Chapter Two: The Whole Family Dines on Meat

Wang Lin noticed that her husband had changed; he was cooking, which was something unheard of.

Sitting on the *kang* holding Doudou, she watched quietly as Zhang Huacheng turned the food in the iron pot.

The dish he was cooking smelled so good...

Doudou, huddled in Wang Lin’s arms, kept swallowing her saliva and wiping the corners of her mouth from time to time. The rich aroma of chicken had filled the entire room, and the little girl’s stomach was rumbling.

As the fire roared, the temperature on the *kang* began to rise, and Wang Lin sat there, lost in a daze.

It was chicken stewed with mushrooms, and three small corn cakes were pressed against the rim of the iron pot—there was almost no grain left in the house.

Zhang Huacheng looked at the meager pile of firewood and the pitifully small amount of coal left in the house, feeling an urge to slap himself. The very last of their money, meant for firewood, had been snatched away by Chen Biao to buy liquor.

"Linlin, can we borrow coal from the production brigade?"

Zhang Huacheng knew they needed coal; otherwise, in this freezing mid-winter, they would freeze to death without a heated *kang*, and Doudou was too small to withstand the cold. He remembered that the brigade allowed coal to be borrowed, provided it was paid back with labor points the following year.

"The... the brigade won't lend to us..."

Wang Lin lowered her head.

She had tried to borrow four times, and each time she was met with cold words and mockery. After all, her husband was known for being lazy, gluttonous, and a gambler; they wouldn't even lend her half a bag. Some of the women in the brigade would even mock her, a city girl, for being blind and getting swindled, urging her to divorce him and offering to introduce her to other men.

"It’s alright, I’ll find a way."

Zhang Huacheng understood it was because of his own reputation, and there was another reason: his surname was Zhang. The village, Chentang Sanliqu, was dominated by the Chen, Wang, and Zhang clans.

Ten years ago, the Zhang clan, then part of the Xiaochangshan region, had dwindled to fewer than a hundred people. Under the commune’s promotion, they merged with the Chentang Sanliqu brigade, but they had always been marginalized. They were given the hardest, most exhausting work, yet they received the fewest labor points. After a year of backbreaking labor, they would end up owing the brigade money.

The conflict between the families was severe.

Currently, the Chen family had over a thousand people, while the Zhang family had fewer than a hundred. However, the Zhangs were not to be trifled with; the older generation were tough men who had served in the military and fought on the battlefield. The Chen and Zhang families were like fire and water, and they had clashed countless times.

"Doudou, come, try the dish Daddy made and see if it’s good!"

He picked up a spatula, fished out a chicken drumstick, blew on it, and handed it to Doudou.

Doudou couldn't wait, reaching out with her little hands to grab it, not even minding the heat. Zhang Huacheng felt a sharp pain in his heart as he looked at her little hands, covered in frostbite.

"Blow on it before you eat, don't burn yourself."

Seeing Doudou shoving it directly into her mouth, Wang Lin quickly reminded her.

Clearly, Doudou didn't fear the heat. Her eyes sparkled as she ate the meat; she hadn't had meat in a long time.

Zhang Huacheng’s culinary skills were top-tier. He had once made a mistake in the army and spent three years in the military canteen, and he had always enjoyed cooking. However, there were almost no seasonings in this house—only coarse salt, chili, and a tiny bit of lard. Fortunately, there were some frozen mushrooms in the house, and he was quite satisfied with this iron-pot stew.

"Is it good?" Zhang Huacheng asked, rubbing Doudou’s little head after she finished.

Doudou nodded repeatedly, looking longingly at the pot.

"Come on, let’s eat!"

Zhang Huacheng moved the pot onto the *kang* table, and the family of three sat around it.

"Um, the organs and such can be eaten too," Wang Lin whispered.

She felt a pang of heartache seeing Zhang Huacheng throw away the chicken head and organs, but she hadn’t dared to speak up before.

Zhang Huacheng understood what she meant and explained, "I have other uses for the organs and the chicken head. With the heavy snow blocking the mountains and not much food in the house, I have to go get us something to eat."

These were bait for crabs. In this era, Chentang Sanliqu had not yet utilized the reefs at all. It wouldn't be until 1972 that people would learn to catch sea crabs to sell for money.

