Starting a new chapter in life

As the month drew to a close, Jingyan took advantage of her work to buy ten pounds of pork ribs from the canteen. She planned to braise them to practice and get feedback from Chef Lin. Although pork belly would be more fragrant after braising, it was also very expensive, so she decided against it and opted for pork ribs instead. The military unit had a partnership with the local meat processing plant, so the meat was relatively cheap and didn't require ration coupons.

I followed the steps to blanch the ribs, then added the braising spices to braise them. After that, I removed them from the heat and let them soak in the braising liquid. The next morning, after getting ready, I checked that I had enough time, so I cut the ribs into pieces and packed them into lunchboxes. Well, I only had two lunchboxes at home, so I hesitated for a moment and ended up using an enamel basin to pack them all in before putting them in my basket and heading straight to the cafeteria.

After preparing the ingredients, Jingyan had a break of about an hour. She opened the enamel basin to show everyone her work, and several people from the cafeteria gathered around. Chef Lin took the first bite and nodded in satisfaction.

"The taste is good. Next time you make it, you can use a lower heat and simmer it for a longer time to let the flavors penetrate better. If you make it during the Chinese New Year, you can reuse the braising liquid. Once it becomes a seasoned braising liquid, the meat will taste even better than it does now. Of course, you can skip it in the summer and autumn. You're not very careful, and if you're not careful, the seasoned braising liquid might spoil and you'll lose more than you gain."

Jingyan humbly accepted the instruction, and the others immediately joined in the tasting after Chef Lin finished his comments. This braised pork rib dish was not bad, but it was better than the worst. At least Jingyan felt that it would be presentable enough to sell.

Everyone stopped eating after only a few pieces. Jing Yan smiled and said, "I don't have many days left to work in the cafeteria. Everyone has taken good care of me for the past three years. I don't have much to offer, so I'm taking advantage of Chef Lin's help and the cafeteria's convenience to treat everyone to this meal. It's not much, but it's my heartfelt gift. Please don't mind, everyone can share it, it's like a dish."

Sister Liu looked at everyone, stood up and said, "Everyone go get your lunchboxes and share the meat. Don't let Jingyan's kindness go to waste." Everyone responded and took their lunchboxes to share the meat. The cafeteria was filled with laughter and noise.

Sister Liu turned around, took Jingyan's hand, and instructed her: "Although we will no longer be colleagues, you are still a young girl who came from here. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, come back and tell us. We will definitely help if we can."

Jingyan thanked Sister Liu with gratitude. No matter what, she would always remember the kindness and help she received from her colleagues in the cafeteria.

"Your son He Zhijun loves to eat meat, but the meat coupons he gets each month aren't enough to buy much. If you need to buy meat in the future and you don't have enough coupons, you can go to the meat processing plant and find someone named Zhou Xuyang."

He's the head of the supply and marketing department at the meat processing plant. He's the one who negotiated the pork procurement for our unit with the logistics department. My husband, Lao Zeng, also knows him. Families of soldiers who need to buy meat usually go through him.

If you go to him, just say you're a family member of a soldier in our unit, and that I recommended you. Don't worry, there won't be any special treatment other than being taken hostage, and there won't be anything irregular.

"Sister Liu, thank you so much! You have no idea how difficult it is to buy meat. I didn't dare to go to the black market, afraid that if I got caught, it would have a bad influence on Zhijun. After all, as a military family member, if I were arrested, it would be a huge disgrace to the army. Now that we have a legitimate channel, I'm so happy!" Jingyan was genuinely grateful.

Originally, I was thinking of finding something to do after retiring from the cafeteria, or maybe secretly making some food for private sale at home. But considering the current shortage of all kinds of supplies, that budding idea was nipped in the bud. Now that things have taken a turn for the better, I can consider it, but I need to discuss it with He Zhijun before deciding whether to do it. Although the crackdown on speculation has eased somewhat, we still need to prepare for the worst and not be too optimistic.

At the end of the month, after Jingyan finished her last day's work and tidied up, Sister Liu gave her her salary for the month. After saying goodbye to everyone, she returned home and found that He Zhijun had already returned. As he entered the house, he asked curiously, "Are you on vacation?"

He Zhijun nodded: "I thought you would come back after eating in the cafeteria, so I didn't cook. But I boiled some water and will make a pot of tea later. Would you like some?"

Jing Yan nodded: "Okay, I also have something to discuss with you."

