Chapter 50: Chapter 24: Delicious Food (2)
GULP!
Ah Huai’s eyes were fixed on the small bowl of chicken and mushroom stew, his throat bobbing unconsciously.
"What are you saying? I..."
Xiang Lin’s wife stopped mid-sentence and looked at Uncle Zao Hua. He was the head of the household, so she couldn’t accept on her own.
"This is too precious... Um, Brother Rui..." Uncle Zao Hua subconsciously wanted to refuse, but he was clumsy with words and didn’t know what to say. He ended up sounding a bit incoherent.
"It’s just a little something, Uncle Zao Hua. Please, take it! I’ll just leave it here. You can return the bowl after you’re done eating." After saying his piece, Fang Rui turned and left without giving Zao Hua’s family a chance to refuse.
"Hey!"
Uncle Zao Hua failed to stop Fang Rui. Seeing him leave, he was silent for a moment before saying, "One must live with a conscience. Our family must remember this kindness."
Xiang Lin’s wife and Ah Huai both nodded earnestly.
Just then, Ah Huai’s eyes lit up as he stared at the small bowl. He wiped his hands on his clothes, hesitating for a long while before he couldn’t help but ask, "Dad, Mom, can I have a piece of meat? Just one small piece!"
"Eat what?!"
Xiang Lin’s wife rapped him with her chopsticks and began to nag, "This broth is full of oil. If we pour it into the pot a little at a time, it can last for several meals... When we make porridge, we can add one piece of meat and cook it until it falls apart. That’s a whole meal, and we can do that several times... The chicken head is the biggest part; we can even split it up and cook it for two or three meals..."
"All in all, if we’re careful, this can feed us for many days!"
This was no exaggeration.
In this day and age, a piece of pork rind, just wiped around the pot before cooking to add some grease, could be used for a long time—let alone actual meat.
"Oh!"
Hearing this, Ah Huai was a little disappointed. He hung his head but was sensible enough not to mention eating meat again.
Uncle Zao Hua suddenly spoke up, "Our stomachs have no oil in them. Eating meat will give us diarrhea. We’ll each have one piece of mushroom."
In this era, even if parents doted on their children, it was unlikely they would let a child eat all the good food alone.
For one, the adults were the laborers who had to do heavy work. For another, most families had many children. With so many kids, it was impossible for one to be ’the center of three generations’ affection.’
With Uncle Zao Hua’s permission, Xiang Lin’s wife finally picked up the bowl and divided the mushrooms. Each person got one piece: Uncle Zao Hua’s was the biggest, Ah Huai’s was the next largest, and hers was the smallest.
"Thank you, Dad! Thank you, Mom!" Ah Huai cheered, overjoyed. The mushroom was plump and juicy, clearly soaked in rich oil. It would definitely be delicious.
He ate it in tiny, tiny bites, savoring it. Only when Uncle Zao Hua and Xiang Lin’s wife had finished their meal and were urging him to wash the bowl did he reluctantly swallow the last little piece in one gulp.
Even so, Ah Huai couldn’t bear to swallow it quickly. He chewed that small piece of mushroom for a long time, letting the flavor soak into his mouth, his stomach, and finally his heart, as if it could drive away some of the bitterness of his life.
...
Fang Rui delivering meat to the Third Lady’s House and Uncle Zao Hua’s house was naturally spotted by sharp-eyed neighbors, sparking a wave of discussion.
...
"In times like these, the Fang Family can still afford to eat meat? I wonder where they got it?"
"The Black Market, probably? But other channels are possible too. Isn’t Brother Rui of the Fang Family on good terms with that governmental officer, Jiang Ya Yi? Also, Old Fang had some friends. I saw Brother Rui go out yesterday afternoon carrying something. He was probably calling in some old favors..."
"Yeah, an Entry Grade Martial Artist is just different. They have connections!"
...
"The last time our family had meat was for New Year’s two years ago, wasn’t it? I can’t even remember the taste anymore!"
"Tell me about it. You just can’t compare some people to others, you just can’t!"
"Alright, that’s enough of that sour talk. It’s one thing to say it at home, but don’t you dare say it outside... I have a feeling that Brother Rui of the Fang Family holds a grudge..."
"But he also remembers kindness. Otherwise, why would he be so generous as to give away meat?"
...
"That Brother Rui of the Fang Family is so generous. That’s meat, and he just gives it away!"
Sister-in-law Cai Gen muttered as she peeked out the window, "The Third Lady’s House is one thing; they’ve always been on good terms with the Fang Family. But Zao Hua’s family got some too..."
