It's always like this for her: work hard and be free to arrange your time after finishing the task at hand; there is no requirement for them to stay in one place.
"It's the same everywhere. You and Comrade Yan should go outside. It's tiring to hold the children." The three fat boys from Comrade Zhong and Comrade Yan's families felt heavy in their arms. They were fine as they had been training for many years and their hands were strong. Comrade Zhong was a female comrade and she might not be able to hold the children for long.
Zhong Yuxiu nodded slightly, and left the kitchen with Yan Rushan and returned to Old Man Yan.
"Grandpa, today's breakfast is very rich. Feng Zheng even made some kimchi."
"What kimchi?" When Mr. Yan heard the word kimchi, his eyes lit up.
"I don't know."
Grandpa Yan wasn't disappointed; instead, he looked forward to it. "Big fish and meat are delicious, and so are porridge and kimchi. Back then, when we were traveling, we'd always want to eat kimchi when we were hungry. Even if we didn't have kimchi, pickles would do. Unfortunately, supplies were scarce back then, so let alone pickles, even grass roots were good enough."
At least I won’t starve to death.
Zhong Yuxiu said with a smile, "That's right. I haven't eaten kimchi in a long time. It's just right to change the taste occasionally."
"That's right. If you eat the same thing all the time, you'll get tired of it." The old man nodded with a smile. The grandfather and grandson were talking happily. Yan Rushan, who was standing next to them, didn't care about it and couldn't get a word in.
Only when Wang Daya and Gong Zhaodi came back carrying two large baskets each did the two stop talking and look at what Wang Daya and Gong Zhaodi were holding.
Wang Daya and Gong Zhaodi walked into the hall, greeted the three people, and went to the kitchen with baskets.
"You're back." The people in the kitchen heard the noise, turned around and looked, and Gu Lingguo said.
Fang Guozhong asked, "Did you get the pig's head and beef?"
"We got it! It's all what we saved this morning." Wang Daya put down the two baskets in her hands and lifted the coarse blue cloth covering them. "Look, the meat is top-notch. We've even boiled and cleaned the pig's head, saving us a lot of work."
"So attentive?" Fang Guozhong frowned.
Gong Zhaodi nodded and said, "The family that sells us meat is an old acquaintance. We used to buy things from them often. They also have to clean up the pig heads and trotters every day, so they cleaned them for us as well. We can even do them a favor while they're at it."
"That's right." Wang Daya said, "Only if we are satisfied can his family continue to buy meat from us. Who among the butchers doesn't want good business? It doesn't matter how good the baby is."
"Is it possible that their meat cannot be sold?" Whether in Beijing or in the countryside, meat is a hot-selling commodity.
People had lived through decades of hardship, but once the policies were opened up, their incomes increased dramatically. With money in hand, people can be at ease and buy good food.
Wang Daya chuckled. "Meat sells well. Who would complain about poor business? Is it worse to kill two more pigs every day or to make a few dozen or a hundred yuan more?"
Meat is a hot seller, but pork sellers will never be short of supplies unless it is a disaster year.
Fang Guozhong thought for a moment, then said, "That's right, who doesn't want to make more money?"
"That's the truth." Wang Daya nodded with a smile. Isn't it good to have regular repeat customers? Some business-minded people understand that the more repeat customers, the better.
"Now that we've bought the things, wash them quickly. Put the beef and pork head together in the pot and stew them. The longer the braised meat is stewed, the better it tastes." Gu Lingguo stepped forward and picked up the two baskets that Wang Daya put down, then turned around and went to the sink to wash them.
Wang Daya took a basket from Gong Zhaodi and lifted the coarse cloth.
"Look, today's fruits and vegetables are very fresh. Comrade Zhong will probably like them."
"Comrade Zhong likes to eat vegetables and fruits, and meat is not bad either. What good things did you encounter today? There are actually mountain fruits for sale!" Fang Guozhong couldn't take his eyes off the opened basket. "Are there raspberries in there? They are hard to find."
"It's hard to find. These raspberries cost me six dollars."
In the 1980s, prices were low and you could buy a lot of meat with a few dollars, so this thing was very precious.
Gong Zhaodi also said, "Ordinary people can't afford this. Even those who leave our compound are reluctant to buy it."
Fang Guozhong asked in confusion, "Isn't that possible? The people living in the compound have a good income, how could they be short of a few dollars? They probably don't want to eat wild fruits from the mountains. Many people in the city look down on them."
"That might be one of the reasons. However, we saw people from the compound in the market. They looked at the raspberries first and asked about the price before leaving." Wang Daya said this, and there was no need to say anything else. She had already guessed what had happened.
Gu Lingguo said, "Wash it and bring it to Elder Yan and Comrade Zhong. This thing is delicious when it's ripe. It's rare in the mountains over here. If you want to eat it, you have to go deep into the mountains. You won't find it on the edge of the mountains."
"Okay, I'll wash them and bring them out right away." Wang Daya agreed and took out a small ceramic basin from the cupboard. She placed the raspberries in the basin and filled it with water. She then soaked them in salt water for a few minutes before washing them and carrying them to the hall. "Mr. Yan, Comrade Zhong, Comrade Yan, take a look at what you bought. This stuff is good for both the elderly and children."
Zhong Yuxiu was the first to look, "Raspberry!"
"Yes, it's raspberries." The black and red raspberries are not very big because they are wild. The largest one is only as big as the first joint of the index finger.
When Mr. Yan saw this thing, he swallowed his saliva.
"Give it to Yuxiu. This thing is sour and I can't get used to it."
"The ripe ones are very sweet, would you like to try some?" Wang Daya asked tentatively.
Old Master Yan hurriedly shook his head and said, "Forget it, I don't like this thing, no matter how sweet it is. Let's give it to Yuxiu."
Wang Daya had no choice but to respond and put the food next to Zhong Yuxiu. "Comrade Zhong, eat it. Mr. Yan, you should try it too. The raspberries you bought are not sour."
"I understand." After saying this indifferently, Mr. Yan stopped talking.
Zhong Yuxiu picked up one and tasted it. Her mouth burst with sweetness, a touch of sourness. It was especially delicious in the hot weather. She looked up at the old man and said, "Grandpa, Comrade Wang is right. It's very sweet."
"Come on, no matter how sweet this stuff is, it still tastes a bit sour." The old man looked unconvinced. "I climbed countless mountains when I was fighting outside. This stuff only makes you hungrier when you're hungry. It can only quench your thirst, but it doesn't contain much water."
"Raspberries are very good for people with high blood pressure and high blood lipids. Don't be disgusted by them." Zhong Yuxiu chuckled, ate another one, and put a bite into Yan Rushan's mouth. "You should try it too."
Yan Rushan's face remained calm after eating it, and he nodded lightly, "It's okay, you eat it, I don't like it."
"Okay, since you and grandpa don't eat it, I'm in for a treat." Yan Rushan was delighted to see his daughter-in-law smiling sweetly. He secretly took note that his daughter-in-law liked to eat this thing and would buy it for her next time he saw it.
It was for one person alone, and although it wasn't much, it was enough for her to satisfy her craving.
After finishing a plate of raspberries, Zhong Yuxiu was still not satisfied. "Brother Yan, how come we didn't see this good thing in the mountains when we went to the countryside?"
"Not everywhere, and raspberries are rare. If you like them, I'll ask someone to find some saplings and transplant them here, so you can eat them every year." Yan Rushan said.
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