Chapter 23: Delivering Meals

An hour passed by in the blink of an eye.

Xie Meiyi took out fifty cents, but Shen Qingyao only wanted twenty, hoping to exchange the remaining thirty cents for meat coupons. Xie Meiyi readily agreed and watched as Shen Qingyao headed toward the supply and marketing cooperative.

Having money did not necessarily mean one could buy meat. In a planned economy where everything required coupons, this was the most troublesome part. Coupons were either distributed per capita or bought and sold between individuals. Even if Shen Qingyao were entitled to coupons, they were not currently in her hands.

Once Shen Qingyao disappeared from her sight, Xie Meiyi finally snapped back to reality. She immediately walked into the store and called Jiang Feng.

"Guess who I just saw?" Xie Meiyi asked, sounding mysterious.

"Who?" Jiang Feng hesitated for three seconds before answering, his tone measured and thoughtful.

"Who else could it be? It was Yaoyao, of course."

"I saw her yesterday, too. I even saw her brother."

Xie Meiyi's smile faded. "You old man, are you trying to be the death of me?"

Ever since meeting Shen Qingyao, both Xie Meiyi and Jiang Feng had been unable to stop thinking about her. Jiang Feng, however, was a man who kept his composure and never revealed his feelings easily in public. But it was different once they were home. Jiang Yan was often busy and returned home late, so Jiang Feng and Xie Meiyi would discuss these things over dinner. In Xie Meiyi’s words, Jiang Feng was secretly showing off in every way he could, which made her teeth ache with jealousy. Especially when Jiang Feng mentioned the little interactions between Jiang Yan and Shen Qingyao, Xie Meiyi wished she could have been there to witness it herself.

She had thought she had the upper hand today, but it turned out Jiang Feng hadn't revealed everything; he still had an ace up his sleeve—Shen Qingyao's brother. Still, everyone had a trump card.

"So what? I even made clothes for Yaoyao and her grandmother today," Xie Meiyi said, her tone brimming with irrepressible pride.

After listening, Jiang Feng first followed her lead before asking the question he cared about most. "You didn't give anything away, did you?" He swallowed nervously, unsure why he felt so anxious. A military marriage could not be easily dissolved. It wasn't child's play; to put it simply, it would be seen as marital discord, but in more serious terms, it could be viewed as a lapse in moral character.

Xie Meiyi patted her chest. "Chief Jiang, I still have that much capability. Don't underestimate me."

Jiang Feng responded with a laugh.

***

Shen Qingyao realized for the first time why working at the supply and marketing cooperative was such a sought-after job: there were people queuing up at every moment of the day.

After waiting for a long time, it was finally her turn. She wanted to exchange all her meat coupons, but the staff told her there were limits. The resources allocated to the countryside were finite, and one person could not take them all. After some thought, Shen Qingyao headed home with three pounds of meat.

Qiao Yufan was sewing insoles, and when she saw Shen Qingyao return with the meat, her face immediately darkened. "You just started earning money and you're spending so much already. You don't know how to save."

Shen Qingyao acted coquettishly. "Meat is meant to be eaten. Grandma, could you stew some red-braised pork for me today?"

Since the meat was already bought, there was no choice but to cook it. "Fine, I'll cook a big pot of red-braised pork. You can take a bowl to your brother after dinner."

Shen Qingyao nodded with a smile. Qiao Yufan worked diligently with the spatula. To ensure they could eat sooner, Shen Qingyao stayed in the kitchen to feed the fire for her. She stared intently at the pot, and Qiao Yufan pointed at her, calling her a little glutton. Shen Qingyao didn't feel embarrassed; instead, she jokingly meowed like a cat.

Once the lid was on, Qiao Yufan left it to simmer a while longer. She urged Shen Qingyao to set the table, and Shen Qingyao didn't dare to delay. When the fragrant red-braised pork was ready, Shen Qingyao’s eyes shone with delight. Before Qiao Yufan could even place it on the table, Shen Qingyao snatched a small piece to taste.

Qiao Yufan served a bowl of sweet potato rice. "You've loved eating straight from the pot since you were a child. You still can't break the habit now that you're grown."

"Grandma, it's so delicious."

"I've set aside a portion for your brother. Eat while it's hot, then take his share to him." After giving her instructions, Qiao Yufan brought out a dish of spicy radishes.

Shen Qingyao felt a bit nauseous at the sight of the spicy radishes and pushed them aside. "We're having red-braised pork today; why would we need spicy radishes?"

Qiao Yufan scolded her with a laugh, "You’d think it was New Year's Day."

"I earned the money, so why can't I treat it like New Year's?" Shen Qingyao retorted confidently.

"Grandma is getting old, and my teeth aren't good; I can't chew well." Usually, when others said this, it might be to let the children eat more, but Qiao Yufan was telling the truth. She was advanced in age, and her teeth were no longer strong. Lean meat got stuck, and fat meat was hard to swallow. Soft, watery food didn't suit her dietary habits either.

***

Old age was the most difficult stage of life; everything was inconvenient. Looking at the gaps in Qiao Yufan’s teeth, Shen Qingyao pondered. The traditional methods of tooth extraction in this era were quite primitive; it seemed she would eventually have to make a trip to a big city.

After dinner, Shen Qingyao clutched the lunchbox and headed out to deliver the meat to Shen Qingye. It was still light out, so she didn't bother bringing a flashlight, thinking she would be back quickly. As she neared the factory, she made a point to check on the security guard. Shen Qingye’s situation was not yet resolved, and Shen Qingyao wouldn't just let it go. The system had warned her that if it wasn't handled properly, she would lose points. She couldn't afford that. The mission required 100,000 points, and she currently had only a little over a thousand. How pointless, truly pointless.

The guard was at his post, swatting at flies with a flyswatter. Shen Qingyao greeted him and headed upstairs with a forced smile. Shen Qingye had just finished his shift and washed off the grime; he was gnawing on a steamed bun when she knocked.

"What a coincidence! Brother, look at what I have." Shen Qingyao smiled mysteriously and placed the lunchbox on the table.

Even during the New Year, people in the factory rarely saw such high-quality meat. Shen Qingye’s first reaction was to swallow hard, then he seemed to remember something. "Where did this come from?"

"Brother, hurry and eat. It’ll get cold." Shen Qingyao skillfully diverted the topic. She didn't feel guilty, but she was worried that if Shen Qingye knew what kind of job she had found, he might think it was unreliable. Although she thought so herself, the money in her hand was real. After thinking about it, she decided not to tell him.

"I earned the money."

Shen Qingye didn't say anything after hearing this; he simply sat down and started to eat. He knew Shen Qingyao must have already eaten before coming.

"Grandma stewed it until it was very tender. Brother, eat more." She pushed the lunchbox closer, and Shen Qingye began to eat faster. It was the norm for those who finished work late at the factory to be given a few steamed buns for a meal. Watching him eat ravenously, Shen Qingyao couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.

"Slow down, slow down. Brother, I'll bring you food every day from now on."

Shen Qingye waved his hand. "No need, it's too much trouble."