Chapter 35: Hand-Pulled Noodle Soup with Shredded Meat

"Yes, Dad, you go and rest now."

Zhang Huacheng rolled out the dough, preparing a pot of hand-pulled noodles with shredded pork. Life for the Zhang family was currently very difficult and bitter; he had to change their situation as soon as possible. He sliced the dough, cut the meat, heated the oil in the wok, and soon the house was filled with a rich, mouth-watering aroma.

"Uncle, can Xiaobao have some?"

Lured by the scent, little Xiaobao came running over, hanging onto the edge of the stove to peek inside. The fragrant noodles made his stomach rumble incessantly with hunger. His eldest sister-in-law rushed in, picked up Xiaobao, and took him outside; soon, the sound of Xiaobao’s wailing drifted back in. In these times, when relatives visited, they were always served first to ensure they wouldn't go hungry.

"What are you making? It smells so good!" Even Fifth Great-Uncle, who had been feeling quite listless, caught the scent.

"It’s the smell of pork!" Second Uncle couldn't help but swallow his saliva. It was so fragrant; they hadn't eaten meat in a very long time. Even when they managed to catch a sparrow, it wasn't enough to fill the gaps in their teeth.

"Noodles are ready!"

Hualing brought over two bowls of shredded pork noodles, placing one in front of Fifth Great-Uncle and the other before Third Great-Grandfather. Zhang Huacheng followed behind with two more bowls.

"I won't eat, I won't eat, let the children have it." Second Uncle hurriedly stood up, intending to leave.

"Second Uncle, I made a whole pot, there are plenty of noodles. Come, sit and have a bowl." Zhang Huacheng reached out, pulled him back, and pressed a pair of chopsticks into his hand.

His mother walked over with a beaming smile, carrying a plate of sliced pickled vegetables, and said, "You’ve helped a lot today; you must have a bowl of noodles. Eat up, there’s plenty more in the pot."

"Mmm, delicious! Simply delicious!" Fifth Great-Uncle took a bite with his chopsticks, nodding repeatedly, unable to stop praising the food.

"Why are these meat slices cut so thick? Who eats meat like this?" Third Great-Grandfather saw the large chunks of pork in his bowl and said with a pang of heartache, then used his chopsticks to pick them out and place them on the pickle dish, saying they should be saved for the children.

Second Uncle, after exchanging pleasantries for a while, finally sat down to eat. He took a cautious sip of the soup, and the deep furrows in his brow immediately smoothed out.

"Hualing, come with me to get the bowls." Since the house lacked enough bowls, Zhang Huacheng had bought new ones and immediately called for Hualing.

"Okay!" Hualing nodded happily.

Little Ya had snuck in at some point and was just about to steal a piece of meat when she was quickly snatched up by the sharp-eyed Hualing.

Wang Lin was in the courtyard pushing Dou Dou around on a flatbed cart; the little girl was laughing gleefully. All the items from the cart had already been moved into the house. Wang Lin wasn't in the mood to play; she kept looking toward the gate from time to time. She wanted to know if the marriage had been called off. She and Hualing had been together all day, and she knew her sister-in-law didn't want to marry, but her husband had told her to watch the house, so she could only wait for news.

When she saw Zhang Huacheng returning with Hualing and the others, she greeted them happily.

"Sister-in-law, I don't have to get married!" Hualing excitedly shared the good news with Wang Lin first.

"That's wonderful!" Wang Lin was overjoyed for Hualing.

"Cart, cart!" Dou Dou, in Wang Lin's arms, pointed toward the house, repeating the word to Little Ya.

"What cart?" Little Ya’s eyes widened, and she dashed toward the house. Soon, the sound of Little Ya’s excited shouting could be heard.

When Hualing saw the flatbed cart, she was stunned. Her parents had always dreamed of owning a flatbed cart or a sled, but they were too expensive—even the ones allocated by the commune cost dozens of yuan. Had her second brother really bought a new flatbed cart? Hualing was dumbfounded. If this wasn't an allocation from the commune, how much did it cost?

Little Ya and Dou Dou began to play happily; the thick snow beneath the cart meant there was no need to worry about them getting hurt.

"Go take the bowls and chopsticks into the house first," Zhang Huacheng said, tapping Hualing, who was staring blankly at the cart.

"Oh!"

When Hualing entered the house, she saw a rooster tied up in the corner, but what truly held her gaze were the fabrics on the kang: beautiful, patterned cotton cloth and thick, coarse homespun fabric.

Soon, Hualing ran home with four new bowls and several pounds of wild boar meat. Little Ya, however, refused to leave, wanting to keep playing with the flatbed cart.

"Huacheng, why is your face a bit red?" Wang Lin noticed faint red marks on his face and asked with concern.

"I slipped earlier; the road was too icy. You should be careful when walking, too," Zhang Huacheng said, not mentioning he had been struck.

"Let me see!"

"It's nothing. Look at this." Zhang Huacheng took a paper-wrapped package from his bamboo basket and handed it to her.

Wang Lin took it and asked in surprise, "Is it a book?"

"Not a book," Zhang Huacheng shook his head. "Books are hard to buy now, especially with the strict controls in recent years. This is a diary and a fountain pen I bought for you. Oh, and there’s a bottle of ink here, too."

Novels and poetry were strictly controlled due to the "Destroy the Four Olds" movement. Aside from a few revolutionary works like *Red Crag* or *Tracks in the Snowy Forest*, anything else was out of the question. The copy of *Dream of the Red Chamber* in their house was a banned book.

Upon hearing it was a notebook and a fountain pen, Wang Lin was delighted. Her previous two pens had been stolen when she was an educated youth, and she hadn't owned one since.