Wang Lin was stunned. When had her husband ever considered the household’s daily necessities before? What was wrong with him? But with the heavy snow sealing the mountains and the freezing weather, where could he possibly get food?

Zhang Huacheng noticed his wife was reluctant to eat the meat, chewing on a bone for a long time. He couldn't help but feel a surge of heartache. Wang Lin was the daughter of a factory worker family and should have lived a life free from want, yet she had severed ties with her family because of him.

Wang Lin was an educated youth who had arrived at Chentang Sanliqu three years ago wearing a beautiful floral dress, like a wildflower blooming in the fields. Her eyes were dark, kind, and full of curiosity about everything in Chentang Sanliqu. He had fallen in love with her at first sight.

"Eat more meat," Zhang Huacheng said, placing a piece of meat in her bowl.

"Mm."

Wang Lin felt she had never eaten such a delicious meal, and the aroma filled her mouth so completely that she accidentally bit her tongue. Her pretty face flushed slightly, and she cast a cautious glance at him, only to find Zhang Huacheng looking at her with such tenderness that her heart suddenly began to race.

What was wrong with him? Why was he looking at her like that?

After Doudou was full, she lay on the *kang* and fell fast asleep, a smile on her little face. She had eaten so much meat.

Zhang Huacheng added some firewood to the stove and then went into the yard to cut down two bamboo stalks. The bamboo at home would be perfect for making crab cages. He hoped for a good harvest.

"The... the money tree..."

When Zhang Huacheng dragged the cut bamboo into the house, Wang Lin, who was cleaning up the bowls and chopsticks, nearly burst into tears. These were meant to be taken to the market to be sold near the New Year; back then, one "money tree" could fetch forty cents.

"I, um, Linlin, don't cry."

Zhang Huacheng’s face turned red, and he scrambled to comfort her. He had forgotten that she loved watching the bamboo grow and that she sold them every year to help with the household expenses. It took a long time to soothe her.

Weaving the crab cages was simple for him. By the light of the fire, he split the bamboo into thin strips, and in Zhang Huacheng’s hands, they gradually took the shape of cage traps.

Wang Lin couldn't help, so she lay on the *kang* and watched him quietly. Perhaps she was too tired, for she drifted off to sleep without realizing it.

Zhang Huacheng found a piece of netting and stitched together four small pouches, stuffing the chicken head, tail, and organs into them one by one, hanging them in the center of the cages.

Time to set the traps!

Seeing his wife and daughter sleeping soundly, Zhang Huacheng quietly picked up the four cages and headed out.

Night had fallen, and the sky was pitch black, with only the white snow reflecting a faint, ghostly glow.

The sea that Chentang Sanliqu bordered was a reef-filled coast, which had dashed their hopes of fishing; the sharp rocks made the area unusable. The reefs were covered in a thin layer of white snow, and under the light of the snow, the mottled white rocks shimmered with a cold, icy luster.

The reefs near the shore were covered in ice and snow, but the seawater in the deeper reefs was active, rushing in and out among the rocks. The reefs were sharp and difficult to traverse, and the freezing seawater washed back and forth. Zhang Huacheng walked with extreme caution; one slip could lead to a cut or injury, and in temperatures ten degrees below zero, getting his clothes or shoes wet would be fatal.

Zhang Huacheng searched for suitable spots one by one. Ten minutes later, all four cages were set, and he waited for the catch.

If he caught something, he would increase the number of crab cages. But if he didn't, he would have to find a gun and venture into the mountains.

Wang Lin was exhausted and slept soundly. She didn't notice when Zhang Huacheng left or when he returned, and the temperature in the room dropped as the firewood in the stove burned out.

There was no coal in the house, and the wood would burn out quickly, so Zhang Huacheng gave up on heating the *kang*.

The alluring scent lingered around Zhang Huacheng’s nose. He pulled her graceful body into his arms and felt a surge of vigorous energy in this body. In 2024, he hadn't had this kind of vitality for many years.

Being young was truly a blessing...

"Linlin..."

"Mm."

Dazed, Wang Lin felt a pair of burning hands wandering over her body, and her breathing gradually grew heavier.

"Don't... don't wake Doudou..."

Low murmurs echoed in the room, and they continued for a very, very long time...