Chapter 20: Braised Pork Belly with Radish
Su Yongshi, seeing that Su He didn’t seem to be making things up, couldn’t help but grumble about Old Madam Su: “That Zhang Lianxiang is just a shrew—what was your grandma doing provoking her?!”
Su He smirked faintly, “Second Uncle, you should actually be thanked for this.
Zhang Lianxiang heard you’d arranged a good marriage for me and came by trying to cozy up to the family. But when she found out the marriage was off, she started running her mouth. My grandma felt sorry for me, so she hit her.”
Su Yongshi’s face went pale and then dark: “No matter what, you won’t be able to borrow the iron ox (walking tractor). Just go through the motions and then come back.”
Su He nodded. “Mm, I’ll stay here a few days. If I can’t borrow it, I’ll go back. But don’t tell my second aunt about it—she’s warm-hearted, and I don’t want her worrying over it.”
Su Yongshi: “…Okay.”
I have no proof, but I feel like you’re being sarcastic.
He didn’t want to waste another word on Su He and turned to head back into the courtyard.
Su He jogged to catch up and whispered, “Second Uncle, my grandma has money. If you really can’t cover the cost of that bicycle, just ask her. She’ll definitely give it to you.”
Su Yongshi gave her a glare but said nothing.
He’d already been planning that. His mother doted on him—and if that didn’t work, there was always Jinbao. He was sure he could get the money.
Su He chuckled to herself. Just keep digging your own grave. Eventually Grandma’s favoritism will run dry.
When they entered the house, Cao Hongmei had already finished preparing dinner.
Mixed-grain flatbread, and braised pork belly with radish.
Su Jinbao glared at Su He. He’d finally figured it out—his rotten cousin had tricked him into giving up his boiled egg!
“This meat is ours! You’re not allowed to eat it!”
Su He looked aggrievedly at Su Yongshi. “Second Uncle, Jinbao won’t let me eat meat!”
Su Yongshi: …You’re eighteen, a grown girl, and you’re tattling because you didn’t get any meat?
But he couldn’t just ignore it. He scolded Jinbao with a stern face, “Don’t talk to your cousin like that. Even though she’s a lot older than you, she’s a guest. You should give way to guests.”
Su He didn’t care whether Su Yongshi was implying she was shameless. She just picked up a piece of meat and popped it into her mouth.
To be fair, Cao Hongmei really could cook. The pork belly was fatty but not greasy, lean but not dry—absolutely delicious.
Cao Hongmei, worried that Su Yongshi might hit Jinbao, quickly put a few pieces of meat into his bowl to pacify him. Jinbao finally quieted down.
After dinner, Su He wandered around the courtyard to digest.
Su Yongshi and Cao Hongmei were whispering in the house, while Jinbao had run off to play with his friends.
As she strolled, Su He mulled over how to borrow a walking tractor.
Now she knew that the mechanical factory had assigned some workers to the agricultural machinery bureau—but how could she leverage that to get access to a tractor?
Just as she was getting nowhere, Cao Hongmei called her inside. “Xiao He, come in for a minute!”
Su He entered the house, and Cao Hongmei greeted her with a smile, holding a piece of cotton fabric.
“Xiao He, last time I said I’d go to the supply store to buy you some cloth, but they had already closed. Yesterday, a batch of defective fabric came down from the factory, so I bought a few feet. Even though it’s imperfect, it’s still perfectly wearable. Look how bright the color is—perfect for making a dress…”
A spark flashed in Su He’s mind, but before she could fully grasp it, Cao Hongmei continued:
“Xiao He, how about going home tomorrow? It’s not that I want to chase you out—it’s just, as you can see, this place is really small. It’s just not convenient to have another person staying. And don’t pay any attention to the gossip in the village—if you have a clear conscience, there’s nothing to fear. In a few days, people will stop talking.”
Su Yongshi said nothing. He figured this piece of cloth was like throwing a meat bun at a dog—useless. This girl’s skin was thicker than the city wall; she wasn’t going anywhere.
Unfortunately, he didn’t dare bring up the bicycle, so he couldn’t expose Su He’s true intentions in front of Cao Hongmei.
Sure enough, Su He nodded, “Second Aunt, you’re absolutely right. But I still want to relax a bit here in the county. As for the space issue, that’s easy—we can just have Second Uncle work night shifts all the time.”
Cao Hongmei: “…”
She was so easy to fool last time—how come she’s such a handful this time?
She wanted to take back the fabric, but Su He was already hugging it tightly.
“Second Aunt, how much is this kind of defective fabric per foot? Is there a lot of it?”
Cao Hongmei, forcing herself to stay patient, said, “Thirty-five cents a foot. The amount varies. Lately, a few machines have been acting up, so there’s been more defective fabric than usual.”
Su He asked again, “Do you need cloth ration tickets for this kind of fabric? Can I buy some too?”
Cao Hongmei was growing impatient. “No cloth tickets needed, but everyone in the factory is scrambling to get it—outsiders can’t buy any. I had to pull a lot of strings to get this piece for you. You probably won’t be able to get any.”
Su He looked disappointed. “Oh, I see. Then never mind.”
She didn’t say anything more after that, but in her mind, she was already making her next plan.
Su He slept like a baby that night, but Cao Hongmei and Su Yongshi both had dark circles under their eyes.
Today, Cao Hongmei had the mid-day shift, and Su Yongshi had the night shift, so both were home in the morning.
“Second Uncle, Second Aunt, I’m going out for a walk.”
They were both glad to see her go, so they just mumbled an agreement without saying much.
Su He headed straight to the supply store.
Using sugar ration tickets she got from her space and money from Old Madam Su, she bought five catties of sugar candies, then went to the textile factory’s family housing area.
As luck would have it, as soon as she entered the courtyard, she spotted the bearded man.
She ran over excitedly, “Comrade! Do you remember me? I’m Su He, Su Yongshi’s niece. That day when Zhao Bin falsely accused me of hitting him with an electric baton, it was you who stood up for me!”
The man’s name was Zhou Dayong. Hearing her words, he scratched his head awkwardly. “I remember. I remember. What brings you here…”
Su He said gratefully, “If it weren’t for everyone helping me that day, who knows what would’ve happened to me. I’ve been thinking of how to thank everyone, but I didn’t know what to do. So I bought some candy.
Brother, if it’s convenient, could you take me around to visit everyone? I’d like to personally give them some candy and say thank you.”
Zhou Dayong thought to himself, This girl knows how to show gratitude.
He didn’t refuse, and took Su He door to door.
There were four floors in the building, with over thirty households. Some were home, some weren’t.
At each house, Su He would say a few words of thanks and hand over a couple handfuls of candy, acting sweet and sensible at every stop.