The tea was brewed, its aroma filling the air. The two sat at the table, and for a moment, they truly felt a sense of peace and tranquility. "What do you want to discuss with me?"

Jingyan took a sip of tea. "I just had nothing to do. Before I left, Chef Lin gave me a recipe for braised meat. I made some a few days ago and took it to the cafeteria as a farewell gift. Chef Lin said I did a good job. I was thinking, why don't I braise some meat at home and sell it secretly when I have time?"

Putting everything else aside, the businesses of our neighbors should be able to thrive. We won't make a big fuss about it; do you think we'll get arrested by the Revolutionary Committee? I feel like speculation and profiteering haven't been strictly cracked down on lately. If all else fails, we can always go to the monthly market once a month; that's a legal business."

He Zhijun frowned: "This kind of thing isn't done openly. As long as no one reports it, generally no one will know. After all, it's done at home and not sold outside, so the safety is okay. Even if someone comes to check, just say it's for your own consumption. Can't people eat something good? But where are you going to buy so much meat? It would be a waste of all this trouble if you didn't braise twenty or thirty pounds each time."

Jing Yan smiled even more happily upon hearing this: "When I was leaving, Sister Liu told me that if I needed meat, I could go to the meat processing plant and find a head of the supply and marketing department named Zhou Xuyang. She said that he has a partnership with the military, and military dependents would get some benefits if they went to him to buy meat. The meat price is a little higher, but no meat coupons are needed. What do you think?"

"Tomorrow we'll go to the meat processing plant and ask around. If they're willing to supply it long-term, we can give it a try. Don't be greedy, just do it occasionally. Don't do it too often, partly for safety, and most importantly, I don't want you to be too tired. Doing it occasionally to pass the time is fine."

Jingyan nodded repeatedly: "Okay, we'll buy ten catties of meat tomorrow, and I'll braise a pot for you to try. If you like it, I'll cut some and send it to the neighbors. They can afford it, so they're practically customers."

When you go back to your unit, take some back for Battalion Commander Gao, just to add a dish to his meal. You're under his command; giving gifts is both mercenary and prone to causing mistakes, and it's hard to find the right balance. One wrong move and you might offend him instead of making friends, which would be a loss. Cooking at home is actually a better way to build relationships.”

"Okay, thank you for thinking so much about me, my wife." He Zhijun held her hand and played with it, comparing its size to his own. He was a little surprised: "Wife, your hand isn't much smaller than mine. No wonder you're so tall."

"Big hands grab grass, small hands grab treasure. Are you complaining that I have big hands, big feet, and a big frame?" Jing Yan glanced at him sideways.

“How could that be? My wife has a very elegant appearance. Everyone envies me for having such a beautiful wife. We’re both tall, so our next generation will definitely be tall too. This is a great thing. How could I possibly complain?” He Zhijun’s survival instinct kicked in immediately.

"Alright, you pass." Jingyan looked smug. She was increasingly aware of her significant changes. In the past, she always tried to be frugal, and her family might not have understood her hardships. Now, she stopped being stingy and wanted to treat herself better. Life is short, and there's no need to suffer if you can live well. He Zhijun, as her current family, was willing to indulge her, making her smiles more genuine. Was this a change brought about by re-evaluating herself? And it actually felt pretty good.

The next day, the two packed up and, carrying baskets, headed towards the meat processing plant while asking around. When they arrived at the gate, He Zhijun went up to the gatekeeper and spoke to him. The gatekeeper was very helpful and soon found Zhou Xuyang. When Zhou Xuyang saw the two of them, he immediately grinned at He Zhijun and asked, "Comrade, are you from the Production and Construction Corps?"

One sentence piqued He Zhijun's interest: "How did you figure that out? I wasn't wearing a military uniform, and I don't really need to participate in high-intensity training, so my military bearing isn't particularly prominent."

Zhou Xuyang laughed heartily: "Although you're not wearing a military uniform and you're not practicing the Five Qi, you stand up straight. Even if you can't stand at the military posture, the habits you've developed over the years still show some signs of it. Besides, the only people who would come to me privately are from the Production and Construction Corps, because I promised that as long as any family member of a member of the Corps wants to improve their lives and buy some meat, they can come directly to me, and I'll make arrangements, compile a list, and that'll be it."

He Zhijun also had a good first impression of him. He said to Zhou Xuyang, "This is my wife. We came to buy meat this time, but mainly we want to know how much meat you can give us if we want to buy more, and how many times a month we can come to buy meat?"

