Starting a new chapter in life

He Zhijun nodded: "Okay, then let's take two."

Looking further down, there were several bones. "Fan bones? And big club bones, how could these be left over?" Jing Yan asked in confusion.

Zhang Xiaofen smiled and said, "These bones are heavy and don't have much oil. They also take a long time to stew if you want them to taste good, so they're not very popular."

He Zhijun pointed to the miscellaneous bones and said, "Take these too. We can sell them cheaper if we cook them properly. I still remember the taste of braised pork bones from the Great Northern Wilderness."

Jingyan nodded, and just like that, the basin that was overflowing suddenly became only half full. Zhang Xiaofen smiled even more warmly: "Can you cook the rest of the meat?"

"If you buy it all, including the bones you just picked, I'll give it to you for 70 cents a pound, plus two pairs of pig ears and four pig trotters as a bonus, how about that?"

Jingyan hesitated. The price was acceptable, and there were even extras, but it was still a bit too much. It would take at least two batches to make. Could she sell them all? What if she couldn't sell them?

He Zhijun noticed her hesitation: "It's okay if we can't sell them tomorrow. I'm going back to school tomorrow. Pack them up for me, one pound each, and I'll let my classmates try them. Quite a few of them come from well-off families. The food in the cafeteria is just so-so. If you can add some meat and vegetables, it shouldn't be a problem. If all else fails, I can have them too."

Seeing that he had made such a sacrifice, Jingyan agreed. When weighed, it was thirty-six jin, which was quite a lot. Zhang Xiaofen charged her twenty-five yuan, plus extra, and actively helped them take them home. Of course, she also took the opportunity to familiarize herself with the place. She thought that she could try coming here for any meat she couldn't get rid of in the future, as long as she could find the place.

"What benefit do you get from working so hard to sell the remaining meat?" Jingyan was genuinely curious; it was quite unusual for a working-class person to work so hard.

Zhang Xiaofen glanced back at the slaughterhouse she had already left. "We have some news that the deputy director might be stepping down. If I can make some contributions during this time, I might be able to compete for the deputy director position. Even if I don't win, at least the things I do will catch the leaders' eye. I don't want to stay at the slaughterhouse forever; I also want to work in an office."

Jing Yan nodded: "Indeed, ambition is the best motivation to move forward."

When they passed by Yuan Xiaoling's house, and Aunt Yuan and Xiaoling went straight home, He Zhijun handed the lunchbox containing meat to Aunt Yuan: "Auntie, I'm often away from home because of school, and I'm so grateful for your help. It would be too formal to say anything else. I'll take this back for Uncle to have with his drinks."

Aunt Yuan smiled and took the lunchbox. She liked the couple very much; they were polite, and she wouldn't let anyone who had used her lunchbox go to waste. In any case, their manners were impeccable, and she was naturally willing to take extra care of such a sensible younger generation.

Back home, Zhang Xiaofen helped put the meat into the bucket in the kitchen, picked up the basin, and said goodbye before leaving. Before leaving, she said, "You need to pick up the 20 jin of pork belly and 10 jin of ribs you ordered. I'll get off work around 10 o'clock and bring them to you on my way."

The couple thanked her and watched her leave, locking the gate before returning to the kitchen to prepare the bones and meat. They planned to braise the meat later in the yard using a small coal stove—it was compact and convenient, requiring no constant monitoring. The remaining meat and bones could be braised again tomorrow.

"How long can we store all this braised meat?" He Zhijun asked.

"If it stays in the brine and doesn't move, and the weather isn't too hot yet, it shouldn't spoil within three days. I'm planning to do what you said, sell half a pound per pack and a small dish as a sample to taste. I'll go to the sister who bought the eggs before and put them out there. Maybe someone will be willing to buy them. It's not realistic to rely on the neighbors all the time." Jingyan was thinking about how to expand her business.

“Then I’ll go with you tomorrow,” He Zhijun said.

“I’m not going tomorrow. We still need to braise the meat that was delivered at home. I’ll try to go the day after tomorrow. You just focus on your studies. You said it yourself, even if we can’t sell any of these, we can afford the loss. I won’t make things too difficult for myself,” Jingyan advised him.

Although He Zhijun was a little worried, he didn't want to be too forceful with her, so he could only do more work to lighten his wife's workload. Jing Yan wasn't really worried. In her previous life, she sold barbecue on the roadside near the school. At first, she felt embarrassed, but later she realized it wasn't necessary. As long as no one caught her, she had nothing to be afraid of.

