Song Wei purchased the medicines from the doctor based on Lin Zhen’s list.
The cost wasn’t cheap—over seven yuan in total.
After placing the medicine in her bamboo basket, she walked through the hospital corridor, preparing to leave.
Though called a hospital, the facility in this small town resembled more of an oversized private clinic from later generations.
“Lin Dahai, what do you mean by this? What do you take me for?”
Hmm? Lin Dahai? The name sounded familiar. Oh, right—he was the pride of Old lady Lin, her eldest son working as a factory worker in the city.
But then again, Lin Dahai was a common name. It might not necessarily be the same Lin Dahai.
The woman’s voice was filled with anger and indignation. Song Wei’s curiosity lit up, and she tiptoed over to investigate, her eyes bright with the promise of juicy gossip.
Hidden around a corner, she peeked without being noticed.
A middle-aged man was trying to calm a woman who appeared to be in her thirties but still retained her charm.
One glance was enough for Song Wei to confirm that the man was indeed Old lady Lin’s pride, Lin Dahai.
Why? His eyes were just like Old lady Lin’s.
Lin Dahai looked around nervously, awkwardly smiling at passersby before pulling the teary, reluctant woman away.
Without hesitation, Song Wei followed them quietly.
She wasn’t just there to eavesdrop; she was gathering intel. As the saying goes: know yourself and your enemy, and you’ll never lose a hundred battles.
The pair stopped at a secluded alleyway where few people passed by.
From her hiding spot, Song Wei could hear the woman’s angry voice.
“Lin Dahai, you promised to marry me. Now we even have a child together. When are you going to divorce that woman at home? I’m not staying with you in this uncertain arrangement anymore. If you don’t make up your mind, I’ll get rid of this one too!”
Lin Dahai lowered his voice. “Meijuan, don’t rush me. I’m already working on it. But she’s the mother of my children. If I suddenly divorce her without a good reason, it’ll ruin my reputation. You know I’m about to get promoted to a permanent position. If rumors spread or she causes a scene at my workplace, I’ll lose everything.”
He held her close, patting her on the back as if to soothe her. “You wouldn’t want our child to grow up with me jobless, right? How would I take care of you then?”
The woman, still upset, softened under his reassurance.
“You’ll really divorce her?”
“Of course I will. You’re the one I love. She’s just someone my mother picked for me. I don’t have any feelings for her.”
Song Wei silently rolled her eyes in disdain. Lin Dahai was a textbook scumbag. No feelings for his wife? Yet he had no problem sharing a bed with her and having both a son and daughter.
Once the woman calmed down, the pair exchanged a few more affectionate words before leaving.
Song Wei waited until they were gone before stepping out of her hiding spot.
She had seen Lin Dahai’s face clearly and noted his resemblance to Old lady Lin. Interestingly, he bore no resemblance to Old Man Lin.
To be honest, Old Man Lin must had been quite the looker in his youth, with a rugged, masculine charm. Even now, with wrinkles lining his face, traces of his handsome features could still be seen in his children, particularly Lin Zhen and Heidan.
But Lin Dahai? He looked nothing like Old Man Lin.
Unlike the Lin family’s typically rugged, hardy appearance, Lin Dahai had a refined, scholarly look with fair skin. He wasn’t overweight nor overly thin, and even as an older man, he exuded a certain charm that clearly still attracted women.
The woman with him also seemed to be married, though Song Wei wasn’t sure what led her to get involved with Lin Dahai.
Leaving the alleyway, Song Wei set aside her thoughts about Lin Dahai and went to buy grain.
Luck was on her side—there was pork for sale today!
The news quickly spread through the small town, causing a stir. Everyone rushed to the meat shop upon hearing about it.
Song Wei overheard the news from two chatting women and swiftly followed them.
By the time she arrived, a long line had already formed outside the butcher shop.
It wasn’t that everyone had suddenly developed good manners and voluntarily lined up.
The shop had hired two young men alongside the butcher to maintain order.
“New arrivals, stand at the back. Anyone cutting in line won’t get to buy,” one of them warned.
The threat worked. Even the most eager customers reluctantly queued up.
Everyone craned their necks, hoping to catch a glimpse of the meat at the front.
Song Wei rummaged through her belongings and sighed in relief. Thankfully, she always carried all her ration tickets when visiting town.
Song Wei had a total of three meat ticket: a two-jin ticket returned by Luo Yecheng, a one-jin ticket from Gao Le in exchange for fieldwork, and a three-jin ticket sent by her brother before she left for the countryside.
Ration tickets had expiration dates, and hers were about to expire.
When it was finally her turn, she didn’t hold back.
“I’ll take fifteen jin of meat,” she said confidently.
The crowd behind her erupted.
“Girl, don’t be greedy! Everyone wants meat, and you’re buying it all?”
“That’s right. If you take fifteen jin, what’s left for the rest of us?”
Amidst the grumbling and sour comments, Song Wei ignored them all and pointed at the butcher.
“I’ll take three jin of ribs, two jin of lean meat, three jin of fat for rendering lard, one pig’s trotter, and the remaining pork fat slabs.”
Her words quieted the crowd.
Why?
In this era of scarce oil and water, fatty meat was the most sought-after item. What Song Wei chose—ribs with little meat, lean cuts, and pork fat slabs—were items most people didn’t care for.
The butcher, surprised by her choices, quickly weighed out her order.
“All set. Anything else?”
Song Wei’s eyes lit up. “How much for those bones? And do you sell offal?”
The butcher grinned. “Bones don’t require tickets—thirty cents each. Pig offal is fifty cents.”
While cheap, these items weren’t popular unless someone was desperate for a taste of meat.
“I’ll take one big bone and a bundle of offal,” Song Wei said decisively.
Leave a Reply