Affection for Sidaogou during the Famine

"Fellow villager, weigh me a pound of mung beans."

"Okay, the scale is high. I'll put it in a cloth bag for you. Twenty cents for you, please!"

"Store cabbage for the winter, sell potatoes at a low price!"

The entrance to the vegetable market is a mobile stall area, where most of the vendors are from the suburbs. Han Zhaozhao immediately became excited when she heard the hawking, because she had found a place to plant her seeds!

She wanted to get into the crowd but stopped herself because her grandmother told her to buy the fat meat, so it was more important to buy the meat first.

There is no rush for seeds. As long as there are farmers coming to the city to sell vegetables, things will be easy. She can find time to come back later. It would be best to buy seeds from farmers.

With a plan in mind, Han Zhaozhao stopped looking around and rushed forward like a monkey. After more than ten minutes, he finally arrived at the meat stall in the state-owned vegetable store.

There was already a long queue in front of the wooden counter, mostly housewives, with a few old men and children mixed in.

There weren't many children, and there were two snotty ones who were smaller than her, who were held by the adults and didn't count.

Watching the team slowly moving forward, Han Zhaozhao aimed at the dozen or so slices of pork on the rack behind the stall and was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling.

Oh! This meat is so tempting! Who said that supplies are scarce at this time? Let him see these rows of red and white big pork with fat!

"Comrade, please give me half a pound of first-grade meat."

"Okay, half a pound of first-grade meat!" There were two meat salesmen, one of them was a young female comrade, who was in charge of weighing, collecting money and receipts.

A strong man in his forties, wearing a greasy and twisted coarse cloth apron tied around his waist, was in charge of cutting the meat. Upon hearing the customer's request, he cut a piece of meat with a knife, put it on the scale plate, and weighed it to find that it was just the right amount.

Han Zhaozhao observed and found that this master was a talented person with unique skills.

For the customers in front, no matter what grade of meat they bought or how much they bought, he could always cut it accurately, and the portion would never be off by a single ounce!

"Comrade, cut the pork belly from the bottom for me. This one has bones. Please change it for me!"

"I'm sorry, but we can't change it! Whatever piece comes next will be the next one. You have to cut them one by one.

You complain about the bones, but don't others complain too? You can't buy the meat and leave the bones to the country, right?

Look, this piece of meat is three fingers thick, with only a little bone half the size of a finger, so it doesn't weigh you down!"

The customer pinched the bone and found it was not that big. He said helplessly, "Forget it, I won't trouble you. I'll take this one!"

The butcher grabbed a piece of wax paper nearby, wrapped it up in a few seconds and handed it to the customer, "How much is the next one?"

"Comrade, cut me a pound of first-grade meat! Is it time for me to cut the pork belly?"

"Okay! One pound of first-grade meat! You're lucky, this cut is really good!"

The butcher still cut off some ribs, and the customer who bought the meat didn't say anything. It seemed that he was a smart man!

Han Zhaozhao also understood it at the same time: it turns out that in those days, meat was sold together with bones and meat, and you had to buy whatever portion was your turn.

Unlike later generations, the pork in supermarkets is cut into boneless pieces and strips.

Bones have their own price, meat has its own price, the distinction is very detailed, and ribs are even more expensive than meat!

Because the butcher had unique skills and was able to cut and weigh the meat like flowing water, the saleswoman was efficient in collecting money and giving change, the queue moved very quickly, and soon it was Han Zhaozhao's turn.

She had already seen it clearly, and even if she cut it step by step, there were still many details involved, and the key still lay in the skill of the meat cutter!

"Good morning, uncle and sister! Please cut me a piece of first-grade meat. My grandmother needs it for oil refining! Here is the money!"

Han Zhaozhao showed all eight teeth, smiling broadly, and politely called out to someone before holding up the bill and handing it to the cashier. The saleswoman was almost thirty years old, and she was in a very good mood when a pretty, fair-skinned girl called her sister.