The next morning, I continued to braise the meat in the small stove. The aroma of the meat wafted through the yard, and sure enough, it attracted several families to come and buy the meat. There were also children who came to eat braised meat noodles even though their parents weren't home.

Jingyan didn't recommend braised pork noodles to her neighbors. After all, making hand-pulled noodles is quite tiring. She prefers to simply sell braised pork and close the shop when she's sold out. That would be much better. However, if any children come over to eat, she can make a few bowls and also take care of her own meals.

As evening approached, He Zhijun was about to return to school. Jingyan packed a lunchbox full of bones for him. Business was much better than expected today. The braised food from yesterday was almost sold out, and only some bones were left for him to take away.

He Zhijun was relieved. As long as people came to his house to buy, Jingyan wouldn't have to go out anymore. It was better not to be exposed to the wind and sun. After seeing He Zhijun off, Jingyan started her small business.

After selling at home for three days and all the neighbors had tried it, business entered a cooling-off period. Following her previous plan, Jingyan wrapped the meat and ribs separately in brown paper, half a pound per package, and cut small pieces of meat and rib meat into a lunchbox. Then, carrying a basket, she went to the place where she had previously bought eggs and sat down at the roadside to set up her stall.

There's a fair amount of foot traffic here; people from several nearby directions pass by on their way home from get off work. Around noon, Jingyan opens her lunchbox, puts a small handful of toothpicks on the lid, and shouts to passersby, "Braised meat, braised ribs, flavorful and delicious, perfect with drinks!"

There were several vegetable stalls nearby, and they were all a bit confused by Jingyan's shouting. Surprisingly, the noise actually attracted a few people to stop and watch. Since people were coming to see, that was a good thing. Jingyan gave each person who asked a small piece to try.

When I inquired about the price, it was two yuan a pack. Some people who were willing to spend the money actually bought some. I brought a total of thirty packs. By the time the crowd dispersed, only seven or eight packs were left. This can be considered a good start.

Seeing that there weren't many people left, Jingyan packed up her lunchbox, slung her basket over her shoulder, and prepared to leave. The old woman selling vegetables asked her, "Young lady, are you coming back to set up your stall tomorrow? I see your business is really doing quite well."

Jing Yan smiled and shook her head: "I won't be back until the day after tomorrow. This meat needs to be braised for a whole day. I'll braise the meat at home tomorrow and come back the day after tomorrow."

And so, a girl selling braised meat had a good business, and the braised meat was quite delicious. Apart from being a bit expensive, there was nothing wrong with it. But the fact that the girl was lazy and only set up her stall every other day gradually spread. Jingyan needed 30 jin of goods every two days, and so they slowly made it into July at this frequency.

Jingyan was five months pregnant and her pregnancy was already quite noticeable. She was also feeling very tired from doing things, and the weather was getting hot. This kind of weather and her physical condition were no longer suitable for her to continue doing anything strenuous, so she decided to stop for the time being.

He Zhijun's university also had a summer break. He only studied for one semester, and would be a sophomore when school started in September. They were essentially making the most of a year in half a year, so it's understandable that they worked hard. Therefore, even during the summer break, he stayed at school, immersing himself in the library to study on his own.

He originally planned to borrow books to read at home, but Jingyan had witnessed the difference between Rongqiang's studies at home and at school during his holidays. She didn't think he needed her to stay home with him now. After much persuasion, she finally got him to go back to school, and he only needed to come back once every ten days or half a month.

He Zhijun also knew his main task at the moment. After taking Jingyan to the hospital for a follow-up examination and confirming that she was in good condition and could live a normal life, he returned to school with peace of mind.

Jingyan wasn't bored at home. Occasionally, Zhang Xiaofen would bring over some cheap meat that she couldn't sell, which she would accept. However, she had reduced the amount of pork belly and ribs she needed to five jin each. With less work, she would cook for herself at home, sometimes braised pork ribs, and sometimes sweet and sour pork.

When neighbors come to buy braised meat, they also take some other food with them, which makes the original house a bit more like a restaurant, something Jingyan never expected.

Entering August, Jingyan completely stopped making braised meat. Her neighbors, noticing her large pregnant belly, knew she needed to be more careful at this time. They would inform each other, occasionally asking about her pregnancy, but then stopped bothering her.

Jingyan also started preparing diapers for the baby. A lot of diapers are needed for a baby, but fortunately Cui Hongru made quite a few for her. In addition, her sister-in-law gave her some old clothes from when her child was little, so there should be enough for the newborn.

Cui Hongru has found the eldest sister she was looking for. On a weekend, the He family drove a car borrowed from the military region, bringing the eldest sister and her personal belongings to the area. After unloading everything, the father and son drove to the nursing home to pick up their grandmother. There were also many things to move back from their grandmother's place, so both sides were quite busy.

