:

Biaozi: Damn it! Why didn’t I control my mouth?

See you at 9pm~

It's almost the end of the month, if you have any nutrition liquid that is about to expire, please give it to me!