CHAPTER 113: CHAPTER 94: CURRENT SITUATION (2)

Only after getting married did I realize that even corn bread can get stuck in your throat. We had no food quota, and I felt embarrassed to say I couldn’t eat, so I ate less. Anyway, Xiao Wu and my mother-in-law would secretly make something extra for me. My mother-in-law was really nice, secretly boiling a couple of eggs and hiding them in our room. Sometimes, when everyone went to work, she would secretly stash some corn bread for us, so they always said I had a cat’s appetite."

Zhou Jiao took a bite of food, then continued, "Xiao Wu and I couldn’t take it anymore, so we bought some rice. We had his mother make jujube rice porridge for me during my pregnancy, and the whole family could have some too. We hoped it would stop being corn goo and corn bread every day. If that got stuck in our throats, drinking some corn goo porridge would really choke us to death.

We couldn’t say this directly, because that’s just how his family ate, and they were all enjoying it so much, very happy. We couldn’t bring ourselves to say it out loud. Thank goodness you came with all that rice and flour; otherwise, I would have died.

Xiao Wu went to the county town at five in the morning the day after Ping’an was born, found someone to buy two pig trotters and two black chickens, and got his mother to quickly stew them for me. But his mother said to save it and eat slowly, that one pig trotter could last a day. Xiao Wu wanted her to roast one of the black chickens and keep another to stew for the kids at home. But she disagreed, saying what do kids need to eat it for? It’s all for the confinement period, and the family can eat until they’re full, so it’s unnecessary to roast it.

I wouldn’t dare buy even if I had money; buying too much is too expensive, buying less means we have nowhere to cook it. It’s fortunate you came, otherwise, we really wouldn’t be able to live. We were all set to buy a stove, cook wild game every day, and secretly sprinkle some rice to make something extra.

Xiao Wu said he cried while eating, but didn’t dare to say anything. That’s how his family ate, even Xi Zi’s family. He wasn’t home because he went to school, taking his ration to eat in the canteen. If he spoke up, he’d be thought of as heartless, and his parents would be hurt."

Lin Lishan laughed heartily, listening to her talk while eating.

Zhou Jiao continued, "Why is Xiao Wu best friends with the chef at the county restaurant? It’s because he would catch wild chickens and rabbits and have him cook them. Once cooked, he’d secretly bring some to me. If there were no meat coupons, he’d have to order at the restaurant and got familiar with them, and they’d make a bit more.

Didn’t you say I’ve gotten thin? Well, you didn’t see me before; I was even thinner then. In winter, when the big snow was blowing, I didn’t dare go out. Really, the wind would push me, and I didn’t even need to walk. Hehe, so unless it was something important, I never went out in winter.

Before getting married, I had no money. Everyone called me a golden baby, but I truly had no money. I just relied on Xiao Wu to take care of me and give me nourishment. After getting married, I had some money, but those damn coupons were another struggle—without food stamps or meat coupons, money was useless, especially without food stamps. You couldn’t even eat at a restaurant. But thankfully, we ate wild game and got healthier.

This time when you came, you brought so much stuff over, it’s the grain that’s the most precious. You can’t buy it even if you have money. Now if you don’t go to the countryside, you have no idea how scarce grain is. It’s the same in the county town; the supply barely lets you feel eighty percent full. People plan breakfast as white porridge, and it’s only by night they feel eighty percent full. Where did you buy this grain? Isn’t there enough grain in Beijing?"

Lin Lishan drank a sip of soup, sighed, and shook her head, "There’s a shortage of grain, but we don’t lack it. How can soldiers do without food? I wish I had brought more."

Zhou Jiao smiled, "Next time, don’t bring grain. We have a way to buy grain now. With the new year coming, all the big and small markets will open up, and those from the countryside with fine grains will sell them. We’ll secretly buy and store more to eat slowly, no matter if it’s more expensive. Mom, you truly haven’t seen how poor some families are, have you? For example, when winter comes, a third of the people in Zhang Family Village have no cotton coats. What do they do then? Girls wear thin jackets, shivering as they do chores, and men taking turns wearing cotton coats to go out. And many families still use straw as quilts. That’s why the most people die in the big winter; it’s heartbreaking in poverty. So, we are doing pretty well now. We should feel happy and content."

Lin Lishan nodded, "We really should feel happy. I’ve looked around; in some places, people only drink porridge and only have a dry meal on New Year’s Eve."

"Mom, quickly go get some rice. It’s impressive I’m even done with this bowl."

Lin Lishan shook her head, "I can’t eat anymore, usually just this much. I’ll clean up once you’ve finished. Do Grandpa and them have enough? They haven’t been working."

Zhou Jiao gave her mother an annoyed look, "You forgot that Grandpa and Grandma have salaries and allowances every month; they have enough to eat. They’re feeding a bunch of people from the elder branch and are still well-fed. Before food stamps came along, they could buy with money. After getting food stamps, they added wild vegetables, eating as well as people in the county.

But their manners are appalling, eating like they’re robbing, grabbing food, and speaking loudly with spit flying everywhere. Speaking of them, it’s really off-putting. When I went back to the Zhou Family, there was hardly anything to eat. They’d open up a special meal the moment people left, everyone eating big and strong, and Huang Zhaodi is twice as fat as you, you can’t believe they have nothing to eat there."

"Hehe, really that fat? Wasn’t so in the past, you were quite good-looking. Indeed, time pushes people to age. Have you finished eating? I’ll tidy up and take it over. You just lean back, don’t lie down." With that, she tidied up and put it in a basket to take outside.

After a while, Lin Lishan came back in, and Zhou Jiao watched her mother closely, ensuring no one followed. She winked and gestured toward the outside. Lin Lishan gave her a look, seeing Zhou Jiao making a funny face, and covered her mouth with laughter.

"Only your eldest sister-in-law is in the kitchen, everyone else is eating, I didn’t go into the main room. There’s a sweet potato smell from the kitchen; it should be sweet potato rice for dinner, they gave us all the white rice, and they’ll eat sweet potato rice. Their children are well mannered, they didn’t cause any trouble."

Zhou Jiao nodded, "Their children are well-behaved. When they come to my room, they never touch anything. When given candy, they know to take it back for their younger siblings, and when the little ones see candy, they know to bring it back for their elder siblings."

Lin Lishan went to the kitchen to get hot water, brought it to the room, they washed up, turned on the radio, and lay on the kang chatting.