Chapter 4

Chapter 4: If the Kids Like It, Let Them Eat “Pork for sale! Wild boar meat—no ration coupons needed!” Just after dusk, Bai Shazi’s booming voice rang out at the east end of the village. Within two minutes, the gates of several nearby courtyards began opening one after another. Villagers holding coarse porcelain bowls poked their heads out. “Who’s shouting about selling meat?” “There really is meat! It’s on that handcart!” Someone shouted, and the crowd quickly gathered around. In those days, everyone was short on fat in their diet. Some people couldn’t even count on seeing meat at New Year or other holidays. Wild boar meat without ration coupons was enormously tempting to the villagers. “Zhang Xiangyang? Where’d you get a pig?” Auntie Wang, the village’s notorious gossip, widened her eyes and looked back and forth between the meat and Zhang Xiangyang. “Hunted it in the mountains.” Zhang Xiangyang stood in front of the handcart, a boning knife in his hand. “Six mao a jin. No coupons. First come, first served.” The crowd erupted. Pork at the supply and marketing cooperative cost seven and a half mao a jin, and you needed meat coupons to buy it. Wild boar was a little tough, but it was cheap, fragrant, and didn’t require coupons. It was just the thing to satisfy a craving! “Quick, quick—give me two jin!” A man squeezed forward and pulled a handful of crumpled small-denomination notes from his pocket. Zhang Xiangyang brought the knife down and cut off a piece of meat, tossing it onto the scale. The scale beam tipped high. “Two jin and one liang. I’ll charge you for two jin. One yuan and two mao.” Zhang Xiangyang handed over the meat and tucked the money into his pocket. His movements were brisk, and he calculated the price in no time. Once the first customer had stepped up, the villagers went wild. “I want three jin!” “Give me five!” Zhang Xiangyang stood steadily in front of the cart, cutting the meat, weighing it, and taking the money in an orderly fashion. In his previous life, he’d managed a company of more than a thousand people. Handling a small scene like this was a breeze. At the edge of the crowd, Li Ergou pushed his way in, peering around. He stared at the meat on the cart, his eyes darting about. “Brother Xiangyang, you’re making a fortune!” Li Ergou came up close and reached for a piece of tenderloin. Zhang Xiangyang rapped his knuckles with the back of the knife, knocking his hand away. “If you want meat, pay for it. Tenderloin’s lean, so I’ll charge you five mao.” Zhang Xiangyang didn’t even look up. Things were different in this era from his previous life: fatty meat cost more than lean meat. Lean meat had no oil in it, and it just wasn’t satisfying to eat. Li Ergou gave an awkward laugh. “Brother, you and I go way back. Spot me two jin, will you? I’ll pay you back tomorrow.” Zhang Xiangyang lifted his eyes, his gaze cold. “No credit. Get lost.” Li Ergou’s face stiffened. A few of his usual drinking buddies stood behind him. This was the second time today he’d been publicly humiliated. They were all village ruffians. Why should he be the one treated like a doormat? “Zhang Xiangyang, don’t push your luck. That wild boar belongs to the collective. You dare sell it for your own profit? Believe me, I’ll report you to the commune!” Zhang Xiangyang set down the knife. He stepped out from behind the meat stall, grabbed Li Ergou by the collar, and yanked him up. “Go ahead.” His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried a hard edge. “Let’s see whether the commune gets me first or I kill you first.” “And don’t think I don’t know about the tricks you pulled at the poker table. If you cause trouble again, I’ll chop your fingers off right now!” Li Ergou went deathly pale and trembled all over. Zhang Xiangyang had found out that they’d rigged the game to swindle him! Zhang Xiangyang let go, and Li Ergou landed hard on his backside. “Anyone else want meat? If not, I’m packing up!” The villagers who’d seen what happened didn’t dare say a word. They simply lined up obediently and pulled out their money. In less than an hour, more than half the meat on the cart had been sold. Sixty jin remained. Zhang Xiangyang put away the knife. “I’m done selling. We’re keeping the rest for our own family!” The villagers who hadn’t managed to buy any meat sighed, but they knew Zhang Xiangyang was a hard case, so they could only leave reluctantly. Zhang Xiangyang cut off twenty jin of the fattiest pork belly and added a set of pig offal, placing it in front of Bai Baoguo. “Uncle Bai, this is the meat