Su Zhaoying’s face and ears were both red.
Lin Jinghong walked around him. “Tomorrow I’ll find the brigade leader to get a letter of introduction, and the two of us will go register for our marriage certificate. Don’t worry, I’ll work hard to give you a bride price. I won’t let you suffer too much.”
“…………”
Su Zhaoying watched her retreating figure with an expression that was hard to describe, a thousand alpacas stampeding through his mind.
Only after Lin Jinghong had walked quite far did he stride forward on his long legs to catch up.
“That’s not what I meant…”
“I know you’re thin-skinned. Don’t worry, I’m thick-skinned. The two of us complement each other perfectly.” Lin Jinghong didn’t even give him a chance to speak.
“I’m strong and can earn work points to support you. Look at you—so fair-skinned and delicate. Why work so hard? You have someone to lean on, yet you won’t.”
She gave Su Zhaoying an appraising look up and down.
“A person needs to learn to use their advantages, or else won’t they suffer a huge loss?”
Su Zhaoying’s cheeks were twitching. In twenty-two years of life, this was the first time he felt utterly speechless.
“You wouldn’t want to be an ungrateful person, would you?” Lin Jinghong wore an expression that said, “I’m sure I haven’t misjudged you.”
All of Su Zhaoying’s words got stuck in his throat.
“There are many kinds of life-saving favors…”
“Lin Daya, you went to town?!” Before he could finish, Zhao Chunmei suddenly appeared and interrupted him.
This was Lin Jinghong’s arch-rival.
The two had never gotten along since birth, and the number of fights they’d had growing up was impossible to count.
“None of your damn business?” Lin Jinghong rolled her eyes and ignored her.
The patch on Zhao Chunmei’s knee was already torn. She chased after them boisterously. “I smell meat buns! Did you buy big meat buns?”
“Even if I did, I wouldn’t give you any.”
“I just want to smell them.” Zhao Chunmei swallowed hard.
“…Pervert.” Lin Jinghong was speechless. She turned back to call Su Zhaoying. “Hurry up and walk. My parents are about to get off work.”
Su Zhaoying had a lot to say, but now wasn’t the time. If it were anyone else, he wouldn’t care.
But this was his life-saver, and he still cared about her reputation.
“Oh! Youth Su!” Only then did Zhao Chunmei notice Su Zhaoying. She shyly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Why didn’t you say you were here earlier?”
She shot Lin Jinghong a glare for making her embarrass herself.
“You can’t even see a living person right in front of you, yet you say you like him.” Lin Jinghong said contemptuously.
“You might as well say you like me.”
“You…” Zhao Chunmei’s face flushed red, whether from embarrassment or anger, it was hard to tell.
The corner of Su Zhaoying’s mouth twitched hard again.
This was also the first time he felt at a loss for words.
When they reached the brigade, Lin Jinghong took all the purchased items from Su Zhaoying’s hands, then waved. “Bye-bye.”
Su Zhaoying…
Zhao Chunmei was filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment. She looked at Su Zhaoying coyly. “Youth Su, I…”
“Comrade Zhao, your eyes twitch quite often. That should be some serious illness. I suggest you go to the health clinic to get checked out. Really, don’t delay.”
Zhao Chunmei, “…?”
She watched Su Zhaoying’s retreating figure, a lump of anger stuck in her chest. You’re the one with a serious illness! Your whole family has a serious illness!
When Lin Jinghong got home, her little sister who gathered pigweed had already returned.
She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her.
“Sis, where did you go again? Does your forehead still hurt?”
Lin Jinghong… Damn. She knew she’d forgotten something. It was the injury on her head.
Oh well, having the Spirit Spring Water was fine too.
“I went to the commune to buy some things. Eat up.” She took out a big meat bun.
The weather was hot, so the bun wasn’t cold—it was fine to eat.
A white-flour big meat bun! Lin Xiaomei’s eyes lit up.
She couldn’t control her drooling. “Sis, th-this, where did this meat bun come from?”
“Your sister bought it. Eat.” Lin Jinghong looked at her hands, dark as chicken claws. “Go wash your hands first.”