Zhou Xuyang immediately realized, "A military wife? It seems your cooking skills are quite good. We mainly supply the army and the supply and marketing cooperative, so there are limited quantities available. Not many can be sold individually. If you want a specific cut, it's not easy to coordinate. If you don't want to be picky about the cut, there are still some options, such as spare ribs, which are not easy to sell..."

He Zhijun looked at Jing Yan, who thought for a moment and said, "At first I really didn't need much. Five catties of pork belly is usually enough each time, but I can have more ribs and big bones. I'm not sure about the exact amount now. Today, I'll just need about ten or eight catties of ribs and two big bones. I'll go back and try making it. I don't know if it will be okay."

Zhou Xuyang nodded: "I'll go ask. If the slaughterhouse has enough meat, we'll take as much as my sister-in-law needs. If not, we'll take as much as they have."

Jing Yan nodded quickly: "Thank you very much."

"You're welcome. People's lives have become much easier in the past two years, and the number of pigs that each company has handed in has also increased. Our meat processing plant also raises quite a few of its own. Now we can have three or four pigs ready for market every day. No matter how well the people in the city are doing, they can't consume all that meat."

Fortunately, we got in touch with the logistics department of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, and they are purchasing a certain amount of pork every day, which stabilizes sales. But even so, some pork remains unsold. We dare not sell this meat to other channels, and internal consumption is not a long-term solution. Now that military families have needs, and this is in accordance with regulations, we will definitely support them as much as we can.”

Zhou Xuyang spoke euphemistically, but his words implied that he knew it was for speculation and profiteering. His job was sales, but in this planned economy, there was a supply of goods but people's purchasing power was restricted, which left him helpless. He was determined to seize any opportunity that presented itself. He told the two to wait at the door while he went to the slaughterhouse to confirm.

A short while later, he brought out the meat: "There are only three catties of pork belly left. This is the best-selling part. The supply and marketing cooperative took more of this, so this is all that's left. There are a lot of bones left. Everyone is short of oil and fat these days. Ribs are all lean meat, not fragrant, so people don't like them much. So I brought ten catties of ribs and two catties of big bones. Is that alright?"

Jing Yan nodded: "The pork belly is mainly for adding a rich, oily flavor, making the stewed meat more fragrant. Three catties should be enough. What are the prices?"

"Pork belly is 1.2 yuan, spare ribs are 1 yuan, and big bones have the least meat, 0.9 yuan. This is the lowest price I can offer. Is that acceptable?"

"Okay, how much is it?"

"Fifteen dollars and forty cents."

"Fifteen yuan, is that alright?" Jingyan bargained.

Zhou Xuyang looked troubled: "Sister-in-law, I really can't lower the price; this is going into the accounts."

Jingyan nodded: "Oh, then count it." After saying that, she counted the money and handed it over.

Zhou Xuyang... was this just a formality, a way to haggle over the price to make it seem like a proper occasion? But the fact that this military wife was so agreeable still pleased him. He handed the meat to He Zhijun, quickly took the money, counted it, and then smiled broadly: "The amount is correct, thank you, sister-in-law."

“My surname is Zhang, Zhang Jingyan. I’ll come to you in advance to place an order if I need to buy meat in the future. Is that convenient for you?” Jingyan wanted to finalize the next transaction first.

“No problem. It would be best if you could let me know in advance. I’ll talk to the slaughterhouse and reserve what you need. So, how about a pleasant cooperation?” Zhou Xuyang agreed readily.

"It was a pleasure working with you." The couple left, and only after they disappeared from sight did Zhou Xuyang turn around and walk back. As he passed the gatekeeper, he took out a cigarette and handed it to him: "If you see this lady from earlier coming over again, please let me know. Thank you. Um, if the Revolutionary Committee comes to investigate, just wait until they leave before you tell me."

The gatekeeper took the cigarette, smelled it, tucked it behind his ear, and smiled as he replied, "Don't worry, it won't cause any problems."

Zhou Xuyang then went inside with peace of mind. The gatekeeper watched his retreating figure and murmured, "The Revolutionary Committee has been much more low-key this year. It seems things are going to get better." Afterward, he hummed a little tune, sat on a recliner, and swayed slowly, looking relaxed and content.

He Zhijun carried a basket covered with a cotton cloth, while Jing Yan walked briskly: "I didn't expect it to go so smoothly. Section Chief Zhou didn't even have a problem with what I need so much dried meat for. I had already thought of an excuse."