I promised you.” Bai Baoguo smoked his pipe, glanced at the meat, then looked at Zhang Xiangyang. He’d been watching the young man while he sold the meat. His calculations were sharp, his cuts precise, and, more importantly, when he did business with neighbors, he’d given some extra meat here and there, making sure everyone left satisfied. Could this little bastard really have turned over a new leaf? Zhang Xiangyang didn’t notice his expression. He was busy counting the money. Ten-yuan notes, one-yuan notes, and notes bearing pictures of steelworkers, tractor drivers, and textile workers—one thick stack. One hundred and five yuan and three mao. That was the total income from selling the meat. Bai Baoguo had his son carry the meat away. His tone softened a little. “Take this money home and give it to your mother. If I catch you gambling again, I’ll never speak to you for the rest of my life.” “Heh, I’ll remember, Uncle Bai.” Zhang Xiangyang nodded, breaking into a bright smile. …… Meanwhile, at Zhang Family Courtyard. The roof of the main room let in the wind. A kerosene lamp sat on a square table with a broken leg. The wick had been trimmed very short, and its light was dim. Six coarse porcelain bowls sat on the table, each filled with rice water. A few grains of unpolished rice had settled at the bottom. The broth was so clear you could see your reflection in it. The family of six sat around the table in silence. The only sound was the swallowing of rice water. Yaya put down her bowl, touched her sunken stomach, then looked up at Lin Xiulan. “Mom, I’m hungry,” Yaya said softly. Lin Xiulan set down her chopsticks and reached out to stroke Yaya’s dry, yellow hair. “Good girl, Yaya. You can have what’s in my bowl, too. Drink it all, then go to sleep. You won’t be hungry once you’re asleep.” Yaya shook her head. “Mom, I heard someone at the village entrance shouting about selling meat. I want some.” Lin Xiulan’s eyes reddened. She managed a weak smile. “You must’ve misheard, Yaya. They were selling cloth. You can’t eat cloth.” “Big Auntie’s lying.” Dandan tipped up her little face. “I heard it too. They were selling meat—wild boar, and you didn’t even need coupons.” As she spoke, Dandan turned to Su Hongying. “Mom, I want meat too.” Su Hongying set down her bowl, her face cold. “What meat? We don’t have any! Drink your soup!” Her stern voice startled Dandan. The little girl shrank her neck, tears welling in her eyes. Liu Cuihua sighed heavily. She set down her chipped porcelain bowl, stood, and went to the earthen stove in the corner. Stepping onto a small wooden stool, she reached up toward the rafters. A blackened earthenware jar hung from a rafter. Liu Cuihua reached inside and felt out a fist-sized lump of pickled vegetables. She hesitated, but then went to the chopping board, picked up the cleaver, and cut off a thick piece. Seeing this, Lin Xiulan hurried over and put a hand on Liu Cuihua’s. “Mom, what are you doing? We’re saving those pickles for the winter.” Su Hongying stood up too. “That’s right, Mom. The girls just said it in passing. You spoil them too much…” …… Just then, the door creaked open. Zhang Xiangyang stepped over the threshold and set a burlap sack on the floor. “If the kids want to eat, let them. It’s not like we can’t afford it.” His tone was calm as he pulled over a long bench and sat down. The room fell silent. Lin Xiulan stared at Zhang Xiangyang, her chest heaving. She wanted to curse him, but she hadn’t had a bite to eat or a drop to drink all day. She didn’t have the strength. Su Hongying turned her head away and wouldn’t even look at him. Li Yuxiang sat at the far end, closest to the sack. She sniffed and caught the strong, raw smell of meat. Turning toward the corner, she saw the sack had come half open, revealing a large piece of meat with a thick layer of white fat. The dark-red lean meat and gleaming white fat made a striking sight. “Meat?” Li Yuxiang’s voice rose sharply as she pointed at the sack in the corner. “You really did get a kill?” Lin Xiulan and Su Hongying turned at the same time and followed Li Yuxiang’s pointing finger. Zhang Xiangyang stood up and went to the sack. He untied the twine at the top and folded the sack down with both hands. Forty jin of wild boar meat lay exposed, glistening with fat. The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. “Gulp.” Someone swallowed. Zhang Xiangyang had expected this reaction. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a handful of money, and slapped it hard onto the table. “Heh. What did you think?”