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 was sticky, sweet and soft when you drank it in one gulp.
Not long after the Laba porridge came out of the pot, someone knocked on the door. It was Manxiu: "Auntie Cui, are you home?"
Yang Zhaozhao put down his bowl and chopsticks: "I'll go out and take a look."
When he opened the door, he saw that it was really Manxiu. She didn't feel embarrassed at all, as if the incident with the blue and white porcelain dance had never happened. "I'm looking for Aunt Cui."
"What's up?"
Yang Zhaozhao didn't intend to let her into the house: "If you have anything to say, just talk about it here, lest you drop anything valuable at home and we can't afford to compensate."
Manxiu was embarrassed: "I have something to ask 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 someone to be trifled with.
Now their family is so poor that they can't even afford to eat, so they came here because they had no other choice.
Manxiu gritted her teeth and refused to argue with Yang Zhaozhao, but instead shouted, "Aunt Cui, I know you are at home. Aunt Cui, I am Manxiu. I have something to tell you."
After a while, Cui Nai was pushed out in a wheelchair by Li Yiling.
Afraid that Cui Nai would catch a cold, a blanket was covered on her legs, which made her look warm.
Man Xiuniang seemed to be paralyzed as well, but her complexion was rosy and shiny, and she looked energetic. She had also become much fatter, with a double chin visible to the naked eye.
I knew I came to the right place. She has money and food, 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 return it to you tomorrow."
Cui Nai looked at Man Xiu, who was asking for money with a lion-like face, and sneered: "No money!"
Being rejected by Aunt Cui, Manxiu began to use moral blackmail: "Aunt Cui, are you really going to watch someone die without helping? My mother and you are good sisters who grew up together!"
Cui Nai taunted: "The relationship between your mother and I ended when she reported our family."
"I don't need any money to borrow, so you can go!" Cui Nai is not soft-hearted.
When Cui Nai thought about how they shamelessly extorted three hundred yuan from Yang Zhaozhao, she became very angry.
After this incident, Cui Nai was completely disappointed with Manxiu's family.
Not to mention she has no money, even if she had money, Cui Nai wouldn't give her a penny.
Their family didn't deserve her sympathy, nor her kindness.
Looking at Cui Nai's stubborn expression, Man Xiu gritted her teeth and made a compromise: "Forget about the money, but can you lend me some food? Ten or eight kilograms of flour or something?"
In order to eat the food, Manxiu pretended to cry: "We haven't eaten for two days. If my mother doesn't eat a bite, she will starve to death!"
The first thing she said was ten kilograms of rice and flour. Manxiu really spoke without thinking.
Yang Zhaozhao was impressed by her. She had never seen anyone so shameless.
Yang Zhaozhao didn't say anything. This was Cui Nai's business and she didn't want to get involved.
Cui Nai was not senile. She knew that she would never be able to pay it back even if she borrowed it, and she could not do anything but refuse to take anything. She said to Yang Zhaozhao, "Give her two pounds of cornmeal."
"Only two kilograms?" Manxiu frowned in disdain: "Isn't that enough?"
"I gave these two pounds to your mother out of kindness. If you want it, take it. Otherwise, get out." Cui Nai was also angry. They thought the amount given by the people was not enough. They wanted to eat shit.
Seeing Cui Nai's anger, Man Xiu stopped and took two kilograms of cornmeal from Yang Zhaozhao. She said desperately, "If you don't have eighty-one hundred, you can borrow fifty."
"No, get out!" Cui Nai almost hit someone with her crutch.
Only then did Manxiu leave Cui Nai's house in shame. She stood at the door and spat, cursing Cui Nai in her heart as a miser, an old fool, someone who choked to death while drinking water, choked to death while eating, and kept cursing all the way.
If Yang Zhaozhao heard Manxiu curse at her, she would not be able to leave the house and would break her legs.
Cui Nai was afraid that Yang Zhaozhao would be unhappy, so she explained the reason: "Well, these two pounds of cornmeal are just repayment for the three potatoes she gave me. In this life, whether she lives or dies is none of my business!"
