On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Yang Zhaozhao cooked a big pot of Laba porridge, added rock sugar, and cooked it until it was thick. It tasted sticky, sweet and soft when you drank it in one gulp.
Not long after the Laba porridge was out of the pot, someone knocked on the door. It was Manxiu: "Aunt Cui, is this your home?"
Yang Zhaozhao put down his bowl and chopsticks: "I'll go out and take a look."
When he opened the door, it was indeed Manxiu. He didn't feel awkward at all, as if nothing had happened to them during the Blue and White Porcelain dance. "I'm looking for Aunt Cui."
"What's up?"
Yang Zhaozhao didn't intend to let her in: "If you have anything to say, just talk here, in case your family drops any valuables at home, we can't afford to compensate."
Manxiu was embarrassed: "I have something to do with Aunt Cui. This is not your home. Why are you stopping me?"
"I live here, what's wrong with me stopping you?" Yang Zhaozhao was much more aggressive than Manxiu. She looked at her coldly. Manxiu was a little afraid and could see that she was not to be provoked.
Now their family is so poor that they can barely make ends meet, and they really have no other choice but to come here.
Manxiu gritted her teeth and refused to argue with Yang Zhaozhao, but shouted, "Aunt Cui, I know your family. Aunt Cui, I'm Manxiu. I have something to tell you."
After a while, Cuinai was pushed out by Li Yiling in a wheelchair.
Afraid that Cui Nai would catch a cold, she covered her legs with a blanket, which made her look very warm.
Man Xiuniang looked like she was paralyzed, but her face was rosy and shiny, her complexion was energetic, and her white breasts had become much whiter due to her good care. A double chin was visible on her face.
I knew I came to the right place. She has money and food to eat, and she lives a comfortable life. If the autumn wind doesn't hit Cui Nai, who else will it hit?
"Aunt Cui, please save my mother. She is paralyzed and has no money to buy medicine or eat. Can you lend us a hundred or eighty yuan? I will pay you back next year."
Cui Nai looked at Man Xiu who was asking for money like a lion and sneered: "No money!"
Being rejected by Aunt Cui, Manxiu began to blackmail her morally: "Aunt Cui, are you going to watch me die without helping? My mother and you are sisters who grew up together!"
Cui Nai taunted: "The relationship between your mother and I ended when she reported our family."
"I don't have any money to borrow, so you can go now!" Cui Nai is not a soft-hearted person.
Cui Nai was very angry when she thought about how they shamelessly extorted three hundred yuan from Yang Zhaozhao.
After this incident, Cuinai was completely disappointed with Manxiu's family.
Not to mention that she has no money, even if she had money, Cui Nai would not give her a penny.
Their family was not worthy of her affection, nor was it worthy of her kindness.
Seeing Cui Nai's stubborn face, Man Xiu gritted her teeth and made the next best choice: "Forget about the money, can you lend me some food, like 10 kilograms of flour or something?"
In order to eat for free, Manxiu cried hypocritically: "We haven't eaten for two days. If my mother doesn't eat a bite, she will starve to death!"
The first thing Manxiu said was ten kilograms of rice and flour. She really spoke without thinking.
Yang Zhaozhao was impressed by her. He had never seen anyone so shameless.
Yang Zhaozhao didn't say anything. This was Cuinai's business and she would not interfere.
Cui Nai was not senile. She knew that she would not be able to return the money she borrowed, but she could not refuse to take any of it. She said to Yang Zhaozhao, "Give her two kilograms of cornmeal."
"Only two kilograms?" Manxiu frowned in disdain: "Isn't it enough to eat?"
"I'm giving these two pounds to your mother out of my heart. If you want it, take it. Otherwise, get out of here." Cui Nai got angry too. They thought it was too little even if it was given for free. They wanted to eat shit.
Seeing Cui Nai was angry, Man Xiu stopped and took two kilograms of cornmeal from Yang Zhao Zhao. She said unwillingly, "If you don't have eighty or one hundred, you can borrow fifty."
"No, get out!" Cui Nai almost hit someone with her cane.
Manxiu then left Cuinai's house in shame. She stood at the door and spat, cursing Cuinai in her heart as a miser and an old fool who choked to death while drinking water and choked to death while eating. She kept cursing all the way.
If Yang Zhaozhao heard Manxiu scolding her, she would not let her walk home and would break her legs.
Cui Nai was afraid that Yang Zhaozhao would be unhappy, so she explained: "Well, two kilograms of cornmeal is to repay her for the three potatoes she gave me last year. In this life, whether she lives or dies has nothing to do with me!"
Yang Zhaozhao smiled and said, "It's okay if Cui Nai gave it to us. It's nothing. We don't need that little bit of cornmeal."
Cuinai thought about it and decided not to worry about it. She drank half a bowl more of Laba porridge.
In the twelfth month, the weather gets colder.