GULP!
Er Dan stood beside her, staring longingly outside and swallowing unconsciously.
Seeing her son’s pitiable state, Sister-in-law Cai Gen’s face filled with self-reproach. Regret bit at her heart like a viper. ’If... if only I hadn’t sought a moment of satisfaction and had said a good word for the Fang Family back then... What Zao Hua’s family is getting now would have been ours...’
People often don’t feel much about distant, unattainable things, but they feel immense regret for opportunities that were once within their grasp and slipped through their fingers.
Little did she know that character is destiny. Sister-in-law Cai Gen’s sharp tongue and petty selfishness, versus Uncle Zao Hua’s steady nature and good conscience—their different personalities had already determined everything in the grand scheme of things.
"That’s enough."
Uncle Fu Quan set down a woven wicker basket and said in a low, muffled voice, "What’s the use of envying other families? We just need to live our own lives. Mix the wheat bran and Liu Ye leaves I brought back last night and boil them for dinner."
"Sigh!"
With a long sigh, Sister-in-law Cai Gen turned and left.
...
In truth, Sister-in-law Cai Gen wasn’t the only one feeling regret. The other two families who had received help from the Fang Family but had sided with Song Dashan were also kicking themselves.
...
The Fang Family’s meal of meat caused all sorts of reactions among the neighbors in Willow Alley: some were amazed and red-eyed with envy, some were jealous, others were overwhelmed with regret... The list went on.
The Mortal World in all its forms.
...
When Fang Rui returned from Uncle Zao Hua’s house, just as he expected, Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and Fang Ling were waiting for him. Neither had touched their chopsticks.
Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family was alright; unable to sit idle during this free moment, she was sewing clothes.
As for Fang Ling...
The little girl, smelling the fragrance that filled the house, couldn’t sit still. She wriggled back and forth as if there were nails on her chair, but her big eyes remained fixed on the chicken and mushroom stew in the center of the table.
It was quite amusing.
Fang Rui shook his head with a chuckle, washed his hands, and sat down. "Mother, Ling’Er, let’s eat!"
He didn’t repeat his usual ’you two go ahead and eat next time, don’t wait for me,’ because he knew it was useless. Even if he said it, they would do the same thing again.
"Wow!"
Fang Ling cheered but still didn’t dare to pick up her chopsticks. She looked at Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family, then looked again, wanting to take some meat but not quite daring to.
"What are you looking at me for? Eat! Go on, eat!" Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family huffed, slightly exasperated.
She had taken what Fang Rui said yesterday to heart and wasn’t being quite so stingy and overly frugal anymore.
"That’s right, Ling’Er. I promised you’d get to eat your fill today, so dig in! Mother, you eat too!"
Fang Rui put some food into Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family’s bowl.
"Hey, slowly, slowly!"
Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family didn’t refuse. In fact, she moved her bowl forward to meet the food, afraid that a single drop of the precious oil might fall and be wasted.
"Eat the meat clean, but we have to keep the bones. We’ll gather them all up and boil them in a stew. That’s more precious oil!" she nagged.
Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family was trying to change, to let her children not be so stingy and frugal with food, but her habit of treasuring every scrap had not changed in the slightest.
It was a trait etched into the very bones of people from this era; it couldn’t be changed.
Fang Rui didn’t hold back either. He picked up a chicken wing, slurped the broth, and chewed the meat on the wingtip, feeling the delicious flavor explode on his taste buds.
Inside the small house, steam rose from the earthenware bowl of chicken and mushroom stew. The aroma of a home-cooked meal enveloped the three of them. At the table, the midday sun filtered through the hemp curtain, casting flecks of light that looked like shattered gold.
It was warm and peaceful.
The three of them—Fang Rui, Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family, and Fang Ling—all ate with great happiness and satisfaction.
Fang Ling, especially, truly ate to her heart’s content. Her mouth was shiny with grease, and her belly was round and full, stretched so thin it almost seemed transparent.
After the meal.
CLINK! CLANG!
Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family was cleaning up in the kitchen. Fang Ling licked the corners of her mouth and rubbed her belly, a look of pure satisfaction on her face.
Fang Rui sat by the window, holding a medical book he wasn’t reading. He glanced at Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family bustling in the kitchen, then at Fang Ling’s satisfied face, and smiled knowingly.
’Even the most exquisite delicacies don’t taste that good if you eat them alone. The best meals are the ones enjoyed with family, surrounded by the warmth of home,’ he thought to himself.
...