“Got it!” Lin Xiaomei’s voice was loud and clear.
She washed her hands until they were completely clean, then carefully held the big meat bun with reverence, taking small bites and chewing slowly. This rare delicacy—she didn’t want to finish it all at once.
Lin Jinghong took the candy into the house, along with a catty of peach shortbread, a catty of fried dough sticks, and a catty of sponge cake—all bought by Su Zhaoying.
She carried the two catties of meat to the kitchen.
“Xiaomei, are you done eating? Come light the fire.” Lin Jinghong wasn’t very good at using this kind of earthen stove.
“Coming!” Lin Xiaomei still had a little over half a bun left. She finished it in two or three bites.
No matter how reluctant she was to part with it, she couldn’t delay work.
Lin Jinghong washed the meat clean and separated the fat from the lean. The fat would be used to render oil.
The cracklings were delicious too. As for the lean meat, she’d stew it with potatoes.
She’d originally thought of stir-frying a bowl, but stewing the meat would let everyone have a few more bowls of soup.
They’d been lacking in oil and grease lately.
“Sis, we’re eating meat today?” Lin Xiaomei’s eyes sparkled.
“Yeah, keep the fire going well.”
Lin Jinghong’s cooking skills were only average, but with all the seasonings available, the food would still turn out tasty.
The cupboard was locked, but she knew where the key was.
After putting the fat in the pot, Lin Jinghong went into her parents’ room to find the cupboard key.
Then she went to the cellar and got a few potatoes and a big cabbage.
No wonder they ate so sparingly—the family’s grain supply was almost gone.
They were just waiting for the autumn harvest.
Lin Jinghong took half a small bowl of yellow millet and two sweet potatoes. She’d make some sweet potato porridge.
There were still a dozen or so eggs in the cupboard, saved for trading salt. After a moment’s thought, she took three directly—she’d add some water and steam a bowl of them later, enough for everyone to share.
Father Lin, Mother Lin, and Lin Xiaodi returned, sore and exhausted, and smelled the rich aroma of meat the moment they reached the front door.
The Lin family’s home was in a somewhat unusual spot—right at the foot of the mountain, across the river.
The nearest neighbors were all about two hundred meters away.
Back when the family split, Father Lin had chosen the far end of the village in a fit of anger, keeping a great distance from the old Lin household.
Qingyan Brigade was split down the middle by a river, and on the other side, because it backed up against the mountain and the road was inconvenient, not many families lived there.
“Dad, Mom, Sis stewed meat!” Lin Xiaomei ran out of the kitchen when she heard the commotion, slurping back her drool.
Sis said they had to wait until Mom and Dad got home before eating.
Father Lin and Mother Lin exchanged a glance, full of questions.
Lin Jinghong didn’t give them time to ask, urging them to wash their hands and eat right away.
With potatoes and radish added, a whole basin of meat was carried straight into the house.
There was also a bowl of steamed eggs, a dish of pickled vegetables, and a pot of sweet potato porridge.
Everyone was famished.
“Don’t ask, just eat first.” Lin Jinghong brought out another basin of big meat buns.
The whole family’s eyes went wide.
Lin Jinghong picked up a meat bun and took a bite. “I don’t want to talk right now. I’ll talk after I’m full.”
Mother Lin, who was about to ask, swallowed her words.
“Mom, Dad, let’s eat?” Lin Xiaodi could barely hold back his drool.
“Eat!” Father Lin was craving it too.
In all his life, he’d never had a truly lavish meal—even at New Year’s, he’d never eaten this well.
With the head of the household giving the word, Mother Lin let out a sigh and grabbed a meat bun.
Who could resist?
At the table, only the clinking of chopsticks and bowls could be heard.
There were nine meat buns in total. Lin Jinghong ate only one, Lin Xiaomei had one, and of the remaining seven, Father Lin took three, while Mother Lin and Lin Xiaodi each had two.
Lin Jinghong directly ladled Lin Xiaodi a big bowl of potato and meat stew.
A growing boy eats his parents out of house and home—two meat buns were nowhere near enough for fifteen-year-old Lin Xiaodi.