Year 1979: Eating meat with my wife and children

The nearest supply and marketing cooperative to Old Li's house is at the entrance of the alley. It doesn't look like a big shop from the outside, but it has a full range of goods inside.

Residents in the vicinity will go to the Wangfujing Department Store to buy big-ticket items, but they will usually come here to buy any daily necessities they need at home.

Inside the supply and marketing cooperative, several saleswomen sitting behind the counter were chatting about some gossip. One of them, a middle-aged woman, kept talking while knitting a sweater with two long needles flying up and down in her hands.

Hearing the door open, she looked up and saw who it was, and asked while knitting, "Xiaojiang, are you here to buy soy sauce?"

Just as she was wondering why the child didn't even bring a bottle when he went to buy soy sauce, she heard Li Xiangdong's greeting. She then looked closely and exclaimed, "Oh my, Dongzi, when did you get back?"

"Aunt Zhang, I've been back for a while now. It's my fault for not coming to see you sooner."

Aunt Zhang was Li's mother's old friend. Through Aunt Zhang, Li's mother could buy flawed cloth and broken biscuits, things that others wanted to buy but couldn't.

Most importantly, Li's mother never shortchanged anyone when buying things at the supply and marketing cooperative; the ghost scale existed in every era.

Of course, Aunt Zhang's family never lacked coal.

"Hey, don't overthink it, kid. Auntie didn't mean anything by it. It's just that I haven't seen you for a while. When you came in just now, I almost didn't recognize you. Everyone else who came back from the countryside was so dark and thin, but you're even fairer than before!"

This question made Li Xiangdong very embarrassed. Although he had gone to the countryside, he didn't work in the fields, so of course he wouldn't get tanned.

"Auntie, let's chat another time. The kids at home are all waiting for popsicles."

He counted on his fingers and said, "Aunt Zhang, give me 5 popsicles, 3 cream popsicles, and 4 cream ice creams."

He turned to Li Xiaojiang beside him and asked, "Which one do you want to eat?"

Red bean paste popsicle.

Li Xiaojiang was self-aware enough not to ask for the most expensive cream ice cream, but since he had helped with the work, he certainly didn't want to eat the cheapest popsicle.

"Pops are 2 cents, red bean and cream popsicles are 5 cents, and cream ice cream is 1 cents. That's 7 cents in total."

Li Xiangdong handed over the last yuan in his pocket. His mouth was dry and he had been planning to buy a pack of cigarettes, but now he thought he should just go home and mooch off his dad.

Aunt Zhang put down the long needles and yarn in her hand, quickly collected the money, gave change, wrote out the receipt, and then clipped it into the clip hanging on the wire. With a flick of her wrist, the clip slid down the wire to the cashier's face.

Soon, the cashier stamped the receipt and tossed it back to the cashier.

The popsicles were placed in a wooden box, wrapped in a thick cotton quilt.

Children whose elders work at the supply and marketing cooperative never lack sweet drinks in the summer. Because the supply and marketing cooperatives don't have refrigeration equipment, popsicles are hard to preserve and melt into water, so they end up as employee benefits.

Li Xiangdong saw Aunt Zhang pinch each one with her hands, picking out the harder ones for them.

"Next time you go shopping, remember to bring the cloth bag from home."

Seeing the uncle and nephew empty-handed, Aunt Zhang turned around, took out a piece of oil paper used for wrapping snacks, wrapped the popsicles, tied a knot with a string, and then handed it to Li Xiangdong.

"I was in a rush to leave and forgot, I'm sorry to have troubled you again."

Li Xiangdong had no recollection of this. He was so used to going out to buy things in his past life that he forgot that plastic bags weren't common yet, and people used to carry bamboo baskets and cloth bags when they went out to buy things.

He greeted Aunt Zhang, and to avoid the popsicles melting, the uncle and nephew hurried home.

The distance of a few hundred meters was so hot that Li Xiangdong was covered in sweat. As soon as he entered the courtyard, the children who were waiting at home rushed over.

"Third Uncle, you're finally back!"

"Time for popsicles!"

"Don't fight over it, whoever tries to take it won't get any. Aren't you all hot standing in the sun? Come with me to the living room in the main house."

Li Xiangdong, like a king of children, was surrounded by his nephews and nieces as he entered the living room.

Li's mother came out of the west room, looked at Li Xiangdong, and asked, "What's all the noise about? Did you buy them popsicles?"

“My kids helped me with some chores, so as their uncle, I definitely have to treat them.”

Li Xiangdong placed the paper package on the dining table, opened it, and said, "Line up and come one by one."

The children obediently lined up and took their share from him one by one. Then they eagerly tore open the wrappers and carefully licked the contents with their tongues.

"You spendthrift son, you really have money to burn! You could have just given them an ice pop, why did you have to buy them creamy ice cream?"

When Li's mother saw the cream popsicles and ice cream in her grandchildren's hands, she felt heartbroken.

The money for one creamy ice cream can buy five popsicles. It would be better to save that money and buy meat!

As for her youngest son's claim that the children could get cream ice cream just for helping with chores and wiping the table, where would she find such a good deal? She wanted to do it!

Li Xiangdong ignored his mother, picked up an ice pop, tore open the wrapper, stuffed it into his mouth, and began to divide the rest.

"Xiaojiang, take one of these popsicles to your mother and the other to your second aunt."

He bought things for everyone in the family, not wanting to leave out his sisters-in-law. Of course, he couldn't bear to spend money on expensive things, but popsicles were fine; he ate popsicles himself.

"Okay, Uncle."

Li Xiaojiang responded.

Seeing her eldest grandson about to run outside with an ice pop, Li's mother hurriedly said, "Tell your mother and second aunt to come and help make lunch."

"Got it, grandma."

Li's mother didn't call her youngest daughter-in-law to come and help with the work. Her little granddaughter was very clingy. She had been back for so long, and she started to get unhappy when anyone other than her youngest son and his wife held her for too long.

Her third son is a lazy bum who wouldn't even pick up a fallen soy sauce bottle, let alone help his wife take care of the children. Calling Zhou Yuqin over wouldn't be of much help, and might even make things worse.

Li Xiangdong went to the east room to check, but didn't see his grandparents. He came out and asked, "Mom, what are my grandparents doing in the room?"

Li's mother replied, "She just went out to play cards at your neighbor Liu's house next door."