She took the money with a smile and said, "Little boy, you can call me auntie. My child is older than you!"

Han Zhaozhao blinked her big cute eyes, "Really? You look so young, you look like a sister! I can't quite bring myself to call you auntie."

This sentence made the saleswoman and the customers present laugh, "This child is so sweet and knows how to talk!"

"It's up to you. Call me sister if you want! There are a total of 1.5 kg of meat coupons. Do you want to buy them all? Or do you want to keep half and buy them in two installments?"

The salesperson was very happy to hear Han Zhaozhao calling her sister. The child's voice was crisp and sweet, with several plus signs of sugar content, and what she said was very pleasant to hear.

Moreover, she was dressed neatly and not shabby at all. She had a round, fair and tender face, and a pair of big, pitch-black eyes with clear black and white. She made people want to get close to her, and I couldn't help but ask a few more words.

You should know that most people nowadays rarely buy so much meat at one time. The fixed amount is 8 taels per person. If there are a large number of people, they can buy about 800 grams each time, which is enough to stir-fry three meat dishes.

If the population is small, just buy two taels each time, which is enough for cooking one dish.

It was rare to see a child like Han Zhaozhao coming to buy meat, and I had never seen anyone buy so much at one time.

"Meiyu, how much meat does this child want to buy?" The meat cutter standing next to the meat rack at the back asked with a smile. He also thought he had heard wrongly.

The saleswoman waved the bill in her hand and said, "She wants to buy one pound and six ounces of first-grade meat!"

"Sister, the meat coupons are about to expire. My grandmother said that our family hasn't bought any meat this month, so we have to buy fat to make oil."

Han Zhaozhao explained that these two people were too kind-hearted. Could it be that they thought she was a child who couldn't count and took the wrong money without telling her family?

"Little boy, where are the adults at home? Why did they let you go out to buy so much meat?"

The meat-cutting master was also confused and couldn't help asking again.

"My parents are in the army, and there are only me and my grandmother at home. A few days ago, my grandmother went to work as a temporary worker, so I am the only one who can go out to buy things.

Uncle and sister, thank you for your concern. Do you think I took the wrong money? Really not!

I can read and count, and from now on I will be the one buying all the supplies for my family. You will understand later. Just sell it to me!"

"Is that so? Hi, it's not easy for a military family. They sacrifice their own family for the sake of everyone else. Even such a young child has to take on the chores of shopping for the family.

If you want to refine oil, I'll cut you a piece of suet. There's still a piece of suet left today, three fingers thick, and it's the most oily!"

The meat-cutting master had always had good intentions towards Han Zhaozhao. The little girl was likable, polite and sweet-spoken. After learning about her family situation, he wanted to take care of the child from the bottom of his heart.

Afraid that the customers in line behind him would complain, he deliberately shouted while cutting the meat: "This lard was originally prepared for the state-owned restaurant. The purchaser hasn't come yet, so I'm making the decision. Cut a piece for the military families first!"

It can be said that most people in this era are still very conscious. When they heard that the little girl in front of them was a soldier's child, they all expressed their opinions, "Master Jin, we have no objection if you pick up the good meat for the child."

"Yes, Master, you can cut the child where the fat is thick, we support you.

We still have the awareness of supporting the army, so just go ahead and no one will say anything."

"Thank you, Mr. Jin, thank you, Sister Meiyu, and all the aunts, uncles, and grandpas!

Uncle Jin, you just need to stay close to the wound and there's no need to take special care of me.

My family is short of oil, and so are we. We all spend the same amount of money, so it’s not good to make exception for me.

My parents taught me since I was a child that as a soldier's child, I should always keep the people in mind. Serving the people is the purpose of their military service, and I cannot undermine their principles!"

Han Zhaozhao said loudly, thinking to himself: I can also shout slogans and sing high-sounding words!

PS: Thank you all for your support, happy holidays everyone!