Pork was in particularly short supply. Even though Lin Zhi had hurried, by the time she reached the counter, only some lean meat and a pile of bones with barely any meat were left.
The twins’ disappointment was written all over their faces.
They grabbed Lin Zhi, ready to leave.
But Lin Zhi planted her feet firmly and didn’t budge.
She examined the lean meat and reached for her money.
People preferred fatty meat because it was richer in oil, but Lin Zhi didn’t like fat, whether she had enough or not. Only if it was fried until dry would she eat a little; otherwise, she’d spit it out if she bit into it.
“Comrade, give me two jin of lean meat, and two big bones too.”
The big bones didn’t require a ration ticket; they were sold by the piece, one mao each.
At seven jiao five per jin for pork, a single bone could buy one or even two jin of meat, so few people bothered to buy bones.
Pork offal was difficult to process. Without the skill, it always carried a strong odor and couldn’t sell, so it was piled in wooden buckets at the sellers’ feet.
Lin Zhi wanted to buy some offal like the female lead in novels and braise it at home, but lacking the skill, she could only sigh at the offal.
“Two jin of meat is one yuan fifty, two bones two mao, total one yuan seventy.”
It was rare for someone to buy two jin at once, let alone bones. The seller, afraid Lin Zhi might regret it, quickly weighed and handed her the meat.
As the three of them exited the crowd, little He Ze’s cheeks puffed with frustration. Lin Zhi couldn’t resist poking him.
He Ze clutched the spot, feeling even angrier.
“All the meat’s bought, so what are you upset about? Don’t want to eat meat?”
“Lean meat isn’t tasty! Fatty meat smells better,” He Ze complained. He loved fatty meat—the kind braised in soy sauce—so fragrant that when his father took him to a state-run restaurant, he wanted to swallow his tongue along with it.
“There’s no fat left. If we don’t buy lean meat, we’ll have no meat at all,” Lin Zhi pinched little He Run’s face twice and raised an eyebrow at He Ze. “Just a few days of good meals and you’re already picky about meat?”
“I’m not!” He Ze panicked. “I’m not picky! I just… I just think lean meat isn’t worth it.”
Fatty meat could yield some oil, while lean meat was dry and tough. He Ze was calculating, even at his small age.
“Anyway, I’ve already bought it. No matter how ‘not worth it’ it is, it’s too late now.” Lin Zhi tossed the meat and bones into the bamboo basket and started walking.
“Going into town is such a hassle. I don’t plan to come back this month. If we don’t buy this meat, we won’t have any for the rest of the month.”
At this, He Ze didn’t argue anymore. If he did, he’d risk losing his share.
Passing the supply store, Lin Zhi went in for a look. It had far more goods than the army store, but she bought nothing.
It wasn’t that there was nothing she liked; it was just too crowded.
She couldn’t get the things she wanted, and the things she could get were useless.
In the end, she bought each twin an ice pop and kept two for herself. She hadn’t planned on buying the twins anything, but it felt wrong to eat her own while the little ones watched.
To satisfy her conscience, she gave them each one. And for herself, having two seemed fair—if such small children could have one, a grown woman could have two.
At the hospital, she first went to the Western doctor, got scolded, and then went to the Chinese doctor. When the doctor opened his mouth, she waved him off.
She shooed the twins out, closed the door, smoothed her clothes, cleared her throat, and gestured: “Go ahead!”
The older doctor, baffled by her smooth, confident actions, adjusted his sliding glasses and asked, “Go ahead with what?”
“Scold me!” Lin Zhi said humbly. “I just came from another doctor who said I was abusing my children, that I only care about myself. Go ahead and give me a good scolding.”
Normally, Lin Zhi would have cursed the person out. But people fall ill, and she might end up in a doctor’s hands someday. She remembered not to anger doctors, and so she endured the scolding without a word.
The old doctor had intended to scold, but her honest, direct manner left him speechless. For the first time, he didn’t know what to say, and his face turned red.
After visiting both Western and Chinese doctors, Lin Zhi chose the Chinese approach, and from the prescribed remedies, she selected food-based supplements over medicine.
By the time she left with the twins, she had a certificate allowing her to buy two cans of malted milk.
Malted milk was a true luxury at the time—46 yuan per can—so even with the certificate, the poor Lin Zhi couldn’t afford it.
Luckily, her shop still had a small leftover packet of breakfast milk. It could only make one cup, but the shop’s stock would refresh, letting her take it out again.
However, the breakfast milk’s packaging couldn’t be seen by others. Back home, she’d need a container to hold the milk powder, making it safe to display openly.
Once again, Lin Zhi silently praised her own cleverness. A smart, beautiful, and kind girl like her? The world couldn’t produce another.
Feeling delighted by her self-praise, Lin Zhi’s mood soared. Passing a state-run restaurant, she couldn’t resist. Using her last few yuan, she bought each twin two large meat buns.
As for the drool-inducing braised pork? Just looking at it would have to do.
After this trip, she only had a few yuan left, so two chickens for the twins’ nourishment would remain a daydream.
Back at the rendezvous point, the army vehicle hadn’t returned yet, but several other wives who had come together were back.
No one made greetings; everyone looked at each other suspiciously. Lin Zhi found a shaded spot, letting the twins gnaw their buns while she closed her eyes for a nap.
Each twin held a meat bun larger than their face, eating in big bites. Nearby, a few army wives looked at the children, then at Lin Zhi napping peacefully.
He Ze didn’t let his brother stand. He ran with his short legs and was forced to show the meat bun in his hand to them.
“Wow, really big meat buns!” one aunt exclaimed. She could smell them from a distance and initially thought she was imagining it. But yes, they were indeed meat buns.
The army commander’s wife sure knew how to splurge. Two such buns cost three mao, money that could have bought enough meat for a whole family meal.