Yang Zhaozhao smiled and said, "Just give it to me if you can. It's nothing. We don't need that little bit of cornmeal."
Cui Nai thought about it and stopped worrying about it. She drank half a bowl more of Laba porridge.
In the twelfth month, the weather gets even colder.
When Yang Zhaozhao had a headache from reviewing at home, he would go for a stroll in Heilongjiang, where he would often meet 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 few bucks, barely enough to support his family.
Seeing Yang Zhaozhao, Wang Xiaowei said, "Sister, a lot of people have been coming here lately 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 butchers.
This guy, apart from being poor and hungry, is short of meat and food.
"Yeah, a lot." Wang Xiaowei said, "There aren't many pigs on the pig farms today. There's a meat shortage. Supply exceeds demand. Even with meat coupons, you can't buy meat."
Wang Xiaowei knew that Yang Zhaozhao should have a way. How could someone who could carry out 50 kilograms of high-quality flour in one breath be without meat?
Yang Zhaozhao thought for a moment and said, "Xiaoge, we sold pork under Chang'an Bridge that day. Can we sell all the 15,000 kilograms of pork this time?"
"Of course I can. I will reveal the news in the next two days." Wang Xiaowei's eyes sparkled.
Yang Zhaozhao nodded and decided to make some money in advance and do some good deeds, so that the people who could not afford pork could eat fat and meaty pork.
Whether it’s pork stewed with vermicelli or dumplings stuffed with pork and green onions, there is always meat.
After leaving, Yang Zhaozhao talked to Li Yiling.
Li Yiling agreed, poured her a cup of tea, and dropped a drop of bamboo dew into it. Watching Yang Zhaozhao drink it, Li Yiling smiled.
Soon the day came for the little one.
In the north, most people celebrate the festival on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, while in the south, most people celebrate the festival on the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month.
The agreed time was six in the morning. Just like last time, everything went smoothly: money was collected, stamps were stamped, and the meat was received.
Looking at the big piece of pork, compared with last time, this batch of pork has more fat, the pork belly is too good, and the big pork legs are also meaty.
Fifteen thousand kilograms of pork were piled up into a meat mountain. After being cut, they were tied with straw and divided into portions of five kilograms each. 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.
Because it was inconvenient to wear gloves while working, Yang Zhaozhao's hands were almost swollen.
Seeing Yang Lie standing in line, Yang Zhaozhao rolled his eyes.
There are too few people in the world, and Yang Zhaozhao was caught red-handed again.
When Yang Lie was being beaten, he said, "Give me a portion of pork belly and pork 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.
In the end, Yang Lie finally got the pork he wanted. He said to Li Yiling who was holding the meat, "Yang Zhaozhao promised, pork belly and front leg."
Li Yiling didn't doubt him and gave him what he wanted.
Yang Lie glanced at the several thousand kilograms of pork, strode away, and went directly home without going to the police station.
At this moment, without his uniform, he was just an ordinary citizen, not planning to rush for performance.
Besides, other places have opened up their individual economies and the market.
It won’t be long before Fengcheng will open.
Yang Zhaozhao and his friends are just selling pork, not wooden warehouses.
By nine o'clock in the morning, all the pork worth 15,000 yuan, including the pork head, was sold out. Those who didn't buy the pork were unwilling to give up and asked if there would be any left for tomorrow.
Yang Zhaozhao shook his head: "I won't sell anything today, I wish you a happy new year in advance!"
Those people left with regret.
After receiving the money, Yang Zhaozhao went to Grandma Cui's house. In order to reward herself and Wang Xiaowei and others for their hard work today, they decided to eat the pig-killing meal at home.
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 vegetable dumplings. Looking at the hot and meaty dishes, Wang Xiaowei and the others felt their stomachs growling.
Gnawing on the fat but not greasy, chewy pig's trotters and the meaty braised pork elbows, Wang Xiaowei almost cried: "It would be great if I could eat them once a month in the future. 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 a dream, he actually believed it when she said it.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
