You Can't Even Bear to Give Me Half a Jin of Meat?

"Big brother, this candy is so sweet!"

The one who spoke was the fourth child, Liang Jia. The little girl usually didn't talk much and was rather quiet, like a well-behaved little girl.

But when it came to her own big brother, she still dared to speak.

Liang Xin smiled and patted the head of Liang Jia, the fourth child, who came up to his armpit. "When you finish it, I'll give you some more. But it's best not to eat it all at once."

She was just the right height-perfect for patting on the head!

The fourth child was taken aback, and the others were a little surprised too.

Their eldest brother had rarely shown such closeness to his younger brothers and sisters before.

Still, it was a good thing.

Maybe it was because he had been working for the past month and could earn a wage now, so he was in a good mood.

"Thank you, big brother."

"Eldest, did you eat lunch? Are you hungry? How about I make you something?"

Most of the time, the family ate communal meals at the canteen.

But just about every household secretly stored a little grain against emergencies or for hosting visiting relatives and friends.

The collective's grain was all kept at the village committee.

But just about every household grew a little in its own courtyard, and that belonged entirely to them.

Of course, the yield usually wasn't very large.

It could tide them over in an emergency, but living off that little bit of grain was impossible.

"Mom, now that you mention it, I am hungry. Make me something to eat."

This was his own home, after all, so Liang Xin didn't stand on ceremony.

Besides, he really hadn't eaten lunch, and he was indeed a little hungry.

At this hour, the village committee canteen should have been serving lunch.

But whatever they were serving might not even have been as good as what he'd eaten for lunch over the previous two days. The thought alone was enough for him.

"Oh, right, Mom, wait a moment."

"I brought some things back this time."

Liang Xin walked over to the kang and opened the cardboard box he had brought back.

First, he pulled out a large paper parcel.

He had just bought this!

"Mom, I brought this fatty pork back especially! Five jin!"

Everyone was stunned to hear there were a full five jin of fatty pork!

This wasn't just anything—this was five jin of fatty pork!

In the city, one person's monthly ration was only two liang.

In the countryside, they could forget about even that!

People in the city still got two liang of meat a month, but in the countryside, they couldn't even eat meat once a month!

Although the pigs were raised by country folk, once they were slaughtered, the city still had to be supplied first!

Or rather, the pigs grew up in the countryside, but once they were grown, they were all hauled to the city to be slaughtered.

Naturally, country folk got even less than city people.

The whole family stood stunned for quite a while before Mom was the first to move. Her hands trembling, she opened the paper parcel, and when she saw the large, tender white slab of fatty pork inside, she instinctively covered her mouth.

It was as if she were afraid she wouldn't be able to stop herself from crying out, and that the neighbors would hear and snatch the meat away!

Liang Xin was delighted by his family's reaction.

Well? Surprised? Didn't expect that, did you? Happy?

They must be over the moon, right?

Only then did he take out another small paper parcel, just a tenth the size of the first.

"Mom, I work at the supply and marketing cooperative, and the cooperative handles supplies, so I have some channels for getting things."

"This is half a jin of pork belly. Stir-fry it with something for me, will you?"

Liang Xin had taken out the fatty pork first to head off his mother's objections.

He knew that, given his family's circumstances, those five jin of fatty pork would definitely be rendered into lard.

People needed many necessities to stay healthy.

Oil was one of the important ones.

Eating meat directly was naturally the easiest and quickest way to get it.

But that was somewhat wasteful.

A jin of meat could be eaten in one meal.

But if it was rendered into lard, it could last for many meals.

And although food cooked with lard wasn't as fragrant as meat itself, it was still delicious.

That was clearly the best value.

So Liang Xin took out the five jin of fatty pork first for his mother to render into lard.

Then it was only natural to take out half a jin of meat and have Mom stir-fry it for him.

In fact, as far as he was concerned, even stir-frying two or three jin of meat wouldn't have been a problem.

But given his family's circumstances,

he figured getting his mom to agree to stir-fry half a jin was probably already the limit.

Anything he took out beyond that would definitely be confiscated and rendered into lard.

"Why stir-fry it? That would be such a waste. Let's render it into lard too."

"It's just a pity there's quite a bit of lean meat in this piece. It'll go to waste. Why didn't you get all fatty pork?"

Liang Xin was speechless.

I already took out five jin of fatty pork first, and you're still eyeing my half jin of pork belly.

Even if you are my mom, you're going too far!

I can't accept this!

"Mom! That fatty pork was a benefit the higher-ups gave us on the quiet. That was all each person got. It's not like they'd give me however much I wanted!"

"This half jin of pork belly is what I bought with my own money!"

"And from now on, you need to change the way you think!"

"I have a job now! At the supply and marketing cooperative, too! There'll be plenty more of this in the future! I guarantee the family will have more oil than we can use!"

"From now on, you can just look forward to living the good life!"

"So I'm hungry now! Just tell me, will you make me this meal or not? If you won't, I'll go eat at the canteen right now!"

"All right, all right, I'll make it for you. I'll make it right now, okay?"