Liang Shengdi dug less bamboo shoots this morning than her six-year-old grandson.
After Lin Shu followed his grandmother up the mountain, he jumped up and down as if his Ren and Du meridians had been opened. He dug out several nests of bird eggs. He didn't know what kind of birds they were, but since their parents were away, they left the eggs in the nests. Then the little robber took away all the eggs.
As for bamboo shoots, Chen Chunhua had taken him to dig them once before, and with Liang Shengdi occasionally giving him guidance, he could dig a hole in no time, just like a groundhog digging the ground.
It didn't rain yesterday, so Liang Shengdi went out to harvest mushrooms again. Today's mushroom harvest was not much, but there was still a small basket.
Liang Shengdi had no intention of looking for wild game. She still raised her hand to touch her chest from time to time. She felt the familiar bulge and could only feel at ease when she was sure that the ticket and money were there.
Then after a few minutes, I raised my hand to touch it again, and yes, it was there.
Even Lin Shugan noticed something was wrong. "Grandma, does your chest hurt? Why don't we go home and rest? When Mom and Dad come back at noon, we can ask them to take you to the hospital."
Liang Shengdi waved her hands awkwardly, "No, no, my chest doesn't hurt... Hey, hurry up."
"Hmm? Grandma, what do you say?" Lin Shu tilted his head to look at his grandma.
Liang Shengdi looked at the bamboo shoots and mushrooms in the basket, then touched her chest.
"I think this mountain has been dug up a lot these past few days, and there's not much left. Why don't we go somewhere else?"
Lin Shugan blinked, "Where are you going? Mom said we can't go too deep inside, and we can't run too far, or we won't be able to come back."
"No, we won't go deep into the mountains, nor too far. Let's go down the mountain and walk back. We'll just pass by the town supply and marketing cooperative and walk a little further. There's another small hill, you know?"
Lin Shugan shook his head. He had been to this mountain since he left his village and had not been to any other place.
"Come on, come on, grandma will take you there. By the way, buy the meat your mother asked me to buy." She was a little nervous because she was always thinking about the money in her arms.
Liang Shengdi had only been to the supply and marketing cooperative once before. That was when her mother-in-law passed away and her eldest daughter, Yulan, was getting married. Her husband said he needed to buy some red cloth to have someone make her a dress. Then she went along for a stroll.
The state-owned supply and marketing cooperatives in urban areas would also be divided into department stores, non-staple food stores, grain and oil stores, etc. In towns like theirs, the supply and marketing cooperatives were located at the junction of urban and rural areas, so they were all mixed together.
On the left and right, there's meat and vegetables, and on the right, there might be shovels, pickaxes, baskets, and the like. Further in, there's also daily necessities and side dishes. In short, they have everything, all in one place.
Liang Shengdi and Lin Shu rushed to the meat section of the supply and marketing cooperative. The butcher inside was sharpening his knife. Seeing the old man and the young boy standing there, he coldly said, "What do you want?"
Liang Shengdi looked at the meat on the chopping board, then touched her chest. Yes, it's there.
She opened her mouth, but suddenly didn't know what to say. She only had experience chatting at the village entrance and had no experience interacting with strangers. This master didn't seem easy to get along with either.
Lin Shu was the quickest to react, and he called out in a clear and polite voice,
"Uncle, we want a pound of pork, thank you."
The butcher couldn't help but smile on his round, firm face. He stopped sharpening the knife, put his hands on his hips and looked down at the little guy who was not even as tall as the pork stall.
"Your parents haven't said anything yet, and you already know?"
Lin Shugan stood on tiptoe, leaning against the stall, nodding obediently, "I know. Grandma told me on the way here that we want to buy a pound of pork. It costs one meat ticket and 69 cents. She brought one ticket and 70 cents. You need to give her 1 cent later."
Liang Shengdi was a little embarrassed because she was afraid that she had forgotten. She had just talked to Lin Shugan on the way here, asking him to remember to remind her to ask the master for the change. As a result, before she even gave him the money, the little brat had already said the change.
"Oh, you know the price of pork and can even do math! How old are you?" The fat master burst into laughter after hearing this. There were not many people in the supply and marketing cooperative at this time, and the staff at several counters nearby were also laughing, thinking that the child was really cute.
"He's six years old now and can start elementary school this fall."
Lin Shugan didn't say that he couldn't count. It was his grandmother who told him so and he wrote it down along the way. But it didn't matter. Seeing that the uncle was so happy, he just took it as a good thing.
The fat chef picked up the knife, pointed at the pork on the table, and said to Liang Shengdi politely,
"You're really smart, grandson. You can pick whatever you want. It's one pound, right? Where's the note and money?"
Liang Shengdi quickly fished out the stack of banknotes she'd been hiding all morning from her cotton-padded jacket and handed them to the master without counting them. She believed Chen Chunhua had already calculated everything, and even asking her to do so wouldn't guarantee a clear result.
The master took it and flipped through it. It was indeed a pound of meat coupons and 70 cents. Then he found a one-cent coin from the drawer and handed it to Lin Shugan across the table. He smiled and said,
"Here, the penny you asked for."
Lin Shu hurriedly took the money with both hands and thanked the fat master sweetly, "Thank you, uncle. You are such a kind person."
My mother once said that as a child, you must have a sweet mouth. If you are sweet-mouthed, you will not lose a piece of meat, and you may even get a piece of candy.
As expected, the chef smiled and followed the direction of the pork belly Liang Shengdi pointed to. With a casual cut of his knife, the large piece of meat was separated. This piece of meat looked like it weighed more than a pound.
He casually put it on the scale without even checking the weight, then wrapped it in yellow paper and a bundle of straw and handed it to Liang Shengdi.
"This child is so smart, you should give him more help. If he studies hard in the future, maybe he can even go to a workers', peasants' and soldiers' university and bring honor to the family!"
Liang Shengdi grinned, whispered thank you, then picked up the piece of meat and was about to leave.
It was still Lin Shu who rushed over, holding a penny in his hand, and he remembered to wave to the master, "Thank you, uncle, goodbye, we will come to you next time to buy meat."
After they walked away, the fat chef was still standing there with his hands on his hips, smiling and talking to the staff at the vegetable stall next to him.
"This child is really polite. My grandson is only two years younger than him and is just as smart as him..."
Lin Shu quickly followed Liang Shengdi and held the penny in front of his grandmother.
"Grandma, money." Mom said that children should not carry money with them.
Liang Shengdi then realized that the money was still in Lin Shugan's hand. She took it and put it in her pocket, then took a breath.
"Oh...it's not easy to buy meat..."
Lin Shugan didn't quite understand. What was so difficult about it? The butcher was so kind, and they bought the meat quickly, didn't they? Why was it difficult?
"Come on, let's go to that mountain over there and fill our baskets before we go home."
Holding the meat in her arms, Liang Shengdi suddenly felt full of energy again. Now that she had the meat, she should live her life well!
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