Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
By the time she emerged from her room, her grandma, Wen Ruyu, had almost finished washing the clothes and was about to hang them up to dry.
Gu Qingyao said, “Grandma, are you hungry? I’ll cook for you. Brother Beihan bought buns and red braised pork from the state-run restaurant but didn’t finish, so we brought it back.”
Even Grandma Wen Ruyu could not help but look eager when she heard that there was meat. Wen Ruyu had lived well when she was young, but unfortunately had encountered times like this, and had suffered much in recent years.
In these times, commoners only had a taste of meat at the end of the year when they killed the pigs and distributed the meat. Under normal circumstances, one needed both money and coupons to buy meat from the grocery store, and even then, it was not always available.
If not for Eldest, Second and Third Uncle, the Gu family could not possibly afford to eat such things.
Because of the constraints of the times, even though the Gu family could afford it, they still seldom ate meat.
Wen Ruyu immediately smiled when she heard that and said, “Alright, just heat up one bun. I don’t eat much.”
Gu Qingyao entered the kitchen.
In the kitchen was a typical wood-burning clay stove found in villages. By its side was a brazier. But the weather was warm and the brazier was not in use and was just sitting there.
Gu Qingyao added some water to the pot and lit the fire. Then she placed two buns and the red braised pork in the steamer to heat them up.
Knowing that her grandma was still outside, Gu Qingyao looked at the red braised pork she had brought back and seized the opportunity to add another two large spoonfuls from her interspace.
She had lots of cooked food in her interspace. Red braised pork was one of them. It was rare for her family to eat meat, and she wanted to seize the opportunity to let her grandma have a little more.
After that, she took out about half a kilogram of pork ribs and added it to the pork ribs she had bought. She washed and salted them, then went to deal with the fish.
At that moment, Wen Ruyu came in and was shocked to see the pork ribs and the large fish!
“Did you buy all these? Wow! These items may not be available even if you want to buy them. How unusual that you managed to get them!”
Gu Qingyao smiled. “We were lucky today. We bought them at the grocery store. Only this fish and the pork ribs were left when we were there, so we bought them all.”
Wen Ruyu smiled, “Wonderful! Salt them and when your father and grandfather get back, they can have some meat. That’s a lot of pork rib! We can add some carrots and cabbage later and it will be enough for several meals.”
In times like this, resources were scarce. To everyone, meat, no matter whether it was fatty meat, lean meat, pork collar, or pork ribs, they all had to be braised with carrots and cabbage in a large stew so that everyone in the family could taste some meat and have a share of these coveted foods.
Gu Qingyao did not argue. In times like these, she could not change her grandma’s thinking at once. Anyway, she had her interspace. In the future, she certainly would not allow her grandma to suffer!
Grandma had once enjoyed a good life. In the future, her living conditions would improve and she would naturally get used to it.
Gu Qingyao carried the fish to the well to clean it. By the time she had gutted and cleaned the fish, Wen Ruyu had already eaten and emerged. The red braised pork had been soft and tender, melting in her mouth. Wen Ruyu had been completely satisfied with her meal.
She carried a basket and a small hoe, and was prepared to work in the vegetable patch.
At that time, every household had a private plot which they used to grow some vegetables. These vegetables were part of the farmers’ diet. Most families lacked food and only continued to eke out an existence by growing vegetables for half a year and melons and other vegetables for the other half.
When Gu Qingyao saw that, she said, “Grandma, I’ll go up the mountain later to dig for some wild herbs. Perhaps I can pick some mushrooms or fungus, and I’ll also bring back some firewood while I’m there.”
Wen Ruyu said, “Don’t worry about the firewood. You can’t possibly manage it. You must be careful when you go up the mountain!”
It was common for the children in the village to go up the mountain to dig for wild herbs. Gu Qingyao had also frequently done so in the past, so Wen Ruyu did not feel that anything was amiss.