Chapter 010: Midnight Poisoning
This kind of self-discipline of thought is undoubtedly more impressive than those Douyin users who have been battling against late-night toxicity for many years; it belongs to the brain's self-protective mechanism
This is also why for the past year and a half, the Gu family has been sending meat to Gu Min every month—if Gu Min were to join a commune in the plains and rice fields, as long as she tended to her two acres of private land diligently, she would certainly not lack for staple food.
Gu Chao felt quite speechless: So instead of stealing your things, I have to endure your scolding instead
Gu Chao left home on a boat on Saturday night and did not return until Sunday night
Mu Mingsha looked up and recognized Gu Ao, and then said with a pleasant expression: "Are you looking for Minmin? She is picking tea at Dongpo—there are only two days left until Qingming, and she has been working day and night to gather it."
She picked up a piece with chopsticks and, while accidentally stirring it, discovered that the proportion of meat was surprisingly greater than usual. It was then that she recalled her brother mentioning: this time the meat was not purchased with tickets, but was an extra allocation.
Gu Min was indeed very pleased after hearing this, and then opened the meat can in front of Gu Ao.
During class, Gu Ao finally had more tasks to engage in—previously, he did not have a reference book and could only memorize vocabulary and write English from memory.
The journey of over 40 kilometers took Gu Ao more than two hours—actually, it is only a little over 30 kilometers, but currently, there is only one bridge over the Qiantang River, necessitating a longer detour
She felt a deep sense of guilt: "Usually it's only six taels, so it's fine if you give it to me. But suddenly it's over two jin, how can you give it all to me? You should eat some with Dad too. Here, you stay at the tea plantation for dinner tonight, eat a few pieces before you leave. You are just too honest. You say you brought meat for over a year, and I wouldn't know if you sneaked a few pieces on the way! If you continue like this, you will suffer losses when you enter society in the future!"
After finishing the meal, Gu Ao handed over the journals related to refrigeration science and the invoice he purchased from Hujiang to his father
Only after he estimated that the neighbors had fallen asleep and could no longer smell the aroma did he combine all the meat chops with three pounds of preserved vegetables and begin to braise them.
About two and a half jin
However, this has also resulted in an excessively high population density in the courtyard at present. Gu Ao's spontaneous remark, likening it to a map artillery strike with excellent coverage, has directly caused all the neighbors to feel envy and resentment.
He encountered a familiar young lady at the foot of the mountain and directly inquired: "Sasha, where is my sister?"
... ...
Teacher Yang asked a few questions and then approved the leave request
Gu Chao returned home and had a bit of lunch, took out the tightly sealed jar of pickled vegetables with meat that his father had locked in the pantry, as well as several volumes of reference books, which he neatly arranged in his large backpack
Gu Min's biological clock has developed a very regular automatic reminder mechanism for the days when meat is delivered each month. As a result, around the 10th of each month, her body behaves as if it has muscle memory, anticipating her brother's arrival with the meat. However, as long as the date has not yet arrived, she automatically suppresses any thoughts related to this matter
Gu Chao has visited more than ten times, so he is quite familiar with the way.
Thus, no account of Gu Ao was checked
The old man flipped through the publication for a while and asked Gu Ao some questions regarding technical knowledge, which could basically be resolved with high school physics and the basic understanding of the Carnot cycle learned in university
Gu Chao wanted to protest, but after considering that he had just eaten two jin of greasy braised pork knuckle for lunch and spent so much money, he felt it was inappropriate to voice his objections
Now he has obtained the meat in advance, so he has also gone to the countryside to visit his relatives ahead of time
Weng Dechen, who has long-standing grievances with him, is also secretly observing and looking for incriminating evidence against Gu Ao
Gu Chao handed a small piece of peanut candy to Mu Mingsha, and then pushed the cart up the mountain to look for someone
Sister, I have brought you some meat
Old Dad is rather timid; at first, when he heard Gu Ao shouting, he thought it was black market meat and almost wanted to slap him
Upon hearing Gu Ao's greeting, Gu Min numbly wiped the sweat from his brow with the cloth draped around his neck, feeling a mix of surprise and confusion: "What brings you here? It's not yet the day for issuing meat coupons, so where would the meat come from at home?"
Gu Chao also provided a response, which made the old man feel quite satisfied
Their lives are highly dependent on ration cards; once the allocated food supply is insufficient, there are no alternative channels for replenishment
Until the late hours of the night, both the courtyard downstairs and the kitchen were completely empty
Gu Chao was unaware of these matters, as he had already fallen into a deep sleep
"More than two jin?" Gu Min was taken aback and hurriedly sealed the jar, "Did you bring it all to me?"
What kind of world is this
However, upon hearing that the Gu family sent pork to their relatives who went to the countryside, the level of animosity became less pronounced.
Longjing tea from Qiantang is the most seasonally sensitive among all types of tea. The tea harvested before the Ming Dynasty is considered a rare delicacy, while that harvested before the rain is regarded as a superior quality.
Gu Chao recalled this matter and understood it clearly in his heart
I don't even know why I started the process, and I just ended up crying.
At the moment of opening, I felt that the aroma of lard was not as rich as before. Upon closer inspection, I was surprised to see a few ribs, and my mood sank again.
When Gu Ao saw Ma Feng, he felt that the young man was a bit too excited, as if he had made some money, and he was overjoyed beyond measure
As for whether Longjing tea can fetch a good price at the Canton Fair, this has nothing to do with the tea farmers—under the national planned procurement system, regardless of how well your tea is grown, the state only takes the tea away and allocates 22 jin of grain to you each month. (This is the quota for underage female educated youth; men receive a bit more.)