"This is for you too, though I couldn't find any lip balm." Zhang Huacheng took out two tins of Shanghai Friendship vanishing cream and handed them to her. He had intended to buy the old-fashioned white "Bee & Flower" lip balm, but it hadn't become widely available yet, and he couldn't find any.

"Vanishing cream?" Wang Lin was pleasantly surprised.

Soon, Dou Dou and Little Ya were reluctantly brought inside to wash their faces and hands. The cream smelled lovely; Little Ya even tried to lick her hands and had to be scolded by Zhang Huacheng before she behaved.

Zhang Huacheng began rendering wolf fat at home, while Wang Lin kneaded dough to make dumplings, preparing a meal of pork and cabbage filling. They had originally planned to kill the rooster for a chicken and pork belly soup, but Wang Lin refused. The family had never raised chickens, and since they finally had one, she wanted to keep it. Even Little Ya and Dou Dou blocked anyone from killing it; the two girls seemed ready to cuddle the rooster in their beds.

Raising chickens in winter was difficult and required grain, but given their current situation, it wasn't a problem. That evening, the whole family would eat pork and cabbage dumplings, and they had to make a large batch.

The old house was filled with laughter, and the scent of bowl after bowl of shredded pork noodles wafted through the air.

"This meal used up nearly half a bag of flour," the eldest sister-in-law said with a twinge of heartache. Using high-quality white flour for noodles, plus nearly a pound of pork—it was quite an indulgence.

"Mom, I want more!" Xiaobao ran into the room clutching his bowl, with Dabao following close behind.

"There isn't any!" Chen Xiuying glared.

"Eat more tonight," Zhang Huchen said, taking the bowl away. They were all bottomless pits.

"Auntie said there will be lots of delicious food tonight, and wine. Dad, what is wine? And Auntie said we’ll have new clothes soon, beautiful new clothes," Xiaobao asked, looking up with a serious expression.

New clothes?

"Huchen, go call Hualing and ask her what's going on." Chen Xiuying felt a stir in her heart, suspecting it had something to do with her brother-in-law.

"She’s probably just talking nonsense," Zhang Huchen said, though he went to call her anyway.

Hualing soon arrived.

"Hualing, Xiaobao said just now that they’re getting new clothes soon—what’s that about? We barely have enough cloth coupons to make a pair of underwear." Zhang Huchen noticed his wife was pretending to scoop noodle soup while actually listening intently, and he understood he had to be the one to ask. He sighed and spoke up.

"Second Brother bought cotton cloth and cotton batting for Dabao and Xiaobao. Little Ya got some too; all the kids in the family have a share. Brother, I’m still a child, right?" Hualing wanted to know if she was included, as she had been too shy to ask earlier.

"You're about to be married; you're not a child," Zhang Huchen said, realizing it was indeed Huacheng who had bought them.

"Brother, you're annoying! Didn't the engagement get called off? If I'm not getting married, doesn't that make me a child?" Hualing stomped her feet in anger.

"Fine, fine, you're a child, happy now? And what’s this about lots of good food tonight? Is Huacheng coming over for dinner?"

Hualing had already turned and left, with Dabao and Xiaobao chasing after her.

Chen Xiuying leaned forward and whispered, "Why don't you go over to your brother's house and see what's happening? The two families are at such odds right now; if he’s done anything like speculation or profiteering, don't let anyone else find out." Given what happened today, if the Chen family found any leverage, they certainly wouldn't let it go. The animosity between the two families was deepening.

"Since when did you start caring so much about Huacheng?" Zhang Huchen felt his wife was different; she was actually showing concern for the family.

Chen Xiuying retorted angrily, "I’m concerned about the new cotton jackets for Dabao and Xiaobao! They’ve never worn new clothes in their lives. You, as their father, should reflect on that!"

Seeing the situation turning, Zhang Huchen scurried away. In these times, having clothes to wear was considered good. As for new clothes, what child had those? Even children in the city rarely had new outfits, let alone new cotton jackets.

Fifth Great-Uncle had finished a bowl of noodles and was snoring on the kang. His own home didn't have a heated floor, and here it was warm and he was full, so he fell asleep as soon as he felt comfortable. Third Great-Grandfather and the others had gone home, feeling quite pleased that the Zhang family had gained the upper hand in their struggle against the Chen family.

"Dad, Mom, Second Brother bought a new cart!" Hualing saw everyone had left and ran over to show off, seeing her parents sitting by the stove finishing their noodle soup.

"What? A sled?" Zhang Hu stared, eyes wide. How could one buy such a thing? You needed a permit from the commune to buy one, and you needed money.

"Not a sled, a flatbed cart!" Hualing corrected.

"Huacheng bought a new flatbed cart?" Her mother also doubted what she was hearing. To buy a new flatbed cart, one needed a permit from the brigade and a lot of money—at least a hundred and some yuan, unless it was allocated by the commune. She had wanted to ask her son where he got the money for the Chen family, but she had been too busy.

"Yes, it's beautiful," Zhang Hualing nodded repeatedly.

"You go to Second's house and see if the in-laws gave it to him." Zhang Hu couldn't understand it. He knew his son's character well, so why had he been so different these past few days? Was it given by the in-laws?

"I'll go take a look!" Song Guiying put down her bowl, preparing to go.

"Mom, I'll go with you!" Hualing happily grabbed her mother's hand.

Mother and daughter were just about to step out when they ran into Zhang Huchen, who was also heading out. They stared at each other in surprise.

"Eldest Brother, where are you going?" Hualing asked, puzzled.

"Oh, that... I'm going to Huacheng's place to take a look."

"Huh?"