When Yang Zhaozhao had a headache reviewing at home, he would go to the black market for a stroll, and often met Wang Xiaowei and others. In order to have a bite to eat, they could not stay at home during the winter.
By managing the black market, he could earn a buck or two, barely enough to support his family.
Seeing Yang Zhaozhao, Wang Xiaowei said, "Sister, many people have come here recently to ask when the meat will be sold. It's almost New Year's Eve, and everyone wants to make dumplings for the New Year."
"A lot of people asking?" Yang Zhaozhao looked around and found that there were almost no people selling meat.
These days, apart from poverty and hunger, there is no shortage of food, but there is a shortage of meat and food.
"Yes, a lot." Wang Xiaowei said: "There are not many pigs in the pig farm this year. There is a shortage of meat at the end of the year. The supply is insufficient to meet the demand. Even if you have a meat ticket, you can't buy meat."
Wang Xiaowei knew that Yang Zhaozhao should have a way. How could a man who could carry more than 50 kilograms of flour in one breath be out of meat?
Yang Zhaozhao thought about it and said, "Okay, on the day of the Little New Year, we will sell pork under Chang'an Bridge. Can we sell all the 15,000 kilograms of pork this time?"
"Of course I will reveal the news in the next two days." Wang Xiaowei's eyes sparkled.
Yang Zhaozhao nodded and decided to make some money before the New Year and do some work to allow the people who could not afford pork to eat big, fat and meaty pork.
Whether it’s pork stewed with vermicelli or dumplings stuffed with pork and green onions, there is always meat.
After returning, Yang Zhaozhao talked about it with Li Yiling.
Li Yiling praised her and poured her a cup of tea, dropping a drop of bamboo dew into it. Watching Yang Zhaozhao drink it, Li Yiling smiled.
Soon it was the day of Little New Year.
In the north, the Chinese New Year is usually celebrated on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, while in the south, it is usually celebrated on the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month.
At six o'clock in the morning, just like last time, everything went smoothly: collecting the money, stamping the document, and getting the meat.
Looking at the big piece of pork, compared to last time, this batch of pork has more fat, the pork belly is not too tender, and the big pork legs are also meaty.
Fifteen thousand kilograms of pork were piled up in a meat mountain. After being cut and tied with straw, they were divided into five-kilogram portions. Soon more than half of them were sold.
Yang Zhaozhao and his friends were wearing masks and hats, and their hands were red from the cold.
Yang Zhaozhao's hands were almost swollen because of the inconvenience of wearing gloves while working.
Seeing Yang Lie standing in line, Yang Zhaozhao rolled his eyes.
The world is too small, and Yang Zhaozhao was caught red-handed again.
When it was Yang Lie's turn, he said, "Give me a portion of pork belly and pork front leg, and I won't report you."
“Stop it!”
Looking at Yang Lie with a smile in his eyes, Yang Zhaozhao breathed a sigh of relief, took the twelve yuan, and stamped two stamps on the back of his hand.
Five pounds,
Still five pounds.
Finally, Yang Lie got the pork he wanted. He said to Li Yiling who was holding the meat, "Yang Zhaozhao promised, pork belly and front leg meat."
Li Yiling did not doubt him and gave him what he wanted.
Yang Lie glanced at the several thousand kilograms of pork, strode away, went straight home, and went to the police station.
At this moment, taking off his uniform, he is just an ordinary citizen and has no intention of rushing for sales before the New Year.
Besides, other places have opened up individual economies and markets.
It won’t be long before Fengcheng will also open.
Yang Zhaozhao and his friends are just selling pork, not wood warehouses.
By nine o'clock in the morning, all the pork worth RMB 15,000, including the pork head, was sold out. Those who didn't buy the meat were unwilling to give up and asked if there would be any more tomorrow.
Yang Zhaozhao shook his head: "I won't sell any this year. I wish you a happy new year in advance!"
Those people left with regret.
After collecting the money and returning to Grandma Cui's house, Yang Zhaozhao decided to have a pig-killing meal at home to reward himself and Wang Xiaowei and the others for their hard work today.
The pig offal, pig heads, and even the pig trotters that customers dislike are all kept.
Yang Zhaozhao ordered a large braised pig's trotter, pig's head, pig-killing dishes, and pork and cabbage dumplings. Looking at the hot and meaty dishes, Wang Xiaowei and the others' stomachs growled.
Wang Xiaowei almost cried as he ate the fat but not greasy, chewy pig's trotters and the meaty braised pork elbows. "It would be great if I could have this once a month. I don't ask for it every day, just once a month."
Yang Zhaozhao poured him a cup of Coke and said confidently, "As long as you are willing to endure the hardship, you will be able to eat it in the future. Not to mention once a month, you can even eat it every day."
Looking at the confident and sure Yang Zhaozhao, Wang Xiaowei didn't know why, when others said it was just a dream, she actually believed it.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