The result is as follows: That night, the original vacant spot was taken by the table of another neighbor. The next day, when Gu Ao wanted to move the table down, he found that there was no place to put it in the yard.
Therefore, even households with gas cylinders must specifically light a fire to use a coal stove when preparing this dish—otherwise, simmering it on a gas stove for several hours would be equivalent to burning money directly
Gu Chao pushed the cart and, after crossing two slopes, finally saw Gu Min at the top of the eastern slope, a tea-picking girl drenched in sweat
At noon, Gu Ao approached the class teacher, Teacher Yang, to request a half-day leave of absence, stating that his sister in the countryside had some matters to attend to
And two coal cakes cost only seven cents, the heat is a bit weak, but it can simmer through half the night
This is the final step of his "going to the countryside to exchange for college entrance examination registration qualifications" plan. Originally, he would have to wait until next month when the meat tickets are issued and when he delivers meat to his sister to reveal the truth.
As soon as Gu Ao walked into the courtyard and saw his father, he immediately raised the meat and said: "Dad, there is meat to eat—bought it from Hujiang, no meat ration needed"
At the same time that the old man felt relieved, the five or six neighboring households in the yard exclaimed in surprise
Only after hearing that it was purchased through a legal channel did the old man's expression change from shock to joy
Until the early 1990s, there was only one day off in the country, which was Sunday.
It is advisable for my father to go to the office tomorrow to settle the accounts, and also to fill in the legitimate excuse for obtaining the introduction letter.
Now that I have finally bought the book, I might as well stop attending classes altogether. While the teacher is lecturing up front, I sit below with a guidebook, writing and calculating whenever I encounter exercises
The old man secretly went downstairs and began to release poison in the dead of night
The father and son returned home and had a light dinner
The next day, classes proceeded as usual in the morning
Fortunately, the weather at the end of March was not hot, so he did not suffer from exhaustion
In contrast, in other communes located in the plain rice fields, members can plant some rice crops on their private plots, as well as vegetables such as water bamboo and marsh gentian, and even raise poultry or catch frogs and loaches to supplement their daily food supply
The dish of dried mustard greens with braised meat must be stewed for a long time to be delicious
Last time when Qin Hui came to the Gu family to discuss matters with the old man, in order to hide away and eat roast chicken behind closed doors, Gu Ao carried the wooden table from the yard upstairs
In any case, as long as they can imagine how miserable the daily lives of those who go to the countryside are, they can easily restore their psychological balance
Thus, when Gu Ao occasionally arrives early, it leaves her somewhat bewildered and unable to react
The first feeling upon holding the meat can was that it was somewhat heavier than usual, which brought a sense of joy to Gu Min's heart
It is quite normal for students to have family matters nowadays, after all, children from poor families take on responsibilities at an early age
In brief, explain the situation at home in a manner that Gu Min can easily accept
Nowadays, in order to save electricity, many families choose to dine in their yards to avoid turning on lights indoors. Moreover, since the rooms are already small, they make use of public spaces whenever possible
If this were to be done with meat tickets, would their entire family of three have to start saving since before the New Year? Is it really that good over at Hujiang? Unfortunately, there is no introduction letter for traveling far...
Tea trees are all planted on the slopes, so the land of the tea plantation consists of terraced fields. The members' private plots are similarly arranged, resulting in a very frugal life
A lot has happened this month; someone from the central government came to the factory, and my father is following Director Qin to embark on a major undertaking, with conditions improving in all aspects
Every April is the busiest time of the year, as the tea pickers work day and night to harvest the pre-Qingming tea. If they miss the seasonal deadline by even one day, the value significantly decreases
Specifically responsible for the neighbor's child who cried out of temptation, has once again started to engage in a battle of wits with Grandma Yu, who is dedicated to scolding those who waste water: "Grandma, I want to eat meat, I want to eat meat~"
Then I mounted my bicycle, placed a large teacup of cool tea in the basket, and went to the countryside to visit my sister
"How much meat is there in total here?" she asked cautiously
It was precisely dinnertime when I entered the door
The old man ultimately preferred to keep a low profile and did not wish to create enmity with others. He made a decision: "This meat is so fresh; it won't be good if left for too long. I will steam it with preserved vegetables. You should take a half-day off tomorrow afternoon to deliver it to your sister. However, for the next three months, I will reserve half of the monthly meat ration of six taels for you as compensation."
Members of the tea plantation can only plant a few old corn stalks or bamboo shoots and sesame in their private plots. Otherwise, they can only grow other cash crops that cannot be consumed, such as tea.
However, reading idle books during class is not a major issue, so Weng Dechen has not gained anything significant for the time being
He does not wish to avoid it this time, after all, there is not much meat left in hand, which does not count as the tail of capitalism
Huh? The vegetarian Gu family actually has meat now
She was a rather tanned young female educated youth, with no discernible beauty, but she was extremely thin, clearly suffering from malnutrition. Her name was Mu Mingsha, and she was the same age as Gu Min, both of whom were educated youths from Qiantang City, which is why they often spent time together.
He lit a coal stove, first boiling a few kettles of hot water, and then blanching the ribs in the water
Gu Chao could only shake his head in silence: after all, he is still a typical adolescent. To cultivate the ability to keep one's emotions from showing on one's face, it would take several years of diligent practice.
The Gu family will eventually prosper; if others wish to be envious, then let them gradually get used to it.
Wow, that's still a big piece of meat, at least two to three pounds
At 3 PM, Gu Ao, drenched in sweat and having drained an entire tank of iced tea, finally arrived at the Hongxing Tea Plantation in the southern part of Kuaiji City
That is where his sister works as a farmer