Cui Hongru felt sorry for Jingyan and didn't let her get involved in settling her older sister. This time, they brought a lot of books with them, including the Thousand Character Classic, the Four Great Classical Novels, and the Three Words and Two Slaps. Although they were all in classical Chinese, they were still quite obscure for Jingyan with her limited cultural knowledge, but they weren't particularly difficult to understand. Jingyan thought they would be good for passing the time when she was bored.

The books were carefully placed on the bookshelf. Jingyan started cooking. The vegetables in the yard were ripening one after another, and the little hens had already started laying eggs. Stir-fried eggs with tomatoes, stewed pork ribs with green beans, stir-fried eggplant with green peppers, and cucumber salad were all made one after another.

After settling the eldest sister in, the three of them went downstairs and saw three dishes already laid out on the dining table. Jingyan smiled when she saw them and said, "There's one more dish in the pot, and the rice is already cooking. I wonder when Grandma and the others will be back."

People just can't resist being nagged. No sooner had she finished speaking than she heard the sound of a car stopping outside. Cui Hongru went to open the door, and sure enough, the He family father and son had just parked their car to pick up their grandmother, and they were still helping her out of the car.

Immediately, everyone in the house except Jingyan, who was still watching the stew in the pot, rushed over to help. Grandma was helped in and was very happy to see Jingyan: "Jingyan, you've gained a lot of weight. Are your legs swollen?"

Jingyan stepped forward and said, "I'm not swollen. I eat three meals a day and sleep very well. I sleep through the night. It's just that going to the toilet is a bit troublesome. It's difficult to go to public toilets, so I go to the toilet at home. There's a temporary toilet set up in the bathroom area. It's cleaned every day, so it's not too bad."

Grandma nodded: "If all else fails, we can build one at home, so we don't have to keep running around and causing trouble."

Jingyan shook her head: "No, even if the outhouse is built in the corner of the yard, it will still smell bad. It's better to empty the chamber pot every day. My nose is very sensitive now, and I can smell any strange odor."

Grandma looked at her and smiled, tapping her forehead: "It's not an outhouse. The sanatorium I'm in has one; there's one on each floor with five stalls. You can sit down to use the toilet."

This saves us older folks a lot of effort. After use, just pull the rope to flush, it's so convenient, and there's no odor. However, I'm not sure of the specifics.

After saying that, she looked at He Jiaoxu, who was carrying bedding and clothes into the house, and said, "Xiaoxu, later you can find someone to ask how to install a flush toilet and get one at home as soon as possible. Jingyan's pregnancy is getting more and more advanced, and I'm getting old, so it's inconvenient for me to use public toilets."

He Jiaoxu wiped the sweat from his forehead and nodded, saying, "I understand, Mom. I'll go ask my former comrades after dinner. If I can get in touch with them, I'll come over as soon as possible to help."

The old lady nodded: "How much is left? I don't think there's that much stuff."

“There aren’t many left, just some books at the back. Mom, which room are you planning to stay in?” He Jiaoxu asked.

Jingyan quickly led the way: "Dad, Grandma lives in this room. This room has a kang (heated brick bed), which is very warm in winter and cool in summer as long as you don't light a fire."

He Jiaoxu followed with the things in his arms. A new kang mat had already been laid on the kang, and he threw the bedding directly on it. "This kang is really big. It can sleep four or five people. When Jingyan mentioned it, I was reminded of the kang I stayed on when I went to Liaoning Province. It was warm. I didn't expect you to find someone who knows how to build a kang."

He carefully examined the small stove in the living room and the kang (heated brick bed) in the room. "Do we really have to build a stove? It's not convenient to build a stove in our house. Otherwise, I would like to build a kang too. Anyway, it's on the first floor, so it's easier to make a fuss."

Jingyan thought for a moment and said, "I remember that in our hometown, some educated youth settlements didn't build stoves. They just built a fire pit on the kang (a heated brick bed) and burned firewood for warmth. It's just that burning firewood in the house is a bit dirty. I'll ask Liu Qiang later. If he can do it, our family can build a kang, which will make winter much easier. I'll also build one for my older brother's family."

Sister-in-law Zhou Jie smiled and nodded: "Sure, I also think winter is tough, it would be best if we could keep warm."

After tidying up Grandma's things, the new eldest sister was very observant and laid out bedding in Grandma's sleeping spot. Although it wasn't as easy as making a bed, it wasn't too difficult. Once everything was settled, everyone gathered together for their first meal.